Garden Fuss

Backyard Foraged Salad Foraging was a topic my elderly neighbor who was also a retired science teacher and botanist spoke about constantly. Friends thought my brother and I were crazy when we stopped mid game (football) to pick and eat a juicy looking patch of wood sorrel we spotted on the other side of the fence. I can't remember all of the lessons she taught but I remember her passion for eating local and not overlooking the simplest of plants. It's because of her that I jumped at an opportunity to learn some foraging here in the city. I've participated in some monthly classes that have helped me and by proxy my family, become more of an adventurous eaters. Below is a  picture of a salad foraged from our backyard. We paired it with our baked chicken [no pictured] and this meal was more than a hit!  The greens included lambs quarters, Orach (purple mountain spinach), Plantain, Egyptian walking onions, Wood Sorrel, Flat leaf Parsley, Raspberries, and Purslane...

Have you ever driven by a garden space in the city and seen multiple people digging, pulling weeds while socializing and wondered; "What's up with that?". Community Gardens are popping up a to feed individuals and families and as a way to build community all over the Twin Cities. If you have an interest in or have ever had questions about community gardens check out the map of gardens participating in Community Garden Day Saturday August 10th. Get all of your questions answered and participate in various activities ranging from skill shares, children's activities, tastings, and even live music. You never know you may even sign up for your own space for next year!   More information can be found at http:// www.gardeningmatters.org/ events/cgday2013

In may we dug up 190 bare root strawberry plants. The majority of them were for a friend of mine who is getting rid of the grass in the front and sides of his home and putting in an edible landscape. I have nothing against strawberries they are one of my most favorite fruits ever; but there were four varieties battling it out in the space I needed for the blueberry plants I had pined for all winter (then received from the Friends School Plant Sale). I kept thirty of the plants my beautiful assistant dug up with the help of her brother. I then soaked, wrapped, and bundled them so that they would be so overwhelming to plant in their new homes. After dropping off the bountiful berry root stock we were gifted with two types of cherry trees. One is a Balaton Cherry and the other is a Dogwood called a Cornelian Cherry. If you live in the state you know that this spring was cold and hella wet... That being said after putting it in it's new home the Balaton developed a b...

Spring sprung after winter went out like a lion... Fighting and roaring all the way. I have so many updates for you all I don't know where to begin. Back tracking a little I am several steps closer to having my technology up to date so that I can do this blog. An integral piece to my work in the past has been my cell phone a what I thought was a decent camera, and a pretty reliable PC. The camera started to develop issues first, taking a while to come on then after a battery change refusing to come on at all. The PC developed so many problems it had to be re-imaged and every program restored which required way too much time.  This spring was not just hard on my technology it was also hard on my body. I was able to teach a couple classes and then able to get a bit of my own winter sowing done; but not hardly enough. There are still blank spots in my garden today but I'll get to that later. I can't remember if I posted about my bum knee or not, but a December knee injury ke...

Spicy Italian Polish From Tollefson Family Pork - MPLS Farmers Market It's officially spring when the  Farmers Markets  start opening one by one. Each market around the city has their own distinctive personality. The treats, treasures, and specialties vary so widely that you have to visit more than just one to find your staple vendor(s). Minnesotans by and large are a hardy bunch. We have our own brand of crazy and creative. If there is something new to experience we will come out en  masse  rain or shine, sleet or snow with shovel in hand to support the arts, good food, community, and a plethora of causes.  I've gotten so caught up in trying to do it all that I have not left enough time in the day to update you all on the going- ons  around town. That is until now....  For starters, today the Midtown Farmers Market opened up and I have to say that the food trucks are a very welcome sight to my near-sighted eyes. Two of the v...

Slowly but surely I am getting caught up on all things green here at home and around town. Today I want to again promote and spread the word about the Local Food Resource Hubs , an initiative of Gardening Matters, the Minneapolis Health Department, Homegrown Minneapolis and many other neighborhood and gardening organizations throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul. Here’s how it works:   Hubs are organized by neighborhoods. You sign up as a member of your neighborhood (southside, northside, st.paul, etc.) and select a small, medium, or large garden package . There is a sliding scale for each size, and scholarships are available.  You get seeds and starter plants of your choice, free gardening classes and (starting this year) potential access to a tool lending library. Starting this year, it is also possible to purchase strawberry and raspberry plants at a steep discoun t. Seeds are purchased in bulk from Johnny’s Selected Seeds (non GMO!) and repackaged by...

2013 Tank Garden I have put off using this method for a few years because of the success I've had with winter sowing  my plants. Then around Christmas I started having conversations about the 2013 gardening season and what my plans were. The topic of onions came up and I quickly threw out the fact that I wasn't an authority on growing them successfully. In the past I have shared onion sets with my sister in-law and we just couldn't figure out why we only end up with tiny bulbs. However, after some research and further discussions with professionals [ie.. a Master Gardener and the U of Minnesota extension service] I found out that onions in a zone 4a can be grown from sets successfully and we should have pre-ordered because we were getting and planting them too late. Also, there may have been an issue of not providing enough high phosphorus fertilizer and something about side dressing with urea. So far this year the onions look great! I've started them indoors...