A Prayer for Growers and Eaters

Just a little prayer I found in a lovely cookbook given to me as a wedding shower gift: Simply in Season

Hope you like it too!


A Prayer for Growers and Eaters

Generous God, Source of all we enjoy around this table,
thank you for the rich flavors, crisp colors, and simple foods
that fill us and please us.

We remember those who have labored long on our behalf.
For farmers near and far, for their households,
their land and their communities,
we ask your sustaining grace.

Give hope, health, and fruitfulness to your people who farm.
Fill us with the Spirit's generosity and joy
so that we may fittingly eat at the table you have set
and serve the world you have made. Amen.

-Jennifer Davis Sensenig

Floating Row Cover Is My Friend!

Yesterday, Chris and I ventured out to a garden center I have known of for awhile but never had a reason to drive out and visit, until now!  After numerous phone calls to local plant nurseries, garden, home and landscaping stores, and even a Tractor Supply Co., I succummed to the realization that no store carried floating row cover-an item of utmost importance to my farming project.  However, after one last go at scouring the net, I came across Marvin's Organic Gardens in Lebanon, Ohio.  I determined (after a month's worth of weekly phone calls to check the shipping progress of this most-coveted item) that they did indeed sell row cover or frost cloth.  I'm not sure why Cincinnati garden centers don't carry this item and very surprised that big box stores don't bother with it either.  In my thinking, this prime gardening product would be everywhere, but most places I contacted didn't even know to what I was referring.  So, I figured I could at least fill you in!

This product is something I did without for my first gardening venture last year in MO, but have every intention of utilizing this time around.  Floating row cover is a great aid for the organic gardener.  Since I didn't personally take advantage of this plant protection but watched as my fellow apprentice farming friends did and subsequently harvested delicious produce, I can easily attest to the postive outcome of its use and the negative results I experienced. This 'garden blanket' of sorts looks almost like a giant dryer sheet (sans fresh scent), can let light, air, and water in but prevents pests, extreme heat, and frost from bothering your veggies!  It is laid atop the plants and needs no support from below but should be weighed down on the edges.  It can be used over and over again if treated properly and allows gardeners to create a mini greenhouse effect for young plants or seedlings transplanted outdoors earlier than usual.  One word of advice....remember to take off the cover once your plants flower so they can be pollinated!  By then, they should be hardy enough to withstand most pest attacks.

I plan on using my row cover to protect my young eggplants from pests. I gleaned ZERO eggplant during last season; flea beetles made lace work of the eggplants' leaves and thus, made it nearly impossible for the poor things to bear fruit.  This year will be different, and I'm already daydreaming of making my favorite eggplant parmesean dish or my potato and eggplant curry ! 

So, if you're planning on setting out some fragile transplants or want to start your veggies earlier or protect them from the heat in the middle of summer, I highly recommend buying yourself a resuable sheet of row cover.  Try your local nurseries (hopefully, your luckier than me) or resort to paying for S&H and buy yours online.  I bought the exact product that I've linked below.  I spent $15.00 and did have to drive a bit farther than I would like, but I got to support a local, family business and enjoy a drive out to some true farm country! 

Eggplants, Tomatillos, and Broccoli....Oh, My!

So I am moving on to starting my second round of seedlings...the eggplants and tomatillos.  When I mention broccoli I'm referring to my ongoing attempt to salvage what few seeds and sprouts I started after the first broccoli failure.  I think I may have solved my problem seeing that I now have a 2 inch broccoli sprouts reaching high into the sky!  Those were the ones that I had seeded directly into the pots while the ones I let germinate in moist paper towels and plastic bags were planted today.  What I decided to do this time around was add a bit of potting soil with my seed starting mix (about half and half) and also more vigorously tamper down the soil after planting.  So far, things are looking good.  I am hopeful that the little tweaks I made will prevent air from drying out my babies as they seemed to do to the last broccoli I had started.

Here are some photos of the process:

Those are my homemade newspaper pots and the new starting mix I made.  I followed a video on E-How to make my pots; they are very simple and there is a lot of other information and how-to's online.

This is the paper towel/plastic bag germination method.

Here are the tomatillo sprouts!

