All natural shake powder

Ok don’t get me wrong, I like the taste of slimfast after I add fruits, and sometimes veggies to it, but I don’t absolutely love the ingredients list on the back of the can.

I like knowing what is going into my meals and where that food came from. Sadly slimfast had been the only meal replacement drink that had agreed with me of all the ones I had tried. I tried quite a few natural ones. I think they had too many added vitamins or something because I would always feel really horrible after drinking them.

So I went on a quest to make my own. I did a bunch of research and found I had everything but the chia seeds.

My slimfast shakes were normally around 150 calories because I would use less fruit and lower calorie nut milk like unsweetened vanilla almond or almond coconut milk.

I did not want to up the calorie intake from shakes due to the fact that I usually eat something small every 2 hours in addition to a shake/smoothie in the morning and one at night before bed.

Slimfast, the powder alone, is 110 calories. I decided I would throw everything together and then hope it came out to that or less, so I might add more fresh fruits to the mix.

Now I did not want to add powdered fruit, as I already put fruit in my shakes, I felt it would take away from the texture if everything was powder. I did however, really like the idea of getting more veggies into my shakes. Lately it has just been a handful or two of spinach when it fits the flavor.

So here is what I came up with:


The mix I concocted includes oats, chia seeds, beets, yams, pumpkin, carrot, a green goodness powder mixture (there are like 9+ ingredients in it and I can’t find the list. You can get it at the Herb Pantry though)
I made 13 servings worth of this mix. Each scoop is 2tbsp and is approx. 21 calories (yes, you heard me)

Now this does mean each serving is also only .75g of protein, but I am ok with that, since once I add a banana to the mix, that bumps up the protein to about 2g, which is what slimfast has.

I really like this mix because it is really versatile.
I could add carob or chocolate powder.
I could add nut butters for added protein. (I don’t want the extra protein unless I need it at the time)
I could add spices like cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, etc..
I could add powdered honey
I could add green tea powder, other tea powders, flax seeds, etc.. The possibilities are really endless.

Now they have this pbx powder stuff that looks interesting, but since peanuts are the worst nuts for you comparably, I decided not to get any of it.

Almond flour would be good to add if you do not already use almond milk in your shake.

I made my shake today with a whole banana instead of half, blueberries, yogurt, and almond coconut milk. It ended up being about the same amount of calories as my slimfast shakes would have been, but with more goodness.

Now the texture is going to be different of course, but I honestly did not mind it at all. Anyone who has put powdered oats in their shake will know what I am talking about. The flavor is great and did not taste like leafy greens at all really. You don’t taste the beets, only the light sweetness.

I am honestly quite happy with how this little experiment turned out. Now I just need to come up with a neat name for it instead of just calling it my shake mix.

I would like to note that I did opt out of adding a soy, whey, or hemp protein powder intentionally. While I could easily get my hands on any one of those, after reading up on the pros and cons of them, I felt it best to leave them out. Now pea protein is one that was interesting to me after reading about it, and I might try that one in the future (probably from sprouting, dehydrating, and powdering my own peas) I will update you on that if I do decide to try it.

For those who wish to try making this mix, here is the recipe I used:


Oats I used 1/2c of the normal quick one min oats. Powdered it came out to 14Tbsp.
Chai seeds I used 1/8c which came out to 6Tbsp + 1tsp.
Green powder mix I used 1Tbsp + 1tsp
Pumpkin powder 1Tbsp
Yam (about 1/8 of a yam) powder 1Tbsp
Carrot powder 1Tbsp (I cannot recall how many carrots this was dehydrated, but not many, like 1-3)
Beet powder 2Tbsp (about 1 beet)

I did dehydrate all the veggies myself except for the green powder. Eventually once my garden is growing again, I will be dehydrating more greens to make my own green powder mix.

I also want to mention how inexpensive this is to make 13 servings compared to spending $7 per 14 servings for slimfast. If you use the $15+ mixes, this will be an even greater savings. I have not yet done the price breakdown, but you can see from the above, it does not take much.
The bag of chia seeds I got for like $6 I could make like 18 batches of the above with, and it is the smaller bag… Oats are cheap to buy, as is everything else on the list. Just something you might want to know is all.

Let me know if you try it and your thoughts on it. I want to know what awesome things you add to your shakes!

Creating my 2015 homesteading goals

I am hard at work the past two days creating my homesteading goals for 2015. I had a good portion of them written down, but many more I needed to add.

I also decided I needed to organize the list a little more so it had categories, as well as for each “goal” it would detail the cost, effort, desired season, and if it was at the top of the list of importance or if it was just something I would desire to do this year, and OK if it ended up being put off till next year.

I have 10 pages written so far, and I fear much more will be added to the list… There are so many things I wish to put on the list but KNOW will not happen this year, so there is no point in even writing it on the list for 2015.
I know the first year is the hardest one to organize, plan out, reach those goals, but I am looking forward to it.

I also really like making lists…

I should also keep in mind this is 10 pages of goals relating to urban homesteading, so I have a lot of other “to do” or “goals” lists that are not related, or possibly related.

This homesteading goals list will also have sub-lists, especially for the medicine making portions, as I do not feel like putting in tons of lines. I will just make a separate list for the ones I know I want to make, so I can mark what I got to, and then add to it the ones I made but did not plan to make.

Right now my categories are as follows:
The ground
The garden
The seeds
Projects
Blogging, writing, and paper projects
Community immersion
Inside the home
Skills to learn

Once I feel content with it (hopefully here soon) I will post it up so you can see what I have on my list and how I laid it out.

Anything I do not accomplish this year from the list will either be scrapped altogether or moved to next years list.

Making plans for a food forest

There are so many design ideas, growing methods, and outdoor/indoor homesteading projects I wish to implement on my little urban homestead.

Food forests, permaculture, guild planting, espalier, intercropping, succession planting, hugelkultur, raised beds, wicking beds, vertical gardening, container gardens, lasagna method,  forest gardening, and the list keeps growing…. Learning how to implement many design and gardening methods together is one that constantly has my gears spinning in my head.

These get broken down even further when you go into what materials to use for a raised bed, etc.

Add to all of that the various seed starting, transplanting, grafting, rooting methods and it gets more interesting.

There are just so many wonderful, inspired ideas out there; I want to use them all haha.

I have some older folded sod near the plum tree in my yard. I am considering using it to try my hand at hugelkultur. That one is a newer study subject for me. I think this method and the lasagna method are similar in the sense that you can do this on top of your lawn if you wanted *from what I have seen thus far at least* though the raised hugelkultur bed might be a better option depending on the materials at hand.

