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Before New Years Banana Pudding

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Happy New Year everyone!!! I have missed getting on here and updating you all on what I have been learning and what's been keeping me busy. First off I'll ask you, how could one go through thanksgiving and show restraint? I did and couldn't even believe it myself. lol I have to say though, I have been feeling better eating a diet of real and non processed food. Taking out the junk has improved my blood pressure and slowly but surely my waistline. Which is not easy to do while trying to manage a awful autoimmune disease like Myositis. I was ok until December 1st hit. My life since then has been all about the sweets. We hosted our Annual Cookie Exchange and Christmas Party which was a huge success. Everyone including my brother brought awesome treats to the table for sharing. Packing school lunch couldn't be easier after an event like this. Not to forget to mention having quick treats on hand for all the visitors that come through around this time of year. It's m

A Fall for Food Justice

I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month now.... OY!!! I truly apologize but my schedule this fall has been crazy. Now the holiday season is upon us all and the weather has made it too easy to slack off, away from the computer and technology all together. Comfort wise I have no complaints about the weather. Besides updating my blog I have been ever lackadaisical about finishing my garden clean up (there are still trellises, stakes, and hoses to put away). I haven't even harvested all my cruciferous vegetables. So far the Dino kale is still the star of my garden and an easy go-to for a smoothie or for a free snack for our guinea pig. To be totally honest I haven't been just lazing about like I'm alluding too. I have been actively participating in the Transition Movement in my area as well as participating with Gardening Matters. Last night I accepted an invitation to participate in a discussion on Global Food Security with Dr. Esther Brimmer the Assistant S

Basil overload? It's PestoTime!

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Me & Basil Just before the big chill Basil Gone Bye Bye ~ It's Pesto Time The bitter cold has set in much too soon for most of us in this region. It's just the second week in October and a Minnesota ski parks has opened sooner than another parks in the country with real (manmade) snow.... With the rain that has just started to make it out of the atmosphere in the last couple hours I'm thinking the snow won't last very long. However the very cold day and night time temps has been conducive to flake making and the killing of all essential tasty things in my and other gardens around town. 
Speaking of casualties, our basil was almost caught and destroyed by the too cold temps. However,I raced out snatched the whole plants from the ground and proceeded with removing the not so succulent leaves and washing them. Since the cold makes me really lethargic I waited a couple days to process the leaves into what you see here

Solar Cooking at the Como Cookout

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Last month I jumped at an opportunity to assist with a Solar Cooking demonstration; a skill share that I would be assisting Amy Gooder from Rumble In The Kitchen with. This particular skill share was part of the Como Cookout. Which combined a potluck, tomato tasting, classes on seed saving, herb preservation, fermentation, canning, and a host of other events and activities sponsored by the NE/SE Local Food Resource Hubs. If you have visited my blog a time or two you can see that cooking and baking are my “it things” besides gardening. Before I went to the Como Cookout I had close to no knowledge about cooking outdoors using the sun. Last winter break after a particularly heated discussion with my son regarding wasted opportunities to “fry an egg” on the concrete (my fault of course); we made up by a unanimous decision to peruse Youtube on the subject. We found several videos to fuel our new passion for extreme outdoor cooking. Including videos showing how-to use a car to bake choc

A table full of Table Queen

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This is day one of garden clean-up. As you can see we had a bumper crop... Wait what is a bumper crop anyway? Pardon me as I digress, I just looked this up on Wikipedia and they refer to a Bumper Crop as: "In agriculture , a bumper crop refers to a particularly productive harvest yielded for a particular crop ." Not only did we produce a crazy amount of Table Queen Acorn Squash, we grew and harvested an amazing amount of pole beans (kentucky wonder I believe). We've enjoyed stir-fry, soup, casserole, and even green bean pickles. The latter being a huge hit in my and my brothers home. I am now down almost two jars; there happens to be approximately 5 beans floating in a nummy garlic dill brine in my refrigerator. I am way into the thick of it when it comes to putting food by these days. My kitchen is oober full of large pots, produce, and a couple scrap buckets

Where did the falls go?

