Preparing Garden Spots for the Vegetable Starts

A brief moment of rest for Chris at our camper on the farm where we hold our farm market. He's been working night and day, growing the little seedlings that soon will go into the ground that he's getting ready. After all, if you're going to have a farm market, you kinda need to have some produce!!!

Chris is using a 1980 Gravely that can do ANYTHING!  We believe that was the last year the Gravely tractors were made in America. I have the utmost respect for his older machinery. The plow was made in the 30's. All his attachments were made from the early 30's to the mid-50's. It's really handy that Chris likes restoring things. These work well and help keep the cost down.

After all, Chris is the real force behind the farm market. He says it's me, but I know better. Sure, I love cooking and baking, but he has wanted to farm all his life, and what better way to serve the community than to raise fresh, safe, great-tasting produce?! 

During the day, the gardens are getting plowed and tilled while the little plants are getting much-needed sunlight on our deck at home. 


Then at night, all the little plants come back inside. After all, the babies need warmth to grow and, remember, we have no greenhouse yet so our home has to serve the plants' needs for now.

Some of these seedlings will be planted in our garden spots and eventually find their way to market.

Others will be sold as plants at our farm market to go into other people's gardens.

Prepare the Soil, Then Plant the Seed

Chris says it's my farm market. 

I say it's his.

The fact is, we're both sharing the labor

as we begin this journey,

not knowing exactly where it will end but fully aware that

the journey itself is the destination.

Chris takes a moment on the step of our vintage Airstream to catch his breath after working on the grounds while I've been tending our farm market.   The camper serves as a comfortable base for our work.

The chickens and ducks do a great job of providing the eggs for Old Homestead Farm Market. While I've concentrated on the jellies, jams, breads, cakes, cookies, candies and pies, Chris has done all the  work of preparing the grounds, parking area, making signs and getting the gardens ready for planting--after his day's work.
Then, after dark, he retreats to our loft and tends his little plants. He has turned our loft and deck into a sort of greenhouse nursery, but he's having much better luck with his seedlings than I ever had. At this point, where he had hoped to raise 5 or 6 dozen little white cabbage seedlings, he has around 500! And he has about the same number of red cabbage.

These (broccoli?) plants are crowded and need more room for root development.

Who knew he had such a green thumb?!

Chris is explaining how he needs more room in the loft area of our home because  his germination rate far exceeded his expectation. 

Luckily, Chris just happens to have some old bolt trays that were no longer being used so he's been transplanting.

These shelves should help!

As usual, Chris recycles salvaged materials: old egg cartons that people have traded in but are not our brand, his brother's used garage shelving, and bolt trays that had been thrown in the dumpster when a specialty fastening shop moved. 

As I write, it's 2:30 a.m. and he's planting little pepper seeds. Our hope is to provide not only baked goods but also fresh produce and plants at our farm market. We want to offer a variety of seedlings to encourage others to grow their own vegetables, whether it's in a patio planter of tomatoes, a community garden or a family garden spot. Fresh, homegrown vegetables just taste better!

A Photo Essay

There is something visceral, very REAL, about our connection with the land when we grow, harvest and preserve great food and drink for the table. Sharing the food  and experiences with others becomes incredibly fulfilling. Chris and I have discovered that magic. 

In this blog, I share our experiences, successes and frustrations with our particular brand of homesteading that includes chickens, gardening, cooking, food preserving, and building projects. You will find an occasional recipe, some research or an idea that makes life easier. And if I occasionally make you laugh or help lighten your load, that makes me happy. 


When you prepare food to share with family and friends using whole food products, especially what you've grown, you'll serve up meals that are tastier, healthier, and your soul will overflow with fulfillment. You will be living abundantly. Work with your right hand and share with your left. In all you do, act of out love. Your life will become more than the sum of your parts. This is The Pauley Principle.

Short-term Exercise Program, Long-term Benefits

Gardening is a short-term exercise program that offers the promise of long-term edible benefits!

Admittedly, I got out of the hard work of gardening this year because of my broken leg. Chris really came through and tended the garden to keep the weeds out. The weather cooperated and voila!

Chris has recently been busy gathering the veggies. He brings them in and I wish I could say I take it from there, as usual, but Chris has also helped with food preservation. That is really quality time! Many of the beans and corn are already processed for later enjoyment. And others have been given away. Our potatoes, squashes and pumpkins soon need to be gathered and put in storage.

