Sqare Foot Gardening & Make this for your Momma!

Brandywine Tomatoes

So, my garden looks like a garden. Like a real one and everything! I've got respectable peas and beans. My first bean sprouted up in just 4 days! I ate my first homegrown beet yesterday. It was smaller than a golf ball, but it was so sweet! I've never had that taste with raw beets before. Okra and cukes went in Sunday. Tomatoes went in today as well as supports for the peas. Peppers may be in next week. Again, with the hardening! PS: Those newspaper starter cups are doing great.

Peas earlier this week

One thing I have noticed is that the heirloom varieties, purchased from a small farm off of, you guessed it!, localharvest.org, have a higher growth rate than the store bought varieties. That is, the peas and beans, which were put directly into the ground. The transplants were not successful, but I think that was due to my inexperience. I'm impressed though. I literally mean 100% are shooting up, whereas about 60% of the store-bought are alive and kicking. I'm interested to see how the end results differ.

I have been reading Square Foot Gardening. I really wish I had done so 6 months ago. There are lots of great ideas, and I definitely would like to try this method next year along with a traditional plot. I think it's a great option for kids. Getting mine interested has been a struggle. It's too hot. I don't want to get dirty. There's a bug on me. I'm hungry. I'm bored. It takes a maximum of 3 minutes to hear one of these...and it doesn't stop until we're inside. God forbid my kids survive without my watchful eye for an hour. Of course, we'll have a complete 180 in 10 years with me begging to hang with them 24/7. I digress. If they had their own little plot with quick growing produce and a flower or two, I think that would grab their attention. Another great thing about the book is options for gardeners unable to stoop because of back problems or those using a wheelchair. I also think the size restrictions are a good idea for starters, such as myself. I went big. Too big. If I had something small then progressed reasonably, then a full scale plot would not be so daunting. But, you know, eyes bigger than the stomach...or hands? You get what I'm saying. Anyways, McKay, a local used bookstore, had it for $1.50. Well worth it.

If you are in the Nashville area, check out McKay's new location. It is HUGE! It looks like a gymnasium in there. But for nerds. They have a great selection and usually good prices.

Mmm Good

I did want to share a recipe this time around. German Apple Pancake. This is really great, one of my family's favorites. It's elegant, rustic, and simple. Perfect for holidays or—don't forget this Sunday!--Mother's Day. Serve with a pot of coffee or tea, thick bacon or country ham. The apples kind of peep out at you, while the caramel just oozes seductively.

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in an oven proof skillet (cast iron works great) over medium heat.
3. Add 2 medium Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced or chunked if you prefer, ½ cup brown sugar, and 1 Tbsp cinnamon. Cook until tender. Here you can add anything extra jazzy, like a splash of liqueur, a dash of your favorite spice, or chopped nuts. Mmm, dried cranberries would be good.
4. In a bowl, whisk together 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp melted butter, and ½ tsp salt.
5. Whisk in 1 cup AP flour.
6. Once the apples are cooked down, remove from heat and pour batter on top.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes until nice and golden.

Serve plain or topped with syrup, whipped cream, powdered sugar, etc.

Bacon!

Alright, guys. I'm a little silly from lack of sleep, so I'm off. Oh, yeah! First CSA pickup tomorrow from Delta Sun Farm! I'll let you guys know how it goes. They have baby pigs. I can't wait to squee at their adorableness.

Just a quick update on things. Peas are up, about 3" tall. They are so cute! I put in a row of those strawberries I got for free. A couple varieties of bush beans went in yesterday. I have started hardening the tomato seedlings. This means putting them outside for an hour, then a little bit longer everyday, until they go in the ground for good. Bell peppers are next. I just don't want to lug all that everyday.

My pressure cooker came in. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm looking forward to it! Once I have got a couple rounds out of it, I'll post a review of sorts.

We signed up for a CSA with a new local farm, Delta Sun. I am so very excited about this! Can't wait to stock up and show the kids some "new" veggies and learn, learn, learn!

Our youngest is going to registration this Friday for Kindergarten. What the hell?! How did that happen so fast?

I went on this amazing women's retreat a couple weekends ago. It got me out of my comfort zone big time. I did not know a single person! I think that kind of helped though. It allowed me to be more of myself and just experience everything without judgement. I needed the break for sure.

OK. I gotta hop over to facebook and then get dinner going!

