Dirtiest Kid in the World

Dogs DO Eat Carrots

2012-02-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

After I wrote about our puppy eating carrots, a few readers told me their dogs love eating carrots. I then researched online that some vets recommend carrots or even frozen carrots for healthier dog snacks. Dogs can not really process raw veggies but apparently they are great for the crunchy chew and better than the high calorie junk food dog snacks you can get at the store. Well, color me shocked. Our older dog ate a beer can, the carpet and numerous remote controls in his youth but would never and I mean never eat anything resembling a vegetable. Who knew? I guess you guys did. Go on with your veggie eating dogs.

Broccoflower Cont.

2012-02-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

I just can not get over this plant. We have eaten it twice now and it tastes exactly like cauliflower. But I think I would enjoy cauliflower more if it always looked like this. Nature is crazy.

The Texas Growing Season(s)

2012-02-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

A bright reminder of the hot heat of Summer that awaits you.

If you are a long time gardener who has recently moved to Texas, you may be very confused about the growing season. If you are a new gardener reading general information garden books, you may be very confused about the growing season for Texas. First off, there is not just one long season. There are two shorter seasons. These seasons are broken up by the intense heat of Summer.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I swear this is the best planting guide I have found. And no one even pays me to say that, although I wish they would.

So let me break it down for you. When all of our Northern friends, and by that I mean anyone North of oh say Dallas, start planting in Spring, they get so gung ho. They are planting EVERYTHING for their long season. Hold on South Texas. Spring is the time you want to plant the heat loving vegetables. You want to get them in after the last frost. They say March 1st is our average last frost day here in San Antonio. Some of the heat loving veggies you can put in for your Spring garden are: tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, okra, southern peas, melons and corn. This is growing season one. Some friends will grow all summer. Depending on how painfully hot the summer is- you might make it out with okra, southern peas and peppers alive. The heat of summer is the "dead" time here- where winter is the slow season up North. You can replant most of these heat veggies again around July to harvest in the fall, until the first freeze kills them.

In the fall, or when the heat starts to subside (let's say Sept.) former Northerners can revert back to their Spring planting mode. You can put in lettuce, greens, carrots, root vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, and so forth. In a mild winter like this one, you can replant these guys straight through Jan. to keep the harvest going.

I also recommend checking out some gardening books specific to Texas. A good bet is anything written by Howard Garrett. Texas Gardner Magazine is also really helpful for when to do what around these parts.

Good luck with your future spring gardens!

Kaleapalooza 2012

2012-01-31T18:31:00.000-08:00

Blue Curled Scotch Kale

Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach

Georgia Southern Collard Greens

I am not sure what year of the new food 2012 will be but this month has been a bonanza of dark leafy greens. The newest dirtiest kid in the world should be here around the end of this month and the pregnancy has all been going smoothly. Except for an issue with low iron. It's been suggested that I consume more red meat and dark, leafy greens. I live in a jungle of dark, leafy greens. I feel like I eat so many dark, leafy greens that spinach and kale and collards and arugula should just start poring out of my ears. I love salad! Love it! But a girl can handle only so much. Here are two new ways I am kicking up the kale in this house. 1. Juicin' and 2. Kale chips.

1. Juicin'
I have always imagined myself to be the sort of person that juiced, but have never actually done so. My lovely office mate Marissa lent me her spare juicer and a recipe to try.
My really specific recipe is:
Two handfuls of red grapes and a bunch of kale. I also squeeze in some fresh lime juice because vitamin C can help you absorb iron.

Juicing is fun. I highly recommend it for gardeners. Sometimes I just walk around the backyard and pick random greens to juice together. I have thrown in lettuce and parsley to my previous recipe. Dirtiest Kid got in on the act choosing random fruits and veggies we had to make her own concoction with dubious results.

2. Kale Chips

I have always been somewhat confused by kale chips. What are they exactly and why bother? And why do they cost $6.00 at Whole Foods?
Hot tip: kale chips = roasted kale. And it is amazing.

