Mapped Out

April 18, 2009 - Last year our gardening strategy was to just figure it out as we went along. When something needed to go in the ground, we just plopped it in any old place we could find. We were tilling beds and putting up fence throughout the season. There was absolutely no thought put into how much of each thing to put into the ground. But not this year.

This year we had the garden tilled and fenced as soon as the ground could be worked. And this week we put together a garden plan so that we know exactly where everything is going before it goes there. Here's the plan (although it is still flexible as we figure things out) -

Our beds are 4' wide, with 2' wide paths between beds. (I can't tell you how excited I am to have organized beds.) So plan and tape measure in hand, Joe and I spent last weekend laying out most of the beds and paths. It's soooo pretty -

Our peas are in the very first bed, doing really well. After they're harvested they'll be pulled up and replaced with tomatoes.

With everything in place, this weekend it was time for some serious planting! All the cool weather plants that were started from seed indoors are ready for the open ground this time of year - that includes broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, onions, and swiss chard. It was also time to direct seed beets, carrots, and mesclun greens. Lucky for me, Friday was the most beautiful day we've had yet this spring - 70 degrees and sunny! So I took the day off from work (sooo worth it Lida), and spent the day filling the garden in, following our pretty plan. Very satisfying. This below is the swiss chard - 52 plants - we're doing a lot of it because they're an easy vegetable to cook fast, you can eat from the plants all season, and we can freeze them.

And here's the row of broccoli in the ground - they're still pretty small, but they should be just fine in the ground -

Today I went back over to the garden to mulch all the seedlings in. Although mulching is not at all my favorite garden activity, it is always worth it. It is the reason we don't spend out entire lives weeding the garden in the summer. It also keeps the moisture levels and temperatures even, and adds organic matter to the soil over time. It's just a good idea. Plus, we have quite a supply since my mother has had a few trees cut down over the last couple years -

I think that should last us a little while.

Foraging for Ramps

April 11, 2009 - Like morels or fiddleheads, ramps are one of those spring time treats that you can't get from your garden. Though they come from the wild and you don't have to spend time growing them, they don't exactly come free - ramps like very specific wooded habitats and in order to experience this delicious wild onion, you must spend a bit of time foraging for them in the woods (or know someone who will do this for you of course).

The golden rule of foraged foods is that you never give away a good location. So I, naturally, am not at liberty to discuss how exactly Joe and I came to enjoy our first taste of ramps this spring. But I can tell you that we have been hearing about the heavenly vegetable for a few years now and have been quite intrigued - it's taste is similar to a leek, but also a bit like garlic - totally up our alley. So this year we decided not to put it off any longer. We got some tips as to what woods we might try and we had incredible luck.

When we set out, we didn't even know what we were looking for. The good thing about this time of year though, is that there isn't much green on the forest floor. We also knew that the ramp would give itself away with it's very oniony smell. So we walked around tearing off leaves of plants and sniffing everything. After a while, we finally found what we were looking for -

It fit all descriptions we'd heard and it smelled soooo good. But it was just this one all by itself. We hoped they weren't going to be that few and far between, (that would have made for a REALLY long day) and kept looking. Next we found a small patch, and we started to get excited. Then we found a bigger patch, and we were officially in heaven -

We dug up a small bag of ramps (we hadn't even tasted them yet, so we didn't want to be greedy) and headed home. We called a friend of ours to find out how to cook them, and she said to just clean them and then saute the whole plant with butter. Joe immediately heated up a pan and cooked them up.

They. Are. Delicious.

I mean, seriously, I don't know how we were enjoying life without them. They're tender, flavorful, and most importantly, they're the first fresh green we were eating since last fall! It's not like an onion where you only eat the bulb. You eat the leaves of the ramps, so it can really stand as a vegetable all on its own. YUM.

It was supper time and we couldn't very well eat JUST ramps for supper. So we cooked chicken, and then just before it was done, threw a pile of ramps on the top and let them steam -
The next morning Joe made an amazing breakfast of eggs, ramps, onion grass, and peppers. Now if this doesn't make you want to cook, I don't know what will -

Now. Here's what you need to know. Ramps grow in the woods, relatively near a source of water. As you can see, the leaves look like lily of the valley, which is POISONOUS - so make sure you smell before you dig. If they smell like onions, you're good. The stems have a bit of red just above the bulb. The leaves begin to pop up just after the snow disappears for the season. Apparently you can harvest them for the next couple of weeks. Obviously, you do not want to take a whole patch, or else they won't have a chance to seed. And the last thing you want is for them to be gone the next year. So don't be greedy. And I have to say, this being my first foraging experience - eating the ramps wasn't the only reward - it was strangely satisfying to hunt through the woods with Joe, eyes on the ground. The elation that comes from the first spotting is amazing and it was just an all around great way to spend time together. And it was free. :)

Understanding the Onion

April 10, 2009 -
Up until a few hours ago, I did not understand the onion. I mean, I understood that it is probably one of the very most important vegetables in my diet and that I would have a hard time living without it. Tonight, for example, I'm cooking steak. What good would steak be without onions? Not much.

