I want to DIG!

[aztecan]

Since the grocery thread got me started, I thought I would create a thread talking about what we can do about rising food costs.

True, such staples as grains, meats, etc., are out of our control. But there are other ways to augment to food budget.

I am a consummate gardener. I love to dig in the dirt, plant stuff and watch it grow. I also like growing my own veggies, fruits and other things.

I am just itching to get started this year. I think I'll expand the veggie garden, add another section for more yummies. Even if I don't use it all, I can give it away.

This year, the garden lineup looks like this:

Corn, crookneck squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, watermelons, cantaloupe, tomatoes (2 to 3 varieties), green chiles, jalepenos , habenero peppers, bell peppers, okra, beets, tomatillos, radishes, carrots, onions, potatoes, brussels sprouts, eggplant and probably broccoli.

I also grow many of my own herbs, including garlic, sage, oregano, dill, basil, thyme, rosemary and tarragon.

I also have apricot, peach, plum and cherry trees, grape vines and raspberry bushes.

This year I am adding asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries and horseradish and I am thinking about an apple tree and maybe blackberries or boysenberries.

So, anyone else like to play in the dirt?

HUGS,

Mark

[Mouse]

I kill plants.  Or else I would totally love to grow my own food.

[Dachshund]

Damn Mark, how much space do you have? Unfortunately my entire backyard is shady...kinda like me.

Make me some jams and jellies please.

Hal

[Ann]

"play in the dirt".... heheheheheh

Yep!

Speaking of ... dirty things... he's waiting upstairs....



Oh dear, did I say that?

Oops.

[Assurbanipal]

Oh yes -- can't wait to get out there!  I grow whatever I can fence away or prune high enough to avoid the deer and the groundhogs.

Blueberries, raspberries & blackberries (they are weeds in the woods here) tree and bush cherries, peaches, apples and one lonely plum tree . . . walnuts (not a success except in the shade category)
Sage (common, purple, golden), Lavender (English, french) tarragon, mint (spear, chocolate, lemon, pepper), orrisroot (iris). rose hips (off the eglantines), basil (common, purple, Thai), Greek oregano, lemon verbena, thyme (English, speckled and common), golden parsley
Veggies -- well the deer and groundhogs eat most of them but I got a bumper crop of yellow squash, 6 tomatoes, 4 eggplants and 3 cantaloupe away from their maws.
I feed those deer a lot of flowers too -- but nothing eats a daffodil!

(. . . I should really go for venison

Pruned the sand cherry hedge a week and a half ago and brought it inside where it is blooming now!

[Jeff G]

 I tried a garden but the soil was so poor here nothing much took. The next year I bought containers and planted but the heat and cheap soil I purchased did my little garden in. I spent over 150.00 $ and got about 6 tomato's . I have a yard full of Rosemary so I always make Rosemary chicken and Rosemory potato's
The Rosmary attracts plenty of Rabbits but I have resisted developing a taste for Rosemary Hare.

[BT65]

I couldn't garden, even with a book on how to do it.  I do, however, have a friend who lives South of here who promises fried green tomatoes, okra (both he grows), and fried corn bread if I pay him a visit this summer.  Other stuff to, just can't remember right now.

[anniebc]

Make me some jams and jellies please

Dash I have 20 jars of home made grapefruit Jam is you are interested..freshely made at the weekend..

So far this summer we haven't had to buy any veggies/eggs or fruit..we have, Potatoes, carrots, silver beet, cabbage and cauliflowers that are just the best..in the hothouse we have tomatoes and green peppers, in the orchard we have apples, pears and plums..(the grapefruit came from ourneighbors)..starting on the plum jam next week, and in the chook house we have 11 chooks supplying us with eggs.

Eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and jars of jam we have been giving away to our neighbors by the boxfull..ther is no way we can get through them all on our own..

