The Frostman cometh

After a week of record breaking 90 degree weather, it's now getting cold here in Ohio. I'll be bringing in the last of the green tomatoes today. I'll keep the beets in for a little while longer. The brussel sprouts are still a little tiny, so I'm going to keep them out too. I tried the cauliflower this week. It was kind of bitter. I think I left it out too long. Even Cappuccino wouldn't eat it.
I have been so busy in other areas of my life, (see "Life with Grandma") that I've done nothing else with the gardens. Hopefully, I'll get my act together over the winter. All in all, I think this was a successful year. Tomatoes didn't do great, but we still had a good supply. I wasn't very fond of the weird purple beans I planted, but we ate them. I definitely should have planted my cabbage family sooner. Same goes for the beets. I learned a lot this year though.
I think that's what I like the most about gardening. It's a constant learning experience. It's one of the few areas of my life that I don't expect perfection. I've come to expect that so much of the experience is out of my hands, I do my best and wait for the outcome. I also like that no matter how many years I garden, I learn something new each season.
So, for now I'll focus on raking leaves and closing down the garden for the season. Soon the seed catalogs will arrive and I'll start dreaming of next years bounty.

It's September!!!

I know it has been for a few days now, but it's just now sinking in. Fall is almost here!! (as is my birthday which happens to fall in my favorite season)(pun intended) I still haven't gotten anything else planted. As frequently happens, the garden is getting away from me. Nothing ever happened with the cabbage or brussel sprouts. The beets are barely there and probably won't be worth picking before the ground freezes. I do have a few more surprise squash. I still haven't eaten any of the ones I already picked!! I think my tomatoes are done. I still have some green ones, which I will bring in and try to ripen. I don't usually have much success with this method, but it's worth it if even one tomato can be saved!!!
I have got to post the pics of my crazy purple beans!! They are gigantic!
I got a good supply of peppers this year. I think it's actually been one of my best.
I will be getting dirt for the beds soon. I'm going to attempt to plant garlic and onions.
I made a big batch of bruscetta for dinner last night!! It was awesome. I used some ciabatta bread and grilled it. Then topped it with this mixture. Nothing fancy~
Bruscetta tomato mixture
diced, deseeded tomatoes
chopped fresh basil, picked and washed right before
a few tablespoons of finely chopped red onion
a splash of olive oil
a few cloves of garlic plus a few more for rubbing on the grilled bread
I think that's it. I may have put in a splash of red wine vinegar, but I don't remember. I also topped some wheat spaghetti with this and then tossed it with fresh parmigiana regiano. Oh My gosh was it good!! We wiped out the entire loaf of bread in one meal! I really could have made a meal of just that and I don't think I'd have had any complaints!! To steal from Alton it was "Good Eats"
So coming soon: APPLES!! which means apple festivals. I try to get to at least 3! And Pumpkins!! I love all things pumpkin.

Planting time, again

Well, I think it's time to start second plantings. My goal this week is to do another planting of broccoli, lettuce and peas. Hopefully I can get one more crop of these before the snow. I also need to get dirt for the second bed so I can plant onions and garlic.
I picked squash today. I have no idea if there were ripe. I'm not even sure how to tell. But, they'd been sitting there awhile without changing, so I figured they were done. Unfortunately, it looks as if these are the only two I'm going to get. I think the soil they were in just wasn't adequate for their needs. Hopefully, next year, when they are in the raised bed they'll do better.
I didn't make it to any farmers markets this week. I still want to get to the one at Stan Hywet. I'm hoping this is the week. I know they will start closing down soon. It seems like the farmers market season goes by quicker than anything else. I really miss them when they're gone.
In sadder news, the worms are gone. And by that I mean, dead. This last week we had some major storms here in Northeastern Ohio. Even though their container was covered and had drainage holes, they were still flooded.(along with the back yard and part of our basement) As far as I can tell, there weren't any survivors. May they rest in peace.

Slacking!!

Wow, I haven't posted here in a long time!! It has not been because I haven't been doing anything. Just today I froze peach pie filling and made peach sauce. It is yummy. I bought a peck of peaches from Rittman's on Wednesday. I don't really have a recipe for the sauce, but here's the gist of it.
Peach Sauce
Peel and cut or slice some peaches
Sprinkle some brown sugar on top
Add some cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla
Stir in and then add a handful of cinnamon chips.
Heat on low until peaches are soft and liquid is syrupy, stirring often.
I had some of this on my pancakes this morning and it was yummy!!
The garden is doing OK. I'm getting a couple tomatoes every few days. Lots of cherry tomatoes. I've also had a few peppers and cucs. Cappuccino has enjoyed little bits of broccoli. We also picked the beans. They were really weird looking. Over a foot long and purple!! I was kind of afraid to eat them, but they were good. I have one squash on each of the surviving plants.
I made my first and so far only batch of salsa last week. It was really good. I used one jalapeno and one habanero pepper. It was pretty hot. Just the way I like it.
Unlike the weather which has been cool these last few days. Today the high was supposed to be 70, but I don't think it made it. It has rained the entire day. I haven't made it to the back yard, but it looks like a swamp out there!!

Peaches, again!!

