As the Garden Grows

Anticipation...

2009-03-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have been so slack in my posting. Probably because there has not been much going on in the garden for too long. We have been having beautiful weather here in the Piedmont of North Carolina since last Friday. This has prompted many bulbs to start blooming and some trees as well. I am hoping that my apple trees will hold off because I know there is another heavy frost coming...maybe as soon as this weekend. I have started tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings inside and they are doing well. I have yet to get out and really get in the dirt because I have been very sick with a crud that doesn't want to let go for going on 3 weeks now. Just when I think I'm getting better, my ears plug up again and the cough just won't go away. It's probably just as well...they are calling for rain and colder weather after today. Many people I know insist on planting early so that they can have tomatoes before July; but most of the time, I rely on my great grandmother's advice that was told to me by my uncle. She said that you should never plant any warm weather crops before May 1st because the soil wasn't warm enough and that if you did your harvest would not be as plentiful; the plantings would be weak and you would have more insect damage. Here where I live we are able to garden well into October most every year and I have had productive gardens still in the beginning of November; so it does make some since. The warm weather plants thrive in the warm soil, they don't like for it to be cool and a lot of the bugs that develop from moth larvae (squash bugs and vine borers come to mind) actually lay their eggs in early spring. In allowing myself that little bit of extra time I have to admit that my garden has done much better. I don't seem to have as many disappointments. Last year my summer squash produced well into fall. I eventually had to pull it up because I had frozen, pickled and canned as much as I cared to. They were becoming baseball bats :~) I cherish this ancestral wisdom not because of the success it has brought me; but because it comes from a fine woman that I never had the chance to meet. I would have been her first great grandchild. I live in the house now, that she once did. I sweep the same floors and prune the same beautiful rose bushes; I use the same garden tools and cook some of her recipes. I can feel her spirit often and feel that even though we didn't get to meet I know her through these things. So, I will be readying the garden beds, tending my indoor seedlings and anticipating the day after the 1st of May when I will tuck them into the warm fertile soil.

Lonesome Gardening

2008-07-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Usually, I have no problem being alone. I enjoy the quiet and the stillness that accompanies the fact that no one is at home but me. I even like being outside, in the garden, in the woods; just myself and sometimes my dog (she's a good snake hunter). This gardening has been especially challenging because I have had to do it all alone. Don't take this wrong, I am a very independent person and many a day in the past years, you could find me in the garden by myself or with my cat picking beans, peas, okra, or weeding. My husband was always close by though doing "his chores". He likes to hoe, cultivate, rip out old plantings to make way for new and stuff like that. he also likes to pick peppers, tomatoes, squash and corn but doesn't like the "small stuff" so I always pick those. This year with him on crutches (and surprisingly clumsy on them) the garden is off limits with all it's uneven surfaces and soft soil. It is practically killing him...the day of his accident he was planning on coming home from work to be in the garden but went somewhere with his boss instead. So it is killing him - did I say that already? Yes, but I hear it at least twice every day. I have been so wrapped up in helping him heal his body and taking care of his needs and seeing that he has good, nourishing food to eat that I haven't thought about it much but this weekend, it hit me pretty hard. The reason why I haven't been as gung-ho in the garden this year is not just for lack of time (though that is true too) but I really miss my partner and being able to share the experience of putting food on our table together. It is sad that we as humans sometimes don't appreciate the little things in life until they are gone. I am so thankful that my husband's injury is not permanent and that one day hopefully very soon...We will be back in the garden together, planning, planting and putting good food on our table.

Getting By

2008-07-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

With money so tight these days, (hubby out of work - broke leg - ya know) I have been trying to stretch everything as far as it will go, waste nothing, and make everything I can from scratch. When you accompany that with working a full-time job it is quite exhausting. So these days, I am quite exhausted but also happily satisfied with providing for my family with very little means. I went to the grocery store Tuesday and spent a little over $33.00. I think I can make this last through the weekend and possibly to next Tuesday with the exception of eggs. We are eating squash, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, onions and peppers from the garden; rice (I bought a huge bag a couple of months ago) and dried beans - I always have at least 3 different kinds on hand. I have been baking all of our bread; cornbread, sandwich loaves, biscuits and muffins. I only add meat a couple of times a week and it is usually in a casserole with vegetables but I am looking forward to roasting a chicken this weekend. That bird will be toast! Bones picked clean. I have also been making buttermilk from culture and regular milk. It has been turning out very well. I always use buttermilk in my biscuits and cornbread. It just doesn't taste the same otherwise. These are just some of the things I have been doing to get by on a lot less. Actually, for poor folks, we've been eating pretty good! And healthy too boot!

You Don't Get That From the Grocery Store

2008-07-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

Lots of rain is what we've been getting here in the foothills and piedmont of N.C. Every day this week we have gotten a storm in the late afternoon. Some have been hit hard by strong winds, hail and extreme lightening. We have only have some strong winds (that blew down my corn btw). Luckily where we live the really bad weather seems to be north, east and south of us every time. I am very thankful for that. We really need the rain too, since the terrible drought last year had everything here sucked dry.

