tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88536297184178999652024-03-05T04:25:12.644-05:00Homewood Garden Plot 41Musings on an urban garden and the joy of growing your own.Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-56130908630635729022010-06-27T12:41:00.016-04:002010-06-27T16:13:24.844-04:00Jurassic Park?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnb8rkPbze9nUQqkg7mJmLQ-lTcurIm60ZakkACt-uYwHhFwVHy19ZXmnCO6eo-shRfnl5hvSOv11iLV7UdW164QDNUQwYmS89C83kNOCNHj4tSkP0OWlhlPGyZw-2ZFB1NPUUgqt-LMTy/s1600/Artichoke+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnb8rkPbze9nUQqkg7mJmLQ-lTcurIm60ZakkACt-uYwHhFwVHy19ZXmnCO6eo-shRfnl5hvSOv11iLV7UdW164QDNUQwYmS89C83kNOCNHj4tSkP0OWlhlPGyZw-2ZFB1NPUUgqt-LMTy/s400/Artichoke+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487547352823574194" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Good grief, the heat of summer is really upon us. And it's doing a number on all of those spring, cool weather-loving crops. The </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-snuck-up-on-me-this-year.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">lettuce and spinach</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> gave in to the sultry weather a couple of weeks ago. Now the fava beans and </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/search/label/peas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">peas</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> are gasping their last collective breath. Time (and </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/search/label/peas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Mother Nature</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">) marches on. But there are some newcomers in the garden that are really soaking up the sun and looking mighty pleased with themselves . . .</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSeEbz6QWDL55thE9vxkUJyftbgx7pbso1wHswrd58z_uVkXx6DWcpJDlICrfIK5o5O7BKvL0mC-d6T4J6MfMCN1qVz0pHWW6VMCCykAqX1CrlBuOP5Cb2vB-6C_SqVfhgUKPq6LUSnJw/s400/Artichoke2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487545941979114162" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Are these strange plants something from the prehistoric history books? Can't you just see the dinosaurs wandering through? Okay, maybe that's just me and my odd imagination. These plants are indeed very contemporary, and I'm sure the dinosaurs never saw them. They're artichokes! This is the very first time I've tried growing them, and even if I don't get something to harvest later, just watching these wonderful monsters grow over the summer will be enough of a treat for me.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But, since I really do like to reap what I've sown, I tried to follow the instructions on the seed packet for these. (Hint: most of the best gardening information you will find anywhere will most likely be on the seed packet and/or the seed catalogue!) Here are the instructions </span></span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5438-imperial-star.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Johnny's</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> gave:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(34, 34, 34); "><p class="more_details_link" style=" color: rgb(99, 150, 57); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; font-weight: bold; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 0px; font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Growing Information:</span></span></p><p style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Artichoke, Globe</span></span></p><p style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CULTURE: Sow indoors about 8 weeks before last spring frost date. Sow 1/4" apart and 1/4" deep in lightly moistened soilless mix in a flat or pot. Germinate at 70-80°F (21-27°C). As soon as seedlings can be handled, transplant to 2-4" pots or cell-type containers and grow at 60-70°F (15-21°C) day and 50-60°F (10-15°C) night. Transplant 6-8 week old plants to the garden 2-3' apart. IMPORTANT COLD TREATMENT: Time transplanting so plants get 8-10 days of temperatures around 50°F (10°C) to induce earlier budding. Protect from frost. HARVEST: Clip mature buds midsummer to midfall, depending on location. MILD AREAS: Where winter low is above 14°F (-10°C), sow seeds in fall, harvest in spring. MATURITY: From transplant; add about 20 days if direct seeding. SEED SPECS: SEEDS/LB.: 9,000-12,000 (avg. 10,000). PACKET: 25 seeds.</span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hope you read the "IMPORTANT COLD TREATMENT" part. The reason this is crucial is that artichokes are </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_plant"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">biennials</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, meaning that under normal circumstances they spend their first year getting large and storing energy. Then they go through a winter, flower the next year, and that's the end of them. And that thing that we call an"artichoke" is actually the immature flower bud of this plant. Artichokes are tender biennials however, meaning that they can't survive a winter that gets below freezing, and as all </span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">of us here in Pittsburgh who survived </span></span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2010/02/garden-planning-part-1.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">last winter</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> well know, it certainly does freeze here! So, we need to trick our artichoke plants into thinking they've already gone through a winter: hence the "important cold treatment" statement. I started my artichokes from seed in February </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/02/springtime-under-lights.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">under lights</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> in my basement. As soon as the snow thawed I'd put them outside in a </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_frame"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">cold frame</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> to get their daily chill. There they could be exposed to chilly weather, but also be p</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">rotected from the cold if the temperatures fell below freezing. (I'd highly recommend getting or building a cold frame for anyone who's as avid a seed-starter as I am!) Once the threat of frost was over I transplanted them to this bed that I'd prepped in my </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/03/raised-beds-rock.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">usual way</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, and mulched with some grass clippings and compost.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So far so good! And no dinosaurs in sight, which is good, because I really wouldn't want this little guy to get hurt.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(34, 34, 34); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></span></span><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; "><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffCTCSZDIbKoXpVWcctlszgzyoV8mll3DEJ0MWELwle1m1FIVirDb1QDHPE2q58P5rQnNKVg6puNINJlufUIgi73PsxlW55FZusASCFVVnOzsy9wqjOOAZcXmoKNPmmihFtLtNHomGaR2/s400/Fawn1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487544890628751954" /></p></span><br /></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-88861872263042797052010-06-23T12:28:00.011-04:002010-06-27T14:36:18.789-04:00Summer Snuck Up on Me This Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwzAXiXuMBHDZgJL14nBP_8w-2GLrxDK484YJQqjXCdZsNr1qaqe4vQ8ySAc-2i9XUm3_KvD9TcyYmU-61v8MNYPX7TLE4oVsYByXD1CmGU1NccBkF9BiPTnwOiV1C2m-nZbF3py55MWW/s1600/Sad+Lettuce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwzAXiXuMBHDZgJL14nBP_8w-2GLrxDK484YJQqjXCdZsNr1qaqe4vQ8ySAc-2i9XUm3_KvD9TcyYmU-61v8MNYPX7TLE4oVsYByXD1CmGU1NccBkF9BiPTnwOiV1C2m-nZbF3py55MWW/s400/Sad+Lettuce.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486035028247560322" /></a><div><br /></div>Where has the time gone?? It seems like just yesterday I was harvesting tasty lettuce and spinach. Well, the heat took care of that--my beautiful greens turned all ugly and bitter on me. My revenge?? Pull them out and plant some pumpkins!! Winter squash, to be specific. <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2008/11/preserving-your-harvest-2-what-heck-do.html">Fairy Squash</a> again, plus a couple of heirlooms just for fun. <a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/product/7278/221">Galeux D'Exsines</a> is a wonderfully ugly French heirloom that also just happens to be incredibly delicious. Bought one of these hideous beauties at the Farmers' Market last year and saved the seeds to plant this year. (Since it's an heirloom you can do that!! Take THAT, <a href="http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/90/90-2/Jerri_Cook.html">Monsanto</a>!!) The other heirloom is a Boer Squash, the seeds for which were sent to me by my sister who lives in England. Since it seems like I've been running like crazy just to fall behind this year I simply plunked the seeds in the garden instead of starting them under lights.<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOnXnkjkfKCDKXFyIenGR4PKcKbasliPoeCs57SElGmaENB9ocLpHIHa8ZiynZpb5b15FmoXNt240RsLJwVWOJ6ce5vzkoT3CdVgi56C-IXOBDeWTTZ8_JrBwEDAkj3b746bAQbqYRgwi/s400/Brave+new+shoots.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486034549564162690" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Much to my delight there are some brave new shoots coming up already. Will I be harvesting tons of squash come the fall? Only time will tell!!</div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-51905514957064470602010-05-02T10:03:00.010-04:002010-05-02T11:00:42.978-04:00Salad Days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBcvKgHZHsrImnQEVnng-B8iZjW-g8IeDiu3m7bKgrxHH-Duz4dJ7Vo1N2FDdbjfocxpzW3rLJQ6ekWJK_f8RUHM87KpauThFb83E4UosrMg6KOLOlKaBmbzOmza_LMsr3HW38Zb347QP/s1600/salad+main.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBcvKgHZHsrImnQEVnng-B8iZjW-g8IeDiu3m7bKgrxHH-Duz4dJ7Vo1N2FDdbjfocxpzW3rLJQ6ekWJK_f8RUHM87KpauThFb83E4UosrMg6KOLOlKaBmbzOmza_LMsr3HW38Zb347QP/s400/salad+main.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466687274096614866" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Spring is a wonderful time on many levels. New hope after a long gray winter. New flowers to warm the heart. New green leaves that seem to appear on the trees overnight. And these cool days really are the salad days of gardening because the bugs and beasties have yet to really wake up and start munching. And it's in this cool weather that salad greens are at their best: baby spinach, heirloom lettuces, mache, arugula grow nearly care-free. If you're a salad-lover like I am don't miss your spring opportunity to grow some of these for yourself. I sowed these seeds in this bed about a month ago, but you should still have time to grow a few salads before <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">the summer heat really moves in. Then you just cut as much as you want for your salad--these plants just keep growing! And you won't believe how much better your own home-grown salad is compared to what you get in those expensive bags in the supermarket. Just make sure your soil is nicely </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/search/label/raised%20bed%20gardening"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">prepared</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, then just follow the instructions on your seed packets. For my lettuce patch I sowed </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5799-wildfire-lettuce-mix.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Wildfire Lettuce Mix</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> which is as pretty as it is tasty. If you like a bit of peppery bite in your salad add in some arugula.