{this moment} dig

Linking to Soulemama for a Friday ritual:

Coloring page compliments of my 3 year old--I think she did a great job staying in the lines!

Happy Friday!

pine mulch

I anxiously await the taste of our first strawberry this year.  I have switched to pine needle mulch this year as I read that it helps to produce a "wilder" tasting strawberry.  And, unlike the straw mulch used in years past, it's free and gathered from our land.  Regardless of any taste difference, I will probably proclaim these berries as the sweetest.
My oldest daughter was excited to learn of the wild strawberries she found in the asparagus patch and potted them in hopes of tasting the tiny berries.  I just love kids in the garden.

in the mail ~ seed+art

My seed order arrived from Hudson Valley Seed Library today.  I had to share its' beauty:

Isn't she radiant?

It's important to me to wisely spend our money to support businesses that have similar values to my family's.  I splurged on two of the "art packs" and can't wait to frame them for our kitchen.

For the seeds that will not be sown directly once things warm up (a lot), they will join those seeds we saved and taken to Kelly, our local greenhouse owner for starting.

I welcome the arrival of spring--the return of our lovely garlic chives, our asparagus, and our black raspberries.  I am not wishing for spring to arrive earlier than it should as I am busy with a new seasonal task--that of making our own maple syrup from the trees that grace our land.

I hope that you will visit the Hudson Valley Seed Library website (or in person--that would make a great field trip!) and enjoy the art and variety of seeds.

What new garden resources have you found?

Sea of Vines

This evening I walked through the east part of our vegetable garden and was amazed that I could barely see the earth due to the sea of vines created by both the melon and squash plants. 

This sea was punctuated by an occasional tomato or pepper plant.  I set up some tomato cages, pulled some weeds and marveled at the height of the corn in my 3 Sisters mounds. 

This corn was barely shin high just one week prior and now it towered over my head.  For the first year, our garden was the effort of all members.  The littlest gardener loves to weed and water, the older children helped with planting and mulching (and tickling!) and my husband (mainly) and I did the design and the heavy work.  Our Purple Jasper tomatoes are ripening and I was able to pick a few tonight, along with very large cucumbers that I swear were not in the garden yesterday!

One of my daughters used her butterfly net to gather the Mexican Sour Gherkins.  If you haven't tried these petite members of the cucumber family, you must--they are easy to grow and taste as if they were pickled on the vine.
I hope you're enjoying the harvest in your garden!

Sugar Snap Pea Garden Arch

Our peas always grow taller than the original frames that we created when we moved here years ago.  I considered creating new frames this year, but also wanted to keep the peas in reach of the small hands that like to pick them.  Our solution was adding an arch to connect the frames and I love how it looks.

The purple green beans are blooming, and for the spaces in between plants, I will be sowing parsnip seeds for our fall harvest.  Chioggia beets, Chinese Red Meat radishes, kale, swiss chard, and a few varieties of carrots are being sown in various places in our garden.

Have you started planting for your fall harvest?  What seeds are you sowing?

Growth Spurt

Growth is everywhere--the children, the plants (including weeds), the chickens, and our ever expanding view of how to nurture our family.  Here are some scenes from the garden:

Three Sisters

Marina di Chioggia

Sugar Snap Pea Bloom

Red and White Cabbage

We are lucky to have such an abundance!

Here's hoping that your garden is doing well.  I would love for you to share some photos here!

Tickling Tomato Plants

We love tomatoes.  We have planted them in the main garden, the children's garden, the fairy flower garden, in pots and soon they will also become some of the edible landscaping in front of the house.  We have several varieties, mostly heirloom, and this year will be our first attempt at seed saving.  I recently read "Gardening by the Inch", published by Rodale Inc, in which the authors suggested "tickling" tomato plants "to help them grow strong and stocky!"  Leggy is not an attribute I strive for when it comes to tomato gardening.

Tickling the tomato plants is also (another) great way to involve my kids in tending to the garden, as they are just the right height to help me.

I am hoping for strong, stocky tomato plants with great roots.

Roasted Rhubarb with Local Honey and Sea Salt

A visit from two close friends today was the inspiration for roasting the rhubarb, though we didn't talk about how to prepare it.  We were actually discussing rhubarb's neighbor in my garden, horseradish, and how simple changes to the preparation have a big impact on flavor.  I love using our local honey, purchased from a fellow food co-op member, and the addition of the sea salt was not only to brighten the sweetness of the dish but also to add another element.  The result:  sour, sweet, and savory, with rhubarb truly the star.  I tested the rhubarb over vanilla bean ice cream, but it would make an interesting sauce to top grilled chicken.

Roasted Rhubarb with Local Honey and Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut rhubarb stalks on the diagonal, approximately 1/2 inches in length and place in a bowl.
Use only enough local honey to coat the rhubarb.
Pour rhubarb and honey onto a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake 10 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the rhubarb, but it is still firm (not mushy).

What new rhubarb recipes are you creating or using?

Harvesting Spring Onions

I have to admit that I don't quite remember planting onions last year.  These onions over wintered in the garden and with all the sun and rainfall, recently sent up their flower bulbs.  So they needed to be harvested, as advised by this book.  My youngest and I harvested dozens of onions--red, yellow and white.  Now, the task with be to preserve them in some fashion (those that we don't share with family and friends) as they do not keep in storage.