I mentioned my garden wasn't what I had hoped for this year. Well, where there's little, somewhere else there's plenty. My sister who loves in the northern end of the county is inundated with beans and she promises to supply me with some this weekend that I will put up by canning. My other sister also has beans that will be ready to pick next week and they will be on vacation, so I'll get to pick those too. Somehow, between my family's small gardens and the farmer's markets we will get the produce that we ourselves hoped to raise this year and put up a nice bit of food for the winter months ahead. Several of the people I work with say to me: "I don't know how you do all the things that you do, I would never have the time". Well, I just make the time. I feel like the gardening, harvesting and preserving of good home grown or wild grown food is something we all should do. It is normal for me to do this every year. Perhaps that is because I remember my mother and us kids raising a garden and preserving everything we could get our hands on back then. I wouldn't feel right not having my pantry shelves gleaming with newly canned jars of the best food around. I enjoy it too. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction. Besides, I'm just carrying on a tradition in my family. That feels good too. I am using the same pressure canner that my great aunt used and many of the accessories are from that era too. I feel like somehow I'm helping keep their spirits alive with this tradition. I can feel their smiling faces while I work. Sorry, but you don't get that from the grocery store.

Missing Things

2008-07-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'll start off to say that I am missing being in the garden this summer. Things started out very promising and with very high hopes to grow and preserve a large part of what we eat. Then the unexpected happened. My husband suffered an injury to his leg that broke bones, tore the miniscus and did lots of other tissue damage. The result was surgery to repair everything. He can't put weight on his foot for 3 months. He is nearly 2 months in now and starting to get around better but for the last month and a half, I have been very busy just taking care of him. What we did get planted before the accident has been nibbled on by deer but I think that with all the rain we've gotten here lately, they are finding something else to eat because they have finally stopped eating the leaves off my bean and pea plants. All we have this year is peppers, eggplant, lots of tomatoes and squash. The corn may not make it due to a lot of heavy winds during storms. It is laying on the ground right now. But the bright side of things is that this is temporary and as soon as he can, we are going to plant some things for a fall/winter garden and make more raised beds as they would be so much easier to manage. I think this has been a learning lesson for the both of us.
For one thing, we have learned to do without more things since he is out of work and drawing absolutely nothing. The other thing we've learned is to slow down and be more appreciative of what we do have.
I am picking loads of blackberries and making wine and freezing them for cobblers. I have also been processing the apples from our old trees into dried apples, apple sauce, and apple butter. A friend gave me some old honey she found in her dad's basement that still looked pretty good, just a little darker and I am making mead for the first time. I can't wait to see how it turns out. So, if we don't have anything else to eat from the gardens this winter, we will have apples, canned tomatoes and a bit of alcohol to drink ;~)

Drought Not

2008-04-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

It has been steadily drizzling rain for most of the day. Should make for some beautiful green in the coming weeks. It will be good to see that kind of drenched green again. I probably haven't seen it since this time last year due to the extreme drought here.

Horrray! The sun did come out today around 2:00. It was so beautiful to see everything still very wet but with the contrast of the Carolina blue sky. It's the kind of thing that really lifts your spirits up, especially after 2 1/2 days of rain.

Now; if the weather holds just for a couple of days, I'll get those raised beds in and the beets, radishes and onions in them.

The newspaper today ran a story about sticker shock at the grocery store and the fact that we haven't seen the worst yet. I am so thankful that we have the space, know how and opportunity to grow a good deal of our own food. In the past, we've gardened just because we enjoy eating fresh and we also like knowing how it was grown. It was always a matter of choice. Now it is becoming a matter of necessity. That's more than a little unsettling to me and I think about how spoiled we are when compared to my grand parents and great-grand parents. When I take stock of the things I have growing now--onions, herbs, snap peas, lettuces; tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings--I do feel some lightening of the load, but just a little. We still have a lot of work to do. This year I see gardening as a promise and if we nurture the soil and the seedlings, we will reap our rewards. So go get going on your own little patch of soil and grow some food...you'll be glad you did!

Return from Hibernation

2008-03-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

I awoke Saturday morning to the sounds of rain on the old tin roof that still covers the back side of the house where part of this is my bedroom. I had such plans for the day, mainly to put in two raised beds and plant some beets and onions, maybe a few radishes. Last week was so nice and warm I forgot it was still March. I guess I had my eyes focused ahead to the slightly warm spring days of planting season. My focus was quickly re-adjusted when I realized how cold the drafty old house had gotten overnight and Sunday wasn't any better, maybe worse. I had to light the kerosene heater and leave it lit all day for the house to be hospitable. I still enjoyed being home, making more plans for planting and watching some NCAA basketball on the tube. I have planted about 48 hopefuls for tomato plants. The varieties are: Paul Robeson Purple, Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Amish Paste and this year, two new varieties: Spears Tennessee Green and Missouri Pink Love Apple. I bought that last one just because of the name :~) I also planted some Thai Long Green eggplants and Cubanelle peppers. If it doesn't warm up to at least 50 degrees, then I may have to bring them in from the greenhouse for a dose of warmth to help them germinate. Hopefully, the temps will cooperate.
We are planning quite a large garden this year and hopefully it will be a better year for it. Last year with the move and the extreme drought, our efforts were nil. I am catching lots of this rain water that we are getting now just in case. I have 3 fifty gallon barrels that I hope to have filled up to help with watering in the driest, hottest parts of summer. So far the snap peas and lettuce I have planted are doing well as are the onions that I planted a week ago. I hope to get more onions planted this week and also check on buying our chicks.
It has been a long hibernation from my usual gardening and from this blog but I am back for good and I hope to be here documenting my journey of growing more of our food to help sustain us through the hard times ahead and continuing to live simply. It is a joy to be back in the garden, digging once again amongst the worms, in the wonderful dirt.