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep86zEGI0MlJTIitgCHpn2hr4rxnE8utTEmyqfcMhwYDiHpnyS-C_0WTcPt_1-xerrPmDrPoboIiUCYQZCVa4ES5Ozs6T86Eu5_-r3rf4seV71NTYCc6cBpD5q96KOf6VLhEuMQBrh4I1/s400/arugula.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466686581220329106" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In the cool spring weather the baby arugula leaves are really quite mild. I also tried out two types of spinach this spring, </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7470-emu-f1.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Emu</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and </span><a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7768-red-cardinal-f1.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Red Cardinal</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. Both have provided me with lots of baby spinach leaves to mix into my salad bowl. Be creative--there are </span><a href="http://www.cooksgarden.com/specialty-mixes-lettuce-seeds/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">endless varieties</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> of leaves you can grow for your own salad bowl!</span></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-87081338216469105612010-04-15T17:44:00.008-04:002010-04-19T12:44:30.380-04:00Bee Happy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX0gT_is7b88pwGQZKqCIZj1_x_iTS4QD7FYVkptgRbAkNE2leTZJsHOeGtzDVDyYVvdDTDriwxuxyHsx-QZjhHt9TkbUHo15Qj_FZp1rpdi-lTXtMFxcMbXW9pNX6gK0qVUCm3BokG6M/s1600/Bee1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX0gT_is7b88pwGQZKqCIZj1_x_iTS4QD7FYVkptgRbAkNE2leTZJsHOeGtzDVDyYVvdDTDriwxuxyHsx-QZjhHt9TkbUHo15Qj_FZp1rpdi-lTXtMFxcMbXW9pNX6gK0qVUCm3BokG6M/s400/Bee1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460498767280191138" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">By now I'm sure anyone who's interested in gardening and raising a bit of their own food has heard about the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">plight</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> of the honey bee. Since so much of our food supply depends on these little creatures as pollinators the fact that honey bees are disappearing at an alarming rate should have us all worried on many levels. But honey bees aren't the only bees who are good pollinators. In fact, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">honey bees</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> aren't even native to this country. Some of the best pollinators don't live in hives or make honey. They're our own native </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">mason bee</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, also known as the </span><a href="http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse006/inse006.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">orchard bee</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. At first glance mason bees look like a small version of a honey bee, but they are very different from honey bees. Mason bees don't build hives, but instead look for holes in trees in which to raise their young. The female mason bee gathers pollen and places it inside a suitable hole. When she has enough she lays an egg, and then seals it off with a plug made of mud (hence the name "mason" bee). She then proceeds to gather more food, lay another egg, seal it off, and so-on until the hole is full. She then plugs the end with mud and starts all over again in a new hole. The eggs hatch and the young feed on the pollen she's provided for them during the summer, then pupate and over-winter in the holes. Come spring they emerge, males first, (who were deposited in the front sections of the hole) then later, the females. They mate, and then start the whole process over again.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span><div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehX_HymyKUR9u82sUDg8EFtb6-1HSRxkqgSVzzVw2-_INO_LQpJOqVLcopnQTozmxKUlwJ7AytIX_8ISNYdTxSm-OMSoPoFbaSP5u7PzphMQVnPuQA4UN7_gFBt5hAIb62JnuaFCZw1Zp/s400/Bee2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460498312266180626" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Since mason bees don't make their own holes you can encourage them to nest close to your garden by providing suitable nesting holes for them. Many garden supply companies sell mason </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=mason+bee&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4307871587&ref=pd_sl_2dkii8g4nu_b"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">bee houses</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. You can also easily make one, and there are good instructions on how to do that </span><a href="http://www.yesmag.ca/projects/bee.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. You can also purchase mason bees, but you really shouldn't need to. As the saying goes, if you build it (or buy it), they will come. I put up my mason bee houses a little over a week ago, and the bees were using them immediately. (Actually they were using them before the houses were put up since I had them sitting on the porch!) You should put your bee house someplace with a bit of protection from rain and other nasty weather (if it doesn't have it's own roof built in), and if it can get morning sun, that's really optimal. You really don't need to worry about having the bees close to where you are. Unlike honey bees, mason bees aren't aggressive at all since they have no honey stores to protect. They can sting, but you pretty much have to squish one to get it to do so. As I was taking the pictures for this post the bees were actually hitting me since I was in their flight path to their nests, and I didn't get stung once. And they really are fascinating to watch as they go about their bee business.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">So, if you're planning to grow anything that requires a bit of bee action, I'd really suggest making friends with some of our own orchard bees. They're some of the </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">best friends</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> a gardener can have!</span></div></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-81303597148407686522010-03-28T12:11:00.010-04:002010-03-28T14:50:57.020-04:00Early Spring Harvest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PJ6xsgjneLDOpwBVsnBXHGBhQNNGpJY9T1jF-iabIngCDBxHZpL7MnwqKBNY64fEuEYBGn5_pgnb_Tl5jLv4a9QJurvtX8-cn3Y2UClCeR3WaFVPfg4Do8biYzx9-CB82jGyHc3jqchE/s1600/Parsnips.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PJ6xsgjneLDOpwBVsnBXHGBhQNNGpJY9T1jF-iabIngCDBxHZpL7MnwqKBNY64fEuEYBGn5_pgnb_Tl5jLv4a9QJurvtX8-cn3Y2UClCeR3WaFVPfg4Do8biYzx9-CB82jGyHc3jqchE/s400/Parsnips.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453741406729265442" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The peas are officially in the ground, just-in-time for those </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2010/03/plant-peas-when-daffodils-and-forsythia.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">forsythia blooms</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">! And I've planted seeds for lettuce, spinach, carrots, parsnips, and beets. There are a few brave little shoots coming up, but they're still tiny. But we still managed to have an early spring harvest of parsnips, salsify, leeks, spinach and <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1370492">mache</a>. How, you might ask? They're actually from last season and they over-wintered in the garden. Root crops like parsnips and salsify are actually biennials. As the weather cools in the fall these plants store their energy in the form of sugar in that big root that we normally eat. These survive in the ground over the winter and when the soil warms up again they begin to sprout new greens and grow, and eventually produce a flower and seeds. If you harvest them as soon as the soil is warm enough to dig you'll find that your parsnips are at their sweetest. Leave them to grow more and those stored sugars wind up fueling the new growth, so nab them when the new leaves just start to show! As for spinach and mache, these greens are very cold-hardy. As long as they have some growth before the true winter comes they survive, and in spring they're raring to go before any new seeds are even germinating.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"></span><br /><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gQxmWurpeLHpHSUb9p5E5P8h5rfhA2Ozs1ybG0bzsDGJ7b-CohCLUDzVoWZvVsUaMfITMyR9e57wmTTcawHi53_QBNZj74FeRrQuFoNQEcYKwHzB2a1DWM6VVhb0izvkvgvb9mBygZVE/s400/Spinach.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453741007074296978" /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I wish I could attribute this early harvest to some garden planning genius on my part. In reality I HAD planned on having the parsnips and leeks over the winter, but stupidly forgot that if the ground is FROZEN, <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2010/02/garden-planning-part-1.html">you can't dig them out</a>! As for the spinach and mache, I'd hoped to be able to sneak a few leaves during the winter since I'd covered them with fabric for a bit of protection. That really didn't work because for most of the winter the plants were still too small to bother with. And then they got buried under our 2-foot snow fall, and there they stayed! Luckily I don't have to rely on my garden planning for <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/12/right-by-nature.html">winter survival</a>! But it is nice when you can still reap something of value despite your own poor planning. And guess what? Leaving a few hardy vegetables in the ground over the winter to provide an early spring feast is going to be part of my garden plan from now on!</span></div></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-17202756979011135562010-03-21T09:43:00.012-04:002010-03-21T15:15:28.059-04:00Plant Peas When Daffodils and Forsythia Bloom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEink4TRlfQzpb_mt1n1RLALLr0w7zZWmoVC9qlxxCUQEdw5q2sTX78HV3utoRXt0b5nt_v12n2XqJj2pHOtrKqevXsRcRF8l7SyCDw9_6nr7CpP9jYs52NG5e1xTu5nwr4wwSO6kOj69cOK/s1600-h/Daffodils1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEink4TRlfQzpb_mt1n1RLALLr0w7zZWmoVC9qlxxCUQEdw5q2sTX78HV3utoRXt0b5nt_v12n2XqJj2pHOtrKqevXsRcRF8l7SyCDw9_6nr7CpP9jYs52NG5e1xTu5nwr4wwSO6kOj69cOK/s400/Daffodils1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451099171145498690" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I'm a little bit </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2010/03/garden-planning-part-2-or-plan-b-as.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">behind</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> this year. Happily I do have a few green things making appearances on the </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">shelves </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">in the basement. And yesterday I actually planted some spinach, lettuce, carrots and parsnips in some of our beds. It was wonderful to get my hands dirty once again! One thing I still haven't managed to plant yet are </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/06/may-best-pea-win.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">peas</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. Saint Patrick's Day has come and gone, and still the peas are in their seed packets. Well, lucky for me I have an excuse: my forsythia isn't blooming yet! Nor are my daffodils. Those beauties pictured at the top are from last year. What's this got </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">to do with peas? Well, according to the science of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenology"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">phenology</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, forsythia and daffodil blooms indicate when the soil is the perfect temperature for peas to germinate. Phenology uses nature's own indicators as a timetable for when to plant instead of just sticking to a calendar. There are a few nice web sites </span><a href="http://gardening.about.com/od/organicgardenin1/a/Phenology.