Using my marker as a hole puncher (soil tends to stick to my finger tend more than the slippery butt end of the marker).  Give it a try!





      
                                       Ready for the seedlings!

Tampering down the soil and hopefully, eliminating any trapped air pockets.







There you have it!  I will take pics of all my seedlings soon!
Off to the garden center for goodies!

Getting to the bottom of this...

Today is beautifiul here in Cincinnati!  Despite my horrible allergy congestion and a hazy mind, Chris and I set out to the plot with rakes, wheelbarrel, and my new stirrup hoe for our first on site preparation!  Our goal: clear out the masses of straw and garden waste that had accumlated and place them....somewhere.  I'll tell you what we came up for a solution after a few images so you can better understand the land we are working.  Here are the 'before' photos:

The plot: 30' x 50'

STRAW MANIA!!!

                                                                                                             

                                                                                                    

Since this plot is not located on land that I own, I don't exactly have an area to place my excess straw outside of the garden.  Thus, I made a quick decision that should solve several issues that I was going to have to deal with at some point during the growing season.  We started a compost pile! 

Ok, so right now it's more of a waste straw pile and doesn't contain the proper ratio of carbon to nitrogen or anything to help it actually morph into beautiful, rich compost, but it will; just wait and see!  So, I solved the immediate issue of what to do with 5 wheelbarrows full of straw mush and the other dilemma of having a poorly drained corner in the garden.  Instead of trying to grow food in that utra mushing section or just letting it sit fallow, I will utilize it as my compost heap and thus, maximaze all of the space I have.  The final positive outcome of this decision is that I now have a moist and fertile space that will be the perfect home to grow my squash (Buttercup, Yellow, and Zuchinni).  Even though this wasn't my original plan, I find it comforting and also exciting to get a chance to see how this old-fashioned method can work to keep my squash watered and supplied in nutrients! 

Here is an 'after' photo:

The taters have arrived!

Well, the potatoes are here and I am ecstatic! Those were the last of the seeds to arrive. I purchased the majority of my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange...at least the important ones that I knew of which I would want the special heirloom varieties. I got a total of 5 lbs. of seed potatoes, half Austrian Crescent (a variety of fingerling I grew and ate while working on the farm in Missouri) and the other portion Red Gold. They are beautiful all perked upright in my homemade chitting (a new word I learned for 'sprouting') crates. Take a look for yourself!

I wanted to use egg cartons, but alas, today the recycling got picked up. So, I found some boxes Chris had been hoarding and proceeded to cut small holes with a utility knife and stick the 'rose end' or 'seed end' up. In case you're new to this like me, the 'seed end' has all of the eyes or little dents, and that's where you are trying to encourage the sprouting. I will place these boxes of spuds in a room with adequate natural light and wait until the sprouts get over 1/2 inch before taking them out to plant. I may be a bit behind but no worries...it's not like I have the plot tilled, yet!

Now, I just have to get that land worked. I'm currently waiting on consecutive warm and dry days to warm up and drain the land. The area I will be working in (it has farmed before and comes complete with a very tall fence and water on site-so I shouldn't complain) is on a slight slope and also seems to be in a soggier area of the land. I am also still determining my layout but hope to have that finished very soon.

Until then, I will be enjoying the sunshine, and I think, tomorrow I will take a trip to the plot to study the weeds and contemplate a course of action.

Broccoli Failure

Each day, when I decide to sit down to complete my official garden plot layout (scaled on graph paper and everything!) I find myself feeling inept or maybe it's lethargy that I feel. Either way, I feel somewhat stuck or hesitant. I have drawn up a few sketches and I have a list of the plants I'm growing, but I'm not completely sure of how I want to approach this project. I know I will be doing several succession plantings (is that redundant?), and I will be trying my hand at some companion planting (ya know, marigolds with tomatoes...) but I'm still not set on my layout. Any suggestions?

But, what I can expand on (to an inappropriate extent) are my broccoli seedlings and the broccoli tragedy I've experienced as of late. You see, my seed germination had been going rather well and honestly, now that I'm writing this down, I can see how this could seem rather trivial, even silly. But, even in just a few weeks of buying, germinating, and starting seeds the seedlings have become family; they are my babies. Why else do you think they call it a nursery? I feel like a mother and feel that it's my duty to see my progeny succeed...or at least live!