I finally got around to using up the peck(I'm sure now) of peaches I purchased on Wednesday. Yesterday I made 2 batches of jam. One is peach the other is peach/cantaloupe. I did freezer jam this time because it was way too hot to stand over a hot water bath. They turned out good. I used the Pomona's pectin again.
My dd12 made a peach cobbler that was awesome. I'll post a link to the recipe. It's on recipezaar. http://www.recipezaar.com/25600She also made a batch of zucchini bread. It didn't turn out nearly as good. I grated up the zucchini for her in the Cuisinart and set it on the table. When I came back a little while later, it was all gone. I said "What did you do with the rest of the zucchini?". She said, "There wasn't any left". I said "You only needed 3 cups". "I thought you measured it". "Why would I measure it, you're the one making the bread!!" So, the bread had too much zucchini and was less than good. We will try again next week. I had her get my neighbors recipe because it's awesome. However, our first attempt really didn't do it justice.
The garden is still doing well. I've gotten a few servings of broccoli. I think we'll have a plethora of tomatoes any day now.
We went to the Montrose Market yesterday and got some amazing blueberries from Rittman's. We still haven't made it picking. It's been too hot!!
Oh, I made the grilled pizza on Thursday and it was wonderful. My family was properly impressed. :)
In bunny news, Cappuccino is going to be spayed on Thursday. Keep her in your prayers. I'm very nervous. Some people don't think you need to unless there's a male nearby. However, spaying lowers their risk of uterine cancer and helps reduce aggression as they age. So, we're having it done. She weighed 3.16 pounds at her check up.

Peaches!! (and other stuff)

Today was the Barberton Farmers Market. I went specifically for the awesome cantaloupe from Bender's, but soon realized there were peaches to be had. I purchased a peck(I think that's what it is) for making jam and then a quart from Rittman's for eating. They were a little less ripe, so they'll last a day or two. Bender's was giving away zucchini, much to the annoyance of the other farmers I'm sure. So, I got 5 good sized ones for baking. BTW~I did get two cantaloupe.(the one we had already is a little overripe. but still yummy)
I also got some really large grape tomatoes. I'll be using these on grilled pizza tomorrow. I never made this for the 4th, so I'm using up all the cheese I bought. It's supposed to be in the 90's again tomorrow, so this will be a very hot undertaking. For some reason, I only grill pizza when it's really hot and I'm miserable the entire time.
In garden news,I have a few squash now. I think they are the Delicata and yellow patty. I forgot to label these, so I'm guessing at the moment. The recent heat seems to have dried up my cucs, but they were good while they lasted. Tomatoes are starting to ripen faster now. I did lose a few to blossom end rot. I was really hoping with the raised bed I wouldn't have to deal with this. However, the week before last we had rain nearly every day after quite a while with none. Once again, there isn't any rain in the forecast, so I'll have to do some watering.
I do seem to have some worms that have made it, but they don't eat nearly enough to keep up with our supply.
I opened a jar of the strawberry jam I made a while back. It was yucky. I have no idea what happened, the jars were sealed, but it looks and smells gross. So, I'll be dumping, or feeding to the worms, several jars of jam. Some of them are fine, it's just the Low Sugar Cooked jam. This was my favorite so I'm really bummed. I will try to do a batch of cooked peach and a freezer batch as back up.
Well, I think that's a pretty good update. I'll try and include some pics again soon.

They have arrived

So, in spite of my email telling them not to send the worms, Wormman.com sent them anyway!!! Yep, I'm naming names now. They suck!! My dh has been on vacation and we've been out and about all week. I told them not to send them, but they did it anyway.(over one month after my order was placed) So, the worms arrived on Wednesday, but we were gone the entire day. They were undiscovered until Thursday. By this point many had escaped from their poor packaging and were dried up on my porch!! I took pics to send to the company. Now, lest you think I am a negligent worm owner, I checked the company's order tracking every day just to make sure they hadn't shipped. There wasn't any update to the info so I had no way of knowing they were coming. As you may notice, I'm flippin' mad.
On another note.. we have enjoyed a few tomatoes from the garden. They are yummy. We have also put a fence around the garden. Riley pulled another broccoli plant and picked a tomato. The tomato was the last straw!! Dh did a nice job of putting it up so it's not too much of an eye sore.

A lovely, lazy Saturday

Not much new this lovely Saturday. The weather here in OHIO is gorgeous. Warm, breezy, partly cloudy. IMHO~perfect. The garden is growing nicely. A few of the cherry tomatoes look as though they may ripen very soon. Yeah!! Everything else is moving along. Nothing exciting, but that's good.
I received another email that once again my worms were not shipped. They are now being shipped(supposedly) on Monday. DH is fed up and wants me to cancel the order. I'm going to send an email so they have it ASAP and do not send them. Not that there seems to be any risk of that!!
This is sort of off topic. Local, but not food related. Last night,dh, my sis,her husband and I went to the "Third Day" concert at the House of Blues. It was freakin' awesome!!!! I had never been there before. This was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. It was my 5th time seeing Third Day. We love them. In this particular venue, it was amazing. So, if you ever have the opportunity to see a concert there, go!! However, do not, I repeat... Do NOT order any food or beverages unless you love to overpay. Naively, we each got bottled water and split 2 orders of fries. Now, they were good, but our total bill was over $20. We nearly passed out!!! However, our tickets were given to us{front row balcony~great view), and they were awesome. My BIL drove and kindly paid for parking, so the experience was well worth it. For the record, I hear the food at HOB is really good. Just not what I want to pay for a snack. :)
My dd made zucchini bars the other day. I love these. I posted the recipe on recipezaar. Here's the link~http://www.recipezaar.com/240014.

