A post over at Path to Freedom got me thinking. My gardening has honestly not "saved" us any money in a strict sense of the word. (I refuse to equate the word saving as it applies to "look how much we saved" when it comes to buying things we would not otherwise buy.)
Gardening has not reduced the cost of eating fresh (or home preserved) organic produce one iota. Gardening forced us to eat fresh (or home preserved) organic produce. Society may give lip service to living "green" but if you follow the money, its not where our priorities lay. For mainstream america, living lightly is an expensive proposition. I simply pulled price out of the equation.
I suspect I am not alone in the sense that I do not depend on my garden for economic survival, but for spiritual, healthful, and global survival. We must be prepared to accept the fact that many, in fact much of society views our arcane gardening practice as a luxury. Primarily one of time. The most common response I get (and I'm sure I'm not the exception) is "I wish I had the time for that."
Second confession. I don't have the time. By sunset I have been pulled in 50 different different directions trying to get all the little projects, appointments, and routine this and that done. But I make the time, because in a life where so many things are beyond your control, its nice to have a moment when your time is your own. So for us the cost of eating organic is time.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Book Review: Smale Scale Grain Raising
I searched high and low for this text which has become somewhat of a legend. I was not alone in my pursuit. The original print goes for around$60 used. As luck, or perhaps a change in the direction of the winds of change. A second edition was printed. I found myself on a waitlist 2 months ago and yesterday, my copy arrived.
Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon was well worth the wait, and every ounce what it is hyped as. The content is arranged by crop and follows a clear pattern of how to prepare a field for X, planting, common problems, harvesting, storing, and a few recipes along the way.
The true value (not that the content itself should be taken lightly) is Mr. Logsdon's shall we say, wit and wisdom. Having read The Gardeners Guide to Better Soil, and Successful Berry Growing, I was accustomed to his style. He is folksy and casual without being cliche or anti-intellectual. Small Scale Grain raising is no black sheep in that regard. In fact it was a puzzlement to my wife how a book about grain could make me chuckle every few minutes.
Mr. Logsdon speaks as one who understands the science of the task at hand, and does not withhold what the "specifications" for use of say certain fertilizers for certain crops, but also has a wealth of practical experience to reassure the neophyte that in some regards, close enough is ok too.
There are brief peeks into a subject I suspect the author may elaborate on elsewhere and that is his opinion on the state of modern farming. While I have suspicions, he probably has evidence. Its one thing to hear about how a farmer has to constently get bigger or get out, its entirely another to see the numbers in front of you. There are moments that made me a tad uncomfortable, as I am perfectly content to point the finger at subsidies and giants like monsanto, Logsdon feels that farmers who have been "duped" into believing that bigger is better, take out a loan and buy more land and a bigger combine...are as much to blame. Perhaps the availability of easy credit, the cult of more more more, the dependence on technology and cheap oil have not just affected the dregs of consumers but the noblest of professions as well. Perhaps rather than look at it as just another industry, we should look at the state of food production as the true litmus test of not only the health, but the mindset of society.
I must say in closing that I have only one disappointment, the immutable laws of nature. I was hoping to incorporate a grain crop as a bed rotation. As it takes roughly 1090 square feet to make one bushel of wheat, and a healthy bushel of wheat weighs on average, 60 pounds, a single garden bed in my yard (50') will only produce about 2.5 lbs. or around 10 loaves of no-knead bread if my math is right. At 5 lbs I might consider it, but it doesn't seem likely...yet. Who knows, as the size of the mowable part in the yard shrinks. At what point do we decide its not worth keeping a mower, and if we decide its not worth keeping a mower, when do we finally commit the rest of the lawn to more productive use?
Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon was well worth the wait, and every ounce what it is hyped as. The content is arranged by crop and follows a clear pattern of how to prepare a field for X, planting, common problems, harvesting, storing, and a few recipes along the way.
The true value (not that the content itself should be taken lightly) is Mr. Logsdon's shall we say, wit and wisdom. Having read The Gardeners Guide to Better Soil, and Successful Berry Growing, I was accustomed to his style. He is folksy and casual without being cliche or anti-intellectual. Small Scale Grain raising is no black sheep in that regard. In fact it was a puzzlement to my wife how a book about grain could make me chuckle every few minutes.
Mr. Logsdon speaks as one who understands the science of the task at hand, and does not withhold what the "specifications" for use of say certain fertilizers for certain crops, but also has a wealth of practical experience to reassure the neophyte that in some regards, close enough is ok too.
