bounty

10 Jun 2011 3 Comments

Abundant Harvest

Oh the joy!  You have gobs of cobs and tubs of spuds–another banner year in the garden.  Pull out the picnic basket and call on the neighbors, it’s time to celebrate!

But wait–

Uh, oh.  It’s all coming back to you.  Last year was a banner year, too.  And after you filled your bellies and those of your neighbors, packed your freezer and stacked your cellar, you STILL had food to spare.  Oh, despair!  What shall we do?

Fun and games, sing-song tone aside, food that goes to waste is something of a despair–but one that can be avoided.  But how?  You’ve given your excess produce to everyone you know.  There’s no place else to turn, no hands left open to give.

While that may be the case, you do have another place to turn.  With the help of an organization called Ample Harvest.org, you can now locate a fresh food pantry near you and donate your excess harvest to them.  Better yet, don’t wait until you have excess–donate some of what you have in your basket today!

With a network of pantries that spans clear across the United States, chances are good you’ll find one in your neighborhood.  And if you can’t, then by golly you need to start one.  It makes sense to do what we can, lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need.  And we gardeners know that fresh is always better–beats canned every day of the week.

So how about checking in with Ample Harvest and see how you can make a difference?  Talk about reaping what you sow–I have to believe there will be some good karma following you home after your fresh food pantry delivery.

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: , , , , , , ,

01 Jun 2011 4 Comments

Nothing like Harvest to pull you from the Doldrums

Rain, rain, rain–a beautiful thing right about now in Central Florida, but absolutely no good for photography.  Not mine, anyway. Can you imagine what my husband would say if I went out into the rain with the lovely digital camera he bought me for my birthday?

Yes, well, it’s not anything to be repeated here, I assure you.  I mean, we’re all sunshine and candy in these parts and have no interest in “What the heck were you thinking?” or “You did what?”

No siree-bob we have NO interest in that kind of heresy at BloominThyme.  What we do have an interest in is harvest, big time.

Would you look at that zucchini? For starters, it’s enormous, chock full with a heck-of-a-lot-of-fun factor.  Did you hear?  We have zucchini! Ring the cow bell and call the neighbors, it’s harvest time!

Rainy days are no match for harvest days.  When you pull that incredible bounty from your garden–trust me–you’re in for a thrill. 

Thrill of your lifetime!

Okay, that could be an exaggeration.  (I’ve had some fun in my lifetime and it wasn’t harvesting…).  But it’s certainly the thrill of your springtime.  Harvest makes all the effort worthwhile.  All the bug squashing, leaf clipping, weed pulling, garlic spritzing, fungus snipping, cricket chasing, fly swatting, watering and feeding effort is made right–come harvest time.

In fact, we were lucky to get this picture of Julie’s zucchini.  She’s a grade-A chef and this baby was on the stove in no time.  Why Ashley was so excited by her harvest she near ran the boys down on her way to the kitchen to whip her zucchini into an absolute delicacy!  Her cucumbers are next, followed by her squash, conch peas…

These women are on a roll, riding high on a thrill!  Which reminds me.  “Have you started your garden, yet?”

by gardenfrisk in Garden coaching - watch how easy you TOO can have your very own garden! Tags: , , , , , , ,

30 Nov 2010 No Comments

Bounty of Beans

I think I’ve found my niche –  I’m an excellent bean grower!  Black beans, red beans, limas, my beans are growing gangbusters.  Except my garbanzos.  Still working out the kinks in their seasonal preferences.  But who’s complaining?  No one in my family.  I’m the only garbanzo bean eater around here and eat them I do — with salads and crackers (humus), Indian-style and fresh from the can (soon to be vine).

Look at these beauties – I have gobs of them!

And to think each bean produces a plant that supplies about 100 beans, well, you do the math.  It’s an awesome ratio in my garden.  Easy to grow, easy to harvest, it doesn’t get any better.  And I love beans.  From black beans and rice to chili and sides, these babies are the pure gold in my kitchen.

Another reason to love beans?  The store well.  Make great decorations, too.

Are beans my favorite plant in the garden?  Next to potatoes you bet they are!  While I love my garlic and peppers, tomatoes and corn, my carrots and onions, peanuts and squash, there’s nothing easier to grow than beans AND (as if that weren’t enough) I get two growing seasons!

Wow.  I’m exhausted with exuberance just thinking about them.

P.S.  If you’re accustomed to cooking with canned beans but ready to use your own harvest for that favorite recipe, word of caution:  most canned beans contain an exorbitant amount of salt.  My first batch of cooked beans were a disappointment because I didn’t realize how much salt I needed to add to my recipe to make up for this difference between canned and fresh.  It was a lot.  A real lot!

by gardenfrisk in Garden skinny - my personal scoop on gardening Tags: , , , , ,