Recently we picked up a 100ft tape measure for $15 that is a bit more flexible and durable than others we have found.
Soon we will be getting the dimensions of yard and actually drawing it out on graphing paper.

I also picked up a Utilitech grow light at Lowes for about $15. I am sure it is not fantastic, but it was more affordable for the time being. I am going to test out this one, and if it does well, I will probably need 1-2 more before Spring.
We decided I would use the metal shelving unit I have outside in the garden for my grow station this year to save on buying a less than desirable one this year.

Today I have also been focused on organizing a list for a food forest. I have listed out things I want and have under different categories for the food forest; The categories are: Canopy, understory, vines, shrubs, herbs, groundcover, root crops, edge plants.

By putting the different plants under each category *some in more than one* it allows me to get a better mental layout by thinking in layers. From that I will then break it down further into seasons *for starting seeds indoors/outdoors/transplanting*, areas of the garden, growing methods, succession plantings, what is permanent and what needs replanting, etc.

I want to get a map out of what I would like my urban homestead to look like in the end, and then alter the plans for what I can do with it now, with what I have currently.

I know a food forest is not much of a “forest” on .18 of an acre, but I still think of it that way.

There is a lot I need to consider with my design. It is both fun and daunting. I am sure things will start moving more once the areas are measured and accounted for. This is probably a lot harder for me right now as this is my first time mapping out a food forest landscape without any experienced help aside from online blogs, videos, articles.. Once I get it down the first time it will be much easier, or so I hope.

Reflection of this year

It is amazing how much can change during the course of a year. This past year has been full of major changes for my family.

We got completely out of debt during the first part of the year (Earlier than expected I might add)

We both bought used cars that were a much better upgrade from the ones that needed a whole lot of work. One of which I managed to get for half what it was worth, because I am awesome like that ^_^

We bought our first house

I had my first garden that was not confined to just container gardening

We learned how to remodel aspects of our kitchen and paint large rooms

We learned what happens when the drywall is too thin (Kitchen cabinet falls down.. Though it would have whether we had moved them or not due to the walls)

My husband learned more about electrical wiring

We got to experience our first winter in our new home, and also learn what it is like to have all electrical heating (We will most likely be getting a gas line run to the house eventually to help solve that little problem)

We learned what weather stripping is and why windows need to be covered during the winter

We both got tablets this year, which has helped with a lot of other aspects of our lives.

Things with both of our jobs changed a lot. My husband used to be sent home a lot due to various reasons, which was not exactly wanted. His position has slightly changed and now they do not furlough him as often.
I went part time at my job at the end of this year.


My brother who lives with us has become fully independent, and it is interesting to watch how each individual starts their adult life with all the responsibilities it comes with.

We decided to make an Urban Homestead a reality when we were searching for a home this year, which was a major decision, since we passed up a lot of places due to most not having any yard space to speak of.

I started seeing someone for my anxiety and depression.

Had my first wisdom tooth extraction.

We put up our first painting. Previously we did not decorate much. It did not feel permanent enough to hang anything. I leaned a painting against the mantle of our old place but that was it. This year is the first year we actually felt something was ours and we should decorate it. That sounds like a small thing, but really it was a bigger deal than you might imagine.

We are both constantly learning new things and creating new projects. This is just some of the more prominent things that happened this year. I think life needs balance. I do not ever expect my year to be only filled with good things. We learn from both our successes and our failures. It will be interesting to see how many things we shall learn and accomplish in the coming year.

Garden planning, soil, and compost

I am fearing the garden planning and layout process. In the past I was the typical gardener that would plant wherever it felt right, and sometimes come home with more plants than I could find space for.

While I will not be planting every type of seed I have this year, I will need to actually go through and make a list of what I will plant, when, what to plant after that, and make sure not to plant the wrong combination of plants at one time that would cross pollinate to plan for proper seed saving.

My brother and husband have offered to help me measure the yard space, and then help sketch out the layout. Numbers and I have a love hate relationship… I am sure it is something I could not do so easily on my own and I am happy for the help.

This will be the first time I have designed a garden layout as well. I will most likely map out the full yard, and then start planting on just the slope area to start.

Worst case scenario, I have to stick to just the slope, and plan out as best I can as I go.

My biggest concern is making some kind of stair steps for the slope in certain areas where the ground is quite steep. I have slid down the slope many times due to poor footing or loose dirt.

Another thing I am trying to do is make a list of all the garden projects I am considering. That way if I end up with the right materials at random, I can reference my list, and know what project it should go to.

I will have to narrow down the list of projects, such as if I want a fire pit, solar oven/dehydrator, rocket stove, pizza oven, outdoor canning stove, etc.. Because having all of those is unneeded and would take up a lot of space. I could also combine some ideas into one unique one.

One project I am working out is my seed starting shelves. Part of my urban homesteading quest is to try and find ways to do things for little to no cost. I feel a garden should not cost an arm and a leg. Even if I had a lot of money, which I do not, but if I did, I would still go about it this way.

Right now I am trying to see if building the shelves would be more cost efficient or if I could find low cost or free shelving that would work for that purpose. I am also looking into where to find good lights that don’t cost an arm and a leg. So far Aquarium lights seem to be the best option with the lowest price. I am still researching though.

This is the first time I have lived in a home with all electric heat. Our heating bill last month was $81, and this month was just shy of $200… I am used to a much lower bill due to having gas heat. This unexpected rise in our electric bill does mean the budget for the garden will be tighter unless something changes.

We are looking into what it would take to get gas ran up to the house and convert to gas heating. We have a wood burning stove out in the shop that used to be in our house, but we aren’t sure what it would take to hook it back up, costs involved, and if our insurance would be ok with it. Previously our insurance company had made a remark about the stove. I don’t think we could have gone through them had it been hooked up, but I do plan to ask them. Downside of course is if we did go with a wood stove, we would have to store a large amount of wood… Using up garden space, and I do hear there are some pretty poor suppliers for wood here locally. Still, we are looking into various options, since even with level budget pay becoming an option around April, the bill will still be quite high due to Winter usage.  Next month they expect the bill to be $225. I only mention this all because this is apart of starting a urban homestead. You have to account for unexpected rising bills and change plans accordingly.

I think we will also be trying the bubble wrap trick with the windows to help with the escaping heat in the house. I hear it works quite well.

Other things I will need to tackle are the bug and soil issue. Pill bugs, earwigs, box elder bugs, and ants are a big problem I hope to naturally get rid of before it becomes as big of an issue. I was not able to harvest one ear of corn this year due to infestation.