Now that I'm about to lose my walking cast, the work for me will get intensive. I'm gearing up for it with a daily workout program of Pilates and Yoga but I miss the aerobics of gardening and hiking!

Our family meals are largely Mediterranean-based and require plain tomato sauce, plain so that the sauce can be adapted for different purposes. Although we planted a wide variety of tomatoes, I'm especially pleased with the Romas this year. They're hanging in thick, heavy clusters that remind me of bananas. I'll start by first processing tomato sauce, then salsa and whole tomatoes. By the end of the season, close to frost,  the mix of stragglers will go into a blended tomato juice that can be added to other veggies for a little nutrition boost. Maybe making tomato juice will keep me from drinking the salsa!

I encourage all my readers at some point in your life to try making your own sauce and salsa. The fresh taste is amazing! And the health benefits are long-lasting! You don't need to pay money to join a health club!

Garden Give-aways and Possible Trades

In our record-breaking harvest this year, my gimpy leg has been a mixed blessing. Breaking a leg really slows down the ability to get into the gardens to gather the vegetables but it speeds up the willingness to share! Right now, as I write, I'm gathering up the energy to take this gimpy leg out to gather more green beans. As the garden grows over the next week, I'll probably find more green beans and sweetcorn than we can eat. For my viewers who are willing and able to pick, please give me a call or shoot me a comment. When possible, I love working out trades. It's such fun!

This year's harvest for us is not only abundant, it has been pretty much blemish-free. Chris and the little ladybugs have been out there doing their work while I leave them alone. (What can I say? He likes the little ladies and I'm reminded of the chicks.)

Remember my tomatoes that got out really late? Thank goodness! Even though we are now out of last year's canned salsa and tomato sauce, trying to hop up on the cabinet to hold down the tomato press while I crank away (yes, really!) would be quite a chore if I also had to watch my leg to keep it out of the way and painfree. The tomatoes will come, but by then I'll have full use of this gimpy leg! And then, again, I'll be back in business, making my salsa. Even canned, it tastes so fresh and yummy! Sometimes I just drink it!

Keep watching my post. The Roma tomatoes are coming on slow but plentiful, maybe more than I can crank out, and they are a very meaty tomato, great for sauce.

If You're Gonna Raise Pole Beans, You've Gotta be Real Tall

From front to back: Early Girl Tomatoes, Blue Lake Pole Beans, and Gotta Have It Bi-color Sweetcorn.

For the first time, we tried growing pole beans. Pictured are Blue Lake pole beans but we also have Kentucky Wonders. Up until now, my favorite beans were Blue Lake bush beans, a little different critter than the ones that shinny up a pole. Even with the boost of my walking cast, I cannot begin to touch the top of the poles. How will I ever pick these beans?!

Well, I have an idea.  A couple of weeks ago, I broke my leg, the lower fibula. After that, I tried walking with crutches but Chris soon witnessed a first-rate pole-vaulting event when I flew over the front walk and into the bushes. So I'm thinking maybe I can try that same technique, make a fast hobble for it, get a little more height next time, and reach the beans to pick them on my way down the other side.

Frankly, it's the best garden we've ever grown and it just may have something to do with my staying out of it these past two weeks. Those days are over. Our daughter wanted to come home to help with the harvest and, when she visited, I soon discovered what she meant. She loaded up her car with fresh produce to take back! That's all! So I ventured out this morning, walker in tow, steadied myself, and picked some bush beans for my own table! After all that effort, they're gonna taste so good! I know, it would have made a better story to say I pole vaulted to pick them. Maybe next time. Those pole beans aren't even blooming yet!

The Mystery Beans

This jar stayed in the basement for only God knows how long. Mystery Beans is what I called them. They had belonged to Chris's dad, so I knew they were his seed crop. They had to be good. We'd heard of seeds from a pyramid that still germinated and these seeds weren't THAT old so we gave them a try in our garden. Then I scouted out similar seeds at bulk seed suppliers and was able to identify them as the Kentucky Wonders, a pole bean! OOPS!  We planted them wrong. 

Just to be sure they were worth the extra work, I made venison chili using some beans from the mystery jar. YUM! They ARE worth the effort! Full of flavor, they're similar to a kidney bean and produce their own rich brown broth.