The collards, marigolds, onions, and dianthus are all looking fresh, green, and perky. My broccoli, the same, until a week ago. It started with the poor little 1 inch green seedlings just looking a bit droopy, like a bed of sad puppies. I watered them a little extra and moved the flat away from such harsh sun. Then, they were wilty like old lettuce, so I just watched and waited. And finally(I guess I waited too long), they were all black and crunchy like raisinsfound under a car seat. I tried to salvage the little buddies for another week but to no avail. They are gone for good, and it's a true broccoli failure.

So, today I planted some more....and life goes on! I'm doing a bit of a mini-experiment; I planted half of the remaining broccoli seeds strait into the starting mix in little pods while the rest went into a moist "envelop" made of paper towels resting in a shallow dish and slid into a plastic baggie. I am curious to see which will grow faster or which will last longer than two days(which is the current record for broccoli in my makeshift plant nursery).

So as not to get too down about the broccoli and to remind myself that it's not too late, I've been concentrating on all of the other plants I'll be getting to grow this year. I thought I would share them with you. Hope you enjoy this list as much as me!

Since I am using this blog as my gardening journal there will also be information that may seem superfluous to some of you but vital to me. Next to some of the plants you will notice the date I started germination or planted the seedling indoors...it seems I am running a little behind but better late than never!

Listada de Gandia Eggplant (March 12th germination)

Peppers (purchasing transplants)

Tomatoes (purchasing transplants)

Tomatillos (March 12th germination)

Early Fortune Cucumbers

True Lemon Cucumbers

Black Beauty Zuchinni Squash

Golden Zuchinni Squash

Icicle Short Top Radishes

Dragon Carrots (Sown in cold frame 3/6)

Spinach-Double Choice Hybrid (Sown in cold frame 3/6)

Romaine Lettuce-Parris Island Cos

Grand Rapids Loose Leaf Lettuce

Georgia Southern Collards (March 1st germination)

Baby Choi Cabbage

Genovese Basil

Cilantro

Rosemary

Sage

Harris Model Parsnips

Purple Top White Globe Turnips

Burpee's Golden Beets

Early Wonder Beet

Austrian Crescent and Red Potatoes

Yellow of Parma Onions (Feb. 25th germination and sown in cold frame)

Evergreen Long White Bunching Onions

Sugar Bon Snap Peas

Provider Green Beans

Fiskeby Soy Beans

Buttercup (Burgess Strain) Squash

Butternut Squash

Amish Melon

Moon and Stars Watermelon

Birdhouse Gourds

Sweet Corn-Perfect Picnic Hybrid

Marigold (March 1st germination)

Dianthus (March 1st germination)

Scabiosa

Sunflowers

Butterfly Flower

Babys Breath-Covent Garden White

Cosmos

Aster

Zinnia

Cornflower

Petunia

Larkspur

Calabrese Broccoli (Feb. 25th(failed) and March 11th germination)

Something to chew on...

Today, I learned that out of the funds my parents have spent on 20 years worth of home upkeep and remodeling, a tenth of those monies have been used toward landscaping and maintaining the yard. This amount includes but is not limited to all mulch, fertilizer, plants, pots, soil, seed, and decorative components used in the yard. It does NOT include any garden-specific tools, machinery, or the watering of said landscaping. While it could get much more extravagant than this percentage, it is still a decent amount of money and shouldn't every homeowner examine his or her spending?

