Beer Bottling Night!

 We bottled the beer tonight! It was a long 2 weeks of dark fermentation in our "Wine Cellar" (the closet under our stairs), but tonight we added a bit of sugar and filled 8 one liter bottles with a yummy pale ale. The bummer is we have to wait another 3 weeks for carbonation and conditioning. My husband and I tasted the flat fermented brew and it had a very strong alcohol smell but tasted good. We have high hopes!

Out with the Old...In with the New!

Yesterday we cleared out the tomato plants. It was hard to do. I brought them up from wee-little transplants barely 10 inches tall. They were just too out of control. I didn't prune them and they overtook the entire garden! As you can see here...

Before

The cucumbers were starting to wander through the tomatoes and the damn squirrel was having a heyday eating all my ripe fruit. So my husband braved the garden and clear cut the tomato plants.

After

I have all this empty space now! I might try a couple more watermelon plants. Or maybe I should wait until we stop hitting 100 degrees and try some cool weather crops....hmmmm.

How to Make Butter! (and Buttermilk)

Howdy from the homestead! We made butter this evening. With just a bit of heavy cream and a few common household items, we shook...and shook...and shook...until all of a sudden we had butter! It is sweet and creamy — by far the best butter I have ever tasted. And as an extra bonus the dairy gods gave us a bit of buttermilk too!

It is super-simple — and with a bit of arm strength and 20 minutes, you can do it too! Here's what you need:

• Heavy Cream
• Clean Empty Jar (with a tight fitting lid)
• 1-2 Clean Glass Marbles
• Plastic Wrap
• 2 Small Mixing Bowls
• Spatula (needs to be able fit into the jar)
• 2 containers: 1 for Butter, 1 for Buttermilk
• Pinch of salt (optional)

Here's how you do it:

1. Fill the jar a little more than half way with heavy cream.
2. Place a marble or 2 into the jar.
3. Cover the jar opening with some plastic wrap and then screw on lid tightly. This prevents lingering scents in the lid from making the butter smell/taste strange.
4. Shake the heck out of the jar for about 15-25 minutes. It will be easy at first, then it will be harder to move the marbles around. Sometime after the 10 minute mark you will see a definite separation of butter and milk and the cream will no longer coat the inside of the jar. Shake for 2 more minutes.
5. Use the spatula to help strain the buttermilk out of the jar into one of the containers.
6. Fill the two mixing bowls half way with cold ice water.
7. When you have all of the buttermilk separated, place the butter into the first mixing bowl to rinse. You can use the spatula to knead the butter a little and get the buttermilk out of any pockets in the butter.
8. Transfer the butter into the second bowl for a second rinse.
9. Place the butter into the second container, strain any water remaining, and mix in salt to taste if desired.

The salsa jar I show in the first photo gave me 1/2 cup of butter (shown in the photo above) and about 1/4 cup of buttermilk.

The photo above shows the two butter containers (on the right) I have filled so far, and the container of buttermilk (left). I have used about 1/4 gallon of heavy cream so far and it gave me 2 1/4 cups of butter and about  1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. I am really happy that this process creates two products I can actually use. There is no waste (unless you are on a diet). Tomorrow I will make some buttermilk biscuits with the fresh buttermilk. Wahoo! I can smother them in homemade butter!

Today's Harvest: PEPPERS

Today I grabbed a small bell pepper and 4 Anaheim chiles from the garden. My husband is making his famous salsa tonight and these are my little (very little) contribution. It is such a cool feeling to eat the food I have grown from the garden.

In other exciting news...

We have a watermelon growing! It is a little larger than a golf ball.

And here is the first cucumber from my 3 wild plants.

I think I have some assassin bugs that have set up shop on my cucumber plants. They are quick so I couldn't get a photo, but they are yellowish-translucent color. They have long, thin legs and a sway-back abdomen. They almost look like a praying mantis but not quite. I have read that while they bite humans, they are beneficial in the garden just like ladybugs and praying mantis. I will update this post if I can capture the little yeti assassins on film.

Somethin's brewin in the kitchen...

Home brewed beer is (finally) coming to the homestead!

