Canning!

So I have been spending my spare time picking and cleaning and canning.  Today I went to Samascott Orchards with my friend Anna.  This was our second adventure there; this time for blueberries, cucumbers and green beans.  We struck out on the green beans, but picked beautiful, delicious blueberries by the basket load and ended up with about 20 lbs too many cucumbers. 

When the rains came in, we ventured over to Love Apple Farm in Ghent, NY to have lunch.  They also have a pick your own operation (we previously visited for cherries), but we were there for their amazing little Mexican kitchen that serves some equally amazing tamales.  While we were there I picked up a couple of half pecks of apricots and plums - because I just can't seem to get enough. 

My intention was do a bit of picking today and have a pickle night with Anna this week.  When I woke up from my afternoon nap, I was full of ideas - pickle relish, plum jam and apricot preserves.  I will rest during the winter months, with all my beautifully preserved jams and pickles!

*On a side note - I have no idea what the difference is between jam and preserves.

Luckily, I found the cord for my camera - so enjoy the views....

plum jam, bread and butter pickles, and hot/sweet pickle relish

Apricot Preserves in the making!

Purple Peppers!

I started this blog as a way for me to keep record and memory of my first full season as a community garden member.  I have never been one to journal much and having the opportunity to have other people read about my experience has helped me to keep up the momentum and write.  Although, I think the real appeal is pictures!  Unfortunately - I still can not find the cord that connects my camera to my laptop, so no pictures to post this go around.  

It is officially mid July and hot here in the Berkshires - and my arugula crop is really feeling the heat.  To date, I have not really had to do much watering, but now I find myself watering the greens in rescue mode every evening after work.  The good news is that the watering pays off and each morning I am able to walk out my back door and harvest a bowl full of greens for that days lunch.  My lunch time salads are a real treat - arugula with chopped carrots, onions, purple peppers, beets, zucchini, and cucumber.  Of course I add a bit of goat or blue cheese to help tie all the flavors together. 

I pulled the pea trellis up across the street and have planted egg plant, tomatoes, and winter squash in it's place.  I have to admit the plot looks a bit bare now, but the seedlings will grow (as will the weeds) and I am hoping to have some adult looking plants shortly.  This week I will pull up the green bean bushes in the plot at the house and make room for fall beets.

I have harvested my first round of potatoes from the food bank plot and I have to say - they were mighty tasty!  Of course I snuck a couple into my dinner!

On the canning and preserving front - I made my first batch of bread and butter pickles!  And I have to say - they are amazing!   Other than that, I think I am jammed out.  I have made red currant, black raspberry and blue berry jam, so everyone knows what they are getting for Christmas, right???

Oh yes - purple peppers - I traded plants for some vegetable starts at the beginning of the season with my old farm manager and ended up with a mixed six pack of sweet peppers - one of which was a purple pepper.  Word on the street is that these purple beauties pack an antioxidant punch, however, they are kind of tasteless.  Pretty, but tasteless.  Since I can not share a picture, here is a link to more (and a photo of) about the purple pepper.

Update - July 6th

Blogs with pictures are so much cooler than random writings.  Unfortunately - it's late and I can not find the cord that connects my camera to my computer, so we'll just have to do without tonight. 

It's been a busy couple of weeks!  The garden has done a ton of growing, there's been some recent visits to some pick your own berry/cherry farms, some veggie deliveries from my sweetie that needed eating and preserving, weeding, and jam making!  All very exciting, time consuming, amazing things. 

I am now harvesting peas from the garden across the street - oh and carrots and zucchini as well!  I feel like my personal plot there is in full production mode.  I can head over nearly any evening of the week and pick at least a couple of things to have for dinner - kale, collards, lettuce, onions, herbs......

and basically the same here at the house - tat soi, arugula, scallions, basil, cilantro, beets, radish and SNAP BEANS!!!

