My experiment in automatic watering system

I put a little how to video on you tube about the creation of this system.  It was very easy to do and by trial and error, I finally got it to not be leaky.  The key to that was use a calk that is specifically used to calk guttering and is found on the guttering isle ( not where the other calk is) in my local hardware store.  Basically this is a closed system that allows water to come in via a hose connected to a very large rain barrel.  The key to success is a float that I ordered online that is made for this system.  It was a little tricky to find the right attachments to make this work but a very sweet guy at Home Depot spent around 15 minutes w me looking for just the right attachments and cut some pvc pipe to make it all work out. What you can't see in this picture ( and thanks to my husband, Scott who drilled the big holes in the bottom of each of these) is that there is about a 3" circular hole in the bottom of each of these where we dropped a little basket which dips down into the water in the gutter and is filled with potting soil which wicks up into the rest of the bucket where I have various seeds and plants planted.  Cool, huh?  It works!!

Just an interesting, no flour recipe for great crackers that I made up

Sorry that this is the kind of recipe that calls for a pinch of this and a handful of that but it is the best I can do...

I made something quite delicious the other day and thought I would share w you. took one can of low sodium white beans, put in blender w one egg, a bunch of almonds, a heavy dose of cumin, garlic pwdr , chili pwder, cayenne, blk pepper... I think I added a little water to make it pourable if I remember correctly. Pour on parchment paper on a cookie sheet so that it is as thin as you can get it. Sprinkle w seseme and other seeds that you might have handy. bake at around 350 and check it every 5 minutes or so. fliip it when it looks like it has tosted a little. I left the parhment paper on one of them and stripped it off one w the same results either way and then cook a little longer to toast the other side. They were DELISH! great crackers.... Scott said he hated to put anyting on them because they were so good by themselves. you could use them for pizza like crust as well, i bet.  I would post a picture but darn it.... they are all gone but the crumbs!

Kirsten

To Bid
Always love a chance to work with a live model.

Gathering Spring Greens

I was listing some paintings on Ebay today and ran across one of my favorites.  This painting was inspired by a walk in an ancient forest in Oklahoma and by a Waterhouse painting.  The painting was one done as I lead the class through the process of painting a portrait in my adult oil painting class.  Instead of putting my subject inside a building as Waterhouse did, I moved her outside, into the forest and gave her a job to do.  She has been out gathering spring greens and herbs.  If you want to visit her in my ebay gallery click here.
To visit my foraging blog click here