The first tomatoes of the summer

Here they are, at last. The big one on the left is thessaloniki, the beautiful striped ones are tigerellas, the yellow ones are yellow grapes, and a san marzano paste tomato. They are so pretty! Wow. I'm absolutely beaming. It's nice to see the hard work finally pay off. Still sick as a dog, but feeling a bit better today. It is HOT today. I just went out and watered everything before it gets super hot this afternoon. It just seems cruel to be off of work and be sick. What the hell?

I did manage to make 9 jars of cherry jam last night. Now, I still have one bag of blueberries left. I'll probably freeze most of them, maybe make some pie. I have 5 jars of blueberry jam leftover from the workshop. I ended up freezing the last of the cherries. I finally feel like I'm making a dent in it. That was a hell of a lot of fruit!

Sick as a Dog

How did I manage to get so sick on the middle of this heatwave? I feel horrible. I think I must have caught this from a coworker of mine who has been sick. Boy is it miserable.

Anyway, despite the cold, the jam workshop went off without a hitch last night. It went really well, people seemed to really enjoy it. Karen made crepes and sauteed plantains in brown sugar and we had them all with vanilla yogurt. Very yummy. I felt like I at least looked like I knew what I was doing, so that was good. There's apparently already a buzz about the home made mozzarella I said I was going to make in August. I'll just have to practice the recipe a few times before then to get it right. I figured we could do two batches, and then make some ricotta with the leftover whey. Then, we could make a fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella salad.

The Garden Tour is Saturday, I am trying to get the yard spiffed up. I did some weeding and deadheading this morning, but I feel so shitty and it's so hot out I kind of crashed after a few minutes. I've got to m ow the lawn at some point too.

And, I got the water garden all fixed up, that Drylok paint did the trick perfectly.

Sour cherries = Pain in the Ass

So, Saturday I loaded up the fam to go fruit picking with me out in Western MD. First , we hit the blueberries. It was the first day of blueberry season, so it was busy, but the picking was really good. I think we got about 12 pounds. Next, Sour cherries, three big bags full, 20 something pounds. Lastly (and I was definitely pushing my luck at this point) red raspberries. I made some raspberry jam later that night, which went off without a hitch. Then, I started tackling the cherries, since they were so ripe they were crushing themselves in the bags in the fridge under their own weight and starting to rot already. So, I got out the pitter and started pitting. It was 10:30 pm. For some insane reason, I thought canning the cherries would be easier than just making jam with them. I realized that the recipe called for 12 pounds of cherries, which equals 2.5-3 cups of pitted cherries per pound. So, basically I needed 30-36 cups of pitted cherries. After I started pitting them one at a time, I realized that this was going to take awhile. 2 hours later, I had them more or less ready to go. The recipe said this would yield 9 pint of cherries, which seemed insane to me, because it seemed like I had so much more than that. I decided instead to use quart jars, which yeilded be about 6 quarts. However, now it was 1:30am and I was falling apart. I read the directions for water bath canning, rather than pressure canning by mistake, so I processed it 10 minutes toolong, and when I opened up the canner, all the liquid had been forced out of the jars. I was so pissed I just put the lid back on it and went to bed. This morning I got up, opened up the jars (which had all sealed anyway) and reheated everything. Only now, the stuff had cooked down so much that 6 quart jars only amounted to 3 quart jars refilled. Which, as I realized, was about 9 pints, so it wasn't really off at all. I processed it again, but it still leaked out a bit. Two jars were fine, the other one I'm just storing in the fridge for now. It kind of turned into bland mush. Needless to say, I will not be doing that ever again. I still have some cherries in the fridge, I think I'm just going to make plain old jam and freeze the rest. I was trying to chalk it up to a learning experience, but I was still pissed. It just seemed like a waste. I wish there was someone I could consult on this; you're not supposed to cram too much in each jar, and it 's supposed to be fully submerged in liquid. But what ends up happening is that the fruit shrinks and you end up with a jar that's 2/3 floating fruit and 1/3 syrup on the bottom. It just doesn't seem right. Anyway, it was giving me an anxiety attack because I am teaching this jam workshop Tuesday night and I was suddenly doubting my skills. I'm being too hard on myself, I know Tuesday will be fine. Que Sera Sera is my motto in life.

Incidentally, today I picked my first tomatoes from the garden! A beautiful Thessaloniki and a handful of tiny yellow grape tomatoes. I ate them with some salt and lemon juice and I can honestly say that I though they tasted great. Maybe I can learn to like them after all. Small victories!

One Marshmallow

So, day four of the no HFCS diet. (not really a "diet" per se, but you know what I mean) I had one small indulgence, and that was when Olive and I had a fire in the backyard and toasted marshmallows. I only had one. I mean really, are you going to pass that up? I don't think so. It's been challenging though. To avoid the HFCS, you basically have to make everything yourself, no prepared foods whatsoever. It's in everything. It takes some planning, too; you have to make sure you have plenty of snacks on hand because that's when it's easiest to slip up.
One of my big planters is causing me a headache. The two tomatoes in it (a San Marzano and a Striped Roman) are both showing signs of blossom end rot. None of the other plants seem to have it. I know it is an issue of calcium absorption, caused by uneven watering. This seems odd to me, since I feel like the watering has been pretty consistent. Maybe they are too wet, that could be it. I crushed some Tums in a mortar and pestle and mixed it with water and applied it to them; I have no idea if that will work, it's my own concoction, but I guess it can't hurt. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed with my garden boxes. They are just not doing as well as I had imagined they would. I suspect it is the soil, I am thinking that there must not be much microbial activity happening. More compost, I guess. I am starting to wonder if it's a drainage issue; I may have lined them a little too well. Oh well, it's always learning. That's what keeps things interesting. There's also the distinct possibility that I'm just impatient.
My Jam workshop is next Tuesday night. So far 9 people have signed up. I'm getting all nervous now. Just the same old social anxiety kicking in again. I hate being the center of attention, and yet I love to teach and help people; go figure. I think Saturday we are going to go pick sour cherries and blueberries. I'd go tomorrow since I'm off anyway, but the blueberries don't open until Saturday. I want to go early though, it's supposed to be humid and in the upper 90's. I am thinking blueberries will be the easiest thing for my workshop to make jam from, they are pretty much problem free. They should be OK for four days, hopefully.
I am trying to keep busy to keep myself from wallowing in my unemployment time. The truth be told, I actually love having the time off; I'm kind of dreading going back, but we need the money. I've managed to tackle a bunch of small projects around the house that I've been trying to get to. Tomorrow I'm touching up the front door where I sanded and primed. It's just so easy for me to fall into this "What am I doing with my LIFE?!" mode that is totally paralyzing. I have no idea. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems to me that I haven't figured this out. Buying a farm in Vermont and homesteading is my dream, but I know it's not really feasible, or realistic. I just have to focus on doing what I can with what I already have, rather than whining about something I want that I may never have. Yeah, it's best if I just keep busy.

NO HFCS!

Day three of my week without High Fructose Corn Syrup.

So far so good; I decided Sunday that I was going to go one week without corn syrup and see how it went. I'm not working this week, so it's been easier because I haven't been tempted by the lure of Sweet Tea. I did get some non-HFCS sweet tea from Trader Joe's and it was really good. I almost tripped up on Monday with a Marzetti salad dressing, but I checked in time an switched to a different kind. It's amazing how much corn syrup is out there, in places you'd never expect it.

I am trying to get into the Urban Farm Summit in DC on Friday. The website says it's sold out, I have been calling trying to see if I can still get a ticket to it. It's an all day event about urban farming and community activist groups. I am searching for some kind of change in my life; I know I do this every few months, but I want to see if I can use my passion for this issue as some kind of gateway to a different career. I thought at the very least I would enjoy learnign some new stuff and maybe get networked with some like minded people. I hope they call me back and have space available.

