Backyard musings and really good black bean soup

I was hoping start gardening this week. My guy and I bought our house in October, and even though we've done a lot of work, it's mostly been inside. So far the only bit of yardwork that I've managed to tackle is a pretty intense ivy infestation. It was so bad that my pecan tree failed to yield fruit this year. My hope is that there was no lasting, substantial damage to my trees, but I likely won't find out until the leaves start peaking out.

The previous owner of our house used it as a rental. As such, the yard was not properly maintained. Right now, I have two types of fencing in my yard. One fence is in need of serious repair (possibly replacement) and the other needs to be removed. We have bald spots in our backyard, out of control shrubs, trees that need pruning, and no outdoor storage. And don't even get me started on the number of Miller High Life caps I've picked up.

My main hope for this season is an herb garden. I fleshed out a plan for a vertical herb garden, but the weather has not cooperated long enough for me to build a frame. I'm not as organized as Amber. I haven't started any plants indoors. The process of applying to graduate school has taken over my life. I'm almost finished though. Here's hoping I can start some plants next week.

Now, if I could only figure out what's going on with our camellias...

This week's weather has been enough to test even the most patient of souls. Sunday was 68 and sunny; today was 45 and windy enough that I felt the cold through my sweater and a wool coat. Even though today was sunny, it was tempting to stay at home with a book and a pot of soup simmering invitingly on the stove. Alas, work beckons.

Luckily, I am the proud owner of a slow cooker. My slow cooker is pretty high on the list of things that I love. Few things are better than coming home to a warm meal.

Tonight's dinner? Black bean soup.

You will need:

• 1/2 lb. black beans (also called turtle beans)
• 3 c. water
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped*
• 1/4 c. lentils
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder (Why, yes, you did read that correctly.)
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. uncooked rice
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar**
• salt to taste

In a large bowl, submerge black beans in water. Make sure the beans are covered by at least a couple of inches. Soak overnight.

In the morning, drain beans and rinse. Add to crock. Add water, carrot, celery, poblanos, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, the bay leaf, pepper, and lentils. Cook on high for 3 hours.***

Switch temperature to low, give everything a good stir, and add tomatoes, rice, and salt to taste. Cook on low for 3 hours.

Add vinegar just be serving. Adjust salt.

* If you can't find poblano peppers or they're not in your budget, chop a bell pepper and a jalapeno (make sure you remove the seeds and veins) and toss them in the pot.

**If you don't have red wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar in a pinch.

*** Times are approximate. Every slow cooker is different, and so is every situation. I'm very lucky that I'm able to come home for lunch if I'd like. For me, it makes sense to cook the beans, veggies, and seasonings on low for four to five hours and add the tomatoes and rice when I come home for lunch. For those who cannot interrupt their day to adjust temperatures and add ingredients, consider a slow cooker that has a delay function. Toss in everything up to the can of tomatoes and set your cooker to come on a few hours before you come home. When you get home, leave the cooker on the high temperature setting, add the tomatoes, rice, and salt, and let it cook for an additional one to two hours.

The Healing Powers of Pizza

The latter part of last week and this week have been particularly hard for me. I got some very sad news concerning a family member. This has made me a tad difficult to deal with. The man in my life has tried to be understanding, but I'm not taking aforementioned news very well. Small, seemingly innocuous things have sent me into fits of tears.

My guy called me while I was at work today to suggest a movie night as a bit of a time out. He was surprised that I suggested we have pizza with our movie. Now, before I go any further, let me say that my guy loves pizza. I know, I know, everyone loves pizza. But no one, and I mean no one loves pizza as much as my guy. Specifically, he likes my recipe for homemade pizza.

Making pizza is not as hard as people seem to think it is. I have several different methods for making the dough. Sometimes I use a stand mixer. Most of the time, I do it by hand. Sometimes, I put the dough in the oven, put the light on, and walk away for an hour. Other days I'm at work and I put the dough in the refrigerator and let it rise slowly, slowly, ever so s-l-o-w-l-y all day.

As for ingredients? Pizza dough is pretty tolerant. Sometimes I use whole wheat bread flour. Whole wheat bread flour gives the dough a chewy texture and a little bit of a different flavor. Some people don't like it. If we're having guests and we think they might not be into eating whole wheat crust, I'll use unbleached bread flour. The crust gets crisper when using unbleached bread flour. We like that a lot too.

Lately I've been using whole white wheat. Don't be afraid. It's called sweet wheat for a good reason. White wheat is a great option for people who don't like the taste of regular whole wheat, but would like to add more whole grains to their diet. The guy and I like it because it's a happy medium. The crust gets nice and crisp on the bottom, and is still chewy enough to be really satisfying.