There are brief peeks into a subject I suspect the author may elaborate on elsewhere and that is his opinion on the state of modern farming. While I have suspicions, he probably has evidence. Its one thing to hear about how a farmer has to constently get bigger or get out, its entirely another to see the numbers in front of you. There are moments that made me a tad uncomfortable, as I am perfectly content to point the finger at subsidies and giants like monsanto, Logsdon feels that farmers who have been "duped" into believing that bigger is better, take out a loan and buy more land and a bigger combine...are as much to blame. Perhaps the availability of easy credit, the cult of more more more, the dependence on technology and cheap oil have not just affected the dregs of consumers but the noblest of professions as well. Perhaps rather than look at it as just another industry, we should look at the state of food production as the true litmus test of not only the health, but the mindset of society.
I must say in closing that I have only one disappointment, the immutable laws of nature. I was hoping to incorporate a grain crop as a bed rotation. As it takes roughly 1090 square feet to make one bushel of wheat, and a healthy bushel of wheat weighs on average, 60 pounds, a single garden bed in my yard (50') will only produce about 2.5 lbs. or around 10 loaves of no-knead bread if my math is right. At 5 lbs I might consider it, but it doesn't seem likely...yet. Who knows, as the size of the mowable part in the yard shrinks. At what point do we decide its not worth keeping a mower, and if we decide its not worth keeping a mower, when do we finally commit the rest of the lawn to more productive use?
I could never run a tv station
I have no clue what people are interested in. Here I was thinking the outdoor shower was just some crazy idea. But apparently I'm not the only one with a desire to bathe outdoors. I'll have to chronicle this one more closely. I'll take some pictures tonight, but for now a little background on the project.
1. This did not come about without a good deal of bargaining and pleading on my part, as I am the only one in the house who does not look at the idea as insanity, and as such it is one of those things I get to work on in my "spare time." Of which I have little to none. Due to the aforementioned official adoption, we are having a baptism/adoption party on May 17th. Spring, as most gardening/landscaping folks will tell you is always a busy time. This creates the perfect storm of work for the next 3 weeks. Therefore, construction will largely be a board nailed in here and there when no one is looking...Thats right. This one is being built ninja style.
2. As for design... It will draw water in from the hose spigot right around the corner (like I said. Perfect spot). You're probably thinking "Holy H311! thats a cold shower." Watch your mouth please, this is a family friendly site. I plan on running a coil of black hose up to the roof before it gets to the shower nozzle. But which side of the roof, since the peak of the house runs north-south. Morning or night. I got to thinking. When am I most likely to use an outdoor shower...likely after working outdoors...meaning evening. The spot for the shower sits on the evening side of the house. Like I said...perfect. What about the wastewater? Well that part I havent got totally ironed out. And by that I mean I have a workable solution for now. I have some leftover pvc pipe that should work well enough to divert the water over to a 1'x20' strip of stone we laid down as a divider between the yard and the herb sanctuary/pond. It should be deep enough to to take a gallon at a time without flooding. In the future I'd love to see a reedbed there with a higher capacity...being used by the graywater from the house. But baby steps...first I have to get certain factions to accept and enjoy the outdoor shower first.
1. This did not come about without a good deal of bargaining and pleading on my part, as I am the only one in the house who does not look at the idea as insanity, and as such it is one of those things I get to work on in my "spare time." Of which I have little to none. Due to the aforementioned official adoption, we are having a baptism/adoption party on May 17th. Spring, as most gardening/landscaping folks will tell you is always a busy time. This creates the perfect storm of work for the next 3 weeks. Therefore, construction will largely be a board nailed in here and there when no one is looking...Thats right. This one is being built ninja style.
2. As for design... It will draw water in from the hose spigot right around the corner (like I said. Perfect spot). You're probably thinking "Holy H311! thats a cold shower." Watch your mouth please, this is a family friendly site. I plan on running a coil of black hose up to the roof before it gets to the shower nozzle. But which side of the roof, since the peak of the house runs north-south. Morning or night. I got to thinking. When am I most likely to use an outdoor shower...likely after working outdoors...meaning evening. The spot for the shower sits on the evening side of the house. Like I said...perfect. What about the wastewater? Well that part I havent got totally ironed out. And by that I mean I have a workable solution for now. I have some leftover pvc pipe that should work well enough to divert the water over to a 1'x20' strip of stone we laid down as a divider between the yard and the herb sanctuary/pond. It should be deep enough to to take a gallon at a time without flooding. In the future I'd love to see a reedbed there with a higher capacity...being used by the graywater from the house. But baby steps...first I have to get certain factions to accept and enjoy the outdoor shower first.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sore back
I did so much work outside this weekend that it all seems like a blur, I couldn't tell you what I got accomplished, but I do remember a few highlights.