Tonight I spent an hour or so mowing the community garden in preparation for the tent raising tomorrow - I am totally stoked to get that done, as it will provide some nice shade for picnic Sunday's or just taking a small break during hot summer days at work.  I also mulched the food bank plot with bark mulch that the community garden purchased for all the plots.  It looks great and I am hoping it helps to maintain the edges and keep the grass from taking it over. 

Other than that - there is not much to report...

wish I had my pictures! 

Special Delivery Day - Take One

Tonight's Dinner

Today was my first food bank delivery.  Earlier in the season, I was asked if I would like to manage the plot at the community garden that was for the use of the Monterey kindergarten and the local food bank.  I jumped at the chance, as I have always wanted to incorporate issues of food access into my farming/gardening work/education.

As soon as I was able to "break ground" at the (extra) plot, I snagged some potato seeds, lettuce and beet starts from my lovely farmer sweetie and had a planting day with the kids and staff of the kindergarten.  I have since planted scallions, zucchini, basil, yellow squash, carrots, collards and mustard greens.  The lettuce is the first to be ready for harvest and I wanted to clear those heads out to make way for winter squash, tomatoes, and a second round of additional herbs and lettuce.

I got up a bit earlier this morning, harvested around 30 heads of lettuce, washed and packed them away in plastic bags and after coffee and breakfast, headed to Great Barrington to drop the goods.  My plan was to leave the lettuce on the door step, as I had to be at work at the exact same time the food bank opened.  Thankfully, Dorothy and the other volunteers had shown up early and I was able to meet the people that will be distributing the food to throughout the rest of the season.  They were so grateful and it really helped me to feel like this tiny plot and a bit of work was going to help some families have access to fresh produce.

Next week I will be taking them yet more lettuce, perhaps some scallions, definitely some parsley and beets and maybe even some swiss chard!  The plot is flourishing; potato flowers have bloomed (there will be tons of potatoes!) and the carrots seem to be growing daily.

Potato Flowers!

Here's what's happening in my plot at the house;

Looks like a bean to me!

The Big Picture

Holy Food Making, Storing, Eating......

Gardening is amazing and so is eating your own food.  The taste is just so extreme - tonight I snapped a couple of ready peas off the vine and pulled a carrot up out of the ground for an after work snack as I walked home and watered the potted plants that are waiting to be planted for the Food Bank.

I didn't spend a ton of time in the garden this weekend, as I was busy in the kitchen cooking and storing up goodies brought to me by my sweetie, straight from the fields of her beautiful farm in Dover, MA.  A bin full of garlic scapes, lettuce, bok choi, spring turnips and onions, beets, and the largest, most beautiful head of cauliflower I have ever seen (eaten).

We chopped and froze many bags of garlic scapes to saute up when the winter's share of garlic has been eaten.  We made garlic scape, walnut and asiago pesto that we froze in an ice tray and later popped out to store in freezer bags.  These will be great to pull out and add to hot pasta or into a soup.  We also made quick pickled kohlrabi and tonight I did the same with the spring turnips.  

For dinner we shared roasted beets and smashed, roasted cauliflower.

So much, I am probably forgetting at least half of the highlights.  I am so fortunate to share this season with such an amazing, dedicated farmer.  I learn so much from her and I am really enjoying navigating the ways and importance of growing and eating your own food.

Oh maybe a picture....

Beets!

Trellising and More

Today was a busy day, both in the garden and out in the real world - harvesting, storing, trellising in my own garden and a little landscaping work for a new friend.  Around noon, I came home to trellis the sun gold cherry tomato plants in the yard here at the house

Then I harvested the remaining over grown arugula from the community garden plot, washed it and blended it with garlic scapes , olive oil, walnuts and grated Parmesan cheese to make a pesto.  I had it over pasta tonight for a quick dinner and it was amazing!

There was also some basil pesto making and freezing and oh yeah......blueberry freezer jam.  I am a bit worried about the jam.  I used frozen berries from last year and the recipe called for nearly an entire bag of sugar for 12 - 8 ounce jars.  Hell a lot of sugar!  So we will see.  

Tomorrow - seeding some herbs for the greenhouse!

Berry Bonanza!!!

