Garden dreams

One of my favorite parts of crafting is looking through the books and figuring out what I want to make next. Turns out that once the kids are sweetly sleeping, another enjoyable wintry evening pastime is a stack of seed catalogs and a cup of tea.

I am still trying to learn what grows best in our zone, and I still don't know the last frost date in our area so I don't know when to begin planting indoors. There's so much to find out for the novice gardener! This doesn't stop me from imagining my way through garden catalogs, though. Reading them is so deliciously exciting and full of promise. Dreaming lacks all the pests, weeds, and heartache of an actual garden. It makes me want to write for these seed companies, with the obvious drawback that I don't really know beans about gardening. Regardless, look what I've found that seems interesting so far, and click the links to see pictures:

• Amish Paste Tomato : Lycopersicon lycoprtsicum, Heirloom indeterminate, 5-7 oz. fruits, Tender annual. This large, meaty heirloom was discovered in Wisconsin although it hails from the Pennsylvania Amish. It has a superior taste, brilliant with a nice balance of sweet and acid. Excellent fresh or in sauces.
• Calabrese Broccoli: Brassica oleracea, Heirloom, 18-28 in. 3-6 in. Hardy Annual. Brought to the US by Italian immigrants at the turn of the century, this is a great broccoli for the home garden. Dark green plant with a blue-green head. Plant remains productive after harvest of the head, continuing to produce many side shoots until frost. For fresh use and freezing.
• Cal Wonder Sweet Bell Pepper: Capiscum annuum, Heirloom, 18-24" Tender Annual. The archetypical bell pepper-tender, sweet and juicy without a trace of pungency. Dark green 3-4 in. peppers ripen to bright crimson. Large, blocky, lobed fruit with thick walls on vigorous upright plants.
• Cannellini Soup Half-Runner Bean: Phaseolus vulgaris, Rare - Heirloom, 3-4 ft. Tender Annual. This classic Italian bean is perfect for minestrone and was first grown in this country in the 1820s. Large, white, kidney-shaped beans have a nutty flavor and make delicious italian-style baked beans. A productive semi-runner plant that grows well even in cool weather.
• Dinosaur (Lacinato Blue) Kale: Brassica oleracea, Heirloom, 2-3 ft. Hardy Biennial. Fondly known as "Dino Kale," the leaves of this extremely winter-hardy variety become sweeter after a hard frost. Delicious and tender when stir-fried or steamed.
• Lemon Cucumber: Cucumis sativus, Heirloom, 3-4 in. Tender Annual. Dating back to the 1890s, these oval to round yellow cukes are juicy and sweet. Thin, tender skins and succulent white flesh make them a joy to eat whole-like an apple-right from the garden. Great for slicing or pickling.
• Red Oak Leaf Lettuce: Lactuca sativa, Heirloom, 12-16 in. Hardy Annual. Stunning oak-shaped leaves mature to a deep burgundy. Somewhat heat resistant but exceptionally vigorous in cooler weather.
• San Marzano Paste Tomato: Lycopersicon esculentum, Heirloom, 3" Fruits, Tender Annual. A classic Italian heirloom paste tomato with a slightly hourglass shape. Later season than other paste types, providing an extended harvest for saucing until the first hard frost. Flavorful cooking tomato. Needs trellising.
• Small Sugar Pumpkin: Cucurbita pepo, Heirloom, 5-8 lbs. This heirloom from the 1800s is a classic for its high-quality stringless, sweet flesh which makes scrumptious pies. Lightly ribbed, orange fruits are perfect for smaller gardens and make great little jack-o-lanterns. Easy to grow.
• St. Valery Carrot: Daucus carota var. sativus, Heirloom, 8-10 in. Hardy Biennial. French heirloom with sweet, tender flesh. This carrot to has a high amount of free arginine, a protein building amino acid.
• Tendergreen Bush Bean: Phaseolus vulgaris, Heirloom, 16-20 in., 5-6 in. pods, Tender Annual. A green, round-podded, stringless and tasty bush bean with slight flecks of purple. A very heavy yielder over a short period, even during hot weather. A great mainstay for the home garden.
• Tom Thumb Lettuce: Lactuca sativa, Heirloom, 3-5 in. Hardy Annual. Introduced by at least 1853, this is a tiny little butterhead perfect for small gardens or those who like the elegance of exquisitely formed small plants. About the size of an apple, it is ideal for serving whole as an individual salad.
• Viroflay Spinach: Spinacea oleracea, Heirloom, 2 ft. Hardy Annual. In 1885, Vimorin called this variety "Epinard Monstreux de Viroflay"---The Monster spinach of Veroflay! Extremely vigorous plants bear 10 inch leaves.
• Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato: Lycopersicon esculentum, Heirloom, 1 oz. Tender Annual. From the late 1800s with very low acid and a mild, sweet flavor. Produces clusters of 1-2 inch fruits all summer long. Excellent for salads, pickling and preserving. Resistant to alternaria stem canker disease.
  

