Garden Additions

We added:
1. Chili peppers
2. Pimiento peppers
3. Rosemary
4. Comfrey

Spinach

Spinacia oleracea

Heirloom variety: Bloomsdale Long Standing

Days to Germination: 5-15
Days to Maturity: 45

Plant as early as the ground can be worked. Spinach loves cool weather. Harvest leaves as soon as they are big enough to eat. If the plant is starting to look old cut it back to 2 inches high and it will stimulate new growth. If they begin to bolt, you can harvest and freeze the whole crop. Or you can begin seed saving techniques.

To save seed: Let the plant bolt. Beginning at the bottom of the plant strip leaves and seeds off and let fall onto sheet. Gather up and let dry in the shade. When dry separate the seeds. Store in a cool dry place. Spinach pollen travels great distances (2-5 miles) so careful isolation is required from other spinach varieties.

I don’t save seed from spinach each year. This year I planted 4 year old seed and had a 60% germination. I think that is pretty good.

KMH

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Subtitle: A Year of Food Life
Read: May 2007. Rating: 5 stars (fantastic, fun to read, and future changing)

Barbara Kingsolver and family take on local eating with an agrarian flair. They’ll grow most of it, put it by for winter, and in the process transform their friends, relatives, and neighbors. I loved this book. It was refreshing and reminded me of why we do the things we do.

The month-by-month format was great. It inspired me to get out our old garden journals (at least those not lost in the “Big Computer Crash of ‘06″) and construct a calendar of local foods for our area. I’ll be adding to this by listing my farmer’s market purchases.

There is a picture in the front of the book of a “vegetannual” that I would love to embroider and hang in the kitchen. It is such a fun way to thing about the year of gardening.

KMH

Outdoor Kitchen, Part 1

In an effort to eliminate extra heat in the house and lower our electric usage we decided to build an outdoor kitchen area. We thought our first addition would be a propane grill. But then we decided to build a wood-fired grill. We always have plenty of wood too small to use in the wood stove.

The first step was to measure out 8 feet from the edge of the wooden deck (still in the process of being built) and clear a spot of all vegetation. Then MA pounded three 6 foot t-poles into the ground until there was only 2 1/2 feet left above ground. Then he attached an old grill to the poles. Next we placed old firebricks around the t-poles and then salvaged concrete stone around that. Total cost: $0 and about 2 hours.

We have used it several times and love it. The grill is only 19″ across. The stack of stones is 18″ tall. The design is very efficient. It takes very little wood to keep going all afternoon.

Our next steps will be placing a stainless steel table with dish tubs at the edge of the deck, putting gravel between the deck and the grill, and finally building the Earth Oven.

Oh, that is MA figuring out how to attach the grill. The raised bed garden is in the background and our stack of salvaged wood is right beside the garden.

KMH

Radishes

Raphunus sativus
The Radish
Variety: Early Scarlet Globe (Heirloom)

Days to Germination: 4-11
Days to Harvest: 20-28
Plant in early spring or late summer. By planting seeds weekly we are able to extend our harvest of these little red beauties.

To save seeds: Leave a few in the ground until they send up a seed stalk. Let the stalk and pod dry, then break open the pod and retrieve the seeds. Store seeds in cool, dark place. When saving seed plan on only letting one variety go to seed unless separated by 1/2 mile.

Our radishes are doing very well this year. We have already harvested 3 pounds and have many more to go. We love them whole or sliced into salads.

I had a guest!

Wow! I started this blog simply as a place to jot down ideas, keep track of what we are doing, and store project ideas. I never figured anyone else would read it. But lo and behold, someone did and left a comment.

Wow!
KMH

My Garden

Here is what we have planted in our garden this year:

1. Yellow Globe Onions
2. Horseradish
3. Rhubarb
4. Asparagus
5. Kennebec white potatoes
6. Yukon gold potatoes
7. Radishes (Early Scarlet Globe)
8. Carrots (Chantenay Red Cored)
9. Sunflowers (Giant Grey Striped)
10. Broccoli (Atlantic)
11. Spinach (Bloomsdale Long Standing)
12. Watermelon (Mountain Sweet)
13. Corn (Golden Bantam)
14. Celery (Golden Self-Blanching)
15. Swiss Chard (Rainbow)
16. Bush Beans
17. Sweet Basil
18. Tomato (Brandywine Red)
19. Lettuce (Buttercrunch)
20. Lettuce (Green Salad Bowl)
21. Calendula
22. Pumpkin (Small Sugar)
23. Ancho pepper
24. Jalapeno
25. Cucumber (Delikatesse)
26. Table Queen Squash
27. Eggplant (Black Beauty)
28. Dark Green Zucchini
29. German Chamomile
30. Bee Balm
31. St. John’s Wort
32. Valerian
33. Mullein
34. Dandelion
35. Plantain

Earth Oven

Picture from www.communityofcelebration.com

This will be another big project around here. I looked into building one a year ago, but just got too busy and let it fall off of my list. Now with the 90% project, it is back on list and rapidly rising on the priority list.