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, </span><a href="http://wihort.uwex.edu/landscape/Phenology.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and </span><a href="http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> that talk about phenology in more detail. There are even sites where you can participate by logging in your own observations, </span><a href="http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/participate.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> for example. If you believe, as I do, that our climate is changing this would be an important project to participate in. And it sounds like it would be fun!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 321px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaJUs_rCdir00lzQ9MbPM-LwO9zcc4UmjzIxJTQ3IP8U1pp1ZBMtrTHvsUbbL5U0fMSnA4o-go4KjsL-NGRI-ktJwEIPkMeiZM-NIc-blQfAanEVOvJJK53HGXwpZ6Zrsfie5hm_73erq/s400/Daffodils2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451098433268626322" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I plan to try and pay a bit more attention to Mother Nature's signals when I'm gardening this year. After all, Mother usually knows best!</span></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-40868454173022541052010-03-12T10:54:00.007-05:002010-05-31T20:33:34.170-04:00Garden Planning Part 2 (or Plan B as the Case May Be!)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhuPqNEmA-9TYxdv2oinyjWrMfRafCD7Q9g9_b3XUevUdZgKCzDasIVbBE3EprkQZV4TRQy09VV9RW84luX36Eyid5Obom2S5RetcbLoJaDpEI6MjL7rQOf-7Lq1FdipYVhYdHsormBRq/s1600-h/Spring+Signs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhuPqNEmA-9TYxdv2oinyjWrMfRafCD7Q9g9_b3XUevUdZgKCzDasIVbBE3EprkQZV4TRQy09VV9RW84luX36Eyid5Obom2S5RetcbLoJaDpEI6MjL7rQOf-7Lq1FdipYVhYdHsormBRq/s400/Spring+Signs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447790365660059506" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I (almost) had my </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2010/02/garden-planning-part-1.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">crayons poised over my graph paper</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, ready to plan away. I had my </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rodales-Illustrated-Encyclopedia-Organic-Gardening/dp/0756609321/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268410100&sr=1-5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">organic</span></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Organic-Grower-Techniques-gardeners/dp/093003175X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268410203&sr=1-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> gardening</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Designing-New-Kitchen-Garden-American/dp/0881927724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268410244&sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">books</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> out open to their sections on crop-rotation and planting timetables. Visions of well-organized garden bed layouts flitted across my brain. My intentions were good, they really were! So, then, you might ask, where ARE all these wonderful, colorful garden plans for the upcoming season, huh?? Where's that brilliant, fool-proof crop rotation scheme that'll yieldbushels of blight-free </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-looking-pretty-blighty-round-here.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">tomatoe</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">s, huh? We're waiting . . .</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"></span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDI7-5rwma_p9cxnHA5Wf_gkB2qoW1k8_BzGhPnEyvs-bbXYVcYSDsvLAt8ZIpXLb-YtIG-clLFXq_Tt5uzHRPy3irFtK04mKT54jQ_OYZnB9wbraPsZSSZ-5-Kj9K1ARNEwUWX7Rxf-De/s400/Plan+B.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447790067721758626" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Well, life kind of got in the way in the form of a job search, sick kitty, and, well, just life! So I guess it's time for Plan B. What's Plan B? Just try to get SOME early plants started under my lights in the basement, and IMPROVISE! It's amazing that </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">last year</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> by this time I already had cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and leeks going strong. I guess it didn't help that up until just a couple of days ago the ground was still hidden under layers of snow. I know, excuses, excuses! But it was hard to believe that spring would ever really get here. Now I'm scrambling to catch up and already thinking of planting </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/06/may-best-pea-win.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">peas</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. Sigh. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Just goes to show you, there are the </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/03/ill-get-it-right-this-year-i-think.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"best laid plans"</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and then there's gardening! When it comes to growing your own sometimes the best plan is to just do it!</span></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-67323566309206797782010-02-07T09:39:00.010-05:002010-02-13T11:55:41.951-05:00Garden Planning Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJZ_kC6LX63aSLzG2yilBNmnnc7J3n9H99I8I57vaE61NXeDnVMXY2qPjEu0wW639F2aX4hRewJsbHfxswybVMwX3IjClcwPqhfyRUnpKRf0Jyca_OeAxZJZHQ_dHJxsuIpTnCr32VAn9/s1600-h/More+snow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJZ_kC6LX63aSLzG2yilBNmnnc7J3n9H99I8I57vaE61NXeDnVMXY2qPjEu0wW639F2aX4hRewJsbHfxswybVMwX3IjClcwPqhfyRUnpKRf0Jyca_OeAxZJZHQ_dHJxsuIpTnCr32VAn9/s400/More+snow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437772509328758786" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I think I've been hibernating. There certainly hasn't been anything but the winter wind whistling through this site lately! It's been weeks since I've even been able to GET to my garden plot since the parking lot has turned into a snow-covered ice-skating rink. And after our mid-Atlantic blizzard dumped almost 2 feet of snow on us (with an additional 6-8 inches by tomorrow) I'm not going anywhere for a while! And a Note to Self: Leaving your winter supply of parsnips and leeks in the ground means they STAY in the ground until it thaws. It would take a jackhammer to free those puppies! Sigh. Live and learn.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Luckily the </span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/01/theyre-here.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">seed catalogs</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> arrived as usual, and they've inspired me to start thinking about spring and what to put where (and when) in the garden. One thing I've resolved to do better this coming season is crop rotation. I've spent a good part of the winter reading up about why this is important, how best to do it, what plants should follow what, and I must say I STILL don't have a clear picture about it all! So I figured I might as well write about it! I'll either clarify things for myself, or confuse a few more fellow gardeners!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Elliot Coleman introduces this concept in his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Organic-Grower-Techniques-gardeners/dp/093003175X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264958507&sr=8-2">New Organic Grower</a> (I love this book!) as follows:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>In a word, crop rotation means variety, and variety gives stability to biological systems. By<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>definition, crop rotation is the practice of changing the crop each year on the same piece of<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>ground. Ideally, these different crops are not related botanically. Ideally, two successive<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>crops do not make the same demands on the soil for nutrients, nor do they share diseases<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>or insect pests.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Makes sense, and certainly seems like a simple enough concept. So how to get started? Well, first figure out what "families" the plants you want to grow belong to and group them accordingly. Plants that are related have similar nutrient demands, diseases, and pests, and often require the same growing conditions. You can find the botanical families of many common food plants listed <a href="http://www.organicsforall.org/vegetables.htm">here</a>, or in many gardening guides, including Coleman's book. The goal in crop rotation is to avoid growing plants from the same family in one location year after year. For example, you don't want to plant eggplants and peppers where you had tomatoes or potatoes last year because they're in the same family (Solanaceae).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Next, (and this is what I'm going to try doing this year) pick a color for each of the families you're growing from. Write the name of each particular plant you want to grow this season on an index card or sticky note in that color (good excuse to break out the crayons!). Then make a diagram of last year's garden plot and color in where you had each plant family. You'll want to avoid putting anything the same "color" there this year (and ideally for the next three years.) Now you can start putting your cards on your diagram, avoiding like color on like arrangements. This is the first and simplest step. If you do successive planting the way that I do you'll have different crops in each area depending upon the time of year. Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm snowed in for a while! </span></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-42768637420583765792009-12-05T14:54:00.012-05:002009-12-20T16:31:56.429-05:00Right By Nature<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aitzYN04Pf975Qwwd4tVOQGmnJXdYFH2Gp-gdT179nn1TECiUj-L0tJSqW_u7FR0lLZXxySK99kWwcuPq76Kzr2gPbP6aSvStNEfY6LgJe5Qs67Y-ibgYt6woQr_-AYoximvWbN0smzB/s1600-h/Cheeses.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aitzYN04Pf975Qwwd4tVOQGmnJXdYFH2Gp-gdT179nn1TECiUj-L0tJSqW_u7FR0lLZXxySK99kWwcuPq76Kzr2gPbP6aSvStNEfY6LgJe5Qs67Y-ibgYt6woQr_-AYoximvWbN0smzB/s400/Cheeses.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411854826830169986" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There isn't much coming out of the garden these days. We do have some parsnips waiting to be harvested, the salsify that volunteered from </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2008/11/gardening-in-november.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">last year</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, and lots of leeks. Hopefully these will be fine in the ground despite the snow flurries we're getting today and the cold weather that is forecast. It is December, after all! (And I STILL haven't cut back the </span></span><a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2008/11/putting-asparagus-to-bed.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">asparagus</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">! Winter always does sneak up on me!)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 339px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_gUAtwmLU7ZtiRHfxukz9lFsPmbzotAo4QMlMKsP1NBCK6SNmNbXpJ8Cyg0Pow561wYx24yXtMVN3rcPjWmxzlzlYVXStSI5_a-fLlkxPVRu-R9cZ7IRaPt_td8FiXZ6rSCam3ZewLJP/s400/Broc+Sign.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411854546580310162" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sadly, the farmers' markets have all shut down for the year. Since <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">I'm far from being self-sufficient I guess it's back to the grocery store for food shopping. Well I discovered one that I think is worth talking about. It's called </span></span><a href="http://rightbynature.net/index.