Weed Identification

Ugh - this creeping weed is creeping itself all over the place! It is mainly in the front lawn and it is growing in bald spots as well as very nicely in the lawn itself.

What the heck is it?!?! At first I thought creeping charlie, but that has scalloped leaves. So that isn't it. It is easy enough to pull up so the roots are very deep but it is very, very annoying. I even found a little sprout in my vegetable garden and I rarely get weeds in there because I am so diligent in picking them once, if ever, they do pop up.
Apparently whatever it is it is oblivious to the corn gluten. It has no problem growing wherever it wants. Granted the purple flowers are cute and I may even admit pretty, but I don't want it in my yard!

The War Is On!!!

I have completely had it with the squirrels. I transplanted my lettuce out in the window boxes on my back porch and covered them with bird netting. All was good, then the lettuce started to pick up and I needed to raise the netting. I used wire hangers, bent them in a U shape and inserted them upside down to support the netting and to allow the lettuce to grow. For the past three days I keep finding massive holes in the boxes!!! I wouldn't be so mad if they took the lettuce with them, but Noooooo, them just dig and then leave a half wilted lettuce plant around in the box! I cannot find how they are getting in. The netting is tucked in on all sides, there are no holes and I also placed chicken wire - spoke side up in the window empty adjacent boxes. I am getting really, really pissed. Today they got into my German Thyme. I can't stand it anymore.
I have tried the "Squirrel Be Gone" deterrent and that so doesn't work. I have a packet tied to the Shepherd Hook were I hang suet and there the squirrel was, waltzing around the pack and noshing on the suet.
I think this is a job for some Thai Hot Pepper spray.
Round 1 goes to the squirrels.
The next round is mine.

A Sad Spring Day

So this morning the city came and chopped down the very large, very old and very rotten oak tree across the street. I am pretty sure there were Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker families that just lost their homes. I am hoping that they hadn't already laid their eggs.
Tuesday morning a giant limb came crashing down at about 8am and went clear across the street, across the top of a parked car and right up to the front stairs of the house across the street. Thankfully no one was hurt. That is the time of day that all the kids are walking to school and commuters are heading to catch the bus so everyone truly was lucky. The city posted signs on Thursday about its removal and they were here by 7:30 today so I never got a chance to call City Hall to ask if they could wait till the breeding season was over. Not that they would have listened to me but it would have made me feel better that I at least tried. Human safety trumps non-endangered birds any day, but still it doesn't seem fair. I kind of feel that it is now like a game of musical chairs. All the good trees/homes have been taken and these birds now have nowhere to go and probably won't produce a brood this year.
I think I will add more suet cakes to the yard to make up for the lost homes. Again, the birds won't get the gesture but I will know that I am doing what I can for them.

Tulip Color and Soil Makeup

I know that acid level in the soil can affect the color of hydrangeas but is that true for tulips as well?

These tulips were a bright, "Hello Kitty" pink last year. I naven't planted any new bulbs out back and this is what they look like this year.

That pink tulip also has three buds on one plant. Unheard of in this yard!

I am not a huge fan of red tulips because, well, they are everywhere. So I know I wouldn't have planted this.
I could blame the squirrels for digging it up from somewhere else but they are not helpful little critters that replant. Unless it is the oak growing acorns that they love to bury and forget about.
A Google search is on the list of things to do to find out about this.

The Asparagus Has Risen!

FINALLY - I have asparagus!

And also an asparagus bed that needs to be cleaned.