1. The outdoor shower is definitely happening. I have 4 posts in the ground and the spot is perfect. Its an otherwise unusable corner of our plot that would get wasted. I just need to scrounge up some pipe and find a basin so I can redirect the wastewater someplace useful.
2. I have baby carrots! Two years ago I droped a 3'x2' box in a corner that I thought would get enough light. Its tucked between the gazebo and the garden wall, but its never been very productive. Last fall on a whim I direct seeded a few things like beets, some chard, arugula and carrots. Nothing really got off the ground so to speak. By snowfall I had a few feathery carrot leaves and a couple baby beet greens. I have for the most part ignored it this season, though I am going to try some podding radishes there. Well oddly enough I found half inch round, 2 inch long carrots growing. Not the (we're really done growing, we just keep well in the soil over the winter...I found one of those in another bed) These all have good live foliage. I'll let them mature where they are (despite the sample being tasty). Hopefully they don't bolt on me. they are cosmic purples by the way. Who'd have thought they could survive a zone 5 winter. On the other hand, if these do by chance have some genetic predisposition to survivng the cold perhaps I should let them bolt and save the seed.
1. The outdoor shower is definitely happening. I have 4 posts in the ground and the spot is perfect. Its an otherwise unusable corner of our plot that would get wasted. I just need to scrounge up some pipe and find a basin so I can redirect the wastewater someplace useful.
2. I have baby carrots! Two years ago I droped a 3'x2' box in a corner that I thought would get enough light. Its tucked between the gazebo and the garden wall, but its never been very productive. Last fall on a whim I direct seeded a few things like beets, some chard, arugula and carrots. Nothing really got off the ground so to speak. By snowfall I had a few feathery carrot leaves and a couple baby beet greens. I have for the most part ignored it this season, though I am going to try some podding radishes there. Well oddly enough I found half inch round, 2 inch long carrots growing. Not the (we're really done growing, we just keep well in the soil over the winter...I found one of those in another bed) These all have good live foliage. I'll let them mature where they are (despite the sample being tasty). Hopefully they don't bolt on me. they are cosmic purples by the way. Who'd have thought they could survive a zone 5 winter. On the other hand, if these do by chance have some genetic predisposition to survivng the cold perhaps I should let them bolt and save the seed.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Spuds down
well despite an earnest desire to start them on the 15th, my potatoes did not go into the ground until yesterday the 23rd. Hopefully we get a late frost and I can get a full bean crop in. Hopefully.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Whoo hoo!
The gardening class went great! My original draft was an 1.5 hours, I did another test run with my wife which went 1:15. I paired down a few more slides and got it at 50 minutes flat despite the occasional digression. There were 9 people (not including me) who all said that they learned a lot. One who had never done any gardening...so I'm counting her as convert #2 for the year. I sent them home with some charts about companion planting, a few home remedies (like milk spray for powdery mildew, and garlic spray for Japanese beetles) and some packets of seed for my favorite perennials. (Fennel, lemon balm, bee balm, chives, hyssop, borage and swiss chard) ok the last two aren't perennials but the result vs. effort margin is very high and I had a ton of seed for them.
I already have requests to do a follow up class later in the year.
I'm reminded that it is one thing to know how to do something, but entirely another to teach it.
I already have requests to do a follow up class later in the year.
I'm reminded that it is one thing to know how to do something, but entirely another to teach it.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
What a weekend!
Friday was time to cut the potatoes into chunks for planting. I ordered a variety called purple viking, which is notorious for its yield, but I didn't take into consideration that the seed potatoes would be massive. Many of them hand the eyes concentrated on the crown area, leaving a lot of wasted spud. Anyway...the results.
Saturday was considerably busier. My father came to pick my wife and I up in his truck and we made a trip to Miller Nurseries in Canandaigua. I was very impressed. Their selection was great, staff was helpful, and the facilities were very nice. We came home with:
1 apple: "4-in-1 grafted modern varieties"
3 pear: "Bartlett, Beurre Bosc, and D'anjou"
1 nectarine: "Mericrest"
1 Apricot: "Chinese dwarf super hardy"
1 sweet cherry: "Stella compact"
1 grape: Golden Muscat
1 male kiwi (repaced by M.N. after the original failed last year)
4 blueberry bushes: 2"chandler" 2 "herbert"
Dad came home with 6 raspberry canes as well.
The trees are all on dwarfing rootstocks. I spent the remainder of the
day digging holes. Thankfully I had a little help, about 23 pounds of help to be precise.
