I found a neat new tool at the Epicurious site: search by state and month, and find what's fresh in your area!
The tool keeps track of peak-season fruits and veggies for you, and even suggests recipes based on those foods.
Clever! I sure could have used this all summer.
Today I noticed two forlorn looking six packs of lettuce sitting in my garden. I bought them months ago with the intention of filling in some empty spots in my front yard. (I use edibles all throughout my landscape.) But alas, I totally forgot about them...probably because I always grow my lettuce from seed. I never buy it in six-packs.
Do you do this? Forget about plants until they either die or root right through the pot?
I catch myself doing this sometimes. I buy on impulse, set the plants where they will get some water and forget about them. I find them later, rooted through the pot, struggling to survive. Ugh!
This lettuce will not go to waste. It is well established in its little corner of the garden, so I am just going to harvest it from six pack -- tacky as that may be.
Okay guys!
We have been filming all week for Growing A Greener World!
Chef Nathan Lyon has been cooking up a storm in Joe Lamp'l's kitchen and we have filmed 20 cooking segments so far this week. Six more to go!
Yes, Nathan rocks!
He has made everything from Ribolita (Tuscan vegetable and bread soup) to chocolate lava cake.
Yes! I am serious!
All the recipes will be on the Growing A Greener World website when it is up and running.
How do we do this so fast? Focus, baby focus (and the fact that Nathan is a seasoned professional). We just put our nose to the grindstone and stay focused!!
I have been watching the action via Skype and all I can say is DANG! It is frustrating to not be able to taste this stuff all the way across the country here in Los Angeles!! (Especially the chocolate lava cake!)
You guys are going to LOVE this show!
Thank you to Mandee Tilley for the photo from the set.
Some of you may recall this conversation I had with my husband recently...
Husband: "What is this moldy baggie in the refrigerator? Can I throw it away?"
Me: "NO!!!! That is my bag of Shiitake mushroom plug spawn."
Husband: "Huh?"
Me: "It is a bag of wood sticks that are inoculated with Shiitake mushroom spores."
Husband: "Umm...what?"
Me: "I am going to pound them into a log, let them colonize the wood and sprout my own Shiitake mushrooms. I am keeping them in the refrigerator until I have the log ready. Plus, letting them sit a bit helps the spores multiply before I embed them into the log."
[Pause]
Me: "Why are you looking at me that way?"
Husband: "I'm just waiting for the alien life form to sprout from your body...Who are you and what have you done with my wife?"
----
Well, I wanted to update you on the mushroom growing project. I managed to plant those plugs!
I bought the plugs from Fungi Perfecti in the state of Washington. You can order plugs for Shiitake, Tree oyster and others. They also have counter top mushroom kits, books and other cool information.
To grow the Shiitake mushrooms in a log, you first need a hardwood log (with some exceptions). Oak, eucalyptus, and elm are good candidates. I used mostly oak. The logs need to be from live trees and must be cut 2 weeks to 6 months before using.
First, you drill two-inch deep holes (with a 5/16th inch drill bit) that are no more than four-inches apart.
Then, you hammer in the wooden plugs with a rubber mallet.
After plugging, the logs should be placed so that they are off the ground. They need steady moisture and low light. Then...you wait.
It takes 6-12 months for the mushrooms to colonize the wood. I'm waiting now and will keep you posted...See? No alien life forms involved!
Have you heard of this? It has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Gardeners who want more space to garden team up with people who have the yard space (but lack the time or skills to garden). The gardener provides the labor, the homeowner provides the land (and usually ends up helping too). They agree to split the crops.
The result? Both sides end up with baskets and baskets of edibles! It is a great idea. Everyone eats more local, wasted space is used efficiently and total strangers become garden buddies.
Yard sharing is especially popular in the Pacific Northwest. There are several groups in Seattle and Portland that help organize this concept and more groups are appearing all across the US.
Portland Yardsharing.org is one such group. Their mission is "to provide resources to our community that enable the creation of gardens with the sole purpose of generating fresh local food while cultivating healthy growing relationships in our neighborhoods."
But you don't have to join a group to make yard sharing happen for yourself. I have enjoyed reading about the yard share experiences of the Shibaguyz. When they were looking for more land to grow food on, they just posted an ad on a community blog. Within a few hours, they had over 30 offers! They picked four garden plots that fit their needs and their urban yard sharing adventure began.
It really is a simple idea that reaps such huge benefits. Many yard sharers are even growing rows to feed the hungry. Something to think about next spring...
A few weeks ago, I mentioned Canning Across America. That project is still going strong. In fact, it is becoming very obvious that canning is now becoming "COOL"
- Just look at this new "YES WE CAN" T-shirt you can buy online!
- If you do a #canning search on Twitter you will be hooked up with hundreds of canners across the world.
- Sites such as Homegrown.org have large canning/preserving sections and they are growing daily.
- And if you don't want to take my word for it, look at this article in the New York Times. The reporter took a canning class and is now a canning convert.
According to the article, people are canning for a variety of reasons, namely:
"The worst recession in decades and a trend toward healthier eating are inspiring many Americans to grow their own food. Now the harvest season is turning many of these gardeners into canners looking to stretch the bounty of the garden into the winter."
Ah yes, the whole growing your own food movement has indeed sparked a renewed food preservation movement. I love this! I have been canning and preserving my whole life and became a Certified Master Food Preserver way back in 1991. I am thrilled that others are wanting to join in the fun.
Come on everyone! Don't be intimidated! Home canned food captures the 'fresh-from-the-garden' flavors in a jar. And they make great holiday gifts!
What could be more appropriate than growing lettuce right in a kitchen colander?
I found this great salad garden by Kerry Michaels over at About.com.
It really is a simple process to recreate a similar "Salad-in-a-colander". Kerry Michaels gives all the details in the post. It is easy-peasy.
All you need is a a colander, some window screen and some seeds. I see old colanders all the time at garage sales. Time to pick up a few!
And wouldn't this be cute as a hanging pot?