Gather a bunch of kale from the garden, wash and then dry. If you don't dry the kale all the way it won't get as crispy. Pull out the thick stalk in the middle and just use the leaves. Sprinkle with oil and salt. Bake in your oven at say 350ish for 12ish minutes. When the edges are starting to brown and they are crispy, pull them out. Tasty snack! I can't imagine they would taste as good from a package as fresh but I can't say I've tried it either.

The Great Escape: A Chicken Pictorial

2012-01-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

We let our chickens out of their chicken run at least once a day and provide them with the whole back of the yard to graze on fresh grass and eat up bugs. For some chickens, this is not enough. They dream of collards. MY collards.

Up, Up

and away!

                   Strutting in the garden.

Eating up my greens.

You are a brave one Miss Chick.

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling

2012-01-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

In other parts of the country, you may have snow, or sleet or hail. On special occasions, we have rain and it is glorious. Living in drought prone South Texas means rain is always appreciated. The novelty of it drives us to get on our gear and hop outside. The Dirtiest Family spent it splashing around in puddles and harvesting happy vegetables.

Our carrots never make it into the house. Between Dirtiest Kid-

and our puppy.

No I have never heard of a dog eating carrots before either.

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling

Good Bugs

2012-01-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Get to know your garden buddy bugs from your garden villain bugs. These guys are your friends- they protect your garden. Protect them by not spraying chemicals onto your food or flowers. To print your own: go here. We keep ours on the fridge. Appetizing?

I first learned about this easy to read, educational poster from another great urban farm blog: root simple. Check it out.

Make Your Own Stepping Stone

2012-01-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am now the proud owner of a Betsy Gruy stepping stone. The photos do not do it justice! The colors are so vivid in person. I have been pinning away for a stone of my own since I saw her work at the South of Basse Art Walk. She also teaches classes if you are local and really want to make your own in a fancy, fabulous way.

I also received another stepping stone recently from the lovely Dirtiest Kid in the World. Here is how we make our own stones- easy enough for a 4 year old (with an adult cement mixer).

We received a make your own stepping stone kit a few years ago and saved the mold. We have also tried using other miscellaneous plastic containers from around the house but they really do not have the structure of the store molds. Our found mold stones don't hold up as well. Those kits only come with enough cement for one stone but we (read: Dirtiest Husband) went to Home Depot and asked for the smallest grain cement they had. You can get a giant bag for cheap. We sift out the larger stones that are still left and then mix the cement according to the directions on the bag. This step is best done by an adult because of the cement dust. Then you pore the cement into your mold.

Now here's some insight into our lives. We break a lot of dishes. Not on purpose mind you. But I keep a collection of my favorite pottery that has broken over the years in a shoe box in the garage. I couldn't bear to throw away our wedding pottery that broke so you may see a gift you once gave us turn up in a stepping stone. (Say you are not the kind of family that breaks a lot of dishes- you can always buy cheap, but fun ceramics from a thrift store.) We usually take our broken dishes and wrap them in a towel and I let DKITW hit them with a small hammer. 4 year olds love breaking things with a hammer. It is the pinnacle of everything they are not normally allowed to do. Then you have pieces you can use to press into your cement. Caution: some of the pieces can be very sharp so use your adult supervision when letting kids pick out the pieces they want to use and discard any that are too jagged. Let dry at least one day- we usually err on the side of caution and leave it two days. Then your very own stone is ready for its place in the garden. This is also a fun activity for adults. I was making stones for awhile because DKITW asked to be allowed to try. One cement bag can last a long time. Enjoy artists!

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. - Pablo Picasso

Romanesco Italia Broccoli

2012-01-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

This is an heirloom that I dedicate to my brother- the broccoflower! It's an heirloom for math kids. Fractals! Logarithmic Spiral! and maybe the artist in all of us. Also, famous with Italian chefs for its taste.

The broccoflower has an abundance of rich green leaves that are tasty cooked. The heads can be cooked like traditional broccoli but it is also closely related to cauliflower. After reading on-line, I found people seemed to have an easy time growing the plant but a harder time growing one with the unique head. Romanesco Italia Broccoli is growing very well in our South Texas Garden but it does take up quite a bit of space. We grow it right next to our regular broccoli and treat it the same. I had forgotten we had planted this heirloom variety until the heads grew in. You can get seeds online from Baker Creek.

