beauty that moves

This Week In My Garden : : July 25

Last week, in the back garden. (July 18)

This morning, in the back garden. 

I had a few Charlie Brown tomatoes that I put in the ground as an experiment. They're coming along, far behind the others... but progress is made each day. I'm curious to see how they'll do by the season's end. 

 

 

Here is an underbelly view of the tomatoes. We have five rows planted, 30 plants in total. This best shows just how much I am pruning from the ground up (many of you have asked). I was so nervous to do this but it seems they are very happy so far with many clusters of fruit. We also gave plenty of space between each plant. Our tomato mantra this year has been keep the air flowing... (or something like that). I now affectionately refer to my tomato plants as the "tomato topiaries."

Now, if only my chickens would please stop removing the straw from under the tomatoes. It's a game we play... they pull it off, I put it back... but they are the only ones that think it's a fun game.

 

 

 

This week's garden upset seems to be with the red kuri squash. It doesn't look too dramatic in these photos (above), but I do believe we have a case of root rot going on. I'm not sure what to expect from here, my research tells me we'll likely see a downward spiral, with no real treatment or recovery. A bit of a wait and see game I guess... will it completely take out my red kuri... will it spread to the butternut squash in the next bed... will the delicata squash three beds away suffer too?

I'm pretty confident this was not caused by excessive moisture. All of our beds are raised and I have not watered this section of the garden at all. A careful eye on my neighbor's rain gauge tells me we've almost seen the necessary one inch of rainfall per week that vegetable gardens require - so, I've added no additional water. I'm pretty sure this was caused by pathogens in the soil. 

If you've had experience with squash root rot I'd love to know how you remedied or planned differently for future crops. 

Turnip and rutabaga are coming along. 

The beans are starting to burst now. A few more days and we'll be picking them by the basket full. 

Last week, in the front grden.  

This morning, in the front garden. (Or more accurately, the jungle.) 

 

 

It's been an uphill battle with our kale and collard greens, those darn cabbage worms! But the row covers have helped tremendously (even though our current homespun design is a little hard to access) and we are enjoying a fair amount of greens. 

A new row of salad greens almost ready to start picking from, and those basil seeds that I threw in as an experiment in early July are coming along. I'm going to thin them a little and see how it goes. We just might have a little pesto-making basil harvest after all!

Bok choy... looking forward to this!

 

 

English Cucumbers are looking good. The tomato cage trellis really gives them the vertical space to grow as straight as possible. 

 

One of the reasons I love doing these weekly garden updates is because I'll be turning them into a book at the end of the season for our records. I think using Shutterfly or Blurb that should happen fairly easily and inexpensively - and what a useful resource to have from year to year, a collection of garden journals with plenty of photos. 

 I forgot to mention this over the last few weeks, but my carrots totally failed this year. I didn't spend too much time trying to figure out why... I was busy just trying to accept it and  move on, replanting new crops in their place (which all seem to be doing very well). I'll have to do some more research here as to what I did and what I need to do differently next year. It is disappointing though because I had a pretty good yield last year, especially considering I was a reluctant thinner. 

I don't have too much time today to write much more, hopefully these many photos will capture where we are at this week. 

This week we are harvesting:

• swiss chard
• kale 
• collard greens
• zucchini 
• yellow squash 
• peas - the last few
• raspberries - 2 quarts
• blueberries - 1 1/2 quarts
• fresh herbs

 

Well, we are in the thick of it now! Thank you for visiting my garden today. :)

 

I'm joining Amanda today...

What's happening in your garden? Feel free to share a few thoughts (or a blog link). 

Whole Food Kitchen :: Autumn 2013

 

I'm thrilled to open registration today for my next session of Whole Food Kitchen.

 

Begins September 16, 2013

~ 8 Weekly Modules ~

Registration is now closed.

 

Please note ~ I will not be offering this workshop in 2014 in order to make room for some new projects.

If you've been meaning to sign up for this program but haven't had a chance to , now is the perfect time. 

 

 

Welcome to Whole Food Kitchen, 2013!

There is so much that is new with this workshop! While some of the basic nutritional information is everlasting, the entire workshop has been redesigned and reformatted for 2013. There will be ALL new recipes, menu plans and shopping lists, new and improved cooking videos, fresh and inspiring essays about food and nutrition, and so much more - all of this content will be conveniently delivered via our classroom website through beautiful, weekly ebooks. 

Some of us need a little help getting started in the kitchen, others are looking for inspiration to rekindle their love of eating real, wholesome foods. Wherever you are on this path of healthy eating, Whole Food Kitchen will meet you there, providing recipes, practical wisdom, and wonderful resources.

This workshop is a lifestyle immersion. Surround yourself with healthy living and real food. Take the elements that work for your life, leave what you don't need. 

Whole Food Kitchen will teach and speak to a mostly plant-based diet, but is not exclusively vegan or vegetarian. 