I sprinkled in some mycorhizal spores I got from Fungi Perfecti, put the trees in, and then went through the nerve wracking process of pruning with a little help from "The Backyard Orchardist" which by the way is an excellent guide.
Saturday was considerably busier. My father came to pick my wife and I up in his truck and we made a trip to Miller Nurseries in Canandaigua. I was very impressed. Their selection was great, staff was helpful, and the facilities were very nice. We came home with:
1 apple: "4-in-1 grafted modern varieties"
3 pear: "Bartlett, Beurre Bosc, and D'anjou"
1 nectarine: "Mericrest"
1 Apricot: "Chinese dwarf super hardy"
1 sweet cherry: "Stella compact"
1 grape: Golden Muscat
1 male kiwi (repaced by M.N. after the original failed last year)
4 blueberry bushes: 2"chandler" 2 "herbert"
Dad came home with 6 raspberry canes as well.
The trees are all on dwarfing rootstocks. I spent the remainder of the
day digging holes. Thankfully I had a little help, about 23 pounds of help to be precise.
I sprinkled in some mycorhizal spores I got from Fungi Perfecti, put the trees in, and then went through the nerve wracking process of pruning with a little help from "The Backyard Orchardist" which by the way is an excellent guide.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Very Exited
Yesterday afternoon I came home to a package from Fungi Perfecti. My order of plug spawn, sealing wax, mycorizhal spores, and a copy of Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms arrived. I never realized that the book was as extensive as it is. Its closer to a textbook than one of the usual offerings in the garden section, and just as deep. My inner geek is totally stoked. I'll post a review when I finish reading, but that will take some time, in the meantime, I have logs to seed with spawn. Homegrown reishi and shitake here I come!
Ultimately I'd like to incorporate the growing of mushrooms into the grander scheme of things. It will be years before I have all the bugs worked out of my rotational system, but I know fungus will have a place in it.
Ultimately I'd like to incorporate the growing of mushrooms into the grander scheme of things. It will be years before I have all the bugs worked out of my rotational system, but I know fungus will have a place in it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
In the ground
Well yesterday evening, the spinach, lettuce, peas, broccoli, radishes and beets went in the ground. And of course there was a light frost this morning, but nothing seemed to be really bothered by it. This evening I'm starting the tomato plants for my dad's house, planting some podding radishes and flax outdoors, cutting the potatoes into smaller chunks, and approaching my wife about a spot I think would be perfect for another garden bed. Its worth a shot right?
Out and about in the yard I noticed lemon balm, bee balm, chives, mint, and wormwood poking up out of the ground. The buds on the ornamental cherry are swelling, the lilacs are getting ready to leaf out. I've got about 4 1-year-old blackberry primocanes that are budding and 3 coming up out of the ground. The berry yield will still be small but much better than the 7 berries I got last year.
Out and about in the yard I noticed lemon balm, bee balm, chives, mint, and wormwood poking up out of the ground. The buds on the ornamental cherry are swelling, the lilacs are getting ready to leaf out. I've got about 4 1-year-old blackberry primocanes that are budding and 3 coming up out of the ground. The berry yield will still be small but much better than the 7 berries I got last year.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
There has to be something to this crazy dream...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerry-trueman/young-agrarians-digging-t_b_186734.html
The second coming of the brief "back to the land" movement of the 60's or a return to a better way of life?
And wadayaknow, GMO doesn't really improve crop yeilds.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/04/14-6
And finally
The second coming of the brief "back to the land" movement of the 60's or a return to a better way of life?
And wadayaknow, GMO doesn't really improve crop yeilds.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/04/14-6
And finally
Pro-Pesticide Group Criticizes First Lady’s Organic Garden
And First Lady Michelle Obama is coming under criticism from a pro-pesticide industry group for deciding to plant an organic garden at the White House. The Mid America CropLife Association recently wrote to the First Lady to urge her to consider using pesticides, or what they call "crop protection products.” One official with the pro-pesticide group said, “While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made [us] shudder.” Mid America CropLife represents agribusinesses like Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont.
the thought of what your products do to the groundwater makes me shudder.
Go Time!
This morning was frost free. The first one in our backyard. I'm sure there will be more, but intermittent is ok, I've been fine with the occasional frost, peas broccoli, lettuce, spinach, radishes can take it. This afternoon they're going in. I also noticed I have pea shoots peaking out of the soil where I planted them on st. patty's day. I will be interested to see if the month early planting helped or if the cold temps kept them back. Time will tell.
