Garden Journal {Bug Solution}

My garden is buzzing, the bees hum as if to say “We can’t get enough!”  The sound soothes me as I think “Get your fill little ones, for the more flowers you touch, the more I eat!”  I can almost taste the blackberries.

Gobs of blackberry blossoms

This time of year also brings in a swarm of white flies and aphids which attack my tomatoes and squash.  I am diligently battling them with a spray of soapy water twice a week and am making headway.  The bugs had a hay day while I was gone a few weeks ago.  I came back to plants covered in flies and brown spots all over the leaves, they were literally sucking the life out of my plants. 

White fly damage on tomato plants.

My regimen is ¼ cup of Dr. Bronners soap, 10 drops lemongrass essential oil and two cups well-fermented water kefir in a spray feeder.  Early in the morning, I spray every plant from every angle and two-three hours later I give them a good rinse.  The soap dries the flies out and they get dehydrated. Once the bugs get under control I will back off to once a week and eventually as needed. After the flies calm down, I have to start watching out for spider mites.  If I keep up on my spraying, they will have a hard time getting a foot hold.

Spider mite damage on tomato plants

 Plants breathe through small holes on the underside of their leaves.  Dust and debris clog these holes and over time, cause the plant stress.  A good summer storm gives plants a good cleanse to keep plants at optimal function.  Our storms are few and far between, a heavy spray-down, once a week, is good garden maintenance.  Spray in the mornings so that the leaves have plenty of time to dry by nightfall.  Wet leaves at night increase chance for disease to spread in the garden.

What are your tips for keeping a healthy garden?

Starting Seeds

It is time to get started if you live in the Valley of the Sun.  This week would be perfect with the warm weather forecast, seeds are sure to sprout in a jiffy.  In most areas of the country, if you want to start early, you have to invest in grow lights and have space to start them indoors.  I love that I can sprout my own starts right outside.  Because there is still a danger of frost for the next couple months, I started in seed trays that can easily be brought indoor on cold nights.  You will also get much better germination in seed trays or pots because they heat up quicker.

I filled mine with a mixture of peat and compost before placing the seeds and sprinkling sand on top to hold them in place. The peat is a light weight growing medium that holds moisture well.  The compost is for nutrients and the sand holds the seeds in place while letting the sprout push through easily.  Now, as I keep the soil moist, I expect good success.

Right now you can plant any winter crops like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, kale, carrot, onions, peas, ect.  In my seed trays, I am starting my summer crop of tomatoes and peppers. These two take the longest to get going, but I should be in high production by April this year!  Happy planting.

Sweet Potato Slips

I know they are not on our diet, but I planted these sweet potatoes back in April and they are still currently taking up real estate in my garden. Sweet potatoes have a very long growing season and love the heat, so they are one of the few things that make it through the summer unscathed. (As I have mentioned, the others that I know of are purslane and basil.  If you have discovered any others that do well in 110+ degrees, please share.)

The first time I planted sweet potatoes I cut pieces with eyes and planted them, like you would a white potato.  Sweet potatoes don't really get the pronounced eyes like white potatoes do, so I pretty much guessed and ended up with very few plants.  I also guessed when it was time to harvest and all I found was an intricate system of orange roots.

The next year, I read up on growing my own starts and being patient.  The starts are simple.  There are two ends to a sweet potato, the end that was attached to the root and the end that grows eyes.  Fill a jar with water 3/4 of the way.  Insert three toothpick spokes around the middle of the potato and stick the root end in the water. After a while, the eyes will grow into leaves.  Using older, untreated sweet potatoes and keeping them in a warm place will speed up the process.

After the leaves have grown, you break the stem right at the base where it is coming out of the potato and place it in a small bowl of water to encourage roots to grow.  Once you have a few roots about one inch in length, the slips are ready to plant.  Dig small holes about 12 inches apart, place a slip in each hole and gently cover the roots with soil, then water lightly.

Sweet potatoes are supposed to take 120 to 160 days from this point, but like I said; mine are still in the ground.  The most reliable way to know when they are ready is to wait for them to flower.  They get really pretty purple flowers, at which point you will have small, tender sweet potato.  Leave them in longer to swell to larger sizes.

When you do harvest, you will still find an intricate system of orange roots.  If you don't get these out, they will come up again next year.  I haven't found it to be a problem to have sweet potatoes in the same place year after year.  They are not susceptible to the plethora of bugs and diseases white potatoes are, but they do attract peacocks :)

What has your experience been with growing sweet potatoes?

