vegangirl.com

When I started my garden (much too) late last year and then again this spring, I said I’d leave updates on how things were going.

Long story short, they went not very well. I only managed to scratch out a few young chard leaves and gave up on the rest. But luckily, I also came into a job around the same time as my garden was dying and so was able to get some professional help.

I’ve got some beautiful raised beds now growing greens, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and okra. And much more on the way.

However, I’m posting all my gardening updates at foodscout.org rather than here on vegangirl, so if you’re interested, you can check it out. I’ll be posting again pretty soon since my squash is starting to come in. I’m also going to be adding another raised bed and some rain barrels for watering in the next few weeks.

Greenlife Grocery, more so than other large stores in the Asheville area, seems to be on the cutting edge of food options. While EarthFare only carries a few over-sweetened raw energy bars, raw crackers, and a couple of live food lunch-on-the-go type of items, Greenlife has an ever-expanding collection of raw food meals, snacks, desserts, fresh deli items, and ingredients.

For a long time, Greenlife has offered a full section of snacks about 7 shelves high. And they have featured some live food deli items for quite some time. In recent visits, I have discovered a new line of raw ice cream and a whole line of raw pies by Earth Cafe Living Foods in the freezer section. Both are out of this world delicious.

They have also expanded their selection of deli items and added a regular selection of to-go meals in the refrigerator. And they continue to add new snacks to their raw snack shelves all the time.

All the raw food isn’t in one place, so you have to become familiar with where everything is. Check the far left end of the deli case and the refrigerated area near the sushi. The refrigerated section in the produce area has some raw kimchee and sauerkraut and there is a mini fridge around the corner with some random items as well. The raw snacks are at the end of the pasta aisle facing the meat counter. And the frozen treats are a few feet away at the end of the freezer section.

Just like most people in Asheville, the employees at Greenlife are very friendly and helpful, so ask them to show you where all the raw food is and they’ll probably give you the full tour.

Greenlife is located at 70 Merrimon Ave.

Plum Tree

When I moved into my house 2 years ago, I was told that the pretty little tree in the front yard was a “decorative cherry tree”. What a waste to grow inedible fruit, I thought to myself.

I never noticed any fruit at all on it last year. But this year, sure enough, little hard “cherries” started appearing. But then they kept on growing, and getting lighter in color. And then the squirrels started eating them.

Well if the squirrels are eating them, what are the chances that I can’t also eat them?

Plum

By coincidence, I had to have a tree guy come by due to some other overgrown trees in the yard. And he said “oh cool, a plum tree!”

Wow. I have an actual fruit tree in my yard! And the few plums I was able to eat before the squirrels stole every last one of them, were absolutely delicious.

Bowl of Plums

Frog in my front yard

From about the age of 8 or so until I was probably around 12, I spent 2 weeks every summer in a place called Camp Segowea. I think it was in Massachusetts, somewhere in the mountains in or near the Appalachian Trail. It was very green and misty and rustic and full of bugs and little critters everywhere.

Since moving to Asheville, which is way further south but still in the Appalachian Mountains, I frequently feel as though I’m at summer camp. Whether it’s the morning drizzle that quickly dries up and turns to sunshine or a small road that is full of trees, flowers, and ferns, I can’t help but be reminded of Camp Segowea. I know “you can’t go home again”, but there’s something very comforting about that feeling.

It’s pouring rain right now, which also reminds me of summer camp, and my cat spotted a little visitor from his perch in the window. This is the first frog I think I’ve seen in the wild, probably since summer camp. It’s been a long time anyway.

I went outside to take a photo and he didn’t seem bothered by me at all. He’s still there, enjoying a big puddle on my walkway. That’s about how I remember frogs to be. The boys at camp used to catch frogs and have frog races. All they had to do was walk up to a frog and grab it – they never tried too hard to run away.

