Exercising my (hopefully) green thumb.

I have loved Earth Week and am sad to see it end. It has been fun to focus on Earth inspired treats and ways to become more Earth friendly. I think I'll be doing this again next year!
I spent the morning out in our backyard doing some planting. (An appropriate activity to wind up Earth Week, don'tchya think?)
We moved into our home last year in August, so I was only able to plant some sweet basil and rosemary. I had basil until November, and then it got too cold, but my rosemary is still going strong!
I have been looking forward to this year's planting season ever since. We have a very small backyard with minimal space for planting, so I've had to very carefully plan out what I wanted to have. This morning I planted a tomato plant,
a couple of Japanese cucumber plants,
some cilantro,
and my all-time favorite herb, sweet basil.
I will finish my planting tomorrow morning with some jalapeno pepper plants, some Anaheim chili plants, a chamomile plant, and another one of my favorite Japanese greens, mizuna*. These will all go into some giant pots that we have on our patio. (Like I said, planting space is minimal!) I can't wait! Eating is going to be good this summer!
This week has been good for me. I think it's important for us to take care of our planet so that it can continue to sustain us and we can continue to enjoy all it has to offer. I've made some personal goals this week to help reduce my carbon footprint. Hopefully I'll have a positive report for you next year on April 22nd! I would encourage you to make some changes as well. Whether it be taking reusable bags to the grocery store, reducing your use of plastic water bottles, remembering to turn off your lights, getting involved with your local chapter of Slow Food USA, or signing up for a CSA, there are so many things that we can do. Little changes can really start to add up!

* If you're interested in planting any Asian veggies or herbs, I love Kitazawa Seed Co.--they have a great selection!


* Don't forget! You have until Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 10:00 PM PST to enter the Furochic giveaway! (Go here for instructions on how to enter).