Putting the garden to bed...

Here's an image I took yesterday morning. It reminded me that not everyone is sitting on the sofa watching Christmas movies - some are still busy at work. So since today is the first official day of winter, I thought I'd make a quick mention on getting your vegetable garden ready for the winter. You may have already done some things and if so we'd like to hear about them, if not, it's not too late to get started. If there is snow on the ground - wait until the next warmer day when it melts and get to work!

While not as many of us are ambitious enough to grow winter crops that doesn't mean there is nothing worthwhile to do in our gardens. Winter is a great time to introduce some compost so that throughout the coming months it can work it's way into the soil and introduce some much needed nutrients. If you fertilize it's also good to distribute that into the soil so it can really penetrate and be ready for the spring planting. So, if you've gathered in your last harvest and are ready to put the garden to sleep check out the following links for some good reading!

Here's some practical tips from the garden stew online community.

Here's a link to a fellow gardener and her methods.

And below is a video with some really helpful information:




For the rest of the clips in this series - click here.

~Megan

Real Food Challenge: In Summary

My real food challenge is complete and what are the findings? You may be surprised by how many there were!

First off, I lost weight. Granted it was the week after Thanksgiving - but the few pounds I gained the week before quickly went away. That is a lot considering I'm pregnant. Second, I wasn't hungry! This was surprising because I love food and usually I feel starving at different times throughout the day but not this past week. I felt satisfied for several hours after each meal. Third, I have an irritable bowel that tends to slow down VERY easily - even though I get more than the recommended dosage of fiber every day! But this week - all of the problems stopped! I didn't expect that but I had no bowel issues what-so-ever! Isn't that interesting? I think a lot of that has to do with the "mostly vegetables" part of the challenge. Fourth, my kids didn't complain near as much as I thought they would. They treated it more like a game, asking me if this was a real food or a food product. They were even eating my strange made up vegetable concoctions! Fifth, I just felt better - maybe even happier. Last but definitely not least, the food tasted way better. I was expecting this but I think I was still a little surprised by the quality of it all. Even down to hot chocolate. We made our hot chocolate from scratch on a couple cold nights last week and then when it was all over my husband made some from a nicer mix we had and it didn't even come close to comparing. And in the end, taste is what really matters to me.

Now was it all easy schmeesy? Not completely. I wish I had prepared better. I had to make up most of my entrees and I wish I has some recipes with foods that are in season and all natural. That would have been pretty easy but I just didn't do it. Also, I should have planned by making some substitutions for things we eat instead of just going without. Like mayo and ketchup - those are simple things to do but you're not going to do them the night your making hamburgers.

So, in the end? I don't know. It's funny - it's not like you want to just start eating cheetos every day. So you wonder what to do next. I think we'll be keeping most of the new habits we picked up just with a little more leniancy - like...hmm, I don't know - I can't think of any one thing I want to give up but I imagine those things will come up - we'll just take it one meal at a time! All in all, I highly recommend that you do a little week long experiment yourself. Your eyes will be opened and your bodies will be happy. So, give it a try and let us know how it goes for you and yours!

~Megan

Real Food Challenge: Days Two and Three

Day 2 was a great day. I went to a store about a little less than a half hour away that sells organic and natural foods and was surprised by how little real food even they carry. But in the end we came home with a pretty good bounty. Click on the image to see more details if you'd like. So we ate our grass fed lamb with potatoes and curried brown rice for dinner. It wasn't the greatest meal since I kind of had to make it up with the things I could find at the store and at home but it was good enough.

Today(Day 3) has reminded me of why most people don't eat real food. It was one of those days that moms have every once in a while where everything is crazy and you wish you could just order pizza for dinner. We are supposed to have bison burgers for dinner but since I couldn't find buns without additives or white flour I knew I needed to bake my own. Needless to say that dinner is fast approaching and there are still no buns. And still no oven fries. Ahh! What does a mom do about real food dinners when she's in a pinch? Pancakes, perhaps? I'm still not sure but I'm not giving up yet. I'll let you know how it goes!

~Megan

Real Food Challenge: Day One

My real food challenge based on Michael Pollan's book, "In Defense of Food" was originally going to be last week but I soon realized it would conflict with Thanksgiving. Because we were eating with a lot of my husband's extended family, I didn't want to be the jerk asking everyone what they used to make their dishes so I decided to hold off until today.

