I went and laid out my calendar for starting seeds for next year--its all plotted out for succession planting through the spring and fall, so I should be able to maximize mmy garden this year. I also made a schedule for placing my seed orders...and then one of them showed up yesterday. I have my Red Robin tomatoes (to be grown indoors next winter for year round tomatoes!) and mini head lettuce seeds from Containerseeds.com. So one less order to place.
I also got talking to a friend last night who has his own garden and has done a fair amount of canning (he brought amazing home made salsa and hummus to the party we were at) and he offered me the use of his canning equipment so I can try it out next season. I just have to buy the jars and lids. Pretty exciting.
The Baker Creek order goes out this week, and since I am splitting a Cook's Garden and Chile Woman order with co-workers, those will go out later in the month. I still need to decide on mint plants since my mojito mint is dead dead dead from these stupid aphids that came in the house on them (and the spearmint and chocolate mint...those are doing OK though) I lost the mints I had last winter to aphids too, and I am using a home made soap spray on them this time, but I can't seem to beat them into submission. fortunately they have not spread to anything else, and I doubt they will if they have not done so by now.
I added a list to the blog of plants I want to grow at some point. Looking at these seed catalogs makes me crazy as there are SO MANY things I want to try. Some I know will have to wait until I have my own place--my landlord was pretty cool with the small farm I installed on his roof last year, but I doubt corn will ever go over well, and asparagus might be a tough sell in a container. I'll research more and add in for next year. I definitely want to do potatoes next year, at least.
I've done some thinking on the local diet the past few days and I think I may be crystalized to the point of actually writing about it soon.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Welcome, New Year!
I did some garden chores today...mixed my latest batch of bokashi into 3 of the self watering containers. I was set to do this Christmas Eve, but it rained, so I had to wait for a reasonably nice day and today was it. I'm down to having one large SWC to put compost in, and I think that will be ready to go in a month or so. Before I need them, definitely.
Project Garlic apears to be doing FINE. I peeked under the mulch and there are still happy looking garlic leaves poking up! I was pretty hopeful when I went and found the SWCs nota giant frozen solid mass. The boxes of mesculun I have outside the bedroom window also look reasonably well, and they are at a bigger risk for freezing, I think. yet they are still growing (very slowly) and look pretty good. If we get and nasty storms, I'll pull them inside, but they may be ready for greens in March.
Today's plan is to plot out when I need to start seeds. And finish out my seed orders. I've gotten catalogs from Burpee, Cook's Garden (a gorgeous one this year!) and Seeds of Change. I am likely NOT going to order from Burpee, but I will order from Cook's and I need to flip through Seeds of Change (the garlic came from there) The plan is to get my orders out by mid January so I am ready to roll in March. I'm not ordering much this time, since I have a lot left over from last year that I can use again.
I've been steadily using up what I out up last summer too. Today it was Jersey blueberries in the pancakes. YUM. I've been amazed by how good the produce I froze last summer tastes....as much of a pain as it was blanching and bagging, I think it was definitely worth the effort to do it. I may go and invest in a Food Saver for next summer since that is supposed to help save freezer space--I don't have much! I will probably venture into canning this summer too...I definitely want to put up some tomatoes, maybe make sauce and salsa for winter...
Project Garlic apears to be doing FINE. I peeked under the mulch and there are still happy looking garlic leaves poking up! I was pretty hopeful when I went and found the SWCs nota giant frozen solid mass. The boxes of mesculun I have outside the bedroom window also look reasonably well, and they are at a bigger risk for freezing, I think. yet they are still growing (very slowly) and look pretty good. If we get and nasty storms, I'll pull them inside, but they may be ready for greens in March.
Today's plan is to plot out when I need to start seeds. And finish out my seed orders. I've gotten catalogs from Burpee, Cook's Garden (a gorgeous one this year!) and Seeds of Change. I am likely NOT going to order from Burpee, but I will order from Cook's and I need to flip through Seeds of Change (the garlic came from there) The plan is to get my orders out by mid January so I am ready to roll in March. I'm not ordering much this time, since I have a lot left over from last year that I can use again.
