I have a few recommendations:

-Don’t trespass. Especially avoid fields with signs that read “No Trespassing, We Don’t Call 911″.
-Don’t slam on the brakes and veer off the highway when you spot a patch of blue in the ditch.
-Don’t trample all the flowers. Don’t allow your kids and dogs to do it either.

If you are free right now, come visit. The flowers are starting to bloom.

1. They aren’t at their peak yet, but thanks to the right weather patterns through the fall and winter, this is supposed to be an amazing year for wildflowers.

2. Central Texas is popular among both types of bikers.

3. Texan tidbit: All species of the bluebonnet are considered to be the state flower of Texas.

4. It is best to get off the crowded highways and drive the country roads. Just be respectful of private property.

5. If you can’t find a reliable wildflower spot, you can go to a wildflower farm – where this photo was taken.

6. Stuck at home? You can watch bluebonnets bloom on the Bluebonnet Cam.

7.Wildflowers popping up among the cacti.

8. Bluebonnet festivals appear in small Texas towns all through the month of April.

9. A lot of Texan families return to the same spot every year when the wildflowers bloom again.

Community Connection

Planning a trip to central Texas? Check out another photo essay on Climbing Enchanted Rock. Enchanted rock is less than 40 miles from where most of these wildflower photos were taken.

Photo: mynameisharsha

Why Cold-Brew?

Chilling hot coffee is a common way to make quick and easy iced coffee. Cold-brewing takes several hours. Why bother?

Cold-brewing extracts the flavor and caffeine of the coffee grounds, but less of the oils and acids. Without heat, you get great-tasting iced coffee without the bitterness. Try the two side-by-side sometime. You will be converted.

The Recipe

Fill a glass container with 6 tablespoons of ground coffee.

Add 2 cups filtered water.

Cover and let rest for 12 hours.

Strain the coffee through a filter.

Fill two glasses with ice and add coffee.

(Optional) Add cream and sugar to taste.

Develop Your Caffeine Habit

Photo: findfado

Twelve hours is a long time to wait for coffee. To make cold-brewed coffee regularly, you need to plan ahead.

First, get a French press. They are easy to use for brewing both hot and cold coffee. Each night, around dinnertime, fill the press with coffee grounds and filtered water.

It will be ready at breakfast.

After you try it a few times, experiment with the amount of coffee grounds and the timing. I like the portions in the recipe above, but you might want to adjust the strength. Also, some people prefer a 24 hour brewing. On the other hand, you can cut it down to as little as four hours – make it at breakfast and enjoy it with lunch.

Cold-brewing Tips

Photo: thebittenword.com

To get great coffee flavor, buy good whole-bean coffees. Look for fair trade. Make sure it was roasted recently.

Coarse grind your coffee. The mesh screen on the French press will do a better job of filtering.

Add a little cream and sugar if you want, but try it plain first. It is smooth and probably won’t need as much extra stuff added as you are used to with hot coffee.

For variety, add a bit of honey or cinnamon to the coffee grounds. Or try adding some peppermint loose leaf tea. Flavored syrups will work as well.

Use filtered water.

If you drink iced coffee all day, you won’t be able to make them fast enough with this recipe. Consider purchasing the largest French press you can find. Multiply the recipe to make large batches. You can store the extra coffee in your refrigerator. It will keep for days and it won’t get that nasty old coffee taste.

Community Connection:

Travelers looking to make coffee on the road should check out Matador’s Coffee Gear for Coffee Fanatics. Also, don’t forget how your purchases affect the lives of coffee producers. Read more at Fair Trade for Beginners.

Feature photo by uberculture. Photo above by Theodore Scott.

If you want to try gardening but don’t think you have the space, then these four garden projects are for you. Even if you have a yard, the approaching winter is a good opportunity to experiment with plants indoors.

1. Start a windowsill herb garden.

It is easy to keep fresh herbs on hand for cooking.

Make a list of your favorite herbs. Round up some seeds, put some potting soil in some containers and scatter the seeds around. Keep the soil damp.

Covering the container with clear plastic creates a miniature greenhouse that helps the seeds start out. Place your containers in a sunny spot and wait.

Remove the covering when you have some seedlings that are doing well. Once they start to outgrow their original containers, transplant them to larger ones and spread them out.

Once you have some large plants, you should harvest frequently. This encourages the herbs to grow.

Some plants are finicky about their light and temperature, so try a variety. Lemon balm, chives, rosemary, and parsley all like full sun but will make do in more shaded areas. Start a lot of them from seed and experiment to find out where they will survive in your home.

Photo by Theodore Scott.

2. Take cuttings from common houseplants.

Many stems cut from a plant will form roots and grow into new plants. Often, just taking a cutting and sticking it in dirt will be enough to get a new plant. If you want to watch the roots grow, you can place the cutting in a jar of water.

Over the past year, I have turned one tiny neglected ivy plant into five medium-sized houseplants. When they get too shaggy, I cut a few stems and transplant them into other pots. Just spread them around the house. When you have too many, give them away as gifts.

Some plants are easier than others, and researching the species can help. Usually, I just do several cuttings and see how many survive.

When you cut off a piece, use a sharp knife to limit damage to the surrounding plant tissue. Strip off the leaves near the bottom and bury at least one of the leaf nodes. Cuttings from lower on the plant will develop roots more easily than a cutting from the stem tip.

Don’t shock the parent plant by taking a huge piece. A three-inch cutting should be enough to start a new plant.

Friends and neighbors with houseplants are a great source for free cuttings.

Photo by medoriastar.

3. Make a terrarium.

Create your own little green world.

Find a glass container. Wash it. Put half an inch of sand or rocks in the bottom and a couple of inches of potting soil on top of the sand. Choose some slow-growing plants that have similar light and water requirements. Scatter a mix of seeds and a little more soil to cover them.

There isn’t any drainage, so don’t water your terrarium too often. If your terrarium has a lid, you can cover it (not airtight) or leave it off. Your choice will affect the humidity inside, but either way is fine. If you cover it, watch out for mold.

When your plants start getting big, pinch them back. They will become short and bushy, and less likely to outgrow the container.

Photo by RBerteig.

4. Grow a fruit tree indoors.

Get a dwarf fruit tree. There are many suitable types – grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, limes, figs, oranges, and more. These are small trees, but given proper care, most provide fruit.

Find a good local nursery that has dwarf fruit trees available. Ask for advice on how big the container for your tree needs, how fast it grows, and how long until it produces fruit. Pick a lightweight container. If you want to move the tree often, then consider getting a wheeled platform to put underneath.

Find the window that receives the most sunlight and put it nearby. If your patio or balcony that receives sunlight through most of the day, then keep the tree there for most of the year. Be sure to bring it in when it gets cold. Many fruit trees don’t stand up well to freezing temperatures.

Don’t overwater. Water when the soil surface is dry. Once every 7-10 days should be enough, but you will learn to judge.