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  Just made it back from walking the dog. What is disturbing to the hubby and me is that along the creek bed we saw only rocks and small puddles with stranded fish. What was worst of all was hearing only quiet as we walked to where the water "falls" over the sandstone into the lower creek bed. There was a trickle that didn't fall it kind of just sheened down the rocks into what was a very small kiddie sized pool of water. Kids from a neighboring school yelled, "crane" "crane". As we edged closer to see that there indeed was a crane plump full with fish that were very easy pickings. We've always wondered if there were fish going over the falls and today proved that yes there were and that they depend on the falls for their lively hood. It gets them from one place to another, and carries valuable nutrients and food to them. Until today the drought in my mind only consisted of brown grass, thirsty trees, and dried up vegetation. Today's visi

Homemade hot sauce 2012

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    I've waited all year to try my hand at making my own hot sauce. Yes I know there are plenty of grocery stores in my area that sell a variety of peppers that would have allowed me to try this out before now. However, there is nothing like the satisfaction one feels from growing their own and learning to create valuable pantry staples directly from their own land (yard). The recipe was so flippin easy I smacked myself on the forehead for not doing this sooner.   The beauty of making your own condiments allows you to control the sugar and sodium in the final product. I wish we had scratch and sniff monitors so you could have smelled and felt the spice coming from the teeny tiny Thai Peppers. Everyone in the house had very high oxygen levels after the preparation of this I'm sure because it opens you right up.   Tina's Thai Chili Hot Sauce: Ingredients A handful of Thai Chili Peppers. 4 cloves of peeled garlic 1 large onion peeled and cut in fourths

Nephew approves of Aunties Pasta

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One Giant Roma, 6 stalks of Dino kale, a small white onion (all from the garden); mixed with a splash of cream make a delicious easy sauce for pasta. 3 year old and adults approve and I must agree that this recipe is a keeper. Now with only remnants of all the goodness left in the pan I am realizing that I should have made more. So much for my simple brunch plan... I was sure the guys wouldn't like it so I made a small pan. Next time I'll know to go all out.
Happy Harvesting!

Tina

Got to have green!!

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House Plants..... Are simply a joy to most people who enter a home or mall where they bloom, sprawl or climb. Especially in the winter; in Minnesota. I know no one wants to think of the "W" word for a while but it is on my mind. Most of us flood the malls just to get a little view of greenery during shopping excursions or enjoying a nice hot chocolate while listening to our screaming children run from ride to ride at a venue like Mall of America.  I didn't really have this on my mind today when I took a trip to the Minneapolis Farmers Market to find discounted outdoor plants or shrubs. However, low and behold there before me in a stall next to piles of edamame were beautiful Peace Lillies, Aloe, and Pothos plants. Most people think my thumbs are stained green with how well I tend plants on the outside. I have had no real luck with house plants since..... Well, since we moved to this house. The direction of the sun is not conducive to what plants need in our family roo

The biggest Romas EVER

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I have been watching this tomato and his partners grow and grow and grow some more. Finally they are ripe enough to pull from the vine. I feel like two or three of these bad mamajammas would make a mean bag of sauce. The taste is way supreme to other paste varieties I've grown in the past. Just chop and toss in a pan with what ever and it's instant sauce for what ever. I've added these to chicken, zuchinni, green beans, on their own even and have been more than happy with the results. I'll dig through my spring plan and get the name of this variety for you. All I remember at this point in the growing season is that they came from the Friends School Plant Sale lol. UPDATE: I found my catalog from the Friends School Plant Sale and these tomatoes are the Opalka which is described as follows.  Opalka Outstanding for canning and salsa, this 5" sweet paste tomato is meaty with few seeds. It looks more like a long pepper than a tomato! Indeterminate, 75-85 days