The soil needs a lot of nutrients added. I am sure the soil and bug combination made for slow growing plants. I am not sure if my compost will be ready in time but I will at least have mulch, coffee grounds, egg shells, and I will most likely pick up some compost tea. If I can get my hands on some manure from friends who have cows, horses, or chickens, I will add that to the compost pile to age. I really do hope to turn my soil into something people tend to call black gold.

I am very new to composting and I find I am not always able to turn the pile by hand every day. If I had a tumbler (Which I am considering making at some point) It might be easier to do before work. I like the idea of layering it and leaving it, but I don’t always have enough of one thing to make each layer. I am still trying to understand how that would work. Maybe I will get lucky and having neglected my compost pile will be fine.. One can hope.

Thankfully with the big silver maple tree I have, leaf mulch will not be a problem. I didn’t rake the yard this year either.

Being that the snow hit us randomly with over 7inches, I also didn’t get a chance to cover my grape vines in time, so I am hoping they will be ok. I do plan to plant those in the ground in the coming year.

Tending to the garden

We all know gardening is both a joy and hard work. One thing that I have struggled with lately is getting my garden watered properly while I have been sick with a cold.
My husband will help me water it from time to time, but not always.

Since the hose burst, it has to be done by hand, which means many trips to the spigot. It is a bit harder on my body while I am not feeling well than using a hose would be. Being so close to the end of the season, I had decided not to buy a new hose until next year.

I am still watering my garden, just not as often as I would like. I had hoped the rainy days would continue but of course during this time the temperature decided to heat back up again.

I would have put wine bottles into the ground but the water would have dried up within a day I am sure, and I would not have been able to refill them so easily without the bottom being cut off. Usually it is a battle of spraying the dirt out of the neck before refilling. Seems like more of a hassle to refill bottles that are not cut, than watering the garden by hand.

Sadly I do not have a self watering system in place for my current garden, but I do hope to implement one next year if possible. Doing so with a larger garden would make things a lot easier. Even if only part of it  is self watering through watering wells, pots, etc, it would help take off the load.

I have a sprinkler system in my back yard, though it does not reach the slope. I do not see a drip system being possible for next years plans so I am coming up with other ideas like wicking beds and such.

Some of the tomato plants look a little wilted but are otherwise fine. I see a little acorn squash growing, though no others for pumpkin or butternut yet. The zucchinis are doing great. Most of the beets are growing wonderfully. Peas/beans are flowering.
All in all my garden is doing just fine despite lack of the proper watering.

I have still been able to water my indoor plants. My ginger is really taking off. Lettuce seems a bit hard to grow indoors. I wonder if the temperatures fluctuate too much for the little lettuce heads. Either the heads die off or start to bolt. I think it just gets too warm and our AC unit has problems keeping the place cool even with the fans going.

Watercress has died off but I do believe I was able to get a few seeds that will hopefully germinate later.

I started a mushroom growing experiment. I took the stems of two types of mushrooms, button and the brown topped ones I can never remember the names of, and put them in some moist soil. I have them in my crafting room on the windowsill in 2 liter plastic bottles with a big hole in them.

They appear to be decomposing, which I am not sure if that is part of the re-growing process or if this is a failed experiment. I read somewhere that you could grow them that way but I am not so sure as of yet.
I wanted to try growing shiitake mushrooms but those are hard wood mushrooms I believe, which means they grow on decomposing logs, not in soil.

In any rate if it does not work I will most likely get a mushroom growing kit in the future.

As for the outdoor garden area, I will give it lots of love via coffee, tea, and other yummy things as a thanks for their patience with me while I am ill. I have already put a little coffee out there for the squash.

Whenever I make coffee I make just a little extra that goes into a cup that I put into my garden later. I also save the grounds as well as you already know.

Thankfully even with as bad as I have felt with this cold, I can tell it will not last as long as others have. A testament to what good herbal remedies can do for ones body.

Yearly groceries and planning

I have been reading a lot of homesteading blogs today. I enjoy passing the time reading others adventures.

One particular subject I have been meaning to get on a little more is grocery shopping, the larder, food pantry, freezer, etc plans.

This subject is a bit of a chore for me because it means I have to do a lot of tracking, and find a way to do it where the other two in my family don’t throw me off my numbers. I am still thinking of a good method for this… The best I have so far is keeping a list, and then adding a tally (with an amount) for each time I buy a product during the year. At the end I look through the house to see what I have left and subtract that amount if it is anything substantial (as I like to over estimate rather than underestimate what I will need)

Out of that very long list of items I will also list what I can grow of those, how much of it I will need to grow, and how many cans/bags I would need to produce from said crop per person.

Each year I will put down what I have growing and if it is under, over, or right at what it needs to be for preserving.

Of course this list will change each year as our tastes do. I am sure what we eat in fruits and veggies now will greatly grow once we can have it fresh on the table during the harvest seasons.

We may eat more of something in the future because I can grow it, than we would if we were to buy it in a fruit stand or store. Artichoke is a good example of one veggie we all love but never really buy due to increasing prices.
I absolutely love steamed artichoke with Italian dressing to dip the leaves and heart in. I also hate the canned stuff because it is not usually cooked quite to my liking and doesn’t come out right.
Growing my own will solve that.

Everyone is going to use different things and different amounts. When someone thinks of a larder, or prepping for a year of food, one usually thinks of beans, rice, etc… And while we eat those things, we normally do not base our whole diet off of those. You need to base your pantry goods off of what you actually use, not just that but also how much you actually use. No need to buy 50lbs of beans if your family only uses 10lbs or less a year… That is just a random number for an example. I see people that buy a LOT of rice, when they only need maybe a small few bags a year.

The idea for me is that I will need to go through a multi-step process that may take a few years to get down. One at the very least.
First step is to go through my pantry and write down everything I have just to start the “what do we use” list
   Each time we go shopping I mark down new items with amounts, or add amounts to items already on the list.
   I would also like to add how much those items were so I can get a yearly grocery expense ballpark.
   I will then have my “currently growing” and “To grow” list. Based on the grocery list I can at least have a guess on how much of something I will need to grow and adjust accordingly.

Also I would like to make a “Thinks we would like to use, but don’t use much of, or do not presently use” list to see how I can incorporate new food items in the mix.

I may not go this particular route as I do not go shopping once a week, but something like what this blogger has posted about is a brilliant idea.  Click the link below to see how another blogger created their food pantry.
Food storage for people who don't hate food

There are some great charts on that site that give you a good idea on how to create your own list.

I keep seeing these “Eat from the larder challenge” Where basically for a month you are not allowed to eat anything except from what is already in your pantry/fridge/freezer.
People tend to eat out or shop so often that they end up with things in their pantry that they do not even remember when they bought it at times. I think the reason is that they end up with random cans of pumpkin, or boxes of noodles they don’t know what to do with. Random ingredients that are missing others to make something.
I think by building up your food storage, you have a well rounded pantry, freezer, fridge, and will be better able to cook more meals, and get creative with ingredients without it being an awkward mix.