To Eat Meat

Meat, meat, meat. A tough issue indeed. I was vegetarian for about two years. Our neighbor at the time was an animal rights activist and vegan for many years. Curiosity got the best of me, and I looked at those horrid videos of factory farming. I immediately donated $50 to the site and headed over to her house for comfort and advice. I was a mess, and it is horrible and really happening. Going veg was easy enough for myself. I practically go vegan every summer without even trying. Growing up, summer meant grilled summer squashes, corn, onion, leeks, bell peppers...ugh, now I'm drooling...and lots of fresh salads. My husband is another story. He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. What I ended up relying on was meals where meat was on the side. Pasta dishes, fajitas, stir-fry, etc. We still ate the same meal, and whoever wanted meat added it.

Why quit? Well, I really love meat. I love the taste, texture, smell. I'm one of those freaks who likes my steak still bleeding. Those faux meat things were just not cutting it. A veggie burger will never replace a thick, juicy cheeseburger. Never. Also, I have chronic anemia, and red meat is really the only thing that does the trick. My body just doesn't absorb iron through veggies and fruit or supplements. Believe me, I've tried them all. My choice was purely based on moral issues with how the animals were raised and how they died.

Now that I'm at the point of accepting meat, how do I eat it with a conscience? My real hurdle has been how do I do it with a conscience and a light wallet? If you have the answer, let me know. I started off buying chicken labeled organic and cage free. Cage free is deceptive. My husband and his family used to work on a chicken farm. It was cage free all right but not at all safe. No cages but no access to outside, no sunlight, no vegetation, nowhere for waste to go but on the ground, no roaming room for all those chickens crammed in one building.

I believe organic is misleading as well. One summer we drove out to “the sticks” to buy eggs from a family I found on craigslist. I had never seen anything like it before. They had two sons who were homeschooled by their parents. They raised chickens, geese, goats, and a few cows. They also grew their own produce. We intended to just buy the eggs and go, but we ended up spending the whole afternoon there. I even drank raw goats milk. The kids played, while I played 20 questions with the parents. I asked if the animals were raised organically. They asked me to explain what that meant. They were shocked when I asked if they never received antibiotics. “Why wouldn't we give our animals medicine if they were sick?” Well, yeah, that makes sense. We would do that for our pets, so why would we deny chickens? To be certified as organic, the animals must not ever receive antibiotics even if they are sick or injured. Do you want that in your steak?

Anyways, big let down here...I am currently buying regular, evil meats. We are on a strict $100 weekly grocery budget (for 2 kids and 2 adults). I don't feel comfortable paying the prices I have found in our area. I'm somewhere in between frugal and plain ole cheap, so I mostly go for the discounted cuts and whole poultry. However, if I can turn this darned black thumb to green, we will have more income available to go towards meat, dairy, and others. Once again, I have to plug localharvest.org. You can search for meat as well as dairy produced in your area. Visit the farm! Meet the animals, check out their living conditions. I just haven't found any affordable choice for us.

Other options? Hunting is very popular in Tennessee, although I think it is more of a hobby to most. We're both good shots and have friends that have volunteered to teach us the rest. I think hunting (and fishing) is the most natural way to obtain meat, but the season is limited. I can't imagine myself being a skilled hunter either. My agility, or lack thereof, leaves me with bumps and bruises.

Another possibility is raising our own meat. I have ruled out cows, because they are so big. I have to admit that I'm a bit intimidated by them. On the table are chicken, rabbit, goat, and even fish. We may end up with a combination. I do plan on sharing my tidbits on each, once my research is a bit more than scattered notes.

Seedling Problems & Starter Containers on the Cheap

Ok, so still learning here! Just a disclaimer that I'm no expert. But I hope you and I can both learn from my mistakes. It will save someone time and money. Just not me. I have run into 2 seedling problems.

Some of my seedlings are “damping off,” which is a fancy way of saying I over watered. I didn't think it was likely, as the soil never looked swamped are pooled. However, a lot of my sprouts just fell over one day, leaving the roots under the dirt. I don't know if they are able to come back from it, but I'm hoping. I have pinched off some of the sprouts, hoping it will force new ones to spring forth from the roots. The others I left alone to see if they will fix themselves. If not, I'll have to buy tomato plants and try to squeeze in a second round from seed.

The other problem is lack of light. The seedlings were quite tall and spindly. They did not have access to light through a window, but a light was left on most of the day. The way to fix this is the set a light right on top, no more than 1” away. Obviously, this is for serious gardeners with grow lights. I used a lamp from the craft room and moved them to a sunny window.

Another tidbit I will be keeping in mind is not to start in containers too small. I started all the seeds in egg cartons. This would be fine if I was immediately transplanting to the garden. My tomatoes have still got awhile though. It would just be easier to have started them in their current containers. I'll save the egg cartons for flowers and herbs that can go right into the dirt after sprouting.

