The first seedlings arrive!

Progress is always exciting...especially in Spring.  I planted our eggplant seeds last Monday, and the first seedlings are just starting to poke through the surface of our carefully designed cells.  The winner this year is the dusky hybrid, emerging a full day before the lone "long purple" in the far back cell on the right.  Can you see how the sprouts are leaning far to the left in search of the minimal light coming through the window of our laundry room on this dreary March day?  I've found the warmest spot in our house this week to be the top of the clothes dryer, which seems to be running near constantly.  Sigh.  At least the need for my seedlings to be warm has kept our laundry in check.
We also planted two cell flats of peppers at the end of the week.  One hot and one sweet.  My friend Kylie requested some unusual colors, so I am trying to grow two of each variety.  For some reason, last year, peppers were my most finicky seedlings.  Only about half grew at all, so I don't pin too many hopes on these.  But, this mid-western girl really likes a good pepper!
We also planted a few rows of frost hardy greens and lettuce and a test row of peas.  I know it is really early, in this part of the country anyway, to be hoping for any germination, but I had plenty of seeds, so I wasn't worried about the waste if nothing happens.  Nothing is spouting yet, but it appears some critter walked through my neat rows, so I may have patchy results if anything.
I've also felt progress on my purging and spending.  As much as I loved soaking up those rare rays of early Spring sun, I needed a few rainy days to get my house under control  I went through the girl's rooms and loaded up several boxes for our soon-to-be garage sale.  The only problem now is finding a path through the messy attic to store them until garage sale season.  My new goal of keeping the spending to only things I cannot make has also gone fairly well.  Am I seeing an increase in my crafty productivity?  I wish, but no.  It has kept my from buying several things I would have otherwise purchased.  Speaking of which...does anyone know how to sew a fitted sheet for a king size bed?  My only sheet set is ripped and we need a new one!

What's in the bag?

I get a lot of comments, mostly amusing, about the huge bag of food that I bring with me to work each shift.  I work evenings, starting at 3pm and ending after 3am.  I eat at least one large meal (dinner) and usually at least 2 snacks while I'm at work.  But, because of my taste experiences in fresh, local, seasonal foods, I just can't bring myself to get a slice of greasy, stale pizza or something hot and processed off the food line downstairs.  The salad bar used to be an option, but that was before I became addicted to Olivia's Herb Salad mix, which is a nice alternative to my homegrown salads in spring-fall.  I just can't settle for plain romaine with pale tomatoes and bottled dressing anymore.
I always bring a huge salad to work (in the salad keeper I got Jeremy for Christmas last year!) with lots of fresh greens, whatever else in season (ranging from carrots and onion in the winter, carrots and radishes in the spring, juicy heirloom cherry tomatoes in summer, and cooked and cooled winter squash in fall).  I always mix up a small bit of vinegar and a good EVOO with a pinch of fresh garlic and add it to my dressing keeper.  I top this with a small handfull of cheese (parmesan, blue, or feta is typical) and walnuts for crunch.  YUM!  I pair this with a side of something easily transported.  Leftovers or some fresh pasta is easiest most nights.  
For snacks, here are my current favorites...
A handful of homemade trail mix in a baggie.  Currently, this is dark chocolate covered dried cherries with raw almonds.  Last winter, I had a mix of dark chocolate chips, roasted almonds, pretzel twists, and cranberries.  Summer might find me toting around a bag of dried mixed fruit.  Last fall I found the most delicious maple coated peanuts.  My job sometimes requires me to "float" off my unit to another floor, and this snack can be tossed in my pocket for a quick pick-me-up.
For my midnight snack, I have one of the many natural flavors of Maple Hill Dairy yogurt.  This is yogurt made from raw milk with a delicious cream top that is made at a local dairy.  I mix this with a packet of frozen mixed berries (next year this will be local and preserved) and some homemade granola from the local Rosemont Inn.  Heaven in a cup!
Of course, since I sleep right through breakfast, I usually eat a little snack an hour or so before I head home.  Right now, the apples from Twin Orchards are nearing their end, so I am enjoying them while I can.  My favorite way to eat them is cored and sliced and dipped in the all natural peanut butter that I also found there. Of course, these apples are also delicious as is, which is my daughter Kira's favorite way to eat them.
This can't be it, though, for what if I get thirsty?  I keep a reusable water bottle in my bag and also a packet or two of green tea with a small jar of local honey.
Now that you've seen my list of foods, you can imagine the size of the bag I have to use to carry them in!  Luckily, hardly any of it needs refrigeration (save the yogurt and main dish), so I just plop my big-ol bag right on the table after I stash the cool things in the fridge.
I get lots of glances at my food...but I must admit that I far prefer having to lug around my bag of deliciousness to eating one of those small, frozen meals.
This is not to say that I won't order out when my coworkers want a splurge now and then.  I love a big slice of pizza as much as the next gal.  But I'll be eating it with my gorgeous, nutrient filled salad and while sipping a nice glass of tea with honey!