Hugs
Jan
(who loves her veggie patch)

[Snowangel]

The kids and I planted cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, watermelon, basil for edibles and cosmos, sunflowers, and black eyed susans.  We got the seeds up and actually had some flowers but I got sick of dragging the hose around the various cars in the yard.  This year I going in the back where he can't park   I got some morning glorys that hopefully hide the tower going up the side of my house.Wish me luck!

Aztecan-  What is a tomatillo?

Snow

[J.R.E.]

My two other brothers are great with planting and growing things. I have no luck at all. 

Even my house plants just kind of look sad, as to say "help me, help me"....



Ray

[Winiroo]

The only things I've had luck with are perennial plants. If a plant requires attention its dead meat if left in my care.

[Dachshund]

Dash I have 20 jars of home made grapefruit Jam is you are interested..freshely made at the weekend..

Grapefruit Jam? That sounds interesting. Is that made with grapes or grapefruit, the citrus? Is it like a marmelade? I do love me jams and jellies.

[sharkdiver]

Hey Mark,

I spent last weekend digging in the dirt to get my garden growing next month.

I have my favorites   grey zucchini, Armenian Cucumbers, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, collards, Black Krim Tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, banana finger tomatoes, big rainbow tomatoes, basils of course, jalapenos, scotch bonnets, and tomatillos of course (gotta have em for my chile verde). oh and then there's the flower beds, Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers, Teddy Bear Sunflowers, Sunset mix, Mexican Torch Flowers, Black Eyed Susans; all from the seeds I have saved from previous years.  I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharkie

Snow,   Tomatillos are a green fruited plant, that resemble green tomatoes in husks, they are really good in mexican food.

[Queen Tokelove]

I think I should be making a grocery list with Jan and Mark....I love veggies but like Winiroo and others, I don't have much of a green thumb. But I have been trying my hand at growing, if you catch my meaning...*tee hee*

[aztecan]

Holy Cow!  I forgot cucumbers. I like the long, Armenian type. 

Also greens. I want my collards, turnips and, of course, beet greens.

I also couldn't resist. I went to the nursery and reserved another tree. It is a Carpathian walnut. He is giving me 25 percent off because its left over from last year. 

Hey Sharkie, you grow Scotch Bonnets? Wow. The best I can do is habeņero peppers and those skinny Thai peppers, which I think I'll try my hand at again this year.

I also grow other herbs, such as rue, herba de la mansa, four types of mint and, of course, horehound, which is great for sore throats.

I am planning on borrowing a friend's rototiller this coming weekend and going at it.

I may put in another grape vine too. A Thompson seedless, perhaps, or one of the yummy red seedless grapes.

I also have native current plants which have started producing quite nicely.

Oh, Snow, here is a link to tomatillos:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/tomatillos.htm

HUGS,

Mark

[Basquo]

I hesitated to post, because I'm kinda at a gardening crossroads as well as a relationship crossroads, but DAMMIT Mark I wouldn't be having any of these issues if you'd hit me over the head and drug me back to NM instead of just swatting me on the ass in San Francisco!

[Winiroo]

Not long ago the newspaper had a article about a woman attempting to get Americans interested in making victory gardens again.
It certainly got my interest but I just know I wouldn't give a garden the attention it needs. I'm so fair skinned I cant stand to be out in the sun long.

Article
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/home/stories/DN-nhg_wirevictorygarden_0229li.ART.State.Edition1.17d0d1c.html

[anniebc]

Dash I have 20 jars of home made grapefruit Jam is you are interested..freshly made at the weekend..

Grapefruit Jam? That sounds interesting. Is that made with grapes or grapefruit, the citrus? Is it like a marmalade? I do love me jams and jellies.

It's actually Marmalade Dash not jam..so yes it's grapefruit as in citrus

[Basquo]

I'm so fair skinned I cant stand to be out in the sun long.