What I mean is it is fun to experiment with random recipes whenever your heart fancies. It is not always fun when you have to try and throw random things together that are only passible by the taste buds as being ok for a one time meal.

I also think that if one was to do something like this they might bake more, eat healthier *depending on items they stocked up on of course* and can have more food groups to their diet.

I remember as a kid we literally had all the food groups at every meal like a good old fashioned home cooked meal would be imagined. You had your potatoes, your roll, your peaches, meat, veggie… It was much too large of a serving size back then, but people didn’t really know as much about portioning as they do now.

Nowadays I notice people are lucky if they have more than two food groups a day even, let alone a meal. That is not to say I think all food groups need to be there in every meal, but you should be getting enough servings of each food group for your bodies needs.

My problem with people today is laziness. People would rather pop a hot pocket in the microwave than cook something.
My brother and I have this argument all the time actually. He argues that he loves to cook, but all I ever see him do is use the microwave, yet he cooks at his friends houses all the time. I have been trying to get him to eat healthier meals and cook more here for ages. Heck, I have made healthier food accessible that is not even time intensive, or pre-prepared for him. Usually he only eats it if I make dinner for everyone.
  He finally told me it was because some of his friends families had a LOT of really random fresh ingredients which provided a better variety. He doesn’t really like to cook normal foods… He likes to play master chef and create new yummy food concoctions, some of which I love, others you couldn’t pay me to try haha.

While I admire his ambition and love for experiments, I doubt that he will do much more than basic cooking here. This is another reason why my freezer meal idea will be awesome once I can implement it further *As in fix the chest freezer* When I froze big batches of my home made chicken veggie soup he absolutely loved that. I will have to do that again soon as the weather cools.

What he said made sense to me, though I still frowned at him due to having things to cook, just not quite the variety that a Mex-Asian family who is traditional on both sides would have. Food is a very big part of both of those cultures.  I have been amazed at some of the meals he has told me he has had over there. I don’t usually shop for some of the more exotic ingredients they use.

I do think getting a rice cooker and a bread maker will entice my brother a bit though. He has mentioned those being handy on more than a few occasions.

At least I don’t have to force him to eat veggies.

My husband on the other hand is really picky about what veggies need to be cooked to what texture… He will not eat anything but raw when it comes to carrots. If they are cooked he won’t eat them. A few other veggies are like that for him. These things I have to take into consideration when cooking.

Considering what you eat raw, cooked, dried, fresh, frozen, the meals you like, how you like them prepared *baked, fried, etc* and doing a little meal planning in addition to just knowing how much of something you use might be useful when building up your larder. 

For me having options is both good and bad. Like loving ice cream but then going into baskin-robins and not knowing which of the 31 flavors you want so you sit on the floor for hours not sure what to pick. Well, for me it is the floor of the kitchen with my fridge door open every couple of minutes in hopes of deciding. I can be very indecisive.

Another great thing about doing this is you aren’t just doing it for quick meals, but also for cooking. For instance, I could put down that we can eat up to 4 granola bars during working days *20 days a month* for the year, equaling out to 80 bars a month or 960 a year (Yes that sounds like a hell of a lot of bars, but we really love them, and they make great work snacks) OR I could put down how much oats I need, honey, and all the other random ingredients I would need to make my own batches of granola bars.
  Not only would they be fun to make, it would save money, and be another way I could utilize the list.
    I don’t think we really eat quite that many, but for me I usually eat 1-2 a day. I only assume the same goes for the hubby for my estimation.
   Now if I make my own bars I have to take into account what kinds I will be making. I also think there is a great benefit in knowing what goes into making your food, as well as there are so many bars I go “You know I wish they would have added X to this bar… or why can’t I find a bar that tastes like X when I am craving it” So cooking has many benefits to it really.

I won’t go into the whole long rant about how most of our newer generation doesn’t know or care to know how to cook. That is an overgeneralization based on my own experiences and the ones I hear from others. I feel cooking is an essential skill everyone should know and I will leave it at that.

For now I am making a list (Not close enough to Christmas to make that joke)
It may take awhile to get the hang of it but I think it will be worth the effort later, especially since making a list on the fly or during breaks at work is not exactly easy.

I think the next challenge will be to add shelving for more canned and dried food storage.

Gardening and baby humming birds

This is what I have in my kitchen near my espresso machine. I have an open container to store coffee grounds in as I use them, and a old ziplock lunchbag that I put dried used tea leaves in. It is not a lot right now, but over time it will be very useful.



I have also started saving eggshells again that I will later grind up.


My little kitchen garden is doing fantastic. Avocado tree, ginger, bok choy, watercress, onion, and romaine. All but the watercress were propagated from fruit stand or grocery store scraps.


This yellow crookneck is getting so big! Now everything I read says to harvest when the skin is still soft… But mine has never really been soft, so to be honest I am not sure when it needs to be harvested. I will most likely be picking it tomorrow after getting some feedback.


The beginnings of my compost pile! The boys mowed the grass and piled it up for me on top of a box that is laid flat. It towers closer to 4 ft tall… I will most likely be scattering it a bit more as I add more things to the pike so the pile is not too high.


Look at these two incredibly cute baby hummingbirds! They are quite the delight to have on the little urban homestead.

Look at those beans grow! I love vined plants. Now if only the bugs would stop chewing on the leaves I would be happy.
Beets are all sprouting up as well though it is too bright to get a photo of that until they are larger.
Carrots are not looking promising. I think the bugs may have gotten to the seeds. We shall see.

Being that I am pagan I wanted to go into a little more depth as to why I have been posting about fertilizer so much. For me, it is respectful to give offerings to the Gods, and the spirits of the land. In my past garden this was usually done by putting out seed for the wild animals to eat. I do not want the seed I have to sprout here as I did in the last house, so I have not put seed out until I can get the non-sprouting kind.
My bird can be a semi picky eater and I would put out what was not eaten. Waste not basically.

To me fertilizing and nourishing the plants is also an offering. A  show that I am here to care for the plants, for the land, and to be a steward. I am giving back to the earth and helping it grow healthy just as it helps me.

Now while I do give offerings other than this, I do feel that the act of taking care of your garden, the act of making your own fertilizer, and showing dedication to your plants is something that speaks volumes to the genius loci. The spirits of the land.
I help them and they help me. It is a working relationship. As I get to know my new land better, they will get to know me and may even teach me a thing or two about the secrets of the land.