I purchased a Mr. Beer kit for my husband's birthday last week. Apparently it was the perfect gift because he has been camped out in front of the computer looking at all the types of beer he can make ever since. And I think this is the first time I have ever seen him actually READ instructions. I may have created a monster.

It really couldn't have been easier. They break it down into easy-to-read steps. I think it took 30 minutes to clean the equipment, boil the wort, and find a cool spot to let it sit for a couple weeks. Meanwhile, we are saving all the glass amber bottles we can get our hands on. The kit comes with 8 plastic liter bottles — which will work fine — but we'll use glass. It feels more substantial in your hand and beer just tastes better out of a glass bottle.

Next time you hear from me on this subject, we will be bottling our first batch!

Peat Pots: My Experiment

You know the pots I am talking about — those little brown, paper-like pots that boast their eco-friendly benefits. In spring they are readily available at your local home improvement store next to all the seed displays. I was in love with idea of using them and bought a couple packages to try them out. What could be easier than starting seeds in a pot that can be placed directly into the ground?

The photo above shows 3 watermelon plants I started from seed a few weeks ago. As you can see, there is a big difference in the size of their leaves. I tried this little experiment because I noticed that some of the seedlings I have started were growing too slowly. I have great soil and have been carefully watering, the only other problem could be the peat pots.

Top Left: Seed was started in peat pot. The whole peat pot was planted.
Middle Right: Seed started in peat pot. The peat pot was planted but I tore out the bottom to expose the roots before planting.
Bottom Left: Seed was directly planted into soil with no peat pot.

The results are obvious to me. The biggest disappointment is the top plant. It is definitely the runt of the litter. The middle plant already has two flowers, but its leaves are compact and small. The bottom seed that was directly sown has large, full leaves and the sturdiest limbs of the three plants.

At first, I really liked the idea of using a biodegradable container for seed starting, but as I plant more seeds I see that transplanting or sowing them directly into the ground are better options. Plastic seed starting trays are not as environmentally friendly, but they will last forever, I can re-use them every season, and I only have to buy them one time.

Slicing & Drying Strawberries!

Since I had such great success drying the pineapple, I thought, "Why not try strawberries too?" Strawberries are cheap in the summer and everyone in my family loves them. I found a pint at my local grocery store for 88 cents! Here I go again...

I have special tools I use for slicing strawberries and I highly recommend them. One tool hulls the leaves out of the top, and the second tool is a strawberry-shaped slicer which makes about 1/8 inch slices (perfect for quicker drying).

One Pint of Strawberries = Approx. 3 Dehydrator Trays or 1/3 Quart
Drying Temperature: 115 degrees
Drying Time: 12 hours

The dried strawberries are not as sweet as the pineapple was and they have taken on an intense tartness that will make you pucker. Maybe this would be a good option for the honey dipping method described in the book I am following. (You can find the book here.)

On to bananas!!

Amazing Sliced & Dried Pineapple

I made a discovery at the grocery store last weekend that was very exciting...99 cent pineapples! So, I bought two. I would have purchased two more, but my husband managed to talk me down.

After a busy week, the 2 pineapples sat, waiting patiently for me on the counter. I finally realized it was unlikely that I would be able to eat them before they went bad, so I busted out the handy-dandy dehydrator to preserve them.

My husband uses this pineapple corkscrew that makes easy work of peeling, coring and slicing the fruit into perfect rings. Just chop off the top leaves and twist the handle into the flesh...presto! After slicing, I broke the pineapple into 1 inch pieces and placed them onto the drying trays in a single layer.

 

I am loosely following the directions in a book called "The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home" by Janet Chadwick. You can find this book HERE in my urban homestead supply store. The book suggests that you dip the pineapple into honey before drying, but the pineapple is already very sweet, so I skipped that step this time.

2 Pineapples = 4 Dehydrator Trays or 1/2 quart
Drying Temperature: 115 degrees
Drying Time: 24 hours

The photo above shows the yield that four trays will give you—about half of a quart sized bag—less than I expected.

I am so glad I tried this. The dried pineapple is absolutely delicious! I will be drying more because it seems like a great alternative to sweet snacks and would be great in a homemade trail mix.

Next time...Strawberries!

Look Kids! Corn, Beans and Squash!

