Mom’s Garden: Update

Mom's Garden survived last week's frost thanks to the velcro greenhouse, while peas and radishes sprouted in the termination chamber indoors. Can't wait for a good planting day!
New Year, New Beer

Happy New Year! This year I'm going for sustainability in all of my culinary endeavours. You can be vegetarian or vegan and still be supporting large scale monoagriculture, while skipping over sustainable meat and seafood in your own back yard. 2012 is the year to spend more time walking to the farmer's market, more time chatting with the people who grow my food (which includes Mom, of course), more time cooking and last but not least, doing the dishes.
Factory beer is out, artisan beer is in. Organic beer is better. California Certified Organic Beer is best. Beer tasting judge certification program and Pete's Connoisseur's Club Level 100 here I come. Brewery tours will take place this year, some streaming live and some for the pilot.
Farmers, chefs, brewers, vitners, artisan foodmakers, and food charities that focus on sustainable, organic, small scale, and localized food economies will be showcased in the pilot. If you know someone who should be featured, please leave a comment below!
Today I am enjoying Pete's #1687: Snowshoe Pumpkin. Not a very strong aroma, nor too hoppy. Any pumpkin flavour is very, very mild. Slightly bitter finish, bit on the ale side. Perhaps a tiny hint of sour, but negligible. Overall, decent, but not spectacular.
Pasta Pomodoro

One time when I was driving north from Santa Barbara I was right around Pismo Beach when I suddenly began craving pasta. Off the 101, as they say down south, I spotted a pizza joint named Guiseppe's and figured they had some watery marinara and starchy, stuck together spaghetti. Fuck was I wrong. Their Capellini alla Cecca was absolutely fantastic- fresh tomato, garlic, and a shitload of olive oil really guarantee the flavor packs a punch.
So, when I got that sudden craving today I stopped by Pasta Pomodoro for the next best thing. They call the dish "Capellini Pomodoro", but essentially they are the same. I ask for extra garlic and a bit of spice and it's fabulous.
Garden Day
Watch me putz around the garden today on Justin.tv: http://justin.tv/andolicious#/w/2295022464/1
Rise and Shine
This is what I drink when I wake up in the morning.
Rise and Shine
| Serves | 1 |
| Prep time | 2 minutes |
| Meal type | Breakfast |
Ingredients
- 500ml water
- 9g super fruits powder
- 30ml Multi-Vitamin and mineral supplement
Note
Drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach before a workout
Directions
| Add water to blender | |
| Add vitamin powder | |
| Add vitamin liquid | |
| Blend | |
Tom Yum at Sabuy Sabuy

They know my order! Yay! I freaking love this place. My favorite Thai dish is Tom Yum. What's your favorite?
18 Reasons
Tonight Andolicious stopped by 18 Reasons in San Francisco, CA, for a seasonal beer tasting. The first beer I tried was a Butchertown Black Ale, followed by their Payback Porter.
The payback porter was rich and malty, perfect for the winter season, but much more malty than one would expect for a porter. Porter by name, stout by flavor, but then again, payback is sweet. The Black Ale by contrast was quick to leave the pallate with the crisp aftertaste of a toasty ale.
Up next was the Farmhouse Pale from Almanac Beer Co. brewed with Organic San Joaquin Valley Plums. Fruity beer? No way. Almanac balances the sweetness of the plums with the subtle fruitiness of a pale ale while packing the punch of a 7% ABV rating.
Next up was Lucky Hand with the Cali Common and their Black Lager. The Cali Common was a cross between a Stella and a Pilsner Urquell- perhaps something to do with the fermentation.
Overall it was a great time at 18 Reasons tonight. Can't wait to go back.
Put It In the Bank
More and more Americans are not getting what they need to eat. If you can, please make a donation to your local food bank.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/15/us-hunger-stalks-idUSTRE7BE1VD20111215
Vertical Food Garden on KickStarter
KickStarter is an awesome website to get an idea going. This vertical garden system will be manufactured right in the US of A if they reach their fundraising goal. Having done some gardening myself, I would love to have some low maintenance systems like these. Grow food. Create jobs. Start a window farm!

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