Come spend two months in the kitchen with me!

You will find my classes infused with a non-dogmatic, inclusive approach to nutrition. In life and in food, my focus is on simplicity, patience, keeping it real, and common sense. 

 

Essential details:

• two month immersion 
• eight modules 
• weekly ebook containing all of the week's content - easy to download!
• dozens of recipes/food tutorials 
• weekly menu plan and shopping list
• email support as you need it
• threaded comments for interactive support 
• video cooking classes each week
• self-paced (you do not need to be in class at any specific time)
• virtual classroom remains open for 30 days post workshop
• a down to earth approach to eating well
• and more!

 

Please visit my Frequently Asked Questions page for even more info. 

 

You will learn about:

• Whole food fundamentals
• Setting up a whole food kitchen and pantry
• Menu planning and recipe organization
• Healing fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds
• Preparing whole grains and legumes
• Protein, healthy fats 
• Ideas for breakfast, the lunch box, and dinner table
• Holistic lifestyle
• Nourishing snacks 
• Special occasion treats
• Tips and resources on sourcing quality food
• And more!

 

Real food, mostly plants, tremendous support, that is my focus.

Do you feel ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are ready to begin an inspiring journey of transformation...

 

Begins September 16, 2013

~ 8 Weekly Modules ~

 

Please note ~ I will not be offering this workshop in 2014 in order to make room for some new projects. If you've been meaning to sign up for this program but haven't had a chance to , now is the perfect time. 

Questions?

Visit my Frequently Asked Questions page for more info or email wholefoodkitchen@gmail.com. Thank you!

 

Kind words received past workshop participants:

"This has been a wonderful journey, one I would have never been brave enough to tackle on my own. Thank you so much for your inspiration, encouragement and education through out this workshop." - Jessica

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"Thank you Heather for all of the thought and hard work you put into making this workshop so rich for us. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it,everything from the recipes to the little pearls of wisdom have made this month seem like a truly restorative experience. The weeks flew by quickly but I feel that major changes have transpired that go beyond anything I expected." - Claire

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"Heather - Please let me echo the sentiments of many of my classmates by thanking you for the effort that you put into this workshop. This is BY FAR the best online "class" I have taken." - Joni

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"... you've been a wonderful guide and I really value and appreciate the work you put into making this workshop so complete - a perfect balance of practical knowledge and thoughtful inspiration." - Kim

On the Mend

I feel like the only thing I've done in a week is tend to this poison ivy of mine. Not a very exciting thing to talk about, but it is pretty much what has consumed me so now it becomes blog content. There will be no pictures though... I have limits! ;)

As I said last week, it wasn't just having the poison ivy, it was having it all over both hands, rendering them useless. The right side of my face was covered too, that rash being worse actually, but somehow it bothered me far less than hands I couldn't use. I'd just sit here with my hands on my lap, slightly curled because of the swelling, thinking of the one million things I wanted to be taking care of...

... the fabric that sits on my sewing machine waiting to be turned into new skirts, the highly perishable raspberries that sat ripening on the vine, registration details for the fall session of Whole Food Kitchen to write up, the weeds... the weeds... the weeds. 

However... I'm moving on! My hands are now 80% healed and I'm using them more and more each day with the belief that use will speed up the healing process. Not sure my hands agree quite yet, but they'll see that truth soon enough. 

Like so many of you, we've been experiencing the hottest, stickiest weather. Yesterday the heat broke just a bit and I spent a few hours out in the garden removing a heaping wheelbarrow full off weeds. I knew the rain was coming today and wanted the garden to be all dressed up and ready for a nice long soaking.

When I woke up this morning it was indeed pouring outside, music to my ears! I went to let the chickens out but they decided it wasn't quite worth it and stayed put right in the coop. Even though their pen is entirely under cover... still, I guess they felt no need to face the world on this soggy, cozy day. 

I hope the rain continues a little longer. Today I'll be at my desk by the window as I prepare final details for registration to open tomorrow - the rain falling outside would be the perfect music to listen to while I do this. 

It's time to get back to regular living, these hands of mine have been idle for too long. 

This Week In My Garden : : July 18

Last week, in the back garden. (July 11)

This morning, in the back garden.

This first row of beans doesn't need the poles, we just haven't taken them out yet. A miscommunication between the garden designer and the pole system builder. ;)

 

 

 

Fall crops! In this row - rutabaga, turnip and delicata squash. 

Keeping the base of our tomato plants well pruned this year for optimal air flow and decreased late blight risk.

I was nervous trimming back the plants so heavily, but they are proving to be happy so far, with lots of fruit appearing.

 

*     *     *     *     *

Last week, in the front garden.

This morning, in the front garden. 

This garden always seems to look like a mess from a distance, but it really isn't! Take an up close look...

 

I'm so pleased with our cucumber trellis system this year. Simply turn tomato cages upside down then bend in the wire that is sticking up. It forms a rounded cap that you won't poke your eyes on. The cucumbers seem really happy so far!