My husband and I took the kids on a trip to the east coast earlier this summer for a family reunion in Virginia Beach. The highlight for me? Not the sand & surf...but a quick visit to Historical Jamestown where I saw a real life example of a Native American planting method I have read about called the Three Sisters. My husband and kids were "oooh-ing" and "ahhh-ing" the old ships at the dock, and all I could do was scramble to take photos of corn, beans and squash!

Ha! I'm really turning into a garden nerd.

Here is how I understand the Three Sisters Method works...

• Work soil into flat-topped mounds about 12 inches high by 24 inches wide and 3 feet apart.
• Plant 4-6 corn kernels about 4-6 inches apart in a circle on top of the mound.
• When Corn plants are 5-10 inches tall, plant 5-8 pole beans in a circle about 5 inches away from the circle of corn plants.
• 1-2 weeks after planting the pole beans, plant 5-8 squash, gourd, or melon seeds around the outside edge of the mound about 12 inches from the bean plants.
• After all the seeds have sprouted, it is probably a good idea to thin half the seedlings of each kind of plant to avoid crowding.

Its a brilliant system. The corn provides a stalk for the pole beans to climb, and the squash shades the ground which minimizes water evaporation and heat gain, as well as, helping prevent weed growth. The photo above seems to use a smaller mound, so I guess there is room for experimentation. I will be attempting this next summer in the raised garden.

Renee's Garden - Native American Three Sisters Garden

He's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, I'm a Pepper Too! A Garden Update.

So, I thought I would post an update on the garden. I have to admit that the heat has kept me from playing in the dirt too much lately. Today it is 105 degrees! Ugh.

The zucchini harvest was very disappointing. I planted them too close together and the very few fruit they produced were ruined by the overlapping spiny leaves rubbing in the wind. I didn't get to eat a single zucchini out of the garden. I guess I have learned my lesson. I yanked those over sized, water sucking zucchini plants out of the garden today and planted some heat friendly pepper plants.

I planted 3 Jalapeno, 2 Sweet Red Bell Pepper, and 1 Anaheim Chili. My husband has been making homemade salsa lately and I thought this would be a nice way to contribute to the recipe. I have visions of cheese crisps with strips of roasted chilis, chips and salsa with home grown jalapenos, rice stuffed bell peppers with melted cheese. Mmmmmm.

As you can see from the jungle photo above, the tomatoes are absolutely WILD. I have no idea where one plant starts and the others begin. I guess there is something to be said for pruning. Hahaha! But it seems as though this hasn't hindered the harvest.

We have a constant supply of small cherry-like Juliet Tomatoes, Roma and San Marzano. My favorite is the large Champion variety which tastes like it is already salted, but it is also the squirrel's favorite, so I haven't had a chance to eat many of them. I have placed shiny pin wheels in the garden to deter animals. My grandmother suggested it. We will see if it works.

I have 5 strawberry plants out there. We haven't eaten a single strawberry yet because they mysteriously disappear.

The Basil is lovely. Our plant has grown into a great little bush with tender leaves.

And finally, our cucumber that we planted (stupidly) under the tomatoes is stunted and gets no sunlight. We bought transplants from my favorite nursery and stuck them in a sunny part of the garden. They are doing very, very well and I expect to have some cukes in the next couple weeks.

Brewing Our Own Beer.....Yummmmmm!

I am already excited about the idea of cracking open an ice cold beer at the end of a hot summer day, if that beer was something I brewed at home, I would be so much more satisfied. For months now, my husband and I have talked about trying to brew our own beer and make our own wine. We have several friends and family members who have talked about forming a homemade beer co-op where everyone makes a different variety and then we trade brews at a BBQ or something.

So, this week my husband and I have spent a little time looking at brewing equipment online. We have found that a newbie can get a little caught up in the details. Some of the equipment looks like it came straight out of my 11th grade science lab. Since I am already knee deep in garden work and learning to preserve my harvest, I think we will start small.

My husband found a kit made by Mr. Beer which seems to fit the bill perfectly. It is a complete kit that includes a fermenting keg, several bottles, 2 kinds of beer and a brewing guide. The description says the kit will brew 4 gallons of beer. I'm sold.