Garden Journal {Summer}

Just over a month ago I visited a local community garden.  It is the type where you rent a (15x15) plot each season.  Some of the growers are just experimenting with this and that, but most have quite a bit of knowledge, time and means to create a productive and aesthetically appealing area.  

At this time (early September) I was pretty down about my own garden area that was full of fried plants, lots of debris and extremely low production.  It was so hard to get out there and get things cleaned up because it was still so hot.  Seriously, the sweat would drip to the point that my eyes would burn.  I ended up getting one row cleared, tilled formed, composted and planted mid August.  I planted everything really close together to later transplant when the weather starts to cool.

After seeing how terrible everyone's plots looked in the community garden.  I was less distraught about  my wasteland.  But a little tip to all the fellow AZ Valley dwellers; Save sweet potatoes, purslane and basil, nothing grows in August.  It is a full month or more of heavy watering just to keep your plants barely surviving.

Now we have turned a corner.  I have cleaned up the other four beds, composted, then did some transplanting and seeding.  The weather is perfect and everything is shooting up! Viola, back on track and enjoying a productive space once again.  I can see that I went a little crazy with the zucchini this season, luckily it is one of my favorite vegetables.
links; Simple Lives Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, Creative Juice

Garden Journal 2011 {Protection}

Birds are my latest garden vice. They pecked the heck out of every single summer pepper and tomato and are currently doing a number on my winter squash and melons. I pushed through the sweltering heat last month to get my beans and cucumbers in early. Only to have the menaces pluck the seedlings out of the ground. Every. Last. One. I wish they would fly South for the winter!!

There is so much hope in planting a seed and seeing it sprout and eventually fruit and ripen. There is great disappointment when that hope is snatched from under your nose time and time again. I’ve had lots of squirrel trouble in the past especially in the winter seasons. When worse comes to worse, I pull out the netting and drape it over the most sought after plants. It is not fool proof, often the squirrels still find a way in, the netting is a pain to work with, it gets caught on things and the plants get tangled and damaged, then there is the constant fidgeting with it to keep it in place. It is surely a subpar deterrent.

So my husband and I discussed the reoccurring problem and before building a complete enclosure, we are trying out a low scale version. Netting secured to a simple PVC frame. They are light and pretty manageable; fit perfectly over half of a soil bed (10 feet) and so far, have kept pests out of the picture well enough to get some good seedlings going.

I am really happy with these simple structures. My plants are looking great, compost is amazing. They are easy to tilt up on one side to weed and harvest and keep plants from growing out into the aisles. We had a tornado last month and our neighbor’s gazebo landed in our garden. These PVC frames kept many plants from being crushed!

I am still brainstorming however, since this won’t protect any of my vertical growing plants and I would like to eat my tomatoes myself, thank you very much.

P.S. Anybody know how to get rid of a peacock? This guy has been hanging around for breakfast, lunch and dinner…

Saving Seeds

It was sure sweaty in the garden this week, but I got a lot accomplished.  Found some huge cucumbers that were hiding under fallen vines, those are fun surprises.  I pulled up a bunch of plant that were past their prime and was able to save lots of seeds.

My green beans had a few dried pods on every plant, I probably have a couple year’s worth.  Just cracked open each pod and picked out the beans.  Some of them were not completely dry, so I left them out to do so before storing them.  Also, the cilantro and parsley had gone to seed a while back, but they were finally starting to dry out.  When they dry out, they are so much easier to collect.

I have had quite a bit success with saving seeds and it is a great habit for saving money.  You want to be sure that the vegetable is not a hybrid, because those don’t breed true and you will get a variety of inferior crops from them.  You also want to store in paper envelopes, seeds will mold in plastic.  Those are my two simple rules for saving seeds.  Do you have any tips or tricks?
links; Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, Works For Me Wednesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Real Food Wednesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Garden Plans

The older boys are on off on their trip to visit their grandparents.  Just my little sweetie, my husband and I for one full week.  I foresee this being more of a vacation than a vacation!

I do have plans, however, to get out into the sweltering garden and pull out the plants that are done for the season.  I am planning on shutting down a few of my water lines to save $$.  My green beans have started drying up and I have been collecting the seeds.  I have plenty for the next season now, so compost time for what’s left.  I got all my onions and garlic out and dried.

My summer squash was terrible this year, between birds and blossom end rot.  At this point there is no hope for recovery when we still have 6 weeks of treacherous heat ahead.  I have peppers in the same row, which usually blossom again in August.  So while the peppers stay, I will use some of my green bean seeds for an early fall crop next to them.

