Looking at the 12+ inches of snow on the ground in my back yard, it's hard to believe that anything green will ever live there again. March is the time of the year when I start to get really twitchy. Down South, it's already spring. Buttercups are starting to peek up. At most, they're wearing hoodies. Here, we're up to our knees in snow. Unlike.

So, to make myself feel more like spring is around the corner, I have started seeds for all kinds of stuff. Carrots, tomatoes (slicers and canning), cucumbers, broccoli, beans, bell peppers, hot peppers, lettuce. Garlic that I really should have stuck in the ground in the fall but let's see what happens.

I have a few friends who are keeping chickens that I'm hoping will want to barter eggs for veggies. And, as Bill mentioned, I'm hoping that we can produce enough veggies to barter.

The person who gave me worms for the first go-round has agreed to give me another batch for round 2. I think I know what I did wrong this time after more closely inspecting the bin - they got too dry. I distinctly remember my friend telling me that ignoring my worms was the right thing to do. Apparently, spraying them with water once in a while is a better idea. I found about 20 dried worms in the pain underneath the bin so I'm pretty sure that was the problem. I did scoop the dried worm carcasses back in to the bin so they'll rot and make my compost even more yummy.

I've spent the last few days reading books and magazines about sustainability. I've engaged hubby in a few garden-planning conversations but amazingly, I'm the one with the passion behind it right now. He seems only mildly interested in talking about it. I think he's going to need to be able to see the ground before he gets psyched. I've decided that instead of purchasing a $200 rain barrel, I'm going to look out for some recycled barrel to use. Honey, wine...really anything but oil should work fine. I was up for using rainwater for some of our household use as well, but Bill didn't think that was such a good idea. Give him a few seasons :)

D

Spring is around the corner...

It's been 5 months since I've blogged. To be honest, I lost my mojo when autumn came. We got 2 new household members in October, then the holidays hit, then the snow and frankly, I've been pretty holed up. But the days are starting to get longer and I'm getting a hankerin'.

I did manage to kill my worms over the winter. I'm not sure if I should have taken them from under the sink when it got colder or if being under the sink with several household chemicals did them in, but they ceased producing castings and then...well, kinda dried up. I'm going to hit it again, this time with a larger bin hoping to be able to harvest castings in time for our spring planting.

I am looking forward to trying my hand at canning this year. I bought a book (which doesn't necessarily predict any activity on my part. I've also got books on raising Alpaca, making soap and keeping bees..none of which I've actually made any motions toward doing)and I'm planning to do tomato sauce at the very least. I've got this fantasy about having people from all over the community come and bring their harvests for "Put Up Days" where we all prep and can and freeze to our little hearts' content and then trade off goodies. Doesn't that sound fun?

D

End of the Season

Almost everything has been pulled up from the garden. The only thing that is left is peppers. I would say that the garden was a success - at least tomato-wise. Thanks to Bill for making it happen. We're considering putting in some lettuce to see what it does over the next few weeks, but mostly we're done for the year.

All in all, I can't say that we saved any money by having a garden this year. Bill had many more peanut butter & tomato sandwiches (yuk)than he would have otherwise, and we've got some dried herbs.

Next year, fewer tomatoes, more bell peppers, broccoli and sweet potatoes.

Ode to Squash

We had our first garden casualty - if you don't count the cilantro eaten by the critters, that is. Bill pulled up all of our zucchini plants this evening due to a white, moldy issue on the leaves. We had tons of blossoms but no zucchini ever made it past the 2" mark. I'm disappointed since the kids seem to love it so much.

We do, however, have a buttload of tomatos. We've eaten a couple of the Golden Jubilee already and used a few of the grapes in a 'stir fry' kind of thing that we put over pasta. The Mr. Stripey's are turning out to be exactly what I read they would be - a waiting game. There is fruit but nothing is near being ready to eat.

I'm planning to harvest worm castings very soon as I've got about 2 inches of castings in the bottom of my 'high tech' container (a bin from Big Lots). Stay tuned - I'll post pictures of the wondrous worm poo.

D

Garden Update - I can't wait to eat!

Cayenne Harvest

This is our first pepper that's ready to eat. We've got several varieties - this one is a Cayenne.
Just in time for Fajita night! Bill will be the only one trying these peppers.
Here's what the pepper will go on - Pollo Adobado from Dos Hermanos, our local Mexican grocery. YUM!
Careful, Bill!
Is that a little sweat I see beading up on your forehead?