And as a bonus, when I went to the Mr. Beer website, I found out that they are located in Tucson, Arizona! I love the idea of purchasing my equipment from a locally owned, Southern Arizona business.

Now, where can I clear a space in the back yard to grow my own hops when we become expert brewers???

How to Make Your Own Smoker

I can't tell you how mind numbing I find food-related television. Thank god for Alton Brown! The man has a knack for making the science of cooking interesting and entertaining. And since my husband is a foodie and watches all the food TV he can, I at least have one program I can enjoy.

Above is my husband's clay pot smoker. He built it after watching an episode of Alton Brown's Good Eats. We take no credit for the idea...but it is brilliant. The ribs that come out of this thing are apparently awesome and the cost of building it was much cheaper than buying a commercial clay smoker. I think we spent about $60 total. The hardest thing to find was the unglazed, untreated terra cota pots. Everything else was readily available at our local home improvement store.

If you want to take a look at the Good Eats episode, I found it HERE.

The supplies you need are:

• 2 large clay pots that fit together nicely
• 1 hotplate
• 3 clay pot feet
• 1 round pie pan
• 1 grill grate like those found in a round charcoal grill
• 1 oven thermometer
• Smoking wood

We had to disassemble the hot plate because the variety we bought had a plastic base and it would not fit in the bottom of the pot. Other than that it assembles easily just like you think it would. The clay feet support the heating element. The pie pan holds the wet (soaked for an hour) wood. The grill sits in the top of the clay pot. And the thermometer we found fits nicely into the hole on the cover pot. It is as easy as can be.

I don't eat pork or beef, but my husband has smoked several racks of ribs since we built the smoker and he says they are perfect. In a couple of weeks we are going to try smoking a turkey breast. I can't wait!

Sunflower Sun Screen

This weekend the temperatures are supposed to reach 107.
Ugh...this is the worst part of living in the desert.

When I heard the weather forecast earlier this week, I convinced my husband that we should do something to shade the sun from our kitchen window. This window faces west which means it absorbs the afternoon and evening sun. Our solution? Plant Sunflowers!

We planted the seeds in pots on Sunday and look what I found this morning...

I planted three seeds on Sunday. I think I will stagger planting them in week intervals, so this Sunday I will plant three more. We will see how this works. My hope is to temporarily shade the window and collect some seeds in the process.

Today's Harvest: RED POTATOES

Today I dug my second pot of red potatoes. The heat has been in the high 90's this weekend and the plant just died. I'm holding my head high though.....I have 3 more reds! Between to the two red potato plants, I have enough for a meal. Tomorrow my husband and I will roast some red potatoes as part of dinner.

Welcome to the World of Dehydrated Food

My husband thinks this is a VERY interesting topic. (He just mocked me as I wrote the subject line for this post..."That's about as exciting as saying 'Let's talk about colon cleanse.'" These were his exact words.)

This week I purchased my first food preservation tool...the dehydrator. I have read a little bit about how to choose the right dehydrator. My list of requirements were (1) it needed multiple temperature settings; (2) it needed the ability to expand by adding trays; and (3) it needed to be cheap. I settled on a model made by Nesco. It only has 4 trays, but it came with a ton of screens and fruit leather tray inserts.

I have already dried pineapple and sliced cherry tomatoes. Both have AMAZING flavor and take little space in the refrigerator. I have read that you can store dehydrated food for 1-2 years in the fridge, or 3 years in the freezer. I love dried fruit, but it so expensive. This is a perfect solution!

Tomorrow I'm making banana chips for the week and more sliced tomatoes.

Today's Harvest: TOMATOES

I will call this post "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly".

My husband and I are using this long Memorial Day weekend as a Spring cleaning opportunity, even though it feels like Summer.Since we have a tomato thief in the neighborhood (see my Squirrels are Evil post), I made a bee-line to my tomato plants this morning. Sure enough, a bright red half eaten tomato was laying under my plants. I should have taken a picture of it, but I was so mad I hurled it over my wall.

The good news is there were several other red ripe and almost ripe tomatoes on the plants. I picked several Juliet tomatoes and one small Roma.

Ok, now for the bad and ugly. My husband planted San Marzano tomatoes this year. He's a foodie and the San Marzanos are a popular gourmet Italian tomato I guess. There were a few ripening tomatoes on his plant that looked very nice...