We were already experimenting this year with Bush's Blue Lake Pole Beans. Since we'd never grown pole beans before, Chris, being the resourceful person he is, supplied our garden with poles by thinning out the young maple sapplings from our maple grove. If nothing else, it brings back the nostalgia of our trips south and the way things used to be done. Especially, it brought back memories of his dad's huge garden. Sure, it's going to be more work but, without this extra work, it's hard to experience the goodness of the flavors and textures of the way it was, of times gone by.

                                                                                          

Bean Poles ready for Action

 

 

Making the Salsa Bed

Chris hated breaking his last night's promise to plow the backyard garden today. He was planning to use his Gravely. It's an antique, I think, but this would be our first experience with it for the garden so we were both excited to see how it did. Last night's 9/10" rained spoiled our plans and Chris was back on the farm instead with the Gravely doing some sickle bar mowing around the pine trees instead.

So, without any kids, without any visitors, and without the Gravely, that left me to try to find a way to get my vegetable seedlings into the ground--finally! I'd already wasted my first batch of tomato sprouts since I started them in February, afraid I'd run out of salsa before I had more tomatoes! Pretty foolish, I know! But now I had seedlings that weren't growing well because they needed outside in rich garden soil, rain and real sunshine. The first thing I did was to take inventory of the cold frame where my mix of lettuces and kale had been. There were a few stragglers, so I pulled them out, washed them up in the kitchen and allowed them to drain while I yanked out the weeds that had overtaken their space. 

All afternoon I worked, yanking weeds and preparing the soil for the new arrivals. I planted in the rain so no need to water further, I figured. I was a happy gardener, not really knowing how to go about crowding my veggies. I decided to do it a little like raised bed gardening since the veggies would have to be in there tight. The first thing that went in were the sweet potatoes. I had to have a place for them since the voles at the potato patch were horrible little monsters! They would eat them up underground and we wouldn't have a clue until harvest time. (But aha! We have now erected a raptor perch, hoping to attract hawks to find the voles since voles also eat pine roots, but I digress. The pines are a totally different topic.) Back to my gardening:

 In the very back I have yams and sweet potatoes. This frame has eight inches of topsoil and sand above the ground, so I suppose the potatoes will have room to burrow. In front of that are six yellow tomato plants. In the very front I have planted my ten little mixed pepper plants. I will dub this bed my "salsa bed".

One surprise: In with my pepper seedlings was one lonely unidentified tomato that I mistakenly labeled and treated like a pepper. So I potted it and it will become someone's mystery tomato patio plant.

Growing Potatoes

Over the past three years we have tried our best to be green with growing potatoes, attacking the dreaded potato beetle with our bare hands. Chris would get out and hand pick the bugs from the potatoes, not wanting to kill the praying mantis babies that we hoped would get the job done. Sometimes he would pick potato beetles for an hour, counting and one day catching more than 600 bugs over several hours, only to see more coming onto the plants later that evening. A single bug can easily destroy a plant in a day, so imagine what just a hundred could do!

One of the problems with potato beetles is that the larva is underground where you may not notice them until they emerge from the ground as fully developed bugs with voracious appetites. Our solution? Imidocloprid, sold as Nuprid. Treating the soil seems to be effective, halting the development of the larva in the early spring, prior to planting potatoes. The potato crop is coming along really well without the lacy leaves associated with bug damage.

We'd rather be green about our veggies, so if anyone has a practical solution for potato beetles, please pass it on! I hear ducks eat them and we have some ducks that go into a feeding frenzy when they see a cricket so what would they do in an infested potato patch? I have to wonder!

The Three Sisters and Friends

People ask me what they should try to grow if they have a small garden. My first thought: tomatoes! They're so adaptable to meal plans. My second thought: potatoes! No longer relegated to the garden, they are emerging as horticultural plantings for landscapes, make a very pretty ground cover and provide delicious spuds that can be prepared for the table in a multitude of ways. My third thought: "The Three Sisters", quite possibly responsible for the success of both the early native Americans and the immigrants who came later to live and thrive here in America.

In early times, before recorded history in America, the people who inhabited the land would plant beans, corn and squash together. The three vegetables came to be called "The Three Sisters" and became standard. This planting combination had been a brilliant agricultural plan, ingenious in the way the plants complemented each other. The way it worked, stalks of corn provided a structure for climbing beans. In turn, beans brought nitrogen from the air down into their roots and into the soil where the corn, which has to have nitrogen, could use it. Beans and corn together would provide a great protein source, especially important when meat could not be found. Squash provided the perfect vining ground cover to fight weeds and hold in moisture, proving to be even better because it was edible. Our early Americans valued both its flowers and its fruit.