Amish Country

So, perhaps you are trying to convince yourself that farm life really isn't a practical option for you at this point in your life. Well then, you certainly don't want to spend a beautiful June Saturday afternoon driving around the gorgeous rolling Amish farmlands of Lancaster county. (Lancaster County, incidentally, has an unfortunate dark side. They are the number one biggest producer of puppy mill dogs.) I am really starting to think that I was Amish in a past life. We went to the Thomas the Train Day at the Strasburg railroad museum on Saturday; Olive had a great time. I think she had just as much fun on the school bus ride from the field we were parked in to the actual event than she did on the train, but it was fun nonetheless. We stopped and fed goats and chickens and some sheep. We saw lots of horses; the Amish buggies were out and lots of people were out plowing their fields with the horse driven teams. Let's just say it did nothing to quell my desire to quit my job, move to the country and homestead for the next twenty or thirty years. It was a very fun afternoon.

The garden is still coming along, I finally have some squash starting to emerge. Still not a whole lot of growth from the cucumbers, I don't know what the deal is. I bought a poblano pepper plant at the Farmers' Market this morning, and got that in along with a yellow squash for kicks. I also braved the long line this morning for fresh peas. I got 4 lbs, I will probably freeze some this afternoon while they are still fresh. They are so good, but so fleeting. Got to enjoy them now while I can!

Where I've Been

So, I've been gone for a few days. We went to Ithaca because my grandmother died last week. It was sad, but she had been doing well for a long time, and she really didn't suffer long. She just quietly stopped breathing last Saturday. It was a nice service though, and I got to see some of my cousins I hadn't seen in a long time, several of whom had never met Olive. We hung out at my parent's house, Olive kept the mood cheerful by getting naked and playing in her pool or running through the sprinkler every few hours or so.

We did get to go to the Cornell Plantations; they were just putting in a lot of the summer herbs and stuff. The Pounder Hertiage Garden (Cornell's heirloom vegetable display garden; possibly one of my most favorite places on Earth) was just getting started; they had just put in tomatoes. I forget that they are about a month behind us seasonally, and they aren't impatient freaks like me and put things out way too early.

Before we went to Ithaca we had gone Strawberry picking and I picked 19 pounds of berries. I made two batches of jam, and then realized that I hadn't even touched the other huge box of berries, which was rotting literally before my eyes. I made one more batch of jam and then cut up the rest, added some sugar and lemon juice and then froze them in ziploc bags with all the air pushed out. They are so pretty. While I was home I made a rhubarb pie from my mom's rhubarb and added one of my jars of jam to it. I made a crumb top for it adn I took a piece to my 100 year old (other) grandmother at the nursing home. She's the best cook ever. I was laughing to myself because all my cousins spoke at my grandmother's funeral about how they always remembered the food and what a great cook she was. Now, not to belittle the woman, because I love her, but I recall plenty of spray cheese and ritz crackers going on at most holiday events. She did do some things really well, Kalach (?) the hungarian poppyseed sweet bread, and cabbage rolls at Christmas, which I still love. I think most of the time the woman was so busy keeping up with 5 kids that any kind of cooking convenience food was a staple item. Maybe that's just my take on it; but Bess was a really fantastic old-school cook, so that's what I have to compare it to. She was teaching me how to make a roux at 10 years old.

My bluebery bishes actually ahev some berries now, about 12 of them, but they are fantastic. I mulched them in the fall with compost and pince needles, adn they seem to be very happy in their pots right now. Hopefully I will get more as they get older.

The Rodger's Forge Farm Initiative

A much much much needed long weekend is almost here... I can't wait to go piddle around in the garden and possibly make some cheese. I know, I'm a wild woman. Some day I want my eulogy to read, "When she wasn't eating mustard directly from the jar, she loved pole dancing and making State Fair winning jams..."
(Pole dancing ROCKS by the way)

So, I found the Rodger's Forge Farm Initiative online. Very cool! I had no idea such a thing existed. They are just a collective of people growing food in their yards. They said they are facing some resistance from the community association for gardening in their front yards. You see, this is why I live in Idlewylde. (Next neighborhood over; slightly less Stepford-like)

I remember our realtor telling us (when we mentioned looking for houses in Rodger's Forge) "Are you kidding?! One look at that tattoo and they 'll be chasing you down the street with lacrosse sticks!" and boy was he right. I'd be rioting if anyone told me I couldn't garden in my own yard. I'd rip out the grass and plant a cornfield. No no, you're supposed to have a vast expanse of green grass, like a good middle class american household. A vast expanse of desert wasteland as far as bees are concerned. A waste of water. If you're going to water it, you should be able to eat it. Yeah, it's a good thing I don't live there. I wonder how they'd feel about chickens? :)

First and Franklin

Here's First and Franklin, the Presbyterian Church Marc and I have been working on since December. It's finally done!

Perhaps a new title is in order

I think instead of "Pickles to Paint: The creative endeavors of my spare time" my blog title should read, "Pickles to Paint: My ever increasing obsession with homesteading, sustainable organic farming and the local food revolution!!!" Is that too much? I just joined the Hamilton Crop Circle group and the Roger's Forge Farming blog. Hamilton Tavern is installing a huge rooftop garden this spring. It looks fantastic. Who knew?

I'm back to the cheesemaking obsession. (at least while I'm waiting for my Bokashi composting supplies to arrive) I think I might try some blue cheese next. I also found a recipe for Greek Haloumi cheese (and a related haloumi cheese-stuffed bread) that I think might make a good weekend project, you know, in my "free" time.

Lightning Bugs!!

I just saw the first lightning bugs of the year! It is now officially summer. As soon as the nights get warm enough, the lightning bugs are out. The garden is looking good today; the one bed with the bamboo pagoda is still not quite where I want it to be. Stuff just doesn't seem to be doing much of anything; I am starting to get suspicious. It's the same soil mix that's in the other two though, which seem to be doing OK. Perhaps I am just too impatient. (I'm so surprised.) I bought a new Ligularia desdemona today over at Belvedere Square... I haven't decided exactly where to plant it yet, but I am thinking along the front porch. I think it will do well there. Hmmm. OK, now I'm just rambling.

Bokashi Fever!

I am completely, entirely obsessed with compost lately. I've been researching Bokashi composting, which is different from traditional composting. Bokashi composting works with anaerobic bacteria in a fermentation process. You add food scraps (including meat and dairy) and cover them with "bokashi starter" which is essentially rice or wheat hulls inncolualted with microorganisms and molasses. They are dormant until they come into contact with food, and then they activate, breaking down the food scraps. Once the bin is full, you let it sit for a week or so to completely ferment. Then, it can be added to the compost pile by burying it under a layer of soil. For me, this is the way to go; fermented scraps that are buried are of no interest to Les Ratas which have been a problem as of late. And, it makes compost much faster than a traditional pile.

The downside of the Bokashi system is that you need to keep buying more activator to layer with the food scraps. This could be cost prohibitive if you restrict yourself to their prepackaged product. As is the norm for me, I figured out a way to do it myself for much cheaper. You can buy the innoculant in liquid form, mix it with molasses and water, and then spray it onto wheat hulls, sawdust, whatever. Once it dries, you store it and add a few handfuls of it every time you add more food scraps. Also, you can't just keep the stuff in a bucket; I am using two gallon plastic buckets with Gamma lids. Gamma lids are like a five gallon bucket lid that has a hole in the middle that unscrews. Then its closed, it makes an airtight seal, which is great for anaerobic bacteria (and bad for fruit flies.) I have to install small plastic spigots to the bottoms of the buckets of drain off liquid every few days, much like compost tea. This can then be diluted and used on the garden. I've ordered my buckets, lids and spigots. For starters, I just ordered the prepackaged activator stuff, just to see how this whole process works out for me. I'd rather not end up with 50 lbs of wheat hulls if this doesn't work for me. it's about $10 for a one pound bag of activator, which is good for about 5 gallons of food scraps. I ordered two gallon buckets so they can fit easily under the sink in the kitchen. The advantage to multiple buckets is that you can have a space once one is filled and needs to sit and ferment for awhile. Iam so excited to try this!! If it works, everyone is getting Bokashi composters for Christmas.