I have had trouble actually getting to the garden. With two kids, a full-time job, and house to care for, I'm a bit stretched on time and energy. If I could go back, I would have already had a tiller and hoe the day they turned the dirt. We have had a lot of rain, and the dirt has settled and compacted. I'm having to go back with the hoe to dig out the rocks and hack up those weeds. I am going to try the landscaping fabric. I intend to put mulch or something on top of the fabric just because it is so ugly. I was able to find quite the deal, a roll of 200ft with 50 staples for just under $34.

Beets are doing well, but no sign of the peas or beans. I suspect they were carried down an ant hill suspiciously nearby. Good news is that even if they are gone, I can do another round. Tomatoes are iffy, but half the broccoli looks good, which is 6 plants. I started the peppers.

I have Fort Laramie strawberries on order. You should check out Gardens Alive! They always have a $25 coupon with each catalog, so I got 25 plants for free including shipping. They sell seed, fertilizer, composting items, and other related things.

A project I'll be looking into is how to use the creek as a water source for the garden. It is probably 75 yards away and down hill. I don't have any experience with pumps or plumbing. I switched out a toilet once, and that's as far as it goes. If nothing works, I can haul it up in tanks I guess and use one of those sprayers.

This is a great way to have free, or pretty darn close to it, starter containers. I found this through Mother Earth News, a great magazine that leaves me coveting after every issue. They linked the idea to the cleverly-named blog, Mr. Brown Thumb. He lists other cheap ideas as well, so you may want to check it out.

First, I snagged some free local papers from the grocery store. I don't regularly buy the newspaper, but if you do this would be a beneficial way to get double duty out of it and recycle at the same time. Fold a full sheet in horizontally in half. Wrap around a can, cup, or tube of some sort. Don't go too tight, or you'll have to wrestle the two apart. I made four folds to make a bottom. Just push an edge in towards the middle until it is closed off. Slip the can out and tuck the top edges in all around. You can label each pod right on the paper.

A bonus is that the paper shows you how moist the soil is. The starters can go in a roasting pan, like I used, or you can use a cardboard lid or box trimmed down. Line with a trash can bag to prevent leaks. I have stuck with watering right into the pan and the other trays. I like this method much better as it takes less time and prevents over watering.

The last frost is approaching soon, so I gotta run. I got a date with a hoe.

The garden is slowly but surely coming along. We have had a lot of rain recently, so hoeing is no fun at all. Not that it was ever rumored to be. I purchased some of the weed-blocking landscaping fabric to help stave off the grass and weeds from overtaking the plot. I think I should have done this immediately after tilling. I am unsure if I will keep the fabric through the season. It is tempting with all the promises of a weed free garden.

I started the seedlings in egg carton flats, which I got from work. I set in a South-facing window and watered throughout each day. They dried out way too quickly, so I set two of the flats on a baking sheet and poured water onto the sheet. One flat I transferred to egg shell halves, and they worked well, yet only about half sprouted. I kept the tomatoes on top of the dryer. I read somewhere that the heat helps them sprout, since they love warmer climates. The broccoli are on top of the refrigerator, because they like cooler weather.

Today, I transferred my seedlings to larger containers. I have done the Romas, and about half of the Black Seamans and a few broccoli are ready as well. I have set them in another South-facing window, which has the covered deck as a buffer. I'm hoping the sunlight and heat will be enough without scorching. I used store bought containers and rinsed out cartons from work. Next I'll start the bell peppers.

Last year, I scored on some zucchini, shredded, and froze the surplus. Over the year, I have chiseled off a corner and tossed it in with pasta, sauces, or soups. It is a great way to sneak in some veggies undetected. And, of course, zucchini bread.

Shred til you have 2 cups zucchini. Mix with ½ cup sugar, 2 eggs, and a splash of vanilla. Stir in ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, 4 Tbsp cornmeal, and 4 Tbsp bran. Stir in 1¾ cup AP flour til combined. You could fold in a cup of nuts here if you like. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

This bread is so good even my veggie-hating husband ate it. Within 18 hours, this was all that was left!

Why A Garden?

Growing up, my great-uncle Virgil had an impressive garden, and he and my great-aunt would can any surplus. That is, anything that was not already shared with us. I loved their pickle tray at family gatherings. My mother also had a small summer garden, which usually included peppers, squashes, tomatoes, and a few herbs. I have had little success with containers, but I consider myself to have a black thumb. That is the extent of my exposure and experience with gardening.

I got to this point by taking more interest in the life of our food before consumption. It wasn't until a couple years ago, when I was making fruit tarts in January for Provence, that I really understood why eating in season pays off. The fruit was tart, bland, or watery, even though it was being shipped from warmer climates. One of my favorite things to do now is smell food. Strawberries are the ultimate, a mixture of flowers and honey.