Girlfriend you just need a large hat that will keep the harsh sun off your fair ivory surface, maybe one like this:



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Winiroo]

LOL and Ohhh I'd just look soooo darlin

[minismom]

My mom is the gardener.  Here we have to  build 10ft fences (to keep out the deer) and bury rabbit fences to keep out the burrowing critters.  Mom grows everything you can imagine.  I go over in early fall and help her "can" it.  We can  individual veggies and also mix stuff for soup starters or spaghetti sauce.  We converting our front porch into a container garden.  We're going to grow herbs, garlic, onions, green beans, squash, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, peas,celery, and radishes.  Hubby and I have apple trees.  My parents have apple, cherry, and peach trees.  We make homemade fruit "sauces": apples sauce, apple / cherry sauce, ect. 

We still have to buy all of our meats and other stuff, though.   I wish I knew someone with chickens - the price of eggs is ridiculous.

Mum

[sharkdiver]

Holy Cow!  I forgot cucumbers. I like the long, Armenian type. 

Also greens. I want my collards, turnips and, of course, beet greens.

I also couldn't resist. I went to the nursery and reserved another tree. It is a Carpathian walnut. He is giving me 25 percent off because its left over from last year. 

Hey Sharkie, you grow Scotch Bonnets? Wow. The best I can do is habeņero peppers and those skinny Thai peppers, which I think I'll try my hand at again this year.

I also grow other herbs, such as rue, herba de la mansa, four types of mint and, of course, horehound, which is great for sore throats.

Hey Markie Baby

Yeah I like the hot stuff, I guess its the  1/2 Italian,  1/2Mexican and Native American in me. Both my grammas would be proud.

I love the Armenian ones, I usually give the longest, most unusual shaped ones to the ladies on the street. (just leave them on the door step) I know I'm naughty. Last year I planted a Striped Serpent Armenian Cucumber and everyone loved them.

I also planted Stevia and Chocolate Mint last year. Combined it tasted like one of those Andes Mints. I made tea with it as well.

right now I'm thinking about a nice salad of cukes, tomatoes, fresh basil, a little balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little salt, and a shaving of parmigiana. My mouth is watering....I think I live on that all summer as well as fresh salsa.

Sharkie 

[Robert]

Oh Mark.

We've had a great February.  I got my beds turned, amended the dirt with my compost and planted my spinach (12 rows, 8' long), 5 rows of corn, 7 rows of Anaheim peppers. and carrots and onions. Here it is a month later and already I have to thin out the spinach.

The asparagus from last year will be coming up soon as well as the rhubarb. Last fall I just turned over the tomato plants back into the bed so they should also come up on their own.

Finally my strawberries have taken off.  It's only taken me 4 years to get them to take but they've finally spread out and now own 3 beds to themselves.

I also started some blueberries and raspberries last month and already they're starting to leaf.

My cherry trees (sour and sweet) have not yet blossomed but the peach tree is looking great.  Peaches can't be beat.  My almond tree and the plum blossomed last week. I just planted them last year so it's still too soon to bear fruit. Same with my grapefruit and lemon trees.  I should have oranges come this summer. 

SO here it is, not even spring yet, and my garden if off to a great start.  Last week I cleared the fields around the house and planted poppy seeds.  Come this summer I'll be traipsing through my poppy fields.   

Oh and on Wednesday Michael and I are driving up to the native nursery in Chico to get a couple of Desert Willows.

And tonight we had a chile rellano casserole for dinner.  I still have enough of those Anaheim Peppers in the freezer for a couple more casseroles this spring.

robin the dobin~~~

[RapidRod]

Since the grocery thread got me started, I thought I would create a thread talking about what we can do about rising food costs.

True, such staples as grains, meats, etc., are out of our control. But there are other ways to augment to food budget.

I am a consummate gardener. I love to dig in the dirt, plant stuff and watch it grow. I also like growing my own veggies, fruits and other things.

I am just itching to get started this year. I think I'll expand the veggie garden, add another section for more yummies. Even if I don't use it all, I can give it away.