Fractal geometry will make you see everything differently. There is a danger in reading further. You risk the loss of your childhood vision of clouds, forests, flowers, galaxies, leaves, feathers, rocks, mountains, torrents of water, carpet, bricks, and much else besides. Never again will your interpretation of these things be quite the same. -Micheal F. Barnsley

Ollas

2012-01-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we received our very own Diana Kersey Olla! It is absolutely the best. I can hardly stand to bury it in the dirt.

Ollas are ceramic pots that are only glazed on the top. You "plant" them in your garden. Then you can fill them with water or they fill themselves when it rains. The unglazed pot then allows the water to seep out slowly when the ground gets dry. This gives your plants a slow, steady flow of water which is incredibly important in drought prone South Texas.

Our neighborhood garden is overseen by Diana Kersey and she and another local potter generously hand threw ollas for all the community garden beds. After a few seasons of growing herbs and veggies in our plot, I have first hand experience with how well the ollas work. We don't get down to the garden quite as often as we need to- but these ollas help out a forgetful waterer. The plants closest to the ollas grow bigger and the roots wrap right around the pot. I found this online how to from another Texas garden blog if you want to try to make simple ollas or I encourage you to check out Diana's new studio in the Atlee Ayers Building at 112 Broadway if you want a work of art with your water conservation.

A Time to Reap

2011-12-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we are on top of it. On top of weeding, harvesting, eating fresh from the backyard and other times life gets in the way. I love Arugula but time got away from me and it got a bit bitter and over run. DKITW calls its pepper lettuce and the flavor can get too strong for everyday use.

I was feeling sad over feeling like I wasted a forest of Arugula when I remembered our incredibly lovely French friend. Who is also a chef. On a private yacht. And who taught me a thing or two about bitter arugula salad. Here is her best salad on earth as voted by me.

Arugula + feta cheese + walnuts + lightly drizzled in honey = amazing

The bitterness of Arugula is matched perfectly with the rich feta and sweet honey. I die it is so good.

She also adds a small amount of Basil to regular summer salads and can I just say- it is inspired. More hot French cooking tips after I see her again. Happy Holidays!

That Ain't Workin

2011-12-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

That's the way to do it.

~~Here we are hard at work weeding the back bed.~~ Here are the chickens weeding the back bed! We had an empty garden bed that we wanted to clear of weeds before we planted cool weather crops. Want to put your chickens to work? Throw out chicken scratch or feed in the areas with weeds and they will scratch up the weeds getting to the seeds and then eat the weeds. Chickens can clear a whole area quick like.

Get your money for nothin and your chicks for free.

Green Friday

2011-11-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

DKIW in front of her Nana's Wildflower Garden at the Start of Last Spring.

Fall is the ideal time to plant Native Texas Wildflowers. May I suggest Black Friday? Forgo the mall, and put in some happiness for Spring.

*Note about Bluebonnets* Bluebonnets should be planted somewhat earlier, around October. If you have a wild flower mix with bluebonnets in it, you may still get lucky planting this late, but this is the last chance. Bluebonnets also usually take an extra year or two to come up because the seed shell is super hard to survive the semi-regular Texas droughts.

If you want to do a large area, the experts recommend mixing 4 parts sand to 1 part seed so that when you throw them out, they distribute evenly. If you aren't particular to where the seeds grow, you can just throw them out on fresh dirt without sand. November has been decently rainy so far, but you should water them in when you plant them if rain doesn't look imminent. If you are planting in a place you don't have cough *exact permission*cough to plant in, say a vacate lot by your house or on the roadside, just look for a day with a possibility of rain. There is a 30% chance of rain this Saturday. The soil shouldn't be allowed to completely dry out the first few weeks. Here's a great resource Mr. Smarty Plant s, if you want to know more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Make An Herb Spiral

2011-11-23T04:51:00.001-08:00

Question 1: Why make an herb spiral? - Because you can put more herbs in a smaller space. Because some herbs like drier, warmer soil (top of the spiral) and some herbs like wetter, cooler soil (bottom). The plants that can tolerate the most shade should go on the North side, those that like more sun can go on the South side. This gives you a lot of options/ environments in one spot. Also, it looks pretty and will impress people who like permaculture.