There are 10 plants in total and 8 of them have spears coming up. The other two I am still holding out hope for. I really should have made a bigger bed with more plants because I can only harvest 6-8 spears at a time and really, that is barely a side dish for one! Not that I really have room for a bigger bed, but it is always nice to dream : )

A Watched Pot Never Boils

Or in my case - stalking your vegetables does not make them grow faster!!!! I was hoping for asparagus for Easter this year because it falls so late in the year but as of today I have squat. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. Every time I go to empty stuff into the compost bin (which is about every other day) I walk past the asparagus bed and stalk them. I have been doing this for almost 2 weeks now to no avail. I guess the old saying of "all good things come to those who wait" is the motto I should employ at this time.
The good news is that the Bitonto tomatoes have finally sprout indoors, along with just about everything else. The spinach was getting a bit "iffy" so it went out on Sunday. I was shocked to see the Brussels Sprouts up within 1 week! I didn't expect that at all. Seeing as they take 100 days from transplant to harvest I thought they would take awhile to sprout. Apparently not. I am still waiting on the dill, basil and Chinese cabbage to emerge but again, it has only been a week.
The bad news is that it is supposed to rain all week. That could quite frankly rot my peas (which haven't sprouted yet either). I am stalking those as well. I tend to lose a few seeds to the birds/squirrels so I always check to make sure they are still underground and either they still are or they have been stolen. Damn critters!

Too much energy usage?

If you are like me you start your garden indoors months before planting season. But the month of March, at least in New England, is still dark and dreary and cold so everything needs extra love and warmth. Enter the grow lights.


My lighting system is totally DIY and the lights aren’t technically grow lights but fluorescent shop lights that I got at Home Depot.

In total I have 8 hooked up in there and the GE Slim Line lights are linkable so they are only taking up 3 outlets. I am supposed to be able to link 10 together but that would be if they were all in a straight line – the alignment I have them in only allows for two at a time. Thankfully for the linking ones because my surge protector is out of control.


My concern about all this extra seedling love is that those lights are on roughly 12 hours a day, 7 days a week! I think fluorescents are more energy friendly than regular lighting but still I worry about how much I am putting into this process and sucking the life out of the energy grid. This is something I have been thinking about since the other night when I was sitting outside at about 9:30pm and noticed that the lights were still on and boy do they light up the driveway!

Would it be more efficient for me to just buy the plants that are shipped from God knows where and packed in non-recyclable pots? I really enjoy they whole process of growing my own seeds and I feel so much accomplishment when it actually works! I like knowing that they are organic seeds in organic seed starting mix and started in cow/peat pots. How do you balance off the amount of energy used versus the peace of mind that knowing what you are growing is safe?

New Ideas for Potatoes

I don't know about you but I am sick of roasted potatoes, home fries and french fries. I get about 1-2 pounds of potatoes delivered every other week and was looking for something new. Every recipe book has "roasted potato with (insert meat here). A girl can only have so many roasted potatoes in one season. So I came up with a few new ways to cook and serve potatoes.
Po-Achos
This is my take on nachos served potato style. I bake some potatoes and when they are cool enough I cut them apart into large chunks, skin and all. Then I top with salsa, cheese and green onions and sour cream if I have it. For an added extra I add reconstituted TVP or Morningstar crumbles. Yummy and fast.
Potato Quesadilla
This is also Mexican inspired. I am not a huge fan of mashed, mashed potatoes so mine are more boiled then squashed with a fork, nice and chunky. But if your preference is for smooth and silky they would work in this too. Once the potatoes are 'squashed' I add crumbled bacon, green onions and salt and pepper to taste. This gets loaded onto 1/2 a wheat tortilla (leave enough around the edges so it doesn't ooze out). Throw a good size handful of cheese on top and fold the tortilla over. Dab a bit of butter on each side of the tortilla and cook in a skillet large enough to hold it and brown on both sides. Again - yummy. You can make a big batch of the 'squashed' potatoes and reheat it and make more quesadillas the next day.
I am working on an Indian version of this using curry and not sure what else. I have enough potatoes to experiment so I will keep you posted on the results.

Honey Do is Honey Done!