Oh and my potatoes came from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. I have some cutting to do as I got a bunch of lunkers...no big deal. Not surprising since Purple vikings are notorious for their prodigious proportions.
Oh and my potatoes came from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. I have some cutting to do as I got a bunch of lunkers...no big deal. Not surprising since Purple vikings are notorious for their prodigious proportions.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Meal recap
With all the prior excitement I totally left out the dishes I prepared for easter dinner.
A little background. I love to cook. Since becoming vegetarian (can't believe its been 10 years) I discovered the wonder of not only eating fresh, made from scratch meals, but also preparing them as well...In fact sometimes the preparation is more fun. Anyhow, usually I am the sole lettucehead at any given meal. And when invited to friends house they usually say: uuuh, salad? when I ask what they would like me to bring. Some of my closer friends (who have probably heard me gripe about it) usually give me a blank check (metaphorically speaking). They'll tell me what the main (usually meat) dish is and I'll come up with something to compliment it. Thats really the way to go...where was I...ah, so usually I feel a lot of pressure to wow the crowd so to speak. I literally cook like I have something to prove, and given my proclivities for perfectionism in the kitchen, I become a bit of a troll at the stove. Thankfully my wife was kind enough to set aside the entire evening prior to easter that I could work on it. So enough with the chitchat on with the show.
As if I did not feel enough pressure, I set a new criteria for myself...In season veggies only. For Central New York it tends to narrow the field.
Since we were doing dinner twice, for the first event
Asparagus soup.
Chop and saute 6 shallots until they become clear.
dice 1 lb asparagus reserving tips
add 1 tblspoon lemon juice, 1 tblspoon all purpose flour and 3 cups vegetable stock. (I am a bit of a stock fanatic, I've tried them all, and most recently found I like the results from a paste based organic stock whose name escapes me right now)
Let this simmer covered for at least an hour. The original recipe says 20 minutes but I extended the cooking time for reasons I will explain momentarily.
Next run it through a food processor until its absolutely liquid. The longer cooking time will break down more of the fibers and make the liquid more flavorful. Pour this through a strainer and mash as well as possible until you have a mostly dry playdough left in the strainer. There will probably be about half a cup. This is mostly asparagus fiber. You could skip this step and probably do well as it obviously has a great amount of dietary fiber sitting there, but if you strain it you will end up with a wonderful consistency. Pour about a cup of milk* through as you are straining to pick up more flavor.
lightly saute the asparagus tips and throw them back in at serving time. Set the tips on a towel to absorb most of the butter or cooking oil. If too much of it ends up back in the soup it can separate and make brown floating dots in that lovely soup you just worked so hard to make.
* Almond milk would probably go nicely too.
This one was a hit. The next one suffered from a modern malaise I refer to as cruciferphobia or the fear of cabbage.
boil 4 outer cabbage leaves for 5 minutes
saute one medium onion, add 1 cup cooked brown rice, 8 oz tomato sauce 1 tsp nutmeg. Heat for a few minutes to thicken, then spoon mix into the center of the cabbage leaves, roll them into packages, and stick a toothpick in to keep them closed. I had leftover rice and sauce that I spooned over them when they went in the pan. Cover with foil and cook at 350 for about a half an hour.
This one had a certain depression era feel to it as I made it that was sadly relevant to modern times. It can literally be made for next to nothing. Those who tried it, liked it, and for my mom (who, due to a medical condition has to have a bland diet) this was perfect. The acidity of the tomato sauce was really not an issue. Personally I thought it was too bland. For me, cabbage takes two modes of entry to my stomach, kraut or kimchee.
these were the original recipe's, I ended up doubling them for the crowds.
Oh and of course I made three loaves of no knead bread (one on a stone, two in loaf pans). There were no leftovers from that. My best batch yet. Sara made sure to tell everyone to "Try the bread, its the best."
So there it is, three accompaniments which could have probably been combined together as a meal if you really wanted to. All in season. The asparagus soup is going in my arsenal as is, the cabbage, like I said, still needs something.
A little background. I love to cook. Since becoming vegetarian (can't believe its been 10 years) I discovered the wonder of not only eating fresh, made from scratch meals, but also preparing them as well...In fact sometimes the preparation is more fun. Anyhow, usually I am the sole lettucehead at any given meal. And when invited to friends house they usually say: uuuh, salad? when I ask what they would like me to bring. Some of my closer friends (who have probably heard me gripe about it) usually give me a blank check (metaphorically speaking). They'll tell me what the main (usually meat) dish is and I'll come up with something to compliment it. Thats really the way to go...where was I...ah, so usually I feel a lot of pressure to wow the crowd so to speak. I literally cook like I have something to prove, and given my proclivities for perfectionism in the kitchen, I become a bit of a troll at the stove. Thankfully my wife was kind enough to set aside the entire evening prior to easter that I could work on it. So enough with the chitchat on with the show.