The Mt. Vernon rescue rose

The Farm, May 23, 2010

Well, here is the Mt. Vernon rose that I rescued from the destroyed wine barrel in the alley behind First and Franklin... quite pretty actually. I'm glad it wasn't that really dark, dull red that seems to be on roses everywhere. That's my least favorite color of rose. It has such a dead flat quality. This one is at least brighter and more cheerful.

The Farm is doing well; this morning I went out early and pruned tomato suckers. The jury is still out for me on suckering; some people say that you should snip them because they don't grow fruit and sap energy from the plant. But I have seen suckers with flowers on them; so that can't be entirely true. Sometimes I trim them just to keep the plant from getting to dense and unweildy. I try to trim off the lowest branches to keep good airflow and stave off fungal diseases.

I also had a brilliant idea this weekend. I'm going to make cold frames that I can just stack on top of my raised beds in the fall so I can grow lettuce and spinach into the winter, among other things. I'll just have the angled side face South to get maximum light exposure. I like the idea.

Still reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle... Absolutely love it. I can't believe I haven't read it sooner! She's truly living the dream... wow. It's so inspiring. I also picked up The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan at Daedalus friday night. Very informative, but I was a little disappointed when they went on and on about the virtues of black walnut trees without any mention of the fact that THEY POISON EVERYTHING. Kind of an important little factoid. She's got a lot of great information otherwise though.

So, all hopped up on inspiration from Barbara Kingsolver, I decided to delve into some baking today. I made a fabulous loaf of foccacia bread, which is already halfway gone. I topped it with garlic powder, rosemary, oregano, parsley, kosher salt and olive oil. I am in the process of making some white sandwich bread, but that one doesn't seem to be going quite as well; it's not really rising how I expected it would. It may end up being really dense and chewy. Oh well, it's a start. I'll have to get some good basic baking books and learn more. Bread's never really been my thing. I am also making a batch of homemade yogurt, so that should be ready in a few hours. I was going to grill some veggies tomorrow night and make some good tahini to go with them.

It's the little things; I've got to start somewhere. It's not really realistic for me to drop everything and go buy a farm. But maybe I can start by making some of my own bread at least.

The Little Salad That Could

Yay! Last night we had the first real, homegrown, organic salad out of our own sustainable little garden! No lettuce that has been trucked 1500 miles, no pesticides, nothing. It was two different kinds of lettuce, kale, beet greens and spinach. It was fantastic. I was so proud of it I was just beaming. I know it's a lot of work to go through for a salad, but boy was it worth it.

I started Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver the other day, and I am hooked. I'm so impressed; the premise of the book is that the are living on an old farm in Virginia somewhere, and they decide that for one year they are only going to eat things made locally; with in their state or as close to home as possible. It's a pretty daunting task, especially when you have two kids to deal with. I'm fascinated. As much as I love the idea though, I don't know if I could convince Marc to do that. He's all in favor of whatever I want to do; but like he said, it's not his dream, and he doesn't want to be forced to help me with some monumental task. Sustainable farming is a physically demanding full time job. I understand that, and I respect it. I love him too much not to respect his wishes. But anyway, it just makes me feel good about what I'm doing; I feel like I'm contributing, and I have to believe that one person can make a difference. If we don't have that, there's no hope for anybody.

On a side note, I am back to the same problem I had last year with the self watering containers being festering cesspools of mosquito larvae. I think I'm going to try the guppy thing again, only more of them this year. Last year I only had 6 per box, and I don't think all of them made it all season. Maybe more of them will keep the mosquitioes in check. They were pretty vicious out there yesterday. I haven't had any luck with the oil method, (putting a tablespoon full of oil in the water is supposed to disrupt the surface tension enough that they can't breed in the water somehow) it didn't seem to have any effect and it made a mess. Obviously, no mosquito dunks since it's a food source, but there's got to be something else I can try. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am also ready to toss in the towel with my worm bin. It is a stinky mess, and I don't know what to do about it. I added more paper, but it's still gross. I was going to mix it in, but then I read that I'm not supposed to disturb the worms too much. I added some peat moss, to absorb excess moisture. It's just not working, and I don't know what to do. The worms are doing well, there are lots of them, but I'm not seeing any castings per se. It doesn't look anything like the worm bins I am seeing in pictures online. It's just gross. I was thinking that if I had a proper "bin" it might do better, but I don't know if I'm willing to gamble another $100 to find out it's the same thing. I think I'm going to drill more drainage holes, and put it up on blocks off the ground to increase the air circulation. That might help. OK, helpful suggestions, now is the time.

Update

I haven't updated this in awhile since I haven't had internet access for two weeks. It was horrible... I forget how much I rely on it until it's gone.

So, one more day of chilly rain, and then it's supposed to warm up a bit. I hope so, I am really tired of this 50 and raining bit. The vegetables look miserable and waterlogged. Despite the dampness, my tomatoes are doing great; I even have some green tomatoes already on the Thessaloniki. The cucumbers are worrying me; they look a little yellow; I'm not sure if this means they need fertilizer, or if I've been fertilizing too much. Or, perhaps it's just too damned cold for them. They are doing OK, but they are not exactly thriving. I'll just have to wait and see.

My hardy banana is once again back with a vengeance, and is trying to take over the world. It actually pushed bricks out of its way this year. One sprout come up in the middle of Marc's succulent bed, so he has decided it is marked for death. No one trespasses in the succulent bed. I'd dig some up and move it, but I don't know where I could move it where it would get enough sun to be happy. I think it may start uprooting the driveway soon.

Olive's birthday party is Saturday; we got a load of mulch last weekend and mulched all the flowerbeds, so things are looking pretty good. We have to mow the lawn before Saturday, but that's about it. I really really hope it doesn't rain because there's no way I can fit all those people in my house. Let alone a dozen or so kids. Marc got some new patio furniture; there's a chair, a chaise lounge and a table. He and Olive got me a fire pit for mother's day, which I absolutely LOVE. It's so cozy out there now, and we actually use it, which is great.

I'm also back to cooking up some ideas for mosaic sculpture projects for myself...

Garden Progress

Today, beautiful. Finally! I feel like I can finally really relax. I love sitting out on the deck in the evenings and being totally comfortable, not chilly. I like to have the windows open at night, and hear the slight ticking noise of the ceiling fan. It's fantastic.

Today I planted some of the cucumbers and melons I had started inside. They were outside for two days, not much hardening off, but I think they will be OK. Generally cukes and squash don't do well when transplanted, so I like to get them in the ground as soon as I can so there's the least amount of disturbance to their roots. I think this bamboo trellis is going to be a thing of wonder this summer. I can't wait to see what it looks like covered in melons and cucumbers! I got all the tomatoes in; I still have 8 I need to find homes for, but I think I can do it. A guy from work who is another big veggie gardener is bringing me some sort of orange heirloom he got in PA somewhere. I gave him some kale, some rhubarb and two tomatoes. The onions are coming up too, they are so cute! No sign of the beans yet, which is a little unusual, but it's been pretty cold before today, so I'm sure they will be up soon. I'm just impatient.

