Sunday Streets and The Flower Man's House

The weather here in Houston is not always conducive to spending a few hours walking around the city, but this Sunday it was perfect. Sunny, cool enough to wear jeans and a sweater, a slight breeze - it was the perfect day to wander around in Houston's Third Ward. 

Starting at Rosewood, we walked down Almeda, turned right on Alabama, crossed over 59, went under 288, took a left on Dowling, and ended up at Nu Waters Co-op and Project Row Houses. 

We stopped in front of the Flower Man's house to take a few photos and look around. The house itself is not open to the public and is in pretty bad shape (water damage, mold, rats) but work is being done to save a handful of his artworks and restore them. 

Even though the property is overgrown with plants and covered with detritus, the whole scene was remarkable. The colors, textures, objects, and arrangements all come together to make this a place of uncommon beauty. There is nothing else like this in Houston. 

While the Flower Man's house was most certainly the highlight of the afternoon, there was also an abundance of pecans to be foraged, iced green teas to drink, and a tiny cupcake shop to visit. Oh, and pattern/quilt inspiration all over the place. 

A tiny getaway

After spending the entire summer working on a sort of exhibition/performance/residency we desperately needed to get away for awhile. We needed to get away from our heads, from our art, our messy apartment, our jobs, our to-do lists, our computers, our responsibilities, etc. We just needed the time and space to relax. 

And I needed to put on my swimsuit. 

So we went to Jacob's Well.

We listened to Woody Guthrie in the car and rolled down our windows as we drove through some tiny towns in the Texas Hill Country. We lounged on a rock in the shade at Jacob's Well and swam and sunbathed and listened and relaxed. Kids were playing, a few ducks swam by, and I felt like I could finally breathe. 

We had a picnic under a tree: watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, prosciutto, mozzarella. And then decided to stop by Jester King Brewery for a couple wild fermented farmhouse brews (and pizza!)

With full bellies we continued on to Austin, our main destination for the weekend.

We stayed in a cute little studio loft in Eastwood that was bright, airy, very clean, and owned by the sweetest couple. They also had a dog named Snack, whose name I find hilarious for some reason. 

We spent the rest of the weekend lounging around the studio, going to book stores and record shops, drinking kombuchas and beers, devouring fancy chocolate bars, eating delicious food (including some shoyu ramen!), walking, hiking, and enjoying the nice weather. A dip in Barton Springs completed the adventure and then we got back in the car and headed home. 

An excellent way to end summer and relax/recharge/renew. 

Green things

This was a pretty good summer for green things. Lots of showers and sprinkles and storms. 

Fairy circles, pecans, & heavy trash day

Fairy circles, pecans, & heavy trash day. Or, the evening before heavy trash day. 

I am thankful for my bike rides to and from work and for walks around the neighborhood. It makes a difference in my mood and my energy levels and is both grounding and connecting. People wave and shout HELLO! Babies point and their parents smile. In the spring I smelled the jasmine and honeysuckle. And now I smell the ozone and the asphalt and sometimes the sewers and garbage. I see birds and dogs and cats and squirrels and raccoons. And the flowers! Oh my. Feeling the sun and the wind and sometimes the rain is pretty lovely as well. 

Walking/biking allows me the freedom to stop and take a photo or investigate a pile of trash or just stop and LOOK for awhile. It is a conscious slowing down and really connecting with the environment you are in.

I'm not too good at identifying trees, but I have noticed quite a few pecan trees in our neighborhood simply because they have pecans growing on them at the moment! They are plump and green right now, so it shouldn't be too much longer. I will eat them! And in a few days I will take a walk to collect fallen unripe pecans to use as a natural fabric dye. 





Taking time is important. 

Heart-y chili

Since it's summer and we've been getting a lot of peppers in our CSA lately, we made chili. 

The secret ingredient in this chili is beef heart. Locally raised, grass-fed, nutrient-rich beef heart. Grilled and finely minced. We try to eat organ meats as often as we can, but finding a way to satisfactorily prepare them can be a challenge. Mincing the heart is the key to overcoming the dense texture that many people find unsavory about beef heart. 

A VERY HEART-Y CHILI

-grilled beef heart
-2 cans of tomatoes 
-PEPPERS! some spicy, some not, some grilled, some fresh
-black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, add to your liking
-1 onion (we also threw in some leeks that we had in the fridge)
-4 garlic cloves

-oregano
-cayenne
-smoked paprika & regular paprika
-toasted cumin
-bit of coriander 

Cook the onions and peppers together on the stove for awhile, then add the tomatoes and beans. After the veggies have come to a boil, take them off the heat and put in the crockpot for as long as you like. We did 8 hours on LOW. In the last hour of cooking, add the minced beef heart, spices, and some sea salt. It's done!

We topped our bowls with a giant dollop of sour cream, lots of cilantro & green onion, some queso fresco, and some crispy sprouted tortilla strips that we fried in ghee!

Expounding on purslane

I posted this image on instagram a few days ago, but feel like I still have more to say about this tasty little weed. 

It was late in the evening on a Wednesday. I was sitting on the kitchen floor in my underwear unpacking our weekly bag of veggies from Utility Research Garden when I pulled out this beautiful, luscious bunch of purslane. Although I had already eaten and was quite stuffed, I still felt compelled to pick off the succulent leaves and shove them into my mouth.

Although purslane is a pretty pervasive "weed"—and can be found growing in the cracks of sidewalks, along streets, and in the shittiest of soils—it had been a while since I had eaten any. I love the texture/taste: slightly crunchy (and slimy due to high levels of pectin) and lemon-y and spinach-y at the same time. I love to grab sprigs of it and munch off the leaves before enjoying the tougher and slightly sour stem.

Apparently it has more omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy green and more beta carotene than spinach. 

My mother has always kept a couple potted purslane plants around and I as a kid would always get excited about eating the little leaves. Oxalis was another favorite of mine.
 
I haven't tried any recipes that include purslane, but maybe that's because I like it best right off the stem, as is. We do occasionally toss it into salads. And I bet it would be tasty in soups or stews or omelets! This also sounds pretty tasty!

A few noteworthy piles