Big Weekend Plans

2007-06-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have big plans for this weekend. I hope to get lots of things done in the old house we are living in and fixing up. I don't use the word renovate because I don't plan on modernizing the house any further that it has been for the last 40 or so years except to add a couple of window units for air conditioning. We don't have to run them as much since the 10 foot ceilings and large attic keep the downstairs area pretty cool. But hey, we do live in the south and it gets pretty hot here baby!

Here is a picture of one of the old fire places in my oldest son's room. I love these fire places and the mantels that accompany them. We have three and they are all the same. The other two have been modified to vent the oil furnaces but we are looking to replace this method of heating, we just haven't decided with what yet.

I also love the old "bead-board" paneling. This is in every room of the house on the walls and ceilings. It needs re-painting, though and I think I have decided to keep everything country white. The look of it all is so simple and functional. It takes me back to that simpler time when my ancestors lived and loved. That is what I love about it.

On the garden front, I have brought over some of my herbs from the old house to start my first herb bed at the new house. I also plan to revitalize an old bed on the east side of the house and plant some partial shade plants in that area. I may even try some lettuces or greens there. I am dying to dig in the dirt and have the harvest for my table. I so miss eating out of the garden. This year is the first in many years that we are not eating squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh greens and crowder peas from the garden. I really, really miss the heirloom tomatoes. Not many folks at the local farmers markets grow them so when I find them they are a real treat. I will have some tomatoes this year but they are not heirlooms and they will not ripen until about August. So sad :(. I will have heirloom tomatoes next year. Definitely!

So I plan to finish painting the pantry so I can post a picture of it too. I love the pantry! I also have to put shelf paper in the Kitchen cabinets that we have finished painting and move things around so I can finish painting the rest of the cabinets. Things are moving along, if rather slowly, but we are not in a big rush. I really do love living in this house and when I get a couple of gardens going, then it will truly be my home.

I'm Back....

2007-06-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, sort of. My gardening has slowed down quite a bit this year. We are moving into my grandparent's old home and I will be establishing some new beds there when everything settles down a bit. I planted garlic in December and just harvested the best garlic I have ever had. The bulbs are a very nice size and I now have them hanging to dry and braid them. I plan to store them in a newspaper lined box in my new pantry. I also have harvested the last of my lettuce. I planted red leaf and bib lettuce and they have also been the best lettuce yields I have ever had. I think it had to do with the cool spring temps we had here well into mid May. That is a bit unusual for our area. I also have early peas and cabbage that are doing pretty well despite the moderate drought. The broccoli plants I planted were no good. They bolted before they even produced anything you could call a head. They were pretty pitiful. I also have some onions and brussels sprouts along with the just transplanted tomatoes. We're a bit late on the tomatoes but as long as we get some home grown tomatoes I'll be happy. We may not plant much more since we are transitioning from one house to another. What with the painting and repairs we have been doing to the 1920 era house; we haven't had much time for weeding and working in the garden. I have missed it sorely but I have big plans for my new home and the future gardens.

Just cleaning out of the belongings from my ancestors has been a journey in itself...one of discovery and surprises sprinkled with a few heirloom treasures that I wouldn't trade or sell for anything. The house has a large Kitchen with a equally large pantry that is so cool. It even has a cellar, out building and work shop and I have another small room off my bedroom that I plant to make my painting/sewing room. There are some pieces of furniture in the house that date back to pre-civil war times and I have found pottery crocks and cooking vessels that would have been used to cook over a fire. I have always felt very connected to this house and the spirit of my ancestors that have lived here (my mother was even born in this house). I feel privileged to be able to call this place home for a few years or more.

Once we're moved in and a bit settled, I'll have great space for gardens and raised beds. There are existing apple, pear and peach trees, good quality grape vines, fig buses and some blackberries happily growing in the back of the property. My gardens have always provided me with a connection to the earth and all its wonders. This house gives me a feeling of a connection to the past. I am looking forward to being here in this place with my family; digging in the dirt and raising some chickens like my great granny did. I'll have not just one garden, but many...

Funk to Fabulous

2006-08-31T05:14:00.000-07:00

I admit to having been a real funk lately. Hence the absence here. I guess you could call it a garden funk. I have barely spent any time in the garden in 3 weeks. Maybe it is the heat and humidity and the drought partnered with the fact that despite the drought, the weeds have finally taken over.