Barberton Farmer's Market

Today's trip to the market was definitely a success.
From Benders Farm(Copley): Rock cantaloupe(super sweet!!), tomato(not local~Indiana), peaches(NJ)
Seville Berry Farm(Seville): raspberries(mmmmm)
Farms I don't remember the name of: bi-color sweet corn, zucchini, onion, and a really good homemade nut roll.
Things I want to get next time:
fresh roasted cashews, watermelon, green beans, turnips and goat milk fudge.

The kids and I walked to the market, so I was limited by what we could carry home.
I will be making bread and zucchini bars today. I'll include the bar recipe in a post later. It's really yummy. I haven't made them in years. My mom made them every year, a few times, to help use up the overwhelming amount of zucchini she grew. I don't grow zucchini, but it was only $0.50 for a good sized one at the market. I like small tender squash to eat plain, but for baking big is OK.
I've got a lot of baking to do. Later!

This means war!!!

This morning when I went to check out the garden, I noticed a cabbage leaf on the ground outside the bed. Hhhmmmmm. Upon further examination I realized there is a hole where that plant used to be!!!!! The entire cabbage plant is gone. Well, except for the leaf that was left behind. I highly doubt that Riley would have eaten the whole plant, so I'm pretty sure I have an intruder.
I'm guessing it's a bunny. The other night when I had Cappuccino out back to play, a wild bunny was in the neighbor's yard having a snack. Cappuccino was very intrigued by this creature and sat watching it for several minutes. I don't think she understood why it was eating something as dull as grass when there are yummy things like shoes, computer cords and bananas to eat! I'm surprised at it's boldness considering Riley is a rather large dog that loves to chase bunnies. However, this clever thief must realize that Riley sleeps in the house, leaving a salad bar perfectly available for passers-by.
So, my first move in defense of my food will be to leave Riley out for the next few nights. She doesn't mind, it's actually cooler than in the house. Unfortunately, she will bark ferociously at the paper lady, but an early wake up is a small price to pay for broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts right from the garden. I may have to share some with my neighbors to make up for the annoyance though.
I had my first pepper yesterday!! Granted it was a little small and green, but it was so tasty in the enchiladas I made. I read that picking one or two early peppers will allow the remaining fruit to get larger and sweeter. I also got a habenero that had fallen off the plant. I wish I'd noticed it when I was making the enchiladas.
The radishes are just about done, so I need to find something to fill in that area. I think it's too early to do a second planting of spinach, but I'm going to look into that. I'll be reading the "bible" today.

Tomato thieves and other issues

Yep, my first tomato of the year was almost ripe when it was snatched right off the vine. To say I was angry is an understatement. I have no idea who, or what, stole it. To be fair, most likely it was my dog,Riley. Still I will be keeping an eye out for intruders now.
Also attacking my tomatoes is a blight. According to my research, this is a fungus that attacks the leaves, usually turning them yellow then brown as they die. I think ours came from the last plant we purchased, on sale, from a less than reputable dealer. I came to this brilliant conclusion because the blight started the day after I planted that one. I have treated all the plants with Neem Oil again. I also removed as much of the effected foliage as possible. The other plants seem to be making a recovery. The "carrier" is barely making it. The only reason I haven't pulled it entirely is that it has one tomato on it. I don't want to sacrifice the tomato. I will do so in a few days. Then it'll probably be able to ripen off the plant.
This weekend I went to the North Union Farmers Market again. New this week were beets(I got 3 varieties that will be dinner tonight)green and purple beans, and squash. I got some black raspberries from Rittman's that were really good. I also purchased some cheese from the Middlefield Amish Cheese co-op. I put smoked cheddar on my burgers and was in heaven. Seriously, it's amazing!! I'll probably make them for the third time since buying this cheese. It doesn't need any condiments it's so good!!
There is a Barberton Farmers Market starting this week at Wink's. I will be checking this one out too. I need more tomatoes!! Soon the Akron Market will start at Stan Hywet Hall. There is also the Akron Beacon Journal market. So, I'm set for the rest of the season.
I will be making bread later this week when the temperature goes down a bit. My DH got me a big bowl to make it in. It's large enough to mix and knead in, so it makes less mess.
Still no worms. They were supposed to have been shipped out on July 2 and arrive a few days later. That was a week ago. I put in a call to the "worm guy"(names are withheld to protect the guilty). It has not been answered yet. If I don't hear from them today I'm declaring war!! No, actually I can file a dispute with Paypal and get my money back. Still, I'm disappointed. Admittedly, my enthusiasm over the whole vermicomposting thing has really waned over the last month.
My DH is on vacation this coming week, so I'm hoping to drag him blueberry picking. My usual place doesn't seem to be open yet, so I'm going to have to find a new place. I was hoping to go to Rittman's again. Unfortunately, the nice young man at the market informed me that they don't have U-pick blues this year. I also want to check out the "hydroponic strawberries" that I found nearby.
Completely off topic~ If you are the owner of a "house bunny" as I am... Please do not purchase the "Four Paws lead with harness"!!! I purchased this for Cappuccino last week so I could let her run around outside without having to worry so much about her getting out of the yard. I chose this particular one because it had a locking harness so it wouldn't choke her. Well, apparently her fur got caught in the lock and prevented it from working. Within a few minutes of putting it on, her eyes were bulging and she was gasping for air!! Unfortunately, the lock worked well enough that I couldn't get it off of her. Luckily, DH was able to save the day and Cappuccino. However, it was a very scary few minutes for all involved. Needless to say, she will never be leashed again. Instead we are working to train Riley to not chase her in the back yard, which is fenced in.
Update: I got another email regarding the worms. Now they say they're being shipped out at the end of the week. The company is blaming the "extreme heat" on the late shipment.