sorting out the seeds...

My big task of the day was to lay out and organize my big bag of seeds for this growing season.  Lest any of you think I am not really that obsessed with my garden, check out the spread...although some of these packets are left from last year, most are new.  If you've never understood the reason for growing from seed...I'll explain.

Many of my varieties just can't be found in the local plants.  Like pandora striped rose eggplant, pineapple tomato, and amarillo and dragon carrots.  And one of my seed packets is an heirloom passed from a friend's grandmother to her and saved from year to year!  Not all these seeds will make it into my garden.  Some of the seeds from last year may not germinate, and some of them were not tasty enough to make the cut.  But, a great many of these will turn into food for me and my family to enjoy for the next year!  I will be learning to freeze, can, and dry...and I've already made my plans for succession planting to enjoy a long season of enjoyment instead of a one shot stop in the harvest. 
Of course, with this many seeds, I couldn't just take a blind approach.  Most of this winter, I spent my free time (if I had any!) planning and making a calendar for all of this.  I also had to order a few more seed starting cells and have plans for one more light in the basement.  I have yet to actually CLEAN the basement, though (my least favorite chore). 
The biggest change this year from years past is that due to the extensive list of edible foods, I will not be purchasing ANY flowers.  In my hanging baskets?  Tom Thumb peas and Sprite tomatoes.  In my window box?  Lettuce.  In all those pots in the garage?  Herbs.  I WILL be growing sunflowers (for the interest and the seeds) and marigolds to keep the bugs away!  
Want to know what some of the above seeds are?  Here is a brief list (actual varieties too numerous to type in a daily blog!):
4 eggplants
6 sweet peppers
4 hot peppers
27 tomato varieties (not all will be grown, and some are only for pots!)
3 melons
7 summer squash (zucchini, yellow, and patty pan)
5 winter squash
3 pumpkins
1 gourd
7 cucumbers
2 cauliflower
1 broccoli blend
2 beets (including the oldest known variety dating back 1000 years!)
1 turnip
2 onions
10 carrots (a carrot is NOT just a carrot!)
1 parsnip
1 kohlrabi
2 brussel sprouts
6 peas (sugar and shelling)
2 spinach
19 lettuce (we eat a LOT of salad!!!)
1 rainbow chard
1 endive
1 mizuna asian green
1 kale
1 fennel
1 sunflower
4 radishes
3 corn (for sweet eating and popping)
8 beans (pole, green, purple, and wax!)
14 herbs

And I'm still waiting on a flowering potato shipment to arrive and will be ordering a chocolate mint plant closer to planting time!!!
And if any of you are interested in trying some of the more unusual varieties that I grow, let me know!  I am always happy to split a packet of seeds.  I already have two friends who share with me.  Helps to share the cost and prevents any seeds from going unplanted!  Just let me know!  Happy planting!

The garden has growth!

After enjoying more than one walk on this sunny early spring day, I headed up to the gardens to check out any activity.  Of course, I wasn't expecting much...but what I found was small but exciting!  My overwintered carrots, including dragon and amarillo are beginning their spring growth again.  And the north pole and arctic blend lettuce were still tiny but edible under the layer of leaves I had used to mulch them.  I also have growth of winter bunching white onions, although my purplette are not showing any growth yet.  I also see a few chives poking out from under the old growth in the pots I used for them last year.  The soil is still too cold for planting, but the layer of compost and leaves is almost ready to be dug into the top layer of soil...and I already have plans to dig out more space near where our neighbors took down a big shade tree last fall.  And to extend the season on this front end, I have a large number of plastic cartons to turn into cloches.  I have my work cut out for me, but it's thrilling and fun! 