So I am proud to say that I can cross every thing off of this list. Well, not exactly, I didn't gluten the back yard. There were so many bare spots that I reseeded instead. If I put down the corn gluten it is something like 6 weeks before I can reseed. The gluten kills all germinating seeds and does not discriminate between good and bad. Hence no gluten in the back. I also didn't have to do the nasty poop run!! My landlord, aka my mom (who is retired) did it sometime last week.
After tilling the garden I planted 3 types of peas - Snowbird, Avalanche and Sugar Snap. Allegedly they will be ready in 51, 68 and 71 days respectfully. Heres hoping! I also put down some lettuce, carrots and started dill, basil, Chinese cabbage and Brussels Sprouts inside. The seeds I started two weeks ago are looking pretty good. I already have my first true set of leaves on the Sungold and Chocolate Cherry tomatoes. The Bitonto are having a rough time of it. Only two have come up. I really only need four and two of those are supposed to go to my sister for her birthday. I may just not have them for myself : (
I ran out of barrels and bags for all the yard waste so ended up dumping all the thatch and a ton of leaves into the empty compost bin. When I ordered the second bin last year Garden's Alive sent along this free activator and who am I to not accept a free gift! I added this in the bin, followed the instructions and need to re-water tomorrow. I am not sure if it really works, but it really can't hurt. For a little extra boost I added in some of Neptune's seaweed fertilizer too (there was a lot of brown added to this particular bin).
My first daffodil bloomed today and if the weather holds the rest should be opening up by the end of this week. Spring is officially here....well, at least for now!
Tomorrow I will go over the delicious potato quesadilla I had for lunch (and dinner) today.

Weekend of "To-Do"

After stalking the weather forecast I have made a "Honey Do List" and I am the honey that needs to do. The city yard waste is finally picking up for the first time since November and they don't come again until the middle of May so all of the limbs that fell and all the bushes that didn't survive the ridiculous amount of snow this winter all need to go! After work tomorrow this is what needs to be done:
1) Stop at Home Depot for 2 more sets of lights
2) De-thatch the lawn front and back
3) Spread corn gluten front and back
4) Clean and till the garden
5) Cut back old perennial growth
6) Chop down broken bush and tree limbs
7) Clean up under bird feeders
8) Clean bird houses
9) Clear out flower beds and raspberry patch
10) Fertilize asparagus bed

Then after all that is done I can add to the list - cleaning off the back porch, emptying out the worm bin and adding a new layer, start the Brussels Sprouts and cabbage seeds, finally plant the peas, and the worst job of all - the Spring poop run around the yard! Oh how I wish dog waste could go in the compost bin. With three dogs (two of mine and one of my mom's) the poop gets a little crazy during the winter because neither of us wants to head out in thigh deep snow to pick it up. This makes for an awful Spring clean up!

After all is said and (hopefully) done a glass or several of wine will be well deserved!!!!

Potato Grow Bags

My potato grow bags were delivered yesterday and I am impressed and hopeful. They seem sturdy enough but I am concerned about the stupid (albeit very smart) squirrels biting through them. I ordered them from Bed Bath & Beyond for $14.95 for a set of two. I got two sets which means I have four bags for my 2 pounds of potato seeds. There are drainage holes at the bottom and handles on each side. They also hold 55 liters of soil. That is a lot of compost that I need to make/buy!

For easy harvesting they have these velcro pockets on opposite sides.

While viewing those photos please excuse the dirty floor. Max, my older dog, is quite the messy eater and Freddie, the younger one, hadn't quite gotten around to 'Hoovering' before I snapped the shot.
The weather is looking promising for the next 10 days so I think I can get my peas planted out this weekend. I also need to de-thatch the lawn and put down my corn gluten. Fingers crossed that the weather holds!

Still Waiting for Spring

So according to the calendar it is Spring however, I think Mother Nature disagrees. Either that or she has a serious case of PMS. Friday was April Fools Day and this was no joke.

Yup, we got about 3 inches on April 1. Which obviously means my peas have not yet been planted. The ground is frozen solid - still!.

It has been in the mid 40's low 50's over the past couple of days so majority of the snow has melted but there is still random patches hanging around like the uninvited dinner guest.
The good news is that everything i planted last weekend has already begun to sprout! Well, everything except the Swiss chard, but I can be patient, it isn't like I can plant them outside anytime soon. I was also able to find a few more lights at a different Home Depot. I got 4 more but could really use another two. Once I add a few more starting trays to the shelves I will load another picture so you can see the final 'ghetto light system' I rigged up. It may not be fancy, but it works and that is all that matters!