If you have the room, I would suggest all these vegetables but, especially, garden with the three sisters. They worked in olden days in the garden and will continue working today!

Apple Trees

If you've ever considered planting apple trees, now's the time to get them. The fragrance and incredible beauty of the blossoms add a homey feel wherever they're planted but you may need to check with any rules, ordinances or property owners before you plant. You don't want to be a rule-bender, now do you, Rusty? But, imagine having apple trees. Once a tree starts to mature, FREE FRUIT for years!!!

When we bought this land, there were trees so old that Johnny Appleseed himself must have planted them! Old-fashioned Early Harvest was one. That's a rare apple these days and we've been trying unsuccessfully to save these ancient trees. Last year I put out a couple of Fuji apple trees. They're a great apple for flavor and firmness and, great in desserts, this is the apple I suggest for the Apple Maple Walnut Salad that follows this post. I leave the speckled, finely striped yellowish-red peel on for eye appeal

Other great apples for sweetness and texture are the Honeycrisp and Goldrush, and I believe both store well. The yellow Goldrush is a favorite for pies and is one of the apples that cider-makers like to add to their batch.

Cider-makers also like the McIntosh, a smaller bright red apple that has a softer texture and is slightly tart. The mix of sweetness and tartness gives cider part of its unique flavor punch.

If you can only plant one tree and have no storage, go for a Golden Delicious. This apple tree is self-pollinating, so it can stand alone and still produce. Because its texture is not as firm, the sweet Golden Delicious is best eaten fresh and is also great for applesauce and pies.

For a tart apple, the Liberty,  looking a lot like a Fuji, is just mildly tart and very tasty. The Granny Smith may be the best green apple ever to serve with caramel or for candied apples. That contrast of tart and sweet is so-o-o good!

Those are just some of the apples you can choose from but I never met an apple I didn't like. The prettiest apple in the world just may be the Red Delicious. When I taught in a classroom, sometimes the kids would bring me nicely polished apples (and more than a few had a tiny bite out of them!) but it was a real treat when we had enough to make apple salad for the class! Ah, the memories!

I suggest planting your own trees for FREE FRUIT and wonderful memories of your own! If you don't have the land for one, you can make arrangements to plant on the shares with someone who does.

Plant a Zucchini and Feed the World

My husband says if you plant one zucchini you can feed the world. It's true that they're a pretty prolific plant and they're pretty easy to grow. But what if, like my husband, you think you don't like zucchini? Actually, they're pretty good in so many things as well as being good for you.

My favorite thing with zucchini is--now don't laugh until you try it--fried zucchini blossoms. Although not part of the typical American diet, wow! They should be! Fry them in butter after dredging them in an egg batter, lightly salted. 100% pure YUM!  Besides that, the blossoms are a great filler in cheese quesadillas and are often used as a diet staple in real Mexican homes. They're also a cooking ingredient in Italy and add a nice touch to baked pasta.  Zucchini, squash or pumpkin blossoms just don't fit with what we think of as Italian or Mexican food. I'm just saying give them a fair try!

The problem with mass marketing zucchini blossoms is that they are fragile. That makes the fun of growing and enjoying your own something pretty rare. When you gather them, and they will continue producing throughout our growing season, simply place the blossoms in a bowl of cold, salted water and allow them to crisp a bit. Then drain and cook. The blossoms of any variety of the squash or pumpkin families can be used.

With two to four plants, any blossoms that move on to produce fruit should provide plenty of fresh pickings for your other squash recipes. Remember that most squash varieties are versatile enough to be fried, used in an array of salads or baked into breads and cakes. The plants require little care but do best with plenty of rain or watering. Remember, plant a zucchini and feed the world!

Urban Farming Tour 2010 "Prepping Today for a Healthy Tomorrow"

Caring for Tomato Seedlings

I encourage everyone to raise their own tomatoes, at least a few to supplement your meals. They are so much tastier than store-bought! Plus, you control what goes into them. After all, if harmful chemicals go into your tomatoes, they also go into you.