For cheese I'm not really a fan of the pre-shredded stuff you get on the dairy aisle. We can't afford artisan cheeses, but spending a little bit more for decent cheese has taken my pizza from pretty good to great.

I use jarred pasta sauce for our pizza. Right now I don't have the know how to make my own sauce. I've heard that it isn't as difficult as I think it is. It's on my list of things to learn. Anyway, if you use the jarred stuff, buy one that you really like.

Ok, onto the recipe!

For your crust, you will need:

• 1/2 tsp. honey
• 1 1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 2/3 c. flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water. Let it sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast blooms and becomes fragrant.

Mix in 1 1/4 c. flour. Stir in the olive oil and salt.

Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface and knead until the dough is elastic and no longer sticky. (If you need more flour, add it. If using white wheat, you may need more than the recipe calls for.)

Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft free area until it doubles in size (about an hour).

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to rest for a couple of minutes before rolling it out (or tossing it, however you do it at your house).

Preheat your oven to 425 F. If you are using a pizza stone, you may top and bake your pizza as soon as the oven is hot. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan and let the dough rise for about 15 minutes before you top and bake it.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese and crust are golden brown.

A couple of notes:
- If using a stand mixer do your thing with the yeast and sugar. Then, using the paddle attachment mix in the rest of the ingredients until they are well incorporated. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough starts to climb the hook and the dough looks satiny and elastic.
- Do not add the salt before the yeast, water, honey, and flour have been mixed together. Adding the salt too soon can cause your dough to not rise properly.
- If you're letting your dough rise in the fridge, give it all day. The flavor of dough that has risen in the refrigerator is different than dough that rises on the counter. It's different in a good way. Try it sometime.
- The type of sugar you use is limited only by what you have in your pantry. Don't like honey? Use brown sugar. Out of brown sugar? Use regular white sugar. Looking for something different? Try maple syrup or turbinado. As long as your yeast has something to eat you'll be fine.

Most of all enjoy your pizza. As for the guy and I, we'll be curled up on the couch watching a movie.

Frost Date

The average last frost date for Columbia, SC is April 17th. Emphasis on "average". The accuracy of this date could make or break my gardening success this year. You know how cherries and peaches and other tree-borne fruits are one price this year and another the next year, possibly lower? This difference in price is caused by the accuracy of the estimated last frost date; if an orchard starts to bud during a random week of summer temperatures in the middle of winter (welcome to SC, get used to it) and then a deep frost hits two weeks later the hopes of a bountiful spring harvest (as well as the poor farmer's income) will be dying on the branches.

The frost date plays a similar game with me. My livelihood is in no way attached to my gardening success but my hopes for a beautiful spring are no less important. For the past week I've struggled to make a decision about starting my seeds indoors: start them too soon and they'll be dying for space before an outdoor planting is possible, start them too late and they won't be as big as they could be. So I held the packets in my hands, I looked at the pretty pictures on the front, I thought of the glory of a 12 ft tall sunflower..... and then I gave in. That's right, tonight I bought a little seed starter indoor greenhouse and those little peat moss pellets couldn't swell fast enough. I cut open the packets and poured the seeds into little labeled cups and once I had decided upon a reasonable method for keeping track of what was planted where I started pushing seeds in. I got a row and a half done and then I stopped. I didn't know what to plant next. I picked up one cup then another. Should I try starting some peppers in this row? What about some columbines? What if I plant to many? What if they die?

The problem, it seems, is that once you start planting failure becomes possible. When the seeds are in the packet and I look at the picture on the front any gardening dreams I have seem possible; "This", I proclaim, "is what my lupines will look like"! When I have those seeds in my hand I am suddenly the master of their fate. Suddenly everything that could go wrong is running through my mind: too much water, not enough water, too much light, not enough light, too hot, too cold and on and on...... STOP!!! Its just flowers. Even if I screw everything up (unlikely) some of these plants are going to flourish. That's just the way it is. No species ever got ahead by requiring conditions so exact that even the slightest variance from them meant that not a single specimen matured and reproduced; not humans, not animals and certainly not plants. So, regardless of my amateur gardener status these flowers will grow and flourish. And so will you and I.

What's this all about?

Well, this, Two Merry Spinsters, is about two friends and a shared love of food and gardens. The Spinsters have known each other since elementary school, but didn't become close friends until college. We're out of college now (for the moment at least), but we remain in the same city (for the time being). This blog, for us, is a creative outlet. A way for us to share our love of delicious, frugal, and mostly healthy foods. (After all, the cheesecake chronicles isn't in our header for no reason.) We'll talk about gardening in all it's glory, and maybe other stuff too.