February Fun and Frittatas

After this mornings frittata triumph I went for a walk around my back garden. I wandered onto the neighbors' property only to find this little gem. A rustic cottage with smoke puffing out the chimney. The scatters of clouds in the crystal blue sky made for an amazing backdrop. I love living the countryside.

Unfortunately, it's way too cold to plant anything new. I checked on my seedlings and I think I see a courgette starting to sprout. If I could get the cat to stop stepping on my seed trays things might progress a little quicker. Decided to move the seed trays to the spare room upstairs under the skylight. It's much warmer up there and away from kitty paws. That should make the little buggers happy. Realized I should have done a little more research before I planted my seeds.

Found out:

• Small seeds (ie. strawberries) shouldn't be covered by compost, only set on top and watered.
• Even adorable greenhouses you just bought still aren't warm enough for seedlings if it's unheated and only 4 degrees Celsius.
  
• Water with warm water not cold until you see sprouts.
  
• Take 8 seeds from each packet and put them on a wet paper towel for a few days to see how many sprout. If 1/2 do, that means the packet should contain at least 1/2 sprouting seeds.
• You should draw up a calendar or journal for the seeds you have to organize when you sow them either indoors or outdoors and in pots or directly into your garden soil. Keeping in mind that even though the packet says what month to do what, your own climate might not meet the criteria.

Of course I learned this all after I was too impatient to wait and most likely ruined loads of seeds in the process. But at least you can learn from my mistakes.

Frittata Recipe

4 Free Range Eggs

1/2c Leeks sliced

1 Small Tomato diced

4 Button Mushrooms diced

1/2c Shredded Mature Cheddar

1tsp Black Pepper

*2tbsp Flavored Butter

In a frying pan add flavored butter, mushrooms, and leeks. Fry up for a few minutes over medium heat until they are tender. Scramble eggs in a bowl and add shredded cheese and black pepper. Stir. Once the veggies are ready, pour the egg mix into pan at medium heat. Drop tomatoes on top to preserve moisture. Turn oven on to Broil. When the bottom of the eggs are cooked, place on top rack in the oven and cook until eggs puff up. Cut and serve. No salt was added to this recipe. It wasn't needed.

*Flavored Butter- Red pepper, white onion, and parsley into a food processor until diced. Add twice as much butter and processes until blended. Add or change any ingredients you desire.