Potato Planting

When I got my planting potatoes from Seed Savers Exchange, I was expecting them to come already growing. No such luck, so they had to sit out for about 2+ weeks to start growing before I could plant them. So I am a little bit behind on the potato front.  I will remember to order the potatoes a bit earlier next year ( unless I can save some of my own....).

Potato types:

German Butterball
Rose Finn Apple

The garden book I love called The Vegetable Gardener's Bible says that each potato should be about the size of or slightly larger than a golf ball. If they are bigger you must cut them and let it heal over for a few days before you plant. Well all my planting potatoes were the perfect size so I didn't have to cut any of them. The garden book suggests you give each potato a light dusting of agriculture sulfur. This wards off fungus diseases and potato beetles.

Here we go...

I set up two rows about 1.5 feet apart from each other and 3 inches deep. Ready for the potatoes.

Growing potatoes on a plate?

The Rose Finn Apples in a sulfur bath. In a paper bag I placed about a handful of the sulfur and then shook the potatoes around in it.  The handful covered all the potatoes I had to plant, it is only a dusting. 

Rose Finn's ready for bed!  Place each potato about 1 foot apart. 

German Butterballs in the same boat.

Ta Da! The two completed beds ready for watering.

Um it's dog time... dogs are pretty sure about it.

"No potatoes! It's squeaky time....  

Mason Bee Blocks

Since the beekeeping dream must wait one more year, Jacob and I decided to make bee blocks. Bee blocks are for mason bees of all shapes and sizes. These bees are solitary and docile and they need a place to lay their young, enter the bee block. Most mason bees nest in old beetle holes, but you can manufacture them a home.

We opted to do many different sizes to accommodate different bees. We drilled 3/8", 5/16", 1/4", 3/16", and 1/8" for those who don't speak "boy" this means almost thumb sized to pretty tiny.

Here's how this works, Take a piece of wood, usually a 4x4 or a 2x4 and measure some holes in varying sizes mark where you want to drill. Remember this isn't rocket science, don't get too caught up in perfection, seriously the bees don't care.

Now if you have it, take a clamp or two blocks and stuff the wood block into it, so you can hold it to drill. Bees only like a front door, so make sure when you are drilling you stop about 1/2" before the back of the wood. In this picture we are drilling 1/8" sized whole, very tiny.


Jacob is using our little air compressor to blow out some of the wood shavings from the bee holes. You don't have to do this, but make sure to knock it out on the ground to empty out those shavings.

We opted to use some wood glue and secure a roof.  See all the different sized wholes?

Close up! Left is 5/16" size and right is 1/8".

The roofs stick out about an inch over the top of the block, you don't have to do this but the bees do appreciate a rain blocker.  Make sure to place these guys holes facing east to catch the early morning sunshine. 

Solo Chicken

What happens when two out of three chickens is in the nest box? This is Curious complaining loudly about how she is totally abandoned and alone.

You feel bad don't you? Really?

"Where's the scratch lady...or better yet oatmeal?"

Tortilla Chips

I am going to expand on the Tortilla blog post. Now I am going to see how they taste as tortilla chips! For the tortilla reciepe and directions go here to the tortilla post.

Recipe amendment and update: The original post states I am going to try to incorporate whole wheat flour to the recipe. I have and the measurements are, 1 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour and 1 cup white flour equaling the same flour amount. Everything else has not changed.

So once the tortillas are done I took 5 from the stack and cut them into 4 fat strips, from there I cut at angles to make the traditional triangle chip shape. Really very easy. Pre heat the oven to 350*.

Lay a single layer of "chips" on a baking sheet. I lined mine with parchment paper so that they won't stick to the surface. Sprinkle the chips lightly with salt, then stick in the oven on the middle rack for 5-10 minutes. My average time was around 8 minutes until they turned a golden brown.



The 5 tortillas yielded about 1 quart sized ziplock bag of chips, just to give you a rough estimate. If you have a party or a lot of eaters you may want to use the whole tortilla recipe which yields around 15-17 tortillas.

Here is a picture of the finished product, but it is hard to tell the volume of the chips.



I did read to freshen up the chips, place them in the microwave for a few seconds then allow them to cool to re-crispin. I am not sure why you would do this, maybe homemade chips go stale much faster? But if this happens I'll let you know.

Enjoy with your favorite salsa or the occasional splurge of guacamole (unless you live in the south and can grow Avocados... we in the north can not.)

Watering the garden design part 1

Well watering the garden became a decided challenge when keeping our water footprint in mind. We could have gone the easy and cheeper route, placing an oscillating sprinkler in the middle of the garden. But watering the rows of dirt didn't seem all that earth friendly since water is a hugely threatened natural resource. The plan we decided on was to convert our lawn sprinkler system into garden friendly adaptability. Basically we wanted to be able to attach soaker hoses to every one of the raised beds, but our hose outlets on the side of the house were WAY to far from the garden... what to do? Got it, replace the sprinkler heads with outside faucets, connect hoses, then soaker hoses and still be able to use the sprinkler timer for everything.