We have clay soil and we have a pile of it already dug up. I just need to buy sand to mix with it, build a base, and build the stove. No problem! Now, where are those directions? Oh that’s right, they got lost in the “Big Computer Crash of 06.” I guess I’ll have to do some surfing today.

edited on May 24: The directions I had pasted here from Mother Earth News were less than clear. They had typos, errors, and incomplete information. CK, after reading them, suggested I remove them and buy the book. We’ll post the plans we use and a construction log as we build it.

KMH

90% Reduction

While researching for our upcoming Low Impact Week, I stumbled across Simple Living and Casaubon. Their goal is to reduce 90% under that of an average American. I spent several days crunching numbers, discussing with my family, and thinking about this. We have decided to use Low Impact Week as a launching pad for our year-long quest for 10%.

There is only one category where we will partially opt-out. CK works 35 miles away. There is no public transportation and it is too dangerous to walk or bike most sections of the trip. However, he will carpool part of the distance with MA and do errands on his way to and fro.

Now for the figures:

1. Gasoline.
Average American: usage is 500 gallons PER PERSON, PER YEAR.
90% reduction: would be 50 gallons PER PERSON, PER YEAR.
Us: See note above. Our past usage for MA, HM, and I was about 400 gallons. HM and I will stick with 50 gallons for the two of us. Our family will use HM’s 50 for trips to church. We’ll just have to see how our guys do with their commutes.

2. Electricity.
Average US usage: is 11,000 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR, or about 900 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH.
90% reduction: would mean using 1,100 PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR or 90 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH
Us: average 600 kwh per month. This currently includes our cooking. I am going try to switch to our camp stove and an earth oven.

3. Natural Gas + Wood Energy
US Average Natural Gas usage is 1000 therms PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR.
A 90% reduction would mean a reduction to 100 therms PER HOUSEHOLD PER YEAR
Us: We heat with carbon neutral wood. It is all standing dead, fallen dead, or waste wood. I plan on switching to propane for our cooking. Propane 1.1 gallon is equal to 1 therm. I don’t know how much it will take, but it will be more efficient than electric. For baking we plan on building an earth oven.

4. Garbage
the average American generates about 4.5 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY.
A 90% reduction would mean .45 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY.
Us: Thank goodness, finally a category where we don’t have to work. We already average less than 1 pound of garbage per day for a family of 4 adults.

5. Water.
The Average American uses 100 Gallons of water PER PERSON, PER DAY.
A 90% reduction would mean 10 gallons PER PERSON, PER DAY.
Us: 51 gallons per day.
-This surprised me! We are definitely looking at rain water collection.

6. Consumer Goods.
The average American spends 10K PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR on consumer goods
90% 1k per year (new) Used goods are 10% (used from garage sale is 10%) Used from Goodwill, Church Sale, etc does not count against.
Us: I don’t know what our past totals are. We just replaced a desktop computer with 2 laptops. I’ll just start on June 1 with a tally. We are including in this category all non-food purchases.

7. Food.
Local should be 70% of diet
Bulk allotted 25% of diet
non-local/Processed 5%
Us: Local 60%; Bulk 35%; Processed 5%

Well there it is. Some of it isn’t pretty, but we’ll work on it.
KMH

Low Impact Week; Transportation

Transportation.

This is an area where I fear we will fail. CK drives 35 miles to work each way; MA will soon be driving 17 miles each way. HM and I already consolidate all our trips into one circle route, but still need to go out every other week. We having been working towards once a month shopping and are discussing the logistics of once a quarter shopping.

According to Casaubon’s Book (www.casaubonsbook.blogspot.com) the average American uses 500 gallons of gas per person per year. That would give our house 2000 gallons of the stuff a year. I figure MA will need 600 gallons (driving the truck); HM and I will need 300 (driving the Broco and family trips to church); CK need will need 700 gallons (driving the Cavalier). That totals 1600 gallons of gas.