I swear we hand picked them all today!  Just didn't think to break out the camera until all the hard labor was completed.

My friend Anna and I made the trek west and down the Taconic Parkway to Chatham, NY to visit Berry Farm - a very cool organic and basically solar powered year round farm to pick strawberries!  Turns out their strawberry operation is only a small fraction of their business.  One of the store keepers gave us a brief tour of their greenhouses, one of which is geothermal.  Beautiful, small farm with amazing staff and insane strawberries.  Although the store keeper had some doubt about our harvesting stamina - Anna and I picked about 17 quarts or something like 23 lbs. of strawberries.  I tend to get a little carried away when I know something is soon going to become unavailable - I think they call it hoarding.

We picked, we shopped a little, getting some extras from their farm stand like garlic scapes and a tub of ice cream to split on the drive back.  Then we headed back to the great state of Massachusetts to prepare a meal for friends.  Anna pan fried some fish in coconut oil and garnished them with lightly sauteed garlic scapes and scallions, while I made some pasta with kale from the garden and Hannah made a salad of lettuce and arugula (also from the garden).

Beautiful night to have a meal outdoors

I snuck away to get my camera!

Jack hearts Kale!

After dins, we started on the berries and there was a lot of snickering around the topic of sucking the air out of the freezer....mostly around who sucked the most.

And the winner is.....

All in all, it was quite a busy day.  Lettuce harvesting, pea re-trellising, planting the food bank plot (again), some experimental cucumber trellising and tons of hand weeding and hoeing.  After being away for a few days and feeling a bit off kilter, spending the majority of my day working in the garden proved to be quite therapeutic and a bit tiring!

Pictures - Take June 19th

Bush Green Beans!

Holy lettuce harvest.  These heads are from the kindergarten plot I have been helping to manage for the food bank.  Early in the season I planted a ton of lettuce that was donated by a friendly farmer, mostly to have something quick and easy to work with the kids.  They no longer are using the spot, as school has now gone into summer break, so I am clearing the plot to make way for hearty vegetables for the food bank.  I cleared about 10 heads this morning - some too small for a real harvest, but I need the space!

It's always best to harvest lettuce in the morning - It's when the lettuce taste best, because it is storing it's maximum amount of carotene - as the day warms up, the lettuce protects itself from the sun and heat by excreting this carotene and it's taste can become quite bitter.  For more lettuce details  - seeding, growing, soil and sun conditions, etc.

Here is what the plot at the house is looking like these days.....

Cilantro~

OMG BEETS!!!

Soil Health

I took a last minute trip this past week to North Carolina and was fortunate enough to have a coworker stay at my home and keep an eye on the garden.  I am quite sure I would not have been capable of leaving the state without that bit of insurance, so I am super grateful for a great new friend.  

And the good news is - while I was gone, the garden did some serious growing.  Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, but it's well past night fall here.  So - tomorrow perhaps! 

I harvested probably 4 lbs. of arugula two days ago and I have had arugula like 18 ways.  Maybe that it is a bit of a dramatic estimate, but I have had two dramatically different arugula salads (both which included blue cheese, duh), a couple arugula and hummus sandwiches and some wilted arugula and pasta.  I think the pasta dish was by far my favorite!  I have also harvested a great deal of lettuce and I have to say that I am once again falling in love with lettuce.  I think last season I became so accustomed to having fresh cut greens, that I really lost that lovin feeling for lettuce, but it's making a come back and that is a good thing, as I have another 20 heads of lettuce that I have to harvest to make room for some additional food bank plantings.  The food bank can not live off of lettuce this season!

I wanted to talk a bit about soil health because I am so shocked at how much the quality of my soil has increased.  Just a couple of weeks ago I was feeling really discouraged about the soil in the garden plot beside my home.  This was the plot that I dug out early in the spring, removing the sod and turning in compost.  As soon as the spring temperatures began to increase, the soil dried out and proved to be quite poor.  I asked some other gardeners, whose experience I have much faith in, and they suggested that I top feed the plot with compost.  I did it once with 4 cubic feet and a week later felt like it needed more, so I added an additional 4 cubic feet.  I then watered pretty heavily and covered the entire bed with straw.  Following practical advice, I still felt I had simply wasted my time and money on this entire plot.  