I came home from work this afternoon to cloudy skies and soft rolling thunder. The weather predictions for the next couple of days have forecast rain and possibly very much of it if hurricane Ernesto follows the predicted path up into the heart of North Carolina. So with this impending rain, I decided to see what there was to harvest in the garden. I put on my boots and went to the lower garden and cut the mostly dry seed heads from the sunflowers and put them into the bottom of my bushel basket. I went further down the the pea patch (crowder peas). Most of them have been severely damaged from the drought and high temperatures but to my disbelief, I was able to pick a couple of fist fulls and saw a few new pods and even a couple of blooms. I then cut just a few pods of okra; just enough to add to some soup or stewed tomatoes. I turned to survey my late corn crop. Pretty pitiful and sad it was. The ears are so tiny but I picked a couple, shucked them and they were so pretty, perfectly filled in with beautiful kernels however only about 3 inches long. I ate them on the spot and they were delicious. The deer will probably think that they are delicious too. Maybe I can harvest some for us to enjoy. I looked for my potatoes and couldn't see any plants. After I scratched and pulled a few weeds, I was able to find the withered plants, so I marked them and will try to dig some after the rains. I picked up my basket and walked over my little bridge to the top half of the garden. The early corn is still standing and I want to cut some stalks to decorate for fall. The tomatoes are still putting on but the larger ones are cracking very badly. Still, I picked a good many. Even the brandywines seem to be making another attempt at production. Half of what I picked was from those vines. I picked more crowder peas and noticed that those devil black ants are still keeping vigil over this particular patch of peas. I don't know what it is they like about them but it is like robbing bees of their honey. The ants attack. They crawl up your hand or arm when you reach to pick the pods and bite. They don't leave any mark or anything and it doesn't hurt that bad but it is very annoying. I decided I'd flick them real good with my thumb and forefinger to knock them down before I grabbed the pea pods. Worked pretty good and I got another couple of fists fulls of peas. I noticed that my white runner green beans had a lot of seed pods waiting for me to collect. I'll have to do that later...wait for more to dry. My Luffa gourds are doing well. I should have plenty of pot scrubbers this year. Then I saw red...my cayenne peppers. The whole plant looked aflame. They were all loaded with bright deep red pods. I picked them all and a few habaneros too.

All the while the thunder got a little louder, rumbling across the land and sky. It was the most majestic thunder I have heard in quite a while. The promise of much needed rain was accented by a few drops occasionally falling to the parched earth beneath my feet. When I was done and had added a few herbs to my bushel basket to make some herb vinegar, I realized that I had an incredible bounty. Not only was my basket filled to overflowing but I carried something else too; something inside. The garden had once again taken me in, renewed my spirit and restored my soul. I thanked my garden out loud for it's gifts and I promised that I would not be so long gone again.

Relief From The Heat

2006-08-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 75 and mostly cloudy. I hope to finally get some work done in the garden that I have been seriously neglecting lately due to the intense heat and humidity. I mean, I have been going out each day and picking tomatoes, okra and butterbeans. I even pulled the rest of the corn one evening this week but I could never force myself to stay out there for more than an hour. After an hour I would come in the house flushed, mosquito bitten, hot and cranky. It just wasn't workin'. It was beginning to seem like too much of a chore and not a joy like it had been before the heat wave. So I am looking forward to rubbing myself down with tansy leaves (to foil the mosquitoes) and spending some weeding, trimming, and culling some of the growth as well as picking the rest of the butterbeans that are ready.

I need to can tomatoes again too. I tried something new this year (well, new to me). I cut the tops off the tomatoes and gave them a squeeze over a bowl to release the seeds and some of the juice; put them skins and all into my large stock pot and cooked them until they were mostly mush. After letting them cool a bit, I transferred about 1-2 quarts at a time to my colander and then pushed the good stuff through while the skins and most of the seeds that were left stayed behind where I could just dump it to the compost bowl and go again. I ended up with a very nice tomato sauce, just a little bit watery; but after I cooked that down a bit, it was just right. I can either can it at that point and have virtually endless uses for it this winter or make sauce. For this I add garden fresh herbs, basil, thyme, parsley, oregano just picked from my herb beds; grated zucchini squash, some diced bell peppers that I roasted, onions that were lightly sauted add from the garden, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. I didn't measure much, just went by taste. What I ended up with was some pretty good pasta sauce. I put it in jars and pressure canned them. Later when I am ready to use it I can add ground beef if I choose or just add some parmesan cheese. It tasted delicious. The tomatoes were so good and sweet I didn't even need to add any sugar (big plus). You just can't buy anything that good at the store! The only down side is that it is a lot of work and I only yielded a few jars of this fabulous sauce. I do plan to make it again though, because 1-I love pasta! and 2-It makes me feel good to take my own tomatoes and make something that will be so comforting come this winter. It will be a taste of summer in the dead of winter and bring back the memories of this year's garden and the time I spent there...

Butterbeans & Rain

2006-08-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we finally got some rain. Enough that did some good. The thunder rolled in and then the lightening came. Next came the rain. For the most part, it was a nice soft, slow rain that lasted quite a while. I even think It rained again during the night. The rain was nice but it probably won't save my crowder peas. I picked what will more than likely be the last yesterday evening after the storm. I also picked a ton of tomatoes, some okra and some peppers. I also started on the butterbeans. I only picked about 1/3 of one side of the row before it started raining again and got over a gallon of the dried pods. I still have the rest of the row, the other side and there are plenty of green ones hanging on the vine. I think I will be in butterbean heaven!. I also picked some of the butternut squash that looked ripe. I pulled the rest or the corn and will cut it off the cob to can tonight. I need to pick the rest of those dried pods of butterbeans but the weather is calling on another storm to hit this afternoon so I may not get to but Hurray! More rain.

Yes! We Have Tomatoes...