Part one: Sprinkler head conversion in pictures.

Dig out the sprinkler head.



Apply teflon tape to a double ended riser this one is 3/4" round and 12" long. Purchased at Home Depot in the sprinkler plumbing section.




Attach a double threaded coupling, this is so you can attach the riser to the sprinkler tube buried in the ground. I'll have to ask Jake what size it is, I can't remember and he is my "extreme engineer!"

Update: he says it's also 3/4 inch.
Attach a single or double or however many faucet heads you want, to the other end of the riser.

Voila!


Now add some teflon tape to the threads on the end of the sprinkler tube, not a good angle for picture taking sorry about that.

Attach the riser and all fun pieces to the sprinkler tubing.

Now we cut a 2x4 to attach this tubing to. You don't have to, but we have a dog... and I know this would get run into and busted... water everywhere.... drama... drama... and wet dog smell. We used a simple flexible metal strapping? I think it's found in the H/Vac ductwork section, we've had this roll of stuff for so long that I forget where found it. 

Attached with drywall screws. I know they will rust and stuff but most likely the metal strapping will too so in the long run we will have to come up with something better, but for now what we had on hand works.

Don't forget to turn on the sprinkler system and check for leaks before you bury everything, also turn the faucet head and double check that you get water coming out. If all is good...

TA DA! We installed 4 of these sprinkler head replacements, however there are 2 more sprinklers in the sprinkler zone that we have to cap off. Not sure how we are planing to do that but when we do I will post about it. After that, is the next stage in planing, that being the elaborate network of hoses and soaker hoses... stay tuned. 

Constructing the Arbor Part 1

This is the husband, Jake.

First and foremost, let me emphasize right off the bat that SAFETY ALWAYS COMES FIRST!!! Please be safe at all times and use the appropriate safety gear. Please use safety glasses, good tools, and a good ladder. If you don't believe me, I'll send you a picture of my x-rays of my dislocated elbow from falling only 5 feet off a ladder. And yes, I was being careless on the ladder and paid a big price. I don't mean to be scary, just honest. So everyone, let's be safe and have fun!!!!

NOTE: I have not included exact measurements but I will tell you what to measure. As with everything, it's tough to be exact so you have to measure as you go. For the beginners, remember that boards don't measure out to how they are named. Example: a 4" x 4" x 8' (pronounced four by four) is not actually 4x4 inches. It's actually 3.5" x 3.5" but the length of the board is exact. Go figure. Be wary of this when measuring as it can throw things off a bit if unaccounted for.

This is the first post showing how Jen and I built our arbor in the back yard. This arbor will have grape vines growing on it. We got the basic plan for the arbor out of a book from the library which gave a parts list. The book plans had a bench in the arbor which we didn't want. So we just mimicked the opposite side instead. Also, we decided to put our arbor where our garden gate is. The posts for the garden gate were already cemented so we just attached two of the four main arbor posts to the gate posts with lag bolts. Since this is not the normal design, I'm not going to include those lag bolts in the parts list.

So here is the parts list for our arbor:

4 - 4" x 4" x 10' (posts)

4 - 2" x 6" x 8' (cross braces and beams)

18 - 2" x 2" x 8' (verticals and slats)

6 - 3/8" x 48" (dowels)

8 - 80lbs bag of cement (2 per post. We only used 4 total. See above for the reason why)

16 - 1/4" x 4" galvanized lag screws with washers (attaching cross braces)

8 - 1/4" x 5" galvanized carriage bolts with nuts and washers (attaching beams to posts)

36 - 2.5" galvanized exterior screws

These are the tools I used (the most important is capitalized):

circular saw, miter saw, hand saw, jig (saber) saw, drill, wheel barrow and shovel(mixing cement), level, pencil, tape measure, SAFETY GLASSES, and socket set

As I said previously, we used the existing cemented posts for the garden gate to attach 2 of our posts to. We used 4 lag screws with washers for this. Tip: pre-drill a small hole before screwing in the lag screws. We had 2 of the heads break off. They were 90% of the way in so it didn't matter. 

Next, we dug the 2 holes for the other posts. The holes for the posts are 2 feet deep so that the total height of the posts above ground is 8 feet. 

Make sure you center the post in the hole (unlike this picture). 

Since two of the posts were already bolted in place, we used the straightest 2" x 2"s we had at the top and bottom of the posts to hold them in place for cementing. Use the level at this stage to make sure the posts are straight up and down. After we had the 2 posts leveled off and secured, we mixed the cement in the wheel barrow one bag at a time and cemented the posts. We let the cement dry for about 2-3 days, removed the 2" x 2"s, and continued. 