The First Day of Spring!

At least in my mind, today was the start of the season.  Today was eggplant day.  I know, I know...what am I thinking?  Upstate NY still has patches of snow on the ground and still dips below freezing at night.  But, this is the start of my seedling project.  I am no expert, but last year I had a 100% success rate with my seed starting project.  It's not without some organization and effort.  Some seeds have to be coaxed out of hibernation gently, over long periods of time.  While my eggplant seedlings flourished indoors last year, they were not big enough for a successful transplant.  So, with some research under my new belt, I discovered I should have started them earlier than I did.  With an extra two weeks of growth this year, and some (hopefully!) warmer conditions, I hope to have some interesting varieties to sample!  The girls helped me (I think it is important to give them hands on experience from start to finish!) and we planted 6 transplant cells.  Two each of "pandora striped rose" and "thai long purple" and one each of "thai yellow egg" and "dusky hybrid."  With limited growing space in my dusty basement, this is all I have room for this year.  Peppers are next on my list to be started at the end of this week.  And hopefully, you will see happy blogs of sprouts poking out of the dirt in the next few weeks.
For now, the seeds are happy in a dim, warm place (on top of the dryer, refrigerator, or other heat producing appliance is best), but once they sprout, they will be moved to the bright light set-up my dad helped me create in the basement.  And then, it will be up and down the stairs every day to check on my new babies.  The clear top helps keep the temperature stable for now, and will be removed as they change from heat seekers to light seekers.  I only water with capillary mats from under the pots...keeps the moisture level more even and keeps mold from forming on the surface.
I've  had many "orders" for seedlings from friends and co-workers, and if I had unlimited space, I imagine I'd have quite a business...but with only two light fixtures, and limited start-up finds, I am lucky to keep my own garden stocked.  As I did last year, though, every plant that does not find its way into my garden space will find its way into that of a friend.  No seedling will be wasted!
Happy Spring!

Sticking to the plan

As luck would have it, once I got up the motivation to start up my blog, I hit a huge stretch of time at work and haven't had any time to write.  I have kept up my goals, though, and have been eating well and shopping very little.  It is an interesting theory, indeed, to restrain myself from buying anything I can make.  Knowing my limited time, and the fact that gardening season is getting closer, I have been able to keep from buying a lot of things that I would have just thrown into my cart without a second thought before...the playdough that Kira requested was cooked on our stove and is much better than store bought (although a second batch will be made tomorrow to try and improve our colors).  I steered myself away from any clothing purchases except to buy a cute pair of fun green and purple striped socks for the girls to wear on St Patrick's Day.  I will learn to knit socks soon, I decided, but having watched a how-to-video on my knitting iphone app (yes, there really is such a thing!) I know it will be a challenging new skill.  My only other purchases in the past two weeks have been a pair of ballet shoes for Kira (I mean, I really don't think I am going to be making shoes!), Easter shoes for both girls, and one book for my nook iphone reader. 
What have I learned to do?  I have made my own mocha lattes every day, instead of making my usual harried trip into the bookstore (where our only local starbucks is).  I have been baking bread like crazy...and at the rate it disappears, I'll be baking twice a week.  I have checked out more books from the library on how to make, cook, sew, etc...And I've become a playdough making expert. 
I've also decided that this would be a whole lot easier if I had nothing else to do but create!  But, I'm excited that I haven't slipped up on my plan and am hoping that the rest of the month goes smoothly, too.
And for those who have requested it...what are we eating in the first week of March?  Breakfasts have mostly been a thick slice of my homemade bread spread with real butter and local fruit jam or honey...sometimes yogurt from Maple Hill Creamery with a little fruit.  I managed to throw together a wonderful harvest lasagna from Keith Snow's Harvest Eating Cookbook...filled with sweet potato slices, chopped kale left over from last fall's trip to Old Path Farms, leeks, local garlic, Gruyere cheese from another local dairy, and some fresh Mozzarella...YUM!  Tonight we had a local squash (my last one in storage from fall farmer's markets) with carmelized onions, sage, and portobello mushrooms, tossed with farfalle and a light cream and wine sauce.  Tonight's pasta I served with organic rotisserie chicken, which was a splurge.  But, I threw the leftover chicken in a pot with the water I boiled tonight's veggies in.  After the stock was made, I added turnips, more squash, carrots, onions, leftover sweet potatoes from last night, and apples for a rich late spring soup for tomorrow.  Almost by accident, I am eating much less meat, but am much more satisfied with my food than I have ever been before.  I'll never be a vegetarian, but I have found that treating my meat as an addition to my dishes, rather than creating a dish around meat makes for much more creative meals.
I'll be sharing my bread recipe soon for those who are interested...