Question 2: How? - Pile up about 1/2 yard of dirt in a sunny spot.

Start at the bottom, make a flat part in the hill, and then spiral around until you get to the top. It should look like a drill bit or corkscrew (depending on your prefer for wine or tools). Then you take bricks or rocks and stack them up a couple of layers high along the flat part. (We used bricks because someone gave them to us for free.) Now the bricks should be higher than the dirt behind them. Then you set in your herbs according to their preferences for light and water. Hot tip: Most culinary herbs prefer really good drainage and sun; but parsley, chives and chamomile can take more shade. After you put in your plants, fill in with a bit of extra dirt to fill it up. Water them in and you have done it. Enjoy fresh herbs in your cooking.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

2011-10-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

We have new chicks! These are Rhode Island Reds and light weight Brahmas that we got from Moore's Seed and Feed in South San Antonio.

Most of these chicks are promised to our lovely friends and neighbors when they feather out. 2 here, 4 there and 3 in the backyard behind ours. We will be keeping a few as well to restock our chicken flock. A few of our chickens keeled over in the super hot heat this summer. People often ask what we do with our chickens in the winter. Chickens survive outside just fine in much chillier states than this one. We have covered our coop with some plastic sheeting on the few days it got really chilly but I think our summers are really the risk for Texas Chickens. I am so excited to spread the love of chickens around.

Here's our first chicken tractor. Made out of found materials. You can start as small and cheaply as you want. Many people start with just two chickens who will provide you with about a dozen organic fresh eggs a week.

Don't Tell Greenling we forever borrowed this bin.

Who's next?

The Three Little Beans

2011-10-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

We are growing the plain green bean in three varieties. Trail of Tears Green Bean, Dragon Tongue and Royalty Purple Pod.

Apparently the Trail of Tears Green Bean is an heirloom that the Native Americans brought with them. Not very uplifting but they were expert gardeners. These beans grow.

There are two main types of green beans- bush beans and climbing beans. Climbing beans (Trail of Tears) need a trellis. The bush beans (Dragon Tongue and Purple Pod) just grow on the ground. All grow tasty beans so you can use either variety depending on your space options.

The crazy thing is that when you cook the beans, no matter the pattern or color, all turn a shade of green. DKITW stated that the Dragon Tongue Beans turned Chartreuse and I am sad to say I had no idea what color that was. But will wonders never cease- she nailed it.

Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. - Claude Monet

Zucchini Time

2011-10-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

So far this season I have made vegetable soup with zucchini and my new favorite zucchini recipe: vegetarian enchiladas. If you would like to make enchiladas too:

Saute onions with zucchini or yellow squash (or both.) Then fill corn tortillas with sauteed veggies and a sprinkle of cheese inside to keep them wrapped together. Put in a baking dish. Cover with tomato sauce. Cover sauce with cheese. Heat in your oven ( or microwave if it is just one of those nights.) Super simple dinner! We love it! Except DKITW who is going through her first picky eater phase and will only eat the zucchini when we have hidden it in cheese. She better re-learn to love zucchini and quick.

My other favorite idea for zucchini is to give it away as fast as possible before we are buried in a pile of fall veggies. My friend from work used one to make her baby some organic baby food. Love.

Anyone want to share some favorite zucchini recipes with me? Bonus points if the recipes are gluten free.

Radio Silence

2011-09-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the radio silence. I have been ~~brokering world peace, cooking meth~~, growing a baby while growing a business. Yeah- that last one. New Dirtiest Kid coming in March!

We have also been tying washers on cherry trees:

If you don't weigh down the ends of your fruit trees to train them down, you will have lovely tall fruit trees with all the fruit 20 feet straight up. Good for people who like an adventure while picking their fruit salad.

And breeding toads.