What the heck??

OK, I'm not sure what happened to my last post. It was fine when I published it, but now it's all weird. Any help would be greatly appreciated because I have no idea what I'm doing or how to fix it. Short of deleting it and starting over. Granted, there was nothing so deep and earth shattering. I'm pretty sure the problem lies in the links. I must have done something wrong.
Not that this has anything to do with food, but I got my son 2 hamsters this week. Yep, I'm crazy. These were free, so I figured "why not". He lost his last hamster a few months ago and was completely crushed. I'm thinking that with 2 he'll have a "back up". These are much younger than the others we've gotten. And they are local, so I guess it does fit in with this topic, sort of. We have them in separate cages to avoid the mistake of the lady I got them from. She ended up with 20 babies!!! These are really sweet and my son is thrilled. Cappuccino is unimpressed by her "cousins". In fact, she's been acting up a bit since we got them. Our cat couldn't care less about these new creatures he's not allowed to eat.
Tomorrow I'm making grilled pizza and baked beans for our family BBQ. Both recipes are really yummy, and I make them very rarely. In fact, only my one sister has ever had my pizza.
Worm update~ still none. I checked the status on the site I ordered them from. It says they shipped yesterday, but doesn't have a tracking number. My dad thinks I'm the victim of an internet worm scam. :) How sad would that be?
Update~DH fixed the problem and he showed me how to post pics that are all turned the right way. Isn't he amazing? :)

Strawberry Iced Tea

Well, I still cannot provide pics of the garden. We have yet to replace the cord eaten by Cappuccino. This week dh gave our son a lesson in "How to wrap the cords the bunny ate in electrical tape so we don't die when we turn on the fan". Something every boy should know.
We did not make it to the farmers market, again. This time it was because we volunteered at the Angel Food distribution in our area. www.angelfoodministries.com
My rapini is ready for picking, but I'm not really a fan of it. Cappuccino, on the other hand, really likes it. Maybe if I give her plenty of greens she'll stop eating cords. :)
I finally used up all the strawberries!! The last bit was mushed for strawberry iced tea. It's so good, you have to try it.
32 oz strong tea
1/4-1/2 c sugar (to taste)
2 c strawberries (frozen are ok, but thaw a bit)
Juice of a lemon (optional)
Add the sugar to the tea while it's still hot.(it really doesn't need much) Mash, process or blend strawberries. Strain. Mix the juice into the tea. Stir and drink with plenty of ice.
This is so yummy I may have to pick more berries so I can make it again. It was nice that I was able to use up the almost yucky berries. You know, the ones that don't look that appealing, but aren't really bad.
We had some scorching heat this week. It was in the lower 90's. I gave in and turned on the air conditioning. Only for 1 day, then it rained and cooled back down. I should have baked a batch of bread while it was cool, but I didn't. DH ordered a huge bowl for me to make my dough in. I can't wait until it's here.
DH and I watched "Inconvenient Truth" this week. It's the Al Gore, global warming warning. I watched it to see what all the buzz was. I fully intended to hate it. Unfortunately, I really liked it!! It was so interesting!! I'm really trying to step up my effort to be a better steward of the earth. It really isn't that hard. A little less driving, more efficient electricity usage...http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp
My wonderful DH built me a second raised garden bed yesterday. It's a little smaller than the first, but should fit next years squash quite nicely. I'm planning to layer it this year with newspaper, compost and hay etc... I've read that this way I can avoid digging out the sod. I'll add soil in eventually. My worms are due to arrive this week. They are being shipped out on Monday. I'm a little concerned that with the holiday, they are going to be stuck in the post office until Thursday. Hopefully, they will be ok. The food that I've been putting aside for them is now a disgusting, smelly, moldy mass. So, I'll have to start fresh this week.

Strawberries!!

Yesterday the kids and I went to Rittman's Farm and picked strawberries. Initially we picked 2 buckets full, but that didn't seem like enough. So, I sent DD back to get a few more buckets. We ended up with 5 buckets full!! This totalled around 30 pounds of berries!!! Yep, that's right 30 pounds. An insane amount.
I took a picture of it, however I can't download it. Why, you ask? Well, because my darling bunny, Cappuccino, ate the cable that connects the camera to the computer. She bit clear through the wire. So, until I replace the cable, my pics are being held hostage in the camera.
I have already made 14 small jars of jam, strawberry shortcake, strawberry pancakes and we've eaten a ton. However, that was only one bucketful. Today I'm planning to make more jam, but I'm out of small jars. I guess I'll make a few big jars. I'd like to try a cooked jam. The ones I've made so far are freezer jam. One batch is regular and the other is lower sugar. I'm also looking for a "no sugar", but not artificially sweetened recipe. I'll be checking out recipezaar for that today. I will also be freezing some sliced and sweetened for topping. I love strawberries on my waffles and french toast.
I have a strawberry scone recipe that my sister loves. I'm going to give it a try. I refused to make it earlier because it takes several cups of berries. That's too expensive when they aren't in season. Oh, BTW~ these were $1.15 a pound. I don't know if that's a good price or not. They are really good though.
In the garden... I have several little tomatoes now. Ironically, my "Early Girl" doesn't have any. Either does my Brandywine. That makes me sad, because I love those. The peppers are getting big and there are lots of little ones now. These are the best looking peppers I've ever grown. Yeah!! Oh, and I have a teeny tiny head of broccoli. It's so cute!! All in all, a good food week here at my house.

my grape tomatoes in a barrel

As you can see, the garden is growing well!! As you can also see, photography is not my gift. I'll work on this.