Until today...

Today I spent some time in this plot pulling weeds, harvesting more lettuce and radishes and I could finally see some serious improvement in the soil quality.  What was once dry and almost rock like, is moist loose soil.  I am certain the rain over the last week has something to do with this, but I know the effort in top composting and protecting the top layer with the straw was an extremely beneficial move.  

I am so happy with this plot - greens are growing, cilantro is almost ready for harvest and I will spend some time trellising my sun gold cherry tomatoes tomorrow.  I will also spend some time across the street expanding the trellis for my pea plants - apparently they are a much taller variety then the one's we grew last year.  Tonight I noticed that they were not only flopping over the existing trellis, but are actually on the verge of snapping!  

Hey give peas a chance! 

Hail!

Today is June 9th, which means yesterday was June 8th - right?  I guess I don't associate icy precipitation with the month of June, but it is possible.  You hear about it in reference to tornadoes and hurricanes, but again you don't think of the state of Massachusetts as being a tornado and hurricane state.

The weather here has been quite unusual - I would think.  Just a couple of weeks ago, tornadoes ripped through Greenfield and last night we had a wicked bad storm; heavy rain, gum ball sized hail and the most amazing and nosy lightening I have ever heard.  Made me wish I was on the river at my folks place in North Carolina.  I have fond memories of beautiful thunderstorms while sitting on the screen porch of my family's river shack.

In garden news - it survived the storm.  In fact, I even had a chance to throw some organic fertilizer down just before the rain and I think that will give the garden plot in my yard here a good boost.

I have been harvesting arugula and lettuce every morning.  Some I am able to share with my coworkers which feels great and the rest I am having as a salad for lunch.  It's such an amazing feeling to eat what you grow.

The pepper and tomato plants I planted last week are starting to show some growth and the cucumber and squash plants I planted too early are bouncing back to life!  I planted them kind of close to other plants, so I am going to work this weekend on building trellis' for them.  I have heard of trellised cucumbers, now let's see if the squash is willing to climb as well.

Hay Day!

Perfect lemonade chairs!

*Chairs courtesy of kind homeowner in Housatonic that so graciously put these chairs on their lawn this morning with a gigantic "FREE" sign.

So much is happening these days in the garden.  Harvesting!  Arugula and tat soi salads galore.  Toscano kale pizzas!  And unfortunately the rather traumatic harvest of two cauliflower plants that were fed to the community compost pile.  Apparently the plants suffered some damage somewhere along the line and the tiny florets they produced were inedible - cute, but not tasty.

Task accomplished this week include, but are not limited to;

• Hand weeding the food bank plot 
• Planting the heirloom tomatoes in pots and the sungold's in between rows of carrots in the plot at the house
• Plant peppers, collards and more kale!
• Direct seeding spinach, arugula, mustard greens, and more radish
• Seeding in trays beets, collards, basil, and scallions
• Top feeding the house plot with compost
• Mulching the community garden plot with straw

It feels like I am in the garden every afternoon after work and I freakin' love it!  I love being in my yard in the late sun and coming in to make dinner with whatever I can I piece together with what has been harvested.  I am kind of becoming a stay at home dork.  

My best side

Well.....that's not entirely true - there have been contra dances and community concerts and trips to Dover and time with special friend visits and work and.....

I have to say, I love my life.  I love my garden and I love having an opportunity to share it's progress via the blog and some photos.  So, enjoy....

Holy FREE lawn mower!

Pesky rabbits!

Straw - good for holding in moisture and keeping weeds down!

Poppin!

So things are a growing and I haven't shared many pics lately.  Here ya go!

The view from the back door

Pretty little radish shoulders poppin up!

Not so clear, but the arugula and tat soi are a growin'!  

Up close and personal with the tat soi!