I started the morning with my typical toast. Since the bread I buy has only 6 ingredients - all of which are real foods instead of food products - I got to enjoy my usual fair with some basic salted butter. For lunch I had some homemade macaroni and cheese with the addition of tomatoes to add some vegetables. I know, technically tomatoes are a fruit but oh well. That afternoon I knew I needed to head to the store to get some food as my cabinets were bare after the long week away. Because I live in a small town my options for shopping are limited and since my time was limited today I had to head to the big town Walmart. I spent most of my time in the produce section buying what was in season and what looked good. I didn't have any sort of list with me so I just grabbed a hodgepodge of things - spaghetti squash, tomatoes, and broccoli. I added some Parmesan cheese and was on my way out when I noticed that Walmart actually sells some bulk goods like beans and dried peppers. I had ever seen these items as they were tucked in between the donuts and the store made cakes! I decided that it doesn't get less "produced" than that and got some pinto beans and peppers. When I got to the checkout I soon discovered that I am not the only one that hasn't seen these items since after literally ten plus minutes of the checker trying to figure out what to make of them I gave up and told him to keep the beans and dried peppers!

For dinner I threw most of those things together except the broccoli, added some cooked cubed potatoes, olive oil, garlic, spices and red pepper flakes into some sort of squash goulash. It felt like some sort of food peasants in Italy might eat but I was happy since it definitely met the criteria of mostly vegetables. I knew I'd like it but was very pleased to see my kids enjoy it as well! So day one seems to have worked. My boys are already missing their honey-nut cereal and my husband cheated by eating some doritos for lunch but all in all it wasn't too hard to choose foods that make such a huge impact on my health and the health of the planet. We'll see how the next few days go!

~Megan

A Game of Squash

Step right up, folks! Come guess the weight of this squash. Hey, you there -- you look like you want to play, come pick a number. What have you got to lose? Step right up!

Wow us with your squash estimation skills by sending us a comment. We'll let you know later who's closest! (And no, you won't risk winning said squash as a prize -- can you imagine the shipping charges?! Besides, I have big plans for this beauty.)
Yes, banana squashes can be big, but this one from my garden borders on freak show proportions. (For reference, it's sitting atop a standard-size patio chair.)

Squashes are broken down into two categories: summer and winter. Summer squashes have delicate skins and include crookneck and zucchini. Winter squashes store well at or below room temperature for several weeks, in part thanks to their hard rind. Banana, butternut, hubbard and acorn are a few of these varieities.

Winter squashes lend themselves to breads, pies, pasta fillings, soups and much more. Try them in your favorite pumpkin recipe in place of it, their more publicized cousin. After being cut into pieces and seeds removed, winter squash flesh can be baked, boiled or even microwaved until tender. Small squashes may also be cooked whole in a slow cooker. For baked goods, drain cooked flesh in a colander for about an hour to remove extra moisture.

Here's one of my family's favorite uses for squash, a soup that has slowly helped me convert my husband into a squash fan. The quantities below are just guidelines; I don't go by a set recipe. But that's the beauty of soup -- you can adapt it to your own tastes with great results.

Squash-haters' special request bisque

2 lbs. winter squash (butternut is especially good)
1 large onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 stalks celery
2 quarts good quality chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cream (can also use evaporated milk)
Favorite herbs (sage or rosemary work well)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped ham (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Prepare squash by removing seeds and stringy fibers. Place pieces cut side up in pan, uncovered, and put in oven. (It's OK if oven hasn't reached full temperature yet.)

Alternately, you can put prepared pieces in a covered dish in the microwave and cook for 10-20 minutes. This is quicker than oven method, but I think the roasted flavor the oven imparts is worth it if you have the time.

While squash is baking, mince garlic and chop onion and celery. Add vegetables, bay leaf and chicken stock to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, and let vegetables cook until extremely soft.

Check squash in oven for tenderness after about 40 minutes. When done, remove skins from flesh. (If it's too hot to handle, let cool while you do the next step.)

Remove bay leaf from stock mixture and discard. Ladle softened vegetables into blender or food processor and process until smooth. (Do so in batches if needed.) Puree squash with small amount of stock.