I've been steadily using up what I out up last summer too. Today it was Jersey blueberries in the pancakes. YUM. I've been amazed by how good the produce I froze last summer tastes....as much of a pain as it was blanching and bagging, I think it was definitely worth the effort to do it. I may go and invest in a Food Saver for next summer since that is supposed to help save freezer space--I don't have much! I will probably venture into canning this summer too...I definitely want to put up some tomatoes, maybe make sauce and salsa for winter...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Bokashi
I think in fall of 2006--it was shortly after I joined the Yahoo Edible Container List, at any rate, that I started to feel a little funny about the amount of stuff I was putting into the trash, and I quietly wished I had room to compost. I live on the second floor of a house--I rent, so setting up some big project in the yard was out of the question. It didn't occur to me that I COULD pull this off until the Bokashi system was mentioned on the Yahoo list.
This things works PERFECTLY in an apartment enviroment. It is meant for scraps and stuff, but I do put some of my garden waste in to it too. It uses a 5 gallon bucket that you dump your scraps in (and you can even put meat scraps into it, and paper towels, tea bags, all that sort of stuff) and then add a handful of wheat bran that is impregnanted with microbes. Once your bucket is full, you sprinkle in some more wheat bran and keep the bucket closed for 2 weeks (or longer.)
After 2 weeks you have scraps that are pickled. They don't smell GREAT--very vinegary--but its not horrible either. What you are supposed to do at this point is go dig a hole and bury the contents of the bucket, and then wait another 2 weeks and plant away. What I do is dump the bucket into a 55 gallon trash bin, and cover it with dirt from old pots, or bury some directly into the bigger containers I use or tomatoes. I can testify that in 2 weeks, stuff you bury in a trash bin will turn into nice compost. You do want to cut up stuff, because bigger chunks (corn cobs, avacado pits...ask me how I know) don't break down so quickly. Sometimes you get white fluffy mold in the bucket...that's OK.
While the bucket is initially composting, it makes a liquid you can use as plant food, or just dump down the drain. You're supposed to drain the liquid off every 48 hours...I don't do that so often.
You can probably make your own Bokashi buckets--or you can buy them. You can also buy the bran or if you're really hardcore and have space, you can make your own. Arbico Organics has the buckets and bran, but I will warn you, the bran can take WEEKS to arrive so don't wait until you're nearly out to order it. I have 2 buckets which works well for me--it takes me about a month to fill one. I'm emptying one this weekend, actually.
This is a really excellent explanation of how the system works My bucket lives under my kitchen sink, and you'd never know it was there. I use the liquid that come soff the bucket as plant food, as I mentioned--its about 240 ml (4 ounces) to 2 gallons of water. That stuff does smell a little, but it dissipates quickly.
So, the upshot-if you live in an apartment, you can still recycle your organic stuff pretty easily and in a way your landlord won't even know you're doing!
This things works PERFECTLY in an apartment enviroment. It is meant for scraps and stuff, but I do put some of my garden waste in to it too. It uses a 5 gallon bucket that you dump your scraps in (and you can even put meat scraps into it, and paper towels, tea bags, all that sort of stuff) and then add a handful of wheat bran that is impregnanted with microbes. Once your bucket is full, you sprinkle in some more wheat bran and keep the bucket closed for 2 weeks (or longer.)
After 2 weeks you have scraps that are pickled. They don't smell GREAT--very vinegary--but its not horrible either. What you are supposed to do at this point is go dig a hole and bury the contents of the bucket, and then wait another 2 weeks and plant away. What I do is dump the bucket into a 55 gallon trash bin, and cover it with dirt from old pots, or bury some directly into the bigger containers I use or tomatoes. I can testify that in 2 weeks, stuff you bury in a trash bin will turn into nice compost. You do want to cut up stuff, because bigger chunks (corn cobs, avacado pits...ask me how I know) don't break down so quickly. Sometimes you get white fluffy mold in the bucket...that's OK.
