Happy New Year!

Its already week into the new year, I'm a little late with my resolutions. But I can say that I resolve to eat more out of my neighborhood and not out of the super market. I need to hook up with my friends who just came back from a hunting trip. If we are lucky enough to get some meat then I might never have to go to the store again! Well unless I dig a rice patty that is. Not sure about that one.

We spend some quality at the Kanno family farm in Hawaii. The Husband took these pictures, I love Long Beach but I sure do miss home.

I hope everyone has a great 2010, I know we will!

Cookie Contest and Shopping at the Farmers Market

Hello to all the bakers....I'll be there as a judge so make sure to bake in lots of love!

Please send a note out to your network about the upcoming December 20th
Farmers Market at Longfellow!

We have a great day planned, including a cookie baking contest and a Santa
photo op.

Please direct any bakers to the web site to enter the contest by simply
filling out the contact form! Categories include: kids, open division and
decorated...

Thanks for your support!!!

PS. This is the last market before Christmas and there are tons of great
gift ideas to choose from at the market!! Honey, bees wax candles, soaps,
plants, jewelry, felted stockings and needle felted Holiday figures and on
and on!!


--
Long Beach Sunday Market in California Heights
Certified Farmers Market
Sundays from 9am - 2pm
Located on the Longfellow Elementary School Playground
California Avenue at Bixby Road
Long Beach 90807

Market Manager - Kelli Johnson
Email - Info@LongBeachSundayMarket.com
Website - Http://LongBeachSundayMarket.com
562-528-6259

Made possible through a grant from the Connected Corridor Project

Gardens Of Gratitude

Its not Long Beach but its super cool...

http://www.gardensofgratitude.org/howitworks.html

Slow Food Sign Up

Today is the last day, any donation of any size will make you a member of Slow Food. Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is the complete opposite of fast food and something that my family has practiced for generations. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Their website has current events listed, when you sign up unfortunately there is not a Long Beach chapter but you can choose LA.

Please join.

Tomato Galore

To Can Or Not To Can?

Last year I had high hopes of storing food for the winter. We all know that didn't happen. Funny how you can't store food that you cannot grow. I mean this years garden blows doors on last years crop.

So what should I do? Freeze 'em? Can 'em? I do run a food co-op but there is something about these tomatoes that I just can't give too many away.

Last night I froze 2 bags of skinned tomatoes perfectly plump and ready for winter sauce. Here is another big bowl waiting on the counter to ripen up.

So what do I do?

I'll Squash You!

Last year my squash growing was a big failure. It is suppose to be one of the beginner crops but I had no success. I had planted the seeds in the back of the raised beds but my sun was limited. This year I took note from my neighbor and planted in the side yard.

We are already looking better. Plants are healthy and hopefully happy. I love squash, I hope we get to eat lots and lots of it.

Veggies Just For You

This is a great article from Sunset blog Fresh Dirt. Talks about ordering custom starter plant packs. What a great idea.

Goes along perfect with todays outing to the Long Beach City College plant sale.

http://chalkboardco-op.blogspot.com/2009/04/plant-sale-in-long-beach.html

We Ate It All- Kinda

Sunday is all about hanging out and eating well. We made dinner from the garden. I did not kill the chicken or make the sausage but I did grow the beautiful salad and these lovely items that got grilled.

We didn't actually get to eat the grilled veggies because we kept opening the grill to take pictures so they didn't cook all the way. I'll finish them off in the oven tonight.


If I recall we did the artichoke taste test last year and the bigger ones that were steamed first and then grilled were the winners. I guess I forgot the steaming part because they take forever to grill, same with the fennel.

Whatevhs

Lesson On Carrots

How to avoid this is to do this. Great lesson from the Sunset test kitchen. I suppose I need to loosen my soil up a bit. Maybe I'll be able to grow long skinny carrots instead of little stumps. I suppose they taste the same but not so pretty. You know we like pretty.

We Sprouted

When I made the monster seed order I also ordered this kitchen sprout system from JohnnySeeds. I love it. So far we have grown mung beans, broccoli, wheat and radish sprouts. Its a very smart system, much smarter than the jar with the paper towel like dad use to grow.

