Pages

Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

barefoot farmer

On Saturday we got to go learn from the Barefoot Farmer, Jeff Poppen!
If you know me, you know I love all things gardening. 
Not only did Jeff feed my science brain by talking about chemistry & biology
 but he emphasized the importance of organic gardening,
 something that's been a conviction of mine for the past 6 years. 
I was reminded of the importance of calcium in my soil
& educated on how vital fungi & bacteria are in the life of a plant. 
The earth is amazing!!! 
Thank you Foxhollow Farm for hosting this baller 
event & Jeff you're simply incredible.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

greenhouse.

Have you ever thought about using chickens to heat a greenhouse? 
Not only do the chickens' body heat contribute to keeping the greenhouse’s temperature up but 
they also help the plants grow by exhaling carbon dioxide. 
In a tightly closed space like a greenhouse, CO2 can run low as plants suck it up. 
Best idea ever! 

greenhouse
chickens
12

Thursday, August 23, 2012

happy garden.

my garden has been happy lately.
“Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of 
personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. 
A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world.
He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the
grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, 
the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating."
The Art of the Common Place: The Agrarian Essays

Thursday, August 2, 2012

lately.

So many good things.
Fall must be on the horizon because I am harvesting a lot.
After work on Tuesday I decided to rob one of my hives. 
I got about half a gallon out of one frame.
Ben planted some pumpkins while I was in Texas.
My favorite fruit is finally ripening! 
Heirloom black cherry tomatoes...oh #yeeessss
Pulled up some beets & listened to Benj sing MJ's "Beat It"
Going fishing for the last summer trout on Sunday.
HAPPY AUGUST FRIENDS. 

Friday, June 22, 2012

pickles.

there are so many cukes in my garden.
last night i finally did something with them.
it's pickle season y'all. 
yield: 
Makes 4 pint (500 mL) jars
ingredients:
8-10 small pickling cucumbers (about 3pounds/1.5kg)
2 cups (500 mL) white vinegar
2 cups (500 mL) water
2 tablespoons (25 mL) pickling salt
4 heads fresh dill or 4 teaspoons dill seeds (20 mL)
4 small cloves garlic
print a shopping list for this recipe
preparation:
1. Cut a thin slice from the ends of each cucumber
2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Remove hot jars from canner.
Place 1 head fresh dill or 1 tsp (5 mL) dill seeds and 1 clove garlic into each jar; pack in cucumbers.
Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of rim (head space).
Process 10 minutes for pint (500 mL) jars and 15 minutes for quart (1 L) jars
tip:
1.Garlic may turn blue or green in the jar.
Nothing to be alarmed about, it is only the effect of the acid on the natural pigments in the garlic.
2. Pickling salt is free of the additives found in table salt, which can discolor homemade pickles.
If you use regular table salt, the pickles will taste fine, but they may turn dark, with cloudy liquid.
Do not substitute kosher salt, as the difference in texture can result in incorrect measurements.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

to the conservationist.

Please don't take your Prius to the drive-thru.
 
 
 
"Why should conservationists have a positive interest in…farming? 
There are lots of reasons, but the plainest is: Conservationists eat. 
To be interested in food but not in food production is clearly absurd. 
Urban conservationists may feel entitled to be unconcerned about food production because they are not farmers. 
But they can’t be let off so easily, for they are all farming by proxy. 
They can eat only if land is farmed on their behalf by somebody somewhere in some fashion. 
If conservationists will attempt to resume responsibility for their need to eat,
 they will be led back fairly directly to all their previous concerns for the welfare of nature. ”
Wendell Berry
Conservationist and Agrarian
picture sources:
12345

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

thoughts.

i can only think about my garden lately.
i love spring and the sweet cultivation.
soon there will be so many cucumbers for pickling.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

rainbow chard

I am growing so many things.
Rainbow chard is everywhere in my garden.
It's pesto time y'all.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
10 leaves chard, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup pecans
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (3 ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat;
 cook and stir the Swiss chard and garlic in the hot oil until the chard leaves have wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Process the basil, pecans, sea salt, Parmesan cheese, and remaining olive oil in a food processor until all the ingredients are well integrated. 
Add the Swiss chard mixture and the lemon juice to the food processor; 
continue chopping until the mixture is pureed. 
Season with salt and pepper.
You can never have too much garlic or cheese! 
Be generous.

Friday, April 27, 2012

ferns.


 
ferns are my favorite & I am so excited to bring mine out for spring this week.
all about ferns:
  • Ferns belong to a group of plants called featherplants or pteridophytes, along with club mosses and horsetails.
  • Coal is made largely of fossilized featherplants of the Carboniferous Period.
  • There are now 10,000 species of fern living in damp, shady places around the world.
  • Fern leaves are called fronds. When new they are curled up like a shepherd’s crook, but they gradually uncurl over time.
  • Ferns grow into new plants not from seeds but from spores in two stages.
  • First spores are made in sacs called sporangia. These are the brown spots on the underside of the fronds. From these spores spread out. Some settle in suitable places.
  • Second spores develop into a tiny heart-shaped plant called a prothallus that makes male and female cells. When bathed in rain, the male cells swim to the female cells, fertilizing them. A new root and stem then grow into a proper fern frond and the tiny prothallus dies.
  • more fern facts
  • i love ferns. 
  • there's a funny show with Zach Galifianakis: between two ferns

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Palm Sunday: DIY Raised Beds


Obviously gardening started in the beginning in the Garden, but for us, it started this spring. Molly has become obsessed with health and wellness, organic food, farm-to-table, and being dirty, so I decided to make two raised beds for her, for her birthday in January. This post is a sort of "DIY Raised Beds" narrative. 


Construction:
Supplies: -6 (8ft) 2x10x1 boards (per bed)
-one 8ft 3x3 rod (per bed)
-5 lbs galvanized deck screws
-square
-tape measurer
-screw driver/ power drill
-table or circular saw with sawhorses



Process: -Start by measuring out six feet on each board and drawing a line that will be your mark for cutting off the extra two feet. 
-Cut off the extra two feet
-If you want, notch out half of each board (see picture), being careful to match them up properly. 
-the extra two feet of each board will be the end of the raised bed...these need to be notched too. 
-cut the 3x3 rod into four 2 foot sections.
-fit it all together
-screw
-Now that your first layer is done, screw in the 3x3x24 rod in each corner. 
-continue to build two more layers, stacking them evenly.
-Level out the ground and install bed on it. 


**Important!-If you use treated lumber, be sure to cover the inside of the bed with plastic. Cedar wood (can be found at Fresh Start) is best suited for Raised Bedding because it doesn't need to be treated, doesn't corrode as easy, and smells good.


What to Do With a Raised Bed
Raised beds are a better way to garden for a few reasons. First, they allow the gardener to use any soil they prefer...we use organic compost and potting soil from Bunton's or Fresh Start. Second, they allow crops to be contained to a special area without the intrusion of much grass or weeds. Last, they look cool and you don't have to bend down as far. 
If you do use raised beds, you will need to start by filling them with soil (if this gets too expensive it's ok to put a layer of gravel in the bottom) but you should definitely mix the soil with compost. After this is done section off the raised bed, keeping track of where you plant each different sort of seed. For tomatoes and peas construct or buy a lattice to support the growing plants and screw it into the side of the bed. 



I think that's about it, enjoy....happy planting.