Around the garden--our KSA

For this week's Around the Garden post, I'd like to introduce you to our version of a CSA. We love the idea of community supported agriculture, but we grow too much of our own food to subscribe to a CSA ourselves. And we don't grow enough food to start one of our own. But this year, we've found a way to adapt the CSA concept to something in which we can participate.

We have a friend named Katie who likes home-grown vegetables but doesn't have her own garden. And we have a garden that produces just a bit more food than we can eat ourselves. So Katie and I got to talking, and realized we could help each other out. Thus, the KSA (Katie Supported Agriculture) was born. Each week, we harvest whatever veggies, herbs, (and sometimes eggs)  we have to spare and take a bag on over to Katie's place. In exchange, Katie gives us a share of her food buying budget.

This was last week's KSA share. Not bad, I'd say! So far, it's been a positive arrangement for everyone involved. Katie gets healthy, local, love-infused veggies (and the satisfaction of supporting our gardening habit), and we get a bit of cash to put toward garden expenses (and the satisfaction of helping to nourish our dear friend).

We're still very much in an experimental phase, but we've learned a lot already. Thanks Katie, for experimenting along with us!

In other garden news, there have been lots of lovely flowers blooming, perfect for birthday posies for neighbor friends.

And more bug sightings! I love walking around the garden with a camera, because I notice things I wouldn't notice if I hadn't been looking closely.

This isn't the greatest photo, but I wanted to post it just for the story it's telling. Do you see the spider?  She is crawling right toward the unfortunate aphid who flew into her web. I didn't stay for the outcome, but I found it so fascinating to witness the interaction of these common garden inhabitants. It's amazing what happens when one refrains from using pesticides. 

Happy growing to all!

Summer Reading

Today is a gray rainy day, and we have been hit by a summer cold, so it seems a good time to dive into some good books. Our library just started its summer reading program, so we have extra incentive to indulge our bookwormish tendencies. It's been a lot of fun watching how my daughter's understanding and enjoyment of these books has evolved since last year when we read them for the first time. 

The Gerda Muller seasonal books are wonderful, and our two year old loves Summer as much this year as she did last year. It's a board book with no words, just lovely pictures of children enjoying wholesome outdoor adventures. It makes for great conversation and story telling by children and adults alike.

And of course with the start of blueberry season, we checked out our favorite blueberry books. Peter in Blueberry Land was a bit too complex last year, but just perfect for an imaginative two year old who loves exploring the forest and garden.We still shorten up the story in Blueberries for Sal, but the general plot and pictures are much enjoyed by our little one.

Some other children's books we enjoy in the summer: 
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Kooney
Compost Stew, by Mary Mckenna Sidals
Feeding the Sheep, by Leda Schubert
Tillie Lays an Egg, by Terry Golson
Siesta, by Ginger Guy

Rhythm of the Home also has a wonderful summer book list.

In my own reading, I've been inspired by stories of hearty, resilient folk these days. My fourth grade teacher was an Oregon Trail history buff, and lately I've been revisiting my own fascination with the subject, hoping to deepen my elementary school understanding. On the recommendation of our librarian, I checked out Weldon Willis Rau's Surviving the Oregon Trail (a collection of the diaries of Mary Ann and Willis Boatman, and other travelers) and David Dary's the Oregon Trail: an American Saga. Dary's book places the phenomenon of the great migration West in a larger historical setting, and I've really enjoyed seeing it in this light. And I have to say, my own day to day challenges seem a lot less challenging after reading what these people endured!

For a more modern story of hard working people, I picked up The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball. This one kept me up reading way too late, just for the sheer pleasure of it. It's another "city girl meets country boy and a farm is born" story, but her writing is so engaging, and she keeps it real by relating the difficulty and sacrifice as well as the sublime reward of farming. (Beware vegetarians! These farmers raise and eat animals, and Kimball is not shy about describing the preparation of all manner of animal parts for consumption).

And you, what are you reading this summer?

Around the garden

Taking a peek around the garden with Farmama again this week...

I've been so interested in the diversity of bugs and insects and critters in the garden this year. Along with the standard aphids, slugs, and cabbage worms, I've also been finding dragon flies, spiders, all manner of bees...

 

...and lady bugs. (there's also an out-of-focus daddy long legs in that photo--another garden friend). At the start of spring, my potted spearmint was attacked by aphids. I had planned to dispose of it, thinking it was too far gone. But then I noticed a lady bug and decided to see what would happen.  Now, the mint is still alive (and thriving!) and the aphids are gone (or at least controlled).