My point in bringing up my parents' personal finances? Well, it's all relevant....they're using money, time, and space to create a beautiful and, I'll agree enjoyable facade. It's even something I know they enjoy spending money and time doing, but, nevertheless, it is still a facade. OK, maybe they plant some herbs or even a tomato plant for the fun of it, but they don't concentrate on farming for food or what I would call 'landscaping for life'. They get their food from the grocery and haven't, until recently, thought much beyond what day of the week they'll get to the store. They are ornamental horticulturalists by education and thus, concentrate on making their lawn and landscaping look beautiful for themselves, for their property value, for guests, for the neighbors...for the sake of social norms. Those may all be valid, lovely reasons, and I can personally say that I understand each one. However, I can't completely rectify spending so much of everything with not much to show for it besides 20 years of having a nice yard and having the approval of neighbors. If you take a moment to meditate on 20 years worth of watering, fertilizing, purchasing, decision making, and maintaining a facade of responsibility, organization, and beauty....it's quite disgusting. Besides, if one is trying to make one's property appear pure, beautiful, and I'll assume, natural, (since we are dealing with items found in nature) it is pretty ironic, disappointing, and pitifully disrespectful to consider how truly forced, phony, and disruptive landscaping for looks truly is. I suppose if there were no other way to develop one's lawn then I wouldn't have a problem with ornamental landscaping. In fact, I would see it as a respectful nod of recognition and admiration to the natural beauty of plants and earth. But, the problem is, there is something else that can be done to our lawns that is less boring, less intrusive, and less wasteful. Why plant lawns when we can plant food?

Maybe you think I'm being too harsh, especially since I used my own parents as a springboard for this tirade. And I understand... I've thoroughly enjoyed running around on our plush lawn, helping my mom plant spring flowers, or trimming hedges with my dad. I even think these experiences shaped who I am and specifically shaped me into someone who loves the outdoors and working in the dirt to produce beautiful things. The difference is what we're producing....just something to chew on.

The Adventure Begins...

An opportunity has presented itself. For this growing season, I will be taking on a new gardening project. Although I won't be working at markets or attending weekly enrichment sessions like my last organic garden undertaking with EarthdanceFarms, this time is going to be just as challenging and just as enriching. This time, I will be in charge of EVERYTHING.

Through the generosity of a neighbor and my determination to be my own boss, I have taken responsibility for 1500 square feet (30x50) of prime farm land. I will be embarking on a personal journey filled with a lot of hard work, numerous trials and probably even more errors and hopefully, a lot of growth by both vegetable and human.

So, although I have a decent understanding of how to grow things and enough confidence to risk my time and money on my own plot, I only know a fraction of what I could about gardening. I'm a pretty normal gal that has gotten herself into something she knows she wants but will take some time to figure out. For example, I don't really understand the ends and outs of "amending the soil" or know when I should start my seeds without having to refer to the packets in which they came. I certainly don't have all the right tools, and I already know I bought way too many seeds, but that's part of the fun of it all. I'm giving myself permission to get caught up in the giddiness of making plans and the excitement of anticipating all the delicious treats to come(God willing). Knowing all the potential knowledge to be acquired makes me all warm and fuzzy which leaves no room for hesitancy or fear. Things are certain to happen that won't be ideal, but the hypothetical issues I foresee will, in themselves, be a blessing and next year, I'll try to prevent or fix those issues. If I succeed, I succeed. If I fail, I succeed...eventually.

However, I do take comfort in knowing that every gardener, no matter age, background, or experience has difficulties or issues that arise each year that have nothing to do with personal ability or personal effort. Weather, seed failure, poor soil quality(OK so, I suppose these can be controlled or corrected to some extent...but you get my point) all affect the success of a garden and the morale of the gardener and are things that can't be completely determined or righted with human efforts. I guess I like knowing that it's not ALWAYS going to be my fault if something goes wrong.

Thus, my plans for the plot...

To be continued...

Coming Soon

Coming soon will be a new category on our own adventure into sustainable farming.....

Countries Struggling

Countries struggling with new ozone restrictions:

Bonner Cohen from the Heartland Institute

Honest IPCC Scientist Tackles Climategate

Sustainable Government

One must be a conservative to believe in sustainable living. Think about it...First why does conservative and conservation share the same base word, conserve? Conservatives believe in conserving life...all aspects of life.

A conservative government is a sustainable government. A conservative government will not spend money the country doesn't have. Yes, some republican presidents have done that. Just because some one is a republican, it doesn't mean they are conservative. I say that but you must realize some presidents need to spend more money when wars are occurring (i.e. Reagan - Cold War, Bush I - Gulf War, Bush II- Iraq, Afghanistan). In order to win a war, you must provide the troops everything they need to be victorious. That means spending money.