I work with them rather than against them. I very much enjoy getting to know the plant spirits, animal spirits, and in general the local spirits as I enter a new territory. There is so much one can learn if only they are willing to listen and be patient.

The grand old silver maple in my yard has to have the most personality of all my trees. I picture her as a happy old woman, who much likes to tickle my cheeks with her leaves and give me encouraging pats on the head as I water the garden. She seems quite delighted with me. While it may seem strange to notice the personality of a tree, I assure you it is actually quite a normal practice for myself and many others.
It has already been proven that plants do in fact speak with each other. Just because we do not always regularly speak with them, does not mean they do not talk in their own way, and are not listening.

It has also been proven that talking to your plants does in fact help them grow. I know this to be true personally myself. Music is another thing that helps plants grow.

The biggest thing with communication would be patience and the knowledge that communication will not happen as I am talking to you now. It will happen in other ways. An impression, a dream, a sway in the breeze. If you are keen at picking up these signs you will know what they mean.

I had two deaf friends growing up. I did not speak sign language myself but I still understood what they were saying. I eventually learned some signs and we could communicate a little better through their teaching me. I think this is no different than that. You are learning the communication style of something that does not speak like you, but that does not mean you cannot communicate with it. I would not change some of the wonderful experiences and conversations I have had with some of the plants I have grown for anything.

I feel very blessed to have my new plants so happy to have me living here. I feel very welcomed in my new home. Some may take a little more time to warm up to me, but the welcome I have had is already quite heartwarming.

Fertilizing and growing the natural way

This is my first year at my urban homestead. With Autumn on it’s way I am prepping my land for next years gardening adventures. I have been thinking a lot about what goes into good garden soil.
I like making my own natural fertilizers and I am still experimenting with different blends.

Right now what I have to work with is a bit of old coffee grinds, egg shells, used and dried tea leaves (leave it in the bag or on a plate if loose leaf, and let it sit until it dries. It can then be dumped into a storage container) As well as veggie water/broth from blanching veggies.

I hope to this year start my compost pile, though that will not be ready for planting come Spring I do not think with how long it takes to transform into something usable. Still, it will be great to have in the coming seasons.
I will be piling up the grass clippings for the start of my compost pile.

If had a larger garden this year, and could have bartered my fresh herbs and veggies, for some aged chicken, rabbit, cow, etc manure to add to the compost pile, I would have. That is something I may look into once my garden produces a little more than my current small garden does.

I would also love to use things like seaweed and kelp in my yard but would rather wild harvest if I could. I will most likely see if I can find someone in the PNW coast that would be willing to dry some out and send it to me for my garden. I’d prefer to know where it came from rather than not.

I also would like to gather some willow leaves and stems to make a “tea” for my garden. That will most likely be on my wildcrafting to do list in Spring as I do not think I know anyone who has a willow tree growing in their yard.

Another thing I need to look into for Spring is picking up some rooting liquid (as my attempts at using honey have been a fail for that) and the other things you need to root cuttings. I find plants I wish I could take home with me all the time. I think I need to get into the art of rooting. It seems simple enough but I have not had success with anything from cuttings so far. I also have not tried it the proper way yet either. I am always looking for an alternative way to do something.

Pest control is another issue I need to tackle next year. I have a big problem with earwigs, ants, pill bugs, elder box bugs *which are a hybrid bug*, stink bugs, and I believe that is it for the ones I have a big problem with here. A friend of mine makes his own natural, plant safe, earth friendly, bug spray that I think I might have to give a try. He says it will work on the box elder bugs. Considering they are really going after my big silver maple, I have to get rid of them. I won’t use commercial pesticides, though they would not work on the box elder bugs anyways.

Garden plants to get list

While my seed bank is growing, there are many seeds I want to plant and want to experiment with.

I figured it might not be a bad idea to make a list of those seeds or plants so I can share some of my plans with you all.

This blog will basically just be a list of those seeds/plants that are on my list of “to gets” for my garden.


*Warning the list is long and ever growing* I do plan to rotate crops that will not fit all at once of course.

Fruits:
Thornless raspberry
Wineberry
Salmonberry
Plum
Rainier Cherry
Golden Delicious Apple
Another apple type (Something like fuji or gala that would do well in zone 6)
Muskmelon (Like cantaloupe)
Honeydew
*Other melons I have yet to discover
More grape varieties. I have 3 now, I want a few more types possibly.
Orange
Service berries
Dew berry
Salal
Porcelain gem vine *Edibility still questionable*
Peach
Nectarine
Asian Pear
Huckleberry
Blueberry (3 varieties)
Elderberry
Honeyberry
Wonderberry aka sunberry
Jostaberry
Mouse melons aka Mexican Gherkins



Veggies:
Artichoke
Miners lettuce
Snap Peas
Brussels
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Spinach
Potatoes- Brown, red, gold, yams/sweet potatoes
Garlic (Has to come from a certified nursery here or it could cause white mold soil rot)
Cabbage
Kale
Sorrel
Celery
Banana peppers
Jalapeno
More winter squash varieties
Rhubarb
Horseradish
Sweet onions
Glass gem corn


Herbs/Plants/Flowers:
Cleavers
Pineapple weed
Lemongrass
Bee balm aka bergamot
Red clover
Aloe Vera
Burdock
Ginseng
Comfrey
Wood Betony
Goldenrod
Vervain
Tea, Camellia sinensis
Passionflower
Damiana
Gardenia
Goldenseal
Jasmine
Day lily
Watercress



That is the list so far.  I am always looking for new things to add to the list of things to try in my garden.
Now keep in mind some of these are experiments to see if they will grow in my zone and elevation. Just because they normally don’t grow here, does not mean they won’t… At least that is how I see it. Lots of people grow tropical plants in green houses. If I can get certain plants to do well enough, I can save seeds and replant. When I replant them they should be a little stronger with each season. Basically acclimating the plant to the land as much as you can. Kind of like domesticating a wolf… If you want to think of it that way.

Late season seed haul

So I did not get all the seeds I need for next year but I managed to get in a end of season seed haul. Let me tell you how I got 24 seed packets for $9.34

I started my quest for seeds a little late. I would be kicking myself if I did not find what I had.

So originally I was out to find seeds that you see in the dollar store, winco, walmart, etc… by American Seed, which is actually Plantation Seed, but moving on.. Everyone knows these little plain packets that are around .20-.30ea. Since I do not have a whole lot of money for seeds at the moment I thought this would be great for adding a few varieties, heirloom or not, to the garden.

Now one thing that is a downside about the seeds is they have a limited variety, but it works for creating a small edible garden.