Last year I tried to keep my tomatoes going through the summer, but a little-known fact about tomatoes is that their fruit doesn't set when day time temperatures are above 90 and nighttime doesn't get below 70.  So once that last fruit was picked in the summer, or eaten by the birds as was the case this year, I take the plants straight of the ground. This gives the soil a rest and opens up space for planting in August.

I need to find a better place for my strawberries.  Not being on automated watering is not working out so well.  Also hoping my husband gets to his tree trimming project.

My cucumbers are still growing strong, though we had a little mishap with the watering this week that may change all of that.  The sweet potatoes will stay in.  Hard to say how they are doing, but what is on top of the ground looks fantastic.

What big garden plans are in your future?
links; Works For Me Wednesday, Traditional Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday

Honey Homes

Our pet bees moved in the second week of May, during out first heat wave.  They didn't take the trip well and the beekeepers informed us that likely only half of the queens will survive.  When they arrived one evening with their truck parked in front of our house, in their full bee suits, while carrying buzzing boxes with thousands of bees swarming around them into our backyard, there were a few not-so-pleasant looks from the neighbors.  I thought I would be fielding some tense calls that evening!  We did not have any problems, no complaints, no stings for the first month.  I was feeling quite comfortable with them.

A couple weeks ago the bee keepers came out to remove the feeder boxes and "agitated" one of the hives. One of the bee keepers got stung 10 times.  They told use to stay out of the backyard for the day and they should calm down.  Within an hour the next door neighbor was knocking on our door asking if we still had bees.  UGH!  They went out to swim in their pool and bees started diving into their heads.  No stings, thank goodness.  I contacted the bee keepers and it was good to know that they are willing to take the hives away immediately.

They have calmed down and have not been bothering anyone, but I have become fearful of their buzzing.  I've never been stung.  How bad is it, really?
links; Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Works For Me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday

Garden Journal 2011 {Blackberries}

This lil' guy dropped my camera on it's lens and few months ago, so I was using my camera phone for a few weeks until it was replaced.  This picture cracks me up because of two things; first, he's inner struggle is apparent as his brothers yell at him that he is not allowed to pick the berries while his mom is taking a picture of him all while trying not to get poked!  Second, the rakes stuck in the bush in attempt to hold them up.  I staked the bushes really well in March, but by the end of April they were out of control.  This is amusing to me because just last year we had nothing but a stick that produced 2 berries (last picture in that post).

Now, blackberries are no fun to trim.  I lived with thorns in my fingers for a few weeks, everyday I would curse them when I bumped the thorn just right and it hurt like the dickens.  This fall they are going to need loads more trimming than I did this year, not looking forward to it. There has got to be some puncture resistant gloves that go past the elbows.  I learned that they are basically weeds, they grow runners underground and pop up in random places.  These are what we dug up from my in laws and planted just over one year ago.  They stayed green all year long, through the long, miserable heat and the hard freezes.

I was very happy with the production this year.  I would estimate that I brought in around 10 lbs over the 6 weeks they were in production.  We learned early on that they need to stay on days past turning from red to black, or they were way too sour.  When left to fully ripen, they were soft and plump and juicy and would release easily from the plant.  If it was half eaten, those were the best of the best.  Birds have good taste in food, though the black berries were one of the few things in the garden this year that they left us our fair share.
link; Simple Lives Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Fightback Friday,  Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday

Italian Summer Over Broiled Polenta

Salsa gardens are becoming quite popular, but adding just a few more plants (zucchini, basil, oregano) expands your cuisine to cover Italian too!

I really like creamy polenta for breakfast and even more leftover, where I cut it in cubes and fry it in butter.  Some stores sell the corn grit labeled "polenta," since they are virtually the same thing.  Corn meal is a finer grind that will work in a pinch. I have tried soaking to unlock the B vitamins as Nourishing Traditions recommends, first in lime, then whey, but it ruins both the flavor and the texture.  Any suggestions? You can buy tubes of premade polenta in health food stores if you are looking to save a step, but I prefer making it myself.


2 cups corn grits
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons sucanat

2 medium summer squash, diced
2 garlic cloves
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 handful purslane (optional)

1/2 cup fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley, basil)

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup fresh parmesean, shredded
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Heat chicken stock to boil, whisk in grits salt and pepper.  Stir constantly.  When mixture starts to thicken, add milk and continue to stir and cook until very thick and can be heaped on a spoon.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish and let set up in fridge for 20 minutes or up to 3 days.  Cut into 10 equal bars, carefully remove from dish onto a sheet pan and broil each side for 5 minutes or until slightly browned and crispy.