Oh my goodness! I feel like Chicken Little. “The sky is falling . . . ” I know there must be a way to lower those numbers, but I don’t know where to start.

KMH

Low Impact Week; Paper & Garbage

Landfills are nasty places. I hate to think how much bulk I have contributed over the years to such places. Way out here, in the country, we don’t have government garbage service. It has made me quite aware of how much we throw away since I have to load it in the truck, drive over, unload, and then pay for the privilege of being a consumer.

I used to print out everything I thought I might ever need to re-read. I have since learned to “cut and paste” or “bookmark.” Those are wonderful computer tools that I pray I will always have access to. My new laptop is a veritable library of green, gardening, and homeschooling information.

My home library is quite ecelctic too. After 14 years of homeschooling we have books on many different subjects. I also tend to gather books about my latest passion. I’d like to say I feel badly for collecting so many books, but I don’t. I went through The Great Book Purge a few months ago. The books ended up donated to a local church school and some to Goodwill. Now I’m building a generational library. Who knows when books might become luxury items again.

We have been keeping track of our garbage lately. In the last 3 months, we filled 4 large rubbermaid totes with recyclables, 1 large tote with non-recyclable garbage, and 1 large tote with paper. We put the newspaper in the garden for mulch, magazines became bird cage liners, and then we were left with 1/3 of a tote for starting fires.

My goals for Low Impact Week will be to see if I can eliminate even more of the non-recyclables, and purchase more in bulk so that we don’t have as much to recycle. I also want to get us on the no junk mail list.

AHA!

A solution to two problems has presented itself. I need to cut back on our hotwater use; I need to start collecting rain water. Solution: Paint one rain barrel black, put on the south side of the house, use that water for laundry and general washing up.

Yippee!

Low Impact Week; Food Choices

Low Impact Week comes at a perfect time for me. My garden will be nearly in full production. Soon we’ll be overrun by the bounty, but early June finds me thankful. The chickens have ramped up the egg production, turkeys too. No goat babies this year, so no milk, no cheese (other than cheating on taco and pizza night).

For L.I.W. I want to keep a log of all the non-homegrown food we eat. I hope to find those last lurking badies and then find alternatives for them. I don’t know of any alternative for my Green & Black chocolate bars, so those don’t count! Besides, chocolate should be a treat, not a source of guilt.

Low Impact Week; Water

I admit we have the hardest time with water conservation. Our water bill continues to rise despite our best efforts. I really want to cut our water usage in half over the next year and then half again the six months after that.

We have a rainwater cistern (that collects water from a drainage trench we installed), but it gets really muddy and so we use the water for little other than the garden. This summer I would like to redig the cistern, put concrete in the bottom and up the walls, and put a top on. With a small pump we might be able to use it for the garden and the goats. The water saved from just the goats would be 150 gallons a month.

This year when we build a permanent chicken coop we plan to incorporate rain water collection into the design. Basically the roof and gutters will divert water into a series of rain barrels. The barrels will have a hose that feeds directly into the chicken waterer. The water saved from the chickens would be another 150 gallons a month.

Now for the hard part: household water use.

1. I want to install gutters and rain barrels. I will use that water for laundry. We have a Wonderclean Pressure Washing Machine. It uses an average of 5 gallons per load to wash. We rinse using another 5 gallons.

2. We are beginning to collect water from the shower to fill dog bowls, bird bowls, and water indoor plants. We already turn off the water when we brush our teeth, shave, and clean. I admit we don’t take short showers. After a day of gardening, I want to feel it glide off my body and down the drain. I suppose an attitude adjustment is in order.

3. I need to monitor kitchen usage. I collect dish water for the herb garden and we don’t waste much there. We do wash a lot of fruits and veggies, and we usually leave the tap on for that. I will look into soaking vs rinsing for that.

4. Butchering takes a lot of water as well. 5 gallons to pluck chicken feathers, 5 gallons to rinse and clean the chicken, and another 5 gallons to clean the butchering table, sink, doorknobs, and floor. Thankfully, MA butchers several birds at once so the cleanup water is minimized, but it still takes 10 gallons to do a chicken or a turkey. A rabbit takes 5; a goat takes 5.

I am sure there are other areas where I could cut back; I’m just not sure what they are.

KMH

German Chamomile

German Chamomile: Matricaria recutita

German Chamomile makes a wonderful tea. It helps with an upset stomach, insomnia, and toothaches. To make the tea put 1 tsp dried flowers into 1 cup boiling water and steep for 2-3 minutes.