The Season Has Begun!

I was on vacation for a week and have a lot of catching up to do! Between laundry, email, work and assuring the dogs that I will not be leaving them again for a l-o-n-g time it has been a hectic week. I started some of my seeds over the weekend.


From top to bottom I have: wildflowers (I think, I didn't label the package), lettuce, shasta daisy, kale, Swiss chard, spinach and under the lights three types of tomatoes. It isn't recommended to start spinach and chard indoors but I have not had any luck with direct seeding them. The chard came up last year but some critter got to it and I think the birds stole my spinach seeds. I figure if it doesn't germinate I still have plenty of seeds to try again.

I went to Home Depot to buy more lights and mistakenly bought ones that needs to be hard wired, not plugged in. Needless to say, those were retuned. I haven't been able to find florescent lights that can plug in, yet I have two from last year. I refuse to pay over $60 for a grow light system from the gardening supply places. I am sure shop lights will work just fine. Now only if I could find them!

The beginning of next week should fill in the greenhouse nicely. I have to start my Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage and something else that I can't remember right now. I ordered my potatoes today from Henry Fields. A pretty good deal too - 2lbs for $9.99!!! Considering you can get 10X the amount once harvested I think I will have plenty of potatoes!

Ideally I would like to start the Spring garden this weekend but the forecast is calling for snow on Friday. Yup, snow on April Fool's Day and it is no joke. I am thinking my peas and such won't get in the ground until the end of April this year.

Butternut Squash Tart

I am really not a butternut squash type of girl but I can't specify with Boston Organics exactly which squash I don't want. If I check off 'don't ever send me squash" that means I will never get zucchini, patty pan, or Kalibrocha. So I am stuck with the butternut they send me and am always looking for a way to make them taste. Yes, I said taste, not taste better, just taste. I find them extraordinarily bland. My mom gave me a recipe for a "rustic butternut squash tart". Here is the result:

All in all it was pretty tasty, and super easy. I think I liked it because I overloaded on the thyme, red onions and extra sharp cheddar. All of that tends to overwhelm the lack of flavor the butternut has :) And pretty much those are the ingredients. Squash sliced thin, red onions sliced into rings, fresh thyme and shredded extra sharp cheddar. Put all of that over a pie crust, fold over the edges, Brush with a wel beaten egg, Cook on 400 degree for 20-30 minutes and ta-dow - you have tasty squash!
And on a different topic - Spring is soooo close. We changed the clocks this weekend so it will be lighter at night. The waking and walking in the dark with the dogs really isn't a highlight, but the night walk certainly is! I saw so many Robins out this morning. Another sure sign Spring is on its way. The majority of Robins leave here in the Fall and in their place come the Juncos. Once you start seeing Robins you will start to not see Juncos and then Spring is officially here - no matter what the date on the calendar! Well, that is how I see things. That and when you can start gardening.

Signs of Spring!

It is so exciting after a l-o-n-g winter full of ridiculous snow storms to see signs of Spring peeking out. While out walking with the guys I saw my first crocus - granted it wasn't fully open, only about the size of my thumb nail - but it was so encouraging to see! When we got home I noticed that my crocuses, daffodils and jonquils were all peeking out of the ground too! And the birds! I love to hear the woo-hoo of the chickadees in the morning it really feels like Spring even though it is only 30 degrees. The male cardinals have all been at the tippy tops of the trees belting their hearts out in the hopes to find a mate for the season. I love it! I typically have a family of cardinals in late Spring and I am hoping he brings his family back here. I miss Flat Top - he was a cardinal that looked like he stuck his head in a fan belt because he lost his plume - but he was a character. He would sing at the front fence if the feeder was empty. And once I went back to fill it I was no more than a foot away and he was already on it! He had me trained. I was so sad when he didn't come back in the Spring. It is so hard to tell the birds apart but he was so different looking. He brought his 'kids' here to feed so I am hoping that the cardinals in the yard now are his offspring.

