Nature's Fertilizer

I woke to the most ominous clouds this morning. Nature had decided to fix our gardens with an abundance of atmospheric nitrogen fertilizer today in the form of light hail and quite a bit of snow. This is very good for the lovage as well as all the other plants in the food garden as long as Mother Nature gets the application right, sometimes she goes a bit over board...especially with the hail.



The air is very high in nitrogen and plants need this to assist with photosynthesis. Lightning converts some of this nitrogen into a form that plants can use, this is called "fixed" nitrogen. Certain plants such as legumes and clover have bacteria in their roots and can fix their own nitrogen. Many plants need a little help with this and rain and hail brought on by sever weather can be a great source for them. Have you ever noticed how fast everything, especially nitrogen loving plants like corn, grow after a thunderstorm...nature takes care of it's own. If we let it.



Neither rain, nor hail or even snow will hinder these plants...this garden must grow.

A Days Worth of Pictures

There may not be enough time to write, but certainly there is always time for a few pictures. Especially when one has had such good help in the food garden.

In the greenhouse everything is doing well, some things are almost ready to be transplanted directly into the garden like these lettuces.

Others just need to be re-potted...tomatillos, ground cherries

tomatoes

and broccoli.

Outside the Belgium endive is greening up.

Seed carrots are leafing out.

Mesclin,

boc choy,

arugula,

and Russian kale are looking good.

The red verona radicchio seems to have survived the winter.

along with this wild oregano

and strawberry spinach.

Baby Swiss chard has been transplanted.

Seed onions are still waiting,

but many onion sets have been planted.

While checking on the garlic

I found some forgotten parsnips...dinner?

The gardens are still empty but will soon be filled with a lush greenery that will represent our own personal paradise, if only for a few months.

Foot Loose and Fancy Free

The snow having finally melted, I was able to add another 10,000 Sq Ft section to the chickens realm and they are loving it. They now have around an acre on which to roam.


And will have plenty of shady places in which to protect themselves from the suns rays this summer.


That will have to be enough, if they get too far back into the forest I won't be able to keep an eye on them. Now that's a nice pair of legs.


Shake paw, claw?

Currants, Gooseberries, and Josta Berries

I was first introduced to currants as a small child while tagging along with my grandmother as she wandered the forests and roadsides picking wild berries. Those are days I will never forget as I not only learned about currants but service berries, thimbleberries, wild strawberries and many other wild edibles as well. She has long since passed on but I am sure it would make her happy to know the knowledge she imparted upon me has not been lost.

It seems as though currants, gooseberries, and josta berries (a cross between black currants and gooseberries) are not all that popular in the states, but are held in much higher regard by Europeans. I'm not sure why as they are such nice vigorously productive bushes. Not only are these members of the Ribes genus high in nutrition but also flourish in a wide array growing conditions and are easily propagated. One bush can turn into numerous productive bushes within a few years time. They do really well in partial shade with a nice well draining soil but can also be grown in full sun and heavy, even clay, soil if it has been improved upon enough to allow for drainage and root development. We are lucky as we have lots of shade and can provide an environment that the bushes seem to thrive in.

We have around 25 bushes in various stages of growth and look forward to a nice crop of berries every year. We use them in everything from fillings for puff pancakes to smoothies and any bad ones are a perfect addition to our chickens diet. I try to add a few new bushes every year through rooting hardwood cuttings and have had a near perfect success rate as they are so easily propagated.

There are various ways to propagate these bushes, my preference is with hardwood cuttings. In the fall or early spring while the plant is still dormant I simply cut 8-12 " sections off 1 year old wood about the size of a pencil, a little bigger or smaller will make no difference.


Older wood is recognizable by its darker bark and is usually much thicker.


Once you find a good place in the garden where the cuttings can root undisturbed, simply poke a dibber stick into the soil making a hole so as not to damage the nodes when you gently push the cutting in approximately 3/4 it's length leaving only the topmost bud or two exposed.


Remember to keep track of which end is up, this is pretty easy to tell on currants but not so much on other plants that can be rooted in the same manner such as dormant grapes. I set my cuttings in a place where the soil can be kept moist and has some protection from the sun and in about 4-6 weeks they will have new roots coming from a number of areas along the stem and can be transplanted to their new home.


