Simmer Down Now…

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

There were “frost heaves” along the garden paths today, too!

But I remember an “April Fool’s Day” snowstorm that cancelled my brother’s baseball practice one beautiful early spring day.

Simmer Down Now Hee-Yah!

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Truth, Myths, and Lies

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

Truth:  In addition to being the first president of the United States, George Washington was also a successful farmer.  He was devoted to composting, as evidenced by the building of a “stercorary” on his Mount Vernon farm.  A “stercorary” was essentially a “dung house” used for holding and composting manure.  In a 1785 letter to his friend George William Fairfax, George Washington wrote:

“When I speak of a knowing farmer, I mean one who understands the best course of crops; how to plow and sow, to mow, to hedge, to Ditch and above all, Midas like, one who can convert everything he touches into manure, as the first transmutation towards Gold.” 

Myth:  Young George Washington, possessing a new hatchet, chopped down his father’s cherry tree.  When confronted, he remarked “I cannot tell a lie, Pa.”

Lie:  Sure, I’d love any extra zucchini you’ve got.

Have you ever told any garden lies?

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Garden Chic

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

This weekend, my friend Amanda helped me fix my sewing machine. (Thank you!)  I have a bad habit of buying old aprons when I can find them at yard sales and flea markets.  Some of these old cloth ladies were coming apart at the seams, so with my machine finally clicking along smoothly, I took them out and mended them.  Now, I have six aprons ready for the six days of the week I want to be gardening.

An apron is a practical item; lots of people wear them.  Traditionally, they’ve been worn by women to protect their garments while doing housework.  Aprons waned in popularity when women started working outside of the home.  According to this 2005 article, they had a burst of popularity before the economic troubles of 2008.  They were called a “retro-chic fashion accessory” but I propose aprons were in a “bubble.”  I digress; this is not an economics blog.

I’m trying not to care much about retro-chic fashion accessories and economics.  I just want to grow food and I like aprons.  I like old ones that some other hard-working woman might have worn.  Upon examination, the aprons I’ve bought at yard sales and estate sales have taught me a few things about sewing and mending. They also tell me “life isn’t always simple and easy” and “you might need to get your hands dirty, but you don’t need to get your clothes dirty too.”

I like to wear them in the garden.  I like the pockets which are perfect for seed packets and my MP3 player.  I can wipe my hands on them instead of on my pants.  Then, when I get done, I can go to the library without looking like the Peanuts character “Pig Pen.”

Last summer, a very close family member who does not want to be mentioned on this blog (yet) gave me an apron which belonged to my Nana.  (I miss you, Nana.)  I decided to wear it to my home garden (the one I share with Uncle Bob) and my very close family member who does not want to be mentioned on this blog (yet) said “You’re not going to wear that to the garden, are you?”

“Why, yes I certainly am!” I piped.  “Nana always wore an apron and I know she went into the garden sometimes, so it is perfectly logical to think she may have worn an apron in the garden.”

“And besides,” I added, “people wear aprons to lots of places now.  If they’re not in garden style, they will be once everyone sees me wearing this one.”

(An ego check was called for here.)

The very close family member who does not want to be mentioned on this blog (yet) shook her head, which meant “the discussion is over.”  Interestingly, she was wearing an apron.  I wore my apron to the garden and Uncle Bob didn’t say one thing about it.

All of a sudden, it seems like there are so many things to take care of before I get outside in the garden.  I’m glad I just crossed “mending aprons” off my list.

Would you wear an apron in your garden?

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Sprouts – This Is Not A Foodie Blog

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

This is not a foodie blog.  Nor is it a food photography blog.  But the sprouts are done and I thought you might want to see them.

As you may recall, these sprouts were started on February 7, 2012.

Two things I remembered after these sprouts were done:

1.  For those living alone, you may not want to sprout as many beans or seeds as any instructions might recommend (unless your instructions are from the “Sprouting for One” handbook).  I forgot how many sprouts 1/3 cup of mung beans will generate.  A wicked numbah.  One or two tablespoons is enough for me.

2.  If rinsing the beans or seeds 3 to 4 times per day seems like a lot of work, twice per day is just right.  Morning and night.

This now concludes an episode on sprouting.

How did your sprouts turn out?

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Pomposity: Just Another Post About CSA

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

I got off the phone with one of my favorite Victory Gardeners the other day and said “Pomposity!”  My conversation with him made me realize I had assumed everyone knew what I meant when I wrote about Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) in a previous post.   He said “I’m not sure I’d like that other type of community garden you’ve been writing about.  It sounds like communism.”

I must have sounded like a one-trick parrot.  “ CSA!  CSA!  CSA!”

Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) is a poor name for the rich practice of investing in local food and farms.  Before I joined a CSA, it sounded strange and uncomfortable to me too.  It didn’t make sense, like some kind of elaborate tax scheme or boondoggle.  Maybe it did sound a little like communism.  I could see myself ending up with 3 shriveled beets and a lettuce leaf at the end of the summer.

