Winter ebbs: Lunar New Year Eggs, Duck with Creasy Greens and Pine Cone Hash... with Zoning.
The sleet storm arrived and settled in for a long visit.
The wet whiteout wind furiously howled,
the polar air pulled temperatures down into unrelenting single digits.
I woke to keep the fire going at night.
YAY COCOA PUFF!!!!
The covetous crowd that opposes existing neighbors (who worked hard for years to build their community into one that now thrives and reasonably insist their neighborhood protect its vibrancy) is vicious in volume, but not strong in facts.
Christoph's back went out. The donkey went down. "Hit her with some bantamine and hopefully she lives, there's no way we can travel in this..." The vet spoke truth: if something happens now, to any of us, NO ONE CAN COME.
Over 12,000 Virginians required emergency care for broken bones or injury from the ice. It was thick, unbreakable, and deadly. When it finally began to melt over a week later, I made sure to note my off-grid tips on how to handle the ice, and good keepers to have on hand in the pantry for winter storms.
Finally, days later, Cocoa Puff emerged into the pasture for the 1st time since the storm. I ran to her like a long-lost lover across a flower-filled meadow except I was sliding on 4" of ice so... awkward!
YAY COCOA PUFF!!!!
You know what's not awkward? Citizens waking up. Whether it be against rural data centers or Richmond's Code Refresh, people are starting to stand.
This week I had the pleasure of moderating a forum on Code Refresh rezoning with 200+ citizens from all districts of our city, former and current City Councilmembers, and a special guest, Dr./Chief Rosa Holmes-Turner of the Quiyoughcohannock and Warraskoyack Indian Tribes. (Richmond infrastructure, Chief Holmes-Turner and her communities would like a word with you...)
The news/critics try to paint us as old (is that ageist? It is.), white (hmmmmmm...).
We have an affordable housing crisis. Zoning should immediately shut down the 1,000+ illegal Airbnbs (and illegal profiteering co-hosts) which have replaced much exising affordable housing.
But the figure that 23K homes are needed is not for Richmond city but for the REGION. The region is 2,000+ square miles, not the City's 62. If 23,000 units are needed for 2,000 square miles, there should be 713 units within a 62 square mile area. Around 7K multifamily units have been permitted since 2020-2024.
We need affordable housing. But concreting over communities does not bring it. Developers profit while our sewage system fails, new construction is luxury rate (and causes nearby, older, previously affordable rentals to jump with every new multi-unit built on the street), and our James River and natural resources suffer (could the real environmentalists please stand up against this?).
Even with unchecked density, it would take 20 to 100 years before rent prices begin to level off. We must not erase our diverse cultures that make Richmond special for developers' profit. Affordable housing needs significant public subsidies and are not tied to blanket density!
Above: This rancher, an example of existing affordable housing (in Richmond's historic Frederick Douglass Court neighborhood) is zoned RD-C in Code Refresh's Draft 2 to densely carve up lots to 25' (about the size of a food garden) to allow higher lot coverage (up to 75% paved over) in the name of "solving the housing crisis." Communities' resilience and sustainability opportunities are more valuable than concrete.
Above: Solar on affordable housing in Richmond's Peter Paul neighborhood.
In 2021 this home sold for $198,000. Code Refresh would squelch its resilience.
Neighbors are done with their ageist, deluded, grabby demands and are ready to turn their backs. We've already raised toddlers, we're over tantrums. We know gardens and sunlight build resiliency, not fire pits and pools.
Do you know what Church Hill, Grace Street, and Northside looked like in the 1980s? Why isn't the next generation fixing things up in areas that need a little influx, areas they can afford, instead of thinking the city is going to miraculously grow 2,500 square foot homes for them in neighborhoods they think they should live (over great communities who are asking for a little help)?
Urban renewal is a complex, problematic, and correctly criticized subject. If you would like to learn more, start here.
Lunar New Year Eggs:
Remove the eggs and set on a cutting board. Into the soy/tamari add wasabi (that is non-negotiable), then think: sweet/savory/a touch of tomato of whatever you happen to have open in the fridge: gochu jang with hot honey? Hot honey with a little bbq sauce? (That is what I used for M's party.) Sriracha with a touch of ketchup and a dash of vinegar? It should be spicy, savory, then finish with a bit of sweet.
There are stir-fries with daylily and vetch, deadnettle pasta (cook & use like frozen spinach), speedwell & violet, and a favorite, bolting creasy greens! Just remember to use the pinch test with these spring foods - if it doesn't pinch into pieces easily, it will never not be tough when you cook it.
Deadnettle pasta with ground turkey & violets.
Speaking of resiliency, this blog is about food, often foraged! Code Refresh must stop prioritizing concrete over soil and value the resiliency of good ole backyard food gardens (and weeds!).
I haven't started my garden yet but there's plenty to eat: purple deadnettle, speedwell, and creasy greens are all up and flourishing and full of vitamins A, C, and iron. (For those pro-tall density abundance urbanists mocking my rose jam and weeds, you should take a moment to look up the nutritional content and freshness comparison to your grocery store.)
The Lunar New Year came and went. I was reminded of another treacherous storm in 2021: "Thoughts On Longterm Power Outages From An Off-Grid Energy-Efficient Prefab House Through An Ice Storm: Disaster Prep.".
Thankfully, Lunar New Year 2026 was way more fun! I was grateful our hostess had a photo taken of guests who were sisters.
These weren't as pretty as the ones I brought to M's Lunar New Year Party, but since everyone loved them, I am writing it down!
First, hard-boil eggs, peel, and store in a small non-reactive container in the fridge splashed with tamari or soy sauce. Swirl it around every time you open the fridge for a day.
Now open a tin of sardines. Save the juice, just flake the fish in. Add in the yolks. Mash it together roughly, then fill the eggs:
You will have leftover mix. This is AMAZING served on hot toast the next day!!!!
It's now mid-March. There is so much to eat but I haven't planted the garden yet!
Deadnettle pasta with ground turkey & violets.
What I love about foraging is that the nutritional content is what you need each time of year, often more nutritious than you would find in the grocery store... and delicious!!!
Here's a recent dinner with foraged creasy greens, pine cones, and leftover duck.
Duck with Creasy Greens & Pinecone Hash:
There was leftover duck from having guests over that I shredded, we had extra boiled potatoes from breakfast and the weeds are coming up! Here's what I did:
There was leftover duck from having guests over that I shredded, we had extra boiled potatoes from breakfast and the weeds are coming up! Here's what I did:
Pick creasy greens, wash. Slice potatoes as you like. The duck had been roasted with vegetables so there are carrots in here, too. Sautee it all together. Drizzle over some ACV, lots of black pepper, salt, and pine cone jam.
Pine Cone Jam (recipe here), also known as Pine Honey, is SO GOOD drizzled over savory meats. So I did. Liberally.
"BUT I'M EATING A PINE CONE..." Do you eat pistachios? Chew jerky? Yeah, you can chew itty bitty pine cones, too. Fiber!
Spring inches closer. The peepers peep, the weeds deliciously thrive, and we all contemplate spring.
Comments
Post a Comment