garden

One thought I have about improvements our society could make is for everyone to be involved in producing their own food to the extent possible in their living situation. Hence, this:

I've been thinking lately about how it's too bad that many people do not take full advantage of the space around their house to partake in the joy of harvesting their own vegetables. I was noticing particularly in Redmond when we were over there (yes, I'm a backyard peeping Tom - looking for vegetables) that vegetable gardens were not so common. In a few places, there would be several neighbors with gardens (some of them quite prolific actually, and definitely someone who was a major corn aficionado in there), but for the most part, people seemed to restrict their efforts to flowers. I know the climate is a little trickier over there, but definitely not an insurmountable problem, obviously, since some people had nice gardens. In fact, the more consistent hot temperatures actually should be beneficial for things like pumpkins...I would think.

In the Willamette Valley, the climate is really so nice you don't have a valid excuse not to garden. I have noticed a lot more front-yard gardening here in Eugene and when we were in Corvallis, too. It's not very hard to grow things, even in pots if you live in an apartment and don't have access to garden space. All you need is sun. If you have that, I think you can grow a good variety of vegetables. Isaac loves to eat things straight from the garden or outside. He is 95% likely to try something fresh off the tree/bush/vine, and about 25% likely to try something offered to him that I have cooked (that he didn't specifically request). He is also very "in-tune" with our plants. A couple of hours ago, he said, "Mama, let's water the plants." I said, "Oh, let's wait until it gets later." Well, I look out now and the basil is looking a little droopy. Hm. Isaac knew it was coming. We'll water when he wakes up from his nap.

I realized when we were at Grandma and Grandpa (Wally)'s house the other weekend that my idea that everyone should try to garden as long as they have access to at least partial sunshine has probably been strongly influenced by my parents and grandparents. Not only do they plant, but they have always integrated things like composting, and using water responsibly, ever since I can remember. Why anyone would throw vegetable peelings in the garbage was difficult for me to understand for awhile. I have to admit I die a little inside everytime I throw that wonderful green material away (okay, not "die", but it is pretty heartbreaking). Clearly their methods work. My mom makes full meals all the time entirely from the garden and local fish. Just look at how prolific my grandparents' garden is! And it is visually appealing too. Hopefully my garden can look like that someday - abundant and beautiful.  Still, it is nice to look out and see my little row of plants in pots. It really livens up the bark mulch in the landscaping.

Isaac in Grandpa Wally's/Grandma's garden

 Loganberry bushes

 Palm tree (only on the coast... alas), rainwater recycling system, and some pretty flowers/shrubs

 Elephant garlic that was hung up outside and flowered!

 Fuschias. These will always, always remind me of my grandma's garden.

 Calibrachoa. Nana's new favorite. Apparently patented, and can only be propagated by cuttings, which is technically illegal. Ah, heck, I say, who cares? Who's going to come poking around in your flowerpots? The flower police?

"Did you buy this?"

"Um, um, um..... no..it came from a cutting..."

"30 years of jail time for you, for patent infringement!"

Yeah, I don't think so. (If I disappear, the flower police probably do really exist and have taken me into custody. Wrongly, since I have not actually propagated these by cuttings. Yet.)

 These little things are on a potato plant. I know my little garden plot was sad, but my potato plants never reached the stage where they had little tomato-look-like "fruits"! Apparently these are very normal.

 Here are two zucchini harvested from my own garden. They made a delicious summer squash soup. I would like to share the recipe - it is from Grandma Hurliman. I think I'll do it at the end of this post, which is way too long already.

 My one little pumpkin, successfully hand-pollinated (hence all the seeds will actually make pumpkins, not some weird pumpkin/zucchini  cross). I was reading The Compleat Squash by Amy Goldman and I'm pretty sure she has turned me into a cucurbitacean. If you aren't one, you might be after you read that book. I thought it sounded a little crazy when she said, "There are few things I enjoy more on an early summer morning than hand-pollinating squash." Then I did it, and I was hooked. If only I had had another female flower, that would have been fun. But maybe this is the only pumpkin my poor little pot-bound plant can support. The point of the picture is that the flower in front of it (kind of out of focus, sorry) is what the flowers (both male and female) look like when they are going to open the next day. Just in case you were thinking of hand-pollinating some squash of your own, ya know.

 And I have a pot of zinnias too! I know they are not good for any eating, but this pot definitely helped me appreciate why people do get really hooked on flower gardening. In this case, I think it was a good thing the sprouts got leggy, because they are really stretched outside the area of the actual pot. They are quite bright and cheery. But darn, it, those squash flowers are stunning too. Isaac thinks the pumpkin plant is a flower plant more than a vegetable plant.

"Oh," you say, "this has very nearly convinced me to garden in my small apartment." (okay, I'm not that convincing, I know) "But now I have to wait another year to get started!" Aha! Not so. It's almost time for fall planting. Get that garlic in the ground, plant some corn salad, kale, broccoli, beets, spinach, radishes, ooh, even swiss chard. I think the beets would do well in containers. I'm going to try it. (I guess in the winter, it's more for their greens.) So, stay tuned. Isaac will be helping too.

Oh, yes, and I promised the summer squash recipe. So here it is. I think I can make a "cut" here so you can click on the link if you want it.

Summer squash soup

2 tbsp butter
5 c chicken broth/stock
2 med size carrots, sliced thin (1 cup) - It doesn't matter actually that you slice them super thin - they will get pureed.
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
2 med onions (chopped coarse - 2 cups)
2 med potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces (2 cups)
2 lbs zucchini cut in 1" chunks
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp dry (add w/potatoes)

1. Melt butter over med-high heat. Add onions and cook 5-7 minutes. Add broth and carrots and potatoes (could add a stalk of celery here too), bring to a boil, then over. Turn head down and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Stir in squash, salt, and pepper. Simmer covered 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove, cover, and cool. Add fresh basil.
3. Process in batches in blender (or food processor) until smooth but with fine flecks of vegetables still visible. Serve hot or cold. Makes 11 cups.

It is super yummy!