Today my DD and I went to a new Farmer's Market. It is much closer than the one we usually go to and had a nice selection. We purchased some yummy strawberries, and vowed to go picking this week!! We also got some red leaf lettuce for Cappuccino and some grass fed beef for our Father's Day dinner.

DH got a beautiful looking steak. I got some burgers for the kids and me. The key to cooking grass fed beef is to not overcook it. It turns to leather very easily. I usually grill it to 140 degrees and then take it off and let it sit a while. The temp will continue to rise and it'll stay juicy and tender.

From the garden, we have continued to enjoy peas, radishes and lettuce. The tomatoes and peppers are looking good. I'm not sure whats up with the members of the cabbage family. I may have planted them too late. Since I haven't planted any of these varieties before, I've taken a wait and see attitude.

The kids and I went sugar snap pea picking this week. We couldn't stop ourselves and ended up with about 6 pounds of peas!!!! Amazingly, they are all gone. I did give a pound to a neighbor, but the rest we 'et. They were so sweet. We wanted to go back, but didn't make it. We picked about a pound of strawberries also, but they were unimpressive and are still sitting in the fridge. They will probably end up as worm food.

Speaking of worms, no word yet on when they will arrive.

Another week has gone by...

This has been an uneventful week in the garden. I think June is like that. Everything is planted and now it's just a matter of time. I don't like waiting, so it's a little frustrating. DH has caught the tomato bug, and bought me another plant!! This one is a Roma. For those that are keeping count, this makes 8.
Everything looks good. My neighbor commented the other day on how pretty my garden is. He is absolutely right. It is the nicest looking veggie garden I've seen in years. It is certainly my best. I never would have thought that the addition of a few flowers would make such a big difference. The added spots of color are really a nice touch. I think it's also aesthetically pleasing because it's so packed with plants. Anyway, I'm really enjoying it.
We picked some peas this week. Not too many, but enough for everyone to have a few pods. They are so sweet!! Next year I'm going to plant a ton more. It's impossible to have enough peas.
DH and I have already decided to add another bed next year. The squash and peas that I planted behind the house aren't doing nearly as well as the plants in the bed. It was a lot of work, but I think it'll be worth it.
My worms are on back order. I'm kind of disappointed. I have a bucket of food waiting for them. The company said it'll be another couple of weeks. Oh, well, it's not like I have nothing else to do.

Vermicomposting!!

Well, I have entered a new stage of garden obsessed. Yesterday, after several days of research, I ordered a pound(approx. 1000) of red worms. These worms will be used exclusively in a composting bin which I will be preparing this week. Ya see, these worms can turn several pounds of organic waste(food, paper, cardboard) into compost in a few weeks. Usually this process takes months. In the past, I've done this with an ordinary compost pile. I never had enough stuff to really get it going, so I didn't see the great benefits. Now that we are in the city, I don't have room for a compost pile of any size. After reading a book titled "Eat More Dirt", I thought I'd give this way a try.

Although I personally am not a big fan of worms, my DS thinks they are cool. So, not only will this project be good for the environment and my garden, it will also be an educational experience for the kids. I will post pics once the worms arrive. Initially, I'm going to try using a converted extra large "tote". I'd like to have DH make a wooden bin, but that'll have to wait.

As promised, here are some pics of my Cappuccino. As I type, she is doing a "happy dance" around my living room. If you've never experienced this particular dance you don't know what you're missing. It is hysterical!!! She runs around, then hops, throwing in a few pirouettes while she's at it. I wish I could get it on video. I may borrow a camera just for that some day.

Saturday, June 2nd

Well, as you might be able to tell from the pics, things are growing well. You may also notice that I have more tomatoes. This time I bought an "early girl", "sweet pear" and "yellow sunshine". The last 2 are cherry tomatoes. I ran out of room in the garden, so I put them in a barrel along with the lavender that I got last week that I didn't have room for. I also planted a basil, but my DS was "helping" and weeded it out. :)
I was concerned about the quality of the soil I was using, so I added in some composted manure and a "top dressing". I noticed today that the Brandywine that I thought was near death has a teeny tiny tomato on it. The pepper plants have quite a few too. (peppers, not tomatoes)
I have picked nearly all the spinach. It's yummy. I may try another planting. I know it's getting kind of hot, but it's worth a try. We have enjoyed several small radishes. I also have a few peas. I'm very excited about those. Still, the ones that I replanted aren't catching up. Squashes and cucs are doing well.
Today was the opening day of the Peninsula farmers market. The kids and I made our way down there. It was packed!! I was able to purchase the last quart of strawberries!!! I had to threaten to arm wrestle an old man for them. His friend assured me I'd win. :) We also got a selection of apples. I managed to leave without any new plants.
There was some really cool stained glass there that I'd love. I could have spent a fortune, but I didn't. We did splurge and get some croissants, too. I don't usually buy bakery there, but it was opening day. Oh, and DS bought some cheese. An organic, locally made pepper jack. He loves his cheese. He tried them all, even the habenero, before making his decision. Next week he wants the habenero.I think it's too hot.
The weather is cooling down a bit, so I'm going to try and pick some berries this week.

Do not leave unattended...