After calling about 8 different stores I found Walgreens still had some seed packets left. When I got there I expected to find the normal american seed company packets but instead I found Burpee seeds on sale for .29-.34 cents! Yes, I pay a few cents more, but I know they are a reputable company.

I could have spent $37 for all of the seeds I got… It is amazing the deals you can find when you are in the right place at the right time. I am happy I can buy seeds out of season for next years planting.

So I snagged up 22 packets of seeds, and then 2 packets of lettuce tape that was normally $6.59ea for $0.98 each.



I have not used seed tape before but it seems really nifty. There is 22ft per pack.


This is my little seed storage chest. I moved my seeds to this when they were getting too big for their old container. Now having something that is air tight would be best, but this will work for me for now. Not all my seeds are in this chest; mainly the ones I printed out myself and saved.

I did not buy all the seeds they had left though I was very tempted to… And may even go back another time to see if there are any left.

They also had bell peppers, sunflowers, 2 other kinds of flowers, and anything else they were out of by that time.

Here is what I ended up with:

3pks of Peas “Cascadia”
2pks of Carrots “Scarlet Nantes”
2pks of Carrots “Little finger”
1pk of Radish “Crimson Giant”
1pk of Beets “Detroit Dark Red”
1pk of Garden Beans “Green Crop”
3pk of Cucumber “Space Master”
2pk of Watermelon “Sugar Baby”
2pk of Summer Squash “Early golden crookneck”
1pk of Summer Squash “Black Beauty”
1pk of Tomato “Super Beefsteak”
1pk of Tomato ‘'Super Sweet 100 Hybrid”
1pk of Marigold “Sunset Giant Mix”
1pk of Basil “Mammoth”
2pk of Lettuce (Tape) “Black Seeded Simpson”

The great thing about the seeds I got is that I believe all but one or two are open pollinated varieties and I can save seed from them. I am not certain, but at lest I believe they are mostly all able to be used to save seed if I wanted to.

I have not saved seeds from carrots or other root veggies before. I may still have to buy those until I get the hang of it, but the rest I should not have to buy again.

My husband is not sure I can fit everything I want into my garden. I will be using polyculture and intercropping techniques along with permaculture to use every inch of space I can in a way they does not hurt the plants. People waist so much useable gardening space by only growing one crop type in one area. You can improve the plant growth and harvest when you plant the right plants next to each other.

I am so excited to see my little seed bank growing!

Morning routine

I enjoy my morning routine. I actually look forward to waking up and starting it all over again.

For me right now my routine is to get up, drink a protein shake.
I shake up any extracts I have brewing. Currently the only one I have going is ginkgo biloba.
Go out and water my garden. I water twice a day usually but I do not water deeply, so this is fine.
I get ready for work.
I harvest a handful of strawberries if there are any that are ripe and ready to be picked.
Today I also harvested a handful of mallow flowers and a bit of spruce resin for later use in my herbal preparations.
I then make some coffee and read some blogs, newsletters, do research, work on my garden gate book, read, do art, etc… Whatever I feel like doing. Sometimes it is sitting and watching a tv show but lately my tv has been mostly during the hotter part of the day or late at night on my days off.
I make my lunch, eat a little more of a breakfast at this point.
I throw any dishes into the dishwasher if needed, and get ready to leave for work usually after that.
What I get done depends on how long I have.

Basically my routine allows me to do some of what I love every day. It is sort of my meditation. While at some point I would love my garden to have a system set up where I will not need to water it by hand, I enjoy doing it with the size of garden I have right now.
It also forces me to keep an eye on progress and head off anything harmful sooner rather than later.

Of course all of this will change as often as my projects do, when the season does, or as my muse pleases. I like working on many things at once.

Plans for Autumn

So I think I will most likely be removing all the cheat grass now that it is good and dry. It is a lot easier to remove now than it was before. I realized this when I had to remove some of it to plant my beans around my big silver maple tree.
Yes, I did get to planting all but the split peas, as they did not sprout as I had hoped.

I will remove all the weeds from the slope in preparation for spring.
The yard itself I have yet to decide on… I had thought about renting a sod cutter, though I need more information on how the sprinklers were installed.. I would love to put in a soaker system but unless I can rig hoses to the ends of the sprinklers themselves, that is not happening.

I have also read a method that involves putting cardboard over the grass and wetting it to help kill it off, then adding compost, dirt, mulch, etc… The problem with this is I am not currently composting, which means I would have to buy the compost, and the the layer over the grass could be up to 18 inches. Not having a truck would make that not only expensive but almost impossible.

I have also debated just clearing the slope for next year and tilling that for easy use. I could then start composting and take away the grassed yard portion section by section using the “smothering” method basically.

There is a lot to think about.

I need to figure out how deep the gas line is that runs under part of my yard. I certainly do not want to accidentally till into that.

As far as the actual planting plans go, I will need to get a grow station set up this Winter. I can easily get seeds from the local seed bank that are heirloom varieties, and easy to save seeds from.
They will also have seeds for varieties that might be a little harder to save seeds from, but until I know what their policy is if a crop fails to grow for their returning seed, I won’t touch those types yet. Because of this I may still have to buy some seed.
I really want to add more wild varieties of fruits to my yard. Sadly while they are native to the PNW, they are not always easily found here in the valley. I need more wild seed saving friends in other areas around the PNW that I can collaborate with.

13 bean update

So the experiment is going amazingly well.
This was taken just a few days after I put them in my germination station.

This was taken today.

In the first one, the split peas and chickpeas had not sprouted. In the second they are barely starting to show signs of roots.

I will be putting these in the ground shortly, maybe even today.

In my kitchen I have cabinets with side shelves near the kitchen sink window. The one on the right is where I have been doing my tomato seed saving. On the left is where my bok choy and onion experiments have been taking place. On the windowsil itself I have my avocado tree, ginger plants, bok choy, and watercress.

I also included a photo of the hairy little dried tomato seeds from my speckled roma (Also pictured above)

Today I finished the fermentation process for more gardeners delight and my green zebra. I started the process for my orange strawberry tomato.

I also picked a few more common mallow flowers for drying.
As I was picking them and watering my garden, I think I am seeing the first signs of carrot emerging. It gets so dry during the day I was worried the ground may not be staying moist enough even with watering twice a day. I guess I was wrong. I like being wrong on that one.

The picture on the middle right is my new drying rack set up. I don’t know why I had not thought to use a door coat rack for drying herbs. I have mint drying on it right now.

In other news… I my winter tonic is ready and works amazingly well. I tested out this batch when I started to feel a tickle and a few coughs happening, took a little, and have been great since. I will be making another batch of this here in the near future.

