Garden Fuss

Wooden Posts with Strawberries & Mint Can we really move both of them?   Cocoa, Cypress, Straw and Hay.... Choose your mulch, gather your weeding tools, and proceed to spend the whole day in the garden.  I had pretty simple plans for the day when I first woke up. I planned on implementing a pretty simple mulching of the strawberry bed, and the vegetable garden. I am so sick of muddy paths already that a good "hay down" in the garden was necessary. However, when I took a look around I noticed that the scheme and flow of the berry garden was totally off.  After multiple breaks for water and resting a sore body; I actually got through the much too LONG tasks of  weeding, digging up, and separating the strawberry plants. This was after removing two super heavy and rotted wooden posts. Thank God I had help because there is no way I could have done this alone.  My helper keeping squirrels off their favorite posts Newly mulched Strawberry bed Not to ment

In spite of this horrible cold I have trying to keep me down; I've managed to get into garden today. I must say I made a heck of a lot of progress. There were several plants to split and move including: hostas, dianthus, bugle weed, day lilies, black berry lilies, creeping phlox and ribbon grass . I even dug up some prolific plants to be moved to a new location that I believe are some type of Perennial Sunflower. The butterflies and birds seem to love these plants but they have grown out of their designated area well into the general lawn ( a.k.a.  the hubby's territory) . I have yet to decide where the stragglers should be placed so they are sitting in a large margarine tub until a new home can be found. As my plants grow and flourish from the care they receive I find that my friends and neighbors think I am becoming one of those "hippy flower chicks". I humbly accept and appreciate the moniker. I think we all have to be good stewards of the earth and I only try

Tat Tsoi sprouting 2012 2012 Vegetable/Flower Seedlings My mini hoop/green house With their little new leaves just beginning to poke through the surface is Tat Soi, Cabbage, Zinnia, Marigold and two types of Romaine lettuce. I am so super excited by this sighting I had to share it a.s.a.p.. It's been less than two weeks (... if that) since I started my winter/spring sowing and erected my mini hoop greenhouse. These are the first signs of life by seed for our 2012 flower/vegetable garden. Looking very closely I can see that the cucumber and squash will soon begin to germinate. *not pictured*

This early spring has had me on my toes and a little stressed about possibly missing the planting markers for this growing season. I've started sowing seeds and have them tucked into my little green house due to the crazy weather shifts; However, I know it's still April for one more week but the blooms on my lilac bush and my tulip and daffodil are starting to pop. I've read that by the time lilac blooms fade it is time to start planting summer veggies of which I have non to plant... yet! I'm a little bummed that some of my tulips are already beginning to fade. The barren stems in the front of the house compelled me to race into the back today to grab a few of the remaining tulips and a dusty vase for a spring display. I wish you could smell the lilac via internet because this scent has really helped my mood. For some reason it seems very strong this year so I'm not going to over do it by putting blooms in every room. I may put some in the bathroom though. That

I don't know how I haven't posted about Pham's Deli before today. Pham's is located in the Midtown Global Market or where we Minneapolis'ans call "The old Sears Building". When ever the little man in the family says sweet chicken we get our sesame chicken fix on at Pham's in Midtown. Pham's seems to stay busy Especially when it's lunch time... So we prefer going as soon as they open because it can get packed pretty quickly. No matter what you will get delicious hot food for unbelievably reasonable prices. Don't let me forget to mention my Pham's weakness, Bubble Tea. If you are in search of amazing bubble tea in a variety of flavors [green tea, red bean, mango, banana, chai tea, papaya, honey dew, taro, strawberry, almond, coffee, I'm sure there is more] be sure to stop here. I've always been a tapioca freak and at Pham's you have the choice of pearls or no pearls. I always get the pearls because that's just who