As if I did not feel enough pressure, I set a new criteria for myself...In season veggies only. For Central New York it tends to narrow the field.
Since we were doing dinner twice, for the first event
Asparagus soup.
Chop and saute 6 shallots until they become clear.
dice 1 lb asparagus reserving tips
add 1 tblspoon lemon juice, 1 tblspoon all purpose flour and 3 cups vegetable stock. (I am a bit of a stock fanatic, I've tried them all, and most recently found I like the results from a paste based organic stock whose name escapes me right now)
Let this simmer covered for at least an hour. The original recipe says 20 minutes but I extended the cooking time for reasons I will explain momentarily.
Next run it through a food processor until its absolutely liquid. The longer cooking time will break down more of the fibers and make the liquid more flavorful. Pour this through a strainer and mash as well as possible until you have a mostly dry playdough left in the strainer. There will probably be about half a cup. This is mostly asparagus fiber. You could skip this step and probably do well as it obviously has a great amount of dietary fiber sitting there, but if you strain it you will end up with a wonderful consistency. Pour about a cup of milk* through as you are straining to pick up more flavor.
lightly saute the asparagus tips and throw them back in at serving time. Set the tips on a towel to absorb most of the butter or cooking oil. If too much of it ends up back in the soup it can separate and make brown floating dots in that lovely soup you just worked so hard to make.
* Almond milk would probably go nicely too.
This one was a hit. The next one suffered from a modern malaise I refer to as cruciferphobia or the fear of cabbage.
boil 4 outer cabbage leaves for 5 minutes
saute one medium onion, add 1 cup cooked brown rice, 8 oz tomato sauce 1 tsp nutmeg. Heat for a few minutes to thicken, then spoon mix into the center of the cabbage leaves, roll them into packages, and stick a toothpick in to keep them closed. I had leftover rice and sauce that I spooned over them when they went in the pan. Cover with foil and cook at 350 for about a half an hour.
This one had a certain depression era feel to it as I made it that was sadly relevant to modern times. It can literally be made for next to nothing. Those who tried it, liked it, and for my mom (who, due to a medical condition has to have a bland diet) this was perfect. The acidity of the tomato sauce was really not an issue. Personally I thought it was too bland. For me, cabbage takes two modes of entry to my stomach, kraut or kimchee.
these were the original recipe's, I ended up doubling them for the crowds.
Oh and of course I made three loaves of no knead bread (one on a stone, two in loaf pans). There were no leftovers from that. My best batch yet. Sara made sure to tell everyone to "Try the bread, its the best."
So there it is, three accompaniments which could have probably been combined together as a meal if you really wanted to. All in season. The asparagus soup is going in my arsenal as is, the cabbage, like I said, still needs something.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Where to begin...
Lets see...
April 9th 2009: Sara and Jonathan are now officially adopted! After 2 nerve wracking years, countless court hearings, social worker visits, its over. In they eyes of the law (better late than never I suppose) they are our children. We are truly the lucky ones. Two different ages, two different backgrounds, two incredible kids.
I can't stress enough how much need there is out there for foster and adoptive parents. I would be richer than walmart if I had a nickel for each person who has come up to me and said "we thought about doing that." Don't think about it. Do it. If you think to long about it you will find reasons to talk yourself out of it. You may have 5 very good reasons why you shouldn't but there are over 500,000 reasons (children) why you should. Never again will you go to bed wondering if you made a difference.
April 10th 2009: My brother came home from Iraq, safe and sound thank God. As his contractual obligation actually ended almost a year ago, there is little chance of recall.
April 13th 2009: Easter. I had a great conversation with a friend of a friend about gardening. He (on the suggestion of my friend) was curious about gardening. Originally from Spain, this fellow lamented the lack of selection, freshness and availability of "good organic vegetables" in his area. He commented how different it is where his extended family lives and a lack of garden is unusual. If only.
the seedlings are getting bigger but the frost shows up every morning.
April 9th 2009: Sara and Jonathan are now officially adopted! After 2 nerve wracking years, countless court hearings, social worker visits, its over. In they eyes of the law (better late than never I suppose) they are our children. We are truly the lucky ones. Two different ages, two different backgrounds, two incredible kids.