This year, the garden lineup looks like this:

Corn, crookneck squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, watermelons, cantaloupe, tomatoes (2 to 3 varieties), green chiles, jalepenos , habenero peppers, bell peppers, okra, beets, tomatillos, radishes, carrots, onions, potatoes, brussels sprouts, eggplant and probably broccoli.

I also grow many of my own herbs, including garlic, sage, oregano, dill, basil, thyme, rosemary and tarragon.

I also have apricot, peach, plum and cherry trees, grape vines and raspberry bushes.

This year I am adding asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries and horseradish and I am thinking about an apple tree and maybe blackberries or boysenberries.

So, anyone else like to play in the dirt?

HUGS,

Mark

Mark, I use to have a garden every year but since contracting Histo I'm not allowed to have a garden anymore. 

[David_CA]

I wish I knew someone with chickens - the price of eggs is ridiculous.

I keep thinking about getting a hen or two.  Some will lay 280-320 eggs per year.  Maybe something like this:

[attachment deleted by admin]

[mjmel]

Mark that is an incredibile variety of garden stuff you plant. How do you handle all the weeding because it seems like it takes a lot of space to grow so much. I grow stringbeans, cukes, OKRA, tomatoes, eggplants and sweet corn. I think I will try my hand at other stuff this year--like herbs and lettuce, cabbage.
I have to wait till mid-May before I start my garden due to possibilities of late freezes that can occur here. One year I had a beautiful garden full of young seedlings since the weather was so co-operative in late April but the a sudden late frost killed everything. Frustrated but wiser I wait till May 10th when all threat of frost has passed.
I love the smell of clean, rich, loamy soil.  Just love good dirt. 

I think we'll get just a few chickens this year too.......and a rooster. My doc was hesitant about me keeping chickens. Said OK if they were open-range (not in a small space) and that when the chicken droppings start accummilating in the hen house I should wear a simple nose mask when entering. The dust in the hen house, which collects bacteria over time, is potential trouble.
Mike

[aztecan]

Hey Mike,

I can't plant outdoors here yet. Usually not until after Memorial Day, although last year I lost a lot of stuff because we had a freeze even after that.

I start some of my plantings indoors because our growing season is shorter than those at lower altitudes.

I also have thought about getting a few chickens. One of my neighbors has them and another person down the road sells fresh eggs, but is always running out.

I also visit the local apiary to get my honey locally too.

As far as meats go, there are local sources for buffalo, lamb and goat. I used to know some people who hunted, so I usually would have a supply of venison, elk, antelope and, once in a while, oryx and javalina.

I had a friend who used to be a hog farmer, but last I heard she was in prison, so that's probably not a viable source at this time.

I am a firm believer in getting it locally when I can  (food that is).

HUGS,

Mark

[Iggy]

Visiting a Greenmarket with a cup of coffee in hand and my NYC haggling attitude to deal with the vendors is about as close as I will ever come to growing food myself.

But bless your heart!

[Oceanbeach]

Abolutely no food value but in my small yard, I have planted 160 tulips, grandma's rose bush, some aloe vera, some lavender and camomile.  With a pioneer cemetary as a front yard and the Russian River as a back yard, there isn't much more available space. 

I started working on the yard a few years ago, added in a bird bath and some small and broken statuary.  There is a headless Aphrodite and Venus, the Goddess of Love more resembles a two bit hooker.  I said to myself, self said I, next time choose a rental with more yard.  Have the best day
Michael

[BT65]

Michael, you do have a few other plants in there also, don't you?

[Oceanbeach]

Actually, yes but they are not legal in all 50 states  Have the best day
Michael

[GSOgymrat]

I grew a bean plant in 4th grade science. That's about it.

[Oceanbeach]

I wish I knew someone with chickens - the price of eggs is ridiculous.

Mum

We had chickens once, in an L.A. apartment.  Vito ordered them and they came in a box.  Got a call from the Post Office for pick up because they were live.  You know when you get a package in the mail and you just can't wait to open it?  You can't put them back in the box and the featherly little creatures were all over the apartment in minutes.

