Ravioli and Tradition

Every year on Thanksgiving I remember making fresh pasta with my grandparents. My grandmother would spend all day tending to the sauce and my grandpa was in charge of the pasta. The most fun was catching the strands of dough which was usually where my "help" came into play. I've always daydreamed about making pasta with my own family and that day is finally here! We made ricotta filled ravioli today. Stella isn't quite ready for dough catching, but here she is turning the crank. She'll be a pasta making pro in no time!

Visitors in the Garden

Good and bad. The bad are stink bugs ruining my tomatoes. Among others....leafhoppers, aphids, and cabbage worms. The damage isn't extensive, but I'm trying my hardest to not spray anything.

On the other hand,this morning I saw 4 wasps eating a bad bug breakfast :-) A few days ago I saw a lacewing, but I accidentally sprayed him with my homemade insecticidal soap. I'm not sure whether or not he survived. I'm just happy that I"m attracting beneficials.

Other helpful visitors include my brother and momma.This was two weeks ago, so the plants are 3 times bigger than this!  I'll have a better update hopefully tomorrow.

Restoration

Mother's Day has always been uncomfortable for me. I've never been able to relate to the cliché imagery the holiday is marketed with. I'm not a warm fuzzy kind of gal. I anticipated that my heart would soften this year with the arrival of my daughter. I've been a teary-eyed emotional wreck all week thinking about how blessed I am being a mom. My Canary makes every day seem like Mother's Day, Christmas, and my birthday all wrapped up into one
. 
My heart did soften, but not just because of Stella.Things haven't always been picture perfect for my mom and I. Actually, sometimes, they've been extremely rough. Sometimes it seemed like our relationship would always be a challenge, but lately it's been amazing. I can't really explain how it evolved. 


Here's a secret, I've known for years that my firstborn daughter, Stella, would be what sparked the complete restoration of mine and my mom's bond.  I didn't know when or how it would happen, I just knew it would. It was a glimmer of hope God gave me in my adolescence. Call me crazy, it's okay. It has taken this experience for me to realize how great my mom's love is for me and despite her weaknesses (cause, ya know, she's a human too!) she is the perfect mom for me. God knew what he was doing! 
I'm telling you all this because sometimes things seem so hopeless. It seems like no one cares or understands. It's hard to accept that things happen the way they do and to find peace in the truth that all things work together for good. BUT, God cares, understands and thankfully redeems our broken hearts and relationships and I want you to have hope, too.


Finally, on Mother's Day, I can say with a bright smile and pride that I honor and love my mother. I am overflowing with praise and thanks for my beautiful daughter, God's vessel for bringing us closer together.

A First Glance Review of "Four Season Harvest"

I really wanted to wait until I was done reading this book cover to cover to share a review, but I've finished the first two chapters and I can't wait any longer to tell you about this great book by Eliot Coleman! 

Did you know that most of the US has more winter sunshine than southern France where it's a traditional and common to have a winter garden? I didn't! Here in Florida we're very blessed and it's much easier to have a year round harvest, so I know it may seem pretty pointless that I ordered this book, but I'm a book junkie and I figured there might be really great information and ideas. I was right!

 Eliot and his wife live in Maine and enjoy fresh, organic vegetables year round. They don't use any fancy, expensive heating systems, but rather, the core of their winter gardening technique is utilizing sunlight and protecting plants from wind. a few of their practices include using cold frames (raised beds with glass lids), succession planting (planting crops multiple times), planting seasonally-hardy vegetables, and hoop houses. There are many informational diagrams, tables, and illustrations. Every page has so much to take in! I'll share more as I continue to read. Here are two great quotes.

"The best short statement to describe our approach to the four-season garden is a quote from Buckminster Fuller in his book Shelter (1932): 'Don't fight forces; use them.' "

"In our grandfathers' day, people celebrated the seasonality and variety of the home garden. They knew that one cabbage tasted best fresh in June and that another made the best sauerkraut. This was the pea for eating fresh and that the one for drying. They were familiar with fifty different apples and twenty kinds of pears. They knew when these were ripe and which blended best for cider or complemented the flavor of this or that cheese. We can recover such civilized living again."

**If you've been having problems commenting, I have no idea what's going on, but try commenting under 'anonymous' and just leave your name in the comment :-)

Disclaimer

If you're going to friend me on a social networking site, follow my blog, or spend any "real" time with me... here's a little disclaimer:

I, like most people, like to research and make well informed decisions for my family. Unfortunately, there is an abundance of conflicting information, advice and opinions. There are unreliable and reliable sources everywhere in all kinds of forms: websites, books, articles, doctors, friends, and family. I  pass on any reliable information I find, so that someone can be inspired to  dig deeper and make the best possible choice for themselves. Actually, I hold back a lot of it in fear of offending people. If a friend of mine hadn't shared the valuable information she had with me I'd completely different parent. It changed my life, and I am trying to do the same for someone else who may be peeking in at my life.

Our culture breeds "sources" that spread ideas that require the least activity, commitment, and time. It's hard to sift through all of the parenting techniques and traditions.  I understand though that there are exceptions to everything and ALSO that no one can do 100 percent best at everything. Also, what's best for you may not be best for me and vice versa. Shoot, sometimes we don't even KNOW what's best and just go with what makes the most sense for our circumstance. Go with your instinct and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you, pray to God about every situation, always ask questions and always be seeking out several different sources of information and support for each topic.

I apologize if I have made anyone feel degraded, stupid, or like a bad parent.

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!

Unpacking the bags and setting up and planting lilacs and buttercups

We finally have our first garden bed put in! We're not yet moved into the actual house, but we have a garden! Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, Thai basil, sweet basil, cucumbers, and rosemary! These, mind you, are not from seed. I got fed up and bought a few plants. I do have my third batch of seeds and a couple of survivors from the second round that are well on there way to being transplanted into our second raised bed. My thumb is slowly turning green :-) OH! I almost forgot to mention my amazing watering can from the amazing Liberty of London line at Target. God bless Target for bringing affordable design to mommas on a budget.

Now, all we need are some yard gnomes.