Baby Spinach Harvest!

I made calzones for dinner tonight. The recipe called for 10 ounces of spinach, but the bag I bought was only 6 and I had just about 4 ounces ready for picking in my garden. I finally got to harvest something besides herbs! I did a raw taste test and the garden spinach had 5 times more flavor than the store bought. Plus, it was organic! The recipe came from this months Everyday Food Magazine which is a Martha publication. My favorite thing about the magazine is the "Grocery Bag" section. It's a menu plan for weeknight dinners. There are 5 simple, wholesome, adaptable recipes that come with a shopping list. I had over half of the ingredients, so I ended up only spending $40 on groceries for this week. The recipes usually serve four, but we still had leftovers most nights, so lunches were also covered (with the help of a piece of fruit.) A subscription to EDF would be a great investment or gift. I do a jig  in front of the mailbox every month when the new issue arrives.

Seed Starting Adventures

I went to Lowe's today to grab some peat moss for my seed starting mix, but before I settled for the case of it I decided to go over to the seed starting section and see what else they had. I found a concentrated seed starting mix by Burpee for $2.47! It makes 8 quarts in seconds! The package says minutes, but it expands instantly. My Jiffy Greenhouse was $6 and the refill pellets are $3, so this method is much more economical.

I save all kind of containers for future seedlings and plants, especially egg cartons because they aren't biodegradable. They are perfect for seed starting. Here's how I do it:

You'll need seed starting mix, egg cartons, a marker for labeling, and a corn skewer for poking holes.

Poke holes in each area, fill with mix, and use sharpie to make a hole for the seeds! Follow seed packet for planting instructions.

Healthful Cranberry Granola

I've been browsing for a wholesome granola recipe for a few weeks now and slowly accumulating ingredients I didn't have. I couldn't find ONE recipe that had me completely had me sold, so I took a few of the runner-ups and adapted my own to suit my taste and make it as healthful as possible. Here you go....

Healthful Cranberry Granola

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 cup dried cranberries

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/3 cup applesauce

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients and pour over dry ingredients. Mix together until evenly blended.  Spread onto two greased, large baking pans.

2. Bake1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Although, there aren't as many clusters as I'd like, so I think I'll add some maple syrup next time. I was worried about using applesauce in place of oil, but I can't stop eating it. I might be able to get away with cutting the sugar down to 1/4 cup. Oh, if you just so happen to be allergic to honey, you can substitute with pure maple syrup. ;-)

Persistence Is Paying Off

My dad built these two garden beds out of reclaimed wood from a friends old gazebo! One of them has a bench for things like pots with seedlings and Stella. I picked my first Sweet Basil harvest today. My dad is making Bruschetta with it! Can't wait to eat some.

This is the bed that all of my seedlings are in. I can't believe they've made it this far! It only took three times...

The other bed has plants that I bought at the nursery. My tomato plant is already flowering!! Experiencing all this growth is almost overwhelming. I'm amazed daily by God's design.

Cameron built this compost tumbler for me for Valentine's Day.  I filled it up already, note the pile next to it waiting for it's turn to be tumbled. These are all reclaimed materials, again, so the garden beds and tumbler cost us $0! I'm so thankful for my crafty husband and father :-)

Azaleas are in full bloom! These are my neighbor's. The mini lighter pink blooms are my favorite. They are really small and the perfect shade of pink for me. I might have to go to the nursery and buy a few bushes for myself.

I'm still in awe that my plants are thriving. Every day that something doesn't die is a huge accomplishment. Gardening is so rewarding. If I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed I go to my garden. It's been a dream of mine for YEARS to have a garden, but unfortunately my high school social life got in the way. Then work, moving to Charlotte, pregnancy....but alas! we are finally somewhat settled and I can take solace in my urban farm. I call myself an urban farmer, by the way. I was going to keep it to myself until I actually harvest something, but I have hope that one day I can go to a farmers market and sell my surplus like the Dervaes family. Call/e-mail me if you ever want to visit. I have big plans for our backyard this year!