I'm beginning to change my thinking about garden pests. I used to feel that I was at war with the aphids and slugs and myriad other creatures out to devour our precious plants. Slowly I am beginning to see that it's not so much a war as a delicate, complex balance. And my job is to nurture an environment that tips the scale ever so slightly in our favor, (or maybe, to do as little as possible to disturb the balance that already exists in nature).

The bit of warmth and sun we had on the solstice encouraged the heat loving plants to bloom and grow.

Poppies popped!

I am so pleased with these cheerful french marigolds that grew from seed I saved last year. My mother always saved marigold seeds, and it feels good to carry on the tradition. The tomatoes are growing well, too! (We need to get them staked or trellised...we want to try something other than cages this year, but not sure what).

The front yard peas are going crazy--so delightful to pick them as we walk up the front path.

Lavender is blooming! I can't wait to start using this lovely herb in all kinds of concoctions. I'm especially eager to try the Lavender Lemonade posted by Heather at Beauty that Moves. I'm hoping to make some herbal balms and salves and lotions and potions this summer, too. Any recommendations or favorite resources/books on this topic?

Happy farming and gardening!

Blueberry Season

When we returned from our trip on Monday, we found our first ripe blueberry. Thus begins the official start of blueberry season in our little corner of the world! Ah, the delight of biting into one of these sun-warmed, succulent, sweet-tart wonders. No one is more excited than our two year old.

Last year at this time, she learned the difference between green and blue, ripe and "not ready yet". This year, she is revisiting these concepts, and working on that most difficult skill--delaying gratification.

 It is sooo hard to wait for those plump round berries to turn blue...

And you will find her hunting intently for ripe berries every chance she gets.

We have four blueberry bushes--just enough for backyard snacking. When peaches and nectarines and plums come into season, they are delicious in a salad together with a bit of fresh mint. And when we get a chance to pick larger quantities at nearby farms (we like Sauvie Island Blueberry Farm) we bake them into muffins and pancakes and cobblers (and freeze up as many as we can for winter baked treats). My favorite blueberry muffin recipe comes from The Tassajara Recipe Book by Edward Espe Brown. It has lemon zest, banana, and buttermilk, and it is just perfect.

This time of year we also enjoy checking out our favorite blueberry books from the library--
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, and Peter in Blueberry Land by Elsa Beskow.

Do you have a blueberry season in your neck of the woods? How do you celebrate?

Solstice greetings

 In honor of this longest day, and of the life-giving sun,
a bit from St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun...


Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, 
especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; 
and you give light through him. 
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! 
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.


 Solstice blessings of light and life to all of you!

Weekend Gratitude

This weekend we took a trip to Central Oregon--my homeland. It's been nearly two years since we've made the trek, and oh was it good for my soul. Good to connect with family and friends, and with the place itself. The fresh air, the high altitude, the big blue skies, the clean streams, the scent of pine and sage and juniper, the high desert flora and fauna.

Feeling grateful for...

...the gracious farmers Jim and Debbie at Fields Farm who took time to show us their endeavors to grow food for Central Oregonians in a high desert climate (cold, dry, and sandy), and to answer our many questions.

...the sight of my daughter walking through the same meadow and aspen grove I learned to love as a child

...the sound of those aspen leaves rustling in the breeze, and the low coo of the mourning dove

...road trips over mountain passes with John Denver on the stereo (and only a little protesting from the toddler!)

...coming home to good neighbors and a garden suddenly taller, lusher, and full of veggies to harvest.

...hard working fathers--Happy Father's day (belated)!

Around the garden

Time for our weekly survey of the garden--thanks to Farmama for the tradition!

These poor ladies, all cooped up in their coop. Hopefully we'll be able to let them out to roam the garden soon, when the tender seedlings grow a bit more sturdy. In the mean time they get healthy supplements of weeds and slugs.

First strawberries this week! All gobbled up by the toddler before they make it to the house.

The peppers were the last of the seedlings to get planted out. So late this year, and it's still just cool and wet and dreary.

First nasturtiums. They reseed themselves and spring up every year around our front walkway. A cheerful welcome.

Poppies are about to pop!

And now for this dreadful eyesore. We discovered leaf miner eggs on our beets and chard this week, so decided to try covering them with an insect barrier fabric. I was resistant to allowing such an ugly unnatural abomination into the garden, but after tasting our first delectable beets yesterday, I decided it was worth it. The leaf miners destroyed our beets and chard last year, and nothing we tried to control them worked. So we found this row cover material at Johnny's Seeds--it's called Agribon--you can see it here. It's an experiment, and it's ugly, but if it means we get to eat home grown beets and chart this year, I'll take it! Anyone have experience with row covers in small home gardens?

