May Garden Report

Why yes, I DID pretty much spend March and April garden time without a camera.

 But there was much kale, and much seed starting(ALL THE SEEDS!), and more hours of digging out new beds from grass than I care to count.  But we have a new veggie raised bed, a butterfly garden, and we got to surround the trees in the church yard with little beds too.  The photo at right (from early in May) may not look like much, but things have been happening!! The peach trees have both leafed out- no buds though- and it's been so fun to watch all these little things get comparatively HUGE!

We're experiencing the beauty of my grandmother's garden in queen Anne's lace from the same stock as her wedding bouquet, fennel to feed caterpillars, and in coreopsis that the church kids love to pick.  Sunflowers and zinnia seeds have poked their heads up,  and they are going to be beauties come July and August.

We'll continue to enjoy the chard and spinach starts as they grow into the new salad bed I have hiding out in the closest thing I could call shade... And yes, that is another pallet hack, which I will have to actually take a picture of soon.

But May is past, and my oh my, was it delicious. Along with our greens and the first of the carrots that started as seeds, we have gotten to experience the bounty of other gardens.

 The people we are blessed to serve in our little Southern town are generous with the fruits of their gardens, y'all.  We knew that last year when, within a couple of weeks, we had a little it of everything in season, but we are seeing it again with the new goodies of the Spring, and then there's the fact that I haven't had to buy eggs from the store more than 3 or 4 times in 6 months even though we eat a dozen or so a week.  So far this Spring we have enjoyed Vidalia onions, new potatoes, corn and all the yellow squash we can eat.

Did I mention strawberries? It seems the squirrels got most of ours, but Copeland Farms came to the rescue.   As May gives way to June, we have the bounty of green beans coming in, and I'm thinking our zucchini will make its appearance soon.


And a lovely surprise... Our Early Girl Tomatoes came in May's final days with our first taste of summer heat.
However, something else got to enjoy the first tomato before we had a chance.  I wasn't happy, but you know, birds(that's our guess) have to eat, too.  We've had plenty of tomatoes even without the couple bites they stole.
 Summer is stretching out before us in crazy calendars, family vacations, even more tomatoes to come, and what I hope will be a season of enjoying the slowed-down pace and the lullaby of frogs and crickets as we sit out with citronella candles and eat fresh, lovely, local foods from the garden and our grill.

More soon, but if not, you know where to find me.  Playing in the dirt.


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February Garden Report

Well, THINGS ARE HAPPENING!

We found a greenhouse-seed-starting-tower-thingy at 60% off just after our move to the country, and I put it together just after the last post in anticipation of being able to start seedlings on our porch- the weather was relatively mild through January and it seemed the thing to do.
After all, I went to my first seed swap and learned how to make things like paper pots and seed paper.  It was knowledge meant to be used, right?
RIGHT??!
And so I did.  Paper pots were duly made of old newsprint and filled with seed starter, placed into carefully labeled trays, and I felt like a champ, and waited to see what would come up...
But February was WINDY.
And this happened... Twice.

So February ended with no seedlings, but with bungee cords holding the greenhouse down, and with a gleeful purchase of window box hangers, strawberry plants, and collard green plants.

Growing space plans expanded and buckets once used to hold cow vitamin/mineral supplements became lovely, wonderful painted vessels of hope- with holes drilled for drainage they're painted and ready to be a couple potato buckets, a spot for peas, and all-around extra space.

March is going to kick it into high gear... bolstered by how yummy the broccoli we GREW was when we ate it this month.

January Garden Report

Following through on the resolution Jon and I made to localize, I've been digging in to a few great books, and poring over the seed catalog.
I'm going to a Seed Swap on Saturday and can't believe how exciting the prospect of meeting other locavores is... I'm not under the illusion that I have a whole lot to offer, but I'm very much looking forward to being a sponge in this group of folks!

And I did plant some seeds.... Parsnips and greens(swiss chard, spinach, and a spring-mix-type-blend).  Broccoli and kale are growing away, and the new addition to the deck garden(pictures soon- lots of new additions to the deck garden!)? A dear friend gave me walking onions as a gift for my ordination.