What is the point of having an urban farm if you can't breed butterflies, worms and toads? It all began when a few frogs got frisky in my daughter's kiddie pool. Before we knew it, there were hundreds and hundreds of eggs, and then tadpoles. DKITW started to protest her lack of a kiddie pool, so we turned a rain barrel on its side and Viola! Toads and tadpoles aplenty. Toads are great in the garden. They eat bugs and hop out at night. They are hard to find during the day, but daytime toad hunting can keep a 3 year old busy for hours.

And putting up a shade house.

A friend introduced us to another friend who has been gardening for 70 years! Fabulous and she generously gave us the shell to her old greenhouse. Which was perfect because we needed to make a shade house for all our seedlings. Dirtiest Husband bought a bunch of shade cloth to cover the top and presto chango- shade house. In the winter, we intend to cover it with plastic and presto chango- green house. Winter- hah. We are still sweating it at 100 degree days- but I know the first day of fall has come and gone, and I have hopes fall weather will return again.

Welcome back friends!

Growing Now

2011-07-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

I just want to reassure any and all gardeners that this has been a particularly brutal summer in South Texas. So if your garden is struggling and the gardener is wilting in the heat- it is not just you. Over 100 degree days and no rain will wilt just about everything and everyone. Here are a few things that are continuing to thrive.

The tomatoes are jumping and we are also growing

Cantaloupe

Stars and Moon Watermelon

Long Red Noodle Bean

Awwwww so cute baby Japanese Long Cucumbers.

I dearly love the state of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults.- Molly Ivins

Fourth of July Pumpkins

2011-07-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

The hottest hot tip this week is to plant pumpkins the week of July 4th to have pumpkins ready to carve by Halloween. This trick only works for us Southerns. We did pop some pumpkin seeds in the ground. I didn't get my pumpkins planted in time last year and was quite remorseful when Halloween rolled around. DHITW reminded me that they would be ready by Thanksgiving but it just wasn't the same. I shan't make that mistake again.

The above photo shows the white pumpkins we planted awhile back. Pumpkins store really well if you already planted your pumpkins or want to get a head start next year.

I will leave you with this photo of our chicken chasing our cat.

Follow Ups

2011-07-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

The red Zinnias popped! The crush continues.

The chickens have been fenced. We are growing three trees back there to provide them some shade in the future. We are also growing some fast growing and vining plants in a pot outside the fence. This will feed the chickens fresh snacks as it grows through the fence but being caged on the outside of the fence will protect the plants from being eaten to a nub.

We also half buried a rain barrel, filled it with water and a small solar pump to add a water feature to the chicken yard. Now the chickens will always have something to drink in this hot hot heat. More updates as they happen.

Zinnias

2011-06-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

I have an ever changing list of favorite plants but I have had a long term crush on Zinnias. One of my neighbors has a gorgeous Zinnia and Cosmo combo garden every summer and I sigh and gaze and daydream that I will have one someday too.

Envy Zinnia- Although mine leave something to be desired.

Lilliput Mix / Mini-Zinnia

I bought no less than 9 packets of Zinnia seeds a few months ago and gave them the old college try. My first attempt to direct seed did not yield as many as a I wanted (which was an infinite amount). I had more success growing them on our potting station in a pot and then transplanting them. Now I am waiting on this bed to pop...

Zillions of Zinnias for life. Love.

How to Start Your First Garden

2011-06-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

in the dead of summer.

I am slowly forcing my coworkers into gardening. You must make your workplace into the change you wish to see in the world? I think the quote goes something like that...

Regardless. Here are my hot tips if you want to plant some food right now.

My number 1 tip for new gardeners is to think about what you like to eat and then start growing that. You like basil - start with a small herb garden. At first, there is not much to be gained in forcing yourself to tend a garden of chard when you dislike chard. If you are looking forward to that first watermelon, it will motivate you to stick with your garden when the excitement starts to wane.

Do not even bother putting in a seed or transplant if you don't plan to mulch. It is crazy hot already and you don't need that heart break. If you want to plant by seed- it is now or never for this season. What can you grow now? Watermelon, cantaloupe, squash.

