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Lycopene

Lycopene

Lycopene is a naturally occurring chemical that gives fruits and vegetables a red color. As you can tell by the photo, our tomatoes are loaded with the stuff. According to the American Cancer Society, a major claim for lycopene’s benefits is in the prevention and treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, bladder, cervix, skin, and, especially, prostate. In support of these claims regarding cancer, proponents note that lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, a compound that blocks the action of free radicals, activated oxygen molecules that can damage cells, and that several scientific studies have found lower risk of cancer among people who eat lycopene-rich foods.

The bowl of tomatoes were grown in our garden, and we continue to harvest and eat them daily. With the triple digit heat that is expected to last until the 4th of July, I anticipate that we’ll be eating more of these lycopene rich fruits on a daily basis.
~T.

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Pine Nut Opine

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More than 80 percent of the pine nuts eaten in American are harvested from the Korean pine,  (Pinus koraiensis) a native tree in eastern Asia.  it is the most widely traded pine nut in international commerce.

Knowing this made the two-hour task of harvesting a half-cup of seeds from California’s native Gray pine trees (Pinus sabiniana) seem a bit less tedious, and the garden fresh basil and thyme pesto will taste all the better for having made the effort.

 

 

 

 

 

~T.

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Making Time for Art

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 Uprooting 21 years of an established life in one corner of a country and transplanting it thousands of miles away in an entirely different climate and culture requires attention to details that can, if you let them, consume most of the 24 hours in a given day.  The distractions have impaired my ability to fully getting my Funk on, but I’ve been making adjustments so that I have time in every day to create “art”.  

When I lived in Vermont, I would most often prefer to write songs to play on my guitar. 
Poetry was an interest I pursued while waiting for winter to pass, but it was always forsaken when the warmth of spring arrived.
My time was then spent absorbing the beauty of the natural world while plotting out the garden and germinating seeds.
California is pure inspiration and more conducive to growing things, in every sense of the word.
Today I sowed more seeds, transplanted beet starts and basil, and then took a break from gardening to play with my crayons that I like to let melt in the sun.

 

 
~T

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The Swedish Bohemian’s Funk House Art Garden

The Funk House Art Garden is a recreational Bohemian social club that I founded in 2009 while living in Middlebury, Vermont at the address formerly known as 190 South Pleasant Street.   My former residence, the Joshua Henshaw House, was built in the early 1800’s and is listed on the state’s historical registry.   It was an interesting building to live in, albeit cold and drafty in the winter.  

.Joshua Henshaw House  

I lived in two different apartments in this building, and with the exception of a few rowdy neighbors from time to time, genuinely enjoyed creating art and a garden there.  Now, I am creating my art and garden in California  in a different rented space that I share with my lover, companion, dearest friend, and the Garden’s guard dog, Stella.

gardent

The three of us are happy and keeping ourselves nourished with an abundant supply of love, encouragement, kindness, and kale.

~T.

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Beet Good or Beet Gone

Beet Good or Beet Gone

 We have begun to harvest the first round of beets that we started from seed and are impressed with both their size and color.   We eat them raw and grated in our green salads, roasted with carrots, and are contemplating pickling some should we have a need to preserve a bit of this year’s harvest.

Borscht is not out of the question, but having never attempted to make the dish before, I am a bit apprehensive about committing the root to a soup pot.

In the meanwhile, we continue to savor the flavor of this beloved and underestimated root vegetable and welcome suggestions for a beet recipe nouveau.

The root of the problem is the problem with the root.
It has a reputation of tasting something like a boot.
Having never tasted leather nor the shoes you wear on feet,
I say the gorgeous vegetable tastes exactly like a beet!

~T. Funk

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Growing The Funk House Art Garden, One Seed at a Time

Growing The Funk House Art Garden, one seed at a time.

Welcome to The Funk House Art Garden!

Membership to our authentic Bohemian Social Club is by invitation only, but is open to peaceful people and artists who appreciate, support, or otherwise contribute to the creative process of making art.

The Funk House Art Garden is a house with a garden and art.
Creating the Garden was an act of art and of love,
and we toil daily so that both art and love may thrive.

Henri Matisse said that creativity takes courage, and he was absolutely right.
I am courageous in this blessed place,
our haven of inspiration.
I will create with determination to inspire others
to create without fear.

What fear will you conquer today?

~T.