Season Opener

Here it is! the official first look at the 2010 Vegetable garden, 4/25/10. Raised beds are in, trellises are built. So, what's in so far? Bed 1 has 4 lacinato kale, some onions, french breakfast radishes, 5 color silver beet Swiss chard, bull's blood beets, rondo di ponghi carrots, masai pole green beans, a tiny patch of dill, and my giant Thessaloniki tomato. The other bed with the large trellis has cucumbers, (Marketmore and Space Master) Minnesota Midget cantaloupes, lettuce, onions, cilantro, dill, Swiss chard, carrots and spinach. All the melons aren't in yet, they are still inside in peat pots. I'm trying to decide if I want to try one of my Delice de la Table melons on the trellis or not... I'm afraid they will be too heavy, even if I hang them in a sling. I haven't planted the third bed yet, I am waiting for it to get a bit warmer. I think I will have two zucchinis in there, along with some other stuff. I got one of each of 8 varieties of tomatoes in, they all seem to be doing well so far. The wall-0-waters worked great, but I did decide to take them off before they got too big. I could see them becoming slimy and mosquito ridden and hard to deal with later on. The tomatoes that were in those had a bunch of suckers going becuase I wasn't able to get in there and prune them off. I got rid of some, but left one or two of the really big ones. They should be OK. They look really full and lush. Now it just needs to get warmer. It's supposed to be cool and rainy until Wednesday. I guess it will just give transplants some good adjustment time.

I got hooks and hung up the extension ladder and the big galvanized tub on the side of the shed. I raked out all the leaves and cleaned up all the brush that was stored back there. I am trying to make it the least rat friendly as possible back there. I also got the lawn mowed yesterday, so that looks good. I still need to make a dump run and go get a load of mulch and put it around, but for now, I'm happy with what I've managed to get done. I made some progress with the house; Marc took Olive out for awhile and I was able to bring down stuff from the attic and sort through it. I am giving a bunch of stuff to Goodwill. We have the community yard sale in a few weeks and I am trying to get rid of as much as I can. I'm tired of the clutter.

I think I'm just kind of taking stock of everything and weeding out because it gives me a feeling of control; I've been so upset about work these past few weeks and I am trying ot stay focused on other things so it doesn't consume me. I'm trying to just go with it. I keep telling myself to just do the work and get paid and not worry about it. I'm just in one of those phases where I am questioning everything; maybe I should be doing someting else entirely; maybe I should relocate. (Although the thought of moving and leaving my garden behind is unthinkable) Just when I think it's all going to be over and I'll be free to start something new, it just drags on a little longer. Maybe that's not such a bad thing; the logical part of my brain is saying so. I don't have any other options at this point, so it's better than nothing, it's just more of the same. I just wonder which is worse. OK, I'm whining. Enough. I'm going to go see what I can round up for dinner.

Springtime = Frogs & Bluebells at Gunpowder State Park

Raised beds in progress

Here are the beds in progress...this was a couple of weeks ago. They are lined with a heavy plastic mesh, and then I added an additional layer of weed blocking material to help control erosion on the concrete base. For the pressure treated boxes (two of them) I lined the sides with plastic to prevent chemicals leaching into the soil. I'm not terribly concerned; basically the research I did said that it's worst the first year, but if it is lined with plastic, it can't leach through. Also, the chemicals tend to be stored in the plants themselves, so things like carrots and other root vegetables would absorb more than say, a tomato, which would have more of the chemical found in its leaves.

I got the bamboo trellis built, it looks a little weird now, but once things start to fill in, it will be very pretty. I built the whole thing by drilling holes in the bamboo and using cable ties to attach them. I just wish it were warmer... it's still a bit too cool for me.

The peas are up, doing OK so far. I also have spinach and Swiss chard coming up. The cilantro seeded itself everywhere, so I have been transplanting seedlings into the big beds. I also planted borage for the bees, some onions, and transplanted some kale from one of the grow boxes. My tomato plants are out of control; they are taking over the house. I've given a bunch away, but I still have more. I started the cucumbers and melons in peat pots inside on the seedling heat mat.

This time of year is tough because there's so much to do and it books up quickly. This weekend we are going to a birthday party on Saturday. I was hoping to borrow a truck and go get some mulch for the yard inteh mornign before we have to leave, but it's supposed to rain. I always plan more things than I can realistically handle. I know I just got back from Florida, but I could really use a break from work; just a mental break. I've just had it with everything; I just want to get this Church project wrapped up and go do something else. I'm actually looking forward to some downtime so I can work in the garden, precious time which truly makes me happy and takes my mind off of work. This kind of stress is not healthy at all.

Busy week

Wow, I have been up to a lot since my last post. Marc and I built three 4x4 raised beds in the driveway this last weekend. Kyle is bringing me a truckload of Leafgro-soil mix from Hollins Organics today; Marc is making Julie a website and in exchange, Kyle is bringing me truckloads of dirt. Very exciting. This weekend I planted some spinach, carrots and beets in one of the grow boxes, and my kale is coming up. I planted some more lettuce in with the stuff that overwintered from last year. My tomatoes are going like gangbusters now. I've given a few away, bt I still have plenty. I think I'm going to have at least 8 plants, one of each variety I started. I ordered some heirloom Anatolian melon seeds on ebay which arrived yesterday; it didn't occur to me that they were actually coming from Turkey, but there they are. I started basil, dill and tomatillos in pots. Once I get the dirt in the beds, I can start on the bamboo trellises for the cucumbers and melons. It's going to be cool to see just how much stuff I can grow in just three boxes.

It's going to be in the mid 90' s today, just like yesterday. One week ago yesterday I was wearing a down coat and a wool hat. It's just crazy. It's supposed to cool off this weekend and be a bit more seasonally appropriate. I'm hoping to get at least some stuff planted this weekend. Marc and I are going to Florida next week, and I don't want to leave my mom a houseful of needy seedlings to take care of while I'm away.

Work has been so stressful , it is really nice to have a distraction. But now that it's nice out and I have other projects that I love, it's easier to forget about work once I get home. I've been working in the garden a lot, I've been weeding and cleaning out flower beds. They are coming tomorrow to trim the black walnut branches, which should give me some more light and less icky mess in the fall.

I released the bees on Saturday; I put their house up under the overhang of the deck. They have been out, but it's not quite the level of activity I imagined. They do seem to be going in the tubes and stuff, so hopefully they'll do OK. I've already rescued a few that made their way into the house. I have been trying to defend them from the damned carpenter bees which are out in full force in the backyard. I just wonder if the carpenter bees are attacking them. They are just so territorial, it's amazing. They don't sting, but they will just hover 12" from your face.

And, I threw out a few of my little flower bombs in the vacant lots at work, I am hoping for the best. I'm curious to see if they work. I was going to toss a few in the park by our house too, where they just cleared out a bunch of stuff. I figured some of them have to come up. They are all native wildflowers, so it's not like I'm releasing some sort of invasive plague. It's just butterfly and bird habitat as far as I'm concerned.

So, more pictures soon... We are going to gunpowder falls tonight after work to see the bluebells blooming.

Is the last big cold snap over?

Well, the ultra-frigid temperatures we were supposed to get this weekend weren't quite as bad as they had predicted. One forecast I saw was for 20 degrees on Saturday night, but it didn't end up being that bad. Later this week it's supposed to be absolutely gorgeous, mid to upper 70's. (Nothing can stop me from gardening now!!!) Despite the cold, the tomatoes seem to have fared quite well in their little water teepees, no noticeable damage. I'm going to get wood from the site tomorrow and hopefully I can start putting my beds together this week. It is really amazing how much wood is wasted on construction sites. I always see it and think that someone could use it for something, for firewood if nothing else. So, I'm doing what I can. Anyway, I'd write more, but it's getting pretty late and I have work in the morning. (I also got some great historical/botany books from the library) It should be anther week of drama, unfortunately, but that's another story entirely.

