Goodbye 2010

There she goes. 
2010 is leaving the building. It's been a year full of unexpected delights. After last New Years weekend with our closest friends, that we call the 'Funky Family', Matt and I promised each other we would finally go for our dream. I am overwhelmed that this is all coming together now.

The little garden I started here in an urban neighborhood in Charlotte was really a personal catalyst into a dream finally being realized. I have known my sweet husband since we were 15 years old. We have been dreaming together for 18 years now. Our long conversations on his parents' front stoop about community living and a rededication to our rural roots is finally manifesting itself. The simple life has found us.

So, my little garden in the city is quiet this winter. I look at it everyday and silently thank the soil for all it has taught me. A new landscape awaits us in the mountains. 40 acres and a modest cabin in beautiful Marshall, NC. Also, a promise of daily community with out parents, extended family, and friends will be realized. How amazing! How blessed!

Our first child is expected anytime now. I'm so happy we get to give this child the gift of growing up with his/her grandparents, growing our own food, and just true experiential learning.  Oh, and of course... the sweetest tree houses you have ever seen :)

2011 is rolling in. Baby Pike is on his/her way. A move to the land is coming very soon (TBD). This blog will become a place to note the major life changes we are about to experience. Expect to read about more downsizing, new parent rants, how to pack 1400 sq ft into 750 sq ft, using a greenhouse, larger gardens (vegetable and flower), building houses, chickens, goats, hot tubs, and a whole lot more in 2011.

Happy New Year!

Grow in Peace.

Sweeeet!

This morning I decided to see how the sweet potatoes were coming along. I love digging them up. It's like a treasure hunt. I wanted to cure some to cook for Thanksgiving and needed a few weeks to make that happen. Mission accomplished! There are still some plants out there and I will harvest them later on. If you remember from my earlier blog, these potatoes are from one that I saved from our organic produce delivery. I wasn't sure how it would work out. Making my own potato slips has proven to be a good frugal gardener tip.

I also managed to train the sugar snaps up the former Cucumber Harp. It is now the Sugar Harp. At least, for another month or so. I noticed a lot of the lettuce is growing in now too. I had to plant it twice because I neglected it the first time around and all of the lettuce shriveled up in a dry spell.

Small confession...I have not been in the garden hardly at all lately. There are a lot of changes going on in our home. My body also doesn't like it when I'm bent over or digging thanks to this enormous belly I'm sporting. I'm torn about investing too much time in the garden. With the cold season coming, I will probably blog more on food! But, no worries. Next year's garden is going to be exceptional. Just wait and see!

Think Bigger. MUCH bigger.

Real Pumpkin...Not Canned

My aversion for anything in a can has been heightened over the years. Sometimes knowing can be a real pain in the pantry. On the other hand...avoiding preservative filled and other overly processed foods has opened me up to some real flavors that I have been missing over the years. It has surely boosted the nutrition factor in our diets.

Last year I made my first real pumpkin pie with... real pumpkin. I used pumpkins that came in our organic produce box that was being delivered to the house. It really isn't that hard to pre-cook a pumpkin. It takes about 1/2 a minute to split the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. About the same amount of time it would take to open a can with a can opener. Was that really so hard? Then I just place it face down in a little water inside of a pyrex dish. I bake it for about 45 minutes at 350 and it's ready to go. While it cooks I pre-measure out all of my ingredients.

On a side note...I rinsed and set some of the seeds aside on a paper towel. I wrap them up when they dry and save them for next year. You could also roast the seeds if you wanted too.

So, this year I had one little sweet pumpkin survive the weevil infestation. I've been staring at it for a week on my counter. It's been calling to me to cook it and put it into something yummy. I found the winner this morning. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins. OH YEAH!

The recipe I found called for canned pumpkin (of course) but I have found if you just leave out the additional water it calls for and add a tad more sugar...then you are good. I also made some other minor changes (wheat flour vs. white, added ginger because it is the best spice in the world...etc.) I'm officially claiming this as my recipe since I modified it so much. Try it and find out why real pumpkin is better than the stuff in the can with a thousand ingredients.

Makes 12 Muffins

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup organic white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 small sweet pumpkin cooked and scrapped out
• 1 1/2 cups wheat flour (or you could use Red Mill Rice flour to avoid gluten)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I was out of baking soda...you can substitute more baking powder if this happens to you. The substitution ratio is 2 parts baking powder to 1 part baking soda)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 
  

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan.
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add mashed pumpkin. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle tops with extra brown sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Funky Compost

Yesterday was a work day in the garden. Not much harvesting going on. A late Summer garden can be a sad place. We still are getting lots of peppers, basil and tomatoes. I lost all of my butternut and acorn squash to weevils. I don't like those little bugs. Weevils chew through vines and eat up leaves very quickly. They will get to meet up with some diatomaceous earth later today. It's a natural pest control made from hard shell algae.

I'm a little bit late on getting some of my Fall plants in. We just hosted a weekend long party at a Summer Camp with about 150 people. So... we were a bit busy. Pretty good excuse eh? The Cucumber Harp has finished it's Summer duty and is moving on to Sugar Snap Harp Fall duty. I did dump out the compost tumbler. All of this Summer's kitchen compost made a soupy wheel barrow full of goodness. It had the smell of loose stool. Yummy!

I found myself gagging as I spread it throughout all of the veggie beds. Next, I raked and turned the soil over. I will let the soil rest for a few days and then sow some seeds. Really, I need to let my own body rest a few days. I was feeling the work last night as my round ligaments kept spasming. Fun!

Our kitchen window is still full of tomatoes. These maters will probably end up in a sauce for storage. I can't seem to handle any more tomatoes right now.  But, warm pasta sauce in the Winter sounds good. Wait! I don't want to jump ahead to Winter yet...I have a feeling it's going to be a nice Fall season!