Victory Home Appliance

Gone are the days of $4.50 bread! They really need to husband proof food labels. If they did the husband wouldn’t buy bread containing bleached flour. What?! Oh yeah, and once H bought full price bread. What, you didn’t buy the sale bread? How could you! By the way, I wasn’t even going to eat the bread. I just had a problem with the price. Which leads me to my next dilemma I can’t eat store bought bread! Most market bread has honey in it so I have nothing to spread wonderful organic peanut butter on. Boo!

I’ve been eyeing the Breadman TR875 for a while now. I tried my hand at making wheat bread once sans a bread machine and ended up with an inedible loaf. I’m hoping this guy makes my bread life easier.

First Seed Order of the Year

The Fresh Dirt folks have been engaged in seed catalog talk for a couple of weeks now. I on the other hand have been hoarding seed catalogs and have placed zero orders. That is until now. I know what you’re thinking; she has over one hundred seed packets she couldn’t possibly want more! Oh contraire.

The kind people over at Botanical Interests offered me a nice discount on my seed order. I restrained myself and only purchased the following:

Turnip Purple Top White Globe Organic Seed
Tomato Pole Aunt Ruby's Green Organic Seed
Tomato Bush Ace Organic Seed
Squash Winter Vegetable Spaghetti Seed
Squash Winter Pink Banana Seed
Squash Winter Burgess Buttercup Seed
Pepper Chile Pepperoncini Greek Organic Seed
Parsnip All American Seed
Melon Charentais Seed
Leek American Flag Seed
Gourd Luffa Seed
Edamame Soybean Butterbean Seed
Corn Sweet Painted Mountain Organic Seed
Corn Strawberry Popcorn Seed
Broccoli Di Cicco Organic Seed
Beet Early Wonder Organic Seed

Inspired by Kathy at Skippy’s Vegetable Garden I chose Strawberry Popcorn Seed in hopes of popping my own corn. How rad is Gourd Luffa? Is there anything you can’t do with it? I plan on growing my own sponge but if I’m hungry I can harvest it young and cook it like squash or toss it in a salad. The whole darn thing is edible!

I’ve never grown winter squash, parsnips, turnips, or leeks. I can’t wait to grow and pickle my own pepperoncini! I could eat bowlfuls.

I’m a big fan of Botanical Interests and have used their seeds with great success. Besides conveniently finding their seeds at my local Henry’s or Whole Foods I feel like I’m purchasing art with every seed packet. Tips and recipes can be found inside and out. They also offer a flat shipping rate of $3.95 on all interweb orders. Score! I’ll be patiently waiting by the mailbox.

Not Just Veggies

Look at me, I grew flowers! A while back Renee of Renee’s Garden kindly sent me her new 2009 offerings. I was a little intimidated when I discovered several of the seeds she sent were flowers. I typically do not grow flowers from seed because I’m just not that good at it. I can’t even get cuttings to root so I usually let my local nursery grow the flowers for me.

But on December 15, 2008 I brought my A-game and sowed Summer Splash Marigolds, Scented Gold Wallflowers, Bouquet Cosmos-Double Click and Bergamo Bouquet. Unfortunately Bergamo Bouquet did not germinate but the others are thriving.

My favorite, Summer Splash Marigolds, will mature to a height of 1 ½ feet and they’ll anchor the corners of my raised bed. Cosmos are neat and I’m looking forward to having a garden full of butterflies and bouquets of cosmos all summer long. The Scented Gold Wallflowers will only mature to a height of 9 to 12 inches. The seed packet suggests planting these is a pot. I think I’ll solicit my favorite container gardener for ideas.

I’m pretty proud of myself for growing these but I think thanks should go to Renee and her high quality seeds for most of my success.

My People Call It Maize

Actually it’s called a chayote. Mother Earth News has a 4 page history of the chayote that I highly recommend. My knowledge of this fruit has been kicked down from my mama and grandma. Grams can grow anything and everything and sometimes even the illegal but I won’t go there.

Mother Earth say, “by February it (seed sprout) should be approximately six inches long” and Mother Earth is right! My seedling is ready to be planted however the challenge is going to be finding a spot where this hefty vine can grow. It’s a climber and can grow up to 30 feet; ah what?! Chayote needs a long growing season; by October fruit should be ready for harvest.

Chayote is a mandatory ingredient in caldo (or caldo de res) and for my non-Spanish speaking friends, beef stew. However I enjoy it roasted or in veggie enchiladas. Cook it like you would any squash or substitute chayote for any recipe calling for squash.

I picked up my seed at Henry’s (Costa Mesa, CA). If you’ve got the space, grow this unique fruit and let’s swap recipes in October!

Shade Happens

Who knew you could grow vegetables in the shade? I’m sure you fellow gardening friends knew but it never occurred to me. Never. I have a narrow ick spot between the side of the house and the space where we park a car that is always shaded. It’s been screaming for an update.

A search on mother Google yielded a plethora of possibilities. An article on In the Garden Online was especially helpful. The article mentions 10 crops that are suitable for shade and I happened to have some of those crops hanging around.

Y voila! I forgot to take a before picture but frankly it was ugly looking and who wants to see that side of me?

I transplanted Cauliflower-Purple of Sicily, Cabbage-Copenhagen Market, Lettuce-Container Garden Babies, Chard, and Parsley. Ah, chard, my arch nemesis. I have 5 different types of chard seeds. I think this is Rainbow Chard or it could be Bright Lights. Who knows and who cares because after about a year of trying I was finally able to grow it! My neighborhood BFF "just throws the seeds out" she says and gets enough bounty to feed the block. I on the other hand only produced three seedlings. What the pickles?

How cute is this lettuce? I mean c’mon it’s called Garden Babies. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s doing well in the new shady vegetable patch.

What Do You Do?

Neko Case for Best Friends Animal Society

My best bud can be a jerk sometimes. For instance last night he woke up at 2:30am and stared into oblivion. He would lie down, sit up, lie down, sit up, and repeat. Here’s the problem, his erratic behavior takes place on our bed. For you see Mr. Wrinkles shares a bed with mommy and daddy. He is only used to the comforts of a warm bed with maximum stretching capacity while his parents are relegated to a corner of the bed.

Wrinkles gets two walks a day, home cooked food (along with veggie kibble) everyday, and unconditional love. He’s a pain in the neck and I can’t picture life without him.

ANTI will donate $5.00 to the Best Friends Animal Society every time a blog reposts Neko Case’s new track People Got A Lotta Nerve. If you have a best bud like mine or just love animals you should do the same.

*The promotion will run from January 13 to February 3, 2009. The song will remain on my blog till then.*