Cherry Time!

Dan and the kids spent much of the day outside picking cherries.

We went ahead and let the chickens and ducks out to clean up all the squished and icky ones from the ground.

Our harvest so far

Bean Teepee...

Another project we got done:)  I love this when its all filled in.  Planted with Chinese Red Noodle Beans...they are SOOO yummy...and Cosmos.

Sunflower House

Also got the Sunflower House started yesterday.  Dan added an actual door to it, mainly to help keep the rabbits out.  Lilah was not happy with it but I think once its all grown in the door will be a really cool addition.  If not, we can take it down.

Used Mongolian Giant, Mammoth, and Italian Greenheart Sunflowers, Stowell's Evergreen Corn, Scarlett Runner Beans, and Shasta Daisies this year.

Roof Top Gardening

For years now Dan has wanted to grow watermelons on the roof.  This year he did it.  We put out a call for old kiddie pools and used those as our planters.  Filled them with a light soil mix and placed them over interior walls.  Dan is hooking up an irrigation system to water them.

We have three containers up there....One is Moons and Stars Watermelons, another is Sugar Baby Watermelons...the third is Charenteis Melons.

And because I am me, I had him include some flowers, we used Love-In-A-Mist.

Whew!

The west vegetable garden is DONE!  (ok, mostly, still have a couple odds and ends to tuck in)

The border beds have perennials, trees, etc for the most part, so not too much to do there.  There are three apple trees and two pears...all espaliered along the fence.  Then we have asparagus, horseradish, and rhubarb.  Threw in some greens and carrots to finish it off.  And of course, the cherry tree is still in the middle.

The other front border bed is greens this year -
Josephs Coat Amaranth
Siamese Dragon Stir Fry
Cinnamon Lettuce
Slobolt Lettuce
Little Gem Lettuce
Rocky Top Lettuce Mix
Radish
Nasturtium

Bed 1
Yellow of Parma Onions
Daikon Radish
Nasturtium
Early Fortune Cucumber
Lemon Cucumber
Zucchini Rampicante
Zinnia Cut and Come Again

Bed 2
Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
Red Rubin Basil
Alyssum
Tarragon


Bed 3
Cream Sausage Tomatoes
Genovese Basil
Cleome
Pink Surprise Calendula

Bed 4
Purple Russian Tomatoes
Crookneck Squash
Lemon Squash
Globe Basil
Plum Radish
Borage
Cosmos Picotee

Bed 5
Cuor Di Bue Tomatoes
Genovese Basil
Zinnias
Marigolds

Bed 6
Opalka Tomatoes
Amish Paste Tomatoes
Borage
Violas

Bed 7
Chives
Celery
Catnip
Cilantro
Broccoli - early sprouting and Del Ciccio
Cauliflower - Violetta
Kale
Cosmos

Bed 8
Chocolate Strip Tomato
Henderson Pink Tomato
Orange Flesh Purple Smudge Tomatoes
Genovese Basil
Marigolds

Bed 9
Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Black Beauty Eggplant
Thai Yellow Eggplant
Ancho Pepper
Anaheim Peppers
Tequila Sunrise Pepper
Sweet Chocolate Peppers
Mini Red Bell Peppers
Sweet Yellow Stuffing Peppers
Zinnias
Cornflowers

Bed 10
Cayenne Peppers
Black Hungarian Peppers
Purple Jalapeno Peppers
Green Tomatillos
Purple Tomatillos
Nasturtiums

Bed 11
Bloomsdale Spinach
5 Color Silverbeet Chard
New Zealand Spinach
Mesclun Mix
Garlic
Radishes

Bed 12
Dragon Tongue Beans
Blue Lake Beans
Empress Beans
Royalty Purple Beans
Golden Wax Beans
Cosmos - Bright Lights
Lemon Gem Marigolds

Traditional Foods

So this topic is one I have been interested in and have researched off and on for years.  I just never seemed to work up the energy to take the plunge.  The energy is there now, but well, I am back on the HCG diet, so I cant eat any of it lol.  Instead I am spending my time doing, yes more research, and watching videos etc.  I am trying to get a good idea of a plan to implement all of this instead of just jumping in with both feet like I usually do and burning out or never starting at all.  I tend to do either extreme.

So, step 1 - Raw Milk
We have got raw milk in the past.  In fact we got it from the same place we bought a years worth of pastured chicken last year down in Cape.  During the summer, we visited the ILs enough that we were able to pick it up here and there, but that really hasn't been working since.  Well, Greenwood Farms, another local place, now delivers their raw milk to several local grocers as well as to a pick up spot where you can also pick up milk and cheese orders.  One of the locations is Freddie's in Webster....and I have an order in for a gallon to be picked up Wednesday.

Step 2 - Start making my own yogurt
I have a yogurt maker, never use it.  However, you can also use a cube dehydrator.  I am thinking of going this route as well as you can use them to make bigger batches of yogurt, dehydrate of course, rise bread dough, dry out sprouted grains, etc.