It seems like I've had no time to get my seeds started until today. It may have been the cold then warm then hot, then cold again weather.... The gray skies, countless chores, and errands have no doubt played their part as well. In spite of all this I have successfully winter sown cucumber, red and green romaine, zinnias, marigolds, winter squash, tomatoes [stupice, chocolate cherry, yellow pear], red noodle longbeans, summer squash, lima beans, halogen melon, tat tsoi, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.... So in other words I am a busy bee who has no time for spell check but will work on this blog posting later...[or not]

Happy Planting! UPDATE: So I have managed to come back and do some spell checking and to provide some additional information for you about my whole 2012 seed starting journey. As you can see from the previous pictures I have chosen for the second year in a row to use Organic Mechanics seed starter . This organic blend contains so many goodi

When you've braved the multitude of stairs at Minnehaha Falls to make it down to the creek... Just remember you have to get back up to the top some how some way.

 Once your lungs have inflated and deflated rapidly for what will seem like several minutes whilst you recover... head on over to Sea Salt seafood eatery for a nummy Po'Boy to help speed up your recovery. I must admit that I was not so impressed last year when I first tried the eatery. However, that is probably due to EXTREME heat, crabby kids, and the fact that my appetite had not recovered from a recent procedure I'd had due to my Myositis. Bad form on my part because this sandwich today is Slammin! [I usually hate fish]. I wax on and off about the falls a whole lot because it's just a great place to go alone or with friends, and definitely with family (4 legged members included). 
You may have to dodge several bicyclists and other pedestrians with and without dogs to make your way to the sights and

Today I figured why let the guinea pig have all the fun eating the crunchy carrots? That and a copy of a Martha Stewart magazine was the impetus for this creation. It doesn't hurt to have kids and a hubby who have been very sweet deprived of late. After doing some research on moist carrot cakes I found several recipes containing pineapple. The recipe I used today not only had pineapple it also contains yogurt which I used to cut some of the fat out of the dessert. This is the perfect spring treat for us and I wish I would have thought of it sooner.

What an awesome sunny day to distribute information and seeds to my fellow local food resource hub participants ! Thanks to the hardworking people at Gardening Matters this event was more than a success today. I have been meaning to write more about this organization since participating in their fundraiser a month ago at Powderhorn Park . For those who are not familiar with a food resource hub I urge you to visit www.gardeningmatters.org and click on the link for Resource Hubs under the Projects header. There you will find in the description that a hub is made up of City Residents who have networked together to build a larger gardening community.  I love this idea because it is a great way to find that we ALL have things in common and working together with shared knowledge towards common goals is a recipe for success. My personal goals are to have access to the healthiest foods right outside my doorstep, meeting like minded individuals and families, broadening my gardening reperto

Minnesotans all over love to talk weather. Today I am not only sounding off about 70 degree weather in Minneapolis; I am also super stoked about winning seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Overall I am not a "lucky" person when it comes to winning things. Sure I can hold my own during the tricked out squirt gun games at the state fair, but lotteries, raffles, and Lord know auctions are all stacked against me. All that being said I have finally won what I am calling an uber green thumb package of awesome seeds from Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds. I have been dragging my feet on finalizing my seed order this year since having some health issues crop up. This and other home projects had me thinking about buying only seedlings for the first time ever. Now,all I know is there will be cauliflower this year for sure and I can't wait to taste a Stupice Tomato. 

Happy Planning or planting if you've gotten aroundto it before me. Just don't forget to get out and enjoy this

Catalogs, Applications, Phone Calls, Rough Drafts, Sketches, Notes, Emails...... You name it I've been doing it in preparation for spring 2012. Not only have I decided to participate in a local food resource hub in my neighborhood, I've decided to try my hand at vending at a local farmers market after 4 years off. A whole lot has changed since I was last a vendor. There is way more paperwork than I remember, as well as insurance requirements that are proving to be more difficult than I first thought. After several phone calls and research online I'm hoping to have finalized what I need to do business at the market by later today. The issue is whether the policy should be a commercial policy or an attachment to the personal home-owners policy since the product is homemade. *sigh* Responsible people do the right thing and I've always labeled my food with dates and ingredients. I figure most people who give the gift of food do to some degree, and I am all about safety