Heat coconut oil in large fry pan, add onions and peppers.  Cook to soften about 5 minutes and push to the outside of the pan.  Sprinkle sucanat in the center of the pan and add squash, tossing to coat in the sugar.  Let caramelize on medium heat, turning once. Add garlic and tomatoes until garlic becomes fragrant and toss in purslane and herbs with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Plat up by placeing a scoop (about 1/2 cup) vegetables on a piece of broiled polenta, sprinkle with cheese and extra virgin olive oil. 

Another polenta recipe I would like to try;  Polenta Mini Pizzas

links; Real Food Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, Cooking Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, Pennywise Platter

Vertical Growing

 All pumped for my next class!  One of the things that saved me in my efforts to garden was vertical growing.  Living on a city lot, I do not have a lot of space to grow all the many desires of my heart.  Also, my neighborhood is established, so we have big trees that are great for electricity but really limit growing space.  I am so limited in my yard that I have exactly one area that gardening is even possible and wouldn't you know it gets shade from our neighbors huge palo verde tree from 1pm on?

Contrary to Arizonian belief, vegetable plants produce best when given full sun all-day-long, NOT afternoon shade.  20% shade cloth directly above your plants helps when growing through July and August, but morning AND afternoon sun is so, so important.

I learned these vertical growing methods from Jim Kennard, President of the Food For Everyone Foundation at a garden seminar I attended a couple years ago.  It has changed my gardening methods drastically for the better.  This picture up top shows the perfect set up, however it is not my own.  I have had to cut some corners because of time, money and skill level. The picture below is of my own garden last June, with my son and his fresh picked tomato that he stuffed with something, it was his own recipe.

I am offering 2 classes on vertical growing that will also include the important skill of pruning. By using these methods in your own garden, you are sure to increase yields and success in your garden.  Contact me at TasteisTrump@gmail.com to register.

Spring 2011 Class Schedule

At last, it is staying lighter later in the evenings, which opens up my final set of classes this season.  I will be repeating the three gardening classes for all those who have day time conflicts.  Please register early, if I do not have at least four people registered on the day before the class it will be cancelled.  

As always, these classes will be held at my home in East Mesa. Contact me via email at TasteisTrump@gmail.com with questions or to register. Tell your friends and receive a free blackberry shoot. When they register, make sure they mention you sent them.  Class fee will be collected at the start of class. No children please.

Fertilizing

The 13 nutrients all plants need.

Monday, April 11 from 10 to 11 am

$10 per person

Vertical Growing and Pruning

Get more from your vining crops.

Monday, April 18 from 10 to 11 am

$10 per person

Kefir 101

Get started with water and dairy kefir

Monday, April 25 from 10 to 11 am

$15 per person

Garden Planning

What, where and water.

Thursday, April 21 from 6 to 7 pm

$10 per person

Fertilizing

The 13 nutrients all plants need.

Thursday, April 28 from 6 to 7 pm

$10 per person

Vertical Growing and Pruning

Get more from your vining crops.

Thursday, May 5 from 6 to 7 pm

$10 per person

Sowing Millions Project

Seeds of Change is a company who is committed to preserving biodiversity and promoting the use of sustainable organic agricultural practices.  They sell organic products like salad dressing, pasta sauces and rice.  The company is currently doing a Sowings Millions Projects to spread their philosophy.  When you sign up you get 25 seed packets for the price of shipping $4.99 (approx. $75 value).  Seeds of Change will also give a matching donation to the American Horticultural Society. You do not get to choose the types of seeds you would like, but they are all organic and non-genetically modified.

Speaking of seeds, don't forget to register for Garden Planning Monday, April 4.  We will be discussing high value crops, organization of rows and watering systems.

Low Nitrogen

I had a great visit from my Mom and sister a few weeks ago.  Then I enjoyed my kids (and a bit too much racquetball) over spring break.  Now things are getting back to normal and I am tidying up my garden. Thought I would write some quick thoughts on the blog before I go out tomorrow to celebrate my birthday :)

I got my soil tested, and it was way low in nitrogen while everything else was great.  Plants need nutrients to thrive as much as we do, lack of fertilizer is a common problem in home garden's.  Slow growing plants, light green foliage, small fruit, lack of flowers, all point to botanical starvation. Since I already have my garden all planted out, I can't incorporate the dose of nitrogen that my garden needs all at once or I would kill many seedlings.  I applied a half dose of blood meal, a slow absorbing source of nitrogen, followed by fish emulsion, which has quick absorption but is very low dose so it doesn't burn. After our great day of rain today, all those nutrient could really get into the root zone and start to break down to become available to the plants!