Combine everything back into your pot. Slowly stir in cream and warm over low heat. Adjust seasonings and add ham. Serves 8.

Jennifer

Eat food, Not Too Much, Mostly Vegetables....for a week.

Well, I just finished "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" by Michael Pollan and it was excellent. I whole heartedly recommend it to everyone. It's a short read but jammed full of information that is likely to change to way you see a lot of things. Part of the book talks about "how to eat" - this is not a diet or a list of forbidden foods. Instead it recommends the three things listed in the title of this post:

Eat Food - this means no food products: i.e. imitation foods or foods that your ancestors wouldn't recognize as food. That also means if the ingrediant list is long and full of things you can't pronounce - it's probably not food but a food product. It's a lot more detailed than that but you get the idea...

Not too much - this means we enjoy our food and don't gorge ourselves on it. We eat more like the French who eat smaller portions of higher quality food.

Mostly vegetables - this means that we eat way too much meat in the country because it has become so cheap. Our ancestors ate a lot less just because it wasn't as available - as do people in other countries. We needs to eat more vegetables with meat being the side dish.

I have oversimplified the book's message by a million - there are health reasons to eat this way but just as importantly environmental, political, and social reasons. In my opinion this book needs to be read hand in hand with The Omnivore's Dilemma which I am still reading - it's a lot longer. Anyhow, my point being that I want to try it out starting this coming Sunday.

I wanted a little time to prepare so I could have it in my mind what I could make. You'd be surprised by how much isn't true food anymore - at least partly. Like today I wanted a tuna sandwich but when I looked at the can saw that it was partly vegetable broth - meaning soy flakes! I ate my tuna still but next week I won't be able to unless I buy the raw tuna and cook it myself. Anyhow...I'll let you know how it goes...I'm curious what my week will be like and I'm betting the food will taste a lot better - as long as I do my job right!

Late Bedtimes

All over the neighborhood gardens are tucked in for the winter. Summer’s bedding is ripped out, dirt is fluffed up, here and there are cushiony pillows of leaves to compost.

I’ve witnessed many such plots as I’ve tooled around town, seen these sleepy little yards with nice square corners. Wouldn’t you know it, though – my garden is the one up past curfew. And it’s a night owl, I tell you, still churning out produce.

For areas with distinct seasons, conventional wisdom suggests that when fall comes, and leaves and temperatures drop, it’s time to yank everything out of the garden. No questions asked. During the last spring, after all, many recreational gardeners may have planted everything at the same time, too – just because that’s how they’ve always done it. Plant at once, rip out at once. It almost makes sense.

Yet this view doesn’t take into account that different plants grow best under different conditions. Spinach, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, peas, chard and cabbage, for instance, are labeled as cool-season crops. Generally we take this to mean we can plant them earlier in spring, before established last frost dates. They like things on the cold side.

Quick question: How does fall compare to summer? It’s cooler, of course. Given the chance, these veggies can thrive beyond summer; fall marks a return to the climate they love. You can keep such plants mulched during the heat of the summer, or can sow seeds around July or August for an entirely new crop in autumn.

Garden crops still can flourish, even though it's late enough in the season that trees are stripped of leaves.

Fall: It’s the new spring. Or at least summer’s encore.

I just couldn’t stand to pull out a plant that was still pretty and green when everything else leaned to gray and decay. (Plus, I was too lazy – ahem – busy.) That’s why I hadn’t touched my upper garden bed yet. I nearly nipped my bonus harvest in the bud.

Instead, it was practically the opposite of “ya snooze, ya lose.” I was delighted that my broccoli plants offered several more side shoots, and I can tell the Swiss chard is also growing more stems. I plan to keep my chard plants well mulched throughout the winter just to see what happens.

Even some raspberries form a fall crop, as I discovered by chance. Naturally I was delayed in pruning. Lucky for me, though! I would have chopped away the bearers of deep red jewels. It has already frozen here on several nights, driving away the insects that kept me from fully enjoying earlier berries.

Consider having your cool-season crops in a separate bed(room!) from the rest of your garden. That way you can prepare one plot in early spring and let it lie undisturbed through fall when you want to pull out the rest of your garden.

Jennifer