The plot across the street....being held captive by the ever encroaching grass!!!!

Red cabbage is looking amazing, red onions behind it look strong and healthy, while the basil in back is looking a little dead.  Guess you can't have it all after all.  

Pea trellis is working!!!

And finally......in the third plot, the potatoes are popping!  

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with the way things are going.  There has been a ton of rain lately and not a lot of sunshine.  Weeds have not been a huge problem, but this upcoming week, I am going to have to spend some time weeding the food bank/kindergarten plot and my own plot across the street.  However, when the sun does finally make it's way out, I think I am in trouble!

Also thinking about putting boarders around the two plots across the street.  Something on the cheap and preferably recycled....gotta keep the path grass out! 

Only the Beginning (aka - First Harvest)

Sunday, May 22nd - 6:58 am and I am still alive.  No signs of any rapture from my apartment view, other than a handful of post Apocalypse jokes on facebook and public radio. 

And while I consider myself a nonbeliever, I have to admit at one point while having dinner friends thinking, "If this were the end, I would be perfectly content."  

After work yesterday, my two coworkers and a friend came up the hill to Monterey for dinner and a visit.  It was finally beautiful out, so we took advantage of the late afternoon sun and walked to the community garden.  There we harvested the seasons first heads of lettuce.  And the garden looks amazing!  I had not been there in about a week.  The peas are probably knee high and the onion sets I planted earlier are really growing and looking strong.  Carrots are starting to pop up strong and the cabbage plants are more than double their original size.  

We continued to walk around Monterey, visiting a couple of parks.  We harvested Lilacs for our table arrangement and flowers to add to our salad.  Hannah had provide morels she harvested from the forest and dinner looked something like this;

 

This is kind of an Asian inspired stir fry type dish; garlic, ginger, morels, carrots, leeks and spinach with a bit of soy sauce.  We served this with brown rice and quinoa and a gorgeous salad (that I don't really have pictures of).  

Amazing food and conversation was had around the coffee table.  Plans for future food, fishing, harvesting adventures were mapped out.  Last night definitely goes down in the book as "best rapture ever!"

Once a Farmer, Always a Farmer

In a way, there is nothing too terribly exciting to post about the garden.......or is there?

For one - I have started planting in the food bank/kindergarten plot.  On Thursday a group of four children, the teacher and I planted two rows of potatoes, about 25 lettuce plants and a row of beets on one half of the plot; half is designated for the food bank, the other for the kindergarten class.  When the school year ends in another month, the food bank will be using the entire space.  It kind of works out great, in that child labor kind of way.  The children come and play in the dirt, plant a bit, maybe weed some here or there and the food bank gets the bounty of veggies - no cost for the labor.

For two - there is some more germinating and growing happening.  The peas are a few inches tall now, which means I need to get my butt in gear and get a trellis up for them to climb on.  Carrots have finally sprouted across the street.  Arugula and tatsoi are getting a bit bigger all the time.  The leeks have finally started to pop through the ground.  Tonight after work, I hit the plot by my home with shot of fish fertilizer, so hopefully between that and the sun that is expected to come in the next two days, we will see some serious growth.

For three - my seedlings inside suck.  My apartment just stays too cold and there is not enough sun coming in. I went to three different stores tonight trying to find just the right light fixture to hang over them and struck out, so I am giving up and carrying two trays into work tomorrow to leave in the greenhouse.  I have NO idea why I am so stubborn and didn't just take them there in the first place.  I guess I kind of just wanted my babies close to me at all times.   Moving on...

For four - I spent Wednesday morning at Drumlin Farm doing a bit of planting with the team - or I should the remaining members of last years team; Greg, Abbey and Matt.  It was amazing to be in the fields with these amazing people again.  Drumlin is gorgeous; the baby lambs are out grazing, the seedlings are growing in the green house, the garlic is almost knee high.  That farm is like a dream and I think visiting there just reminded me how much I love and respect that land and those people.  After lunch, it was so hard and awkward to walk away.  I guess I left questioning or doubting my decisions.