Another method of propagating is called layering, we do this this by bending a low-growing branch to the ground and covering it with soil. The branch can be kept under the soil by weighing it down with a rock, or more soil to hold it in place. While this works well on currants, we mostly use this technique on blackberries and black raspberries all summer long and find it to be most effective. Once the roots are established, we simply cut the branch off dig it up and plant in its permanent location. Again this will take around 4 weeks or more.


A final way to generate roots is called mound layering. Although we have never tried mound layering it apparently works well if one is propagating a large number of plants. The plant is cut back to the ground while dormant and, in mid summer, dirt is mounded over the newly emerged shoots covering them about half of their length and roots will be produced on the portion covered with soil.

You can also germinate the berries seeds if they are stratified for three months at temperatures just above freezing, the refrigerator works perfect for this. We do stratify other seeds but have never tried this with currants or their kin. Supposedly the seedlings are very prolific and will bear fruit within two or three years.

In 1907 currant production was banned in the U.S. when it was discovered that members of the ribes genus, especially black currants, were host to white pine blister rust, a fungus that uses currants as a host plant to spread from tree to tree. The quarantine on ribe growing was lifted in 1966 when rust-resistant currant varieties were developed. Today in the Northwest, there are no federal restrictions on growing any of the ribes genus. There are a few states that still do not allow for the shipping of currants or gooseberries, as near as I can tell they are Delaware, Maine, N. Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont and West Virginia. Black currants cannot be sent to those states or Massachusetts, Montana, Ohio and Rhode Island. I find this interesting since the woods in Northern Idaho are full of wild currants and white pine trees, perhaps they have built up an immunity to the fungus.

It's unfortunate that so many people are missing out on such an easily grown and propagated source of nutrition. Currants, josta berries, and gooseberries are extremely healthy and some research is showing black currants to possibly have higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals than any other fruit. Perhaps our taste buds have been so dulled by a conveniently obtained plethora of mass produced factory food that we are no longer willing to take advantage of what nature so readily provides. For us, the berries contribute yet another beneficial option in our ever expanding array of food choices as we continue down our path of achieving a lifestyle of health and food self-sufficiency.

Cold but Warm

The lake we live next to is still frozen, but with all the sun we have had the last few days it surely won't stay that way much longer.


Even the garlic is making some headway. We always plant garlic in the fall and hope for a mid to late August harvest. I was thinking of planting some more in the next day or two just to see how well it does in comparison. I wonder if the only difference will be that we end up harvesting in late September? Of course I will have to sneak it out of Mrs. H's pantry, and that my friends will be no easy task.


After a long winter of lazy indifference, Spooky, the elder my three cats and the only one allowed in the garden has come out of hibernation to join me, if the chickens and her can adapt to each other again. When the chickens were just chicks I would clean up their area using an old cat litter bucket to put the waste in. The bucket had a picture of an orange cat very similar to Spooky on it and the birds loved to peck at it when I set it down in their little pen. So now whenever they see our poor old cat they come running, because somewhere in their tiny bird brains an image of mama? or big yummy orange flower? still resides.


Spooky and I moved a few chives to a better spot today and also planted a little arugula in hopes of a head start in adding some zest to our salads, although not big on salads she will nibble on various grasses and has an obvious affection for catnip.


We left a few rows of smaller carrots in the ground this winter just to see how they would handle the cold, snow, and voles. They seem to have fared pretty well and boy do they have a sweet flavor, maybe I will make a habit of leaving some in the ground for spring. I can't imagine digging through 4+ feet of snow to get to them in the cold months, and have no doubt that a covered row would invite voles and mice to have a winter feast, but as an early spring snack...delicious.

Parsnips as well. As hard as it is to get a nice row of them to come up when I plant them, they have no problem self seeding everywhere else, like this one emerging next to our lawn.

What's Growing On?

55°! today and sunny, it was a most perfect day to get a few things planted in the garden.

I often wonder why more flower gardens don't include a few vegetables. These red Belgium endive are as pleasing to the eye as a beautiful rose and have yet to grow tall and send forth their own bright blue flowers (I think they will be blue). From what I have read this particular endive is the result of a seed irregularity that accidentally produced the red color that I am so fortunate to view in this stage of its life cycle. We were able to hold over around 25 of these delicious flowers and hope they will produce seed as I am no longer able to find a source for this particular plant.

We were able to get our red, green and multicolored chard seedlings settled in the garden along with more Russian kale, arugula, and bok choy...all of which came from my own saved seed.