In an effort to better explain the concept from my own personal experience, here’s a little story I made up:

Let’s say that Old MacDonald has a small family farm (CS—CS– Aay).  The farm is his business and it has some high costs at the beginning of the year because he needs to invest in good seeds, compost, and equipment repairs.  He could go to the bank and take out a loan, but that is not how Old MacDonald rolls.  So how is he going to get the $5,000 he needs to get started?

Old MacDonald has some friends (CS—CS– Aay).  He tells his friends he is going to sell “shares” of his future farm produce.  He offers these shares at the price of $250 each and 20 of his friends buy one.  Now, Old MacDonald has money to buy his seeds and fix the flat tire on his tractor.

He plants a variety of crops, installs a drip irrigation system to keep things evenly watered, and waits for the increase.

In about 8 weeks, Old MacDonald has some radishes, lettuce, and spinach and he tells his 20 friends that their investment is now paying a dividend.  “Please stop by the farm and pick up some radishes, lettuce, and spinach, my good and supportive friends.”  They do.

The growing season continues and he has more and more dividends for his friends who believed in Old MacDonald’s Farm.  Old MacDonald also has extra produce he can sell to new friends at the local Farmer’s Market.  He sells lettuce to local restaurants.  His supportive friends (old and new) are able to eat fresh, local food from Old MacDonald’s farm for almost 20 weeks.

Old MacDonald is a bit of a rebel; he does not call his farming scheme CSA.  He calls it “FSA” because he thinks “Friends Supporting Agriculture” makes more sense.  He appreciates the faith his friends put in him and his family farm and he repays it with fresh, healthy food.

Old MacDonald’s farm is successful in a small, sustainable way.  Willie Nelson does not need to come to Old MacDonald’s farm and stage a concert to help keep the farm going.  Why not?  Because Old MacDonald’s friends bought a share in his farm and those shares paid a dividend.

CS—CS–Aay.

This year, I’m investing in Wild Miller Farms CSA on the Randall Road in Lee.  Joel and Annalisa Miller run their CSA in what is called the “market style” which means they bring their produce “to market” at local venues.  If I like what they bring (and I do because they grow delicious spinach and kale, among other things) I take just what I want, sort of like in the supermarket.  I can talk to them about the things they’re growing and how they grow it.  They keep track of what I take.  If I can’t make it to the market, they have a “well house” on their farm and I am welcome to stop in, take what I like, and record it in the CSA book.  I can poke around their farm, too, and get my boots all muddy.  I like being their farm friend and maybe I will suggest they start calling it FSA.

For the record, here is my friend Samantha Van Hopper’s definition of “pomposity:”

“Pomposity is a practice wherein the pompous one forgets that the average person cannot read minds.  Ms. Pomposity assumes that everyone knows what she is talking about.  Often, pomposity is perceived as constant soap box standing or being a broken record about various and sundry topics.  In Texas, pomposity is translated into the expression ‘big hat, no cattle.’”

Please forgive my pomposity.

Does CSA make sense now?

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Dear Aunt Tomato

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

If I had lots of nieces and nephews, I don’t think I’d be a doting aunt.  Sure, I’d remember their birthdays, graduations, and weddings with the appropriate card and cash gift, but doting might not be possible.  I only have one nephew; he’s 28 now.  Watching him grow up has been all those things parents and doting aunts write about.  You know, the best little boy, the smartest and most athletic teenager, and the coolest young man.  He’s a writer, too.  He encouraged me to start this blog by promising to read anything I wrote.

Sometimes, he calls me Aunt Tomato. (I love you, Mark!)

I thought I’d take advantage of a little poetic license and start a sometimes weekly post called “Dear Aunt Tomato.”  Just remember:

The information I provide to you is editorial and helpful in nature and cannot be construed as perfect truth.  Some of the information I am providing is based on anecdotal evidence and personal experience.  The benefit claimed has not been evaluated by the USDA or your local extension service.  Your results may vary.

Dear Aunt Tomato:
Is the thermometer used in your February 16, 2012 post a special one, or can you use a meat thermometer for testing the soil temp? What temperature are you looking for to plant?
Sincerely,
Barry Mumford

Dear Barry,
Thank you for your question.  The picture you refer to is of a special garden thermometer I bought at Johnny’s Select Seeds.  You could use a meat thermometer, except the lowest temperature a meat thermometer generally registers is 130 degrees.  If your soil is that hot, there has likely been a nuclear accident very close by and it’s “apocalypse now” time.

Soil temperature dictates whether or not a seed will germinate.  Lettuce and spinach will germinate in soil registering 32 degrees while melons, cucumbers, and peppers like a comfortable 50 degree temperature for germination.  However, temperature alone does not control seed success and is only one part of the planting equation.  Remember, consistent temperatures over time provide a consistent environment for happy germinating seeds.   

Barry, a soil thermometer is purely a first world creation.  Let ancestral garden wisdom and the back of a seed packet guide you and leave your meat thermometer in the drawer until Thanksgiving.
Best,
Aunt Tomato

Do you have a question for Aunt Tomato?

