Some March Garden Pictures

Pom Pom Loose-Leaf Lettuce

Flat Leaf Parsley

Loose-Leaf and Romaine, with some Mustard in the back

My Beautiful Garlic Bed

Green Onions and some Spinach

Tonight's Supper (2)

Pizza on homemade crust with shallots (grown in front yard), spinach (grown in front yard), and mushrooms. Green salad with romaine and looseleaf lettuces, radishes, and green onions (all grown in front yard).

Tonight's Supper

I intend to start blogging about meals made using homegrown or locally produced ingredients, especially when summer arrives and along with it (hopefully) its bounty of veggies. Tonight, I made a rather interesting conglomeration: a stir-fryish medley of sorts using several homegrown components.

2 cups broccoli florets (grown by Jeremy at the Farm)
1 small cabbage (grown by Jeremy at the Farm)
2 kohlrabi (grown in the backyard)
2 green onions (grown in the front yard)
2 boneless chicken breasts (I feel bad about this, since they were processed and industrial, but they were on sale and cheap. This could have easily been a vegetarian meal.)
1/2 package maifun (rice noodles)
1/2 bottle Thai chili peanut sauce

I pan fried the chicken in olive oil until partially done and then added the veggies, simmering all the ingredients in the sauce, and then mixed in softened rice noodles. We had oven-baked sweet potato fries on the side (coated with olive oil, salt and pepper, baked 20 minutes). Note to self: make these more often. Unfortunately the taters were from the store, but we hope next year they won't be.

This was pretty delicious for something so impromptu (I am not good at planning meals or following recipes). We had tried kohlrabi raw in salad and it was just blah, but simmered in the sauce it was tender and sweet.

Kohlrabi

Why I Love the Internet

I was having a rather lousy day (or maybe it was just my attitude that was lousy), but then I stumbled upon Mia's blog via The Deliberate Agrarian. It was such a blessing. It is one of the most beautiful blogs I have encountered. Every once in awhile, I am reminded that amid the dross of our culture exist gems like this. For someone who works with teenagers most of the week (and loves it by the way), this young Christian lady's wisdom and attitude are so refreshing, as is her commitment to faith, family, femininity, and frugality. Mia, you are truly an inspiration.

Quick thoughts on the ending of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”

I loved the ending -- “She would talk to him sometimes about God.” The family “carrying the fire” reminds me of Thomas Cahill’s book How the Irish Saved Civilization. Even through the darkest of ages and the chaos associated with collapsing civilization one of the greatest tasks that the remnant must perform is the preservation of humanity. I would argue this is done by preserving not only civility amid anarchy, but the preservation of the arts, the skills of writing well, the definitions of words and ideas such as liberty and tyranny, and the morality and doctrinal integrity of the church. The Road also reminds me of the movie The Children of Men. Humanity must be preserved. The torch must be carried. I’m reminded that there is hope even if we ourselves don’t see the sunshine. No matter the circumstances we have our duty. There’s a story that Alexander Stevens wrote in Book II, Chapter 3 of History of the United States: Among the chaos of the War for Independence, with the pastors and prophets declaring Armageddon -- with the armies of the Anti-Christ (the redcoats) burning down homes and churches, murdering wives and children, on the 19th of May 1780 “the heavens became darkened by a dense vapor . . . . It was the opinion of some that the Day of Judgment was at hand.” A motion was made in the Connecticut Legislature that they adjourn. A Colonel Davenport opposed the measure declaring that: “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I desire to be found doing my duty.” The following night, of course, the “extraordinary phenomenon” passed and the next day was beautiful. Stevens writes: “Hope again revived in the breasts of the desponding.” The Revolution continued and we won our independence.

(I'd like to expand on these thoughts later.)

Garden report: 15 Feb. 09

Spring’s just around the corner. In the raised beds we’ve planted more Bloomsdale Long-Standing Spinach and Vivian Romaine. We’ve also planted a bunch of Evergreen Onions and Cherry Belle Radishes. In seed trays, which are warming in our small greenhouse, we planted the following varieties of lettuce, nightshades, and herbs: Vivian Romaine, Red Sails Lettuce, and Bibb Lettuce, Neon Lights Swiss Chard, Tah Tsai, Dark Opal Purple Basil, Bush Spicy Globe Basil, Common Thyme, German Chamomile, Sorrel, Rose Orach, Burpee Hybrid Eggplant, Sweet Banana Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Volcano Peppers. Chinese Giant Peppers, Taxi Tomatoes, Costoluto Genovese Tomatoes, Super Suncherry Hybrid Tomatoes, Lemon Boy Hybrid Tomatoes, Giant Tree Tomaoes, and Jetsonic Hybrid Tomatoes. I planted far more than usual. What I can’t use here at home I will be able to plant in the large garden at the nursery where I work.

Over the years I’ve had a hard time germinating and growing spinach. I haven’t had much luck directly planting into the ground nor with seed trays. I’ve tried several varieties. A few months ago I tried planting into a small crate filled with potting soil and compost. The crate is about two feet by three and about a foot and a half deep, with plenty of drainage all around. I just scattered the seed and turned under by hand . The seeds germinated with amazing success. I thinned the plants and began cutting leaves for dinner about a month ago. Recently I added to my garden several raised beds with potting soil and compost. Yesterday I planted a lot of spinach there. We’ll see what happens. Below are pictures of the spinach project.

Little Caeser Romaine

Various Lettuce in a raised bed

Bloomsdale Long-Standing Spinach

Spinach growing in a plastic crate