Veggies That Re-Grow

Found this idea on Pinterest. Many veggies will regrow simply by putting them in water. I decided to give it a try with green onions and celery. So far, so good. I cut the green onions back last week to use in a soup and they have already grown back.

You Never Know What You'll Find

My house is built on land that was once on the outskirts of town. It was part of a farm and we are apparently located on the old burn pile. When I was a kid, we used to have little archaeological digs behind the garage where we would turn up old bottles, pieces of china and all sorts of interesting things. Last spring, this bit of bottle came up in the garden after the frozen ground forced it to the top. I think it's beautiful. It has to have been there for over 85 years since that is the age of my house. The cool thing about it is...you never know what you'll find.

Lettuce Entertain You

Here's a pic of some lettuce that we planted. It's a pot on top of a pot. The top pot has rosemary planted in it and when the lettuce has all been devoured, I'll fill in the empty space with herbs.

It's edible and beautiful.

Baby Boxwoods

It's still a little early to plant most flowers since we could still have frost but I was itching to get my hands dirty. I picked up these tiny boxwoods instead. Planting them satified my desire to be outside in the dirt and I can bring them in if it gets too cold.

Spring Lilacs

No Impact Man

No Impact Man, the movie, finally arrived in the mailbox. I placed it in my Netflix queue months before it was released and it finally made it's way to the top of the list. Now halfway through the book, No Impact Man, I am re-energized about our lifestyle choices and am becoming even more committed to reducing our consumption and living a simpler life.

Colin Beavan and his family embark on a one year journey from their Fifth Avenue apartment in Manhattan to live sustainably for one year. What this translates to is: no cars or any other transportation that leaves a negative impact on the environment, no food that comes from anywhere more than 250 miles from NYC, no electricity and no garbage.

Both the book and the documentary are inspiring and thought provoking. In trying to apply it's lessons, I can see how some things would be challenging in NYC and other things easier than in my rustbelt city. For instance, the farmer's market shown in the film offers a much wider variety of goods than our newly formed downtown market. When I inquired about cheese at last years market, I was informed that health codes would make it difficult and expensive for vendors to sell. We do, however, have many local produce stores but then the problem is sprawl/transportation. It is very difficult to exist in our city without a car. Cycling is an option for many short trips but our public transport is lacking (to put it mildly).

The big issue is over-consumption which then breaks down into a series of smaller issues that have to be tackled individually.

I know I can't change everyone's love affair with their cars but I can change mine. In an effort to tackle our transport problems, we have implemented a few things:

1.
We only have one automobile. It is a four cylinder that gets great gas mileage. Purchasing a new hybrid is not in the budget even with a tax credit. In the beginning, it seemed impossible to survive with only one car but it's been seven years and it's fine. When we lived in Florida, the car would remain in it's parking place for days. Not the case now but we each have several bicycles and working legs to supplement the car. It is important to note that maintenance is important to insure optimum gas mileage and to increase the life span of our vehicle.

2.
We combine trips for errands. A little planning goes a long way. Sometimes my mom and I will go shopping together which saves a trip for one of us. One major challenge is my work schedule. Although work is less than 2 miles from home, I come home from work at midnight. The neighborhood that I must pass through is not safe to walk or cycle through after dark (although I've done it a few times, the stress just isn't worth it). In 5 1/2 years we have only put about 30,000 miles on our car and that included a few long trips.

3.
We have purchased a carbon offset for our vehicle. Since we have accepted the fact that we cannot live here without a car, at least we can invest a little money toward an eco-friendly project to try to undo the damage it is contributing to the environmental problem.

It's apropos that No Impact Man arrived now. April 22nd marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. It's the perfect time for us to renew our committment to a life of simplicity.

Thanks to Colin, Michelle and Isabella for the inspiration.

For information about No Impact Man go to: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/

Sedum Blooming

A friend gave me a couple of starts of Sedum about two years ago.

It's just beautiful when it's in bloom.

Daylily Drama

Here's a pic of a beautiful daylily at the farmhouse.

Farmers Market Mansfield Ohio

I'm not sure who did the artwork on this poster but they did a terrific job.

The farmer's market started today and it was great. Not a ton of produce yet but it's still early days. If you're in the area be sure to check it out.

Leek, Celery and Mushroom Pizza

As many of you know, we grow most of our own veggies. This year, we've had a great crop of leeks. Leeks are a wonderful, mild type of onion that will remain long after all of your other crops have all been eaten, canned or frozen.
You must wash leeks carefully because they do tend to collect a lot of dirt in them. I usually cut of the root and the part of the green that I'm going to discard. (of course they go into the compost pile) Cut the leek lengthwise to open it up and rinse all of the dirt from inside. You can then cut them into whatever size you need.

To make this pizza, we mixed the dough for the crust and as it was rising, we sauted the leeks, celery and mushrooms in butter until they were tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Once the dough has risen, press into an oiled or non-stick pan. Brush a coating of extra-virgin olive oil on the dough and top with your sauted veggies. We then topped with some all-natural mozzerella and sprinkled with italian seasoning. Bake in a 450 degree oven until cheese is melted and crust
begins to brown.

Pizza Crust

1pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 t. sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
about 3 1/4 cups of flour
1 t. salt
1 T. olive oil

Dissolve yeast and sugar in the water. Combine 2 3/4 cups flour and the salt. Stir yeast mixture and oil into the flour until a dough forms. On a lightly floured work surface, knead about 10 minutes, working in up to 1/2 cup more flour until the dough is still soft but no longer sticky. Put in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Notes: If you want to skip all of the work, use a rapid rise yeast and mix the dough in a mixer using the dough hook. No kneading required. Also we have made it, using the rapid rise yeast, and didn't even allow it to rise and it came out fine. It puffed up in the oven. I have made a pizza from mixing to table in twenty minutes using this method.

A Call For Gardeners...

I'm trying to get in contact with any organic gardeners in the area who are looking for a way to get involved with the community. I would like to get a group together for an organizational meeting to launch a community service project that has been rolling around in my brain for a couple of years.If you are a gardener or know one, please email me with their contact information or have them email me at jenblue34@aol.com