Onions drying on the chicken tractor.

What are your favorite ways to preserve your harvest?

Weatherwise

Finally, warm temperatures and sunshine are here.  With the exception of the perennials, our garden design changes every year to best grow our plants and maintain healthy soil. 

Newpaper and moldy straw keep help with moisture and weeds.

Last year, we used a mulching system in our garden inspired by this book, a book that truly changed my way of looking at food, gardening, and saying "yes" to raising our own chickens.  I am still mulching this vast garden of ours, just taking a break from the heat during lunch to share some views from our garden and coop.

Napoleon, who may be one of our smallest roosters, but he has such a presence.

What once was an asparagus spear...

Some of our chickens trying to stay cool in the shade of the coop.

A June-bearing strawberry plant.

Sweet peas climbing up our lovely grapevine trellis.

Garlic chives getting ready to flower.

Where do your garden inspirations come from?

Seed Starting {revised}

Every January, the most beautiful catalogs arrive in the mail and my email inbox.  Seed catalogs, that I sit with pen and paper to list my favorites.  With the best intentions, we sent up grow lights, heating pads and set tray after tray on shelves, in hopes that they will become seedings that survive.  I have hoped for better results.

Enter Kelly, our local greenhouse owner.  This winter (though not early enough), we gave her our carefully chosen seed packets.  Last night, we picked up our beautiful seedlings.  She labeled each plant set with repurposed tags and commented on the great variety that she now gets to grow.  We made sure to leave a sample of each seedling in her greenhouse.

If you are interested, I hope that you will contact your local grower to see if they can start your seeds.  Maintaining diversity in our plant life is good for our ecosystem and good for our health.

What changes are you making in this year's garden?  What new varieties will you try?

Dear Store Bought Asparagus,

Nearly two years ago, I spent my Mother's Day digging trenches while incredibly pregnant with my 3rd child.  So pregnant that the next day, a daughter was welcomed to this world.  Back to the trenches.  These trenches were dug to plant asparagus--Purple Passion asparagus, as found here. 

I have waited patiently to taste this asparagus.  I have watched it grow and then become a beautiful fern-like plant in my garden, while only weeding, watering, and composting around the asparagus.  My wait ended tonight, when I harvested the first 10 spears and steamed them.  My family devoured them.  These fresh-from-the-garden spears have a sweetness that their well traveled counterparts can't deliver.
And so I say to you, Store Bought Asparagus, that we must part ways.  It's not me, it's you and I have found another. 
Sincerely, Me

The Rituals of Spring

Every year, I look forward to the opening of our local farmers' market.  Although my family has a large garden, there are some things that we don't grow and look to local vendors to provide.

I can always count on a great selection of herbs for pots, gifts and planting with my tomatoes.

I am spoiled by our delicious local honey and maple syrup (even grade C, my family's favorite) and hope that we can tap our own sugar maples next spring.

This weekend also included a lot of progress in our garden with many new leaves on our red raspberry bushes.

We added apple trees to the orchard.

We burn our leaves, twigs, and other brush in the garden so that the ashes can be mixed in to our garden soil.

Our ever busy chicken yard--that's a Polish hen at the entrance of the chicken coop.

A broody hen in a nesting box.

Peas ready for planting.

Many thanks to Seeds of Change and Rick Bayless for their Sowing Millions Project in which they offered free organic seeds to many gardeners earlier this year.  I am so excited to grow and taste these new lettuces!  Hopefully, I can keep our chickens out of the garden....

My favorite way to water our plants.

Homemade garden art in the form of trimmings from our grapevine that I placed on a trellis in the childrens' garden.  I am hoping that morning glories and pea plants will travel up this trellis and provide my kids with a snack and some beauty during their busy days in the garden.

What spring rituals are you and your loved ones enjoying?  Happy Spring!





Post Feast Frittata

Our Sunday table was graced with roasted local lamb, asparagus, fingerling potatoes dressed with this, and a salad.  Dessert was tiramisu, which left me with 5 egg whites in the refrigerator.  I was inspired to use our garlic chives, the first offering from our garden.

(That's lupine to the right of the chives).  My son and youngest daughter helped me to harvest the garlic chives, which also helped guarantee that they would be eating the frittata.

A medium onion was added to the ingredient list.

3 eggs joined the 5 egg whites.

Post Feast Frittata:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup diced roasted asparagus
1 1/12 cup diced roasted potato
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped garlic chives
5 egg whites + 3 whole eggs (or 6 whole eggs if not using egg whites)
4 ounces of farmer's cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pan, melt the butter with the olive oil and add the onion.  Saute until the onion is translucent.

Continue to saute the vegetables while you beat together the egg whites, eggs and garlic chives in a medium bowl.  Add the egg mixture to the pan and add the cheese. 

Cook for 2 minutes, then transfer the pan to the oven to bake for 10 minutes.  Turn on the broiler and bake until the top is golden.

Slice into wedges and enjoy.

We'll be using the garlic chives again this week in our homemade pizza, per my son's request.