Chilly Tonight

It's supposed to drop down into the 30's tonight. Ugh. I stuck a bottle of hot water in each of the wall-o-water teepees outside and then covered them up with a blanket for a little extra protection it was cool today, and rained this morning but the temperature has been steadily falling as it has cleared and now it's quite cold. Tomorrow night it's supposed to be even colder. I know it's crazy, but I have faith that my tomatoes will make it through. I just wonder if it's going to stunt their growth, that will be the interesting thing to see as the spring progresses.

The rose I rescued from the alley in Mt. Vernon is showing signs of life, I pruned it way back and now it's got some new buds coming on. And the David Austin rose I have in the front yard that I thought was completely dead after that storm is even showing signs of life. It's kind of inspiring to see how resilient these things are. The peas and kale are up to, but they haven't done much since it's been so chilly. I'm sure they'll start growing like crazy once it's a little warmer.

I dropped my big hunk of granite off at the stone mason guy today; he's got a little shop in the middle of Fells Point that you wouldn't even know was there. For $65, he's going to drill a 1/2" hole in it for me to make my fountain. He carves lettering in stone; he did the engraved Walt Whitman poem that goes all around the entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro station entrance. I love meeting real craftspeople who do real work; its so refreshing to know it's not a dead art to make stuff with your hands anymore.

Marc is going to do a website for my friend Julie in exchange for her husband Kyle delivering compost and topsoil to me! Sweet deal, talk about working dirt cheap! What an awesome husband I have.

Tree

I just got an estimate from the tree guy about trimming the branch off the black walnut tree in my neighbor's yard. Ugh, the tree guy said I have to ask my neighbor... not because I can't cut it, it's on my side, but because they need to climb the tree to get to the branch, which would involve going into her yard. I want a bit more sun back there, and furthermore, the tree makes a huge mess of the patio. There are always leaves on it, and the black walnuts stain everything. (And now that their pesky little dog is gone, I won't need the supply of black walnut ammo to hurl at him anymore.) I'm just so bad at talking to people, as ridiculous as that sounds. I"m just going to stop by when she's home and ask her; I'll just have to act like an adult and just do it. I'm just going to pretend the whole dog issue never happened and hope she doesn't mention it. I'll bring Olive with me... She's cute, she could diffuse any hostility. I'm sure I'm making a bigger deal of this than I need to, but my social anxiety knows no bounds.

It's going to get colder again this week; I think tomorrow night it is supposed to be 30 degrees. I'm certainly putting those wall-o-water things to the test. I was reading online that you can stick a bottle of hot water in there with them on really cold nights and it helps to keep them warm. I might try that.

I found someone to drill a hole in my hunk-o-granite to make my cobble fountain. Originally I was thinking it would need about a 1/2" hole, but when I was about to drop it off to the stone guy I said to myself, "Gee, Mariah, maybe you should actually get the pump and measure it before you go and pay this guy to drill a hole that you will have to fill in with silicone caulk later because you didn't measure it in the first place." So that's what I'm doing. I'm going to go to the fish store and buy the pump and get tubing that I know fits it, then figure out how big the hole needs to be. Yes, Grasshopper, you are learning.

Impatience will have it's rewards someday

OK, just because I'm a wee bit impatient does not mean I'm crazy. Here is my grand experiment... I decided to try to the Wall-O-Water things and see what happens. (Ibought them last year and never used them) Yesterday, I planted a Tigerella and a Striped Boar in the big planter box. March 18th. I really shouldn't be planting anything until May 1 or so, but I've never been known to sit around waiting for warm weather. After I set up the tubes and got them all filled with water, I was surprised by how quickly they heated up. I checked them yesterday evening and they were still quite warm. Most people are just starting their tomato plants from seeds. I figured I'd give it a try and just see what happens. I only have about 30 more tomato plants around the house, so if they don't make it, it's not that big a deal. My only concern is that the plants might outgrow the walls before its warm enough out, but that has yet to be seen. I don't think they would work as well directly in the ground, but I think the soil in the boxes warms up faster. We'll just have to see.

I'm also researching drip irrigation systems; I found one that is a gravity fed system that works from a cistern or rainbarrel type of set up. If I set up the rain barrel at the corner of the house, I could just water everything from that. If it doesn't rain, I just fill it with the hose, and the water pressure and gravity do the rest. It will probably cost me about $50-$60 once it's all said and done, (plus the $40 for the rain barrel workshop) but I think it will be worth it.

Yes, I have been a bit obsessive about the vegetable gardening this week. I could have gone to Patapsco today, but I resisted. I'm trying to conserve my money for soil and planter boxes. I am determined to do this with as many free and recycled materials as I can get. I discovered today that they are getting rid of a big planter box from the Church we're working at... It's probably 3 x 12 or so, but it's made of pressure treated 6x6's and is super sturdy. It could be taken apart and reassembled along the wall in the driveway. It's about 3' deep too, which is really deep, I could probably even break it up into two shallower beds. I'm a little concerned with it being pressure treated wood, but I am hoping that any chemical nasties would have leached out of it by now.

Bees Knees

So, so beautiful today. I was thrilled to not be at work today. It was the first truly spring like day we've had yet this year. I noticed to day that the kale is up in the one planter. And, my bees arrived! I stopped by my office this morning for awhile and picked them up. They aren't mason bees, but they are another kind of solitary bee, meaning they don't have a colony with a queen, they breed individually in a communal nest amd eup of small tubes. They are nestled in their coccoons in a box in the fridge for now, they need a few more weeks before there is enough stuff blooming for them to eat. I'll probably stagger their release over two weeks or so. They are pretty cool, I have a little house with plastic tubes that are sandwiched between little boards under a galvanized metal roof to keep the nests dry. I'll probably put it up under the eaves of the porch, where it will get sun but still be sheltered.

The vermiculite arrived today! That was really fast. UPS dropped it off this afternoon. Marc picked me up some peat moss today, so I think tomorrow I am going to throw caution to the wind and plant two tomatoes with my Wall O Water things and see what happens. I never did use them last summer, so I'm curious to try them now.

I am absolutely itching to get my beds built. The question now is do I level them up somehow to compensate for the tilt of the driveway... I'm kind of afraid the dirt will erode downhill if I don't, but that is fancier carpentry than I've ever tackled. It can't be that hard though. I think I can handle it. Now that the car is gone, I can get a better idea of how much space I really have. It looks kind of small, but I can grow a lot of stuff in there. I have a progress meeting I have to go to down at the jobsite on Friday (ironic, since I've been unemployed all week) and I'm going to see if Jeff will let me take any lumber with me so I can build beds this weekend. The plan is to put hardware cloth stapled to the bottom of the frame, followed by weed blocking cloth (a heavy fiberglass mesh type Kyle gave me) followed by a layer of gravel, under the soil layer. It will help control erosion, while still being well drained. I think Kyle, my neighbor from down the street, and I might go get a load of compost this weekend too. There's no stopping me now!

I am still trying to devise ways of using my planter without them getting all mosquito ridden and skanky. I like the self watering concept, it does make it so much easier. It's just an inherent design flaw, I think. Maybe if there's not as much water in it to begin with, it won't pool and get gross. I could try the guppies this year again, but I'm not entirely sure if that made a big difference last year. The oil on the surface did nothing to stop the mosquitoes; several people had suggested that to me but it just made a mess. I just haven't found anything online about mosquito dunks being OK for food crops, so I am assuming it's not. What's the point of growing them yourself organically if you have to poison the mosquitoes? Anyone out there have any suggestions?