I also decided to make my own almond milk recently. I think it came out wonderful and works great for my protein shakes.
It took 1/4lb (1c) of almonds. At $5.88 a lb that put it at $1.47
It is suggested to use two cups of water, though I ended up using 3-4. We will say 3.
So divide that by 3 and it ended up being $0.49 a serving. Divided by 4 it is $0.37
It costs about the same per serving as buying almond breeze from winco but without any added ingredients.
I am going to try it with one of the unsalted nut mixes just because I am curious… I will let you guys know if it is any good.

This is the link to the site I used for making almond milk: How to make almond milk at home

Grocery store gardening experiments

So I like to grow things from fruit stands, and grocery stores in addition to harvesting wild seed, transplanting, and buying seed from nurseries.

One thing I have not gotten around to trying is growing plants from the bulk foods section. From what I read it is sort of a hit or miss thing. I was reading about different beans, since now is a good time to plant them where I am at, when I thought about the fact that I have a bag of 13 bean soup from the bulk foods section of Winco.

I found another blog post from someone who had decent success in growing from these beans. Some of them were a little slow to germinate, but otherwise they seemed to do fine. I had not really thought about growing dry beans until today. I am all about green beans, peas, and sugar snap peas (My favorite) but I do love to cook with beans when I can.

I thought this might be a good way to get some more experiments in this year. I just repurposed a to go container into my new germination station. I think this one is going to work better than the tupperwear one I had, but I will have to see if the little round vents cause it to dry out too quickly or not.

I put two of each bean type in the germination station with the peas having a few more since they are in halves. The peas only have a 50% germination rate from what it would have been due to them being split. I figured it could not hurt to have a few in there rather than just two halves.

Now is a good time to be direct sowing the seeds,  but I would rather them germinate here and I transplant them later, than put them out in the garden, and keep watering a spot that does not grow anything.

My husband of course makes the comment “So do you need salt water to grow Navy beans?” Lol

In addition to my bean experiments, I also packaged up 90% of the seeds I had dried. The packets are really small but perfect since I don’t always get a ton of seeds for one plant. I printed out 4 of them on one sheet of paper.

I consider these seeds to be “experiments” also as I have not tested them out yet.

I picked some mallow cheeses “Seeds” which I almost feel is pointless as they grow all over, but figured it couldn’t hurt to have them anyways.

Mallow is related to the Okra plant and has a similar mucilage to okra when chewed or cooked. The green cheeses (which I did not harvest as of yet, I only harvested the dried brown ones) taste more like mini okras, while the leaves have the mucilage when chewed, it does not have that fleshy texture of okra.

Mallow has a lot of health benefits and I harvested some of the young leaves to dry out for teas later. I have not had them in a tea before and hope that drying them will not make my tea all slimy later haha. Mallow is used to thicken soups if that helps give you any idea on things.

Given the stress all my poor tomato plants went through, I only harvested one speckled roma tomato. It is the first time we have had one of those. I think I like it better than the normal roma tomatoes, either that or I just like the taste of it coming fresh off the vine.

I did save the seeds from that and they will be ready for drying tomorrow. I just scoop the seeds into a container and swirl them once a day. They have to ferment so the “anti sprouting” coating that is naturally on the seed will come off.  I then fill the container with water. The seeds that float are bad and will not sprout. Those I let run off. The ones that sink are good seeds and I keep those for planting later.

I have more tomatoes that I can save seeds from that are ripe and ready to be picked as soon as I get to drying the speckled roma tomorrow.
Next year I am sure they will be much stronger than the ones I moved into the garden.

Gardening really is all about trial and error. I actually enjoy it when I am not freaking out over my plants. Thankfully my tomato plants actually strengthened up without anything but water really. I did add some water to them that I had used to blanch some bok choy, and lambs quarters for freezing.

I like to make my own fertilizers. Basically I use coffee grounds, left over dried tea leaves (which my garden seems to always favor when I had used them in my container garden), left over veggie water, left over water from boiling eggs, egg shells, and things along those lines.

I will eventually start composting once I look into getting some smaller bins for it. That will be a new fun thing to learn. I like knowing exactly what is going into my garden and will not use harsh chemicals in it.

Speaking of the water I used from the bok choy… I forgot to mention that I only used the outer leaves and left a few inner leaves of the two heads I got, so I can regrow it. I also got these from the store.
They are already growing back. One is in only water, the other is in soil. The one pictured below in the water also has some watercress growing next to it that I had separated from the original mother plant I got back in June. They taste like radish greens.

My seed bank progress

I am in the process of drying out a bunch of seeds to add to my growing seed bank.



I have a bunch of seed packets left over from my container garden I plan to utilize next year. Mostly herb seeds with a few exceptions.


A few pages I have printed out for my garden book. Both pages are double sided. My seed bank page is filled halfway on the other side. I am quite happy with how my little seed bank is growing with both garden variety and wild seeds.


I decided to get a new binder for my Garden Gate book. (The art is not my own, though certainly my style. I thought it fit the theme of the book quite nicely.)


I took some time outside in my garden.
The tree is a spruce as I learned today. I had not looked at it very closely until now. I shall be harvesting the sap, spruce tips, pollen, and needles for various things.



I decided to harvest some more lambs quarters. The last small batch I picked I dried for soups later. This batch I decided to rinse and blanch for freezing.

I only selected the good leaves from each plant and left any that had been chewed on by bugs.


I left the blanched leaves to cool before freezing. It is not much, and it takes a lot of leaves, but they are more abundant than spinach, and more nutrient dense.



This is the left over water from blanching bok choy and lambs quarters. I am allowing it to cool and then I will use the nutrient dense broth to water my garden.




My strawberries seem to ripen in fives. I of course find this really amusing. I have been picking them and adding them to a Tupperware container to freeze for later use in smoothies, pies, muffins, and more. Yes, I am not picking more than 5 or so at a time, but since I am freezing them, they will not rot while waiting for the rest to ripen. Did I mention how amazing these are? So very flavorful.

Other than the strawberries I also got a few more tomatoes. We got to try the sweet 100, which were delicious. So far all the tomatoes in the garden have been a win.

On my last foraging adventure where I got a lot of the wild seeds I am drying out, I also got a bunch of wild golden plums. Both perfectly sweet with a bit of tart to them.

I am loving connecting with the land, with my land. It is very nice to be able to call a piece of land your own. I enjoy exploring my land, all .18 of an acre of it. Size doesn’t matter when you can find so many different groups of life growing all around. Seeing how the connect with each other, where they grow best. I like learning about my land. It helps me understand the best ways to aid in its care.

That of course is not to say I do not exploring my friends yards as well. I love teaching and learning as I explore. I usually end up coming home with some tasty finds as well which is always exciting.

