Filed under: Gardening
I got the rest of the kale seedlings out today. Some I planted some where the other seedlings had died. The rest went into beds in the back. One bed in particular gets midday shade in the summer. I am going to see how long I can keep the kale going in that bed – kind of a mini-experiment with kale permaculture.
I planted two of the beds in the front with alfalfa. Their soil needs some help and I think a cover crop will be very good for them. We have a good possibility of rain this week (Although I’ll believe it when I see it.), so hopefully all my little seedlings will get well established.
The garlic I planted a couple of weeks ago is starting to sprout. And some of the pea plants are starting to bloom, even though the plants haven’t reached full height. That’s probably due to the warm weather here. It has still been in the 80’s and high 70’s here. Really ridiculous for October. And a little scary.
Well, I got home from work Tuesday too late to water the seedlings I had planted this weekend. Last night, we were due for rain (at last!) so I held off. I should have watered. We got only a sprinkle of rain, and when I got home about half the new seedlings seemed withered. I’m so angry with myself. I watered them tonight, and hope for the best.
We still may get rain, but I learned a lesson. Unless it is actually raining, water your seedlings anyway.
This decides me on the transportation question, too. If I were even an hour later coming home, as I would be if I biked to the bus, I would never be able to tend my garden in the evening during the spring and the fall. I will look for work closer to home to reduce my consumption of gas. I really can’t afford five more hours away from home per week.
Filed under: Food
I ordered my cheesemaking supplies tonight. I should have enough different cultures to try a variety of cheeses. I’m really excited about trying this on my own. Once the cultures and other supplies come, I’ll pick up my milk.
A friend of mine went to North Carolina this weekend and brought me back a bushel of apples. We’re having applesauce tonight with dinner. I will freeze or dry most of the rest of the apples.
Still no rain. Georgia is considering water rationing now in some locations.
I finished planting the rest of the mustard greens and the collard greens this afternoon. All but one or two of the seedlings I planted last week are growing and doing well. I’ve been watering them with water saved from the shower. We are in a level 4 drought here, with outdoor watering being banned. Legally, we can still water personal food gardens from the hose, but I try to conserve water as much as I can and have only used fresh water very sparingly for our garden.
I planted some of the kale plants, but the rest will go in the back in a bed I haven’t quite finished preparing. I’m hoping that the kale plants I put in the back yard will last through next summer. It would be nice to have greens – besides Swiss chard – in the summer.
Two of the beds in the front yard are getting a rest this winter. I’ll be planting the alfalfa and clover mixture in them soon. We’ve also almost finished two new beds in the front yard. We will have six beds in the front yard in all. I think we might be able to squeeze in a couple more next spring, too. We’re mostly limited by the shade in the yard.
With luck, soon the only grass we have left in the front yard will be in the pathways between garden beds.
Filed under: Food
Today I went to a cheesemaking class given by a local community garden. It was loads of fun. I even got to milk a goat. And the cheeses we sampled were delicious.
One of the nicest parts of the day was getting to watch the goats in their pasture and see how happy and well cared for they were. One of them was even climbing up the inclined trunk of a dead tree. She seemed to like her vantage point over the rest of the herd.
Cheesemaking does not seem as hard as I thought it would be. I have a local source for the supplies – a company not 20 miles from here. And I believe I have located a source of local milk to use. This will be a good addition to our diet. And a good way to support local businesses.
Filed under: Gardening
Last week we had temperatures up into the high 80’s. This week we have lows into the 40’s. I think we will be getting about a week or two of fall this year between the endless summer and whatever winter will bring. Time to get some row covers to keep our greens alive longer.
Filed under: Gardening
All but one or two of the mustard greens seedlings are doing well. I watered the pepper and tomato plants for the first time in two weeks. They are bearing more now than they have all summer (Go figure.).
Well, we had a sprinkle of rain. Enough to wet down the kale leaves, but not enough to do much of anything else. And no more rain is predicted for the next several days. Time to research dryland farming, as I have a feeling that the watering restrictions in place will soon extend even to personal food gardens, like ours.
I’ve been buying the eggplant I eat at the local farmer’s market this year. I didn’t plant any in our garden because I’m the only one in the house who eats it. And I love it – eggplant Indian style, baba ganoush, eggplant salad. Last week I bought what will probably be the last eggplant I get this year. The only reason they are still in season is because it is so warm (Daytime temperatures are still in the 80’s here.).
Tonight I made eggplant salad. I roasted the eggplant Saturday when I had loaves of bread in the oven, and kept them in the refrigerator until I was ready to make the salad tonight. They are easier to peel when they are warm, as I found out tonight.
Here’s my recipe:
2 medium eggplant
1 smalll onion, or 1/2 medium onion
1 small red bell pepper (anaheim peppers work well in this recipe, too)
2 lemons
salt and pepper to taste
Roast the eggplants at 350 degrees until soft. Let cool (or keep in the refrigerator) and peel. Cut into small cubes and put in a bowl. Mash them about a bit with a potato masher or a fork. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice over the eggplant. This both adds flavor and keeps the eggplant from turning dark. If you have no lemons, you could use a few tablespoons of vineger, but the flavor will not be as bright.
Chop the onion and pepper into small pieces and combine with the eggplant. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like to sprinkle crushed red pepper over my eggplant salad, too, but that might be too spicy for some people.
You can eat this immediately if the eggplant were already cold, or let sit for a few hours. I find that it improves with sitting – the flavors start to really meld.
I might have to grow some eggplant next year after all. I wonder how drought resistant it is?
