Garden Fuss

Despite my earlier protestations, and with much appreciated assistance, I not only planted what turned out to be an overfilled garden, I harvested more than I had intended too. Though what I looked forward to harvesting the most however, were the 28 apples from our 3 y/o Honeycrisp apple tree. Of course I have been counting apples every year since it was planted and I wasn't alone in my exuberance. Think Count Dracula and Sesame Street.... 😁 Well, long story short I won't be sharing any pictures of a 28 apple harvest nor a 2 apple harvest because before I could figure out there was an issue, they were all gone (darn squirrels). Anyone in my position would be fuming and more than annoyed by the total disregard of their hard work and their pie/crumble making plans right? I could have stayed angry at those little biters and even considered practicing my slingshot making skills on them while they were chitting and running about one day. It really took me a few minutes of cursing t...

I'm currently looking at the last of the 2015 raspberries in the GardenFuss Garden. When the dog days of summer lift up a sultry hot foot to kick off what I call sweat, fatigue, and lethargy-gate. Partly due to my Myositis but equally rivaled by parenting, married life, and just being an adult. [ So much to do in such a short time ] Basically I go into a raspberry funk. Seriously, as soon as I have picked, washed, and packed up the first couple gallons I begin to get overwhelmed from just walking past the small, ruby, garden jewels. This is probably because I'm waiting not so patiently for a much needed family vacay. It doesn't help to have acquired a bad case of NOT asking for extra help in the garden when I need it. **cough cough** ::blushing::. But Alas I am not going down that road right now. Aren't we all a work in progress? 😊   Todays post is about not succumbing to the berry picking fatigue despite busy adult life. It's ...

Got Borage or Starflowers? If not get some quick! 🐝 Bees love it and so do I. Borage is one of few plants with naturally occurring true blue flowers. It is considered an herb and the leaves, blossoms, and stems are eaten in many places. My daughter and I have tried brewing it for tea but because of the high gelatinous mucilage in the leaves (think okra slime ewwww) we've decided to dry the leaves first before trying again. Besides tea I have only researched but yet to try other recipes using borage. I'm excited to try one that calls for blending it with braised greens and cheese for ravioli filling. When this happens I will be sure to post pictures and talk about our results. An interesting fact about Borage is that it's supposed to cure melancholy or make you feel courageous. I can't say that this really works but I know I feel better watching the interesting critters flitting about and flirting amongst one plant to the next. I'm growing it as an annual in...

I could probably talk endlessly about not using and avoiding pesticides and insecticides; especially those containing Neonicotinoids. I won't do that today because there are so many documentaries, cartoons, newspaper articles, nightly news stories, and so on and such that speak volumes about why bee populations are on the decline and the ramifications for our SHARED planet. I am a fixer by nature and I want to focus on providing my top three preservationist tips for abundant-bee happiness. So take this as my tiny but comprehensive and super easy to do, Get Bees To My Backyard-Patio- Community Garden plan. Keep in mind that there are approximately 400 native bee species in Minnesota. I cannot speak for 400 species but I've witnessed 4 varying types in my garden space. These include Bumblebees, Honeybees, Carpenter bees, and tiny but busy Stingless Bees (dill flowers are their JAM). I have at least two neighbors in a quarter mile radius keeping bees so honey bees come and go from...

Peas and Collards an #EarthDay Duo A photo posted by @mizqtinaj on Apr 22, 2015 at 7:35pm PDT For the last six months my family and I have been in a sort of stasis. A forced hiatus from everything in order to heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. Collectively we've endured loss of lives that felt like blows to our spiritual bodies, and then the largest battle yet of our lives to fight a feeling of helplessness when our eldest child almost succumbed to a stroke and aneurysm.  Recovery for our daughter and for us has come in many forms. This includes scaling down activities that we'd normally participate in to focus on more immediate things. For instance for me it's taking a break from the physical act of growing and documenting efforts to grow. Hence the large span between posts here, which in the broad scheme of things I am not at all sorry about. That being said, I am very thankful for the outcome of breaking from it all. Our child is on the mend and ve...

Beet #kvass and fermented #salsa on deck tonight. The garden does us good! A photo posted by @mizqtinaj on Aug 8, 2014 at 9:01pm PDT One of the simplest, easy peasy, no-brainer, ways of adding beneficial cultures, vitamins, and nutrients into your diet is to ferment your foods. One of my favorite ways to add these cultures is through beverages like Beet Kvaas which I wanted to share with you today. The recipe couldn't be simpler but the benefits to my gut health, my skin, hair, and nails is why I'm excited to share this today. Beets are not on the favorite foods list of most people I know, but I'm glad to now admit that today they are one of mine. To describe to you how difficult it is to get a full grown adult to sip or sample a food with beets is worse than taking a five year old for shots. These folks feel like their life will end if they imbibe on this sometimes crimson root vegetable. But I never give up and the smell and my incessant teasing usuall...

It is very fitting that next week we kick off the holiday season with Thanksgiving, so tis the time for sage in everything. Sage is such a wonderful plant! This photo was taken in May of this year and this post has been sitting in my queue ever since, waiting to shine in all its savory glory!  Now that it's cooled off significantly and the last, of the last, of the last, vegetation has been harvested from the garden, I have had time to find some perspective on a couple few things. Number one, I've decided to not give this blog up. Yeah I considered it and it's been a very long time since I've posted anything due to so many factors. Including health and very painful personal losses that took me in a direction I for one least expected. That being said and in an effort to avoid elaborating anymore, I realize that this small blog is my love letter to myself, my family, my friends (current and future), and all things green. Having just finished a phone call with a new fri...