I can't stress enough how much need there is out there for foster and adoptive parents. I would be richer than walmart if I had a nickel for each person who has come up to me and said "we thought about doing that." Don't think about it. Do it. If you think to long about it you will find reasons to talk yourself out of it. You may have 5 very good reasons why you shouldn't but there are over 500,000 reasons (children) why you should. Never again will you go to bed wondering if you made a difference.
April 10th 2009: My brother came home from Iraq, safe and sound thank God. As his contractual obligation actually ended almost a year ago, there is little chance of recall.
April 13th 2009: Easter. I had a great conversation with a friend of a friend about gardening. He (on the suggestion of my friend) was curious about gardening. Originally from Spain, this fellow lamented the lack of selection, freshness and availability of "good organic vegetables" in his area. He commented how different it is where his extended family lives and a lack of garden is unusual. If only.
the seedlings are getting bigger but the frost shows up every morning.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
t-15 days
I put together a test presentation to see where I was at with time, I am supposed to be around 45 minutes. I ran and hour and a half...so I will need to cull quite a bit of material or talk faster...which is not a good idea for me.
In other news, our daughter brought home 2 shrub willow cuttings. It seems someone from SUNY ESF paid a visit to her school to talk about some of the projects they are doing, and handed out cuttings from their biomass project. You can read more about it here. I was a little put off by the dependence on herbicide early in the life cycle, but the need seems to disappear in subsequent years. I guess a little upfront for a perennial crop is better than constant application each year. I think I have good spot, and I am curious to see how these grow. I intend to put them in as a visual break in front of the area our dogs roam. That might obscure vision to the street and cut down some of the barking. I'd like to encourage a lot of vegetative growth, and as luck would have it, the spot happens to be adjacent to the compost pile. No doubt these will be able to recapture some of the nutrient runoff. Funny how things work out sometimes.
In other news, our daughter brought home 2 shrub willow cuttings. It seems someone from SUNY ESF paid a visit to her school to talk about some of the projects they are doing, and handed out cuttings from their biomass project. You can read more about it here. I was a little put off by the dependence on herbicide early in the life cycle, but the need seems to disappear in subsequent years. I guess a little upfront for a perennial crop is better than constant application each year. I think I have good spot, and I am curious to see how these grow. I intend to put them in as a visual break in front of the area our dogs roam. That might obscure vision to the street and cut down some of the barking. I'd like to encourage a lot of vegetative growth, and as luck would have it, the spot happens to be adjacent to the compost pile. No doubt these will be able to recapture some of the nutrient runoff. Funny how things work out sometimes.
Friday, April 3, 2009
19 days to prepare
and I get a curveball.
I had been asked/volunteered to teach a gardening class at work. Now that the official invite email went out I'm already getting questions. I'm excited and intimidated. On the first day it was advertised by emailed I got 5 responses, out of a total 75-100 people that ain't too shabby. Plus a couple people (including my boss) who verbally expressed interest.
My first assumption was that people who were going to attend were already interested, and had some experience. That this was going to be a lot of "here's a better way" and some Q&A. Now it seems I'm getting interest from people who have never put trowel to dirt. I need to retool my presentation now. Ugggg.
I had been asked/volunteered to teach a gardening class at work. Now that the official invite email went out I'm already getting questions. I'm excited and intimidated. On the first day it was advertised by emailed I got 5 responses, out of a total 75-100 people that ain't too shabby. Plus a couple people (including my boss) who verbally expressed interest.
My first assumption was that people who were going to attend were already interested, and had some experience. That this was going to be a lot of "here's a better way" and some Q&A. Now it seems I'm getting interest from people who have never put trowel to dirt. I need to retool my presentation now. Ugggg.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The second rule of fight club....
is kind of superfluous. But if everyone followed the rules, fight club wouldn't have grown. Anyway enough about fight club.
The hardest part of "the change" (not that change, the green one) has been the social aspect. I know I need to get out and talk to people, like minded and not. But to be honest, to an introvert you might as well ask me to perform neurosurgery. I'm as likely to do one as the other. I used to wonder why it was that in spite of my near palpitation inducing aversion to the social arts, I always ended up with plenty of friends.
Simple. I, for paradoxical reasons gravitate towards outgoing charismatic people. I realized that I could spot the potential cult leader in any crowd, because I was usually the one next to them. Heh. Okay, maybe not cult leaders but you get the point. More to the crux of the matter, I don't know a lot of people, but the people I know do. (If that makes any sense.)
So here goes, I mentioned my fit of inspiration to recruit 5 friends into the world of gardening. (with the sub rosa hopes that once they start to care about one "crunchy, self relianty, sustainability, homesteadyish "thing, they too will feel compelled to care about more things.)