Tomatoes are easy to germinate but, during that period after germination and before planting outdoors, pay attention to your watering methods as well as light and temperature. My little plants were turning yellowish-white on the tips of their leaves and starting to curl. As careful as I had been to set up a grow light and control their temperature, I had been using our tap water for the little plants. After all, we drink it so it can't be that bad, can it?  Well, yes it can. Two of the chemicals in our tap water seem to be the culprits that were killing our little plants: chlorine and calcium chloride. Although lime is good for them, the chlorine/ides could ruin them. The solution for us: Catch rain water. Not as pure as distilled water, rain gathers nitrogen (great for tomatoes!) and other seemingly harmless elements from the air, actually filtering the air we breathe. On the other hand, if you live in a smog-ridden area or happen to be near a faulty nuclear power plant, rainwater may not be your best option.

Now onto another question: How to remove the chlorine and calcium chloride (that limy residue) from our tap water without breaking the bank--any suggestions?

Pleasantville Meets Farmville

The notion of sustainable living is catching on and many people are going beyond the tomato pot on the patio! Despite zoning regulations and city council grumblings, American people throughout the country and into the suburbs, from Boston to Minneapolis and far beyond the midwest, are stretching their arms, using their muscles, testing their freedom and independence, and discovering that chickens make great pets. They're easy to care for and, added benefit, they lay eggs! The craze is spreading so much that Chickiwiki is looking for contributing writers to keep up with demand. Check them out at http://raisingchickens.wetpaint.com/.

When I think of this, I am reminded of Foghorn Leghorn, that big lovable barnyard rooster of the cartoon era of days gone by. Not so, this new breed of farmers. The ones who want eggs can't get eggs from a rooster, and a rooster can upset the eggbasket in more ways than one! Instead, some are turning their backyards into a chicken run. That shed in the backyard may actually be a chicken coop. And an extra bathtub may be where they incubate their chicks!

Largely, this suburban farming is in response to the light shed on egg production by humane societies and chicken rescuers. Ironically, some chicken rescue farms become overloaded in autumn when people realize that chickens may not be that easy to care for and they have no way to protect their laying hens or banty rooster during the cold winter months.

I thought my husband had had enough of both eggs and chickens, having grown up on a 2500-chicken farm, where hens had reign over a full barn with a small barnlot to roam, minus good old Foghorn. No, just recently my husband decided a couple of dozen laying hens would take care of our growing family. He is now turning the farm back to the chickens, nonprofit this time. He's resurrected the old farming how-to books and compared them with the new-fangled internet sites that talk about chickens as pets, complete with names and accessories, and will soon be ready to start up his "chicken farm". 

Whether you've had chickens or an anecdote, please share with me and my other readers.

A Country Boy Can Survive? He's not the only one.

Whether you're a man or a woman, here's a 10-step plan for the new year.

In pioneering days, the role of woman became elevated as her strength, wisdom and skills proved necessary for survival. To survive in the thirties and forties, for the duration of the Great Depression and beyond, women proved again the importance of their contributions to the household. Luckily, at that time, large numbers of people were rural. The working poor who had their gardens and often a few animals were somewhat inconvenienced by hard times while city dwellers starved unless they found ways to become self-reliant. Think "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse" where the role of "hard times" was played by the cat. The Country Mouse worked a little harder but survived without too much worry.

In response to hard times of the Great Depression, the government established some social safety nets not only to get people back to work but also to provide some sustenance to ward off starvation and homelessness.

Today, some of those programs no longer exist and others are losing funding. Today's young adults are roughing it in monumental ways, often the first to lose jobs in the current market downturn and unable to get financing or develop a support system for the things they need. Today, more than half of the young adults over twenty-five receive help from their parents, and many more need help, falling through the cracks of a flimsy safety net. The ones who can't make it sometimes turn to crime as their only means of survival. Politicians may seem out-of-touch or, worse, simply uncaring. As a result, the court system and prisons are overloaded and are now turning many criminals loose.

In scary times like this, many people, especially the young, want to live for the immediate pleasures of today (drugs, alcohol, and other forms of escape) since they feel no promise of a tomorrow. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow. Plan for it. When times are this tough, we need to make every dollar count toward necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, LOVE AND LAUGHTER. Yes, I said love and laughter. They help sustain us during hard times. I believe the nation's economic woes will improve when we  take steps that begin at home.

Therefore, in a pioneering spirit then, I offer a list of 10 things we can do today to assure we live abundantly tomorrow:

1. Look hard at the difference between spending and investing. Spent money may leave us with memories but the money is gone, like a wild goose in winter. Worse, unlike the goose, it's not coming back. Invested money brings money back in the form of savings, income or value added. Think of anything that depreciates in value as spent money. That includes most cars and mobile homes, fancy electronics, clothing fads and, yes, even rent. When it's gone, it's gone. Investing, on the other hand, has the potential for increasing in value or bringing more money into the home. (See number 3.)