2006-08-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Almost too many tomatoes. I better not complain though, I did plant 22 tomato plants and had visions of putting up salsa, sauce, and diced tomatoes. Which is what I will be doing this evening after bringing in a 5 gallon bucket filled to the rim with tomatoes. Yes, I said tomatoes. I have better boys the size of baseballs, beefy boys the size of softballs, Cherokee Purples bigger even yet and of course the roma tomatoes are putting on and ripening like crazy and I probably pulled 3 gallons of them alone. So everything is good on the tomato front (after all that worry at first about a little bottom rot). The only distressing thing is that the brandywine tomatoes, my favorite slicing tomato have stopped producing for now. There are some green ones still on the plants so I hope I'll get some more of those later.

It has been so dry here this week. We have not received any rain that amounted to anything substantial in over a week. I will need to water the garden tonight if I don't want all this work to go to waste. The deer have found my corn and have tramped down several stalks and happily munched on the ears. The damage is really not that bad so far though and after all, their probably hungry, no?

I need to figure out a way to store my butternut squash. It is looking very much like picking time and I haven't figured out yet what to do with it. I thought about putting it under the house, but I am afraid some varmit might get under there and eat them. Any advice? Mostly mice are the worry so maybe my cats will be of some help there. A co-worker asked me yesterday, how I keep the squirrels from eating my tomatoes, I replied that I haven't had any problems. Mostly because my black halloween cat (he's a male and very territorial) likes to nap in the garden during the day under the shade of the tomatoes or corn. I do have squirrels in the woods just 100 feet from my garden but I haven't had any to touch my tomatoes yet. Good kitty!

Lastly, I am so blessed to be living on this piece of land. Last night, I went outside to hang out some sheets to dry today. It was about 10:00 and pretty dark out but my neighbor has a safety light out back and that helped to light my way. As I stepped out the back door, I realized that the humidity hadn't let up and that the air was still very warm. I walked to the clothesline and the symphony of crickets, dry flies, cicadas, frogs and all the other night creatures was like music to my ears. I wanted to pitch my tent and sleep right there. Then I looked up at the moon. It was a little over 1/2 full and very very bright. Even with the hot humid air, a chill ran all over me and I actually got goose bumps on my skin.....

Weekend trip

2006-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

I never got around to writing about my trip to the mountains last weekend to attend an annual fiddler's convention so here are a few thoughts and experiences I would like to share.

Every year for 5 years now we have driven just under 75 miles to a small town in the North Carolina mountains, just along the NC/VA border to attend a fiddler's convention. The drive up is usually harried; trying to get everything packed, get off work on time, see to the animals and get there as quickly as possible so we can set up our tent before dark and enjoy some of the best music you've ever heard before turning in for the night. Just arriving in the small town is and experience in itself. We arrived around 4:00 in the afternoon and the small downtown area was alive with the smiling faces of people shopping at the local hardware store that has been in operation for about 100 years, and visiting the various other small businesses in the town. The attitudes of these people that live there is so refreshing. The owner of the nearby convenient store is the same person you will find behind the counter, again with a smile on her face and kindness in her voice. The people there are in no-hurry mode. I find this refreshing and it draws me in every time.
The fiddler's convention itself is rather small but situated in a region where there are so many talented musicians that you can't throw a rock without hitting one. When we arrived, it was very hot and muggy and thunder echoed around. Before long, a brief shower came and cooled everything off. I actually got cold in shorts and tank top later that night and slept under a quilt in the tent. The mountain air was delicious the next morning and most of the day as we experienced mostly overcast skies.
Saturday evening, we went down to where the musicians were camping and sat with a group of friends that are very accomplished musicians. My husband really enjoyed listening to them play and sing together. The group changed througout the night except for my friend and her husband. Different musicians would just walk up with their instrument in tow (one guy carried his large upright bass over) and join in the group. This was possibly the most enjoyable part of the trip; getting to sit side by side with such talented musicians and singers and listen to their music and sing along with them. We didn't go to bed until 3am and had a blast.
Sunday morning, we woke up to another cool refreshing morning with the breezes blowing around the mountain top we were camped on. We took a short hike to the top of the ridge and the view was beautiful, so peaceful. We decided that next year we would set up our campsite further up the road so that when we emerged from our tent each morning, we would have this spectacular view. So wonderful! As soon as we were 40 miles from home, I could tell our little trip was over. The air was once again hot and stuffy and the humidity made me feel tired and sluggish. I took a nap as soon as I got home.
This may sound cliche, but I really do feel like the mountains are my home. I feel so energized, free and alive. I am conscious of all the medicinal plants and herbs growing wild all around me and I long to grow things in a garden in the mountains. Maybe in another life this was my place. So often I find my self feeling that this place (where I live now) and even this time are not really mine. I long for a simpler place and time where things are slower, friendlier, and freer. I have faith that some day soon, I will find my piece of land and my place once again. And there I will have a garden....

Salsa Time!

2006-07-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

We are havesting tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes. Enough said. Last night, I bit the bullet and made salsa. I just harvested about 10 pounds of tomatoes, mostly romas so I had to do something before my husband came home and couldn't get the door open for the tomatoes piled behind it. Don't get me wrong; I love homemade salsa and can't bring myself to even buy the stuff they have in the store anymore but it is a lot of work. I blanch, peel chop and drain all the tomatoes; roast some bell peppers and chop them; core and dice jalapenos, dice onions and garlic, chop up fresh cilantro and parsley. Whew! after all that I cook it slightly and add salt and other spices. For all that work last night I got 5 pint jars of salsa. We love to eat it right out of the jar with tortilla chips or with beans. I also use it in some recipes like enchiladas, black beans and rice, etc. Although this is not really a food blog, I can't help writing about what I do with my garden's bounty. After all, that is why we do it and I'll be doing much more of it before I'm done ;~)

I will be harvesting more corn today and snapping the rest of the green beans for canning. Hopefully canning a few more jars of tomatoes or making some soup for this winter is on the agenda too.