Spring at last

Spring at last! It is about 60 degrees and sunny today and feels absolutely wonderful. I brought my Thessaloniki buddy out for some sunshine on the deck. It's getting huge! I am tempted to put some out now with those wall-o-water things, but my concern is not the air temperature, but the soil. The ground is still pretty cold, and I don't want to shock them. I may try it with one of the smaller ones I'm not so attached to at this point. I also managed (at least it seems) to root some hydrangea cuttings from my bush out front. I was doing a careful pruning after the snow melted. There has been so much damage after that storm, it's amazing. You have to be really careful when pruning hydrangeas because the flowers are on the ends, and if you prune too much, it won't bloom at all. Last year I pruned out a lot of old dead wood and old canes from it, and it did have a lot of new growth. However, the new growth was pretty thin, so it was very floppy last summer and bent over with the weight of the flowers. Hopefully this summer it will be stronger. I've been mulching it with compost, coffee grounds (from Starbucks) and pine needles, so it should give the soil that added bit of acidity. I'm curious to see if the blooms are bluer this summer.

I ordered my vermiculite, it should be here in a day or two. They are coming to pick up the car today, I am thrilled!!! I am still kicking around the idea of putting in a fountain in the front yard this spring, but I am trying to keep the expenses to a minimum and I'm not sure if this year is the year to do it. I already have a great pot for it, I just need a few more items. I want to build one that is just a splash fountain sitting on pebbles, with an underground reservoir rather than a pool of water. I also have the issue of getting power out to it. I guess I could do solar, but I like the idea of listening to the water at night.

Went to the gym this morning and kicked my own ass again. I did 33 minutes on the elliptical and then did my circuit. I think I'm going to give my arms a break tomorrow though, they feel like rubber. Then I sat in the sauna like a lizard on a rock. I love the sauna. Bring on the HEAT!
Anyway, off to research preschools...

MG is SOLD!!!

Whooo-eeee! Ah yes, Funemployment. At least for this week anyway. We are "off" this week because they are taking down scaffold at the Church and we can't be working in there while that's happening. There are other factors too, but nothing I can get into here, unfortunately. Anyway, I have decided to use this week to get some work done that I've been trying to get to for weeks and haven't been able to. I could just sit around, but I prefer to get stuff done so I don't feel like I am wasting my time. Goal #1: Gym every day this week. Goal #2: Clean basement (started today) & weed out crap. Goal #3 Marmalade.

The big news is that the MG is SOLD!!! They are coming up from NC tomorrow with a trailer to buy it and haul it away. I'm very excited. I feel kind of bad, it is a really cool car. There's just no way that we have the time or money right now to dedicate to getting it on the road, and I'd rather see it go to someone else who can deal with it, rather than watching it rust away in our driveway. (Taking up valuable tomato growing real estate) And that means we can also turn in the tags and get it off the car insurance, which will be awesome. (Marc's job for the week) It's amazing how much we have paid to let that thing just sit there. Anyway, I'm very happy that it is going to a new home. Now I can start plotting my raised beds and order compost and mulch.

(FYI, I found great deals on big bags of vermiculite online. If you order it as a gardening item, you can only get small bags that are pretty expensive. Vermiculite is used to ship hazmats like paints and chenicals, they just bury them in it to prevent bumps, and it's absorbent if there is a spill. Uline packing supplies sells it in 4 cubic foot bags for $20. )

Tonight I made corned beef and cabbage, an homage to my Irish foremothers. It's not St. Patrick's day until Wednesday, but it's a cold rainy night that's perfect for a yummy dinner like that.

I am also contemplating delving into the world of marmalades this week while I have some time... I've never made it, but I'd like to try blood orange or pineapple-lime. I might hit the Korean market and see what they have. I'd love to get my hands on some quince, but they are tough to find.

So, yes, I am keeping busy while I plot world domination on my week "off."

Guerilla Gardening

So, I was reading all about Guerilla Gardening in that Urban Homesteading book I was talking about a few weeks ago. You take seeds, a little bit of soil, and clay. Roll them into tiny balls, and toss them into vacant lots, roadsides, wherever. So I got a bunch of wildflower seeds, chicory, catchfly, prairie coreopsis, salvias, etc. etc. and made up a batch this weekend. I picked things that are tough native wildflowers that can handle dry conditions and that attract butterlies and bees. I have to wait a few more weeks to toss them out, but they are ready to go. I had leftover clay from Clayworks and I just kneaded it all up together. The idea is that the rain will come and soften the clay, and the bit of soil will help germinate the seeds. There's a lovely vacant lot at work where everyone parks that is begging for it. It gets lots of sun, and I think they will do well there... it never gets mowed along the wall. I love the idea. I hope it works.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Peas are in! OK, I am jumping the gun a bit, but not really that much. They are supposed to be planted around St. Patrick's Day. I realized this weekend that perhaps starting tomato plants in January wasn't the best idea... they're getting really big and starting to take over the house. Some of them are 8 or 10" high already. I potted one of the Thessaloniki's up to a big pot and just stuck it in the kitchen window. It's interesting to me to try planting different kinds at once; I have found tht the Striped Romans are kind of wimps... they are the first ones to wilt and look kind of spindly, while the Thessaloniki's and the Striped Boars are tough, with thick stems already. The Micro Tom's are adorable too. They are literally miniature plants, but look just like tomato plants in every way.

And, the MG is finally listed on Ebay... joy! Hopefully it will be out of my driveway soon and then raised bed construction can begin!

Weekend Projects

Well, I just made six jars of mango jam in my pressure canner I got for Christmas. What a snap! It wasn't faster necessarily, but it did involve a lot less work, and a whole lot less hot water. That's the biggest drawback to the boiling water canner; it takes nearly 45 minutes to get it up to a full boil, and it's hard to judge exactly how much water you'll need to properly cover the jars. And in the summer, it can be pretty unbearable to be standing over 4 gallons of boiling water. Anyway, the instructions were very easy to follow and I really liked it. You also have the added benefit of knowing for sure that it's all sterilized and good to go. I'm looking forward to trying more stuff with it this spring.

I put a little ad in our neighborhood email newsletter asking if anyone had bamboo they were looking to thin out. I've seen lots around, but I wanted to make sure I asked first, just to be sure. I got about 5 emails back right away. I took Marc and Olive with me this morning and we went over and got some from a woman on Overbrook. It's amazing just how much storm damage there still is around. A lot of the bamboo was bent right to the ground, but if I pulled it out from the snow, it sprang right back up. I got a bunch of it and I'm planning on making trellises for my raised beds this summer. They're just handy to have as tomato stakes and it is super strong too. It always seems silly to buy them when I see them in catalogs.

I have to get started on the raised beds soon; I need to check at the site we're working on for scrap lumber. I still have the planter boxes from last summer, but I really have to come up with a better way to keep them clean. I dumped the water out of them today and it was just disgusting and smelly. I think that was their inherent design flaw. It creates easy access for mosquitoes and other grossness. I think I can drill some more drainholes in the edge and maybe keep it flushed out more regularly. I paid a lot for them, so I don't want to just toss them. Maybe I can come up with a better configuration.

The tomatoes are doing really well, I moved them onto a wire shelf rack in front of the window. I just wish there were more sun; now that they're bigger the fluorescent light tube just seems puny.

Happy Birthday Bess

Today, my Grandmother turns 100. Bess, when you were born, women did not have the right to vote. The Titanic had not sunk. You came to this country to escape WWI. You grew up and graduated from Cornell University, you had four children, whom you raised on your own after your husband died. You lived through teh Great Depression, WWII, and you were able to watch the first time a human walked on the moon. You saw the invention of television, you were there for the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam war. You taught me everything I know and love about cooking; you taught me to try new things and never stop learning. I am in awe of the things you have seen and done in your life. I love you Bess! Happy Birthday.

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The Chickens of the Future!

Wow! Check out the uber-mod chicken coops they have at Omlet.us. Not cheap, but definitely cool in a Jetsonian kind of way. I still don't think I cna sell Marc on them, but they definitely look cool.

http://www.omlet.us/homepage/homepage.php

BTW, Urban Homesteading: Your guide to self sufficient living in the heart of the city by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. A must read!! I know I have raved about it in previous posts, but it really is very interesting and helpful. Lots of practical information, and it explains HOW to do this stuff, which a lot of sites don't do.