This week brought several tasty additions to our meals--garlic scapes (first time I've ever tried them--yum!) sauted with pasta and scrambled with eggs, rhubarb in sauce and muffins, beets in Luscious Beet Salad from my favorite cookbook Feeding the Whole Family--such a delicious recipe! Not to mention all the fresh herbs--cilantro, sage, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary...such a delight to have these plants growing out the back door.

Happy gardening!

Summer capris (aka hobbit pants)

Time for more toddler pants! Sometimes it seems they're the only thing I sew. They do have a way of working up to the top of the to-do list simply by necessity, as store-bought pants never seem to fit my little one. It also seems that most of the shorts out there these days are very short, and don't provide any coverage for sun protection or knee-scrapes.

So I made up these hobbit length pants for our little curly headed kiddo who, when wearing said pants, appears to have just walked out of the shire.

I used the same Quick Change Trousers pattern from Anna Maria Horner that I've used for every pair of pants since I bought her book. Instead of making them reversible, I just used one layer. The double layer of the reversible pants is a little heavy for warm summer days (warm summer days, where are you?) I also left out the back yoke for simplicity's sake, and shortened them up for beach walks and breeziness.

I also tried my hand at front pockets for the first time. I used this great tutorial from Dana at Made. I altered the pocket pattern to make it small enough for the amount of fabric I had left. The fabric for the blue pants is the remainder of a piece I found at Scrap, and the khakis are from a thrifted pillow case. She had a smaller pair from the matching pillow case last summer, and they were her most worn pants. They matched everything, hid the dirt, and were light and airy and soft and comfy. There are so many patterns out there for pillow case dresses, but they work great for little pants too. If you cut them right, you don't even have to hem them!

Summer days, we're ready for you!

Soothing Nap Tea

A few years ago, I naively bought one little German chamomile plant, and one little lemon balm and planted them in the backyard. They would be nice herbal additions to my garden, I thought. This was before I realized their vigor and fecundity. Every year since then, these nice little herbs have spread their seed throughout the garden, establishing themselves as forces to be reckoned with--cheerful and sweet-smelling forces at that.

 

Lately I've been trying to replace my coffee and cookie nap time snack with something more healthful and soothing. I had been wanting to make tea from the backyard herbs but wasn't really sure how to go about it.

One day when I was out surveying the garden, I plucked a sprig of lemon balm and a few chamomile blossoms.  

I came inside and put on a pot of water to boil, covered the herbs with the water, and let them steep for a few minutes.  

And that was all! Fresh delicious herbal tea, reviving and calming both.  Since then I've made it in the evening, too, and my husband has started requesting it. Both lemon balm and chamomile are traditionally held to be calming for the nervous system and digestion--a helpful quality for frazzled mothers (and fathers) of toddlers.

When thinking about the effect herbs have on us humans, I like to observe the qualities of the plants themselves. It's encouraging to see how chamomile and lemon balm, with their subtle and soothing traits, are so hearty and profuse in their growth habits. We think of peace and calm as being passive and weak, but these herbs are strong and assertive. And I like to think that as they work in our bodies, they bring that strength as well as the calm--a strong peace that won't be easily shaken by the day's worries and stress. 

Wishing you peace and strength today!

Weekend Finds

It's been a lucky weekend...

...for I found

~ a fabulous stash of fabric scraps (in a cool jar) plus those four wonderful books and a few other treasures that wouldn't fit in the picture...all for a pittance at a generous crafter's yard sale

~some early morning peace and light on a solo walk through the park

~enough sunshine in these partly sunny skies to dry the sheets on the line and share a meal or two outside

~and a few unhurried moments to sit and reflect on it all.

Wishing you a bit of luck in the days ahead...

Around the garden

Joining in again this week with Farmama for a walk around the garden...

 Aren't these garlic scapes fascinating? This is our first year growing garlic, so this phenomenon is new to me. So elegant, like swans.

 The carrots are growing slowly but surely. These are Bolero, from Territorial Seeds. We tried some Scarlet Nantes, too, but their germination was very poor.

 We got the twine up for the bean teepee.

 More irises blooming, and several of these little critters (anybody know what they are? I need to do some research)

 First peas popping out!

 Sunny yarrow is blooming.

And the delicate but hearty rock rose just started blooming this week, too.

Happy gardening, everyone!