I pulled up the rest of the onions and am now ready to put in some raised beds in their place. I plan to plant more onions and garlic in those beds.

When I am so busy in the garden like now, my day job seems so fruitless. I long to be there in the mornings before the heat comes on, tending that precious space instead of heading off to work where I spend countless hours that while it earns me a paycheck, it does nothing much for my soul. I long to be totally connected with the soil, the compost, the weather and the bugs. I know that what I am able to do now will grow with time if I am just patient enough. There is a lot of work to do and I am thankful that I am able to do it. Back to the garden everybody!

One Local Summer

2006-07-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

This has been a wonderful summer for me and this challenge. Our garden has provided us with plenty of food and last night we had a feast...all from our garden except for the biscuits and a little bit of oil, salt and pepper. We had crowder peas that were just shelled the day before, fried(in just a little oil) squash and okra(just picked), Silver Queen corn that was oh so delicious and pulled just as I put the pot of water on to boil. Add to that some cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and buttermilk biscuits! mmmgood. I should also add that I did have a small dollop of mayo on my biscuit with a slice of tomato......heaven on earth! Call me crazy, but I love eating fresh from our garden. There is nothing to compare with it in the food world.

Our tomatoes are doing very well and I have to comment on the heirlooms that I planted this year. The Brandywines did very well and were deliciously sweet while the Cherokee Purple tomatoes have done excellent also and the taste is amazing. They have a very strong tomato flavor, very juicy, and I suspect high acid. They have been very tasty with cucumbers on a sandwich(which I have eaten for lunch for about 2 weeks straight now). This is my first year growing heirlooms and the experience has been a good one. Now to save some seed and see how well I will do with keeping that heirloom tradition alive in my own garden.

The garden is so alive right now. The sunflowers are towering above all with their smiling faces greeting me each morning. There are few things as cheery as sunflowers. I also have calendula, and bachelor buttons flowering in my garden along with the oregano and cilantro that I have let flower. The bees love these and have been happily buzzing in my garden for some time now. I have been harvesting jalapenos and cayenne peppers, sweet bell pepper, and tomatoes. The corn crowder peas and okra are new additions while the green beans and cucumbers are just about giving out. The butterbeans are loaded with lovely pods and I expect to get a bumper crop this year. The butternut squash are doing great so far and I may put some straw or something underneath them to keep them from rotting. I have to find a good place to store these. I may dig a big hold and line it with straw, then cover it from rain as I don't yet have my cellar dug. We also planted some late corn and potatoes and they both look good. My next move is to remove the beans and squash and get ready for some fall planting. I think I will try some late tomatoes with a cutting from an existing plant. I'll let yall know how this turns out. We're finally getting a little rain and the garden is a sanctuary once again.

Southern Weather

2006-07-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

It is hot, high 90's hot. It is also very humid. The ground is dry as old bones. Yesterday, some workers digging a new gas line at the local high school put a thermometer on the pile of dirt near them and it promptly read 104 degrees. Of course this is not the air temperature but folks, it is sweltering out there. I must give the garden water every evening lest the whole thing get crinkled up by the heat the next day. We have not had a sufficient rain since June 28th and the temperatures since then have been mid to high 90's. The five day forecast shows sprinkles, rain and showers. I hope we get all three ;~).
We are planning a trip to the nearby mountains this weekend for a fiddler's convention. This is always a very good time and I have been looking forward to this for weeks but the garden doesn't want me to go. Just yesterday I noted that I will have to pick green beans, crowder peas, okra; can tomatoes; and try to find time to make some salsa and put that into jars all before I can leave home. I think I need to take a vacation day tomorrow so as I can get this all done!
We will eat a semi-local meal tonight, I plan to make stuffed peppers. Everything I put into them is either grown on our land (peppers, onions, tomatoes, fresh parsley, garlic) or bought from a farm nearby (ground beef). The only ingredient not local is the rice and of course the salt and pepper. You really don't need any side dish with these, they are pretty filling, but my dear husband will probably want some corn, cucumbers, tomatoes and biscuits to round everything out. Sounds good to me. ;~)

The Eat Local Challenge

2006-07-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I have been participating in an "Eat Local" challenge for many years because...well, it's a challenge to see how much of our own food I can grow. I like the challenge of eating as many meals as I can that are within a 100 mile radius. We buy our beef from a farm less than 10 miles from our home that is grass-fed and not given any kind of drugs. I couldn't believe at first how different the meat looked and tasted. Now that is real beef! We also grow a lot of our own food right here on our land so our radius is much less than 100 miles. I also buy a lot of our flour, corn meal, and grits from an old water mill that is about 30 miles from our home but I am not sure where the unmilled wheat and corn come from (I should ask!). So, with our further explanations, I am participating in the eat local challenge all this month with Liz and her pals and here is our meal for this week. Sweet corn on the cob, fried squash, cucumbers and tomatoes with homemade buttermilk biscuits. O.K. so the buttermilk is from the store but I am working on that ;~) Gotta quit my day job first!