The Steps:
1. Mark off an area in the sun, not full shade.
2. Dig up your grass. Your soil will most likely benefit from some good, organic compost.
3. Research what will grow in your area.
4 a. Plant some seeds. There's a hot tip I have been keeping close to the chest. When we plant seeds, we poke a little hole and add 2-4 seeds into that hole, in case some seeds are duds. Basically, it is a guarantee that you will get a plant to grow in that spot. If all the seeds come up, you will have to pull up the weaker looking ones.
4 b. Plant some transplants.
5. MULCH. Mulching is not sexy but neither is lots of dried up, yellow plants.
6. Water. At first, the plants and esp. seeds will need water every day. After the seeds sprout or plants get established, it is much better for your plants and water bill to do long, deeper watering every few days then to go out every day and water a little. The plants will grow stronger, longer roots.
7. Enjoy!

A Backyard Picnic Day

2011-05-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we decided to eat solely from the backyard. I woke up with grand ambitions of making a carrot top puree that I read about last year in my sister-in-law's blog: Arielle Clementine. Obviously, by lunchtime, my self awareness kicked in and I realized that I was much too lazy to make that. (Maybe someday?) Thus an veggie omelet happened and it was good.

First we took inventory. What did we have?

Blackberries
Cantaloupe
Onions
Garlic
Beets
Beet Greens
Malabar Spinach
Carrots of all Colors
Herbs
Eggs
Butternut Squash
Amaranth Greens
Green and Purple Beans
Southern Peas
Corn
Tomatoes

Surely, we could make something happen with that.

Breakfast: Cantaloupe and berries. (And coffee.)

Lunch: Spinach Omelet and Green Beans

Dinner: Butternut Squash, Sauteed Beets and Carrots, Tomatoes and Corn.

It was delicious and very local and lovely.

Am I motivated to go another week? Not quite yet- maybe soon.

Butternut Squash

2011-05-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

Butternut squash starts out green and stripy. When the green stripies fade away, there is tan squash ready for picking. I was just reminiscing on the time we ate solely out of the backyard for a week. Eating butternut squash that week was just about the best thing that ever happened to me. What do they say? Hunger is the best spice? I think its time to call another backyard eating challenge. Maybe we will do a mini one this Sunday. Want to make a meal out of your backyard too? If you do- share it with us- either in person or on the Internet. In person would be really swell.

"But I contend that most of what we’re consuming today is no longer, strictly speaking, food at all, and how we’re consuming it — in the car, in front of the TV, and, increasingly, alone– is not really eating, at least not in the sense that civilization has long understood the term."- Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food

Malabar Spinach

2011-05-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

I started to feel panicked when the kale and spinach bolted. I wasn't ready to lose my backyard salads. We made a shade covering for our new starts but it will take more than shade cloth to keep fresh greens during a South Texas summer. Collards are good, chard is alright and mustard greens add some kick but it is just not the same.

Enter Malabar Spinach which we are growing for the first time. With the little flowers, reddish stems and dark green leaves-it is beautiful! It needs to be trellised because it likes to climb. I like it raw as a fresh salad ingredient and in sandwiches. Apparently it can get slimy when sauteed. We haven't cooked it yet because that sounds completely unappetizing. What is it with summer veggies and slimness? I'm looking at you Okra.

Corn Meal

2011-05-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight, while I was cooking our homegrown corn with homemade masa tamales *, a stroke of genius struck me.

*(considered a well rounded dinner in San Antonio. Corn can be considered a part of any and all food groups.)

It all happened in our kitchen counter compost container. Wait a second, I said to myself. We make homemade tamales at our house* and we have fresh homegrown corn husks, could we not dry our own corn husks?

* (by we, I mean, my father-in-law and by, at our house, I mean, at their house.)

So I took to the google. There were hilariously long ...drawn... out... 7 step lists for how to dry your own corn husks that I can boil down into 1 step for you all. 1.Dry the husks in the sun- will save for up to a year in a dry place. Well, I'll be. Our Christmas tamales just got a little homegrown.

Time to Get A New Fence

2011-05-22T05:41:00.001-07:00

The chickens are getting an updated, jazzy new fence for their chicken yard. That involves digging post holes (or, alternately, bunny holes.) More updates when the fence is complete.

Birthday Berries

2011-05-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

"Let me guess, tonight you are thankful for berries again."