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Right By Nature</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. I first spotted it as I was driving around looking for a place to park on one of my weekly trips out to the </span></span><a href="http://www.slowfoodpgh.com/farmers.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Firehouse Farmers' Market</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. After checking out their web site I decided to go in and have a look (there's plenty of parking and it's FREE!) </span></span><span style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I found local produce, much of it organically grown, local products, and local, ethically-raised, drug-free meats! Although the beef isn’t local, according to the man behind the counter who managed the meat department, he was SO proud of the quality of that beef, and the fact that THIS store was the only one in the area that was offering it . . well, t</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">hat’s good enough for me. And I was truly impressed by how much he believed in what he was selling. Clearly there's something different about this place. The bottom line is that <a href="http://rightbynature.net/page5.html">Right By Nature </a>is a grocery store I would feel good about shopping in on a regular basis. Not only do they support our local farmers but they are part of our own Pittsburgh community, and that's important for the health of our local economy. So the next time you're heading out to East Liberty to go to Whole Foods, why not head out to the Strip instead and try <a href="http://rightbynature.net/page5.html">Right by Nature</a>? You'll find just as nice a selection, and the dollars you spend there will stay right here in Pittsburgh!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:";"><span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></span><!--EndFragment--><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kvelwvZlK6347fx2D6DogOMjw_pykJ-Is4RU7AMwYtdiNPUnYqx3AuYfGl0FsPgulh5TDH8PFetZAml1egxVQxE9IqYd02NCYet7boJ7H1qBzVbD0XCzkgH2PLu_FRLTTJo2NmLUtCK9/s400/Local+Products.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411854204632806882" /></span></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-17563129805986500002009-11-15T12:55:00.008-05:002009-11-15T19:49:38.066-05:00Farm City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYhsQXNey-qpEFk6SSdzK9j6eYznX4zQmT7OQzOITEZ-TEF1DRGb5UatCmaq_gEnY4JfoNQa-GWbqCBsIK78MuFNoDQkDhe0t_qSqqll8eBu_4xBvraUDmrDhZQiaETvwBiVk26zmjcpN/s1600-h/417+3oDgsoL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYhsQXNey-qpEFk6SSdzK9j6eYznX4zQmT7OQzOITEZ-TEF1DRGb5UatCmaq_gEnY4JfoNQa-GWbqCBsIK78MuFNoDQkDhe0t_qSqqll8eBu_4xBvraUDmrDhZQiaETvwBiVk26zmjcpN/s400/417+3oDgsoL._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404403818516136898" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There's not much going on in the garden these days, thanks to Mr. Groundhog. Once he polished off all the brassicas he moved on the to the nice baby lettuces I thought were hidden under the asparagus fronds, chewed the chard plants right down to the roots, and he's even eaten the parsley! So far, at least, he hasn't discovered a taste for leeks, so we've still been able to harvest those for fall meals. For now, the only real garden-related activity I've been doing is planning for next year (more about that later.)</div><div><br /></div><div>This leaves me time for reading, and I've just finished a great little book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Farm-City-Education-Urban-Farmer/dp/1594202214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258308446&sr=1-1">Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer</a> by <a href="http://novellacarpenter.com/">Novella Carpenter</a>. This is the inspiring and hilarious true story of how Novella turned an empty lot in a blighted neighborhood in Oakland, California, into a real urban farm, complete with chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, and two pigs! The fact that she was able to feed all of these critters (that would ultimately feed her) with excellent food she foraged right out of the dumpsters of her city says a lot about the waste in our society. (Makes an urban farm seem like not such a crazy idea after all!) And as a result of her dumpster-diving she got to meet a chef, learn his charcuterie secrets and together they transformed one of her pigs into these magical foods. Novella Carpenter tells her story with such humble, self-deprecating humor that it's easy to overlook the breadth of her accomplishments. Not only did she raise food for herself and her friends, but she brought people in her dicey neighborhood together as a result of her project. Great food for thought! Now I'm REALLY inspired to get my chickens next year!</div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-28784865538884084192009-10-18T17:22:00.008-04:002009-10-18T19:47:07.739-04:0086 Red Cabbage, Broccoli and Cauliflower. Dinner Special: Roast Groundhog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwbvy5dwYz82v-7CdZxDZZYnpYowSOUEELdiTSEjR5vtiMi6-JyjBxtehqjNJbOyPksWhoMUBq14QAhN88BUw-V8JNJ0JdDrB_HxQVYFNZ-Tk8NK3UD2QzmdgxKbm786tTXO4nCqrverL/s1600-h/red+cabbage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwbvy5dwYz82v-7CdZxDZZYnpYowSOUEELdiTSEjR5vtiMi6-JyjBxtehqjNJbOyPksWhoMUBq14QAhN88BUw-V8JNJ0JdDrB_HxQVYFNZ-Tk8NK3UD2QzmdgxKbm786tTXO4nCqrverL/s400/red+cabbage.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394089492480637890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kChqw83t8L3p-gYCXyp0HBb2x5Rp8L_9ISqALPGS7vvxE6QHSx4NKPPzhLsGjUEewXuO_LROyetih8kJiBOapnDvB7rq6gHNapnuhatfc_NV8KPMOrMiO7gGzV9p0uBQrBCsToTwpLkO/s1600-h/cauliflower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kChqw83t8L3p-gYCXyp0HBb2x5Rp8L_9ISqALPGS7vvxE6QHSx4NKPPzhLsGjUEewXuO_LROyetih8kJiBOapnDvB7rq6gHNapnuhatfc_NV8KPMOrMiO7gGzV9p0uBQrBCsToTwpLkO/s400/cauliflower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394089214299021410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBH0jftIz96kQ-gviSvQTVnyEhlzNtv6hO1YR_c4BN-qNWdsuqtgSiFCHJK4DoM-MZerbEaH5potlNEed1jodxI-bPz03YrSz67wPyVLHFaEq4qGf5NRWnzdDamA485k-t-wtTxipYQZL/s1600-h/Broccoli.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBH0jftIz96kQ-gviSvQTVnyEhlzNtv6hO1YR_c4BN-qNWdsuqtgSiFCHJK4DoM-MZerbEaH5potlNEed1jodxI-bPz03YrSz67wPyVLHFaEq4qGf5NRWnzdDamA485k-t-wtTxipYQZL/s400/Broccoli.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394088996209573698" /></a><br />I wish! Sadly, this culprit is way too wily to let me catch him in the act. I can only imagine his modus operandi: first he nibbles his way through the plastic deer fencing, squeezes his fat self through the hole, sniffs and rejects the beets, then proceeds on to the brassica bed where he wreaks groundhog havoc! Oddly enough, the <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-must-be-crazy.html">cabbage whites</a> really did leave the bed alone this year. Unfortunately they aren't the only ones with a taste for cabbage-related veg. What do I have to do to get a red cabbage--adopt an orphaned groundhog?? Given my luck, if roast ground hog was truly on the menu I WOULD wind up doing just that! Although somehow I don't think that would count as good karma if I'd murdered the parent! <div><br /></div><div>Sigh Don't worry, I'm not grabbing the shot gun just yet. (I don't even own one!) No calls to PETA necessary! The longer I garden, the more I realize that if I'm not ready to "take it on the chin", I'd better just get out of the ring! This season has been particularly painful, but I am officially picking up my tomato blight-bruised and groundhog-battered self and am already planning for next year. Unfortunately for Mr. Groundhog, those plans also include some major groundhog fence reinforcements!!! </div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-3862516673274971142009-10-11T11:36:00.014-04:002009-10-14T19:40:55.600-04:00Time to Plant Garlic!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6d5mGAoU6WYi1RkJcigL8WUz5w1d10kb4ev5xLOJR_nusWIC8VhvRQKcP2tEmyEym4GuMwhmK_Gro2-U_1S33sYIfA2ipSe4MTAnoaiEBGWuH1h2jLutX9PtFO6Zjhctx1mpRCSnRVbA/s1600-h/Garlic+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6d5mGAoU6WYi1RkJcigL8WUz5w1d10kb4ev5xLOJR_nusWIC8VhvRQKcP2tEmyEym4GuMwhmK_Gro2-U_1S33sYIfA2ipSe4MTAnoaiEBGWuH1h2jLutX9PtFO6Zjhctx1mpRCSnRVbA/s400/Garlic+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392601883378762610" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There's a definite chill in the air. Actually it seems like it's been here since July--did we HAVE summer this year?? Looking back on the garden season there were certainly highs and lows. The <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/06/may-best-pea-win.html">peas</a> were <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/06/pea-update-and-winner-is.html">wonderful</a>, and we're still eating carrots and parsnips from our <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/07/garden-in-bag.html">garden bags</a>. And the<a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2008/11/preserving-your-harvest-2-what-heck-do.html"> fairy squash</a> were as prolific as usual. Last week I finally pulled out the pathetic remnants of our <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-looking-pretty-blighty-round-here.html">tomato plants</a>, along with the barren eggplants and monster <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/09/at-least-someones-enjoying-aunt-mollys.html">ground cherries</a>. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat! But one of the really great things about gardening is that one can always find solace in the crops yet to come. The drop in temperature means it's time to plant one of my favorite crops: <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/06/garlic-harvest.html">garlic</a>! The raised bed that for the most part gave us next to nothing this summer will (hopefully) produce lots of garlic for next year!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 361px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTGYxiutYZO_pXUQYPZvw7Y1YHWm79LnSb5gS_QvEynGGUFxTJIn5GUjJq3QmIAmUQT7xmw-W8ryPEFmlH71rwBoN5bBHa0-tnQDLrhMgCh_dK1EFKSwiVM1TDmubh-NeKn6EwPmbAF_R/s400/Garlic3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392600598436771842" /></div><div>Garlic likes nice fluffy, well-fertilized, loamy soil. To prepare the bed I made sure there were no weeds, and added some basic organic fertilizer, lime, and a bit of compost. Since our <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/03/raised-beds-rock.html">raised beds</a> are pretty well-established the soil is really nice and light. I turned the amendments into the soil, and then covered the bed with black landscape fabric. The fabric not only keeps weeds to a minimum, but it seems to give our garlic a head start in the spring because of the extra warmth it gives to the soil. Next, cut some "X's" into the fabric about 4-6" apart. Plant the biggest, fattest cloves you have, pointy-side-up, about 2" down in the soil, one clove per "X". Prior to planting I put each clove on top of its "X" so I don't lose track while I'm planting. Remember, the bigger the clove, the bigger the head of garlic you'll get from it next year!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHw4nmxWMQRTz2mji9n_Zc9VIA6vy44odf_3HaOobLP6tXDuTxWwHg3GkfWjx_6WTV4XQ6jg2oYqzL7F6LW4ZlkZhJmbFdi2EWHw46DlY-G4b-n8qFxc_TPtnOgGg7bATbMGQQenmBgayn/s400/Garlic+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392601102986078802" /></div><div>One thing that's really hit me since I started growing vegetables is just how narrow the supermarket offers are. Buying garlic at the supermarket is simple: what's in that little bin in the produce section is pretty much your one-and-only choice. The only decision-making necessary is whether to buy garlic or not. Deciding which <a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/prod_detail_list/s">garlic variety</a> to grow from the seed catalogs is another experience entirely! For true garlic connoisseurs there are seemingly infinite varieties to choose from. Over the years I've narrowed my ultimate favorite down to one: <a href="http://thegarlicstore.com/ZenCart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_29&products_id=97">Music</a>. It's a hardnecked garlic, which means come early June you'll get a preview harvest of <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/06/time-for-garlic-scapes.html">scapes</a>. It has a great garlic flavor, but best-of-all, it makes great big heads with great big cloves that are easy to peel. (And since they're big, you don't need to peel as many of them!) Whichever varieties you choose, you'll be glad you chose to grow your own. Garlic is one of the most satisfying crops I've ever grown, and once you've tasted fresh garlic you'll never go back to the generic stuff in the supermarket!