That's the sign that should be posted on me as soon as I enter a garden center. Yesterday, with a little time on my hands I popped into one of my favorite local shops. Nearly an hour later, I emerged with several unplanned purchases. I bought some broccoli plants, beet and lettuce seeds as planned. However, I couldn't resist not one, but 2 cilantro plants, cauliflower and brussel sprouts, which I've never grown before. I also bought basil and lavender. This doesn't sound too bad, but I had very little actual room left in the garden. Now I have less than none. I couldn't find a place for the lavender, so it's going into a container. The beets I planted in any area I could find to squeeze in a few. The lettuce I used to "mulch" around the tomatoes.
Speaking of the tomatoes, I think a few are sick. I picked off several spotted, nasty looking leaves today. After doing a little research, it's possible that they have a fungus. I've never dealt with a fungus before, so I may have to go to a garden center for some advice. I'll have to wait until DH can chaperon me, because obviously I can't be trusted. My "Speckled Roman" isn't looking too good. Kind of droopy. I really hope they all perk up. I'm counting on lots of tomatoes this year.

peas, lettuce, spinach and radishes
a radish peeking out

Today the rapini and green beans are both poking through!! There are visible radishes, as you can see. I did another little thinning of spinach today. This will probably be the last time. I'll let the rest go for a while. I have a few broccoli that look like they might actually make it. I'm still going to buy a few more plants. We love fresh broccoli. DS will eat it right out of the garden. I forgot to get pics of the squash and cucs. The cucs look great. The squash, not so good. Luckily, summer squash is always easy to come by if mine don't take.
Due to our regrading around the house, the soil where the squash and cucs are planted is very compact below the first few inches. I really needed to add more topsoil, but I'd already spent so much on dirt, I couldn't buy more.
As you can see in some of the pics, I have a lame string "fence" around the garden. This is because when we first put the garden in, our dog,Riley, liked to hang out there. I couldn't convince her to stay out. The "fence" helped a little although I did spot a few paw prints in there the other day. I don't want to put a real fence around it because it will look bad and be a pain to work around. I'm hoping that once the garden has filled in a bit she will stay out and then I can take the string down. My next option is a few mouse traps, but I'm going to wait a bit.

A bit of spinach

We had the first taste of fresh spinach today. I did a little thinning out of the plants. It was yummy. I'd forgotten how much I really like spinach when it's fresh. I added it to our scrambled eggs this morning along with a snipping of chives. Cappuccino, my bunny, enjoyed the stems so none of it was wasted.
The garden is looking good. The second planting of radishes is starting to come up. Haven't seen any sign of the beans or rapini yet, though.
Now that June is approaching, I'm going to start checking out the U-pick places. I'm pretty sure strawberries start in a few weeks. Unlike blueberries, I don't like strawberries frozen. This means that when we pick I need to be ready to make jam.

I didn't make it

Well, once again, I have planted the rest of my garden before Memorial Day. I checked the weather, Farmers Almanac, and the Ohio Extension. They all said it was ok to plant after May 20th, which it is. This week the temps are staying in the upper 70's to mid 80's. More importantly, it's staying above 55 at night. I will supply pics soon. I still have a little more room, so I'm going to pick up some beets and onions as previously mentioned.
So, now the countdown 'til my first tomato. I can't wait. It looks as though I'll be getting some lettuce and spinach in the next week or so. I could pick baby spinach now, but I'm going to wait another couple days. I've been thinning DS radishes each day and giving the tops to a very happy bunny. (my Cappuccino) She appreciates that he planted the seeds too close together.

oooppps, I did it again

"I tried to stop her, Sir!! She wouldn't listen!!!"(Sebastian, "The Little Mermaid")
Well, I didn't quite make it until Memorial Day. I tried I really did, sort of, well not really. In my defense, I checked the Almanac and it said it was OK. And I only planted beans, rapini, broccoli and more radishes(per DS request) Oh, and the leeks, but I don't think they are going to make it. They're too scrawny as are the broccoli. I think this is why I don't start seeds. I suck at it.
So, I have tomatoes, peppers, squash,cucs and watermelon for next week. I'm going to pick up some beet seeds, more lettuce seeds and some onion sets. Then I think I'll be all set.

Plant Sale Day!!!!

plants I purchase today
seedlings
garden today

YEAH!!! I have my plants. I was so excited that we ended up there early. However, much to my surprise, it was packed already. I know now that when it comes to plant sales, there is no "too early". Still, I got all the varieties that I wanted(and some I hadn't planned on). Mostly heirloom tomatoes and peppers. I also got a small pack of lettuce since mine is taking it's good ol' time getting big enough to eat. I may actually go back tomorrow because DH reminded me how much he and the kids loved a variety of cherry tomatoes that we got from the CSA last year. For $2.50, I think it's worth it. Hopefully I can fit another trip into my schedule tomorrow.

So far, the garden is doing well. Some of my seedlings aren't doing as well as I'd hoped. Since I broke my lamp, they may not be getting enough light. There is the distinct possibility that I will be buying broccoli plants in the near future. Also, two of my squash haven't come up at all. I'm going to try again today, but that doesn't give them much time before planting. I may also add in some cabbage, but I'm still debating.

I purchased 2 "mystery plants" from the sale today. These are ones that didn't get labeled, so they were unsure what exactly they were. I got one tomato and one pepper. I can't wait to see what they end up being. Stay tuned for this exciting news. We should all know in a month or so.