In a couple weeks I will fertilize with all 13 essential plant nutrients to get my soil to optimal nutrient levels for a great summer growing season. I continue to do follow ups with fish emulsion every couple weeks.  Bring on the sunshine!!

What are your fertilizing routines?  Do you have a good way to keep your nitrogen up for the full growing season?

Garden Journal {February 2011}

I can't believe the strawberries are already coming on.  I've already lost some of them to bugs, not sure what I'm going to do about that.  Really looking forward to my spring garden!! Harvesting loads of kale and parsnips right now.  Beans just coming up and did cucumber and zuchinni starters last week.  Hoping the snap peas will bud again soon and I have many pepper plants that I am hoping take off for their second year.

After the rain, I found about 8 volunteer tomato plants, so I can save my money there.  I did buy a pot of brandy wine's at the farmers market because they looked so lush and beautiful.  They were about 8 weeks old and I got 3 for $10, hard to pass up.  There is a new farmer's market in Gilbert right by my favorite restaurant, Liberty Market.  It is Saturday mornings, I got to make it over there one of these days.

Just loaded some podcasts on my ipod from Preparedness Radio.  They do a weekly show with Jim Kennard who speaks on the Mittleider Method, which has taught me a lot about gardening.  You can check it out at the Food for Everyone website.

I would really like to put together more gardening classes, there is so much interest.  I need topic ideas.  I am stuck at fertilizing and pruning.  Throw me some ideas if you have them.
links; Menu Plan Monday, Happy Homemaker Monday, Monday Mania

Garden Journal 2011 {Freezing}

We love our winter garden.  I am growing a really fun variety of kale that has bumpy, dinosaur skin with curvy claw-like ends.  Boy fun :)  Our favorite preparation is to strip it from the stem, chop, blanch and toss with lemony dressing, which is posted long ago here.

Arizona is so great for gardening besides the terrible native soil, virtually no rain and killer summers...  I ran a continuous garden this year and even let some summer crops carry through to the new year.  I have tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes and green beans going right now that are super frost sensitive.  Last weekend it got down to 22 degrees.  We broke out the Christmas lights and clear plastic to protect our vulnerable plants.  Hubby got BIG points that chilly night.  I hope it doesn't freeze again for a while.

I had 4 pepper plants that were away from the pack and we couldn't find the rest of our lights, so I just covered them and called it good.  No good...

It was a hard pill to swallow.  To make matters worse, I snapped my most hearty, gorgeous, fruitful tomato plant when I was taking the lights down :(

I can't get too down about it, since I still have 8 pepper plants and 12 tomato plants that are going strong.  The peas and beans are looking great too!

Sorry if you are 2 feet under snow right now...
links; Works for me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Tuesday Twister, Pantry Challenge

Garden Journal 2010 {Peppers}

I planted a variety of peppers this year and they are very happy right now.  The sweet peppers seemed to grow well in the spring, but by the time they put on fruit, it would get scorched by they sun.  The hot peppers slowed down in the summer and came back full throttle in September.  These mature plants took off with new blossoms and now we are harvesting a whole lot of peppers.  I even transplanted a few volunteer pepper plants that are just starting to set peppers.

My jalapeño plant is on its second year and though it produces abundantly, the fruit doesn’t grow very large.  I think it gets too much shade or maybe phosphorus.  I have also been disappointed in my plants I grew from seed, they are small, light in color and thin walled.  So strange as they are planted right along side the thriving volunteers and nursery –bought plants.  I also have a huge gold bell pepper plant that did NOTHING this summer, but has quite a few really nice green fruits right now.  Hoping to enjoy those before the frost.

The banana peppers have gotten spicier than they were in May.  It makes it harder to use them up because the kids can’t handle too much heat.  I need to find poblanos next year, those have always been my favorite pepper.  Any other recommendations?

For dinner tonight, we are making good use for some of those peppers in fajitas.  Right now I have the venison marinading, got to make room in the deep freeze, Dad is bringing more at Thanksgiving!