Garden season has officially begun!

I finally placed my order with Territorial Seed and as you can see it has arrived!



For Spring vegetables this year I hope to grow:
Ching-Chiang - which is a dwarf pac choi
Avalanche Snow Peas
Wild Garden Kales - a mixture of Siberian kales
Red Meat Radishes
Soloist Hybrid - which is a baby Chinese cabbage
Fordhook Giant Chard

Summer/Fall veggies include:
Kentucky Blue Pole Beans
Sayamusume Bush Bean (aka edamame)
Bitonto Tomato - allegedly the ultimate patio tomato
Raider Cucumber - the packet states "champion performer" let's hope so!
Roodnerf Brussels Sprouts

And that is only the 'new stuff'. I still have leftover lettuce, zucchini, delicata, and chard seeds, and heaven knows what else is kicking around. I think there maybe some spaghetti squash, edamame, and sungold tomatoes - oh my.

I already have the Escargot that I use for the slugs around my hostas but my sister told me that they also do a number on Brussels. So I went the extra step and ordered Slug Off Copper Rings here's hoping 1) that I can actually grow sprouts and 2) that if indeed I can grow them I can keep the slugs away.

Now I just need to figure out where all this is going to fit in the yard!

Some More Kitchen Experiments

So, it turns out that I actually do like turnips! I can't be 100% certain that I love them, but roasted with basically every other root veggie known to man they are pretty good. Based on my first experience with them I have taken them off my "Do Not Send" list for Boston Organics. Now if they would just send me parsnips - those I know I love!
And speaking about Boston Organics, I was digging through some old newsletters they sent me. (To be greener they no longer send paper newsletters and everything is archived online). These old newsletters had recipes in them and I found one for Lebanese Green Bean Stew. I had frozen green beans and tomatoes from last summer's garden so I thought - what the heck - I'll give it a try. Pretty simple and I made it simplier by using diced tomatoes along with my frozend ones. The recipe is as folows:
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped in small pieces
1/2 pound green beans
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp veggie oil
3 teaspoons cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Now, that was the given measurements. I totally didn't measure the cumin or cayenne - just shook the bottles vigorously over the pan....

Heat oil in large saucepan over med/hi heat, add onions and cook several minutes, stirring frequently, Add potatoes and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add green beans and then seasoning. Mix well. Add in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes till tomatoes 'sauce' thickens.

Presto - you are done! And all of that is off the top of my head - I don't have the recipe in front of me.

Like I mentioned I used frozen green beans and in addition to the can of diced tomatoes I threw in a good handful of frozen Sungold tomatoes. They were whole and then burst with the heat. All in all pretty yummy.

Tomorrow will be my attempt at making fried parsnip ribbons, radish chips and finally ordering my seeds for the garden!

Pear and Gorgonzola Pasta

Yeah, not so much. I keep getting pears from my organic delivery and although I like them, I don't like them that much. Sometimes I make an apple/pear crisp, sometimes slice them on top of some toast and peanut butter for breakfast and I have even roasted them with sweet potatoes. It was time for something different. I really like pear and gorgonzola pizza (which I have also made), but I had no pizza crust or even a tortilla so I thought why not pasta?
It wasn't so hot. I used two pears, a good amount of gorgonzola and some Parmasean cheese and even added in some whole milk (I had that left over from making some mac n cheese and cornbread) to make it creamier and some crushed toasted walnuts. Something was totally missing. I am thinking SPICES! Maybe some roasted garlic would have helped. Or maybe even some sauted greens like chard, kale or collards. Well, nevertheless I ate it : )
On anther not so great kitchen note I also made apple/kiwi bread. Although it tastes delicious it didn't come out of the pan so hot. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for it to cool or maybe that extra kiwi I added made it too moist. I used one apple (kind unknown) and three very ripe kiwis. I started with only two but then thought - hmm two is good, three would be better. Right, not so much. I can't even slice the bread it is so moist it just falls apart. I ended up eating it with a fork, kind of like apple/kiwi crumble. But again, I ate it : )
I haven't yet made it out to the compost bins. I have tons to throw out there. I am (as I type) making roasted vegetables - turnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions and garlic. All that peeling amounted to a great deal for the bin. I am now waiting till I have a 'boat load' to add because we just had another storm here and the snow is now almost impassable. But like I said, I am determined to get out there. I refuse to throw it in the trash and my worms can only consume so much!