I went out onto my back porch today to take in a little vitamin D, and happened to notice that my blueberry bush – the one that I had written off for dead not a few weeks before – blossoming with new leaves. It reminded me of the ill-fated “winter greens” that I planted in October around the same time.

Spring is here. Time for new beginnings. I figure this time, my leafy greens have a couple of things going for them that they didn’t have last time around:

1. No more sub-freezing temperatures
2. No more cats using the garden as a litterbox

I used a metal rake to break the dirt up a bit and smooth things over, then sprinkled some all-purpose organic fertilizer, that I had bought for some good reason I’m sure, around the planting area. Then I buried little rows of left-over seeds from last fall.

If this goes well, maybe I’ll venture into planting some root vegetables or vine plants.

After the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of my cat, Gregory, and the less mysterious phone call from my cat hating neighbor who may or may not have dumped poor Gregory out in Weaverville, my cats have been confined to the indoors. They are adjusting remarkably well.

Actually, I found that Simon doesn’t like to go outside very much if Gregory isn’t with him, and if I do let him outside, he won’t leave the porch. I’m not sure if they were always this attached to each other or if this is a result of Gregory’s 6 day adventure. They are awfully chummy now.

I realized that I promised garden updates after planting various things last fall and I never filled you in on the results. Well, they are not good.

The mint plant was doing quite well for a while but then it died after a big rain storm. I can’t be sure but I think it was from getting dumped on by a rooftop waterfall resulting from a clogged gutter.

My winter greens didn’t last long. I was very good, at first, about covering them with the frost cover when it was going to get cold at night. But we had many cold nights and that frost cover was a big big pain. I got lazy. The chard died first. Then the kale and winter lettuce. But the garden is all prepared now for spring so I may plant something soon now that the weather is nice.

I thought the blueberry bush was completely dead as well but upon closer inspection, there are a few new buds on its branches! So there is still hope for that one. That’s the blueberry bush pictured above.

It feels like a dream. But here he is, purring on my lap – skinny, exhausted, but otherwise doing fine. He was 17 miles away in the town of Weaverville. Luckily my number was on his collar and he is so friendly that he eventually wandered up to someone who thought he might be lost. I cannot begin to describe how relieved, happy, grateful I am right now.

Tomorrow I am going to talk to my neighbors and see if I can figure out how he got all the way out there. It’s not that I care so much, I just would like to not have to think that I have a twisted cat-hating neighbor who would do such a thing on purpose.

In the fall of 1995, Gregory appeared in my life one day as an apartment stray. Last Sunday, over 13 years later, he disappeared. I don’t know where he is or what happened to him.

If someone had found him, surely they would have called me. I have signs all over the neighborhood, ads in the papers and online, lost cat reports at the shelter and emergency clinic, and my number is on his collar if he hasn’t lost it. It’s been terribly cold the last few nights. If he’s trapped outside I don’t know that he’d survive. If he’s trapped inside he’d be awfully thirsty by now.

Gregory, my old friend, I’m sorry I couldn’t save you this time. If I could throw a blanket over the whole world, to keep you warm and protected, until someone found you and brought you home to me, I would.

Gregory was last seen in West Asheville near Olney Rd. and Vermont Ave. He is grey and white, 10 pounds, male, neutered.

BoBo Gallery is an art gallery, music venue, and vegetarian cafe all rolled into one. They are one of the few restaurants that seems to value the growing number of people who want vegan and gluten-free – not just one or the other. Their menu is mostly vegan and has extensive gluten-free options.

About half their menu is also raw and living foods, which is a first for Asheville. Other restaurants in town, such as Ophelia’s and Laughing Seed, offer raw specials or a couple of raw salads, but BoBo has a full menu of raw appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

This little gem is rare in the world and Asheville should feel very fortunate to have it. I hope everyone will support BoBo Gallery and enjoy their awesome food and friendly, welcoming environment.

BoBo Gallery is located in downtown Asheville at 22 Lexington Ave.