2. Plan to make every spent dollar count. While the memories may warm you when times are rough, you don't want to be the grasshopper who plays while the ants are storing away food~eventually the grasshopper has none. Put off spending and playing. Instead, go for some deferred gratification. Picture what you want. Eventually you can make that home, or degree or dream vacation come true or get that "thing" that's now out of reach. And you'll be able to do it without putting your livelihood at risk. In the meantime, be happy deep in the very core of who you are. You yourself have value, more than anything than you could buy.

3. Instead of spending, INVEST. Place discretionary money in investments close to home where you see its benefit and can convert it to cash if needed. Invest in yourself with time, maybe money, to learn new skills, new ideas or to do new things. Your knowledge and skills could become indispensable to you or someone you know.

4. If you don't already have it, consider buying or renting a small piece of land or join a gardening partnership so that you can grow and share your own fruits and veggies. This money falls on the investment side since has potential to save you money.

5. Clip coupons for groceries with a plan to save at least 20% over retail every time you shop. This is a much better payback than most savings plans or investments offered by banks.

6. When you shop, avoid highly processed foods and fancy packaging, non-nutritional snack foods and candy. Stick to the outside perimeter of the store where the most essential foods are generally found, those with the least processing and packaging (produce, meats and dairy). Eat whole farm-fresh foods more than highly processed food products. But even with food, really good food, remember to practice moderation in all things. An occasional candy bar is good for the soul!

7. Learn to preserve foods and find ways to organize them. Home canning is wonderful for some things, and a vacuum sealer really does well to protect foods for the freezer. After you preserve the foods, plan to have at least one food a day from your stash. That will bring down your grocery bill.

8. Eat more fruits and vegetables than meat. A good rule of thumb is 1/4 of the plate for meat, 3/4 for the rest (fruits, vegetables and bread).

9. Supplement your diet with rice, beans and nuts. By doing this, while you reduce the amount of  meat, you will still be enjoying much-needed usable protein at a lower cost.

10. Take really good care of yourself, starting with what you eat. Then learn to control how you think. Start taking greater care of others. Share and barter. You may be able to fill the gap for others, and likewise. The notion comes from the Pauli Exclusion Principle, a physics term for electron-sharing. While each element is unique, something greater than the sum of the parts is created when sharing occurs between elements. They bond! Think chemistry. That's what The Pauley Principle is: scientific notions applied to humans. The result? When we share what we have in order to fill the gaps for others, we all gain from the experience and are transformed.

In summary, my pioneering friend, value who you are! You are unique and you have a right to be here. You are part of a movement in inventing a new reality. There's adventure in that.  Develop a support system by gathering up those friends and family members who are also positive and like-minded. Believe in the higher power. Feel the strength that comes from sharing your laughter, faith, experiences, skills, and your own harvest.        

Live your life abundantly.

Reinventing the Potato Patch

Thinking you don't have room for potatoes? Think again! Look around. Shopping malls are beginning to use Oriental sweet potatoes in their landscaping and in their potted flowers at street corners. The vine is very pretty and spreads rapidly. Underneath that beautiful, soft, light-green foliage is a collection of tubers that have white flesh, sweet, smooth and succulent when cooked, making it great for baking or boiling. I enjoy the addition of maple syrup to this potato.

The Pauley potato patch generally contains four kinds of potatoes: Russet, Kinnebec, Pontiac red, and one or more varieties of sweet potato. Each type of potato seems to excel at some preparation and the Kinnebec seems to be suitable for all. Red potatoes, especially when very young, are great mixed in with peas or green beans or roasted. The Russet holds its shape well and won't fall apart so easily in soup. Yukon Gold is said to be a terrific French Fry potato. All have great flavor.

Consider where you might plant potatoes: garden, flowerbeds, an upset wheelbarrow, large hanging baskets and patio pots. Potatoes need good drainage and direct sunlight. Mixed with marigolds, you can cut down on insect invasion. Water them regularly. One vine can yield several pounds of fresh-tasting organic potatoes for minimal investment.

When to plant? The farmers of long ago would say to plant potatoes on Good Friday. Apparently the moon is right for root vegetables at that time.

Enjoy your own potato patch in whatever form you choose to give it. This is just one more way to live your life abundantly!