A liberal government who doesn't care about spending money is not sustainable. They spend money they don't have. Our country and government is going bankrupt. To be sustainable, it is essential to be conservative...economically and environmentally

Say No to Soda Tax

A soda tax was recently passed in San Francisco as an attempt to promote healthy living. Although, it sounds good in theory, we are opposed to such an act for several reasons. First, it is a pilot program for liberals who want a national tax on soda and other sugary drinks. This is just the beginning of a long stream of similar taxation on various other aspects of our private life. The Federal Government should not have the power to dictate what we eat and drink. If it's going to be discussed then keep it as a state issue, please, right there in California.

Secondly, this tax is going to hurt poor people the most; what's new? Who drinks and eats the most unhealthy food and foodstuffs? The poor. Why is this? It is because of a lack of education, a lack of funds, and a lack of convenience and availability. How many Whole Foods set up stores in lower-income areas? It's tougher for most families who are looking for convenience and low prices to place value on buying organic, local, or more nutritional food items. Those items tend to cost more, are harder to find, and not everyone understands the disparity between real food and food products. When saving money and filling stomachs is the bottom line it's a lot easier to purchase that $0.99 two liter of coke over the $5 bottle of organic 100% fruit juice. Put a tax on that soda and the price will increase, but because it's still cheaper than some of the healthier beverage choices, the poor will continue to buy it but now at higher prices. It's very similar to the cigarette tax. Who smokes the most cigarettes? The poor. I thought the democratic party was for the "working and poor classes." If that were true don't you think they would make that $5 pack of cigarettes cheaper?

Back to the soda tax. The final and most important point is that once you start a precedent of taxing certain items in the name of health, you start a troubling trend. From there on, where does the government stop? Cup cakes? Ice cream? Donuts? Ice tea? If the government believes they can dictate what you can and cannot eat, then they gain more control over your life. It's seems quite reminiscent of the issues surrounding nationalized health care. In a nationalized health care system, the government can dictate what health care services can be provided. You smoke?.....no services for you. You don't work out?.....no services for you. You eat red meat?.....no services for you. A soda tax is just a starting point for most liberals who want more control over everybody else. They believe they can garner such control in the name of healthy eating.

I say it would be better if the San Francisco City school district taught about nutrition in health class at school. Served fresh, local produce, meat, and dairy to the children. Developed school gardens, eliminated all soda from vending machines. Showed them first hand the importance of healthy eating. Those sound like good ideas, ideas that can help a community and a population make better choices and over time, become all around wiser and healthier. Through education, people learn and understand. You don't have to hurt the poor and gain more control in the name of health. If a person is fat, that's their prerogative. That's their decision. Not the government.

No to the soda tax.

Michael Pollan's Lecture

Yesterday, we attended a lecture by Michael Pollan at Xavier University. In case you haven't heard of him, he's the author of several books about food ethics and politics such as, The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and The Botany of Desire. All of which, we recommend.

A few observations from his speech:

1. Don't listen to nutritionists ("It's a young science.....kind of like surgery in 1650"), food studies reported on TV, and food commercials that make health claims .
2. Eat real food. Don't buy things in boxes or "food" that needs a label.
3. Eat until you're about 80% full. Until you no longer have hunger (which comes way before feeling "full")
4. Eat mostly plants.
5. Only eat pasture-grass fed meats.

In essence, he said to act like you're living in an earlier era and that's how you should eat. Go back to nature.

Mrs. Obama

Mrs. Obama and farmers' markets. Read the article and I'm sure you can come to your own conclusions.

Mrs. Obama's Carbon Footprint for some kale

Trying to make a few dollars

In the previous post, we discussed Joel Salatin's view and experience on sustainable agriculture and government involvement. I thought it would be good to illustrate an example so you can figure out how the expanding government is hurting want-to-be small farmers.