...until you looked at the bottoms of them. This is our first experience of blossom end rot. It is such a shame because the rest of the fruit looks healthy and beautiful.

Apparently this can happen if you water your plants inconsistently. We have been watering them every other day for 25 minutes in the early morning. Maybe we need to do 15 minutes everyday? I'm just guessing at this point. All is not lost though, there are several tomatoes on the plant that still look great. We will adjust the watering schedule and see if we can salvage the next harvest.

HOME COOKING: Easy Homemade Potato Chips

This might fall into the the "Duh" category, but who thought healthy homemade potato chips were so easy and delicious?! I am blown away by how good these taste. And the possibilities are endless...cracked pepper, parmesean, ranch...mmmmmmm.

I purchased a hand-held mandolin this weekend. These are very handy little devices that make very quick work of cutting potatoes. And all of the slices are a consistent thickness, which helps with even cooking. I admit that I cringe a little with every slice. Memories from childhood flood my mind of my mother cutting her hand open while slicing veggies...makes me feel icky even typing this right now. Ugh, it was a bloody mess...but I digress. My point here is that it is a great tool and it literally took 2.5 minutes to slice 5 potatoes.

What you need for Salt & Pepper Chips:

• 1.5 medium potatoes per person, any variety
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil per 2 potatoes
• 1 large zip close storage bag
• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Cracked Pepper
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Slice (Carefully!) your potatoes
• Pour oil into storage bag
• Add potatoes to storage bag, close and shake to coat potato slices with oil
• Cover parchment paper with cracked pepper
• Place slices in one layer on parchment paper
• Crack pepper over the top of slices
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
• Salt to taste
• Let cool and eat!

Today's Harvest: RED POTATOES

One of my potato plants was looking sick..

While the plant wasn't completely yellow, I couldn't wait to see what was underneath. It was dropping its lower leaves and the upper leaves were turning yellow. I have heard that when the plant turns yellow, you are supposed to dig the roots up. So, being the impatient gardener I am, I grabbed my plant at the base and pulled it out of the pot. To my surprise, I have 4 of the cutest little red potatoes you have ever seen! I am so proud of my babies and I plan on eating them tonight. I can't believe this experiment works.

I think I could have had 4 larger potatoes if I had waited for the whole plant to turn yellow. I will wait for mid to late June to dig my other potatoes up and see if I have more than this plant gave me. In the fall, I am going to plant a large area and see if I can continuously harvest through the winter.

How To: Build A Solar Oven - Part 1 (Supplies)

Solar Oven.

"YES. This is a great idea!", I thought. When I told my brother about it, he called me a "hippie". And, after seeing it in the backseat of my car, the guy at the grocery store asked if it was a "school project". I admit that it is not conventional or pretty — as you can see — BUT I live in the desert where temperatures pass 100 on a daily basis in the summer. This will be energy free, outdoor cooking that will not heat the house!

This is the one we made at a workshop in early April. Its is simple and cheap to make. The workshop leader told us that the temperature for this oven tops out at about 250 degrees. He made some killer navy beans for the class in his own solar oven. He said they were cooked 10 hours. So, this oven is more of a slow cooker, I suppose.

Here are the supplies you will need to create your own.

SUPPLY LIST:

• Two cardboard boxes-one large, one small. Dimensions don't really matter as long as the small one nests inside the large and there is some space around the small box to stuff paper for insulation. Make sure you can place a baking dish inside the small box easily.
• A roll of heavy duty aluminum foil
• Lots of newspaper
• A roll of 3" aluminum tape-the kind used to seal heating and cooling ducts
• Elmers white glue
• One 2 1/2 foot long wooden dowel-1/4 inch diameter
• Two long hinges-the best ones in our workshop were about 4" from the center of the hinge
• Bolts, washers and nuts for the hinges-bolts should be about 3/4"-1" long and fit through your hinges.
• A roll of 1" wide felt stripping
• One piece of non-tempered glass large enough to cover the small box with a 1"-2" overlap on all sides. This is the lid that traps the sun's heat.
• Four extra pieces of cardboard that are larger than the bigger box.
• Electric drill 

Now, go collect your stuff and check back in a couple days.
Instructions will follow shortly...