The Elusive Red Noode Has Arrived

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Dost my eyes decieve me? that is what I thought when walking through the garden hunting monster sized zuchinni. The wait for just a glimpse of a single bean has been agonizing. I thought for sure this would be my star veg this year but alasthey almost didn't make an appearance at all. First there were critter issues which widdled them from 12 plants to 3. Of which only two are actually of size and blooming. Then there have been sunlight issues ad possible overcrowding. I take full responsibility because with this years crop rotation the tomatoes and my almost too ingenius table queen squash plan; I accidentally walled in some things that are now getting partial to full southern sunlight instead of just full. Looking at the garden as a whiole you'd never suspect any issues. My neighbors daughter says to her mom, "Mommy look at Mrs. Jones garden it's just like a jungle!". I so agree.... It's easy to get discouaged at this stage of the game. There is just so much

I didn't crack open a can of sauce.

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This morning I woke up with Thanksgiving on my mind. Yes we are a few months out but the fall like chill the last couple of days had me craving turkey and ALL of the fixins. My sister sent me a simple, "don't do it!" message that inspired me to rethink a massive trip to the grocery store to search for cranberries and cubed bread. Now several hours later I've settled on Sauteed Chicken with onions and peppers over a bed of Quinoa with Steamed brocolli [fresh from the garden]. Today my family has been save from organizing chopping and cleaning for such a big meal. Next week you may be seeing the spread before the Big Spread. Happy Harvesting!

more lfl pics

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Our Little Free Library Project

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For a month now I have been planning on particpating with the Little Free Library Project. On August 5th I had the opportunity to build one my own after signing up for a build sponsored by the Transition Longfellow Group and Longfellow Community Council. Little Free Libraries (LFL)are exactly what the name suggests. Tiny buildings that hold books that a person or persons own that they share with their community. 
The build I attended was an awesome experience; set up very professionally with experienced woodworkers and like minded neighbors. Having an optional potluck was a very tasty idea my son truly enjoyed as well. It's always nice gathering to do a project with tasty food as incentive. Since this post is about the libraries I won't get distracted by food talk right now. However, I will encourage anyone who is compelled to share their love of reading and promoting literacy in their community to build one of their own. I plan on sharing a wide range of books. From gardening

Another View of sliced Paul Robeson

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Tomatoes ripening before my eyes

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I just did a garden check this morning. Picked pole beans, moved garden table, looked for new okra pods, and inspectedthe squash. Beforemy eyes almost there are 4 more ripening stupice. I'm having an amost genovese minus the mozzarell and wanted to share these beautifully ripened treats with you.
Happy Harvesting folks!

Tina

Summer Bounty 2012

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The zinnia are breath takingthis year. Sowing them early and in two succesions helped because they are delicious to some critters. Now the blooms are giving us more than we could have hoped for. The tomatoes are ripening and on route to being a sandwich really soon.... Like literally in a couple minutes after this post lol. With the assstance from my beautiful helper we have pole beans a bowl full and way more to come. This all I ca write for today so enjoy thepic and come back soon.

Okra and Pepper Time

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What haven't I done?

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The answer to the question is update this blog with what's really going on in the garden.... So I have been promising an update for weeks now and here is what I've got.  I know that I am not the only one out there who is having a busier than a bee summer right? Luckily I have remembered to at least have my camera phone on the ready for what I think are amazing pictures. Today I finally have a little time to share with you. The family has been getting and eating Romanesco squash, Peas, Green Tomatoes, Raspberries up the whazoo, basil, cabbage, and the list goes on and on.  Also with the gardening has come our first official tour of the year with beverages and snacks, and great conversation. To prepare for this the whole family had to pitch in to do some prep and repair work on an old fence, securing posts for the compost bin and updating the broken lattice work. Never ending weeding.... Watering, re-homing some plants who were'nt doing well ( sweet peppers and egg plant