The above list is still a work in progress. I don't know if they're the right ones. And it still doesn't include basil or peas (oh, fresh peas...). Someday I'd like to have strawberries, and maybe even grapes as well. But for now, I'd best stick with a stack of library books and a cup of tea.

Green thumb, green thumb, quite contrary-- will your garden grow?

I have never really had a garden before. I get Spring Fever like everyone else, and when my nostrils are assaulted by the earthy smells of the garden section in the hardware store or supercenter, I usually succumb and buy a handful of things I don't know beans about and let them naturally peter out in my backyard due to lack of knowhow and personal stamina. Last year after looking at Sunflower Houses with our DDs, we planted sunflowers three distinct times only to have them fail successively due to cutworms, then pesky squirrels.

However, after having read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I am inspired to try again. The biggest thing a year of volunteering at Salomon Farm last year gave me was an idea of how much I don't know; nonetheless, I think we're going to try raised beds this time a la All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. If we can come up with the funds for the lumber, the compost, vermiculite, and the peat (and the heirloom seeds!) and we're very, very lucky, we may still come out roughly even-- health benefits aside.

Aside: The book recommends going to construction sites and asking for unneeded, untreated 2 x 6's. Anybody know where those might be found locally? Not me! Also, I need to set up compost in my backyard. This setup requires mixed mature compost. I could use advice in this area as well. Anybody with tips might consider posting!

Regardless of the outcome, we've been learning a lot at home about reading, math, and science through our renewed interest in gardening-- not to mention the bold realizations about where food actually comes from! Even if I end up eating crow (figuratively!), I'll count this as a win.

Bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon!

I know I already mentioned that we purchased a half a pig from Seven Sons Meat Company, but as of yet we haven't tried all our cuts of meat. We gave half our bacon to our neighbor, since we don't eat bacon much and they enjoy it from time to time.

But we got some out today to enjoy over potato soup, and ohhhhhhhhhh. I don't think we can ever go back to grocery store bacon. This, I agree, was one happy pig.

Baking bread and living locally

I was poking around on Mother Earth News looking for ideas when I found an article from the latest issue about easy, no-knead crusty bread. It looked yummy enough (and simple enough!) that I think I'm actually going to try it once I get a handful of cornmeal into the house.

Once I noticed that the article was written by a sustainable agriculture consultant and passionate organic gardener, Googled him. Interestingly enough, Roger Doiron is s a free-lance writer and public speaker specializing in sustainable cuisine. He's been featured in Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Organic Gardening magazine, Mother Earth News, and Saveur. He also is the founder and director of Kitchen Gardeners International, or KGI which, to quote the site, is "a Maine-based nonprofit network of over 4000 individuals from 80 countries who are taking a (dirty) hands-on approach to “relocalizing” the food supply." Not only is the thought inspiring, the site is pretty nifty, too. I love the idea of gPods, and now feel like reading Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone because of the reference.

Meat, wonderful meat!

