Thursday, February 26, 2009
Plants aren't the only things growing at Rose Haven!
As promised, here are some pics of my very pregnant pooch, Princess Zoya. And to think that she still has about 10 days to 2 weeks left! I'll be taking her to the vet on Saturday for a checkup and to get x-rays done so that we can get a puppy count. Can't wait to see how many she's got in there!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The collards & both kales germinated today, 2/24 (day 3).
Also, this past weekend, my roommate & I finished tilling the veggie garden and transferred the soil from the pile in the driveway to its rightful home! So now I've finally started sowing the "outdoor only" seeds: garlic (rather late, but we'll see what happens), and also a few seeds each of "Mr. Big" Peas and "Sugar Snap" Peas. I'll be sowing a few more pea seeds each weekend over the next few weeks, so that I'll have a longer harvest season!
Last night, I began modifying the area around my deck. I had plants in pots around two sides of the deck, but decided to fill those areas with soil & plant them more fully. I got one side done last night, and will probably finish the rest this weekend. I'll take some pics this weekend to post here.
Til next time...
Also, this past weekend, my roommate & I finished tilling the veggie garden and transferred the soil from the pile in the driveway to its rightful home! So now I've finally started sowing the "outdoor only" seeds: garlic (rather late, but we'll see what happens), and also a few seeds each of "Mr. Big" Peas and "Sugar Snap" Peas. I'll be sowing a few more pea seeds each weekend over the next few weeks, so that I'll have a longer harvest season!
Last night, I began modifying the area around my deck. I had plants in pots around two sides of the deck, but decided to fill those areas with soil & plant them more fully. I got one side done last night, and will probably finish the rest this weekend. I'll take some pics this weekend to post here.
Til next time...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
More seed-starting
Planted a bunch more seeds inside today (2/22/09)...
-Asparagus: Mary Washington
-Celery: Utah 52-70
-Collard: Morris Heading
-Eggplant: Black Beauty
-Kale: Tuscan Organic
-Kale: Red Russian
-Kohlrabi: Early White Vienna
-Kohlrabi: Purple Vienna
-Leek: Large American Flag
-Onion: Italian Blood Red Bottle
-Onion: Tokyo Long White (bunching)
-Onion: Tri-Color Blend Hybrid
-Onion: Walla Walla Sweet
-Onion: Yellow Sweet Spanish (Utah Strain)
-Potato: Catalina-Hybrid
-Shallots: Picador F1-Hybrid
-Shallots: Prisma-Hybrid
-Strawberry: Temptation
-Onion: Italian Blood Red Bottle
-Onion: Tokyo Long White (bunching)
-Onion: Tri-Color Blend Hybrid
-Onion: Walla Walla Sweet
-Onion: Yellow Sweet Spanish (Utah Strain)
-Potato: Catalina-Hybrid
-Shallots: Picador F1-Hybrid
-Shallots: Prisma-Hybrid
-Strawberry: Temptation
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Pics & more record-keeping
The cilantro seeds germinated this past weekend on Valentine's Day (day 7 after sowing), and the parsley seeds germinated two days ago, February 17th (day 10 after sowing).
Friday, February 13, 2009
Keeping records...
- Waltham 29 Broccoli (germinated on Day 3)
- Early Purple Broccoli (germinated on Day 3)
- Romanesco Broccoli (germinated on Day 4)
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout (germinated on Day 3)
- Late Flat Dutch Cabbage (germinated on Day 4)
- Early Snowball Y Cauliflower (germinated on Day 3)
- Violetta Italia Cauliflower (germinated on Day 5)
- Italian Parsley & Cilantro (still waiting...)
- Early Purple Broccoli (germinated on Day 3)
- Romanesco Broccoli (germinated on Day 4)
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout (germinated on Day 3)
- Late Flat Dutch Cabbage (germinated on Day 4)
- Early Snowball Y Cauliflower (germinated on Day 3)
- Violetta Italia Cauliflower (germinated on Day 5)
- Italian Parsley & Cilantro (still waiting...)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Seeding Has Begun!
You wouldn’t know it by the little snowfall that we had yesterday, but planting time has begun at Rose Haven (my home). This past weekend I got my “seed starting station” set up (a 5-level shelf with fluorescent shop lights attached), and got the first seeds planted in trays. It’s still a bit early for most seeds, but it was exciting to get a few things going. Some have already started germinating! Most of them will be ready to transplant to the outside garden in mid to late March.
- Waltham 29 Broccoli (already germinated!)
- Early Purple Broccoli (already germinated!)
- Romanesco Broccoli
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout (already germinated!)
- Late Flat Dutch Cabbage
- Early Snowball Y Cauliflower (already germinated!)