Little by little - Great Barrington and Project Native show me that I am here and here is where I am supposed to be.  I guess there is more to be revealed, but for today I am working on being present, willing and open minded to loving this experience.

So much!

Have't posted in quite a while, but the garden has been in a bit of lull.  There has been rain nearly every day, until yesterday.  Rain somehow has a way of making gardening not as much fun.  However, April showers bring May peas.  So, thank god for the rain.

Once the sun came out, I got to work.  And SO much has changed in the garden.

I expanded the plot in my back yard by a couple of feet and made a rock and brick border.

What are those beautiful rows of green you ask;

Say hello to Arugula and Tatsoi - my two favorite cut greens.  This is what I could start to see germinating when I posted last.  They look a bit more established now and I was even able to weed and dig a bit in the dirt around them.  I could be wrong, but I think in a couple of weeks, I will be opening my back door and harvesting some fresh greens!

And these fine beauties are beets!  I am so excited about beets.  I seeded these the same day I seeded my arugula and tatsoi.  They have just begun to germinate - literally, overnight.  There was nothing here yesterday when I checked around 5 pm.  Maybe my beets are nocturnal or something.  But they are so gorgeous and itty bitty.  I can't wait.  

There is also some germination and growing happening inside;

SCALLIONS!!!  I am so excited.  I swear I could eat a bunch of scallions a day.  I am going to seed a second succession of these in another week so I can be absolutely certain there is a bunch of scallions on hand at all times.

Across the street, things are moving along.  I am starting to see peas germinate, which I was super worried about because the soil was so soggy when I planted them.  I worked out there yesterday with a fellow gardener.  She planted some lettuce and peas and I worked on a new walk way down the middle of my plot. I am using some reclaimed paving bricks from my back yard, toting them 9 to a bucket at a time - through the field, across the street and into the garden.  I think I have about two trips to go.  Oh!  I also seeded a second succession of arugula there yesterday and did a bit of weeding.  All in all, I think it looks great!

In closing, I have to say - I am loving this project more than I ever dreamed.  I thought it would be a lot like work, the way I remember gardening as a child, being asked to weed and hating it.  This go around, I am finding myself rushing home from work to play in my plot and waking up each morning excited to walk out the back door and find what's popping up, even if it is just a new weed to pull.  My friends might say I am slightly obsessed and I don't care!  I love this little garden!

Today's plan - build a compost area in my back yard and start drawing out the plan for the food bank plot - that's right....I am helping to organize the food bank/kindergarten plot in the community garden.  So excited!

Ready! Set! Germinate!

Today was the opening of the retail store and nursery at Project Native (my employer, maybe I didn't write about that before).  Anyways, we are now officially open for the season!  And with the opening, comes customers.

In and out all day.  Discussing the importance of native plants and pollinators.  Describing their gardens and lawns.  Deciding between this bee balm and that.  Lot's of talk about gardening.  Lot's of competitive talk amongst gardens and backyard homesteaders.  Whose got the most native, most diverse collection.  Naturalized versus native.  Who spent the most hours pulling invasive's, etc. etc.

As you know, I have been stressing about my own garden and it's success for several days.  I promised myself I would not peep under the reemay until exactly 7 days from sowing my seeds.  Up until today, I have upheld that promise, but as more and more customers bragged about their germinating arugula, the more tempted I was to have a peek or better yet, pull back the reemay for good and let the sun do some work on my bed.

I couldn't wait to get out of work today.  I flew out of the parking lot, down route 41 and up the hill to Monterey.  I didn't even stop to make my daily coop run for some unneeded grocery item.  I was barely in my driveway when the seatbelt came flying off.  I opened the door and nearly forgot to shut off the ignition.  Left everything in the car (so out of my routine) and flew up the stone steps up to my side yard and yanked back the reemay.

Dirt.  All I saw was dirt.  Wet, compact dirt.  No sign of green, other than the lingering blade of grass left behind from the previous weeks sod removal!  Feeling defeated, I sulked a bit as I neatly folded my reemay and went inside to continue on my normal daily routine.  Unpack and wash my lunch dishes.  Pour myself a cup of cold coffee left over from breakfast...