We built a chicken coop in the laundry room, which lasted a few days and then another one outside.  Just as we got all of the baby chickens outside, Vito decided to order more because he found an ad where you could get chickens which laid color eggs.  My friend Joy called from Honolulu to ask if I was planning on driving the range in my convertible to herd the chickens.  I thought chickens were supposed to have their own house (They did) ours.  Vitos dad had rabbits and they were OK when they didn't get out of their cages but sometimes they did and we had to round them up from all around the neighborhood.

Finally, one day a courier delivered a round trip ticket for Vito to meet some Count in Monaco for sex.  All the chickens were moved to Lake Elsinore where Vitos parents owned some land and I moved in with some friends.  I have never seen a chicken again. Have the best day
Michael

[BT65]

We had chickens once, in an L.A. apartment.  Vito ordered them and they came in a box.  Got a call from the Post Office for pick up because they were live.  You know when you get a package in the mail and you just can't wait to open it?  You can't put them back in the box and the featherly little creatures were all over the apartment in minutes.

We built a chicken coop in the laundry room, which lasted a few days and then another one outside.  Just as we got all of the baby chickens outside, Vito decided to order more because he found an ad where you could get chickens which laid color eggs.  My friend Joy called from Honolulu to ask if I was planning on driving the range in my convertible to herd the chickens.  I thought chickens were supposed to have their own house (They did) ours.  Vitos dad had rabbits and they were OK when they didn't get out of their cages but sometimes they did and we had to round them up from all around the neighborhood.

Finally, one day a courier delivered a round trip ticket for Vito to meet some Count in Monaco for sex.  All the chickens were moved to Lake Elsinore where Vitos parents owned some land and I moved in with some friends.  I have never seen a chicken again. Have the best day
Michael

Michael, you have some interesting stories.  Thanks for the laugh!

[Jeffreyj]

Gymrat you got me beat...I made butter in ?First Grade.

Mark, you should open up your own store!

[Winiroo]

Gymrat you got me beat...I made butter in ?First Grade.

Mark, you should open up your own store!

I made butter in first grade too. In little baby food jars.

[sharkdiver]

Mark,

here are the Painted Serpent Armenian Cucumbers I was talking about.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/product.aspx?category=1&subcategory=20&item=2317

They were delicious, and very prolific and depending where you grow them (hanging or on the  ground) they grow in very unique shapes

sharkie

[Oceanbeach]

The year I left L.A., I just knew I was meant to be a farmer.  I had a big house in the middle of 20 flat acres with some Pear and Walnut trees.  The orchard had been left untended for so many years, it was a candidate for firewood but I had gas heat.  I decided to fence off about 10 acres where the barn was, get me some cows and raise hamburger.  How difficult could that be, running a straight line fence across the back of the property, get some hay and a big block of salt, get a few cows and become a gentleman farmer within a few short weeks.

I mentioned that to my neighbor who had bought the property next door, he said... "City boy, it's obvious you never lived in the country, you do not raise cows for beef."  I guess I didn't know that and apparently missed the day in grade school when we went on the field trip to milk cows. a slight error, you get steers.

Since my other neighbor worked in County Planning, I went to get the 411 on livestock.  My family had owned this property for about 40 years and with two of my uncles being Developers, they had the zoning changed from Agriculture to Suburban Residential.  I was allowed to have 1 horse per acre but no cows, sheep, goats or any of the important livestock.

There was a farmers market in town where people could buy organic vegetables so I asked about a crop... Oh No, in Surbuban Residential zoning a large family size garden is within limits but no crops of any kind.  All of the planning for all of the work and, all I could do was maintain a 10 ft fire break around the property lines.  I did start a 5 acre flower garden while unbeknownst to me but beknownst to the local realtor and the property owner, the land was in escrow, the property owner was in Columbia, the buyer wouldn't accept the property with tenants and I had a few weeks to move.  I have been on the Russian River ever since   Have the best day
Michael