Springtime in Red Hook

Goodnight, sun

From a silver rooftop. Chinaco tequila, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup. All shook up. A sort kinda very good Margartia (-ish).

A man and his... What am I saying? Two men.

And three jets, heading south. I wonder who was on them? Were they having a drink, too? Sleeping? Eating? Looking down to see what they could see: the edges of this great city on the edge of the continent, spread around all this water? An ant palace from 38,000 feet.

Container gardening

View from the roof: I am still delaying root pruning the fig, and, given the weird weather, may have left it too late. The green velcro band between two branches is my attempt to separate two branches that have crossed. I don't want to prune it off. Perennial herbs have emerged. Calamintha, chives; the thyme has hung in there all winter. The neighbours across the way are restoring their wrought iron fence.

On the roof the spicy mesclun mix has germinated. 

And a warning sign has been placed for the attention of the marauding cat. Do you think it can read dog?

New shoots

Reviving: pink agastache, blueberry, catnip, strawberry.

Yesterday's cold mist off the water is gone. Spring is back, full blast.

How we live

Items on the agenda: Little tender (really) chuck steaks for supper after a meatless week. Courtesy of Los Paisanos. Spinach, which I have been craving, on the side. A rosti-like potato cake, if it works. I've never made one. Frank and Betsy here for supper tomorrow - a pig shoulder to slow-cook with roasted oranges, tomatoes, sweetly smoky ancho peppers; mangos to puree and turn into a granita with lime juice and a thread of tequila running through...or rum? Tortillas to pan-toast at the last minute. I've left something out. Salad? Not sure yet. Maybe jicama and cilantro and fresh orange or grapefruit segments. Avocado, if I can find ripe...

Somewhere, I must plant my 70's-homage pansies. I mean, look at them. I usually go for small, sweet, elegant blue violas. I have no idea what came over me.

Seeds have been sown, but by no means all of them. The table on the terrace has been turned into a potting shed. In the spirit of, Buy first, Google later, I brought home a bag of Fafard Organic Potting Soil from GRDN. As a fulltime garden designer I liked and used Fafard for years, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bagsful. I loved the quality of the soil, and so did the plants, and I did not delve into origin or company background. But nowadays that is a sad excuse. We can never say anymore, But I didn't know. I'll write more about soil in another post. For now I need quite a bit, for repotting strawberries and herbs and for filling empty pots.

From the harbour the Staten Island ferry is barking its departure horn in a thin white mist over the water. Somewhere the Frenchman is running, perhaps past the same ferry, perhaps on his way back over the Brooklyn Bridge.

I have potatoes to grate - supper has been late this week as I remain confused by the light and our recent time change. Chilly March has returned, reassuringly, and spring lurks - its best moment, when it is nothing but potential.

Soda bread

Breakfast. The most hopeful meal. Soda bread, with red currant jam.

Because it does not keep very successfully I sliced the loaf, once it had cooled, and froze it. Easily toasted for future breakfasts. Not pictured is the coffee, deep black. I had forgotten to buy milk.  A bracing repast.

4 Cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 4 Tbsp sugar, enough buttermilk (about a cup and a quarter, give or take) to make dough. Mix, stir, knead briefly, shape, cut a shallow cross in the top, and bake for 30-35 minutes at 400'F/200'C. That's about it, really. A firm , flavoured crumb.

Cars and flowers

I went in search of winter aconite. I wanted to recreate a picture. This picture (linked), in fact. It's out of focus, but I like the point of view. I was too late. Of course. Rats. The aconite was all Elizabethan  ruffles of green leaf.

 This is that little park at the end of Cadman Plaza, at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian ramp and the Henry Street off ramp, if you are a car.

                                                        It is nicely maintained. Quite a feat. 

Magnolias will be next...they are opening, petal by early petal.