I also understood that to plant onions, I could choose between seeds and sets. Everyone who had grown onions before told me to plant sets. I planted both. Although I had planted sets last year, I didn't really know what exactly a 'set' was. Where did it come from? How did it work? Then Joe and I saw a sprouting onion on my mother's counter, which brought up more questions about the life of an onion. What would happen if we stuck this in the ground? I had no idea.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that I am not the only one who didn't understand onions, based on the fact that I've heard of people who don't know that carrots grow underground. So I'll share my newfound knowledge with you because, well, I think we should all know these things.

Turns out the onion is a biennial - meaning it takes two years to complete it's life cycle and produce seed. The first year, a seed is planted (very early in the season). It begins to grow a top in early spring, but the bulb will not start to develop until there are a certain number of hours of daylight (depending on variety, but pretty much not til the middle of summer). Up until that point if you dug them up, they would look sort of like a scallion.

Sets are onions that were planted from seed the previous year, and then dug up and dried - they're like adolescent onions. While they are easier to grow, because you don't have to take care of seedlings beginning in February, it is suggested that the onions you get from onion sets won't be as durable for storing, so they should be eaten fresh.

If an onion is left in the ground for a second year, it will then use the energy from the previously developed bulb to shoot up a thick stalk and flower - making new seeds, and then dying.

Therefore, if you take a sprouting onion from your countertop and put it in the ground, you won't get any more onion out of it, but you will get seeds that you could then plant. Still may be worth the effort, if you are into saving seeds...

Good to know.

Spring Has Sprung!

April 10, 2009 -
Our peas are up!!! I can't even tell you how exciting that is to us. Last year we had a horrible time with peas, ending up with basically nothing. This year, we planted them out near the end of March, when the ground had thawed. They took a couple of weeks, but finally I went over one day to find the whole row coming up. I just love the way each vegetable looks different as a seedling - and I think the peas are especially cool looking. But peas aren't the only thing coming up. Here are some baby radishes -

A little patch of arugula is coming up like crazy. Joe likes the easy scatter method of planting, whereas I prefer neat and tidy rows - can you tell who planted these? -

I believe the one below is a spinach seedling. I've never planted them, so I can't be sure, but it's definitely either spinach or a weed. :)

And here's the pot of chives that's resurfacing from last year. Don't you just love perennials?

Beware of Cats

April 10, 2009 - A few days after Joe got the chicks all set up inside the refrigerator, he came outside to find this -

Hmmm, that's not okay. In case it's not clear, that cat is sitting directly on top of our poor unsuspecting chicks. It doesn't look like her intentions are bad, but Joe shooed her away anyhow. Check out the way they're staring each other down as she unhappily leaves her new found warm spot -

Moving Outside

April 10, 2009 - After keeping the baby chicks inside for a week, it was DEFINITELY time to move them outside. For me, the nighttime tweeting was a bit loud, and the aroma of chicken poop in our living quarters started to get old. Joe didn't seem to mind having them inside at all, but luckily for me, he felt they needed more room than we could give them in our small space. So they were moved into their second home - the refrigerator. I must admit that Joe is very clever about these things and he created a very nice little home for the babies. There's lots to worry about - maintaining the proper warmth, having good air circulation, and also being protected from predators... but Joe's design has been working out perfectly, and the birds are very happy and safe -

The next step is to move them out into the chicken tractor Joe built last year for our first round of chicks. It's still way too cold to put the babies outside all the time. But on sunny days, Joe has started to move them into the tractor, where they are learning to scratch for food and having their first tastes of bugs and grass. Of course, this set up is well fortified because I'm sure there is nothing more tempting to surrounding wildlife than 30 tasty little chicken nuggets.

They are definitely too cute for their own good.

Greenhouse Days...

April 10, 2009 - The growing season officially began at Hardeman Orchards just a few weeks ago. Once the new plastic was on the greenhouse, John got busy seeding. Here are the beginnings of many happy vegetables that hopefully many people will come purchase from the farmstand!
After filling the seed trays and planting the seeds in the greenhouse, he places the trays in his germinating chamber inside. There are lamps and heat mats to keep everybody warm and toasty until they're ready to wake up. Some things germinate very quickly while others can take several days or even weeks. Once they've germinated, it's back out to the greenhouse, which is kept at 50 degrees at night and is generally quite toasty during the day.

With my work schedule, I haven't actually been able to spend a huge amount of time in the greenhouse yet. But I have had a few hours each weekend to spend helping out. The first project I participated in was potting up some flower plugs John had purchased. They come looking like this -

All tiny, cute, and happy. Then we pot them up into something bigger where they can have a long and happy summer. These geranium hanging baskets are going to be beautiful once they've filled in and begun to bloom -

Last weekend I spent a few hours seeding cabbage, collard greens, and lots of tiny little flower seeds. Hopefully sometime this weekend I'll get to go over and see if they've all come up!