Tomatoes - mmmmmm!

2006-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally getting a good supply of tomatoes. About a week ago I got one every other day and then, by Saturday, we were getting about 4 or 5 a day. I think it will be increasing to more than that judging by all the greenies. The heirlooms have been WUN-DER-FUL! The Brandywines and Cherokee Purples are so flavorful, almost sweet. They are truly a slice of love. I have been eating tomato and cucumber sandwiches and tomato biscuits like mad. I love to make a gigantic pan of biscuits and then have them on hand all day for tomato biscuits. I'm not the only one in the house that enjoys them either. I also like to take tomato/cucumber sandwiches for lunch. I make homemade loaf bread especially for these which I spread on a bit of mayo. Pure heaven it is!
On another garden front, the corn silks are starting to turn purple and we should have some ears ready to pick before long. Our squash is still hanging in there. We still have about 5 plants producing albeit slow due to the incredibly hot and dry weather we are having here. The cukes don't like this dry weather and even though I have watered them daily, they seem to be trying to kick the bucket on this season. Our peppers, both hot and sweet are doing great and I hope to make up a batch of stuffed peppers this week. The green beans are still putting on, just not in the massive quantities that they started with. This probably has to do with the hot dry weather too. I have some beautiful butternut squash that I really hope the deer leave alone. I have seen their footprints down there below the rows like they were checking things out. I may put my pit bull dog down there to scare them away (ha ha). Yes, I am serious about my butternut squash. I mean to have plenty to store for the winter so watch out deer! I think the reason the butternut is doing so well this year is that the sunflowers are partially shading them and the soil around them is not drying out quite as fast as some in the garden. I also have some beautiful butterbeans and crowder peas that I am just patiently waiting to fill out and the pods to turn a little yellow. The okra should be putting on in a couple of days too. My black cat really has enjoyed the garden this year. I can go out there most any time of the day and find him laying amongst the beans, corn, or tomatoes just stretched out enjoying the peace. Hey, maybe this is why there are not rabbits or squirrels harvesting my precious veggies :~)

Canning Season Hits

2006-07-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Well, canning season has hit. I have put up 36 quarts of green beans and about 20 more of assorted cucumber pickles and squash pickles. I will pick green beans again today! I should get another 7 quarts from that picking. The squash are slowing down a bit. Some of the older plants are getting bacterial wilt. The cucumbers are still going strong. I've been making kosher dills, jalapeno dills, and a few bread & butter. Our family's favorite is dills. I even made 4 quarts of pickled beets, they're so pretty. I plan to can some of the squash I have in the refrigerator tonight, I have frozen some shredded squash for bread and patties later. There are blackberrries in the refrigerator to make a couple of cobblers tonight. I have 6 quarts in the freezer too. I will probably be able to pick about a gallon more of these berries before they give out. There is so much work to do and my kitchen stays in a mess, but I still enjoy it. I get a wonderful sense of accomplishment along with a boost of self sufficiency. A lot of my co-workers think I am crazy...why go to so much trouble when you can buy that stuff at the store? Well, they just don't get it. Most of them, sadly, probably never will. They'll never experience the pride and joy of working the soil, planting the seed, nurturing the tiny seedlings into adulthood, harvesting the bounty and preserving it. I just feel like it is something I have to do, should do. It just comes naturally to me to do this every year. I don't ever question "why do I do this"; it is just part of me.

Rain Spells R-e-l-i-e-f

2006-06-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

At least that is the headline of our local newspaper. Before June, this has been a year of fluctuating rainfall. January and April saw nearly 4 inches each month, while February and March each barely registered an inch. Then comes May where we only registered .80 inches - the driest month so far this year. I have been watering the garden sparingly, every third day. I was beginning to think I was going to have to water every day if we didn't get some relief. Relief came this week as we saw persistent showers on Friday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The accumulations exceeded an inch in my garden alone and the beans, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, crowder peas and gourds were breathing a loud sigh of r-e-l-i-e-f. I plan to put out some more composted manure this weekend and hopefully a new layer of mulch or straw to help keep in that moisture from the heavens. My corn finally has itty bitty ears growing and my tomatoes have started turning. Yippee! I wasn't expecting to have any ripe ones before July 4th. I will also be busy picking green beans by the 4th. Things are a jumpin' in the garden and I am quickly running out of hands. My grandmother enjoys sitting around and stringing/breaking beans so I plan to let her have her fill of that enjoyment. The blackberries here have burst into action too and I have picked around 6 quarts of those big luscious berries that measure about and inch long and big around as your thumb. I attribute their size to the fact that they are wild berries that sprang up on top of a old grey water drainage system from the house sink drains. The ground is not mushy wet or anything, but the soil is always fluffy and moist there, never hard and dry. We get the best blackberries I have ever seen there each year. I have made 12 1/2 pints of jam and 1 mountain pie so far. I also have some in the refrigerator that will find a purpose by tonight. I started some kosher dill pickles in an old crock last night and I couldn't resist lifting up the cloth this morning - They smelled sooo good, all garlic and dill. I hope they turn out as good as they smell. I also have beets that my mom and I planted over at her house. They are a good size and I think I will pickle them tonight as well. There is so much going on, I could go on and on but I'll save that for another day.... ;~)