Squirrels are Evil...with a capital E

just a quick rant about a SQUIRREL....

My dear hubby went out to look at the beautiful tomatoes that are growing wild in the garden. On the back wall of our yard he spotted a wee-little thief with a juicy red Juliet tomato in its mouth. It was the first tomato to turn red this season and I was waiting a couple days to pick the bunch that surrounded it. We watched the beast frolic away from us in anticipation of its delicious dinner. I promise you that the little rodent practically skipped away it was so happy!

I feel defeated.

Anyone out there know how to prevent your garden from becoming a buffet for critters?

PS: The crazy squirrel photo is from THIS website where I found an article on "Getting rid of squirrels" by Pam Sissons.

Defeated......

Zucchini Are Growing!

In an effort to make up for my lack of posting for the last couple of weeks, I am a blogging fool today.

The zucchini I planted in February are getting very large. Some of the leaves are larger than my hand, which is a big surprise to me. The leaf stems are covered with prickly hairs that hurt when you push them aside to take a picture of the fruit, like I did today.

You can see the zucchini growing at the base of the flower. Its probably 2 1/2 inches long at this point and there are 3 others forming on this plant. I have three plants in the garden and all of them are starting fruit. I am so proud of the plants I started from seed. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment.

Will post more when I harvest...

Book Review: Garden Wisdom & Know-How

My dear hubby gave me an enormous soft cover book for my birthday this year. It is called Garden Wisdom & Know-How by The Editors of Rodale Gardening Books. It is like an encyclopedia for gardening! There are step-by-step instructions for everything from seed starting to building a removable window box. It boasts "7,354 Charts, Lists, Tips, Instructions, Diagrams and Illustrations." I have spent hours reading this book since I received it last week.

While, there isn't a ton of information on gardening in the desert. There is an extensive section on watering techniques, water conservation, and rain water harvesting. And I am SO inspired by the garden plans that are detailed — my favorite is the Dye Garden full of plants that are used for different color dyes.

Every time I pick this book up, I find something new I want to try or build. I love it! My only complaint would be the lack of information on gardening in arid climates and the black & white illustrations. I don't mind black & white for the most part, but it would be nice to see the color of plants, flowers, and insects.

Today's Harvest: LATE CARROTS

LOOK! A Carrot! :)

I planted this carrot in February. It is the smallest I have ever seen. I'm hoping that they will get a little bigger before the hot weather really gets going. Apparently, root veggies like carrots and radishes are cool weather crops that really hate the heat. I will plant them again in October and see how they grow. By the way, my husband and I shared this little carrot! Hahaha!

Look for a monthly planting guide for the desert coming soon! I am attempting to merge planting guides from local nurseries and will publish a seed planting guide for each month.

Garden Visitors

There are many little visitors to my little garden. I have caterpillars, worms, flies, aphids, grasshoppers, butterflies, pigeons, morning doves, bees.......the list goes on.

My favorite visitor is this tiny little Anna's Hummingbird that lives in the neighborhood. Almost on a daily basis, it teases my dogs by swooping low near their heads making this LOUD chirp-buzz-alarm sound. The routine lasts for 15 minutes sometimes and the dogs go wild. My husband and I are very entertained, of course.

This morning it landed near my yard and I was able to take a couple pictures! It has this beautiful magenta color on its neck, but you can't really see it in these pictures.

(Yes, that is barbed wire. Gotta love urban living!)

I have also had a pesky desert bird called a Cactus Wren visiting the garden. He is very brave and sits on the wall while I work. I didn't take this picture, but here is what it looks like.

(This photo is from this website. If you are interested in desert animals, it serves as a nice field guide for common species.)

Today's Harvest: RADISH & SNAP PEAS

Quickly...the peas are coming and the radishes are ripe for the picking! It is such a great feeling to poke my finger around the base of the radish greens and feel the round red roots. They are, by far, the easiest and fastest food I have grown in my little garden.

Today's Harvest: RADISH

Aside from my aphid woes, I harvested a single radish today to see how big they are.

They are not quite big enough to harvest, but very tasty so far. I can't wait to add them to my salad. My husband and I sliced it and enjoyed tiny slices of radish at lunch.