Chamomile should be picked in the morning after the dew is off. Don’t handle the flowers too much, you want to keep the oil in the flower (not all over your hands). We dry the flowers at a very low temperature and store in an airtight glass jar.

Chamomile is easy to grow. Put it in a sunny spot where it can seed itself and you’ll have chamomile year after year.

LIL; Energy part 2

Meter reading yesterday morning: 76829

Meter reading this morning: 76850

Energy used: 21

I’d like to cut that back to 15. Is that realistic?

What can I do to make that cut? First, we will install ceiling fans in every room. We are hoping that will delay the urge to turn on the AC. Second, we’ll only run the fans when someone is in the room. Third, we are going to try to find a way to reduce the load on our hot water heater. That will take some looking into and may result in getting a new one. Fourth, we are going to try to eliminate one meal being cooked during the course of the day. Sunday,Wednesday, and Friday we will eat a cold breakfast; Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we will eat a cold lunch; Saturday we will eat a cold dinner.

Low Impact Living; Energy

Inspired by No Impact Man, Crunchy Chicken is working on a Low Impact Week. See www.crunchychicken.blogspot.com for all the details.

I took a meter reading this morning, then walked through the house and noticed all the electric users in our home. So what are we already doing, what should we be doing, and what how low can we really go?

Laundry Room and Hall:

• CF bulb in place
• no dryer
• washer; only to spin, CK work clothes once a week, bath towels once a week
• no AC (for how long?)
• hot water heater (4 adults, 4 showers, dishes every day)

HM bedroom:

• only one CF light bulb.
• needs a ceiling fan

MA Bedroom:

• CF in place
• needs a ceiling fan
• Desktop computer — it is always on.

Sitting Room and Living Room:

• TV/DVD on powerstrip. Turned on 8 hours a week.
• CF in ceiling fans (one in each room), and CF in 2 lamps in LR. Fans run in summer, but lights stay off unless someone is in the room and the room is dark.
• Router and radio antenna is always on. Will it hurt to unplug these? How much do they actually use?

Master Suite:

• Fan runs all night.
• CF in all but one light fixture.
• Battery operated alarm clock.
• Laptop computers. Shut down at night, hibernate when not in use. Printer is unplugged.

Kitchen (ah, the kitchen)

• CF in place
• I want to put in ceiling fans
• No microwave, toaster oven, dishwasher, or freezer.
• Oven and range. Oven used once or twice a week, range at least 3 times a day. I do use an electric tea kettle for boiling tea water.
• Refrigerator.

I’ll be back tomorrow with our daily energy use and things we can do to cut back.

KMH

Lovely Compost

Compost is a lovely thing. It turns yard waste, kitchen waste, and barn waste into lovely, dark, rich, living soil. I love compost. No matter what farm failures we experience each year, the compost never fails. I don’t follow any method for our pile. I just throw it all together in the spring, turn it in the fall, and shovel it into beds the next spring.

I figure that we average about 700 cubic feet of compost a year. With 6 8×8, 8 4×8, and 3 4×4 beds in our garden that is just enough to give each a fresh coating each spring before planting.

Since we plan to expand the garden we will need more compost. More. A regular word around here.

Too much brown, compost slows down.
Too much green, smells like a latrine.

Bee Balm

Monardas didyma

Bee Balm grows up to 4 feet tall. It blooms from July to August in red, white, purple and lavender. Propagation is by division or stem cuttings and requires division every couple years. Like all of the Mint Family, Bee Balm is invasive. In the fall, prune plants to within an inch of the ground.

Uses for Bee Balm
Tea. 1 TBSN fresh or 1 tsp dried leaves and/or flowers in strainer. Pour 1 c boiling water over. Steep 10 minutes.
Preserving Bee Balm
The leaves and flowers of Bee Balm can be dried and used for potpourri or tea. To dry, bundle 8-10 stems with a rubber band at the cut end and hang upside down until crisp to the touch. Crush and store in airtight containers out of direct sunlight.

Solar Powered Laptop

I want one. This nifty little gadget (and I love gadgets) will power a laptop for several hours. It will also power our NOAA weather alert, our handcranked radio, and our cell phones. All it asks for is 8 hours or so of sunlight to recharge its own batteries. No outlets, no fossil fuels, no emissions, totally clean energy.

I repeat, I want one.

KMH