Saving Basil

I can't believe that it went to down to 43 degrees on Monday night. At midnight, when the thermometer hit 45 degrees, I snuck out to the garden with a lantern to harvest some basil for fear that there would be damage.

The good news is that I needed to harvest some anyway, and the even better news is that the morning revealed that the damage was minimal. Literally only a couple of leaves turned brown.

Since the basil only started producing prolifically a few weeks ago due to our cold, wet summer, I'm glad we're going to have a few more weeks of life with it.

I wonder when it's going to frost this year? Usually we have a hard frost the third week of September, but last year it was well into October before there was any significant frost. By then, we were so tired of mojitos that it was good to see the mint go.

OK, big fat LIE. The mint, hardy as ever, lived until January. But we were damn tired of muddling so we took mojitos off the menu.

For now, though, while it's still kinda sorta summer, feel free to pig out on mojitos and basil-infused vodka.

Bunny Mojitos

The mint grew wildly this summer. Because it only rained once in the Northeast, a downpour that lasted about two months, the voracious four-lined plant bug used the mint leaves as umbrellas rather than dinner. We have consistently been able to harvest two pounds of mint a week for the Lounge mojitos.

But why did nothing else in the garden seem to be growing? Besides the obvious lack of sunshine, Eesah the Lounge Dog discovered the culprit while we were picking mint one day and I heard him pick up a squeaky toy. At least I thought it was a squeaky toy, until I realized that baby bunnies squeal just like squeaky toys upon finding themselves in a dog's mouth. And there it was, in the thick of the mint bed: A rabbit nest.

Because it only takes a couple of weeks for rabbits to mature into hypersexualized teenagers, a Teen Mama Bunny was small enough to get through the garden fence. She had found the perfect place to raise a family, inside a protected area full of bunny food, safe from the dog (except when we picked mint) and other hungry four-footed creatures.

Eesah uncovered two more rabbit nests this summer, one under a bush and one in the lemon balm, which has resulted in an extensive graveyard at the edge of the yard; we've buried six babies to date. I didn't have the heart to disturb the rest of the babies and even went so far as to erect a fence around one nest to keep the dog out.

Destructive, yes, but baby bunnies are so damn cute and fuzzy, even in the garden.

The Making of a Mojito: Part I

Can I order a mojito? No. Can I order a mojito? No. Can I order a mojito? I want a mojito. No. When the weather warms up like it did last week, mojito cravings begin. Like birds collecting twigs for a nest or frisky squirrels trying their darndest to get laid, with the onset of Spring, the human mojito instinct kicks in. We do not have any control over it. The association of a mojito with warm weather is a normal, natural human urge. Why, then, is Felicia denying you the opportunity to feed your need?

The answer: we grow our own mint. This year, we are going to follow the life of a mint plant from baby sprout to a mature, well-developed tantalizing mojito. As you can see from the photos, the mint is currently just barely above the soil. And guess what April baby mint tastes like? No, it does not taste like mint. Why would I ask that question if the answer was so obvious? Duh. April mint tastes like...lettuce. Seriously. No flavor. It would make for a disappointing and extremely small mojito.

As I cut back the dead mint from last season, look what else I found! I guess humans are not the only ones who appreciate mint. The mint plants were a cozy blanket for whatever little creature cuddled up in here during the winter.
Unfortunately, the four-lined plant bug also likes mint. This year, we are going to kick his bug-ass so hard that we will knock him into Schuyler County.

So keep your pants on! You will get your mojito, but not quite yet. Besides, it's freakin' snowing this week. Something else to look forward to: this is a photo of the baby lemon balm, destined for your Lemon-Coco Martini:

Bar Incident: Sirens and Mojitos

Felicia had her first visit from the flashing lights last night on her busiest night of the year to date. The red, white and blue lights artfully reflected off of the silver walls, creating an air of anticipation and mystery. If Felicia wasn't outside greeting the brave men in uniforms, she would have taken some nice photos of the reflections for you. No, it was not the police coming to arrest Leah who slapped a patron after one too many rude demands for drinks, money waving, etc. Nor was the newly painted men's room on fire after a mischievous patron snuck an indoor cigarette and carelessly tossed the butt into the paper towel-filled trashcan (from the few men who DO wash their hands). The story goes that a patron came upon the unfortunate circumstance of "falling ill" in the bar. What kind of illness? Though Felicia is sensitive and highly intuitive, she is not psychic and does not want to hazard a guess. Hopefully the individual involved will visit us and let us know that she is feeling better. Felicia did learn a few things from the experience that she would like to share with you:

1) a gurney/stretcher does in fact fit through that narrow space between the bar stools and the middle bar.

2) when going out for an evening on the town, you should make sure the people you are with know your last name (and your first name, for that matter).

3) if you are prone to "falling ill," you should pin your full name and address inside your tshirt before you go out. Or use a sharpy and those scratchy iron-on labels like your mom stuck in all your clothes when you went to summer camp.

4) the Ithaca police and Bangs ambulance dudes are really nice. Thanks, guys!

Felicia could go on, but out of respect for the privacy and potential embarrassment of the person who had the pleasure of riding all tucked in and cozy to the hospital with three handsome hunks attending to her needs, Felicia will pause and let you humbly ponder your own embarrassing bar moments.

And now here is the mojito recipe that Felicia promised you:

Mojito

1 ½ ounces rum
about 15 medium-sized mint leaves
½ lime cut into wedges
1 teaspoon sugar
club soda

Muddle rum, mint, limes and sugar in a pint glass (Felicia likes big drinks) until they are thoroughly mashed. Fill with ice; top with club soda. Toss into another glass and back again to gently mix.

The Mighty Mojito

The Mojito is back! After a long, long winter, the alley is open and the mojito is here. It's about time. Everybody has been ordering mojitos. What is a mojito, you ask? Only the most popular summer cocktail in town: rum, limes, sugar, mint and club soda. Felicia will post a recipe later. For now, you get to watch Felicia get big shipments of limes, observe the growth of the staff''s popeye muddling muscles and hear Leah's curses as she unclogs drains filled with mint leaves (no matter how hard Felicia tries, she can't seem to keep that mint out of the drains). Behold the Mighty Mojito!