A Few Quick Notes 576

-It seems as though it has been grey and overcast almost the entire time I've been in Ottawa.  Fortunately it's only been the past day or two that the humidity has made itself apparent.  I guess at least it's not oppressively hot?

-On Wednesday Jeannette and I were walking down Rideau when we both suddenly and independently said "Hi" to a guy standing in the doorway of a falafel shop.  It was our friend Greg and it turned out he was in town with a band for a show that evening.  While the audience was smaller than hoped for, we both enjoyed the music and had a good time hanging out with Greg before he went on.

-For some reason over the course of the past few months I've heard several people tout the merits of cast iron cookware, frying pans in particular.  While I guess I've always been a little hesitant to buy into the effectiveness the non-stick ability of seasoned cast iron, these recent exhortations did cause me to have the idea at the forefront of my mind when I recently came across a cookware sale.

After holding off for a few days, I eventually made a return trip to the store and purchased my first cast iron item.  'Skillet' isn't an entirely appropriate descriptor as the item in question doesn't have sides, but it is flat bottomed and clearly intended for frying.

Since I've had this thing I have been trying to use it and 'season' it.  So far I think I am making progress, but it's hard to tell how much progress or much much is possible.  I guess I am still a little skeptical that cast iron will ever be as non-stick as some of the synthetics are (though the absence of certain health risks may make it worth the hassle).

Anyway, I'll be sure to let you know if I see any drastic improvements in the non-stick nature of this pan as time goes on.

-A few days ago I Jeannette and I started planting our Summer container garden.  The overcast and cool weather hasn't been helping the sprouting process, but we have had a few things come in.  I think we've already seen evidence of development of the following seeds: thyme, lettuce, spinach, wheat, poppy, rapini, broccoli, and tomato.

I'm particularly impressed that we already have tomato growth as I really thought these were really going to be a lost cause.

Eventually, assuming they live, these tomato plants will be flipped over and grown in one of those upside-down growing contraptions.  I'll finally get to see if these are as great as they claim to be.