To better understand what it means to be a small-scale, sustainable farmer in today's America, I think every American should try to make and then sell a jar of homemade salsa at a farmer's market. Start with preparing the soil and planting the seeds and watch your veggies grow. While you weed and water your crops you'll also need to worry about putting up the money to rent or build your own commercial kitchen in order to meet one of the requirements for selling low-acid canned goods, such as salsa. Then, fill out the packet of bureaucratic paperwork required to be able to sell your goods in a retail situation, which includes everything from a farmers' market, to Whole Foods, to your local grocery store chain. Don't forget to keep records of each batch made. That way, you'll be ready when the various health departments that you are required to appease show up to scrutinize your procedure and recipe, the same recipe that your great grandmother has been using for 100 years. After doing all of that work and jumping through the hoops necessary to sell about 75 jars at $5 each, we can then see if you still want more expansion of government, the same expansion that caused the numerous superfluous issues with which you are currently faced. I have a feeling that these same liberal readers who don't know the extent of government control in agriculture are also some of the main proponents of ethanol and hybrid cars. Hopefully, these well-intentioned readers educate themselves and realize how wasteful ethanol is, not to mention how bad of an idea it is to grow food and not use it to fill people's bellies. But that's another story...

Conservative Sustainable Farmer?

If you've read Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, then you have definitely heard about Polyface Farms Inc. in Virginia. The Polyface Farm is an ideal example of how to practice sustainable agriculture. The farm's founder, Joel Salatin, rotates his livestock about the pastures to provide constant, natural, and practically free fertilization(minus any supplemental feed and care for cows) optimizing the health and life cycles of both the grass and cattle, not to mention sustaining the health of the soil. For more detail about his farm operations and mission, I point you to their website, http://www.polyfacefarms.com/.

It may come as a surprise to many who have read The Omnivoire's Dilemma, but Joel Salatin is a known libertarian. What? You mean to tell me that a major aspect of a Cal-Berkeley professor's book is a libertarian who supported Ron Paul for president? What? You mean to tell me that The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book espoused by the left as the bible for sustainable agriculture and sustainable, green eating touts the life and work of a man who is certainly right of center politically and wants absolutely no government in his business? How ironic that the majority of Pollan's readers are left of center but Joel Salatin, a role model of sustainable living and sustainable farming practices is the opposite. Is it because the readers who are supposedly left really don't understand the influence that government has on farmers and the current state of the farming that goes on in our country?

Mother Earth News recently published an interview with Joel Salatin and it is worth reading. At the bottom of this post is a link to the interview.

In brief, Salatin has no use for the government in his business. Here's a passage from the interview discussing his biggest problem in farming, "Anyone familiar with me would have to smile at this question, knowing that my answer would be and continues to be the food police. The on-farm hurdles we’ve faced, from drought to predators to flood to cash flow, are nothing compared to the emotional, economic and energy drain caused by government bureaucrats. Even in the early 1970s when, as a young teen, I operated a farm stand at the curb market, precursor of today’s farmers markets, the government said I couldn’t sell milk. The first business plan I came up with to become a full-time farmer centered around milking 10 cows and selling the milk to neighbors at regular retail supermarket prices. It would have been a nice living. But it’s illegal.....I think it’s amazing that in a country which promotes the freedom to own firearms, freedom to worship and freedom of speech, we don’t have the freedom to choose our own food. If I can’t choose the proper fuel to feed my body, I won’t have energy to go shoot, preach and pray anyway."

One of my favorite passages from his interview was his take on vegetarians, "I will answer this in two parts. The first has to do with the people who think a fly is a chicken is a child is a cat — what I call the cult of animal worship. This would include the people who think we’ve evolved beyond the barbaric practice of killing animals to some cosmic nirvana state where killing is a thing of the past. Rather than indicating a new state of evolutionary connectedness, it actually shows a devolutionary state of disconnectedness. A Bambi-ized culture in which the only human-animal connection is a pet soon devolves into jaundiced foolishness. This philosophical and nutritional foray into a supposed brave new world is really a duplicitous experiment into the anti-indigenous. This is why we enjoy having our patrons come out and see the animals slaughtered. Actually, the 7- to 12-year old children have no problem slitting throats while their parents cower inside their Prius listening to 'All Things Considered.' Who is really facing life here? The chickens don’t talk or sign petitions. We honor them in life, which is the only way we earn the right to ask them to feed us — like the mutual respect that occurs between the cape buffalo and the lion. To these people, I don’t argue. This is a religion and I pretty much leave it alone."

Anyways, read the interview by clicking on the link below and you'll understand why the icon of sustainable agriculture, Joel Salatin, is far from being a Democrat. Here's the link; http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/Joel-Salatin-Interview.aspx