I had plans to go out and explore another loved location for wild living things, or dead, I like bones too, but for understandable reasons those plans fell through. The hunt for wild maturing seeds and plants goes on!
I am making the most of this year even with the late start. I will have a wonderful garden filled with lots of garden variety and wild plants. Not only that but I will be able to enjoy the fruit of my harvest all winter if I plan things the right way.
I will be adding wild native plants to my meals. You can’t always find these things in fruit stands, even if they are tasty. They are either too time consuming to harvest, or there are just so many varieties, it is easier to keep to the known basics.
With so many amazing foods nature has to offer it is baffling how much we limit ourselves. As an example, look at how many varieties of amazing tomatoes there are… Almost all the tomatoes in my garden I have never had the pleasure of even hearing of yet alone taste. With how amazing they are, you would be surprised they are not also in the stores. It is just too costly to have such a variety for the stores to carry.

Because of this, a lot of varieties are gone. Without people planting them, the seeds eventually go bad, and that particular variety dies off. At some point I plan on putting some vintage variety fruits and veggies into the garden to help preserve some of our history. 

A lovely nature walk

I decided to go on an impromptu nature walk today with my family. I made a promise to myself that I would get out more often in nature.

My sister had been wanting to see me before she starts classes again so I thought this might be a good opportunity to invite her, her boyfriend, and my brother along.

The trees provided some nice shade from the heat of the sun on a 99 degree day.  We found a spot near the river that had a nice breeze. I harvested some mugwort flower heads to save seeds from near the river.
Funny enough my brother said the exact same thing that one of my best female friends did when I last took her on a wildcrafting adventure “Mugwort? That sounds like something out of Harry Potter” The comment always makes me giggle.

One of the wild plum trees were full of ripe fruits that I picked for freezing. I didn’t pick as many as I could have due to my chest freezer being out. I hope to remedy that in the near future.

I also passed a tree with a wasp nest that was the size of a large grapefruit.

On our walk I also gathered plantain seed heads. the flowered tops of the gumweed plant, and some ripe bittersweet nightshade berries (poisonous plant) for seed saving.

I love bittersweet nightshade. It is a beautiful, magickal plant. It sprang up in my last container garden randomly and I was sad to see it go. I am trying my hand at saving seeds from it much like I do my tomato plants. Nightshades are related to tomatoes. I could not find any other information on how to save seeds from them so I took that as being the most logical way to do it. I am always doing some kind of new plant experiment. This is just one on the long list.
**I do not recommend anyone try anything with any plant in the nightshade family, unless they know what they are doing, and wear gloves.

When I got home I decided to harvest some lambs quarters seed heads, some mint flower heads, and 5 strawberries. Four of the five strawberries ended up in the freezer for later smoothie making, the other ended up in my mouth *yum!* Nothing beats garden fresh fruits.

I have another nature adventure planned in the coming week from the sounds of it. This year I am taking note of what is in season each month so I can better prepare for the next year.
I have a good idea of what is in season, though knowing which locations are harvestable is another story. It can change year to year, or location to location depending on climate conditions, along with a long list of other variables I need to take note of.

Believe it or not I actually like this practice as well. It helps me better understand the plants. I can see what growing conditions they prefer if I ever plan to have them in my own garden. I notice new plants. I can see what the plants look at in various stages of growth, which helps for proper identification at any point of the growing stage.

I find so many new plants just by studying the ones I already know and what grows around them.

Now that everything is set out to dry, and the garden is watered, I think it is time for a cup of jasmine green tea and maybe a movie.

Tonic brewing

I was off work early today and decided to make good use of my time. I headed straight to the store to grab some missing ingredients for a tonic I wanted to make.

Being that I currently work at a call center, I thought this would be a splendid idea. Call centers tend to be petri dishes. One person gets sick, or is not self aware when they are sick, and the whole call floor can catch it. For those of you who are younger, it is much like High school in that manner.
Being that I get sick fairly easily, I thought this would help when I start to feel that “tickle” or even before.
I have heard some people in the area say that strep has started going around. I thought it might be a good idea to prep this tonic up now, since it takes a couple or more weeks to brew. Well that, and I just generally love making magickal elixirs.

My chopped fresh ingredients (ginger, onion, garlic, chives, jalapeno) minus the thyme and rosemary I added in.


I mixed the ingredients together in apple cider vinegar. I just used a gallon water jug as that is what I had laying around. Normally I would probably use a glass jar.
The mixture smells amazing. I will strain it after shaking it up every day for a few weeks, use the liquid as the tonic remedy, and then puree the rest for an awesome sandwich spread. The boys are actually excited about the last part.

The great thing about this tonic, is that the ingredients in it are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, increases blood flow and circulation, helps fight off cough and sore throat, and is very warming. I may add honey to it later to help decrease the “sting” factor. Not to mention honey is a great natural antibiotic and a good source of natural energy when you aren’t feeling well.



Onto the garden!

It is hard to see at the moment, but you might be able to spot the corn that is popping up out of the ground.

I planted the carrots between the rows as marked below above the rows.
                      Corn  Carrots       Corn       Carrots  Corn



I picked up a bundle of chives that I figured I could add to my tonic. I chopped off all but about 4-6 inches near the base. I planted 7 chives in my garden near my tomatoes. I could have planted them right near the onions, but I did not want to get confused on which needed cutting, and which needed pulling later, so I left a gap.


My chives                                                                My onions

I also harvested those gold nugget tomatoes and saved the seeds from those. I basically washed the gardeners delight and put them out to dry, then put the gold nugget in the same container for processing.

My new chest freezer went out today, so I scrambled to get everything in the regular freezer as I could before it went bad. I am hoping it is something easily fixed, though I won’t know until I get someone to look at it.

I repotted my ginger plants into a bit bigger of a planter as well. I am not sure if they will ever end up outside. I sort of like them on my kitchen windowsill. At least until they get too big. Ginger is seriously easy to grow. At least in my experience.  I just leave whatever chunk of root I did not use from store bought ginger in the produce bag. Eventually it starts to grow a plant from the little nodes due to moisture in the bag. I just break it off a little below the node (About an inch or so below the growing node.) and then burry it 2/3 of the way in seed starting soil.
You aren’t really going to find ginger “seeds” in a nursery. That is about the only way you can grow them that I know of. At least in my area. Now I believe they can get up to like 5 feet tall, but I guess that also depends on when you harvest the root. Pretty much all roots are best harvested in Autumn, though I would have to double check that with Ginger as it is a tropical plant.
If they do end up outside, it will most likely be in a container garden as it will be easier to dig up the roots from there. I will also be bringing them inside for winter if I do that, as they cannot be outside if the temperatures drop below 50.