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Friday Pillow Talk – Kohlrabi From Outer Space

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

I have a friend; we’ll call him Jaxon.  (It sounds like that Johnny Cash song, “Jackson” except with an “X.”)  He called me this week to tell me he’s been on a “raw food diet” for the last five days and he reported the most phenomenal results.  Veggie smoothies have led to miraculous things like mental clarity, boundless energy, and womb-like sleep.  The mention of peaceful sleep perked me up a bit and I wanted to know more, since I hadn’t slept peacefully since I was under anesthesia in 2009.

He said he’s been falling into a deep and restful 8 hour sleep (“like a baby”) with the only oddity being he experiences a slight and brief heart palpitation when his alarm goes off in the morning.  He asked me what I thought might be causing this and I reminded him that I was not a doctor, but perhaps his electrolytes were off from the cleansing power of all those vegetables.  I asked him for some more details about his regimen and he mentioned things like wheat grass, soaked nuts, and camu powder.

“Camu powder?” I asked.

“It’s an anti-oxidant; it has more vitamin C than the state of Florida,” he said.

“You’re not taking it before bed, are you?” I asked.

“No, never later than 3:00 p.m.”

“OK, but you’re sleeping soundly.  Are you having any dreams?”

He thought for a minute and said “Well, a couple of nights ago, I had a dream that a space ship landed in the front yard of my condo.  You know how it is in dreams, though.  It was a space ship but it looked more like a Ford Pinto.  Anyway, the passenger door of the Space Pinto opened and this creature got out.  Now that I think about it, the dream was weird.”

“What did the creature look like?”

“It was sort of like an upside down water tower, but with really long legs.  Maybe 7 or 8 of them.  Some of the legs had ruffles on them.”

“Ruffles?” I asked.

“Yeah, ruffles.  Bizarro, huh?”

We laughed.

Jaxon didn’t seem too worried, so we chatted a bit more about goji berries, acai, and coconut water and then hung up.

As is my usual Thursday night routine, I brought my Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalogue to bed with me.  I was thinking about one of the vegetables I bought last week and whether I could grow it in the Victory Garden.  I flipped to page 50 and staring at me was what looked like an upside down water tower with long, ruffled legs.

Could this be Kohlrabi from Outer Space?

I’m not sure a raw food diet is for me, but kohlrabi is delicious.  Some people like it raw and some people like it cooked.  And it looks like a crazy, space alien!  I wonder if Jaxon slipped some into his Vitamix blender with a little too much Camu powder?

Gotcha, Jaxon!

Have you ever grown Kohlrabi?  Do you dream of Ford Pintos and upside down water towers with ruffled legs?

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Not Yet

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

This was Saturday’s soil temperature in the Hampton Victory Garden.

Not yet, but sooner than you think…

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The Lettuce Farm

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

I spend a lot of time thinking about the food I eat.  It’s not a new thing; my mother began feeding us “health food” during the 70’s.  Both she and her sister (Aunt Dot) had copies of “Let’s Get Well” by Adelle Davis and I still have Aunt Dot’s copy.  Sometimes, when considering an ailment or malady, I will think “what would Adelle Davis do?” and I’ll pull out the worn paperback.

I haven’t been “steady on” with everything.  Let’s face it – there’s a lot of unhealthy food that tastes really good.  Think “honey mustard pretzel bits.”  They must be coated with “mono-sodium-eat-this-whole-bag-now” powder.

For the most part, though, I eat as much fresh, organic, local food in season as I can.  I try to talk to people about it.  I just tell them what I’m eating or I remind them about Winter Market.  “That’s seacoast eat local dot org.”  Sometimes I might scare them a bit by saying in a low voice “lettuce in a plastic box from California isn’t sustainable” and then I give them the knowing look.

I even started telling my co-workers I was going to be a lettuce farmer!

I hope I’m not too pedantic or preachy about it.  OF COURSE I only do it because I care, but no one likes a Doomer know-it-all.  So I just try to provide information, lettuce, and tomatoes.  (Those little grape tomatoes, Riesentraube, are great object lessons.)

Tuesday was a happy day, though, because one of the targets of my local food evangelism ended up going to the Winter Market for the first time on Saturday and she made a point of telling me how amazing it was.  She couldn’t believe all the delicious and nutritious food available Right Here in New Hampshire Right Now.  Swoosh, 3 points!

Somewhere, I read that only 3% of the food consumed in NH is grown in NH.

Let’s make it 4%.

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Hearts For Flowers…And Vegetables

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Julie-Ann Baumer

Love.

The elusive emotion has been the subject of poems, songs, paintings, novels, operas, and even wars.  There is nothing I could say which would improve upon the noisy din of words about love.

Do you like my big cardboard heart?  A friend from home made it.  Ten or so years ago, we put on a Valentine’s Dance to promote our community gardens and we called it “The Hearts For Flowers” Dance.  We had a lot of painted cardboard hearts hanging from the ceiling of the Slovak Club.  I’ve been to a few “charity balls” in my time and eaten lots of pieces of overpriced chicken, but these events still pale in comparison to dancing with my neighbors under the crepe-papered ceiling of “The Club.”

I wonder where all those hearts are stored?  Maybe next year we’ll pull them out and sparkle them up for another dance.

Just for today, put down the swords.

Love one another.

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