Being Green Isn't Easy

Kermit was so right. Sometimes being green is just not that easy. This is a picture of my compost bins.

Can barely see them, right? There are two in the foreground of the picture. I took this from the window so you can see the screen in the shot as well. In order for me to get to these bins I have to go through knee deep snow at the backside of the deck, to then go through what I think may be chest deep snow, and then clear the snow/ice from the bins to then add my 'stuff'. This truly is way too much work! But I am committed and I will do it!!! I had the thought today that it may just be easier to climb out the window I took the picture from and dump everything that way. Keep in mind that is a rose bush, with some serious thorns, in front of the window. We shall see.....

Happy Snacks

Isn't this a happy looking snack? Especially given that it is freezing out and snowing - again!
These are watermelon radishes - adequately named in my opinion. They look like miniature watermelons, right? So I marinated them in rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, minced ginger and some crushed red pepper. Measurements were all "eye-balled" a dash and pour, and pinch, you know, whatever I felt like. It tastes really good, but smells awful! I brought some to work yesterday and was told by one woman that she will tell me when she is pregnant so that I never bring it with me because the smell is so bad. Honestly, radishes do smell, even when I cut them up and add them to salads they still have that pungent smell to them. So word of advice - save the radishes for home consumption only : )
We have even more snow today - will it ever stop? I know that this is New England and winters can be brutal but enough is enough. This is exactly why I travel to Barbados twice a year - December and March. I just can't stand winter here. And to keep us warmer or to at least imagine that it is warmer here is a picture from Barbados.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

Ok, I know it doesn't sound all that great. I was a bit hesitant too. And honestly I don't even like chili but I though I would give this one a try. I had a sweet potato the size of a child's Nerf football and really didn't know what to do with it so enter a Google search. I found the original recipe on Eating Well and doctored it a little to, of course, add more spice.
Starting with my Nerf sized-sweet potato I used three cans of black beans, two zesty chili flavored diced tomatoes and two whole chipotle peppers in adobo. All the other spices/ingredients I just doubled. I chopped the peppers, seeds and all and added to the pot in step 1. I also added way more cumin and chili powder than needed - but I like my nose to water with the heat.
This recipe made A LOT. I froze 6 cups, had about 2 cups right after it was done and still I have about 3 cups left, if not more.
I think next time some browned ground turkey, or even the Morning Star crumbles might be nice in this. I also think I will try it in the slow cooker so I don't have to stand and stir for so long.

It's been a crazy few days

We got hit pretty hard with a Nor'easter on Wednesday as you can see...
And this picture is the same view as this one

I am not a huge fan of forsythias anyway - I would prefer to dig them all up and plant witch hazel instead and this might be my chance. These suckers are pretty hardy though. They have been in this yard for 45+ years and my Dad started them with 10 itsy bitsy twigs so I think they will survive. Not that I am not sentimental and I would feel bad about pulling out something my Dad worked so hard at growing but there are others out back and on the other side of the yard so his 'gardening prowess' would still be here in the yard : )
We lost electricity yesterday and boy was it a b-o-r-i-n-g day. I forget how much stuff runs off electricity. I thought I would do some laundry - nope. Then was going to watch/do my Rodney Yee yoga DVD - nope. Then I though of going online and investigating some companion plants for brussels spouts - again nope. I ended up reading 4 magazines, 1/2 of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and organizing my pantry. Oh and of course shovel some more. Thankfully it came back on before it got dark and I could watch my Law & Order SVU. Now, on to the laundry, yoga and companion planting....