When It Seeds It Pours

All my little babies came in the mail. I planted TONS of flower seeds, some eggplant and a few other things. I'm not buying anymore seeds this year. I will now be looking for starter plants. I'm all seeded out.

I stopped by Target and OSH but neither place had a mini greenhouse. Might have to order one.

It was a beautiful weekend at our house. Hope it was just as nice at yours.

Oh Mamma!

The behemoth seed order has shipped. I better get to soil blocking or I'm gonna be behind. I'm wondering if I should get a mini greenhouse going for my little babies. Last year I let them live in the breakfast room but perhaps I need to step up my operation. I mostly just direct sew but I bought some stuff that I really want to be successful.

Adriana has a nice mini greenhouse in her backyard. Does anyone have any suggestions? Something small for me please.

I'm So Sorry

I have to apologize to The Husband. I harvested a TON, and by a ton I mean my whole crop of purple thai basil on Saturday. I wrapped it up all special like and hung it in the kitchen to dry. This is how I make my most awesome spice mix. As my crops come in I dry them and mash them up later.

Well this time I guess I had an APHID infestation. Woops. I did my normal routine and by Monday night the whole kitchen was crawling. The Husband gets home from work about an hour or so before me so he got stuck with clean up duty.

I'm super sorry that he had to deal with the carnage but I'm more sorry that I had to chuck all my basil. Dang the luck-

Time To Rotate The Crops

I met a new friend while I was out in the garden this weekend. He was cold chillin' on my artichoke plants that I need to rip out of the garden. I'll wait until they flower but after that its Off With Their Heads. They are way too big for that little garden. I love having them around, I have plenty of room in the front for those guys. Maybe even in the parking strip?

Made a HUGE seed order today. I bought everything from Johnny's Seeds. I had been reading all the catalogs and saw some tools and other things I needed so there it was, all in one order.

My beds are ready to go. Maybe next weekend I'll make some soil blocks and get started on some Okra. I'm determined to do better with that this year.

Too Late For Cover Crops?

I wanted to throw in some cover crops this year but I chickened out. I could not justify "wasting" space on clover when I could be growing collard greens. I am starting to change my mind about it. Its almost winter-ish outside and the garden is looking a little sad. Its hot during the day but cold at night. I need to do some work back there this weekend. Pull out some old tomatoes I left to do something but they ended up doing nothing. There are also come sad looking bell peppers that need to get ripped out.

Is it too late to plant cover crops? Should I try a spot?

Seed Catalogue

When I said the catalogs were starting to arrive I was not kidding.



This year I am going to try a few new things. I am also going to try a some that didn't work for me but worked for some neighbors. I mean really, I can't grow squash? I see them growing by the side of the 101. Whatever.

We also cleared out a big section by the side door that I am going to plant edibles in. That is the south side of the house and gets a ton of sun. I have some natives I planted there but I am thinking of lining the border of the bed with basil and some other herbs. Perhaps I'll give corn another go. And I really need to get the artichokes out of my raised beds. They are space hogs. Right after they bloom I'll dig them up. How mean.

I hope all of you are making lots of soups and stews with all of your winter greens and herbs. Yum!

Today- Yard Work

Hi ya'll. I hope the holiday season is going perfectly for all of you. I did some traveling but am now back. Looks like it rained a lot while I was gone. Today the sun is out so i'll be doing some damage control outside.

Yesterday I made yummy veggie soup with lots of ingredients from the garden. Maybe my root veggies are ready for pickin' and we can roast some later.

Yay for the winter garden.

I'm sure your seed catalogs are starting to arrive. Get your choices ready for a January order.

Its A Carrot!

I finally grew one. We sliced it up and threw it in the salad.

So good.

The Big Harvest

We are getting really excited to have Thanksgiving at our house. I'm not making a turkey but you can be sure that we will be eating well. We are going to harvest our beets, carrots, and fennel. We will have lettuce for salad and I have even been picking tomatoes. So exciting.

Fall gardening is so much easier than summer. I think its just too hot for me to get it right. Maybe a few more years living in California and ill be able to grow something.