Hopefully, this time next month will see potato towers, onions and garlic all planted, and radishes and carrots moving right along... Looking forward to re-working the deck plants and having more useable outdoor space... mild temperatures through 3 seasons almost make summer worth it.

Words

There are two words stuck in my head as things I want to strive for in 2016.

Balance.

Localize.

Balance... between work and life, surely.  In 2014 and 2015 the world has been inundated with articles about women who "have it all" or how women will never "have it all".  And I don't intend to list them or weigh the merits of them.
But what I mean when I say balance has everything and nothing to do with having it all.  I want to spend time each day writing, and reading, and being outside... I want to know I have been playing in the dirt(or with food I just took out of the dirt) or moving my body in the sunshine... and I desperately want and need to pursue creative endeavors.
I could draw out pie charts or obsessively schedule, but those things have kept me from the doing in years past, so I won't... I will try out the Pomodoro Method on my mornings.  Cycles of work and breaks could be just the ticket.

Localize... Well, I have Barbera Kingsolver to blame  thank for this kick in the pants.  Have you read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle?  I unabashedly recommend it.  I also want to take miles off of my food because of it.  So we're expanding the garden and diversifying what we're planting... I hope to make all the salsa we eat from June(when tomatoes start really coming in) on, and have good things in our freezer, and on our table, and filling up mason jars for those days when they can't be found local and fresh.  One of the benefits of this point in our lives is having the time to invest in this sort of garden... and it's one of those habits I am so glad to be starting young.  It'll have lasting benefits for our whole lives.
But here's the thing.  We can't grow it all.  And what we can't grow, I want to find in or around my community.  It's a way to put money into the economy in this place where we call home, and, more importantly, connect with the people who bring meat and milk to the table.
So I think we'll be on the winning end... with relationships in the community and a full pantry.

Alright 2016.   I'm coming for you.

Pumpkin: Too late?

Seminole pumpkins have languished in the interim between being Thanksgiving decor and waiting for some higher calling... And I got the itch yesterday.  I turned 4 squash into purees.  Oven on 350 for 55 minutes a round, and now I have something like 8 cups of puree, tidily divided into 1/2 cup servings, waiting in the freezer to become a layer in lasagne, a secret dose of vegetables in mac and cheese or muffins... and seeds.  Some drying for the garden (the plans, ohh the plans...) and most roasting for our tummies.

I took them all for a very through rinse, left them out to dry overnight, rinsed once more, and spread them on a cookie sheet.  Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, Braggs Aminos, and creole seasoning made these little guys sassy, and then I roasted them at 295 for about 45 minutes... stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Verdict:  Delicious.  Will do this one again.

Growing

It's the end of springtime- Easter's arrival meant it was really feeling like it- you can't deny the world its celebration and its vibrant colors when we also celebrate a risen Lord, and as the weeks have gone on Spring's vibrant blossoms and buds have begun to give way to the bright sun and bustling gardens that have really taken off.

My grandmother planted things every Good Friday, and I added to my garden in that spirit.  A tomato and a bell pepper joined the ranks alongside the greens on Good Friday.
When I missed her on Mother's day weekend I added sage, thyme, parsley, and another tomato.  I found a strawberry pot like the one we got her for Mother's Day a while back, and I might just pick up the plants to fill it this week, even though it'll be another pot to move and be careful of on our journey South.
 I've started dreaming of next year, when everything won't have to live in containers that have to move, and when I will have a raised bed tucked alongside our little house.  Next year- when there's a yard and a little space for me to start seedlings, when peas and squash and cucumbers join the ranks, and sunflowers and bulbs are in the yard.

Next year.

But... there's joy in my tiny garden, and in my house.  There is something about watching the dog play outside the kitchen window and having the grill right outside the door- something about all of the oddities that made our strange little first house a home.  It's now.  And it won't be next year. It's bittersweet to think about the packing boxes stacking up in the next room, waiting to be filled.

Jon's career means we move in 4 weeks, and God holds something for us in the anticipation of planning and "probably" and "hopefully".  And my vocation becomes more deeply rooted in meeting people where they are, and in the glory God shows us every day in nature- in the great green growing times we have in our sights.