While the bucket is initially composting, it makes a liquid you can use as plant food, or just dump down the drain. You're supposed to drain the liquid off every 48 hours...I don't do that so often.
You can probably make your own Bokashi buckets--or you can buy them. You can also buy the bran or if you're really hardcore and have space, you can make your own. Arbico Organics has the buckets and bran, but I will warn you, the bran can take WEEKS to arrive so don't wait until you're nearly out to order it. I have 2 buckets which works well for me--it takes me about a month to fill one. I'm emptying one this weekend, actually.
This is a really excellent explanation of how the system works My bucket lives under my kitchen sink, and you'd never know it was there. I use the liquid that come soff the bucket as plant food, as I mentioned--its about 240 ml (4 ounces) to 2 gallons of water. That stuff does smell a little, but it dissipates quickly.
So, the upshot-if you live in an apartment, you can still recycle your organic stuff pretty easily and in a way your landlord won't even know you're doing!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
This week's bread
Last night/this morning I made wheat bread. I love love love waking up to the smells of baking bread at 5 am! This recipe also comes form the Bread Machine Cookbook. I also recommend NOT using the whole wheat setting if your machine has one, as this gives a longer rise time, and if you're me, you end up with a giant loaf that almost escapes the bread maker!
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1 egg (optional--I used it)
2 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp yeast
This is nice and light and really good. I ended with a loaf with a giant muffin top that I had to cut off to store the bread. I'll probably cut this up and use it at dinners.
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1 egg (optional--I used it)
2 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp yeast
This is nice and light and really good. I ended with a loaf with a giant muffin top that I had to cut off to store the bread. I'll probably cut this up and use it at dinners.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Plotting and Planning
This weekend brought the season's first nor'easter. It was pretty much over by noon on Sunday here, and was mostly wind and rain. I dealt with it by making my final garden plans for 2008--heck, soon it will be time to start seeds, right?
So, here is what I grew last season, that I plan on repeating:
Leaf lettuce/mesculun
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Snap peas
Blue/yellow peas
Green/yellow/purple beans
Bell peppers
Cucumbers
Sungold cherry tomato
Sweet 100 cherry tomato
Lemondrop cherry tomato
Watermelon(Sugar Baby)
India Paint Eggplant
Nasturtiums
Plants that are still in pots inside include catnip, anise mint, pineapple mint, chocolate mint, peppermint, and Kentucky Colonel mint (that I may be losing to aphids), chives, parsley, summerlong basil and strawberries. They will go back outside when it warms up again.
What I want to try this year:
Garlic (planted already, and hopefully still ok)
Hot peppers
Spaghetti Squash
Zuchinni
Soy Beans (I like edemame)
Head Lettuce
Large tomato variety--Rutgers
Paste/sauce tomato--New Jersey Giant
Swiss Chard- Rainbow/Bright lights (I have no idea if I like to eat chard or not...I probably will like it, but it is GORGEOUS to look at!)
I am planning on ordering the eggplant as plants from Cook's Garden, and I will order my hot peppers as plants from The Chile Woman. I have not dealt with Chile Woman yet, but she has a zillion kinds of peppers and she was recommended on the edible container group.
I am ordering seed for the spaghetti squash, zuchinni (Black Beauty), soy, and tomatoes from Baker Creek Seeds. A friend introduced me to this catalog and I find their prices really good for seed, and I like their philosophy. The catalog is a stunner, too. They have ALL KINDS of heirloom plants. If this batch of stuff works out, I may try some other things from them in 2009.
I'll need to build some more self watering boxes for the tomatoes, since I only have 4 for tomatoes bow, and it looks like I want to grow 5 tomato plants.
So, here is what I grew last season, that I plan on repeating:
Leaf lettuce/mesculun
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Snap peas
Blue/yellow peas
Green/yellow/purple beans
Bell peppers
Cucumbers
Sungold cherry tomato
Sweet 100 cherry tomato
Lemondrop cherry tomato
Watermelon(Sugar Baby)
India Paint Eggplant
Nasturtiums
Plants that are still in pots inside include catnip, anise mint, pineapple mint, chocolate mint, peppermint, and Kentucky Colonel mint (that I may be losing to aphids), chives, parsley, summerlong basil and strawberries. They will go back outside when it warms up again.