- Violetta Italia Cauliflower
- Italian Parsley
- Cilantro
I also added a couple of fruit trees to the garden this past weekend. One of our local garden centers mailed out their “Member Rewards Rebates” recently, and I couldn’t let it go to waste! :-) I got a Mandarin Orange tree & planted it along with my Meyer Lemon tree in the veggie garden, but right next to the house, where I will train it to climb the wall 2-dimensionally (a technique called “espalier”). This will keep it from blocking the sun from the vegetables below, but I’ll still be able to get fruit from it.
In addition to the lemon & mandarin trees, I picked up a “4-variety” cherry tree. Cherry trees are like blueberry bushes in that you need to have at least 2 different varieties so that they will cross-pollinate. But I found this particular tree which has 4 different cherry varieties grafted into it: Bing, Rainier, Stella, and Lambert. Hopefully it will be happy where I planted it & grow lots of cherries for me! Of course, I probably won’t see much fruit from any of these trees for at least a year or two. That’s ok, in the meantime, I’ll have tons of veggies, and I also have my strawberry & blueberry plants which have been producing increasingly well the last couple of years.
Til next time…
- Waltham 29 Broccoli (already germinated!)
- Early Purple Broccoli (already germinated!)
- Romanesco Broccoli
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprout (already germinated!)
- Late Flat Dutch Cabbage
- Early Snowball Y Cauliflower (already germinated!)
- Violetta Italia Cauliflower
- Italian Parsley
- Cilantro
I also added a couple of fruit trees to the garden this past weekend. One of our local garden centers mailed out their “Member Rewards Rebates” recently, and I couldn’t let it go to waste! :-) I got a Mandarin Orange tree & planted it along with my Meyer Lemon tree in the veggie garden, but right next to the house, where I will train it to climb the wall 2-dimensionally (a technique called “espalier”). This will keep it from blocking the sun from the vegetables below, but I’ll still be able to get fruit from it.
In addition to the lemon & mandarin trees, I picked up a “4-variety” cherry tree. Cherry trees are like blueberry bushes in that you need to have at least 2 different varieties so that they will cross-pollinate. But I found this particular tree which has 4 different cherry varieties grafted into it: Bing, Rainier, Stella, and Lambert. Hopefully it will be happy where I planted it & grow lots of cherries for me! Of course, I probably won’t see much fruit from any of these trees for at least a year or two. That’s ok, in the meantime, I’ll have tons of veggies, and I also have my strawberry & blueberry plants which have been producing increasingly well the last couple of years.
Til next time…
Monday, February 2, 2009
Thoughts on “Keeping Kosher”
Those of you who know me are now thinking, “But Sharon, you’re not Jewish. Why are you pondering the subject of ‘Keeping Kosher’?” Simple answer: One of our colleagues from the New York office is here in our Portland office today, and he keeps kosher…very strictly. It made me curious about what the specific requirements are, so I looked it up during my lunchbreak. What I found is that in addition to helping me understand those of my friends, acquaintances & co-workers who choose to keep kosher, it also helped me to understand that “keeping kosher” is a very good idea given to us by a very loving God who wants us to be healthy!
(As you read, please remember that these are simply observations on a very amateur level! I am certainly no expert on this subject, I’m simply recording my thoughts at this particular stage in my understanding. :-) )
My observations…
Kosher law prohibits the consumption of all water creatures which do not have fins or scales. This would include shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams & crabs, as well as fish like catfish which don’t have scales. Why would such yummy seafood be forbidden??? It seems that most of these creatures are either scavengers and/or predators, meaning that much of their diet can contain toxins, diseases, or other things which are destructive to the human body.
The same types of limitations are applied to the flying creatures. Kosher law forbids the eating of all birds of prey and scavengers. The birds which are permitted are the ones which tend to be cultivated by man (chicken, geese, ducks, etc), and whose diets can therefore be accounted for.
Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are all forbidden, presumably for the same reasons.
(I haven’t quite figured out the reason behind distinguishing between land mammals which “have cloven hooves & chew their cud”, and those that don’t...)
It is also interesting to note that the way in which the animal died makes a difference as to whether or not it is kosher. If it died of natural causes (which means it could have been diseased), or if it was killed by another animal (which may have been diseased or a scavenger, and passed that to the now dead animal during the struggle), it may not be eaten. The animal must have been slaughtered as quickly and painlessly as possible, with “a quick, deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness. This method is painless, causes unconsciousness within two seconds, and is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible.” This method also “ensures rapid, complete draining of the blood, which is also necessary to render the meat kosher.”
I believe that God knew exactly what kind of junk is in the various animals that He forbade his people to eat, and that those potential toxins, diseases, etc would compromise their health. He wanted His precious people to live full & healthy lives, and it is for that reason that He gave such strict laws about what to eat & what not to eat.
It will be interesting to continue digging further into this subject over time, and I'm sure that you'll get to read about it here!
'Til next time...