The posts needed to be cut so they were all the same height. I measured and marked one post at 8 feet. The two posts we cemented were about an inch or two taller than 8 feet. After I marked the one post, we used a straight board and a level to mark the other posts. I used the circular saw to cut the posts. 

Note: the notches go on the outside of the posts for the beams that will go left to right in the picture here.

Now, I needed to cut out the notches in the top of the posts for the 2" x 6" x 8' beams. Careful here! I penciled in the notches and Jen caught that I had them on the wrong side. She saved the day!!!

Also, remember that a 2" x 6" is actually 1.5" x 5.5"

I used the circular saw to do most of the cutting but I had to use a hand saw to finish. 

After I was done, I put one of the beams up just to see how it would fit. Looks good!

Spring Garlic

Last fall we planted our garlic here's the post about the planting. I wanted to plant Lorz Italian and Music garlic but ended up with Lorz and a miscellaneous type. Somehow I mixed up the bags and.... well whatever it's garlic as long as it grows, Music is a hardneck garlic but I ended up with two distinctly different soft necks so, I guess we will just have to wait and see.

The count last fall:
Lorz Italian= 89 cloves
Misc ? = 70 cloves

So far this year, baring one accident with the dog there are 154 garlic plants. We planted 159 so only a few didn't sprout (or they could just be late, here's hoping.)

A busy April thus far

A busy busy spring we have had the last few weeks. For starters we have really made the big push to get the raised beds finished. I knew we had the fruit plants coming around April 10, so we had to act fast. The fruit plants list is as follows:

2 Himrod Seedless Grapes
2 Bluegold Blueberry's
1 bundle (25 plants) Earliglow Strawberry (June bearing)
1 bundle (25 plants) Tristar Strawberry (ever bearing)
10 Tulameen Raspberry's

Now for the blueberries we purchased a used 50 gallon plastic container and cut it in half drilled some drainage holes in it and gave it a good cleaning. I decided to go with white because I didn't want the blueberries roots to get too hot in our arid summers.





Everything else needed to get into the ground. Franticly we built raised beds, got compost, and eventually planted the strawberries and the raspberries. The grapes however needed to wait, we were building an arbor for them and the construction was going great, but the fruit got shipped sooner than we had anticipated. Jacob is working on a how-to-build an arbor that I will let him post about.

Much of the last 3 weeks has been outside prep work, getting fruit into the ground before it starts to grow. Now this year I will trim all of the flowers from the fruit. I have already done so with the blueberries. Every site I have found says if you let the fruit plants concern itself with growing it's first year, your following harvests will be more plentiful. I think because the first year the plant spends all it's time growing roots and strength instead of fruit. It will be really difficult to wait another year for any fruit harvest, but I am told it is worth it.

Weather and Eggs

Strange weather has been happening lately. We got 3" of snow this morning, but heavy winds, thunder, lightning and hail have also been present. It is shaping up to be a wild spring again this year. Ahh, how I long for a sense of normalcy. I am kind of glad though about the weather as it is keeping me in doors. I think if it were nice outside I would be very tempted to do work in the garden. I however can't because of my injured shoulder, still it doesn't stop me from wishing.

Weather problems aside our chickens are doing splendidly! I did an egg tally because I haven't done one yet. Since our girls started laying the day after Christmas we have received 198 eggs.

December/January 59
February 66
March 73

That is 16.5 dozen! I have 3 full dozen in the fridge, I need to hit up the neighbors and see if they want any. As the light shifts we are getting pretty consistently 3 eggs a day at the very least 2 eggs. I told those girls to start churning out the eggs and they have delivered!

Earth Hour 2009

Well yet again we were the only ones on our block that participated in Earth Hour. Ok I take that back the house next to us is dark... but that's because it's for sale and has been dark since December. We started late this year too, at 8:55 Jacob and I went downstairs to the breaker room and flipped the main to the house. *Boom* quiet. I find it amazing just how much noise is in the house that we ignore. Like the fridge, freezer, furnace, water heater etc... all make a quiet humming noise, but when that is shut down everything becomes quiet. We shut down it all, everything, not just all the lights but everything. When we get done with Earth Hour we have to reprogram our clocks. We couldn't turn on a light in the house, even though walking into a room and attempting it gets pretty funny it is amazing how habitual we are.

I follow a blog that brought to my attention some of the hypocrisies of Earth Hour participants. I will admit our first year of doing Earth Hour I am guilty of this. Lighting candles. But what kind of candles. Most candles are made with paraffin a petroleum product. See previous post about the yucky side of candles. So we changed our tactic and spent the money on beeswax candles. This year we were 99.99% petroleum free, (we used a lighter to light the candles.)