So, here's what I purchase today:

Tomatoes:

mystery, Brandywine, San Marzano, Speckled Roman

Peppers:

mystery, jalapeno, habanero, Orange Bell, Quadrato di Asti Giallo(Yellow bell)

Mixed lettuce

Next week I plan on planting. The weather is supposed to get warm again. Today it's in the 60's. I'm going to try and wait until Memorial Day, but I usually give in before then. I may start my beans this week, but I need to read the description again first. Oh, and check my "bible" for proper planting time.

Sunburn and sore muscles

We got the regrading done this weekend. It was the hardest work I have ever done. We had to lug 2.5 yards of dirt(clay) up the hill and pile it around the house. DH had the job of manning the tamper. After a few hours, I realized we'd never make it and called in reinforcements. My dad and brother came and within 2 hours it was done. It took a total of six grueling hours!! I also added in a new strip of ground cover where there had been just grass. I also separated the hostas and spread them out a bit.
Now to the important info. The peas seem to have survived their uprooting and replanting. I won't know for sure for a few more days, but they look OK. My next concern is that we put down about 6 inches of tamped down clay under the bed where they are planted. I'm not sure they will have enough soil to develop a good root system. Only time will tell. If they do make it, we are going to have a ton of peas!! I planted a lot.
Still haven't been baking. Hopefully next week. I think once my arms have rested from yesterday, I'm going to make bagels again. I'm hooked!!

Not a whole lot happening

I have now started squash(3 kinds) and more broccoli(don't ask me why) inside. I did another planting of lettuce seeds in the garden. My ds is planting radishes today. Those are his thing. He loves them and has chosen two varieties this year. The spinach is up as is my first planting of lettuce. I also have a plethora of peas!! Unfortunately, due to a mild water issue in our basement, we have to regrade around the house. This includes where the peas are planted. My plan is to carefully dig them up, do the work and then replant them. We'll see if this works. If not, I think I have time to do another planting. I know I have plenty of seeds.
Two more weeks until the plant sale where I'll purchase the rest of my plants. I'm so excited to get started!! Although, I will resist the urge to plant before Labor Day.
On the baking front... I haven't been. I have run out of flour and been busy with the kids' school. We have suffered through 2 loaves of store bought bread. Blech!! Hopefully now that school is almost done, I can get back to baking.

A very busy weekend

a selection of bagels
savory bagels and scones with whipped butter
unimpressive casserole
does this look like $100 worth of dirt?
my first section of seeds
Well, I've done a lot since my last post. The garden has gone in and I started planting. So far it has lettuce, spinach and pea seeds. I've seen a few tiny signs of green. I can't wait until they sprout!! I also started some broccoli, leeks and herbs inside. The broccoli has sprouted like crazy!

Also, I hosted a brunch for my family this weekend. I got a few pics after the food had been gotten into. I made cinnamon rolls, bagels (cinnamon raisin, cranberry, cinnamon/sugar, asiago, asiago W/ garlic, onion and poppy seeds), cranberry scones, hash brown casserole, eggs and bacon. We also made a cranberry punch. The cranberry theme really wasn't intentional, but I do love cranberries. Everything turned out really good, but I didn't like the hash browns. It was supposed to be a knock off of Cracker Barrels, but I don't think it tasted anything like them. I sent them home with Dad because he loved them.

The bagels were even better this time than they were last time. The only real change I made was to use the high gluten flour. I made them a little smaller, too. My only complaint is that I can't figure out how to keep them fresh. They tasted a bit stale the next day and continued to get worse until they were gone. They only lasted 3 days. I should try freezing them, but I'm afraid they'll be awful and then I'll have wasted perfectly yummy bagels. DH is trying to get his hands on a commercial mixer for me. I spent 40 minutes straight kneading while making brunch. My arms were killing me. This was the day after I helped wheel 3 yards of dirt up hill!!

Anyway, here are some pics. I can't seem to figure out how to put them where I want them. It's a little annoying.

More baking

Here are some recent goodies. The center multi grain bread has become our daily bread. I've been making about 4 loaves/week. It's awesome for sandwiches and toast. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. My DH insisted that we had to have store bought bread because homemade wasn't good for sandwiches. It became my life's work(or at least a months) to prove him wrong. I tried many recipes looking for one that was "sandwich worthy" and this is the winner. It's all natural and yummy. We haven't purchased bread since it's discovery.

I also posted my perfect cranberry scones. Well, technically, they aren't my recipe. It's from Farmgirlfare, my favorite food blog. They are light and flaky, but not too sweet.

Finally, is the "Hearth Bread" that was on a package of flour. It looks good and tasted good, but didn't make the cut. I've become a bit of a bread snob and this one was a little too bland.

I still haven't made the brioche I was planning for this week. Hopefully, I'll get to it this week.

Cinnamon Rolls

Here are the cinnamon roll pictures that I promised. Let me say, I have eaten and baked many, many cinnamon rolls in my lifetime and these are by far the absolute best!!! I honestly can't imagine improving upon them. The dough is light and airy with just the perfect amount of sweetness. I wish that I could get away with eating them daily, because I would.

Now, for the garden news... There isn't any. It was snowy until yesterday, when it started raining. I've been unable to get my dirt. As I'm sure you know, a garden without dirt doesn't accomplish much. I'm praying for next week. I need it to dry out a bit first though because the garden is in the back, up hill. I can't lug 3 yards of dirt up a slippery hill. Not fun.

BAGELS!!!!

