Rice and rows

Finally, I finished spreading the mulch among new and old rows of the garden.  I have also transplanted some rhubarb to a new spot in the garden and of course: weeded for hours.  I covered the potato bed with soiled hay from the goat pen.  It had both feces and urine and should be great fertilizer!  I also moved another pile of wood and decomposed wood to the new squash bed by the pond.  I will plant the squash seeds in the following weeks and cucumbers as well.

I am a tiny bit disappointed about loosing some of the broccoli starters in the garden.  First the plants  lost their leaves and finally died very slowly, and at the same time, other plants did great and grew nicely.  I don't know what is the root of problem.  Have to check some books.

About cooking: I am very bad at making rice: I have burned it, over-cooked it, under-cooked it, under seasoned it and made  as salty and as inedible as humanly possible. But not tonight, I have redeemed myself with this recipe: 

Stuffing Rice 

by DVD

1 cup of Basmati Rice 

1 1/2 cup of water

1 Tablespoon of sunflower oil 

1 teaspoon of crazy salt 

1 teaspoon of dried basil 

2 Tablespoons of dried veggie broth

1 Tablespoon of Mirin  

1 cup of spinach, about 1/3 cup cooked

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons of chopped yellow onion 

1 big Garlic clove

1 bunch of grape leaves (preserved in brine)

Directions 

1. I use a pressure cooker to cook my rice. In medium high,  first spread the sunflower oil in any pan or pot and let it warm up, then pour the cup of rice in the pot.

2. Add basil, mirin, veggie broth and crazy salt and let it cook for about 3 minutes in medium high 

3. Then add the water and let it come to a boil and let it boil for another 3-5 minutes

4. Lower heat to the lowest possible temperature and cover, let it simmer for 10-15 minutes and when the water is gone, then stir and cover again. Let cook for another 3 minutes

4. Check on the rice every so often and stir until you see that the water is drying up, you can choose to have the cover on the pot or not

5. Meanwhile cook the spinach with olive oil, until bright green and I happened to have olives so I added a lit bit of the brine to the spinach and a bit of lemon juice 

6. Keep checking on the rice and you may turn the heat up a bit to medium

7. Add onions to the cooked spinach and garlic, but when the spinach is cooling, set aside

8. Chop the grape leaves and add to the rice, keep stirring 

9. Then add the spinach mix and yeahy ! you have made awesome rice 

I then stuffed blanched collards with it and rolled them like a burrito 

They came out really good 

so I decided to post it and maybe you can now redeem yourself too 

if you need to