What I want to try this year:
Garlic (planted already, and hopefully still ok)
Hot peppers
Spaghetti Squash
Zuchinni
Soy Beans (I like edemame)
Head Lettuce
Large tomato variety--Rutgers
Paste/sauce tomato--New Jersey Giant
Swiss Chard- Rainbow/Bright lights (I have no idea if I like to eat chard or not...I probably will like it, but it is GORGEOUS to look at!)
I am planning on ordering the eggplant as plants from Cook's Garden, and I will order my hot peppers as plants from The Chile Woman. I have not dealt with Chile Woman yet, but she has a zillion kinds of peppers and she was recommended on the edible container group.
I am ordering seed for the spaghetti squash, zuchinni (Black Beauty), soy, and tomatoes from Baker Creek Seeds. A friend introduced me to this catalog and I find their prices really good for seed, and I like their philosophy. The catalog is a stunner, too. They have ALL KINDS of heirloom plants. If this batch of stuff works out, I may try some other things from them in 2009.
I'll need to build some more self watering boxes for the tomatoes, since I only have 4 for tomatoes bow, and it looks like I want to grow 5 tomato plants.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
This week's bread
Since it is winter, there is not much to talk about, but I also feel I need to keep posting to keep the ball rolling on this blog. I have a few things I DO want to discuss in greater detail, but I need time to really write those up. So, instead what I though I would do is share a bread recipe each week.
I make bread every week, usually on Monday. I have a bread machine and I love it, so these are all bread machine recipes. I try to make a different bread each week because I like variety. Most of my recipes come from a 1991 cook book called The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathmell German. That is where this one comes from. It is for Rye Bread:
Medium Loaf--put ingredients in order into your bread machine, or use order specified by manufacturer.
1 cup 2 Tbs water
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbs Honey
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 cup Rye flour
1 3/4 cup bread flour
3 Tbs nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp yeast
This is supposed to be a New York style rye. Its close but not really quite there. I think it might be different if I rolled this out at the end of the dough cycle and made a real loaf out of it, but I'm not sure--the texture is not quite right for "real" rye bread to me.
Anyway. Enjoy.
I make bread every week, usually on Monday. I have a bread machine and I love it, so these are all bread machine recipes. I try to make a different bread each week because I like variety. Most of my recipes come from a 1991 cook book called The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathmell German. That is where this one comes from. It is for Rye Bread:
Medium Loaf--put ingredients in order into your bread machine, or use order specified by manufacturer.
1 cup 2 Tbs water
1 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbs Honey
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 cup Rye flour
1 3/4 cup bread flour
3 Tbs nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp yeast
This is supposed to be a New York style rye. Its close but not really quite there. I think it might be different if I rolled this out at the end of the dough cycle and made a real loaf out of it, but I'm not sure--the texture is not quite right for "real" rye bread to me.
Anyway. Enjoy.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Good Timing
...I guess...we got our first real snow today. i did not bring my greens boxes in (I got distracted before leaving for the night) and they are pretty pissed off looking salad greens on my window sill. I also think that my garlic boxes froze--at least the top of the soil is hard. Maybe the roots are OK. Its out of my hands right now!
One of tomorrow's projects will be to put all my seeds away in the freezer until March when I get planting again. Next up will be inventorying what I have and ordering what I need based on my garden plans. Then I need to build more boxes and start the cycle again.
I think next year I am going to try to keep things rolling indoors (greens at least) but I need to research that....
One of tomorrow's projects will be to put all my seeds away in the freezer until March when I get planting again. Next up will be inventorying what I have and ordering what I need based on my garden plans. Then I need to build more boxes and start the cycle again.
I think next year I am going to try to keep things rolling indoors (greens at least) but I need to research that....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