Have we taken the time to praise Seven Sons on this blog? I don't sleep enough to remember, so if this is a repeat, my apologies.
Seven Sons is located in Roanoke, they have chicken, pork, beef and more that I don't even know about. Grass-fed, hormone free.
We are the proud owners of half of a pig from Seven Sons. We visited the farm store and saw the pig that would become our dinner. The pigs were running free in the mud and they did look like they were living good pig lives. Our eldest says as she is scarfing down ham: "This was a happy pig!"
If you aren't interested in such a large investment, you can find roasts & chickens either at the farm store or at the Three Rivers Co-Op. The Co-op also has packs of hamburger patties. You get 1 lb or 3 patties for about $5. These are GOOD burgers. Highly recommended for local carnivores.

Local dough

While it does not appear to be organic, if you'd enjoy a local loaf of Mill Co. bread at considerable savings, consider picking some up at the thrift stores on Pearl Street or Hillegas Road as early as Tuesday in any given week. They're 1.99 per item (bag of granola, 4 pk of muffins, bag of rolls, or loaf of bread), or 2/$3.00.

The thrift store tells me they get overbakes, not old bread, and due to the vast cost reduction they do go fast. I must really care about you to tell you my bread secrets-- some people wait a half hour for the bread store to open if they're really hankering for sourdough!

Milk info...

On N. Anthony Blvd. at the Health Food Shoppe milk, Organic Valley milk, is just $4.99--all the time! That's dirt cheap. I was told that the owner sells it at no mark-up because, "milk is something everyone needs." Wow. How's that for a do-gooder? Great milk at a great price. I say great milk because they are truly organic, whereas most other milks, Horizon incl. are owned and operated by huge conglomerate monsters (Dean, the same non-organic milk company owns and distributes much of what else is out there) that only do organic on the side. Glad to pass on a tip to a local business with a heart. Happy shopping.
Paul

Local Farm, Southwest

From our friend Heidi @ the Library:
"Last year our newspaper ran an interesting article about the Schlup and DeGrandchamp family in Fort Wayne (FROM THE FIELD: Family farm in suburbia: Aboite family stays on the soil, Jenni Glenn, The Journal Gazette, Published: October 1, 2006). The family raises produce, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. The article noted that the Schlup family has been farming in the area for many years: "The Lutheran Hospital campus now covers part of the old farm where his family grew produce for local markets as early as 1890."
Schlup’s Farm Market is open during the summer on Dicke Road in southwest Fort Wayne. Their sign on Aboite Center Road leads the way. They sell their wonderful produce as well as produce from other local farmers. The article noted that the Schlup family and their suppliers do not use pesticides. They have a wide selection of items including corn, tomatoes, peppers, melons, cucumbers, beans, onions, eggplants, and terrific strawberries! The family also runs a booth at the Southside Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.
DeGrandchamp’s pumpkin patch is open on Aboite Center Road in the fall. They have a large selection of different sizes as well as a few white pumpkins and other types of decorative squash. It’s always fun to go there and pick out pumpkins with the kids. I really appreciate the fact that this family works so hard to bring us such high quality produce!"

Eggs: A Success Story

Earth Laughing Farm has eggs for $2.50/dozen!
They don't have many and if I understood the email correctly, there may be a waiting list. The hens will start laying more as the days get longer (which happens this Sunday). If you are interested, call the farm to make arrangements.

future of farming

from my friend Jon at TEC, a short video: http://current.com/items/77525681_future_farming_now

Earth Laughing Farm

I found Earth Laughing Farm on localharvest.org and have been emailing back and forth for information. Right now they have raw wool available, which sounds like a lot of fun for projects(when the kids are old enough to help).

They also have goose for $4lb and the birds are between 9 - 11 lbs. They are frozen.

In May they will have chickens for $2lb sized 4 - 5 lbs.

Email and ask to get on their mailing list.

CSAs in Northeast Indiana

Hi Local Eaters! I'm looking to join a CSA next year, and have found one in our community that has drop off points north, central, and southwest of Fort Wayne. It is Country Garden and Farm Market, located in Roanoke, with drop off at the 3 Rivers CoOp and Salomon Farm on Dupont Road. Has anyone else signed up with this CSA? More info. at http://www.localharvest.org/csadrops.jsp?id=5164

There is another, the JL Hawkins Family Farm, I'd love to join but is such a drive from my home that I'd be using a lot of fossil fuels for pickup. If you live near North Manchester, check out http://www.localharvest.org/csadrops.jsp?id=5387 If you will be joining and would share pickup duties with me, I'd be interested!