I cannot believe how much snow we have right now. It's crazy. Even just since this morning. I grew up in Upstate New York, and even for that area, this is an absurd amount of snow. I'm off again tomorrow, so it's back to the shoveling in the AM. I don't mind, I have a bit of cabin fever, and all we have been doing is sitting around the house eating for the last 5 days. Oh yeah, and seed catalogs... lots of seed catalogs.

Is it any wonder why I'm obsessed with seed catalogs?

So, I don't even know what we're up to now... we got at least 28" over the weekend, and we probably will have another 18" by the end of the day. The city has completely shut down and all you can do is sit in the house and wonder when it will stop. We haven't gone out to dig anything yet, it's still snowing too hard to bother yet. I just don't know where it's all going to go! Apparently downtown they have started dumping snow in the harbor because there's no place else to put it. All streets are pretty much one lane, traffic is horrible, I'm not sure how this is all going to get cleaned up. Its also so sad what a beating the trees are taking in all this. There are trees and branches down all over the city. The snow took out a big red pine tree up the street, and has taken out quite a few large branches from Mary and Jason's white pine next door. Too bad it hasn't taken out the neighbor's black walnut tree, but three's still time to hope.

On a positive note, it has given me some time to just shut myself in the house and read and do other stuff. It's a little hard to be stuck in the house with a toddler all week, but at least we had one day out yesterday. I did make it in to work for a few hours, and Olive was able to get to Daycare.

I am still reading Urban Homesteading and totally loving it. Of course, a lot of the stuff they can do is much easier to facilitate in Southern California, but there are still some good ideas. I'm definitely going to set up rain barrels this summer for the eaves troughs, and I think I am going to install soaker hoses in my raised beds. I've also decided to divert the condensate line from the AC unit out to a barrel of some sort to use on the garden. It's amazing how much water that can pump out when the AC is going all day in the summer.

I'm really excited to see if my solar attic fan is going to make an impact when it gets hot again...(whenever that is) I hope so. I'm just trying to do everything I realistically can to lighten my environmental footprint. Sure, I'd like to go start an organic farm and live off-grid, but I'm not sure that's really practical for us right now. So in the meantime, I am just trying to do everything I can within reason. Did I mention my paper shredder? I ordered one, and now I am composting all the non-shiny paper and junkmail from around the house. Sometimes I'll bring stuff home from the office too. So far the worms love it, and I thin kit makes a nice "brown layer" of compost which also helps to deter Randy the Rat. If I had some spare money, I'd love to install solar hot water, but that's not cheap. And since the future of my employment is somewhat questionable, I'm hesitant to make a huge investment if we end up having to move somewhere.

The tomato seedlings are doing great!

Recycling!!

I am so, so excited about Baltimore County switching over to single stream recycling. I know this makes me a huge dork, but I think it's awesome. It makes it so much easier, and I'm excited because I think more people will do it now. Just throw it all in one bin, no sorting, no tying of bags, nothing. Recycling is one of those things that I am obsessed with. I take other people's recycling home. I can't stand to see recyclables in the trash. If I see stuff in the street, all I can think is, that's going to be in a landfill for thousands of years. So, anything that will make it easier for people to recycle is good with me.

In a similar vein, I saw a thing online about people collecting coffee grounds from Starbucks for composting. I called the Roland Park one, and they were very friendly and helpful; they are saving some for me and I'm going to try and pick them up on my way home today. They bag them up for you in recycled paper bags and give the stuff away free. Again, it would be just as easy for them to throw it out, but it's nice to see it going to a good use rather than sitting in a plastic bag in a landfill. And it's great for the compost pile... you can even put them directly on acid loving things like blueberries. I may try some on my blue hydrangea.

I went out and turned the compost yesterday and I have definitely had visitors to the bin as of late. I am hoping it's just squirrels and not a rat, but it didn't seem to be that recent. The compost is doing OK, but it was pretty frozen on the edges. I think I'm going to start a new bin in the spring, perhaps one that's made of fencing rather than a closed bin. I also bought a paper shredder so I can start shredding and recycling junk mail and paper. I added some new shredded paper to the worm bin last week and it has really helped with the flies. It's still not perfect; I think there's just more food in there than they can handle, so I'm going to give them some time to catch up. I'm still waiting for it to look like soil in there, but it's far from it. I'd like to see pictures of someone else's worm bin to see what it looks like. I haven't given up yet!

Coffee Beans

Well, my coffee plant is very very happy living at the studio. I just noticed this morning that the beans are ripening. Aren't they pretty? It's a gorgeous color. At this rate, I might be able to make at least a tablespoon or so. Even my salvaged impatiens is doing well... I dug it up before the first hard frost because I couldn't stand to let them all die. I trimmed it way back, and now it has all new growth on it and even has some buds. Small victories.

So, as I was reading more about the chicken thing last night, they raised a good point. Even if you're not raising them for meat, you do have to accept the fact that you have to be willing to kill them if necessary. For example, if you get the errant rooster chick, or if one is sick or injured. They also raised the point that you really have to guard them from dogs and raccoons, (and where we live, hawks too) so they have really can't have some sort of half assed contraption to live in. It's going to require a significant investment at first. besides, if I am ever going to convince Marc, it's going to have to be one exceptionally attractive chicken coop.

You have to raise the chicks yourself if you want them to be friendly and tame, and that can take 6-8 weeks of indoor care. I am thinking that this might be a good project a little further down the road when Olive is older and she can help out with them. (See? I'll raise my own farm hands.) It would be a good learning experience for her; a long term science project if you will. At least that's what I keep telling myself, but she may just end up hating me for it. ("MOM. Seriously. I am the ONLY third grader whose Mom has CHICKENS.") The people who wrote this book say that they just let their chickens out during the day to roam the garden; my question is, don't they fly? How do you catch them again? In Key West, they are in the trees all the time. I know they instinctively go back into their roosts at night when it gets dark. I think Marc hasn't completely nixed the idea of having chickens ever, he just doesn't think we should have them in our current house. I think we could handle three with no problem.

At least I can have all the tomatoes I want...

Seedlets!!!

How unbelievably cute are these?! Look at them. So adorable. My little tomato babies. I don't think I'd make it through January without them. Got some more gardening books from the library last night. The more big, glossy color photos the better. Green keeps the winter depression at bay.

So, I am reading a fascinating book called Urban Homesteading. It has a lot of information, probably more than I will ever need (or want) such as how to make flour from acorns. (?!) But on a less extreme level, it has a lot of good information. I'm still kicking around the chicken idea. I think I could handle three. I think we'd have enough space for three, realistically. That would get us two eggs a day on average. Not bad. I've got to do some more reading. Marc is far from sold on the idea. and I hardly have the money right now to be building a chicken coop. That, and they say the best way to do it is to raise the chicks yourself, so they are used to you and are calm around people. However, I think my cats might be a problem. As they said in the book, Chicks make the best cat toys ever! (Squeaky! Fluffy! Tasty!)

So, my boss ordered me some bees for this spring! He has a small orchard, and gets bees every spring to pollinate the trees. These are different from honeybees, they are solitary, so they don't have a queen. Each female lays her own eggs. And on a fascinating side note, the females can choose wether the eggs will be male or female. If they get sperm, which the female can save separately and use at her own will, they will be female. If she chooses not to add sperm, they will end up male. Apparently, they make girls first and boys later. They only live as adult bees for 8 weeks, but they lay eggs and grow in cocoons for the rest of the year. Again, starting small, but I think I can handle it. I am ordering a little house that has paper tubes under a little roof for the females to lay their eggs in. It should be interesting if nothing else.