Plan, plan, plan

I started my facination with the local, slow food movement in the spring of last year.  Right as the farmers markets opened for business and my garden expansion was well on its way.  I had high expectations for what we would grow in our own backyard and I knew we could live off the land for most of the growing season.  The more I learned, the more I wanted to live locally all the time, and not just in the bountiful months.  The only problem?  I had no idea what we would eat in January when there was a foot or more of snow over our garden and most of the local orchards and farm stands had closed for the season.  I wish I could say I had put away freezer bags full of garden fresh produce, but we lost our deep freeze in a flood in early spring.  I wish I could say I had canned all those fresh, juicy tomatos for sauces and pizza, but I haven't yet learned the art.  Most of all, I wish I could say I had staggered my harvest to give me a backyard full of veggies all summer long.
What did happen is that I gained a fresh appreciation for PLANNING.  I kept at my furious pace of local shopping, gardening and eating while I could, and then I was thankful for the end of the growing season.   I eagerly awaited the new arrivals of the spring seeds catalogs and I dug out some notebooks and a blank calendar for a season of planning.
What I am left with (just in time for the season to begin!) is a calendar full of notes for the best planting times for each seed variety I chose.  I have plans for how to have a continuous harvest of salad greens, beans, carrots, and more.  I also chose tomato varieties based on, among other things, fruiting time.  I hope to have different tomatoes ready for picking, slicing, and eating from July until the frost comes in the fall.
I also planned for expansion of the garden with not just earth tilling, but also some container grown varieties.  I plan to grow most of these in my own yard, but also move some to my parent's home just down the hill (don't worry, mom, I plan to do all the care for these!).  The point?  To avoid the destruction that can happen when all plants are grown in one location when disease or pest problems strike (remembering last year's blight).  My hanging baskets this year will contain Sprite tomatoes and strawberries rather than flowers, allowing my family to be nourished from the beauty of our front porch.
I have yet to do the second part of planning, but now that the growing part is well thought out, I am ready for it.  Deciding how much my family of four (plus extra for my parents) will eat in the non-growing season of our long winters here in upstate NY.  We have a plans for a new freezer, to be purchased and delivered when the ice thaws enough to lift the hatch into our basement again.  But, I also need to learn other ways to preserve our foods.  Last year, I perfected the art of blanching and freezing in small batches.  This year, I will move to drying and canning.  And how much is too much?  How much is not enough?  I really love frozen fruit to mix in with my cream-on-top yogurt or in smoothies, and I'd love to have canned tomatoes for easy use in pasta and pizza sauce. I don't want to store more than we can eat, but I want to get as far into the winter as we can without buying from the supermarket.
The final aspect of the planning phase is remembering to schedule our days around the best times for local food hunts.  Being free to visit our weekly farmer's market, pick up our CSA box at the farm and have time to spend with the farmers, and making sure to arrange vacations around peak growing times for our garden.
I never said being a localvore wasn't without work...but the effort pays off in more ways than you can imagine...if only you plan, plan, plan!

Affordable Organic...learn how to cook!

