Gardening at Night: An ode to the growing season

…with a nod to the #Mountainair Community Garden, working, meeting and planning this coming Saturday at Mountain Arts on Broadway…

Most gardeners are just coming out of their deep planning phase, wrapping up dark months of poring through seed catalogs like plant porn. 

I’d hate to admit it, but it looks like my yard has it’s own Rule 43.

April, as T.S. Eliot so smartly put it, is the cruelest month. If he were a New Mexico gardener, Eliot might include February, March and the early part of May as well. They’re all cruel for the same reasons: A warm day or two makes gardeners start to change their normal routes to ones nearer to Osuna Nursery....And, invariably, everyone with dirt under their fingernails experiences fear and pangs of regret at mistiming their plantings—as the last freeze of the year splinters those snap peas, turns tomato seedlings to trash and withers even the weeds. Even the spirit of Ben Franklin working with Dr. George Fischbeck couldn't accurately predict the last freeze.

Read the rest of Gardening at Night: An ode to the growing season by iBrendan Doherty n the April 25 Weekly Alibi

Modern Art Desserts: From Mondrian Cake to Matisse Parfait

…art inspired cakes have been showing up all over. The recipes for these edible masterpieces are from the pastry chef at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Brain Picking's main brain, Maria Popova writes

As a lover of modern art, Mondrian-inspired creative projects, and unusual cookbooks, I was instantly enamored with Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats Based on Iconic Works of Art (public library) by Caitlin Freeman, pastry chef at the Blue Bottle café at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which she roams for inspiration, then translates the artwork into edible masterpieces. From Matisse parfait to Mondrian cake to Frida wedding cookies to Fuller hot chocolate, the recipes hit the spot for art-lovers and foodies alike, adding an extra layer of whimsical delight to the art of dessert.

Read the rest, plus more pictures and a video, Modern Art Desserts: From Mondrian Cake to Matisse Parfait | Brain Pickings

'Feast' Online Community Cooking Classes

…Mashable…not what you'd think as your go-to source for learning how to cook.  Sounds like there are others too (of course there would be, even if just counting recipes on YouTube and Instructables). Not a free online course either…but they can't all be. Still, that sounds like another category for Everybody Eats to explore.

We're not all cut out to be master chefs, and culinary school isn't for everyone. But if you're tired of making mac and cheese in the microwave, taking an online cooking course might just be your kitchen savior. 

David Spinks ate McDonald's and not much else for most of his life, then decided to make a change. His solution: founding an online cooking school. Spinks created Feast to find his way around the kitchen and provide a community cooking platform for other culinary novices. 

Feast's goal is to help "the most average schmoe ... become a more confident, badass cook," but also to connect users with other students taking the course. 

Read the rest of Have Your Fill With 'Feast' Online Community Cooking Classes. SEE ALSO: 7 Apps to Help You Cook and Eat Like a Pro