Tomato seedlings a growin'

So, the tomato seedlings are up! Faster than I thought, actually. I have discovered the seedling heat mat is absolutely KEY to starting anything inside. It has made a huge, huge difference. I balked at the cost of it at first, but now I'd never go without it. The only problem with starting these tomatoes so early is that now I'll have to pot them up into bigger pots before they can go outside, which takes up a lot of room. I borrowed a fluorescent light from work which I now have hanging over the seedling tray on the dining room table. I am proud of myself, I have been keeping meticulous records so I know exactly which tomatoes are which, when I planted them, etc. If I lost track, it would be disastrous. I am definitely looking forward to starting some kale and some peas in a few weeks.

I've been looking around on Etsy, and I think I may try and sell some of my fish mosaic projects. They are just sitting in the basement right now, and I could use the cash. It's one of those things that when you're just learning to do something, as you get better and look back on stuff you've already done, all you notice is the things you'd change if you could do it again. That's kind of where I am with the mosaics in the basement. They look great, I'm happy with them, but I know I'd just fixate on problems if I put them up. Now that I have the hammer and hardie and the smalti, I don't think I can go back to the old way I was doing things. Smalti just allows you so much more freedom with detail and texture, and you can work on a smaller scale. A plus for space as well as cost of materials.

I am still working my way through The Omnivore's Dilemma. It is really amazing to learn about this stuff; the whole industrialized food system is just so awful. It really isn't good for anyone except for corporate executives. It really does make me want to be more conscious of what I eat, and where it comes from. I was at Giant yesterday, and I almost bought a mango; I was looking at it, and it had a sticker on it that said "product of Peru." It's just incredible to me to think that this piece of fruit has traveled thousands of miles to be in this store right now. Not only is it picked when it's green and rock hard, how much fossil fuel has been expended to get it to me? It's crazy when you start to think about it all.

Gray Sunday

Ugh, so gray today. Olive seems to be recovering from her stomach flu, so we decided to get out of the house and go for a walk, which did everyone some good I think. The tomato seeds still aren't up, but I check them about every twenty minutes or so for any new signs of life. I'm just curious to see what this upcoming week will bring... it will be rather pivotal. We'll see.

The sauerkraut in the basement seems to be doing OK... it definitely stinks, so I assume I'm on the right track. :) I don't think it's quite there though. It's weird, it hasn't had any mold on it... neither did the last batch of pickles. I'm not sure why that is, but I guess it's a good thing.

I've been reading Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening and have it all planned out for Spring. I'm going to see if I can find scrap wood leftover at the jobsite we're on so I don't have to buy too may materials. I liked his idea for making trellises with steel conduit and netting, I think I cna handle that. The book is a little gimmicky... I kind of feel like they are reinventing the wheel to a certain extent, but it does make some sense. It definitley has an air of "infomercial" about it.

I think I'm going to plant some tomatoes and squash at Marnie's this summer; it's close enough that I think I can actually get over there to maintain it. Marnie and I were going to get a garden going at her house and then do a bunch of jam and stuff this summer. Now that I have the pressure canner, I figured we could just get a group of people together and all make tomatoes or jam or whatever. It will be easier that way, and fun. I hope the strawberries are better this year than they were last year. The entire crop was basically ruined last year because of all the rain.

You know, it's tricky to find stuff to do when it's cold out and you don't want to spend any money.

Planted Tomatoes!!!

Yes, I know it's too early to plant tomatoes, but I did it anyway. I got my seedling mat out and they are incubating away on their toasty warm mat. Yay! They make me so happy. 8 varieties! I only did 3-4 of each kind, I know I will plant more in a few more weeks. This will be batch 1. I plan on providing several friends with plants this spring.

It's just my way of coping with the wretched week I am having at work. I needed to have some living green hope to look forward to.

It's been a tough week.

This week's small accomplishment

Well, I did manage to make a hat this week. I've been pretty down on myself lately for not being able to get anything done, so this was kind of nice thing for me. Hats are quick and easy, and you feel like you've really done something.

Work lately has just been grueling; I think more emotionally and mentally that physically for me anyway, so by the time the weekend comes around, I am so exhausted I spend the whole time recuperating. My boss is just crazy. Without getting into a rant, I just feel like besides the accounting/payroll/financial aspects of it, I do everything and I have no one to help me. It's just a huge responsibility, and I feel like when I come home I just can't shut my brain off. That's why the knitting is good, it's just busy work for your brain, and it's totally addictive.

I was also squealing like a little girl this week when my seeds arrived from Quebec. It made me sooooo happy, I can't wait to start them in a few weeks. I think I'm going to plant some stuff at Marnie's house too. We'll see. I want to build a raised bed once the MG is sold, which is hopefully happening soon. We're making progress... Marc has taken pictures of it so he can make a flyer about it. It will happen eventually. I must remain positive!

Another Sunday evening

Very tired of the cold. It's starting to piss me off. Cold = Depressing. I just keep flipping through seed catalogs, thinking of how long before I can start tomato seeds in the dining room. I can't quite explain the joy I feel when I see little seedlings emerging. It's like magic. One day you come home from work and they're just there. They are just so hopeful, I can't help but smile.

I had many grand plans to get lots of projects done this weekend and didn't get a single one of them done. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself about it. I have been thinking about a mosaic project I want to start. I want to sculpt a crow either out of clay or wood with a chicken wire frame. Then I'm going to coat it and use it as a base for smalti. Of course, I don't want this to be misconstrued as a "Raven" because I could not careless about football. (Although it did cross my mind that this might make it a more saleable item) It has nothing to do with that. I've just been looking around at the crows in the neighborhood lately. They are really smart and resourceful.

My other project for the weekend which I didn't manage to do was to make a batch of sauerkraut. I put all the pickles in jars in the fridge, and gave a bunch away. I bought the cabbage, and I even have the muddler and everything. (How many women ask for sauerkraut muddlers for Christmas?? Talk about low maintenance!) Maybe one night this week I can get it started. I have been having a hard time getting anything done in the evenings lately. I don't know what it is; I feel like Olive is going through a very whiny stage right now which really gets to me some times. I'm sure it will improve, but boy can it test your patience. Sometimes I just have to walk away for a few minutes and regroup a bit. It's all part of the experience, I'm just going with it. (what else can you do?)

The other day Marc was showing Olive a picture of a chickadee in a book. He asked, "What kind of bird is this Olive?" and she replied, "It's a GARBANZO!!" Oh this makes me laugh. Chick pea, chickadee, what's the difference?

Back from NY

Back from a freezing weekend in Ithaca, and it is no warmer here. We did have a nice tome visiting the family, and it was great for everyone to get to see Olive since she's growing so fast. We went sledding at the Cornell plantations on New Year's Day, which was great. What a fun way to start the year. I just can't believe how cold it is here!! It's not usually this cold. All I do now is gaze at my seed catalogs and dream of warm soil. I can't wait to start my tomato seeds... I have to discipline myself and not start them until after Feb. 1st though. I try to hold out for Valentine's day if I can. I am trying to get Marc's MG sold, since it is taking up prime tomato real estate in the driveway. It's hard to hide my real motivations.

I am thinking of trying a different type of zucchini this summer... Territorial seeds has a variety called Partenon, which is parthenocarpic, meaning self-pollinating, which is good, because I ran into problems with that last summer. Not enough bees around, and I ended up having to pollinate squach blossoms inteh mornigns with an artist brush. The catch is they are $8.40 for ten seeds, which seems outrageous to me, but I guess it's worth it, and really, it is only $8.40, in the grand scheme of things not so bad.

Our hot water heater had gone out at some point this weekend... I tooka tepid shower yesterday, but I thought it was just cold in the house. This morning Marc went to take a shower and there was no hot water, and when I checked it, it was out. I relit it and it's running now, I'm just glad we didn't have any carbon monoxide problems. We have a detector in our room, but still, that stuff is scary. Hopefully I can take a nice hot shower in a few minutes. In fact, I should probably go do that before Olive gets up.