Bahn Mi - Sharon Style

So I recently read a recipe online about making Bahn Mi (a Vietnamese sandwich) and was intrigued. I didn't have all the right ingredients so I winged it.
I used - Watermelon Radishes, Carrots, Cucumber, Mixed Greens and Tofu. The best part was the 'sauce'. I mixed together mayo and Sriracha sauce. YUM! I was seriously licking the spoon. I great mixture of creamy spices. I will be using this on every sandwich I make, regardless of what it is made of, it is that good. I used the mandolin on all the hard veggies, threw in the mixed greens and stir fried the tofu with some sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. Stuffed it all in a bun and dinner was complete. It wasn't as great as I had imagined but it wasn't bad and it was quick and easy.

Garden Plans 2011

So nothing of interest for dinner tonight, just yesterday's leftovers - which by the way taste great reheated too! I am planning out what I want to grow this year and again it is the usual suspects: tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and edamame for the summer crop and peas, lettuce, kale and radishes for the spring. I am thinking about growing chinese cabbage and greens, like pac choi as well. I am also going to attempt brussell sprouts this year. My swiss chard was all dug up and/or eaten by the squirrels last year so I am going to try that again too. I have done onions and potatoes in the past in the Victory Garden and would like to grow them in my yard now. I am going to use potato grow bags because I just don't have the room to grow them any where else. As for the onions I am thinking I will just plant them within my flower beds, especially around the roses in the hopes off ward off aphids. I need to figure out where all of this is going to go. Originally I wanted to plant the tomatoes among the asparagus rows but not too sure how I will be able to pull them up in the fall without pulling up the asparagus roots as well. 'They' say that those two are companion plants but truly I don't understand how that is even possible. Time to bust out the graph paper and last year's plans to make sure everything has a place and that it is all rotated properly.

Southern Cooking Meets Northern Girl

So on today's menu was pulled BBQ chicken and southern fried cabbage. I was tired of eating 'asian salad' with all the cabbage I was getting so I searched around and found this recipe. I adapted it to my taste which means I added some spice! I deleted the oil, and fried the onions in the bacon grease for a minute before adding the cabbage and while that was cooking I added in some cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Mmm... much better. I also only used 1/2 a head of cabbage and doubled the bacon because bacon makes everything better : ) This is the result.

Slow cooked BBQ chicken is pretty self explanatory but I added in some McCormick Grill Mates Chipotle Pepper marinade to the mix to add, of course, spice! The end result - yum!
I have a bunch of frozen beans from last years harvest so I am looking around for some ideas for a casserole. I'm thinking the beans, some rice, cream of mushroom soup and some chicken. I think it may look like throw up but at least taste good. Stay tuned.

I'm baackkkk!

Oh dear, I am a terrible blogger. I haven't updated this since July : (

I hope everyone had a great last half of 2010 and that your 2011 is starting off with a bang. So, again this year I am making the resolution to update regularly (I promise).

The two gardens last year were just way to much work and the excessive dry summer we had made it even harder. The Victory Garden house is now officially up for sale. Depending on how you look at this it is either good news or bad news. Good news in that I will have more time to blog; bad news that I won't have enough land to grow everything I want. Two sides to every coin, I guess. They are asking $379k for the house, down from $425k. But it still needs about $200k worth of work and that is if you are doing it yourself. I don't think it is going to sell, but I will play it safe and stay out of the yard. Tom and I were busted by the bank appraiser when we were cleaning up the yard last year. Not that the man was concerned, he totally understood why we did it, but I don't want to take any chances this summer.

So in addition to sharing my gardening trials and tribulations I am also going to start sharing my successes and failures in the kitchen. All of my produce is either home grown or delivered via Boston Organics so it does still fall into the organic category : ) And believe me I have had some colossal failures this year. Can you say Butternut Squash?

So the new year is here and many more posts are coming - organics honor.

And just one last thing
Happy (belated) holidays from Max and Freddie