Step 3 -  Change the way I handle flour - soak it, sprout and grind it, or use sourdough
I would start this today, but I can't eat any bread or bread products for quite awhile...dont want to tempt myself!.  I am thinking a combo of all three would work best here.  Sourdough and soaking take a little more planning ahead which is not my forte.  Sprouted flour, while yes, would need to be planned ahead as well, I can make some up and put it in the freezer so it is ready for last minute baking.  Would need to get a grain mill though....

Step 4 - Start making water and milk kefir
This one I am totally excited about, but am making myself wait.  I am not totally sure we will actually like and drink too much of it so I am trying to start SLOOOOOOW.


The other thing I need to desperately implement is having stuff prepped and ready in the freezer.  Too easy to fall back on take-out on crazy days when the idea of cooking is just too much.

Seed Inventory 2011

Just finished going through all my seeds and ordering new that I needed.

Vegetables

Beans

Bush -

Tricolor

Golden Wax

Blue Lake

Royalty Purple Pod

Dragon Tongue

Empress

Pole -

Rattlesnake

Scarlett Runner

Chinese Noodle

Broccoli

Del Ciccio

Early Purple Sprouting

Cauliflower - Violetta Italia

Brussel Sprouts

Celery - Golden Boy

Cucumber

Lemon

Early Fortune

Corn - Stowell's Evergreen

Carrots

Amarillo

Cosmic Purple

Melon

Sugar Baby Watermelon

Charenteis

Leeks

Onions - yellow of Parma

Radish

Daikon

Purple Plum

Eggplant

Fairy Tale

Rosa Bianca

Black Beauty

Thai Yellow Egg

Tomatillo

Purple

Green

Peas

Blue Podded

Snow Sugar Ann

Golden Sweet

Dwarf Grey Sugar

Greens

Arugula

Corn Salad

Kale - Russian Red

Spinach - Bloomsdale

New Zealand Spinach

5 color silverbeet Chard

Mesclun Mix

Siamese Dragon Stir Fry Mix

Lettuce -

Summertime

Slobolt

Little Gem

De Morge Braun

Cimmaron

Rocky Top Mix

Peppers

Cayenne - Long thin

Sweet Chocolate

Anaheim

Tequila Sunrise

Sweet Yellow Stuffing

Mini Red Bell

Purple Jalapeno

Ancho

Black Hungarian

Tomatoes

Wayahead

Henderson's Pink

Orange Banana

Purple Russian

Egg Yolk

Cuor di Bue

Weeping Charley

Cherokee Purple

Opalka

Green Sausage

Red Zebra

Cream Sausage

Aunt Ruby's German Cherry

Amish Paste

Chocolate Stripes

Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge

Squash

Zucchino Rampicante

Lemon

Crookneck

Baby Blue Hubbard

Amish Pie

Sugar Pie

Spaghetti

Potatoes - La Ratte

Herbs

Basil -

Lettuce Leaf

Mammoth

Sweet Genovese

Red Rubin

Dark Opal

Globe

Mrs Burns Lemon

St John's Wort

Rue

Thyme

Tarragon - Russian

Parsley

Curly

Giant Italian

Cilantro

Lavender

True

Lady

Chives

Sage - garden culinary

Sweet Marjoram

Catnip

Bronze Fennel

Borage

Soapwort

Lemongrass

Chamomile, Roman

Dill - Bouquet

Feverfew

Hyssop

Flowers

Cosmos

Bright Lights

Picotee

Sensation Mix

Nasturtium

Black Velvet

Moonlight

Marigold

Tiger Eyes

Kilimanjaro White

Brocade Mix

Lemon Gem

Zinnia

Cut and Come Again

Profusion White

Bright Jewels Cactus

Lilliput Mix

Alyssum - carpet of snow

Calendula

mix

Pink Surprise

Sunflower

Mongolian Giant

Italian Green Heart

Hollyhocks

Black Currant Whirl

Queeny Lilac Rose

Nigra

Mystic Merlin Malva

Morning Glory

Star of Yelta

Grandpa Ott

Moonflower

Love in a Mist

Cleome

Impatiens

Safari Mix

Carousel

Wildflower Mix

Court Jester Chrysanthemum

Snapdragon - Black Prince

Cuphea Purple Passion

Petunia - Balcony

Coleus - Rainbow Mix

Coral Beauty

Nicotiana

Perfume Lime

Perfume Purple

Butterfly Weed

Shasta Daisy

Daisy - Fire and Ice

Dahlia - Bishops Children

Bergamont - Panorama Mix

Heliotrope - mini marine

Canterbury Bells

Joe Pye Weed

Portulaca

Foxglove - Giant Spotted Mix

Four o'clocks

Pansy - Historic Mix

Johnny Jump Ups

Yarrow - Summer Pastels

Amaranth