And then I thought, why not get on my hands and knees and do a bit more inspecting, just in case there's a tiny little germinated blade of something that I missed.

To my surprise, something had germinated and not just something, but basically everything!  Arugula, tatsoi, radishes and even my tray of lettuce and herbs in the house!  I think I did it!

Because they were so small, I couldn't photograph them, but I thought I would let you in on a couple of other home projects.....

To the left:  Raw sunflower seeds soaking.  I will wash and soak these three times then spread them out in a flat, cover with soil and in about 5-7 days will have sunflower seed sprouts for eating.  They are amazing!

To the right:  Ginger simple syrup.  Made this over the weekend with a friend by boiling sugar, water, raw ginger with some toasted anise seed, cardamom, and allspice. Mix a little with some freshly carbonated seltzer from my handy dandy seltzer machine and you have an amazing homemade ginger ale (kind of).

It's been raining since my last planting on Sunday.  Nothing has germinated.  The instructions on the seed packets said 7-10 days.  It's been two or three.  Don't those seeds know that I operate on an immediate gratification system?


Why is the success of this garden plot so important to me?  Maybe because I am dating a farmer and need to prove to her my ability to be as equally farm savvy - ridiculous, I know. Maybe I am obsessed with proving I learned something last season apprenticing at Drumlin Farm.  


Still, I  can't help by question my motivation.  I am single person.  I cook alone most nights of the week.  I am financially fortunate enough to be able to afford not only to shop at a local coop, but to be a member as well.  AND, my favorite past time is food shopping.  I swear I go every day.  I love to read labels and hunt for deals and steals. 


Why on earth would I go to the effort of growing my own food?  Why would anybody these days with the more than 38,000 products available at any given super market?  I would assume because vegetable gardening is about so much more than food access.

Ed Smith of The Vegetable Gardener's Bible said, "After all, Eden was garden... the garden is a place to go for quiet contemplation, a source not only of food but also of spiritual renewal and intimate contact with life's most basic processes."

Gardening this season is bringing up so many things for me.  A need to prove a bit of independence - taking back my access to good quality food.  Standing up against the Industrial Food Complex.  Doing my part to reduce my consumption and contribution to the global economy. Proving that even in this ownership society, a renter can live off the land of the community.  

It's bringing back so many childhood memories of my father and grandfather's gardening and my grandmothers grand canning operation - making me feel more connected to those roots, the gardener/farmer/homesteader I believe I was born to be.  My grandparents generation was healthier than mine and they grew, consumed, processed and stored the majority of their own food.   And they lived without the modern conveniences of ipads and laptops.  And I think they lived better for that very reason.  This garden helps me to unplug from that type of technology and into a better relationship with myself, the land and this community.

This garden is also helping me to put down some roots, literally and figuratively.  I have never been in one place very long and I certainly never was in a place with any intention of staying there  - if only for that particular moment.  I am one who judges harshly where I am at and looks for the next newer shiny thing, almost instantly.  But just for today, this garden is perfect.  It's right where I need to be.  My spirit feels renewed and I am intimately connected with life's most basic processes - planting seeds, watching the rain feed the soil, knowing that one day - right here I am going to be enjoying some amazing veggies!

Plant first - Read Instructions Later

So, I made my way through the mud into the garden across the street this afternoon.  I told myself that if I were a real farmer, I wouldn't let a soggy little ground stop me, right?

I planted the seedlings I bought Friday;

Red Cabbage
Red Onion
Tuscano Kale
Cauliflower
Lettuce

This went pretty well.  It was wet, but the plugs seemed to appreciate it, soaking up the water and standing tall. This half of my plot was soggy, but not squishy.  I decided to do a little direct seeding here and seeded my carrots around where I plan to plant my tomato plants.