</div><div><br /></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-66085800812443448242009-09-08T08:51:00.017-04:002009-09-08T10:25:33.311-04:00At Least Someone's Enjoying Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICoIViTXkCjUVyBxJYRS_YXY3k_DhX8lMLs1WDbtQoiUqcR_DGCeF3bShHQcAYxZh-pAm-hWNSjmvBpZ6aD55yb3GIPiX2yHIYVya3LqgV-4fxHkLRki6lW9nslgU0-fvEEtw30vS6Ya7/s1600-h/Ground+Cherries+1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICoIViTXkCjUVyBxJYRS_YXY3k_DhX8lMLs1WDbtQoiUqcR_DGCeF3bShHQcAYxZh-pAm-hWNSjmvBpZ6aD55yb3GIPiX2yHIYVya3LqgV-4fxHkLRki6lW9nslgU0-fvEEtw30vS6Ya7/s400/Ground+Cherries+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379100877162649442" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">I first tasted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis">ground cherries</a> (also know as husk cherries or Cape Gooseberries) when I got a bag of them in my <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/csa/">CSA</a> a few years ago. I had no idea what these curious berries that came in their own little wrapper were, but I figured they had to be edible sitting there in amongst all the other fruit and vegetables the farmers had packed in the box. So I unwrapped one and popped the little apricot-colored fruit into my mouth. The taste was unlike any other fruit I'd ever had: it was slightly sweet and tart, but with wonderful overtones of custard. I had to have more!! Luckily they were selling them at the <a href="http://www.slowfoodpgh.com/farmers.html">Farmers' Market</a> that year, so I managed to have a few more tastings until they were just a sweet memory.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>After I'd discovered what they were I found the seeds for an heirloom variety, <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=912(OG)">Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries</a>, in the Seed Savers Exchange catalog, and had to try growing them for myself. I carefully planted my ground cherry seedlings in the same raised bed the tomatoes and eggplants were in since they're all similar plants requiring similar growing conditions. Of course I had no idea how ground cherries grow, other than the description in the catalog, so how was I to know these monsters would eventually take over the entire bed??! Just two plants, and the poor eggplants were totally covered by the ever-expanding branches. I ignored the recommendation for landscape fabric in the catalog description, thinking it was just for weed control. It wasn't. Ground cherries got their name for a reason: when they're ripe they fall to the ground. Having landscape fabric under the plants would make harvesting them off the ground much cleaner and easier.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOrOffuhUaCGOqREIa2rxwjjmRuTMw14d4dnwTXVZ7b1OmkNMUOlacNbGUfysTHSZcOcQDHvDIXpfrwEMQclHRWkrlqs7LZHb3y5-Qvsm069XaHhv5GURu2Tlj_8O12BKSpZLVWIJpyDJ/s400/Ground+Cherries+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379100624909415810" /></div><div>Despite the lack of landscape fabric I was able to harvest a fair number of them in the beginning, and the papery husks protect the berry inside from getting dirty. And if you leave the husks on they store for a long time a room temperature, so you can "stock up" enough to eventually make a pot of jam or a dessert from them. Unfortunately for me, however, "somebody" else at the garden has discovered the ground cherries. By the time I get to the garden to harvest them, the little husks are all empty! And the little hoarder leaves the empty husks in piles all around the garden, just to mock me! Sigh. I was tempted to pull the plants out, just out of spite (and to give my eggplants a last gasp of hope), but I didn't have the heart to deprive the little critter his treats. Luckily I put in a couple of plants at home too, so I've been able to have a few ground cherries for myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDoZUIvoEJzyL-E7HPMSeBA7evZt9dI0KTgOtePYGbMq3Rggt4p-8dw2Qbn3jcE2OjldKlcDIYi2sDOJAl72Z4QawID1-iRifzhpB4y4QKg9oQa9lim8UDEzHMCs09b7jTmzFZ5jVNiuED/s400/Ground+Cherries+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379100276856268946" /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IhuWCiJf_TMAbADH5Ez6VIedCrtjOQQ7bwF5vpOtwMh0p3n119zP4TFrrBCyHkamWGHtXeOcuSjFyiI-JTgN6Q7i09NJbkmdOC6El2lx7MyfvYI4EP2gFLGykf3-iH_BQU8vTUjV_pcG/s400/Ground+Cherries+4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099826797673266" /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 385px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jsIHkESAkIay1b1UWwnKQAdElE13K4Jlyovytv4BQF0CufOLqIOZVDDLi8Wb9QboTFHqudaMNKmIJlgYIktXUcWtW2tHOsnXG8oFYhX4rChGp2KOnL9UXMPGCjlZNYu1KibWFBEGJPyo/s400/Ground+Cherry+jam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379099375203203922" /></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-85037521247089566902009-08-30T13:16:00.006-04:002009-08-30T13:40:24.534-04:00A Sack of Potatoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjDtJmR5barUF8yxo8tcSkdz1H0HSkzPntqzQkgTsGWRRvmY3WADhQtGx_ms5ONSKOy3qG9nMv0gBpVvmzJjorJQTEAMiqj4bEa0NGNU_b_SRUUAiugrUgLuDqSPLSpfPsbJT78d7urQ1/s1600-h/Potatoes+in+Bag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjDtJmR5barUF8yxo8tcSkdz1H0HSkzPntqzQkgTsGWRRvmY3WADhQtGx_ms5ONSKOy3qG9nMv0gBpVvmzJjorJQTEAMiqj4bEa0NGNU_b_SRUUAiugrUgLuDqSPLSpfPsbJT78d7urQ1/s400/Potatoes+in+Bag.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375812357186100306" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Well, the potato harvest wasn't quite what I'd hoped. I'd planted two <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/07/garden-in-bag.html">garden bags</a> with seed potatoes (French fingerlings and red fingerlings). As the plants grew I added compost to the bags until they were full. Once the plants started to die back about three weeks ago we harvested the potatoes. The French fingerling potatoes weren't terrifically prolific. In fact, I think we got back pretty much 1 potato for every seed potato we put in! They were beautiful and delicious nonetheless! The red fingerlings did a bit better. I think from both bags we got about 5 pounds of beautiful potatoes. Perhaps not the best return on our investment, but having freshly-dug fingerling potatoes for dinner is, of course, priceless!</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hfOmYU_p4bnJpYmtzXz2QYJ4jPJPSYZbuJ71mdvvIdK4VTOg19AExyMJH2VwTGjhlSODEvzk5nnUYml6peMfkAOkYmfsLrPWHoeR662qd1LkaxOm-FWITAt0YM1alILirR3LrTKu24J4/s400/Potato+harvest.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375812106117156402" /></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-56635063247305853022009-08-02T16:37:00.018-04:002009-08-09T13:10:04.818-04:00It's Looking Pretty Blighty 'Round Here!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3v6oRLTuN3wyjTPHApjpOG8O-UYCfa6-50wmKfOMmSkdPr80SGAbbraHqSwRiLdxogm5BeBJb8hTm9xCIn7EXLCQVtLwNrc0wp_e5fwsDCILM8bKMKIC0J12QDmwnCX0nRiPznktnQKyZ/s1600-h/Blight+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3v6oRLTuN3wyjTPHApjpOG8O-UYCfa6-50wmKfOMmSkdPr80SGAbbraHqSwRiLdxogm5BeBJb8hTm9xCIn7EXLCQVtLwNrc0wp_e5fwsDCILM8bKMKIC0J12QDmwnCX0nRiPznktnQKyZ/s400/Blight+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367634703547227570" /></a>Oh those elusive tomatoes! Why is it that I grew tomatoes as a kid with no apparent problems (and absolutely no gardening experience!), and now that I've been learning about how to garden, pampering my soil, growing companion plants, encouraging the good insects, blah-blah-blah, tomatoes are about the only thing I haven't been able to grow so far! (Well, tomatoes and charentais melons, but that's another story!) What's the deal??? I've heard that "other" people grow such of a glut of tomatoes that they actually . . . gasp . . . GIVE them away!! (Unfortunately I don't know any of THOSE people!) Either my plants are beautifully green and lush with no fruit (too much nitrogen, I KNOW), or if they do have tomatoes on them, just as that brandywine is ripening some creature decides to taste it, then leaves it on the ground!!! If I'd have had a shot gun and caught the bugger in the act, I don't care HOW cute, it would have been TOAST! Tomatoes bring out the true beast in me! I think the only brandywine tomato that actually got to ripen on the vine last year had a bite mark on it! I ate it anyway! All I can say is, thank goodness for the farmers' market and for tomato-growers much more talented than me, or the taste of home-grown tomatoes would be a just a childhood memory!<div><div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LRNgbBS8h41_3JWy4K7R0pM0F_iLM3UXMkeeDENZsgqasMWxh5JC0w3k86Z5_SVn9A8nUHz4jzDM530h3ZPVcrnOvyFzWZI-55OG83JcDyaIH02RxRja45KvDJQRnp1sdVxeo8FBQLRI/s400/Blight+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367634389817231810" /></div><div>This year was SUPPOSED to be different! But then, . . . <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/nyregion/18tomatoes.html">THIS</a>! It's blight, alright, and it looks like I'm not the only one at the garden with some awfully sick-looking tomatoes! Those ugly brown blotches on your tomato leaves and green tomatoes that turn brown instead of red are sure signs of <a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/blog_post/a_midsummer_nightmare_tomato_blight/">tomato blight</a>. It's caused by a fungus that can live as spores in the soil that can then infect your plants if they get splashed up onto the leaves. It's certainly been present at our community garden since tomatoes are grown there year after year, but this year is particularly bad. One major reason is the cool, wet weather we've been having, which tomatoes don't appreciate but is ideal for blight. Another reason may be that tomato seedlings purchased from some of the "big box" stores (Wal-Mart, Lowes, KMart and Home Depot) were already infected with blight right at the start, according to this New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/nyregion/18tomatoes.html">article</a>. Whatever the cause, it's pretty heart-breaking for us tomato lovers! </div><div><br /></div><div>Is there anything we can do to save our tomato crop? That depends on how far along the disease is on the plant. If you have enough healthy growth you can remove the diseased leaves and fruit (don't compost these--get rid of them or you'll just spread the fungus.) There are organic fungicides that can help, but they may be a bit pricey. I found a recipe for a home-made solution <a href="http://thegypsybutterfly.blogspot.com/2007/08/organic-remedy-to-be-used-as-general.html">here</a>. <a href="http://www.helium.com/items/1290141-tomato-blight">This</a> site suggests spraying the plants and soil with compost tea. The organisms in the compost will help fight the fungus, and the compost will fertilize the plants at the same time. I'm going to try some of my <a href="http://homewoodgardenplot41.blogspot.com/2009/05/meet-few-of-my-best-friends.html">worm tea</a> since I have this on hand. The best overall way to fight blight is prevention: make sure your plants are healthy from the start, make sure your soil is healthy, and don't plant tomatoes for at least 3 years where there has been blight in the past. That last bit is pretty tricky for those of us with small gardens here in a community of gardens. I'm guessing a three-year moratorium on tomato-growing at our garden wouldn't go down very well!! I'm not quite ready to yank out my plants just yet, and we are forecast to be getting some hotter weather, so I still have a little bit of optimism, for now anyway. Though I must say, I was glad to see heirloom tomatoes at the <a href="http://www.slowfoodpgh.com/farmers.html">farmers' market </a>this morning, just-in-case!