Last year was such an awfully long, cold, and hard winter full of sick kids and parents. We had planned on having a skating party with more kids than you could count and the best birthday cake ever. With all that being said we had a small intimate party for my baby boy which included a hot bowl of chicken soup for everyone, nebulizer treatments, no cake or sweets what so ever, and shoveling (lots of shoveling). The snow was never ending and all we could do was dream of warmer days and phlegm free breaths of air. This year we prepared the best we could for an "actual birthday party" as my son reminded us to do daily. So what better way to celebrate than with friends, a movie, gifts, pizza, chocolate strawberries, a sleep over, and a fabulous Kirby cake? Nothing I say, and I better have at least a movie and chocolate strawberries for mine this year! Speaking of this year we more than made up for the debacle of last year and we were able to feed, entertain, and accommodate 

It is time for some Football...... The food has been prepared the beverages are cool. (nobody wants warm water or juice lol)
I am bound and detrmined to meet my personal weight loss goals so there is variety in our supper tonight. Healthy options include sonoran tilapia with baked potato wedges, and kymchee rice. The not so healthy options include sinful sweet cinnamon rolls, and fried chichen wings. I must ay it is very nice and even comforting when Everyone in the house pitches in with a meal. The hubby had to have Chicken wings which he prepared. My daughter kicked in the kymchee rice (not pictured) and the lil man of the house stayed out of the way while I made his requested cinnamon rolls. Well that is not all true, he did get the measring cups out and that was a big help to me. I hope you all have a Super Superbowl Sunday. For me the best time is Commercial time... Unless the Packers are playing then I will call for delivery and stayed glued to the Television.

A big part of why I do this blog is chronicle what works and doesn't work in and around my garden. Mostly because it ultimately will end up on our table or our neighbors and relatives tables. So I can't just fly blindly into the garden and just dig aimlessly at the crusty earth. I have to plan and prepare before I begin sometimes doing some testing of the area I plan to plant in. I have to research and decide what plants can successfully grow in my area... yada yada yada! I could go on and on about my process but for now I won't bore you. Gardening and it's larger counterpart Farming are usually learned skills. I have a knack and my husband would say insatiable desire to learn. This is why I'm posting information today about a great opportunity for those interested in expanding upon what they currently do or for those interested in dipping a foot into the field (so to speak) of farming. Years ago I participated as a jelly/jam vendor in a local farmers market here

I have been contemplating for weeks how to start off this new year's blogging. I've thought about talking about the weather, the soups, the stews, the DIY projects I have planned. Ultimately I decided 3.5 seconds ago to talk about the countless seed catalogs that have been finding their way to me for the last several weeks. I am not complaining at all, and I so look forward to reading each of them at least three times before deciding which ones to order from. However, I do have issues with some of the names that are being chosen for the same exact plants. Maybe it's the region or the companies themselves are just trying to make things more interesting. All I know is that if I want to try something new I'd like to know it's origins and maybe the scientific name would be helpful to include so if a person like myself finds the same plant/seed and it has an alternate name(s) we can be assured of what it is we are trying to grow. Seriously is a Winged Bean a Pea or not

So I went to the gym yesterday for a last of 2011 workout. I'm sure I lost some calories, but I also picked up a nasty bug. I've had fever chills and shakes since 8:00 pm yesterday and all I could think about having was kymchee rice. Thanks to my loving daughter my first meal of the new year today is her flavorful healthy and Delicious rice. The best part is I didn't have to attempt to make it myself. Somehow my rice overcooks and is too sticky but she gets the grains perfect and I relish the tart then saltiness of the fermented turnips and radish. It is just so good I have to get off of this blog here to indulge. Happy New Year World!! May there be plenty sowing of seeds and goodness this year. PEACE UP!