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 banana pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 lime, juiced and zested
1 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil

Thinly slice 1 pound meat. Place in marinade and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Saute a mix of  peppers and onions. Brown meat on high heat for 2 minutes. Serve in warm tortillas with lettuce, salsa, cheese and guacamole.

links; Simple Lives Thursday, Things I love Thursday, Pennywise Platter

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I had a nice crop of euro cukes this year.  At the height of the season I was picking 4 a day, they stacked up real fast!  I made a batch of naturally fermented pickles with a bunch of them.  They turned out okay for my first try.  Hopefully I can work on that recipe again in November.  I have 4 plants that I just got started from seed last month, trying an heirloom variety, lemon cucumber, along with the euros.  This summer I also did straight 8's, but they were all bitter and did not produce that well :(

This recipe is really basic and fresh.  It is so good to get raw foods into your diet every meal.  Things are so processed nowadays, that it takes thought and effort to eat something raw.  Raw foods have enzymes that aid in digestion and are overall cleansing.

You can scoop this salad on top of a bed of lettuce to make it a meal.  A cup of cold, rinsed beans would make it heartier.  I had some extra asparagus one day so I cut it up and blanched it before I added it to this salad, it was great!

1 ½ cup chopped cucumber

½ - 1 cup diced tomato

2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup crumbled feta

Toss cucumber, tomato, onion and herbs together in a bowl.  Whisk separately; garlic, vinegar, salt pepper and oil.  Drizzle over vegetables and turn to coat.  Top with crumbled feta.  This will keep in fridge for about 3 days.

Garden Journal 2010 {Purslane}

Haven’t heard of it?  I am not surprised.  I have never seen it in a store.  A friend of mine found it growing in her yard and said that she used to buy it in Mexico.  I read up on it some, but it wasn’t; until I read Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” that I became really interested in growing it myself.  Who wouldn’t want something that tastes good, is super healthy and grows easily?

I did some of my favorite shopping in the whole world at Pinetree Garden Seeds and came across purslane seeds.  I grew it in my herb bed, which has just crummy AZ soil that my basil and rosemary thrive in.  It grows super quickly, is hardy and stands up to the terrible heat without a problem, which is saying a lot.  The flavor reminds me of baby spinach, and both the leaves and stems are edible, though the thicker, more mature stems are not as appealing.  I have learned that there is also ornamental purslane that has really pretty flowers, but does not taste as good, so make sure to buy from the vegetable section at the nursery rather than the flower section.  I got “red grunner” 95 cents for 200 seeds.

So I have been experimenting with the super food/weed in salads, stir fry’s and snacks.  I have even just had it plain with a veggie dip.  Tonight we are trying it on pizza and in a few months in soups.  The leaves are pretty tiny, I strip them from the bottom stems and pull of the top where they cluster.  In the picture I just put a dab of roasted red pepper hummus on a cracker and pressed it in a bowl of purslane.

This post was shared on The Nourishing Gourmet.

Garden Journal 2010 {Tomatoes}

THE high value crop of the backyard garden, bursting with red, juicy flavor. High value, not only because of yield, but because the quality is undeniably over the top compared to store bought specimens. Tomatoes rarely go on sale either, which also adds to their value in the garden.

This is my first year of enjoying mostly success. The past has been full of disease, low yields, broken vines and sour fruit. I have learned a ton about pruning, vertical growing, aphids and watering. This year I stuck to just a few of the basics; cherry (sweet 100’s), grape, beefsteak and roma’s.

My cherry and grape tomatoes have taken off, reaching 10 feet high and still growing. Though the bottom foliage is browning badly, the tops are healthy and the production is abundant. The grapes are large, looking more like baby romas. The cherries are not my favorite in flavor, probably will not grow them next year. Plenty for snacking, roasting for pastas and giving away. I am going to try this recipe soon too, looks like a good one to freeze and have on hand for easy meals.

Beefsteaks were not as successful. I only averaged 4 per plant and not looking too promising for a future crop. I am sure the aphids hurt things, as well a watering issue I had earlier in the season that lead to the tops cracking on every single beefsteak. Beefsteaks do not grow as fast as the cherries and grapes, so they are suffering from lack of sun. Next year I will plant them in front of my cucumbers and melons so that they get more sun mid season. The flavor is great from what I have, but they go bad fast because of the cracking. I hate putting tomatoes in the fridge, ruin’s their flavor, so we have to eat these fast. I made this curry twice last week, oh, it was good!

I have high hopes in canning my roma’s as well as making salsa (with fresh tomatoes) and marinara. The birds are playing in them and they kept falling over for a while until I got them properly staked. There seems to be a good amount of green fruit on the 6 plants I got going, I just started getting red ones. Next year I am going to get more of these handy dandy Ultomato cages to keep them better under control and make more isle space so that I am not constantly stepping on them.