Soon we'll have potatoes!

 

 

Mmm... bok choy.

On Saturday morning I weeded around our back deck for an hour. It looks great now, free of any overgrowth and plenty of air flow. It really isn't good to have too much plant material close to wooden houses and such. At least where I live, a relatively moist climate. 

For one day I was feeling good about checking this job off the list... and then the poison ivy came. Both of my hands are pretty much immobilized (you should see my new typing method - ha! - it's like I'm six years old again) and the right side of my face is covered too. My face is easier to deal with, I can basically just treat the itch and carry on with my day - but my hands? Goodness hands are so important! I haven't been able to do much the last few days other than read, watch movies... repeat. 

Because of the poison ivy, not too much has been happening in the garden on my end (I'm the official weeder) aside from some hand watering and plant gazing. Getting in there and weeding just isn't happening this week. I suppose if this poison ivy had to happen at all, now is a good time because we are right in that place where vegetables are appearing on the vine, and if there aren't veggies yet there are flowers (and pollinators!!), so veggies will soon follow. We have about a week or so of waiting going on... things are pretty settled around the garden so taking a little break is okay. 

One thing that has been helpful this year is creating semi-raised beds for everything. Then those beds are mulched with straw which keeps most of the weeds down (except for that sprouting straw issue I had which was kind of mild and easy do deal with). Mostly when I set out to weeding, the majority of my time is spent in the pathways leading up to the beds - so if it gets a little unruly this week while I'm in the infirmary, the plants will still be in good shape. 

Oh! One thing I wanted to mention about the sprouting straw... I had one bail that was left in the rain for a few days and became extremely water logged (but not moldy). I used it on a few rows of tomatoes and of all the sprouting issues I had, these three rows sprouted the least, almost not at all. So, you bet in the future I'm not going to take any chances and I'll soak (or let the rain soak) future bails for a few days before spreading it around. An added bonus - the wet straw wasn't dusty at all to work with so that was nice too.

Before the poison ivy hit I did a little more succession planting which puts us at about nine new crops in the ground so far for fall.  

Pests. I continue to battle with cabbage worms on my dark leafy greens, even the ones under cover (in the future covers will go on when the seeds go in). I envy those of you who do not have this problem, it can be so discouraging! We've been handpicking spotted cucumber beetles (just a few each day) and japanese beetles (a lot of those right now). Other than that nothing too serious to report. 

Well, my hands are telling me I need to wrap this up and stop typing for the day. I had a few other garden things to mention but I'll have to save those for next week. 

Until then...

 

This week we are harvesting:

• peas
• kale (2 kinds)
• collard greens
• swiss chard
• romaine lettuce
• raspberries (2 quarts)
• blueberries (2 quarts)
• fresh herbs

 

 

 

 

I'm joining Amanda today... thanks for making it through all these photos! :)

What's happening in your garden? Feel free to share a few thoughts (or a blog link). 

Summertime Chickpea and Feta Salad

We seem to have a case of the missing camera battery charger right now... in the meantime I'm borrowing Emily's camera and while it really is a good camera for the price point, I have not learned to use it very well yet. 

The other day I found myself craving a meal rich in protein. Perhaps I was simply craving a meal, and the protein part was secondary (in this heat, I've been hoping to sustain us on plums and cucumbers alone). But something substantial was in order. I prepared a hearty salad that was ready in just a few minutes and required no cooking. Need fulfilled!

Normally I cook beans in large batches and freeze them in canning jars. No liquid is necessary, just cooked and drained beans in jars with a lid. The perfect convenience food and so much less expensive than good quality canned beans.

But I'm cooking as little as possible these days and certain freezer goods are running low, beans in particular. I used canned chickpeas which made it come together even more quickly as they didn't need time to thaw from the freezer.

I think I'm going to break out the slow cooker and get some beans going, this heat feels like it isn't going anywhere and we need a few things to eat!

So, I thought I'd share this simple salad with you in case you're in need of an easy to prepare, hearty but summery meal. From the time I walked into the kitchen to the time it was on my plate only five minutes had passed. I was so pleased about this because it meant I could return to sitting in front of the fan that much sooner. 

 

Summertime Chickpea and Feta Salad

• cooked chickpeas, cooled
• grape tomatoes, halved
• fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• fresh chives or green onion, chopped
• feta cheese, crumbled
• a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil, good quality
• fresh lemon juice, a good squeeze (you could also use balsamic vinegar for a sweeter dressing)
• a few good pinches of sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and serve. 

 

Print -  Summertime Chickpea and Feta Salad

 

This isn't a recipe per say, but rather a list of ingredients. If I had a cucumber on hand I would have added that too. There's just something about chickpeas combined with bright and refreshing flavors that feels like the perfect meal to me right now.

I think I just might make it again today, and I'll be sure to enjoy it while sitting in front of the fan.