There are other factors, of course. Being in the food industry, I considered a difference between food grown and harvested by machinery versus hands. The added cost and footprint of food transported across the globe. Ultimately, it's not really knowing what has happened to that food since I didn't witness it for myself. We've all heard the horror stories of the meat industry. Now information is coming out against GMO's, pesticides and other sprays, and even sketchy seed companies. It's one of those things that can consume you with fear. I think it will be a good source of exercise and entertainment. A great teaching opportunity for my kids. Plus, there's a swelling in the ego when sharing homegrown and homemade goods.

There are lots of options if you are considering ditching the grocery store. Farmer's markets offer a wide variety of products, usually restricted to a certain region or distance. You still need to ask questions and build trust with your farmers. Not all of them are farmers; some simply distribute. I have even busted a stand or two for reselling produce bought from the grocery store as local, organic, or homegrown. Bananas won't grow in Tennessee, mister. Another option is a CSA or Community Supported Agriculture. We participated in a CSA in Nashville and had a great experience. The farm is located in North Tennessee and is all organic. For $25 a week, we could get half a bushel of produce, and there usually was a surplus of at least one item to pick from for free. There were a couple optional selections, such as eggs, cheese, fruit and jams for sale. It was a great way to force us to eat in season and introduce some new items to the family. Please check out localharvest.org to find these options for your area. You can even order some items through the mail.

So if these options are so great, why grow your own? Well, it's simply a yearning for independence. Buying directly from the farm is awesome, but I'm still paying someone else to do something I can do myself. And there's the desire to be prepared for the worst. If all hell breaks loose, and we are unable for one reason or another to reach a food source, I'd like to be capable of creating my own food source. My choice to only grow from heirloom seed is directly linked. Buying seed every year is not self-reliance.

I know this is a kind of dry post, but I wanted to write down why I'm doing what I'm doing. Please check out localharvest.org for food source options; I'm a big fan of this site. I'd encourage everyone to try at least a couple things this year. I've heard mustard greens are a sure thing, and I know from experience mint takes care of itself. Just try it out. You'll find that that tea is a little sweeter with mint you grew in it.

I ruined a wedding cake and survived.

I wrote this last summer but never got around to posting it. Partially because I forgot; partially because I was so embarrassed. But we all fail at times, and I think it's important to examine our mistakes.

Last weekend was my cousin's wedding, and she asked me to make her cake. The design was simple enough. 3 stacked tiers of red velvet with, you guessed it, cream cheese icing. To make it even more sinful, she wanted chocolate ganache oozing all over. Simple. Beautiful. Delicious. However, as the date drew closer, I started to fret over the heat. The forecast called for thunderstorms and a high of 98. I really don't know how this got to be a Southern tradition if our weather is this cake's arch nemesis!

The morning of, I decided to try transporting the cake assembled. Usually, I transport the layers and stack on location. But I was feeling ballsy! I made a kickass cake, and everyone would marvel at my mastery. I didn't think twice that a pedestal stand wasn't the most stable platform. I didn't think about driving alone, and the cake sitting shotgun. I was going to be so careful, go slow and take a straight line the whole way. I was so careful with my speed and even weight distribution that I wouldn't pay attention to the actual road and hit a tree. Really?!? Who hits a tree going 15 mph?

I pulled over to investigate. After a mini freak out, I decided that I did, in fact, have to show up.

When I arrived, I could see the doubt in everyone's eyes on how I was to fix it. I will eternally be grateful for my cousin's carefree grace as she insisted she was only happy that I was safe. I let the cake chill for 20 minutes and smoothed out the icing for about the same amount of time. It looked decent enough, but crumbs were everywhere by now.

Here's where the chocolate saved me. It covered almost everything! Yes, the tiers were lopsided now. No, I was not pleased with the results. No, it did not look like the inspiration photo. Yes, the photographers did take shots from every angle, looking for the most picturesque side. Silly photographers, there wasn't one. In the end, it was great cake. Everyone loved it. I received compliments all night. Almost every piece was gone by the end of the night.

It was then when I got a little sad for all the cakes and treats, and really everything that we do for others, that takes a lot of effort and thought. The creator is really the only person who can fully appreciate it. Everyone oohs and ahhs, then the masterpiece (or disaster) is devoured in minutes. No one could know the roller coaster of emotions I endured that day. Enthusiasm, determination, pride, fear, panic, dread, insecurity, then relief.

It's strange. I think this cake had a personality. I knew something was going to go wrong. I knew it. It was doomed before I baked the first layer. But it kept on going. It got beat up, melted a bit, and then patched back together. It did its job well. It made people smile and enjoy the moment. It made some people laugh. It made me cry. But I learned to laugh at myself as well.

After all, it's only cake.