Ultimate Blogging Party 2011 #UBP11

I am happy to participate in the Ultimate Blogging Party 2011 this year.   I follow @5minutesformom on Twitter and luckily spotted their tweet this morning and hopped on the party bandwagon!   Looks like a fantastic way to meet some fellow bloggers and there are even some prizes offered.

For those stopping by from the party and this being your first visit here … I am Debbie also known as The Running Garlic. I blog about Gardening, Cooking, Crafts and every day life.   I am participating in the WordPress Challenge and have started a Facebook group to help support all the bloggers who are creating daily or weekly blog posts.   The Challenge has been very rewarding and a wonderful way to connect with others; being Freshly Pressed and receiving 4,500 hits to my blog in 2 days was beyond exciting!

Along with this blog, I also created Garden Dish to share some recipes and Munchie Monday where you can link up and add your own.   Ok….enough about me, I am headed back to the Ultimate Blogging Party to make some new friends!

Facebook page = The Running Garlic Twitter handle = @RunningGarlic

Happy April 1st …. Nice to meet you!

Weekly Photo Challenge – Shadows

Newest update: I now have Photoshop

I still consider myself to be in the learning stages with my Apple Mac and I am making it a habit to use it even for the simple searches or mail checks.   If I don’t use it I will never learn all the fantastic features it contains.   I did purchase the iWork when I first purchased the computer, so I have been dabbling around with iPhoto.   I reasoned to myself though if I am in this learning mode at present, I may as well throw more into the equation, so I now also have Adobe Photoshop.   I received the software yesterday along with the Missing Manual for it and am excited to dive in!

If you have been following along with the Post A Day challenge and my blog, you may have noticed my list of topics for each day is gone.   What I found happening was that I was trying to follow the outline of topics exactly and I was feeling pressed to come up with a new craft or tech idea to write about and, quite honestly, it wasn’t fun.   My topics were great and definitely part of what I do, but if you notice my posts have become more centered on photos, recipes and now with the gardening season upon us…much more gardening!

I still haven’t missed a day although there are gaps.   These are filled by my other blog GardenDish with gardening recipes which will become more frequent.   …and gosh, who knows where this new Photoshop will send me.   So like an evolving diary … my blog keeps learning and moving on to new facets in life.   The one underlying lesson I am taking away with this challenge is not to limit myself and to write about what I am passionate about – it is much more interesting.   Since that changes (almost weekly) you will never know what to expect next.   For now it’s ……. Gardening, Photos and some good ole’ healthy eating.

Thank you for your patience as I shift gears a bit.   One more note – it seems using the air card brings me back to prehistoric time and my computing is slow and although I can check in … there is not a whole lot of browsing and commenting I am able to do.    My trips and air card use will be on the increase and I can read most …. very slowly and very patiently.

Wordless Wednesday 3/9

Share your Wordless Wednesday photos today!

Have a Super Day!

Make sure to have your recipes ready for Munchie Monday … I have set up a separate blog for this feature!   Fun and Yum!

Check out more taking part in Wordless Wednesday !

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Happy Munchie Monday!   Make sure to head on over and share your recipe here!

Blueberry Muffins

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg or 1 tablespoon flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and carefully stir in the blueberries.  Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin or cupcake baking cups.   Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Peppers are makin’ Flowers already

I planted my pepper plants back in the beginning of December – the 6th to be exact.   So it’s been a bit over 3 months and flowers are starting to develop.   Since I still have another 3 months before the frost will be gone for good here I may have to take on the task of some pollinating with these peppers.   Normally, outdoors the peppers will pollinate on their own between the bugs, bees and wind helping the situation – indoors, is another story.   I have helped along my gourds the past 2 years since I wanted to guarantee a good harvest.

Once the flowers fully develop and open all that is needed is either a small paintbrush or a q-tip.   Simply swipe the pollen from one flower to the next and keep doing this randomly – you can pretend to be a bee buzzing from flower to flower.

A while back I wrote and published this great post titled Peppers Planted and I am looking forward to making the Red Pepper Soup once again.  It is simply delicious with the Alma Paprika Peppers adding just the right kick of heat and flavor.   A recent arrival in the mail made my day this past week – a new magazine …..

…..looks like some good gardening information for me to read 🙂

Bunnies Love Green Beans

Green beans are good for you, easy to grow in the garden and the bunnies will devour them before you have a chance to wink your eye.   They don’t seem to care that you spent hours planting, weeding and watering your beans anticipating the day of harvest.   They will even stare you in the eye as they munch away oblivious to the fact that this is YOUR garden and not theirs!   There are quite a few greens bunnies love and green beans are on the top of their list!

I established a new garden out in the far part of the yard several years ago and although I had it fenced in …Mr. or Mrs. Bunny found a way in and enjoyed every single bean growing.   I would see movement and run out waving and yelling only to arrive and see the bunny still munching and going no where quick – just looking at me like I was some half crazed human.

You would think scary Gargoyle would have the situation under control.   Needless to say, that year I had no beans and actually removed the whole garden out that way, since it was too far to keep an eye on.   The year before a squirrel climbed in and had a daily party with the Blue Corn growing.

Last year I planted TriColor Bush Beans from Renee’s Garden close by and had a nice assortment for freezing.   I will be adding a post to GardenDish this week with some of the frozen beans I have packaged up.   Beans are easy to grow – just keep the area fenced in if you happen to have a bunny or two around.   Plant the seeds directly outdoors when the soil has warmed and the danger of frost has passed.   Plant 1″ deep and 3-4″ apart in rows 1 1/2 – 2 ft. distance.    Planting seeds several weeks apart until the end of June will assure a continuous harvest throughout the season.   There are many different varieties and types of beans from bush to pole to snap beans and dried beans.   Try some different types and you will discover some new and exciting dishes to serve.

TriColor Bush Beans with fresh Dill (watch for recipe later this week)

Grow some Beans … just watch for those Bunnies!