Then I decided to plant a couple rows of peas.  It's time and the pea season is so short, I wasn't willing to waste another day.  I dug my two trenches, 8" apart and 9' long.  The ground was super squishy.  When I stepped into it, I sank and stuck!  I ignored the squish and sowed my seeds, covered the trenches, packed up and came home.

THEN - I decided to research planting peas in wet soil.

I guess now I know - peas love nice dry soil.

SEEDS!!!

Yesterday morning I started early in the plot beside my house, direct seeding;

beets
arugula
tatsoi
leeks
swiss chard
radish

Rain was in the forecast, so after I got them in the ground, I covered the bed with reemay.   I used a little over 1/2 of the bed with the plan to plant another succession of arugula, tatsoi, and beets in a couple of weeks.

The rain came in later in the day then I expect and I am happy to report that I did not plant in the plot across the street.  I spent sometime turning the soil and edging the plot, but feared planting because the ground there was already pretty wet.  I kind of figured any additional rain would just be a wash out.

Instead I spent the afternoon with my friend Tricia seeding some herbs and lettuce in doors.

Now, we will just have to wait and see when we can get into the plot across the street.  The ground was saturated and soggy this morning on my "farm walk".   My neighbors plot is completely washed out and has a little stream running through it.  It's a shame, but thank goodness my plot seems to be in fairly good shape.

And I love living beside my community garden.  It's nice to be able to walk out in the early mornings, coffee in hand.  I am just curious how this is going to play out, as plants (and weeds!) start germinating.  I have barely begun this journey and I am already sleepless - tossing and turning over garden plans and seeds.

However, tossing and turning aside - I am having the time of my life.  I feel so fulfilled by this project, so at home and at peace - in the silent moments in the plot alone, just me and the worms working our way through the soil.  I feel like I belong here - a home coming.

Breaking Ground

Because one is too many and several are not enough....

I decided to have two garden plots; one at the community garden across the street and the other in the side yard of my home.  This is a view of my side yard at 5 pm today;

You can't see it, but I have staked off a 12' X 10" area to turn into a little cut greens bed.  But first, I had to get rid of the sod.  My property is up on a small hill with narrow, stone steps that lead you down to the road.  I had considered borrowing a friends tiller, but didn't want to think about how to get it up here.  So, I went at it with a shovel.

I took the sod out in strips, but was sure not to waste the already existing organic matter by getting down on my knees and knocking the dirt of the clods.

I have to tell you, when I was thinking the project into reality, I was a bit nervous.  I had never really done this before and all I heard about it, was that it was extremely labor intensive and back breaking.

Well, I am happy to say;

I didn't die, nor did I break my back!

It took about 2 hours to remove all the sod and I spent another half hour adding two cubic feet of compost, turning the soil and leveling everything off.

And now - I have this beautiful view of this beautiful dirt out my bedroom window!

Signed Agreement

Today I mailed my signed agreement and check for $25.00 to the "Friends of Wilson McLaughlin House, Inc." - the organizers of the Monterey Community Gardens, located across the street from my new home.  I am now the proud tenant of a 10' x 10' garden plot.

So, what do I do now?

I spent my day researching various plot plans and writing a list of all my favorite vegetables.  What did I want to grow and eat this year?  What to plant and how to maximize my harvest in New England's short growing season - made even shorter up here on my mountain (which is more like a big hill, but certainly a mountain to this coastal plains native).

I have to admit, that although I spent last season apprenticing under one the greatest farmers in Eastern Mass, I am nervous.  Did I learn anything about growing vegetables or was I just laboring swiftly from one project to another, not paying attention?  Am I going to be able to get things to germinate?  Will I have the patience to read seed packages and plant properly?  Will I make time on a regular basis for cultivation or will my little plot go to pot with the weeds?

It's a lot to think about.  Vegetable gardening is a huge commitment, but it is also a lot of fun.  I know this from experience and my experience also shows me that if I try, at least I have a chance.  I am trying to focus on my chances and opportunities and not my fear, doubt and insecurities.   Just need to concentrate on the effort and the fun and let go of some of my great expectations.

land - check
plan - check
seeds - check
attitude of gratitude - check and check