Who would have ever suspected I would end up with a sarcastic three year old. She comes by it honestly enough.

Thankful

2011-05-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Every night at dinner, we each say something we are thankful for. I have been saying backyard blackberries for the past week. Tonight Dirtiest Kid said, "Mama, you need to be thankful for something else." I asked what she would suggest and stated, "You should be more like me, I am totally thankful for everything ever." OK then. I am still incredibly thankful for fresh blackberries by the bowlful. Edamame and onions are pretty rad too though.

Lord I was born a bramblin man, trying make a living and doing the best I can.

Yard To Table

2011-05-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Garden Design By Yard to Table

The Before Shot: featuring two of my other favorite Dirtiest Kids in the World.

Dirtiest Husband in the World owns his own business putting in vegetable and fruit gardens: Yard To Table. These are custom made and personally designed gardens according to your needs.

He works with all levels of vegetable garden design, from a consultation only; to a basic bed installation; all the way up to a complete design, dig, border, fence, vegetable planting, with monthly or quarterly garden maintenance- for those who love homegrown produce on their kitchen table but are too busy for garden tasks. He can help you pick out the right varieties of plants for our area and help you with the right time to plant your family favorites.

Most people don't like to dig a new garden bed in summer but this is the perfect time to remove that Bermuda grass and get your new veggie, herb or fruit beds prepped and ready.

He is currently running a summer special for a free estimate for your own backyard garden! He will come out to your home or place of business and discuss your dream garden with you.

We are passionate about helping you grow fresh food for your family and friends!

You can reach him at:
Javier Gonzalez
Yard to Table
San Antonio, Texas
yardtotablesa@gmail.com
(210) 560-6910

For Amber Waves of Grain

2011-05-08T16:56:00.001-07:00

One of my coworkers is growing container corn on his patio. Bravo I say. But the corn seed is not coming up- appears to be rotting into mush. I looked into possible causes and came up with quite a few possibilities. Apparently rotting corn seed is not a rare occurrence. In no particular order: the seed could be too old, cough over watering cough, the soil could have a fungus, or there could be bugs eating them to mush. The most likely bug culprits are wireworm, seedcorn maggots or seedcorn beetles. If you know the seeds are not old, I'd dump the soil and start fresh and make sure the container is really well draining. The seeds need to be moist to germinate but not overly wet.

A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine. -Anne Bronte

What Would Life Be Without Homegrown Tomatoes?

2011-05-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Traffic Light of Tomatoes

Only two things that money can't buy and that's true love and homegrown tomatoes.

How To Grow A Sunflower Fort

2011-05-04T20:20:00.001-07:00

Even adults get excited about sunflower forts. I know I have written about them quite a few times but people keep asking me about them and we keep growing them. I originally got the idea from a book I highly recommend "The Last Child in the Woods."

We have made the sunflower forts two ways. For our first attempt, I planted rows of sunflower seeds near a back fence to make two living walls and used the back fence corner for the other two walls. The birds kept eating my seeds. I replanted the sunflower seeds and covered them with row cover to keep the birds out. That worked pretty well. We have used the same method (in the same place in the yard) with tall amaranth plants to make an amaranth fort.

Last year we let our sunflowers go to seed. Not exactly on purpose, more out of neglect. Now this year, we have a huge patch of sunflowers growing in the backyard. We pulled up a few plants in the front of the patch to make a doorway and then crawled in to pull out a bunch in the middle. Viola! No work- all play. May I just add- I wish everyone, adult and child, had a large, dense sunflower fort to play in. To a three year old it is giant, but even to a jaded adult, its pretty sweet.

Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. -The Koran

Asparagus

2011-05-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

You have got to be kidding me! This is what purple asparagus looks like growing out of the dirt. The more you know...

When I saw a pack of asparagus bulbs/crowns at our local nursery, I snatched them up. Actually I think I bought two whole bags. It's not every day I come across a vegetable we haven't grow that I love to eat. It started growing little shoots that looked wispy like dill and then one day BANG! Asparagus. It is not recommended to eat any shoots the first year. These are perennials and apparently they can produce for up to 15 years! So choose their spot in the garden wisely. Waiting waiting waiting until next year for my fresh asparagus.