</div></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-5877648016634575872009-07-26T09:51:00.011-04:002009-07-26T15:12:27.130-04:00Growing Up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97IuDmBBmUZLJVleaZv1sHEsIuLZwEdfIo-pbdShgH3GZNVJWayDa5KQ91TecIkK-Iqb6Fpyj__CftK10zpSGp0aIOV8-C0LKZNPINCzxeybAMJ7L9-1mOOB0U8Mdnq0slz05AmsVbdbG/s1600-h/Squash1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97IuDmBBmUZLJVleaZv1sHEsIuLZwEdfIo-pbdShgH3GZNVJWayDa5KQ91TecIkK-Iqb6Fpyj__CftK10zpSGp0aIOV8-C0LKZNPINCzxeybAMJ7L9-1mOOB0U8Mdnq0slz05AmsVbdbG/s400/Squash1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362847425564652914" /></a><br />I'm pretty greedy when it comes to garden space. I want to grow as much as I can in a pretty small garden. One way to expand that space is to garden in three dimensions: don't forget the vertical space! Space-hungry plants like squashes and cucumbers can be trained to grow up a trellis, which keeps the squash clean and dry off the ground, and also keeps the plants from sprawling all over. Unless you're growing huge pumpkins, the stem grows to support the squash, so there's really no need to worry about them falling off. I grew butternut squash this way, and they really did stay on the plant, even the largest ones. Just be sure your trellis is sturdy enough to hold them!<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXNbO6bwZV2zNCk6CopCaqeHY_Vy_uwoz_daFapK6NOpr7r-guySb_WLG_o6JUSA3R4j2S2-O-ABL2cC1l1HBRrqa3DSQ8MTteksmISN77Q-nLKn-Fxo5rZGSGLo1-7jm0rSO_iY9AFcT/s400/Squash2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362847198891229874" /></div><div>My trellis is a permanent structure made out of steel tubing sunk into the ground, with heavy-duty plastic fencing material on it. This works well, but isn't the most attractive option. The other down side of the permanent trellis is that I pretty much have to grow the squash there every year. I like to at least try to rotate crops and I try to make up for the every-year squash dilemma by planting peas on the trellis first every spring to give me a little rotation. But a moveable trellis would better in hindsight. These <a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1674/s">vegetable ladders</a> that I found from the <a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/">Territorial Seed Company </a>would be one moveable option. They're a bit pricey for what they are, but I'll bet they'd be really easy to make for yourself. (Or find an old wooden step ladder and put it to a new use!) So, when you're looking for more space in your garden, don't forget to look up!</div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-79270988347555120532009-07-16T17:04:00.007-04:002010-04-16T13:10:51.709-04:00Garden in a Bag<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSF6u5AYEFWTlV0vqNH1f0BlltpKLKBOpXZdHzYYKxHUGgkeUxZRjvMNePrR0RQxsId8roqiSMhwOUkqQrcNagOC-Q41ccAqJClx5MOCHffX40PaA4bZMujwVNGM0OJgAF45Z41DGSt_TC/s1600-h/Carots.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSF6u5AYEFWTlV0vqNH1f0BlltpKLKBOpXZdHzYYKxHUGgkeUxZRjvMNePrR0RQxsId8roqiSMhwOUkqQrcNagOC-Q41ccAqJClx5MOCHffX40PaA4bZMujwVNGM0OJgAF45Z41DGSt_TC/s400/Carots.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359818258869660882" /></a><br />We've been eating lots of baby carrots and parsnips lately, from a bag! Not a grocery store bag, mind you, but from one of <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/Potato-Bin/VegetablePlanters_Cat,36-629,default,cp.html">these</a> garden bags from <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/">Gardener's Supply Company</a>. They sell them for potatoes, but I thought they'd also be great for other root veggies, and so far the carrots and parsnips have done great in them. The potatoes seem to be growing well too, but I'll have to do an update post when we actually harvest the potatoes. <div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBlQWyYK5sLTnsSUzFSXrAnysjOehq8fRgE3XK07mKCSu8ScA-lufMbLNBBxozhkItEusPlfq8wK8oQg5ZsSpLmzG7qa9tzLLzUM-Gt0kDT9iee0bZq8IZZ3SGlkkUzN5OHaa08v_-NGM/s400/Potatoes+in+Bag.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359817753006572866" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We wanted a bit more growing space at the garden since our raised beds are pretty much stuffed to the gills with plants, and I saw these in the catalog. They're made of heavy-duty felt, and are supposed to last several years. Just fill them with nice sifted soil, water well, and plant your seeds. These would be great for small-space gardens like patios. So, even if you have cement for a "backyard", that's no excuse not to grow some food!</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6V7LLpIxwSWxtdIbzy4M4NvOaIFx48e5ALYMQf9RhO9SZ_P4BCmdURvTU-KYc09MWhxAyNWqTwAqWPIzd50wpta9ULbR3lBg01jlU4IL6sSV-lTgFI59iZP9843EzHafZse0ct2XgI5t6/s400/Carrots+in+bag.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359817362021210658" /></div><div><br /></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-20730127352905082472009-07-06T10:19:00.014-04:002009-07-06T13:15:52.844-04:00Thank You!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kT3LbUXGrydhLNg6Q0itgHvSpMdUf9_LSZluVIiUMCHkustLU43oBhFa412OWsFe_-0uz5EmEKf7MlY62R6CR2RJOThGpoxqRQW49RKF8E2kPfqpB4-VO7PcZpZMZ2fx-6EA_2tUTX_4/s1600-h/blogaward.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 139px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kT3LbUXGrydhLNg6Q0itgHvSpMdUf9_LSZluVIiUMCHkustLU43oBhFa412OWsFe_-0uz5EmEKf7MlY62R6CR2RJOThGpoxqRQW49RKF8E2kPfqpB4-VO7PcZpZMZ2fx-6EA_2tUTX_4/s200/blogaward.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355373838215087234" /></a>Thank you so much <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/09632108890774557746">Charlotte</a> at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/09632108890774557746">Canning Jars Etc.</a> for passing this award to me! Your blog is a must-read for anyone interested in putting food by. It's well-researched, seasonal, and really informative! Thanks again!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>To get this award I have to first list 7 things about myself that you might find interesting. Here goes:</div><div><ol><li>My longtime companion is from England, and I'd like to think I'm channeling his father who was an avid gardner but sadly passed away a number of years ago. <br /></li><li>I'm a research scientist at the University of Pittsburgh's Lupus Center of Excellence.<br /></li><li>I have a much-beloved 15-year-old tuxedo cat named Chester.</li><li>I love to cook and read cooking blogs.</li><li>I aspire to have 3 backyard chickens (hens) next year.</li><li>I love British humor.</li><li>I used to be a classical musician in my younger life--I played the viola and piano.</li></ol></div><div> Next I need to nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers. I nominate:</div><div><ol><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/18421748114729715708">The Humans</a> at <a href="http://seventrees.blogspot.com/">Seven Trees Farm</a><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202">Farmgirl Susan</a> at <a href="http://inmykitchengarden.blogspot.com/">In My Kitchen Garden</a></li><li><a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/author/anais/">Anais</a> at <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/">Little Homestead in the City</a></li><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/2780640">Kelli</a> at <a href="http://www.osage.net/~themillers92/SCFBlog/scfblog.html">Sugar Creek Farm</a></li><li><a href="http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/about/">Amy</a> at <a href="http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/">Eggs on Sunday</a></li><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12095420943932529360">Tina</a> at <a href="http://tinascraftiness.blogspot.com/">Craftiness</a></li><li><a href="http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/urban_chickens/?_fb_fromhash=2a13807207fb5f4c4aaf482309bee2f8">Thomas</a> at <a href="http://www.urbanchickens.net/">Urban Chicken</a></li></ol><div>To accept this award please do the following:</div><div><ol><li>Thank the person who nominated you for the award.<br /></li><li>Copy the logo and place it on your blog.</li><li>Link to the person who nominated you for this award.</li><li>Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.</li><li>Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.</li><li>Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.</li><li>Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.</li></ol></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-16996039059338392752009-06-30T17:57:00.013-04:002009-07-02T20:51:41.381-04:00Garlic Harvest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7B14gKEiGhnZd04KjlEVlEE6dfqo2GGIi9GA6Gd8tdgBwz7uoZFbZwitfxQkCWxkJyMP-XNHpoC9ZbgVnKKBMfZc_Z0mminjl63F98ugcfacSUxZ3BOLyZxin6FUpJaXlEql17o6JI3h/s1600-h/Harvesting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7B14gKEiGhnZd04KjlEVlEE6dfqo2GGIi9GA6Gd8tdgBwz7uoZFbZwitfxQkCWxkJyMP-XNHpoC9ZbgVnKKBMfZc_Z0mminjl63F98ugcfacSUxZ3BOLyZxin6FUpJaXlEql17o6JI3h/s400/Harvesting.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353864981113334690" /></a><br />The leaves on the garlic started to turn yellow this past week, telling me that the bulbs were ready to harvest. So, digging out the garlic was last Sunday's project. (And the reward was red Russian kale sauteed in olive oil with fresh, juicy garlic!)<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I grow pretty much a year's supply of garlic in one 6' by 4' bed (somewhere around 100 heads--we eat a lot of garlic!), so preparing the garlic for long-term storage is important to me. Ideally garlic should be harvested after a dry spell so that the heads are already a bit dry. Dig the heads up carefully so that you don't bruise them, leave the stalks attached, and brush off most of the soil. (Don't wash the soil off--you don't want to get your garlic wet.) Now the garlic needs to cure in a cool, dark, dry place for about a week. Typically we don't have many cool, dry places in July here in Pittsburgh, but I cure my garlic in my garage. Not exactly cool (although this year Mother Nature is cooperating so far with a cool spell!), but it is dry. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqt4dVgyJpt6BAUMMDq9lhVVtSCOAcQXBeBWsdH6hHkdYe4xk4jJyxCzS5PXgby2dTn4begFFCc8rpVmlGsdhWP2tSlwe7tzyRVrjuUMWwV5LEMXousiF89KUQv6wBFQESMIpxUtOSCpHZ/s400/Curing.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353864603839487682" /></div><div><br /></div><div>After about a week the stalks can be cut off, and then I hang the heads in a cupboard in our basement. I save the biggest, fattest cloves to plant in October for next year's crop. Growing your own garlic is easy, and fresh, just-harvested garlic is a treat you really can't buy in a store! </div><div><br /></div><div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdYkPpIiC9zjzL3Q9RczdvDa6QhvQ2p_taOJYEE2bmeCFx9i6OX9Qo63uLLHY67oeFinAGR5hY3mYcwfEgvyDOz-fw_7qqZmtkhyphenhyphen68M-NiQ6hGSQwyQ8XLX4xgnI8RcuK33EPlPW5izna/s400/Head+of+garlic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353864188064859810" /></div><div><br /></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-67078120922756028422009-06-22T08:57:00.007-04:002009-06-22T09:31:54.041-04:00Pea Update: And the Winner Is . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sscsr7UWUriuhSWQygHHxE7oUg2hbV0FmwSWlk7atmYI7p2TBusmTjqeCGHB20k8SGzNwHOoGpjbupdo98pzbsEPcmyRQeWJIbfShSrUsLbCZxi5Z1oIFgkVk0aLoRoqyVm8t0HjoNWi/s1600-h/Johnny's+close+up.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sscsr7UWUriuhSWQygHHxE7oUg2hbV0FmwSWlk7atmYI7p2TBusmTjqeCGHB20k8SGzNwHOoGpjbupdo98pzbsEPcmyRQeWJIbfShSrUsLbCZxi5Z1oIFgkVk0aLoRoqyVm8t0HjoNWi/s400/Johnny's+close+up.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350141976569731314" /></a><br />All three, actually! <div><br /></div><div>Well, the peas have come down to make room for some squash and climbing beans, and the vote (mine!) is in. Here's the tally:<div><br /></div><div>Amish Snap Pea: Winner for earliest and for taste.