(As you read, please remember that these are simply observations on a very amateur level! I am certainly no expert on this subject, I’m simply recording my thoughts at this particular stage in my understanding. :-) )
My observations…
Kosher law prohibits the consumption of all water creatures which do not have fins or scales. This would include shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams & crabs, as well as fish like catfish which don’t have scales. Why would such yummy seafood be forbidden??? It seems that most of these creatures are either scavengers and/or predators, meaning that much of their diet can contain toxins, diseases, or other things which are destructive to the human body.
The same types of limitations are applied to the flying creatures. Kosher law forbids the eating of all birds of prey and scavengers. The birds which are permitted are the ones which tend to be cultivated by man (chicken, geese, ducks, etc), and whose diets can therefore be accounted for.
Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are all forbidden, presumably for the same reasons.
(I haven’t quite figured out the reason behind distinguishing between land mammals which “have cloven hooves & chew their cud”, and those that don’t...)
It is also interesting to note that the way in which the animal died makes a difference as to whether or not it is kosher. If it died of natural causes (which means it could have been diseased), or if it was killed by another animal (which may have been diseased or a scavenger, and passed that to the now dead animal during the struggle), it may not be eaten. The animal must have been slaughtered as quickly and painlessly as possible, with “a quick, deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness. This method is painless, causes unconsciousness within two seconds, and is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible.” This method also “ensures rapid, complete draining of the blood, which is also necessary to render the meat kosher.”
I believe that God knew exactly what kind of junk is in the various animals that He forbade his people to eat, and that those potential toxins, diseases, etc would compromise their health. He wanted His precious people to live full & healthy lives, and it is for that reason that He gave such strict laws about what to eat & what not to eat.
It will be interesting to continue digging further into this subject over time, and I'm sure that you'll get to read about it here!
'Til next time...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
My seeds are here!
I've received two out of three of my seed orders this week, and I can't wait to start planting! Well, since it's still a bit early to start getting them into the ground (or even into seed trays inside), I'll just have to have fun organizing them & dreaming of all the yummy veggies they'll produce! And... I still have some work to do outside getting the veggie beds ready.
I have around 400-425 square feet of space available in my veggie beds, which, considering the amount of stuff that I want to grow this year, is not that much space. So I have to be pretty creative. But before I can even get to that, the soil has to be prepared to be "hospitable" to the vegetables that will be planted there. Since our Willamette Valley soil is very "clayey" (resembling or containing clay), it is necessary to amend the soil before planting. Last fall, I purchased a great blended soil from a local company (Grimm's Fuel, http://www.grimmsfuel.com/) which I'm working in as I till the existing clay soil. So far, it has been going very slowly since I'm doing manual tilling with a "Garden Claw", but it looks like I may be able to borrow a motorized tiller from my neighbor next weekend, so that should make things easier (and faster!).
So, in addition to the tilling, I did some major weeding this weekend... a never-ending task with gardening, I'm afraid! Also, my housemate helped me get some trellises up in preparation for the beans which will need something to climb up later this spring. And then, as I mentioned above, there's the organizing of the seeds... I took a stack of paper lunch bags, marked each one with "Inside" or "Outside" and the dates of the Saturdays from now through May, and placed seed packets in the bags according to when they need to be planted, and whether they must be sown in seed trays inside the house or if they can be sown directly into the garden outside. That way, when I'm doing my planting each weekend, I can just grab the bag for that day & plant away!
On that note, it's time for me to "plant" my little head on a pillow, in the hopes that I can maybe grow a few more brain cells for tomorrow! :-)
'Til next time...
I have around 400-425 square feet of space available in my veggie beds, which, considering the amount of stuff that I want to grow this year, is not that much space. So I have to be pretty creative. But before I can even get to that, the soil has to be prepared to be "hospitable" to the vegetables that will be planted there. Since our Willamette Valley soil is very "clayey" (resembling or containing clay), it is necessary to amend the soil before planting. Last fall, I purchased a great blended soil from a local company (Grimm's Fuel, http://www.grimmsfuel.com/) which I'm working in as I till the existing clay soil. So far, it has been going very slowly since I'm doing manual tilling with a "Garden Claw", but it looks like I may be able to borrow a motorized tiller from my neighbor next weekend, so that should make things easier (and faster!).
So, in addition to the tilling, I did some major weeding this weekend... a never-ending task with gardening, I'm afraid! Also, my housemate helped me get some trellises up in preparation for the beans which will need something to climb up later this spring. And then, as I mentioned above, there's the organizing of the seeds... I took a stack of paper lunch bags, marked each one with "Inside" or "Outside" and the dates of the Saturdays from now through May, and placed seed packets in the bags according to when they need to be planted, and whether they must be sown in seed trays inside the house or if they can be sown directly into the garden outside. That way, when I'm doing my planting each weekend, I can just grab the bag for that day & plant away!
On that note, it's time for me to "plant" my little head on a pillow, in the hopes that I can maybe grow a few more brain cells for tomorrow! :-)
'Til next time...
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