We ended up doing the dishes, brushing our teeth, getting generally ready for bed, stretching, gabbing, finally we went downstairs and turned back on the main breaker to the house.

Our experience was a good one, mostly a quiet vote for the Earth. But a blog I have recently begun to follow called Eco Yogini had a much different view of Earth Hour. She went down to the "show" that was being put on, like a big new years eve party countdown and all. Saddened by the lack of "eco" thought that went into the party, she went home. I know her post is long, but it is very worth it, she makes some wonderful observances.

Glass Milk Bottle

I was at our local organic store on Friday and was absolutely wowed! Glass milk bottles, seriously? Yep! This company Straus Family Creamery sells there milk in glass re-usable bottles. Here's the scoop, you purchase the 1/2 gallon of milk and then pay a $1.50 deposit fee for the glass bottle. When you're done with the milk, simply return it to where ever you bought it and receive your $1.50 refund. The grocery store then ships the bottle back to the creamery to be sanitized and re-used.

Each bottle just has a logo on it, not "type" of milk like whole, nonfat, 2%, that can be found on the lid. Which means any jar can be used for any type of milk.

I so love this idea! I am at odds however with the amount of fuel it takes to get the milk bottle back. But at least it is something, most people don't recycle, but if they were forced to (in order to get that 1.50 back) wouldn't it be worth the cost in gas? I recycle everything I can, we don't have a pick up facility it is strictly drop off only. So most people around here are not bothered to recycle. But returning the milk bottles to the grocery store you purchased them at seems a reasonable opportunity for everyone to participate in reusing.

I made some cheese with this milk and some local raw milk. I have to let it age before I try it out, but it looks delicious!

Sugar in our Salt?!?!

So it's finally time for me (Jake/Jacob/The Amazing Husband) to finally post. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm lazy. But come-on now, Jen does such a WONDERFUL job, how can I ever compare? ;-) That's a good cop-out right? Anyways, on with the story....

Jen bought salt the other day for bread making from Safeway. Seems innocent enough right? Well, I guess not. As you can see from the pictured label, the "salt" has 5 ingredients. Since when does salt have 5 ingredients? Man, it seems like every time I turn around, ingredient lists have more and more and more and more items. Well, I had to investigate what the hell those other 4 seemingly unnecessary ingredients are for.


First off, Dextrose? Huh? What's sugar doing in my salt? Well....(1.5 hours of internet research later)... and I as far as I can tell, Dextrose is used to stabilize the potassium iodide. The potassium iodide will evaporate out of the salt over time and that is the added ingredient that is actually helpful to the human body. But I couldn't find any information on how long it takes for potassium iodide to evaporate out of the salt. So is the dextrose truly necessary if you go through your salt in a reasonable amount of time? I don't know.

That leads to another ingredient in salt, potassium iodide. This ingredient is necessary for the human body in very small amounts to avoid goiters. A goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland. If you have a strong stomach, you can look up goiter in Google and see images. The pictures are enough to realize that potassium iodide in salt is perfectly okay with me!

Next up, sodium silicoaluminate. This is an anti-caking agent. Hmmm.... okay. I couldn't find anything incriminating for that one.

And finally, sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda). This is another potassium iodide stabilizer.

So with all that, here are some of my concerns and questions:

1. Dextrose is made from corn most of the time. So the big issue with this for me is GMO (genetically modified organism). I 110% have a problem putting anything into my body that has been genetically modified to tolerate being slathered in Roundup. If you don't know how scary GMO truly is, watch the video "The World According to Monsanto" and if you not scared, you should be!!!!
2. How unstable is potassium iodide? Days, weeks, years? So if you used it in a reasonable time, would we still get the benefit of the potassium iodide without the added stabilizers?
3. How are these additives processed themselves?
4. What is done to salt to get it perfectly white?

I'm sure I'll have more questions later.

So this is what we did. We went to our local awesome organics store Huckleberrys in Spokane and got Real Salt from the bulk foods section. It has a strange pink tint to it. Not only did we save packaging by bringing our own container but we are also getting a much better product that is much less processed. Here's what Real Salt's website says:

Compared to RealSalt brand salt, regular “table salts” and also many sea salts appear stark white because they have undergone harsh bleaching and refining. By contrast, RealSalt is extracted from deep within the earth, crushed, screened, and packaged without any bleaching or refining. RealSalt’s unique “pinkish” appearance and flecks of color come from more than 50 natural trace minerals, including iodine.

RealSalt’s incredible taste is truly unique and something only Mother Nature could create. We bring RealSalt to you in its natural state, without additives or chemicals of any kind.

For Real Salt's website, click here.

So this is what we'll be using for now until something/someone convinces me otherwise.

Peace In!!!