This was my first attempt at homemade bagels and they were awesome!! I used Peter Reinhart's recipe from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice". I did not have the malt powder or high-gluten flour. Next time I will try and find those ingredients. These bagels were chewy, but not "hurt your jaw" chewy. They were soft and crispy. I used a little too much cinnamon sugar, so they were kind of sticky. Next time I'm going to try asiago cheese (my favorite) and cinnamon raisin (the kids' favorite). I really enjoyed making these. The dough is really stiff and easy to work with. They sat in the fridge for over a day before I got around to making them. I want to try and freeze some formed dough next time. I'd love to be able to make them with less planning. All in all, a huge success. Tomorrow, I'll be making my traditional Easter cinnamon rolls. I'm trying Peter's recipe for those as well. Stay tuned for pics.

This afternoon the kids and I went to "A Garden Affair" at the library. Unfortunately, I missed one of the speakers I really wanted to see. She was one of the farmers from the CSA we belonged to last year. I did see a cooking demo by Bev Shaffer. She is the chef and instructor at Mustard Seed Market. I have always wanted to attend one of her classes and today I got to do it for free! The class was on using herbs. We also got to sample what she made. This made the kids happy. It was very interesting and informative. I'm even more impatient to get into the garden now. However, we currently have a high of 27 degrees and snow. Not great gardening weather.

My cinnamon rolls are currently proofing. I'll put them in the fridge on my way to bed and then take them out around 7am for an 8:30am baking. I feel a little guilty. I tweaked the recipe. Normally I don't have guilt for doing this, but it seems very presumptuous to tweak the recipe of a master baker. I couldn't help myself though!! His recipe did not call for any butter on the rolled dough. I always butter the dough before I sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. I debated for several minutes, but in the end...I buttered. Not a lot, just a thin coating of unsalted, softened butter. I can't wait to try these. I made them larger than I usually do, so I'll have 8 huge rolls. I may not be able to wait until 8:3o to bake them. We may end up having an early morning breakfast.

Intro

Ok, so this is a working title. I will be posting a year in pics of my new organic, raised, deep bed garden. Located in Northeastern Ohio where yesterday it was 79 degrees and today it's snowing. I will also include the piles of Ohio grown goodness that I pick up at local farmers markets. My goal during our relatively short growing season, is to eat locally. I'd like to commit to 100%, but this is OH, not CA. I will, however, commit to 75%. Anything that is available, I will buy locally. My bananas will still come from where ever they come from.
I will also be posting recipes of some of my yummiest creations. And, being that I'm a new bread baking addict, I'm sure there will be plenty of "Crusts and Crumbs".
This year I plan to do a lot of picking!! There are local blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and green beans to be had. I'd love to fill my big freezer with veggies and berries to tide me over during the long winter. I will definitely be putting up jam this year!!
I'm hoping to beg(or bribe) my MIL to send me a bushel of peaches from SC this year. I realize it's not local, but they are so good. Two years ago we went down for a visit and I refused to leave the state without a bushel. No big deal, except that our car was literally packed to capacity with a weeks worth of clothes, snacks, beach stuff, and 2 kids!! So, when it came time to get them in the car, it just wasn't going to happen. (or so DH thought) I ended up riding the 12 hours home with stuff packed around me in order to accommodate my treasure. But it was worth it!! I made peach cobbler, peach jam, peach~cantaloupe jam, peach muffins, peach sauce and grilled peaches. It was a good week. We just recently finished off the last of the jam, so now I'm ready for more.
I forgot to introduce myself. I'm a 30ish SAHM of two great kids, 12 &9. My DH and I have moved around a bit in our nearly 13 years of marriage. In each home, my real joy was the garden. They have all had their own challenges and blessings.

We first lived in Parma in an apartment over a store. There it was a small container herb garden that got me started. Then, Parma Hts where I had my first real garden. I started with a manageable 4x4 and it grew a bit each year. It was very basic. Tomatoes, green beans, peppers and mint. Yep, I made the mistake of planting mint. By the time we moved, there was an entire bed of mint that I couldn't tame. ooopppss.

After that, we moved to southeastern Ohio, out in the boonies. Literally, miles from anyone else. That garden was my pride and joy. It was huge!! Bigger than my entire yard now. It was there that I first grew corn(much appreciated by the raccoons), potatoes, radishes, lettuces, cucumbers and tons of different kinds of tomatoes. We had an ample supply of veggies all summer despite my involuntary sharing with the local wildlife and my chickens. Then it was onto Gerry,NY near Lake Chautauqua. Here I had a nice sized, semi-raised bed. This garden was not in a good location, with poor soil, but it still gave us a nice selection. My best crop here was potatoes. I grew several varieties.

Now we are back in Ohio. Our first summer here I tore out the bushes behind the house and planted my tomatoes,broccoli and lettuce there. Not ideal, but they did ok. Last year, I joined a local CSA so I didn't need much. Still I planted yellow squash and tomatoes. The squash did great, as did the CSA's, and the tomatoes did nothing. Luckily, the CSA fared better than I did, so we had tomatoes aplenty.

This year I decided to go deep. I don't have much room. Even less of it has sun, thanks to my neighbors giant oak tree. After reading "The Vegetable Gardeners Bible", I decided this was the way to go. We will see. The bed is 4x12. I'll be having dirt delivered as soon as the temp is above freezing. Then I'll plant my peas and lettuce. I'm starting broccoli, leeks and squash indoors. I will purchase tomatoes, peppers and tomatilloes from the CSA.
To be continued...