Buying good, local foods only benefits your family if someone in the house knows what to do with them.  Simple, but true.  A beautiful bunch of fresh picked kale is only going to go to waste if you don't know how to cook  it.  Same with kohlrabi...kohl-whaty?  Simply peeled and sliced onto a fresh salad in early summer, it is so delicious.  Sitting on the counter uneaten?  A alien-looking waste.
My biggest problem with our society today is a lack of stay-at-home mothers.  And before you career women get offended by that statement, please remember that I am actually ONE OF YOU!  I am a full time working mother, proud that I can support my family during the economic downturn, but also quite bitter about the fact that our society doesn't recognize stay at home mothers for their hard work and benefit to their family.  If you have even tried to stay at home to raise a family, you know how challenging it can be.  But, many women, either by choice, or by necessity, are spending more and more time away from home at work.  I support a woman's right to choose.  I support women who want to work.  I support women who must work to keep food on the table and clothes in the closets.  And I support women who are successful in their careers.  But, I don't think women should be made to feel that they have to work to be respected.  It often takes someone at home to reach amazing goals.  A quote from Shannon Hayes, found on www.chelseagreen.com echoes how I am feeling about the local food movement and having someone in the home full time:
"A family does not need to earn a lot of money to eat local, sustainable, grassfed foods.  But someone in the family does need to have the domestic skills to be able to procure, process and prepare them affordably.  And someone in the family needs to be at home to get this work done."
Don't misunderstand me, I think some men are doing fantastic jobs staying at home and doing a great majority of the cleaning, cooking, and planning.  But, generally speaking, it is typically the woman in the family that has any sort of interest in cooking, sewing, and doing the "homemaker" sort of tasks.  (I also know many women who despise these things, and I respect their talents and do not turn my nose up at their disinterest in all things homey.)  The truth of the matter here, though, is that while is it entirely possible to turn to the local, organic food movement without spending a lot of money, you must have someone in the home who either has or is willing to obtain the skills needed to turn purchases into usable, or edible products.  
I have to admit, that I have always been a crafty momma.  I love to sew, love to knit, love to cook.  And for those who followed me in the years past, know that my garden is treated as well as my children in the summer!  I am always learning, though, and follow many other men and women as they write about their journeys through the food movement.  I can learn from their mistakes, and bask in the glory of their successes as they do.  And I share the same with them.  
So, if you really want to know how to join the simple life, you must educate yourself.  Learn a new skill.  Find a farmer who will let you work with them in the field, if only for a few hours one afternoon.  Borrow as many cookbooks from the library as you can check out.  Follow a blog or two.  Ask someone you know (yes, me!) for help.
Treat it like a class...study with motivation that you are doing something worthwhile that will last a lifetime for your family.  You don't have to start BIG...remember, I have been wandering the road less traveled for several years now, and I started with one simple change.  But, you can only start the ball rolling if you give it a little shove.  
So, how do I do it?  Balance working full time with also trying to be a full time wife, mommy, and sustainable life promoter?   It's not always easy.  I do the best I can.  I try not to beat myself up if my family has to eat a frozen meal one night while I am at work.  But, I try to balance that out with doing everything I can on the days that I am home and able to work toward my goals.  I try to take one day at a time.  If I know that carrots are ready to harvest soon, I start to look up ideas for the best ways to serve them without having the same old steamed side dish every night.  If I see a great sale on flannel at the store, I go in and find a pattern for simple pajama pants and take my time learning how to put them together.  Know that you will be spending a lot of time outdoors in the winter?  Learn how to knit yourself a scarf!  
I have to admit that even though the balancing act is exhausting right now, I know that it will all be worthwhile.  I love that my kids know where food originally comes from (and it's not the supermarket!).  I love that when they want new curtains, a new coat for their doll, or a blanket to decorate the couch, they ask if we can sew it.  I love that a new scarf means getting out the knitting needles (and as a sidenote...Kira is already learning to knit!).  I love that when they want a snack they want an apple from the orchard store.  
So, if you are hoping to gain something from the movement back toward the simple life, you may have to discover hidden talents, or develop new ones that you never had.  Need some help?  Find a mentor (you know where to find me!), read a book, use the tools of technology to reach your goals.  Just don't take the first step without some guidance.  Start small, but think big!   And don't go quitting your jobs to do it!  Just re-allot some of your time.  Instead of playdates at the indoor gym,  ask a local farm if you can have a tour or head to a farmer's market for a day of sights and tastes galore!  Rethink the way you plan your time and turn everyday things into an adventure.  If I can do it, so can you!