You needn't tell me that a man who doesn't love oysters and asparagus and good wines has got a soul, or a stomach either. He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed. -Hector Hugh Munro

Carrot of Another Another Color

2011-04-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Behold! The purple carrot! I forgot we planted these. I don't know why I get such a kick out of planting oddly colored vegetables but I do. Purple on the outside, orange on the inside. Dirtiest Kid in the World's review: "They taste like orange carrots, only beautiful." These are the Cosmic Purple Carrots. It has been above 90 degrees for what feels like an eternity for April. Our cold weather crops are getting scorched. We were hoping to extend the growing season for greens but we had to pull up tons of kale, spinach and carrots. Which is how I rediscovered these purple beauties. A shade house is being put up as I type because it looks like we might be facing another long, hot,DRY summer. On to the summer crops!

Naturally Dyed Eggs

2011-04-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Last year I missed the boat on this post. While we are out in the country celebrating an incredibly beautiful woman's marriage to a strapping young fellow... with tents! and cowboy boots! and ribbon dancing!

I leave you with last year's post. Here: Happy Egg Dying!

Local Boutique Vs. Big Box

2011-04-21T05:58:00.001-07:00

My favorite nursery is town is Shades of Green. It is a whole family favorite. When any of us asks, "Who wants to go to the plant store?" we all happily hop in the car. (Getting us all in the car quickly is basically an impossible feat the rest of the time.) Recently while we were there, an employee offered us a few animal planters that they were not able to sell. Dirtiest Kid in the World just about fell over from excitement. The next time we went, she somehow finagled a few more. Now we have an animal menagerie. They crack me up.

If I were making animal planters, I'm not sure how many I would have to make before stumbling upon, Otter Planter. But it is pure genius. We love our local nursery.

In comparison, we were at a big box store (rhymes with Bome Sleepo) picking up some nails, or hardware or some other such thing and I saw a cute little cactus on sale for a couple bucks. I bought it on a whim. Put it in the cart without a second glance. When I got home to plant it, I noticed the "flowers" were hot glued on! I planted it just like that and have been laughing ever since. Although it has provided me with endless amusement, it's the perfect little reminder why I prefer not to buy plants at big box stores.

Carrot of a Different Color

2011-04-19T18:22:00.001-07:00

Yellow Carrots!

It is a great deal of fun to buy crazy colored heritage seeds. I've gone almost three decades without eating a yellow carrot. My daughter- only three years. These are Amarillo Carrots from Baker's Creek Seeds. I think they tasted just the slightest bit sweeter than their orange brothers. Although, truthfully, it might have all been in my mind.

I also fell in love with beets last season. Love! With beets! Who knew. But I was put out by the way they stained my fingers... cutting board...daughter. When the opportunity arose to plant white beets, I thought all our problems were solved. And yet, I just didn't find them as tasty as the originals. I don't forsee myself planting them much in the future. I also have a completely unfounded belief that the different dark colors in vegetables are providing something important to my diet.

*Both these carrots and beets were harvested early to thin an area that was over planted. The rest that remain will grow much larger. These were early treats to make room for the rest.

I also have white pumpkins to look forward to. We are using the three sister's method again. Hot tip: Let the corn get established and well on its way before planting the pumpkins. The pumpkins have a way of taking over once they get up and running.

"Well, bust my buttons! Why didn't you say that in the first place? That's a horse of a different color!"

Ladybug Day!

2011-04-17T16:41:00.001-07:00

Today we released our favorite bugs into the garden. There are more than enough aphids on the artichokes for generations of ladybugs. I'm hoping to turn one particular artichoke into a ladybug breeding ground which will blanket the rest of our garden in the polka dot bugs. When releasing ladybugs it is important to water. The ladybugs will stick around if there is enough to eat and drink. It is recommended to release them at dusk because they will eat and drink their fill and then fall asleep in your garden to eat another day. We always do it early in the morning though because our toddler is an early to bed early to rise type of girl and releasing them with her is at least half the fun.

"Ladybug oh ladybug, Don't you know that you're good luck. No one ever tells you what to do."