So then I said to myself: "Self, you and I may be onto something. Everybody knows at least a few people. And wouldn't it be nice to share the joy of gardening without the discomfort of making new friends?"
Am I simply reinforcing a bad habit of isolation or am I adapting in place rather than seeking greener social pastures? Delusion or inspiration...who cares. The point is by the end of the summer, there will be at least 5 more people on the planet who have learned to grow their own.
And I invite you to do the same. I realize that there are plenty of challenges out there. Most of them are great, and I wish I had the time and space to partake in or write about them all. At the risk of throwing yet another pebble on the mountain.... wooosh.
Find 5 people, convince them to grow something edible. It can be vegetables, a fruit tree, herbs, you get the gist. Use whatever means at your disposal, bribery of seedlings, seeds, help digging, a container or two, an offer to share some of your own produce, just get them on board. Better yet get a quote so when you report in, its not just a list of names, but personalities. This is likely going to be the easiest challenge ever. Seed sales are waaay up this year, its not even swimming upstream anymore. Lets turn a 33% increase into a growth on a geometric scale. And your target audience could not be more familiar, if anyone knows how to convince us to do something (even the crazy stuff) its our friends.
Here's how it works. At this point if you really want to do it, comment here. I'd appreciate a link from your own page or blog. I even made a nice icon for your (and my) sidebar. Not necessary, but appreciated. Then about once a month I'll put up an open call to see how people are doing. I'm particularly interested in what tactics or incentives people offer to get their friends started and keep them going.
Have fun with it.
Behold the mighty Icon of homescale horticultural evangelism.
please rightclick and save as rather than linking to the picture itself, the bloghost will probably scream bloody murder if it has to host the image on a bunch of different blogs and use the below for the link part.
http://worryfarm.blogspot.com/2009/04/second-rule-of-fight-club.html
The hardest part of "the change" (not that change, the green one) has been the social aspect. I know I need to get out and talk to people, like minded and not. But to be honest, to an introvert you might as well ask me to perform neurosurgery. I'm as likely to do one as the other. I used to wonder why it was that in spite of my near palpitation inducing aversion to the social arts, I always ended up with plenty of friends.
Simple. I, for paradoxical reasons gravitate towards outgoing charismatic people. I realized that I could spot the potential cult leader in any crowd, because I was usually the one next to them. Heh. Okay, maybe not cult leaders but you get the point. More to the crux of the matter, I don't know a lot of people, but the people I know do. (If that makes any sense.)
So here goes, I mentioned my fit of inspiration to recruit 5 friends into the world of gardening. (with the sub rosa hopes that once they start to care about one "crunchy, self relianty, sustainability, homesteadyish "thing, they too will feel compelled to care about more things.)
So then I said to myself: "Self, you and I may be onto something. Everybody knows at least a few people. And wouldn't it be nice to share the joy of gardening without the discomfort of making new friends?"
Am I simply reinforcing a bad habit of isolation or am I adapting in place rather than seeking greener social pastures? Delusion or inspiration...who cares. The point is by the end of the summer, there will be at least 5 more people on the planet who have learned to grow their own.
And I invite you to do the same. I realize that there are plenty of challenges out there. Most of them are great, and I wish I had the time and space to partake in or write about them all. At the risk of throwing yet another pebble on the mountain.... wooosh.
Find 5 people, convince them to grow something edible. It can be vegetables, a fruit tree, herbs, you get the gist. Use whatever means at your disposal, bribery of seedlings, seeds, help digging, a container or two, an offer to share some of your own produce, just get them on board. Better yet get a quote so when you report in, its not just a list of names, but personalities. This is likely going to be the easiest challenge ever. Seed sales are waaay up this year, its not even swimming upstream anymore. Lets turn a 33% increase into a growth on a geometric scale. And your target audience could not be more familiar, if anyone knows how to convince us to do something (even the crazy stuff) its our friends.
Here's how it works. At this point if you really want to do it, comment here. I'd appreciate a link from your own page or blog. I even made a nice icon for your (and my) sidebar. Not necessary, but appreciated. Then about once a month I'll put up an open call to see how people are doing. I'm particularly interested in what tactics or incentives people offer to get their friends started and keep them going.
Have fun with it.
Behold the mighty Icon of homescale horticultural evangelism.
please rightclick and save as rather than linking to the picture itself, the bloghost will probably scream bloody murder if it has to host the image on a bunch of different blogs and use the below for the link part.
http://worryfarm.blogspot.com/2009/04/second-rule-of-fight-club.html
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