More Aphids!

I thought my aphids were fat and green with skinny little sticks for legs. Wretched little creatures that I can't stand to touch. Apparently, they are also winged and resemble gnats. Good grief!

Tonight they must die. Where is my magical aphid spray?

Today's Harvest: LETTUCE

Just a quick post today....I harvested some lettuce from the garden this afternoon. I filled a 16 inch colander — enough salad for three days — and I could have cut three more days worth! Doesn't it look crisp and tasty?!

How to Kill Aphids

When I started this perfect little garden of mine, I never though that my plants would have pests. My stomach sank when I saw the greedy little green aphids on my lettuce. I panic every time I see a microscopic orange mite crawling in the dirt. I hunt those tiny fly-like bugs that cling to my tomato leaves and squash them out of fear.

I have never seen so many bugs! I knew that aphids were bad news and I found an easy organic solution, thankfully. But there are so many others and I have read online that some pests are beneficial. Its confusing and I need to know how to handle my garden correctly.

To kill the aphids, I tried this little recipe on my lettuce:

• 3-5 drops of a mild, fragrance free, liquid dish soap
• 1/2 teaspoon of cooking oil
• Fill the rest of a water spray bottle with water. I used a cheap small 12 oz bottle.

Shake it up and spray a stream of the liquid on your plants. It worked like a charm for me. They fell off the leaves and I haven't seen them since. Please understand that I have only used this method for a couple weeks...my methods may not be full proof, but it is working so far.

And the best part is my lettuce still tastes great after a quick rinse.

How to Plant Potatoes

In early February I decided to experiment with planting potatoes. I had attended a local gardening workshop where the class planted pieces of organic grocery potatoes in a sunken garden. It was cheap and easy enough to do. Why not give it a shot?

How I planted my potatoes:

1. Purchase one organic red potato (any potato will do) with lots of eye dimples. I should note that some gardeners say you should only plant seed potatoes, but I'll try these store bought red potatoes this year.
   
2. Cut the potato into a few pieces, making sure there are at least 2-3 eyes on each piece.
   
3. Lay the pieces in a sunny dry spot to scab over — I let them stay out in the sun for 2 days.
   
4. Prepare a bed for the potatoes. In the workshop they had dug twice the depth of the shovel head and added compost to the soil. For my purposes, I planted them in large pots using potting soil for veggies because I had already run out of room in my raised garden bed. I placed some small rocks at the bottom of the pots to aid in moisture drainage.
   
5. Plant the potato pieces. It doesn't matter if the eyes point up, down, left, or right — just toss them in! I placed one piece in each pot at a depth of about 8 inches. At the workshop garden, we planted them about 12-18 inches apart at a depth of 8-10 inches.
6. Water thoroughly, place pots in a sunny spot, and wait patiently. The leader at the workshop said I should be able to harvest in June.

I wasn't sure if this would work in my pots but, as you can see below, they finally sprouted after about 4 weeks.

And this is what they look like today....

The only thing I will do differently next time is plant in a bigger pot. These pots were only 16 inch diameter which will probably cramp the development of the potatoes. Next time I will find a much larger pot. I think a plastic storage bin with holes drilled in the bottom would work nicely. I will post more when I harvest.

Exploding Lettuce!

My husband and I tested out the new drip irrigation last week while we escaped to Las Vegas. We set it on a timer and tried to forget about it. My fear was that we would not water the garden enough or the soaker hoses would not be positioned close enough to the roots to keep the plants alive. The temperatures increased from the mid to upper 60's to the mid 80's and I had visions of dead and wilted veggies. Boy was I mistaken!

The most noticeable growth was the lettuce. When we left, it looked like this...

Tiny little plugs of lettuce that looked like it had a long way to go before we could enjoy a fresh salad.

The little puffs of green in the back row are iceburg lettuce which, as you can see, are placed in a shaded row. This stunted their growth a bit in the beginning, but the sun has since shifted and that row is getting full sun.

This is what it looks like today!

Amazing growth in just 7 days. And that is after eating three servings of salad two nights ago! I am so excited. We do have some critters (Aphids?) that have taken up shop on the red oak leaf in the front row, but I am sure the problem can be solved easily. I'll be researching that today.