Far away from the red we re-planted the regular Belgium endive amongst some spinach and will let both go to seed together. Spinach is one of the easiest seeds to save as it immediately bolts once the weather warms a bit, I think the spinach in this picture has been saved by us for over three years now.

The lovage survived another winter and is just now poking up through the mulch used to protect it. We have never saved any seeds off of this plant as it comes back so easily every spring, perhaps I will do so this year...just in case.

We have over a dozen okra seedlings taking form. I planted some really old seed just for the fun of it and every seed was viable. We grew okra a few years back and really never figured out how best to consume it? Last year it was destroyed by hail, but it looks like we will have another chance to learn how to use it this year...I hope.

As the day comes to a close, I can rest easy comforted by the satisfaction of finally being able to get my hands dirty once again in the good earth, knowing we will soon begin to be rewarded for our labors.

The Good Weeds

We awoke to face a wintry wonderland, the snow had returned with cold in tow. It is of little consequence to me though, as I am fully aware that this grim beast stands on precarious footing as summers gates will soon swing wide and a new greener life will prevail.

Weather aside, I often wonder if anyone is aware of the abundance of food that nature provides, practically forces upon us, in the form of so called weeds. I prefer the term "wild edibles" and always look forward to adding them to our salads not only for flavor but the immense nutritional benefits they provide as well.

Two of the most prevalent and hardy of the wild edible greens that inhabit my garden are chickweed and catmint. Both are widely available and can be easily obtained and enjoyed if you can overcome the stigma that ensues when one is found to be a weed eater.


We find chickweed all winter long in areas that have been protected from snow and usually allow it to take hold in our fall garden. There are at least thirteen various types of chickweed all of which are supposed to be edible. Common chickweed also called Winterweed is an annual ground cover whose trailing body has paired oval leaves with pointed tips that form on opposite sides of the stalk. A line of fine hairs run down the stalk and alternates at each leaf junction.


The flower is white, deeply lobed, almost heart shaped, and consists of five petals that seemingly form almost year round, and close after dark and during periods of wet weather.


Although considered an annual it still flowers and seeds under protection throughout the year in our garden. This most interesting plant has a pleasant corn like flavor and is also an excellent source of fodder for our chickens...hence the name. Reported to contain traces of nitrates we are carful to consume it in moderation. From a nutritional standpoint this plant is said to be loaded with vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, zinc, sodium and high amounts of vitamin A, C, D, as well as B6 and B12.

We do try to keep this plant contained through weeding as it spreads very quickly and only allow it to thrive going into the cold months to be used as a valuable ground cover and food source. Since we also feed this to our chickens there is usually not much left come spring, and we do not have to worry about it re-seeding all over our garden.

Catmint, or catnep (nip) is a member of the mint family and is a very cold hardy perennial. Ours have silvery-gray to purple foliage, paired mottled leaves and variously colored flowers that, in our area, have small almost pink blooms that show mid to late summer. With a flavor that I can only describe as bitter minty, it is or was most commonly used as a seasoning, cold and flu remedy and of course as a stimulant for cats. Not only does it contain many of the same beneficial nutritional properties as chickweed but also adds quite a zest to our salads in small doses.

Catmint also contains nepetalactone an essential oil that is supposed to be many times more effective at repelling insects than the toxic chemical DEET. I have tried growing it around my broccoli plants to repel aphids, and it did seem to help. Even more then preventing the bad bugs I noticed the flowers seemed to draw many beneficial insects into our garden, especially parasitic wasps that kill aphids. Not only is it a natural insecticide but also contains thymol that can be used as a fungicide to help prevent dampening off in seedlings.

We are careful to control the amount that are allowed to re-seed every year as this plant has a most stubborn root system, is extremely prolific, and unlike chickweed will regrow if the roots are not removed.

These are only two of the many wonderful "wild greens" that we incorporate into our daily diet. I think that perhaps the more wild herbs and greens may posses even greater health giving properties then their domesticated counterparts. I am by no means an authority on wild edibles and am only attempting to relate that which I personally have observed when discussing such. I hope that more people will learn to embrace the foods that nature so readily provides, and benefit from the abundance thereof. Perhaps if people were aware that some of the most healthy food on the planet is right under foot they would not be so quick to dismiss these magnificent creations with chemical disdain.