Garden First Aid

2006-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have three cats, all outdoor guys. One is very old and he has retired to relaxing in the shade. The other two are less than a year old and play all day long. When I go to the garden, they follow me and romp through the rows, playing with the weeds I am pulling. Some time back they were chasing one another around and one of them ran right over one of my bell pepper plants, breaking it's stem and knocking it to the ground. After banishing the culprits from the garden, I studied about what to do. I hated to lose that plant because it had small peppers already and I only have 5 plants ( I already lost another to the same fate but didn't notice until the next day and the plant was too far gone to save). So I decided to try and save it. first, I broke off about 4 of the lowest leaves and stems. I then pushed a small bamboo stake in the ground and tied the plant to it to stabilize it. I then mounded up the soil around the plant to bury the spots where I removed the stems and leaves. I made sure it got plenty of water and viola! It has been over a week and the plant is still thriving. This is the first time I have ever tried first aid on my garden plants and had good results. By the way, the cats have been allowed back in the garden for now...

Cukes, Squash & More!

2006-06-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post. I have been very busy in the garden; harvesting onions, squash, cucumbers and peppers. The tomatoes are yet to ripen. I predict that by July 10th, I'll have ripe tomatoes. I also have tiny white runner green beans on the vines. They are only about 3/4 of an inch long right now but rain is forecast for this weekend and we have been watering some about 3 times a week so I expect to be very busy picking, stringing & breaking and then canning green beans before too long. I have 2 long rows of these suckers! We love these beans though and since I had a broken arm all last summer and couldn't do any gardening, our supply has dwindled. I think there are only about 6 jars left, so the newbies are coming in just in time. The squash, cucumbers and onions have been so tasty! I tried a new stuffed squash recipe last night and I will definitely make that again. It calls for 1/4 lb of sausage, onions, bread crumbs, squash (of course) and seasonings. It was very good. I also made some squash bread. I plan to make some squash pickles and a batch of kosher dills this weekend. I absolutely love putting up things from my garden to eat in the dead of winter. It gives me such satisfaction to know that the food we are eating comes from good seed, good dirt and our sweat.
I have also been picking blackberries. I have only gotten about a quart so far but that is just a tease for what is to come. The canes are loaded with big juicy looking berries just waiting for their turn in the sun to ripen. mmmmmmmm love summer!

Blessed Rain

2006-06-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

The garden was full of light and a bit misty looking this morning after the nice rain we received last night. It must have been the sheets I had hung out on the line late yesterday and left on the line over night that did the trick (thanks "In My Kitchen Garden" for the tip). Before the rain came, the garden was very dry and I had been watering half every other day, alternating halves daily.
The Brandywine tomatoes are up to my shoulders! (lol, I am all of 5'1") The squash has jumped considerably and should be producing very soon. I have green peppers the size of a baby's fist; jalapenos the size of the first digit of my pinky finger; and cukes a little bigger than that. I am still on the lookout for the first sighting of those little green tomatoes but haven't spotted any yet. The beans and cukes are ready for their trellises and the corn is knee high. I will be interplanting some beans this weekend and will follow with some pumpkins later.(my version of three sisters) There is a lot to be done this weekend...herbs to be harvested, plants to be staked and trellises to be put up, planting and weeding too. When my co-workers ask if I have a big weekend planned, I say yes! I'll be in my garden...right in the middle of it all, savoring every minute close to the earth...because weekends go way too fast around here.

Beautiful Night

2006-06-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

My home is in a place that is like a big clearing in the woods. Trees completely surround two thirds of my property. Last night around 10pm I sat on the back porch steps and relished in the darkness of the night. A beautiful waxing crescent moon was shining brightly, the fireflies were doing their dance in the treetops, I could hear the sound of a distant bullfrog at the shallow creek in the woods. As I sat enjoying all this, I imagined for a moment that it was all for me. I smiled. There is so much of nature's beauty; even in the darkness of night.

The Garden is Life

2006-05-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Have planted a big garden this year. So far it is the best ever. White runner beans, 5 different kinds of tomatoes, summer & winter squashes, hot & sweet peppers, sweet corn, peas, cukes, eggplant, brussel sprouts and lots and lots of onions are what's growing at present. I also have tons of herbs all over the place; in the garden between plantings, in pots all around and in an old herb bed. When I look around, I get a feeling of security and uneasiness at the same time. The security comes from knowing that my family won't go hungry. That my gardens will provide a big portion of our food this summer, winter and into spring. The uneasiness comes from also knowing that one horrendous hail storm or extremely lengthy drought could seriously damage everything that I have planted and nurtured, turning it into compost material. You could call it risky, but for me it is well worth the risk to savor the fresh, homegrown vegetables that are to come. I currently have plans to build a greenhouse so that I can reap the benefits of year-round gardening. Growing & preserving my family's food is part of my identity. When I step back and call up life's true importances, the Garden is there. Always.

First Attempt

2006-05-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have reading blogs for about 2 years now and enjoy the writing that I find at each one. This is my first attemp at this so it may take a while to get going but here goes. I live in NC, work a fulltime job, teach decorative painting classes part-time and still find time to tend my herb and vegetable gardens. I am slowly but steadily working on becoming more self sufficient and I actually enjoy hanging out laundry; weeding in the garden and canning; drying, freezing the yields from my garden. I love living a simple life and will be writing about just that in my future posts. Simple is never boring so stay tuned....