</div><div>Johnny's Snap Pea: Winner for yield.</div><div>Cascadia: Winner for disease-resistance.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I really think all three were winners and I'd definitely plant the same combination next year. (Although I have to admit this is partly because I'm cheap and I have lots of seed peas left over!) But overall I was really pleased with how these varieties worked out. The fact that the Amish snap peas produced first staggered the pea harvest without having to stagger the planting: I put all the peas in the ground at the same time. As the Amish peas were finishing the Johnny's snap peas were taking off, with the Cascadia not far behind. As far as yield goes, the Johnny's really won out. Of course I didn't count the number of pea plants I wound up with of each kind so this isn't really a very "scientific" study, but the Johnny's were so far ahead of the other two I think it's pretty obvious:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Amish: 1 lb</div><div>Cascadia: 1 3/4 lb</div><div>Johnny's: 3 lbs !! (That's a lot of peas!) </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-1lHUxQlrWNG_Ee5X0eIc7rQBJxHihVaqz_iwIbROJkty5DRsNtsKzaQ6SWLMh6pr2q4nk7gaWYZWV_5s50bxeUUWfEa5Nk9OfxvaxkF59NBEKc3N19Gslph7ctd1SA1PgtyU9Q4tUyX/s400/All+three.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350141217719713250" /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Amish (left), Johnny's (middle), Cascadia (right)</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now, in terms of taste, I think the Amish won hands down. They were very delicate, but sweet even if under or over-ripe. Both the Johnny's and Cascadia peas were larger than the Amish, and although they were both delicious, (sweet, crisp, and juicy) I really loved the Amish snap peas the best.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although I really didn't have any problems with disease of any kind (that I could see), a few of the Amish and Johnny's snap pea pods had either a few spots or were a bit deformed. I really didn't notice this at all with the Cascadia, which were bred for disease resistance in the Pacific Northwest. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's been a terrific pea season and I'm a bit sorry to see it go. But with the baby carrots, parsnips and beets starting to make an appearance I'm sure I'll get over it!</div><div><br /></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-84450463323078748232009-06-07T15:21:00.011-04:002009-06-07T15:57:47.445-04:00Time for Garlic Scapes!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWwH7lXzItBYmA54B5IOAxU7h2WOTycFZf4G1DlcruCXO6-tV2byyosBtUPmPhxRQcgoJBtLfqEajoUFwKmB_Iea_Sgrg0v4Nfa2c19YoVwT5RC52Va2lSNwB9iNIzyYQvvZXUTY9hIlW/s1600-h/Scapes1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWwH7lXzItBYmA54B5IOAxU7h2WOTycFZf4G1DlcruCXO6-tV2byyosBtUPmPhxRQcgoJBtLfqEajoUFwKmB_Iea_Sgrg0v4Nfa2c19YoVwT5RC52Va2lSNwB9iNIzyYQvvZXUTY9hIlW/s400/Scapes1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344676806007167970" /></a><br />I'd never heard of a garlic scape until a few years ago when I belonged to a <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/csa/">CSA</a> and these strange "vegetables" appeared in my weekly box. They were garlic scapes, which are the flower stalks made this time of year by <a href="http://www.garlic-central.com/varieties.html">hardneck garlic</a>. You really don't want your garlic to put energy into flowering, so the scapes should be cut off just as they start to curl, which for my garlic, is now! Don't throw them away though! Scapes are a wonderful preview of garlic yet-to-come. You can puree them with olive oil and pine nuts to make a great <a href="http://www.whatgeekseat.com/wordpress/2007/06/16/garlic-scape-pesto/">pesto</a>. Or puree them with white cannellini beans to make a terrific <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/183arex.html?_r=1&ref=dining">bean dip</a>. Or cut them into pieces and <a href="http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2008/06/02/how-green-was-my-garlic-scapes/">stir fry</a> them with the veggies of your choice. Or just use them as you would regular garlic. The scapes have a milder, less pungent garlic flavor. <div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRD8w1md6joVqGCAFkTmQAsXBtirqLKn7GgkncABcDYRcuxgVHm9VdVsuLV14Edjn7SnHEBKkyG4RrKJhyV-owE6PpQpYqqfxH51lY3h_td-lRcK7aclmyXvw8f08pLve275g3ZtVIhS0/s400/Scapes2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344676376836772802" /></div><div>Don't have your own garlic scapes but want to try them? Visit your local farmers' market. If you have garlic-growers at your market they'll most likely be selling their scapes about now! Look for ones that aren't too tightly curled: they're more tender than older, more mature scapes. I liked scapes so much that all the garlic bulbs I plant are hardneck garlic so that I can harvest a crop of scapes every year! </div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-51303333663376859382009-06-01T08:16:00.010-04:002009-06-05T20:23:53.695-04:00May the Best Pea Win!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oXLRinS8o6Qbd6-rFPohH04ADHTmwpcN8HBBWh8ehv1cIslxECIn893I9yjlyjITzu5cE7n0HEvPa1VNa8u7ZQnvDhS56e6eLUM2wuJCEuSMg7BoMbjSdygKGmNKCXvx1Xaef8lbZh08/s1600-h/Amish+snap+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oXLRinS8o6Qbd6-rFPohH04ADHTmwpcN8HBBWh8ehv1cIslxECIn893I9yjlyjITzu5cE7n0HEvPa1VNa8u7ZQnvDhS56e6eLUM2wuJCEuSMg7BoMbjSdygKGmNKCXvx1Xaef8lbZh08/s400/Amish+snap+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342349773899281954" /></a><br />It's nearly time for one of my favorite harvests of the year: sugar snap peas! They're easy to grow, prolific, and absolutely delicious! Sweet, crisp, juicy, straight from the vine, it doesn't get much better than that! And as far as healthy snacks go, sugar snap peas are an excellent choice. This year I'm trying out 3 varieties of sugar snaps to see which one I like the best. They are: Amish Snap, an heirloom variety grown in the Amish community long before modern snap pea varieties (Seed Savers Exchange), Cascadia, an open-pollenated variety bred in the Pacific Northwest, and Johnny's Selected Seeds basic variety of Sugar Snap Peas. <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So far, the earliest and most vigorous-looking is the Amish snap. The plants are already covered with pods that should be ready to eat in a few days. Johnny's snap peas are coming in second, with nice tall vines, but no real pods yet. Cascadia is in third place, with shorter plants, but lots of blooms. I'll post updates later on overall yields and flavor. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Amish Snap Pea (left) Tall Telephone Shell Pea (right)</span><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C6mK5NOUAUOK9BjriU9FtwHI4lCbCJrkLabFoI5-ek9eVf7BuI0MoZk-h6H4GTZ2OwNqGnts5vvKuPzUbo8PRyvfI04suogzauOWNmAg6Mn3Zk5Y6Sl5FGyf2gjLTwWqLPT_hQ2538CY/s400/Amish+snap+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342347634808231538" /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Cascadia Snap Pea (left), Johnny's Snap Pea (right)</span><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQc0Dwm8Vnr5u75hqHo2pV60B-u5MMEvsHds0gxNkjXhvN7HWGS5uXf9JxpNAV8lZOh2ZXaNu3fkaPMTy46CCL9MUKuK9dm1Kjsh1BJEA5gjFDCAIjyLTPFgFckBnpEYuAYeYwyI1SKv3/s400/Cascadia+and+Johnny%27s.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342347159634484370" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Although it's much too late to plant peas now (they're a cool weather crop and should be planted in early spring) many people have asked me what the secret is to healthy prolific pea plants. Aside from the usual (nice fertile soil), I like to soak peas overnight prior to planting, and I also use <a href="http://www.groworganic.com/item_ISE507_Pea_Vetch__Lentils_Inoculant.html#">pea inoculant</a>. Peas are legumes, a family of plants that also includes beans, lentils, alfalfa, and clover, that have the ability to convert nitrogen from its gaseous form from the air to a form that is usable to all plants as food to support plant growth. This process is known as nitrogen fixation, and legumes do this with the help of a family of soil bacteria known as rhizobacteria that live on their roots. The rhizobacteria get carbohydrates from the legumes in exchange for converting nitrogen into plant food. Pea inoculant is a powdered form of these rhizobacteria that work best with peas, and coating the pea seeds with this inoculant ensures that each pea plant will have plenty of these beneficial bacteria to help it grow. I dig a 1" furrow, put in my soaked peas, then sprinkle on the inoculant before covering the peas with soil. Water them in well, and by early summer you should have lots of wonderful peas to eat! <br /></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-69542489881095295832009-05-07T17:52:00.024-04:002009-05-11T20:32:19.381-04:00Meet a Few of My Best Friends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxd3h4rCPOi4O9TvqDPs1S1sRQvzPi2B4GatVl0Z5Z3e-aj2vLFjw1AlwisuA93yInmLPJ2Ibje8oetMnkDoC6eDFRLdpWGtdpajyEEhApYuj-QI2Nv_mzrzQQvyh2Cp7C9UAl3w9Vco9/s1600-h/worms1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxd3h4rCPOi4O9TvqDPs1S1sRQvzPi2B4GatVl0Z5Z3e-aj2vLFjw1AlwisuA93yInmLPJ2Ibje8oetMnkDoC6eDFRLdpWGtdpajyEEhApYuj-QI2Nv_mzrzQQvyh2Cp7C9UAl3w9Vco9/s400/worms1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334702889821324818" /></a>OK, they're not the most attractive or glamorous bunch. And they hang out in some pretty icky places. But honestly, these are some of the best friends a gardener can have! Entertaining for these guys is a breeze! No fancy gourmet dinners necessary. Just toss them a few vegetable peelings, the mushy leftovers from making vegetable stock, those forgotten, semi-identifiable remnants from your vegetable crisper, some crushed up egg shells, coffee grounds, used tea bags, corrugated cardboard, shredded newspaper, and a few toilet paper rolls and they're TOTALLY happy! And what they leave behind is pure gold, from a gardener's point of view! <div><br /></div><div>We're talking worms here. But not just any worms . . . these are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenia_fetida">compost worms</a> (also known as redworms, red wrigglers, tiger worms, manure worms). These worms are related to the good old-fashioned earthworm, but compost worms don't really want to live in the earth. They need a diet much richer in organic matter than that, and will seek out any good compost pile in which to make their home. And they'll be more than willing to eat much of your kitchen garbage in exchange for making the most wonderful organic fertilizers! (For free!) And if you have kids, starting a worm bin would be a great fun project for them!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So, how do you get started? Basically you need a fairly large container (depending upon how much kitchen scraps you generate) that's dark (worms don't like light) and has a lid. I use a large Rubbermaid container. The worms also need air, so drill some holes all around the top bit of the container. I found a really neat little video that shows this perfectly in pictures <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFFTNv2cE34&feature=related">here</a>. The only difference with the tub they set up and mine is that they didn't put drainage holes in the bottom. I did because I also want to be able to collect the liquid that gets produced as the worms break down your kitchen scraps. This is called "worm tea" and diluted about 10-to-1 is an excellent liquid fertilizer. I set my Rubbermaid container with the drainage holes in another similar container with no holes, and the worm tea drains into that. I keep my worm bins (I have two) in my garage. People say you can keep them in your house, but unless you're really vigilant about not too many fruit scraps you'll wind up with lots of fruit flies. Since my worm bin's in the garage (detached!) I don't care about the fruit flies since they also help break down the garbage, and make nice treats for the hummingbirds that visit my flower garden each summer. Make sure it's not in the sun if you put it outdoors as the worms can't tolerate too much heat, but also keep in mind that the worms can't survive being frozen, so for winter time it's best to find a more sheltered place for them. My garage is unheated, but the worms seem to survive ok as long as I leave the worm bin full over winter for insulation.