Farm Fresh Produce Without the Work?

It's true! Well, partially. It's a matter of who does the labor. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) might provide the gardening option you want if you prefer fresh, local produce, but have no land and farming tools, can't form a gardening co-op with family or friends, or perhaps have a debilitating illness or you have more money than time. Unlike the local farmer's market, the CSA allows you to actually invest in the farming. You may be given opportunities to suggest and impact what is grown.

Typically, here's how a CSA, such as Johnson Farms at Wilmington, works. A farmer offers shares to the general public. You purchase a share or a membership from the CSA. A share consists of a box of produce. A membership would provide you with a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. A variation of this is the market-style CSA membership plan that allows you to pick and choose what goes into your box. Some CSAs have additional offerings such as eggs, poultry, bread, cheese, fruits and flowers. Many CSAs have an agreement with food banks and donate excess foods.

Advantages to membership are:
*Eat ultra-fresh locally-grown food, higher in nutrients and flavor than the produce grocery stores can offer, and it's likely to be organically grown.
*Expose your palate to varieties and new methods of preparation.
*Receive invitations and opportunities to visit/tour the farm.
*Have fruits and veggies from "your farm", something children and adults both enjoy.
*Build a trusting relationship with the farmer who grows your food.
Additionally:
*You don't have to spend time out in a garden and get all sweaty and dirty.
*You avoid overhead costs such as the investment in tools and land.

As with all good ventures, there are risks involved. For example, it could be a bad weather year for growing corn and that would directly impact what goes into your box.

If this might work for you, check it out, looking at both the advantages for you and the disadvantages. You may find this gives you and your family a connection to the land, so good for the soul, that you could not otherwise have. You may also find the foods on your table to be more flavorful and nutritious. I urge you, in one way or another, to connect with the land and live your life abundantly!

Why Grow Grapes?

For anyone who can manage it, I recommend a grape trellis. Here's why:

My husband had an awful bout with cancer a few years ago. Prognosis: Stage 3 in two systems, 2 months to live. During his chemo treatments there were only three things he could manage to keep on his stomach or even swallow: a tiny bit of steak, a couple bites of ice cream and grape juice. He craved just those foods but could only manage small amounts.

While he was in the hospital, repeatedly over several months, he kept thinking/dreaming about planting a little vineyard. It became like, hmmm...well, a spiritual mission of his! He realized the foods he craved and could eat helped him survive. Many prayers were made on his behalf. He had a strong sense that God brought all the technology, knowledgeable and helpful medical staff, food, me-- everything--together! Chris is strong and well now. And our grapes provide us with grape juice and wine that we enjoy regularly, in moderation.

Grapes provide our bodies with tremendously powerful nutrients: Vitamins C & K, the minerals copper and potassium, and phytosterols. Think FIGHT! These nutrients help our bodies fight not only free radicals but, also, cholesterol in our bloodstream. And they help our bodies heal.

Grapes on a trellis offer a bit of old-world charm to an entry way. If this isn't possible where you live, consider planting on the shares with someone. The aesthetics and rhythm of a grapevine's beauty in the changing seasons is good for our very souls. And for our bodies, a few grapevines can provide several containers of pure delectable grape juice!

We Really REALLY Like Salsa

A month ago I thought I'd used up all of the canned salsa I had put up but just yesterday, as I was inventorying my canning jars, I found a box of, not just jars, jars with salsa from last summer's garden! Yes, 100% pure YUM!!! And I won't even get into the nutrition factor with all the anti-oxidents salsa has. As the title says, we like our salsa. Really.

Now my mouth waters as I look at my seedling tomatoes for this year and think about their promise of more salsa. Granted, I planted early. In years past I had to so that I'd have time to re-seed. Germination, however, has been excellent this year since I took over my basement to make a mad scientist's laboratory. I've discovered that the addition of a grow light is paying off with tall and very leafy plants. So tall, as Chris pointed out, that we're going to have a little problem. It will be a long time before our weather and the cold, saturated soil will allow me to get them outside. And, as they continue to grow, when I start to put them in the hotbed as a little nursery for conditioning to the elements, I may need to add on and build up the sides of the frame! The abundant growth is a side effect of improved sprouting conditions that I hadn't considered!

In early March, there's still plenty of time to start tomato seedlings inside. I rushed the season but how could I help it? We really REALLY like salsa. If you like salsa, try my recipe. Adjust it to taste and dig in!!!