Tag Archives: project

Jul 10 2011

Radishes

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Radishes fresh from the garden

This year we planted some radishes.  I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t had very much luck with these in the past.  I say “ashamed” because they are actually very easy to grow.  In previous years when I’ve planted them the bulb never developed and grew.  My theory is that we just weren’t giving them enough water.  This year we have a more consistent watering schedule due to putting in a sprinkler system last year.  My radishes this year have really taken off and are doing so well.  I love to put radishes in my salad.  I like the crispiness they add to a salad and I also like the slight spiciness they have.  This is another crop that we like to plant in small amounts and then after they have sprouted plant another small crop.  This way I have radishes the same time I have lettuce for salads.

Jul 5 2011

Chives

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Chives

Chives are another easy plant to grow in the garden.  They can over take the garden if planted right into it.  It’s best to plant in a container so that it won’t spread.  We planted our chives about 5 years ago and haven’t had to plant them again.  That’s right these are perennials which means they come back every year.  We weren’t sure if they would come back since we have really cold winters but they did, and have ever since.  I love having these on hand.  When ever I need them I just go out and snip a few off and chop them up to use.  They also have a very pretty purple flower.  The flower smells like onions but at least it looks good.  At the end of the season, right before we have a hard frost, Corey will go out and cut the rest of the chives and freeze them.  Then I use them in some Asian dishes like Mobodofu.  After they have been frozen they aren’t great to use as a garnish but you could put them in soups or breads for just a little onion flavor.  You could also dry them instead of freezing and use them the same.  So easy and very low maintenance.  I really don’t have to do anything to them, they just sprout up every year, it’s great.

Jul 3 2011

Garlic

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Garlic

I find garlic to be one of the easiest things to grow.  My husband and I started growing garlic a few years ago and we have kept doing it since.  We use garlic for so many things and it’s nice to always have fresh garlic around.

Growing garlic started with a trip to the grocery store.  While buying some garlic at the store we were curious about growing it in our own garden.  So we bought a couple of heads of garlic and separated the cloves and planted them in the garden just to see what would happen.  You plant garlic in the fall just like you would any type of bulb (ie tulips).  In the spring we were surprised to see garlic sprouting up.  It was great.  The garlic we bought from the store worked but the bulbs when harvested were smaller than what you bought at the store.  The next year we kept some of our bulbs that we had harvested and planted them again.  We also went to our local food co-op and bought some garlic that someone had grown on their farm locally.  It was amazing the difference in size each variety had.  The locally grown garlic was much larger than the grocery store.  This year we just planted some of our bulbs from last and it’s doing great.  I suggest buying the garlic from your local farmers market or co-op if you want to plant.  I tried buying from the local garden store and it was expensive ($4 dollars a bulb)  The co-op was only selling it for $1.00 a bulb.  Now we have an unlimited supply of garlic.  I planted about 6 bulbs of garlic which for us yields about 24 bulbs in the spring.  So that leaves us with 18 bulbs to use during the year.  The garlic when stored correctly last until your next harvest or until you consume it all.

Garlic is known to have many medicinal properties.  Garlic is great for your heart and helps regulate blood sugar levels.  There are a lot of reasons you should grow garlic.  Not only is it good for your health but it taste good too.  We use it in sauces, salsas, Asian foods, mix it with olive oil and use as a dip.  The possibilities are unlimited.  One down fall of garlic is that it can cause some really bad halitosis.  Also if you eat a lot of garlic your sweat could have a garlic odor.  I happen to like the smell of garlic but most people don’t.  Garlic is hard to smell on other people when you yourself have been eating garlic so if you’re worried about the smell just make sure everyone else is eating it too.

Garlic growing in our garden

Sep 13 2010

New project

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p8050001I’ve started making a quilt for Sophia.  Corey’s mother made a very beautiful quilt for her.  I’ve decided, with potty training,  I don’t want to ruin the wonderful quilt his mother made with all the washing it will have to go through.  So I’ve taken some of my scrap material and made some squares for a quilt.  So far it’s just squares but soon to be a quilt worthy of washing over and over (meaning if it gets ruined I don’t care).  Here is a picture to give you an idea of what it will look like.  I wish my mom lived closer and I could borrow her quilting frame to put it together.  Maybe I can convince Corey to make me one.   What do you think?  When I finish I’ll post another picture.