Farm Store and CSA

Country Garden and Farm Market (certified organic AND local) has a farm stand in Roanoke, they bring produce to the Salomon Farmer's Market in the summer and they have year round CSA. Check them out here.

Slow and steady wins the race

"Slow food" is interesting as a buzzword, but it's not bad as a concept, either. I was checking out the Slow Food website, and what it takes to start a Slow Food Convivium. It's not hard to get behind enjoying your food as a process, and not just a means to an end, as long as there's time reserved to get there and ample space and resources to get there. I'm not sure we have $60 to pony up for the convivium, but I wish we did, because I think it would be good for our community to have one here.

Now, I don't like to cook in a messy kitchen, so I feel compelled to clean it all up before I get started, and it's no fun to cook when there's nothing but ramen in the cupboard. So as much as I'm into the idea of slow food, I think I'm actually about two steps behind that right now. Just like sometimes in Weight Watchers, when I realized I wasn't really ready to lose weight yet, I may be in the pre-slow food segment. I still have a lot of processed food baggage in my life, and I need to consider my current time management and workflow issues to be able to really enjoy the joys that slow food has to offer. In addition, I still think there's a place for faster food, even if that means yet another spaghetti night. But we're going there. Oh yes. We're in. Slow food is healthier and cheaper, and much more fun. For our family, slow is the way to go.

The 'local' debate continues

Author Tom Philpott at grist.org has debunked the "eating locally is worse for the environment than using the supermarket" again and again. And yes, he's done it again.

Eggs: The Continuing Saga

This evening I checked out the PBS 39 video Eggs: A Video Field Trip. This fascinating 15 minute video shows the egg's journey from hen to plate. It was filmed at an egg "factory" in North Manchester. If you would like to see where Kroger eggs come from, please watch this video. The video was underwritten by the egg company, so of course their intention was not to scare away customers, but it is hard to look at the mass-production and not be alarmed.

We thought that we had found a solution to the egg issue with Eggland's Best, but they aren't local, they are big business and we don't exactly trust them. So we wandered over to the Co-op, but their local farm hasn't been selling them eggs. So we bought the brand on the shelf, who wouldn't trust the Co-op, surely Phil's Fresh Eggs would be the answer! Well, not so much. They are shipped in from Illinois, not exactly local. The company has a seal on the carton & website: "Free Farmed" so we decided to find out what exactly "free farmed" means. That took us to the American Humane Association website where we discoverd that "free farmed" is an outdated term. It has been replaced by "American Humane Certified" which means "cage free" and a few other things, understand that doesn't necessary mean "free to roam in the sunshine", but outside of cages at least. Regardless, we checked the listing of "American Humane Certified" producers of which Phil's Fresh Eggs is not one. So where does that leave us? Eggless.

Seven Sons, the farm where we buy our meat, has eggs, but they are in Roanoke and that is too far to go for eggs.

All of that to ask: where do you get your eggs? We would love to have a local farm to go to.

Reading myself green?

I have now saved four foil lids from 32 oz. containers of Stonyfield Farm yogurt, and can send in for a free subscription to Organic Gardening. If you'd like to get on the informal routing list for this periodical, please leave a comment below or just let me know. The last person with it can pass it on or recycle it.

Bigger, better Barr Street Market

Good news! KK has a contact to Barr Street Market, and has sent the book group a contact via email if we wish to send thoughts for a more local, comprehensive market there. Check your inbox for the contact info, book group folks. Gather your thoughts.

Book Club

Many of us met at CW's new digs for some organic eats and thought-provoking discussion regarding Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. We're not the Jane Austen Book Club, but we did find that many philosophies from this book did take root for a number of us in various ways. We decided that it was probably worthwhile to try to find more local sources of food in our area. To that end, I thought a blog might be an interesting way to document our progress. It remains to be seen whether it will be useful or not.