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Once you've got your holes drilled and figured out where you're going to put your bin you need to create some bedding for your worms. This can be shredded newspaper or corrugated cardboard (no glossy stuff please!), moistened to feel like a damp sponge. Throw in a couple of handfuls of garden soil (worms need a bit of grit to digest their food), and some non-acidic food scraps--avoid citrus like lemon, grapefruit, and orange peels, at least at first. Once your worm bin is really going they can tolerate a bit of these. Lastly, (and most importantly) you'll need some compost worms. You can get these from a well-established compost pile--you'll really need at least a few hundred of them to get started. Or you can mail-order worms for about $15 for a half-pound of worms <a href="http://gardeningzone.com/product_info.php?products_id=185">here</a>, plenty to start your bin off. And if your worms are well cared for and happy they'll reproduce, A LOT! (Look for little oval, yellow worm cocoons, about 1/8" long in your finished compost. Each one contains from 1-5 worms!) And each one of these guys can eat its own weight in kitchen scraps every day! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Keep adding kitchen scraps (a little at a time at first, more after you start getting more worms). Always keep fresh, moist bedding on the top. This will prevent most flies from discovering your bin, and keep the worms happy on the top food layer since they like to be covered with a moist mat. And this is a great way to get rid of those cardboard boxes, newspapers, brown papers bags, toilet paper rolls, paper napkins, used kleenex, etc that would otherwise end up in the land fill. And worms also like stuff like pet hair, human hair, and the contents of your vacuum cleaner bag! Just make sure that the worm bin is kept moist. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Harvesting the finished worm compost can be a bit labor-intensive with this type of worm bin unfortunately. Obviously the finished compost is going to wind up at the bottom. This is the reason why I ended up with two bins. When the first one is full I stop adding to it for a while, and put my kitchen scraps into the second one. After a few weeks I'll check on the first one again. Most of the identifiable food will usually be gone, and it will be mostly dark, finished worm compost. If there's still un-composted food, scrape it off and set it to one side. Since I consider my compost worms to be as valuable as the compost, I don't want to just chuck them into the garden since they won't survive there. So I really try to separate them from the compost. One way to do this is to move all the finished compost to one side of the bin, and start adding fresh stuff to the other. Eventually the worms will migrate out of the finished compost and into the new side. To make sure you don't lose them you can scoop the finished worm compost into a cheap plastic colander (I got mine for $1!) and set it over where you want your worms to go, and put the whole set-up in the sun. As the worms go down to get away from the light you can scoop off the top layer of the compost. Eventually the worms will go through the colander. Of course, if you have kids this could be a great afternoon project for them! </div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakl7buZFK1oMfnmzq1drZaPAFPzS-RmpxYx4lNOQpPW4ebHY9IsWpChelGKyWEnjGm0VqIvoiSfryLhbz8tioE8lHWQPNob-AudfOchfAzHobHec6cMjOKzFcHNMyyCxlaUCtOU8MZYUl/s400/Wormsorting.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334702001537921090" /></div><div>If this sounds like too much work, and you don't mind spending a little bit of money on your wormery, you can purchase a really nifty thing called a "Can of Worms". This is a system of stacked sections that the worms can travel in-between. As you fill one section you put another on the top. Eventually you can move the bottom, finished section to the top, let the worms migrate down, and use the compost. You can buy one <a href="http://www.abundantearth.com/store/canoworms.html">here</a>. There's a British company called Wiggly Wigglers who also sell them (although I think the shipping would be pretty prohibitive!) who have made a series of videos about how to set up and use a Can of Worms you can watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A9fq8WDN9g&feature=related">here-1</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRmzyE5sRPw&feature=related">here-2</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvmy9jZgHn8&feature=related">here-3</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZiJ3JfNuo&feature=related">here-4</a>. (They also have a weekly <a href="http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/podcasts/index.html?-session=shopper:485FB6B20c679002F6xVFE412FB3">podcast</a> that's VERY entertaining and informative. They have me hooked!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I hope I've convinced you to make some new wormy friends who'll make you your very own organic fertilizer and keep your kitchen scraps out of landfills. Once you start composting with worms you'll see your "garbage" in a whole new light!</div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-79632830099341558182009-04-28T18:21:00.022-04:002009-04-29T20:57:45.809-04:00Something for a Rainy Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAuDWSP2Q4khXlMa-Rhx5aWv17DesanO-iUPXShLKnGQ1HBzqxF-PsIX1INtGMAePiY1cMW4BU6_2o5t3GtSM3KhklJkoaZfQ_NPqHDuBEUKzOeRtRHUJAZQW_ByQXKDIP6z3DlDOgjFh/s1600-h/wetchard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAuDWSP2Q4khXlMa-Rhx5aWv17DesanO-iUPXShLKnGQ1HBzqxF-PsIX1INtGMAePiY1cMW4BU6_2o5t3GtSM3KhklJkoaZfQ_NPqHDuBEUKzOeRtRHUJAZQW_ByQXKDIP6z3DlDOgjFh/s400/wetchard.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330257366057859410" /></a><br />Even I am hesitant about gardening in the rain. I think it's the cat in me, but I really hate getting wet (unless it's on purpose and I'm in the pool!) There's nothing I love better on a nice rainy day than curling up with a good book, so I'd like to recommend one to read for those all-too-frequent Pittsburgh Spring Showers! Although I've been known to read books about gardening cover-to-cover, it's not a gardening book I'd like to recommend right now. But it is a book about eating and our current food supply, and I hope it will give you even MORE incentive to grow your own food. The book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Hope-Guide-Mindful-Eating/dp/0446698210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240963459&sr=8-1">Harvest for Hope: A Guide for Mindful Eating</a>, by Jane Goodall. <div><br /></div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall#Early_life_and_studies">Jane Goodall </a>has been a hero of mine since I was a kid watching National Geographic nature specials on TV. She's that gentle, unassuming former secretary of Louis Leakey whose discoveries about chimpanzee behavior redefined our concept of what it is to be human. Her studies showed (to the chagrin of many) that we are not as far removed from our primate relatives as we'd once thought. Perhaps even more importantly they also helped us to realize that we are not separate from all the other creatures that inhabit this planet, but are indeed part of this whole fragile ecosystem that we share. It's not surprising that after decades of devoting herself to the study of chimpanzees, Jane Goodall has become a humanist. She realized that to save her beloved chimps she needed to be attentive to the humans who share their environment. This book is an extension of that attention, and in her gentle, unassuming way, she raises issues that we should all be aware of about our current food problems, and provides some simple, and very do-able things that each and every one of us can do to help solve them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Want to learn more about the food we eat? Read Michael Pollan's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240967522&sr=8-2">The Omnivore's Dilemma</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/0143114964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240967522&sr=8-1">In Defense of Food</a>. Read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/dp/0060838582/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240967611&sr=1-1">Fast Food Nation</a>, by Eric Schlosser. And have a listen to <a href="http://kootenaycoopradio.com/deconstructingdinner/">Deconstructing Dinner</a>, a weekly podcast from Canada. It's about time we reconnected with the thing we have our most intimate relationship with . . . our food.</div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8853629718417899965.post-37888984306411098792009-04-12T13:55:00.015-04:002009-04-12T15:06:08.349-04:00Free Pickin's!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmPTBOiXho1l0vAqkJ1RZPuTiOp-qMuGOYZmy7IQ8iGQtYtUvBmi3LR2Palaun-9H9iZ86JqryLpM18iQSjMeVrRMg6kY-SxYhMFhWleqF0BRRHvBXAq8GfrjjPEV0__wYdSyr9AtIcO3/s1600-h/knotweed1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmPTBOiXho1l0vAqkJ1RZPuTiOp-qMuGOYZmy7IQ8iGQtYtUvBmi3LR2Palaun-9H9iZ86JqryLpM18iQSjMeVrRMg6kY-SxYhMFhWleqF0BRRHvBXAq8GfrjjPEV0__wYdSyr9AtIcO3/s400/knotweed1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323882735793544514" /></a>It's a bit early for any real harvests from the garden yet. I've snitched a few baby chard leaves and the tops of my fava bean seedlings for a salad, but that's about all my garden has produced so far this season. But there's a free harvest out there waiting in the wings of our community garden. . . <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_knotweed">knotweed</a>! The garden is surrounded by groves of Japanese knotweed, an invasive weed that was brought in (like so many other invasive weeds) as an ornamental. Unfortunately it has done so well here that it's crowding out native plants and is considered to be one of the world's worst invasive species. What can we do about it? <a href="http://www.newfs.org/protect/invasive-plants/japanese-knotweed-recipes.html">Eat it</a>! Yes, Japanese knotweed is edible, but only for a very short time, and that time is now. It's only the new, tender spring shoots that are edible--in a few short weeks this fast-growing weed will be much too woody to eat. <div><br /><div>Japanese knotweed shoots are similar in appearance and speed of growth to asparagus, but in flavor they're very similar to rhubarb. Pick nice fat shoots when they're a foot tall or less, strip off any leaves, and use it as you would rhubarb. Today I'm making a knotweed crumble. Knotweed shoots are hollow, so use a bit more per recipe than you would rhubarb since it shrinks down more as it cooks. It's also slightly less tart than rhubarb, so I like to add a little lemon juice. I first learned about eating knotweed from "Wildman" Steve Brill's <a href="http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Knotweed.html">website</a>, which includes lots of recipes and great information about the plant (along with lots of other great foraging advice).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6qJG4ndXASDpv2xJsOg2U5eOrsBH8QlRKFg8QqmluJx2Jm_1hWsHomiQsZ2i0-ZhkmHE6LoEEhnnCT3j_abqW5tVs1ZoUe0kd7paIZRNwIuGIX2rUI7i-tG4_hBeyAGV16nKtec6mM4R/s400/knotweed2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323881479908299186" /></div><div>So, do your civic duty and harvest some knotweed shoots, and get a free meal in the bargain!</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZe3skOJ2z_sW_9XAh97UVzieWt0dZpJMPwiMm2hA8ZxZevyM6QbEPGlWGdFEySLA-iIcrio8IIhDRzUkhyMNtVIE9X8pf1vTBJ0ESHRSDwjET1mKCOmMkm6WNftTMa0PuY8l76g3OSsWg/s400/Knotweed+crumble.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323881057305919890" /></div><div><br /></div></div>Jeannine from Pittsburghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01530097754090425013noreply@blogger.com1