It's so easy being green....

I had a friend whose compost pile grew the most ginormous papaya plant in one season -- all from a rotten papaya she tossed onto thepile. I was fascinated and hooked. I wanted to compost, too, doggone it!!

When we bought our composter last summer, I was hoping that within a few year's time, we'd (rather, it) would produce some really potent, jack-and-the-beanstockesque growing medium for us. It didn't take years at all. By this spring, we had enough to replant some of our plants that actually survived the infamous December snow and ice storms.

One day soon after the repotting, as I was watering one of the crown of thorns, I noticed something growing alongside one of the little seedlings -- seedlings that definitely were not crown of thorns. They looked more like tomatoes? And in another pot was what looked like peppers?? And the pesky little "weeds" that I'd just pulled from around the gerber daisies were basil. Well, I'll be!

Composter + kitchen scraps + x = soil and surprises

All the stuff we'd been throwing into the composter just needed that x of sunshine to produce, like magic, the most incredible growing medium and little surprises: seedlings of all the stuff we loved to eat.

So we now have potted jalapenos, campari tomatoes, and basil. And a mini clementine. And some other surprises that I haven't yet been able to identify. All thriving happily amongst eachother.

Man, the way we go through bananas, I wish I could get some of those to grow :)

And today was our first harvest!! A beautifully fruity jalapeno for our fresh salsa. Afraid I couldn't get a pic of the salsa....it was gone before I could even think to take a photo. Honest, it was that incredibly delicious. I tossed about a cup of tomato chunks with a handful of garbanzo sprouts; added a cobful of fresh corn kernels, a spoonful of cilantro chutney, and the minced jalapeno. A couple glugs of lemon olive oil, lime juice, a few grinds of salt and pepper. Voila! Before I could get the cheese-stuffed arepas heated and off the griddle, J was already spooning the salsa onto some chips. I will most definitely be making that salsa combo again.

Well, this time it's not the horses chomping at the bit, it's the girls. They're ready for the evening snack. Tonight it's coconut and blueberries for my little fruit lovers.

Remind me to blog about the arepas (well, I call them arepanadas) and raw buckwheat granola I've been making. Wowzer!! And, yeah, the girls love those, too ;)