Tag Archives: garden

>Mother’s Day? Already?

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>But it’s only Cinco de Mayo today! It can’t be Mother’s Day — oh, I give in. I’ll go shopping tomorrow night after school. My mom, Husband’s mom — they each need something as special as they are. This always takes a little thought.
Me? You wanted to know what I need or want? Oh, that’s harder.
I already have a new purse, a unique and timely clutch.
I’m pretty well stocked on clothing.
My bike needs a new seat, but it’s already purchased and sitting in the garage waiting to be installed.
The cupboard has plenty of coffee in it. Chocolate is always welcome, but really.
I’ve hinted (directly) to the family that they could pick up the garden supplies I need and I’ll be very, very happy. Simple pleasures work for me. Okay, kiddos and Husband, here’s the list. I already have quite a few of the seeds I need; I mainly need seedlings.
Tomatoes — cherry and Big ‘Uns (Early Girl grows well in our soil).
Peppers: Green, Red, Chili
Broccoli or Cauliflower to grow and share with the bunbuns.
Herbs! Seeds or seedlings, either works for me. Basil, rosemary, thyme, at the least. Oregano grows nicely, too.
A new watering can, unfortunately. The old one cracked last fall. Sniff.
A small sprinkler to replace the one I stepped on and destroyed the day Tiny Bunny died. I was a little distracted.
That’s about it, family. Any or all of these lovely items would make me very happy. You know how much I love to dig in the dirt!

This blog blast suggested by Parent Bloggers Network and Johnson’s, sponsors of Johnson’s Baby Cause, a charitable organization supporting mothers and children worldwide.

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>Am I green? A pale shade of mint, perhaps?

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>I blow it sometimes.
I have cloth bags for shopping, but I forget them too often. We buy bottled water. Yes, we do. We even use paper napkins, not cloth. We don’t bring our own bags to the grocery store or bring back the paper bags, either.
But on the other hand…
I have a re-usable shopping bag in my purse, and it works very well when I remember to use it.
I shred, and we use the shred to fill packages instead of styro packing peanuts. I recycle the water bottles! I do! We also reuse and recycle the paper bags. I used to bring them to school for book covers when I taught older kids. The paper napkins don’t go in the garbage. As soon as it’s warm enough, I compost them. This year, that means as soon as the water goes down.
Compost! Recycle! Reuse! I’m at least a little greenish.

I teach in a school that celebrates Earth Week in a big way by reading stories, leading discussions, and teaching the students how to actually make a difference. One day this week we’ll have “No New Paper Day” where every piece of paper is a re-used piece. We hope this philosophy will spread. We don’t expect our colleagues to use only re-used paper, but to look for opportunities to cut down on the waste. A gradual transition can make a big difference on our world — and our budget.
We’ve set up a day for a minimal-waste lunch. The cafeteria staff created a menu of finger food to avoid using plastic utensils, and we’ll teach a minilesson on composting to show the kids how to throw food waste such as peelings in the compost instead of the garbage. We’ll encourage students to bring reusable containers instead of bags; many already do.
There’s more on the schedule, but I’ll leave it at that. I’m proud to be on this planning committee; we planned a week of celebrations that are also educational.

On the green scale, I may not be perfect, but I’m getting there. And honestly? I think I’m pretty darn good.

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>Could be worse — could be raining!

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>Oh, wait. It is raining.

But April showers bring May flowers, and luckily for all of us in this dreary April weather, our school’s Art Club suggested a fundraiser. They offered to paint a window in our room for $10 a window, with the money all going to sponsor a local art teacher in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I jumped at the opportunity.

Our library media specialist did, too. Her best windows open up to the hallway rather than the outdoors, so the flowers are there for everyone who passes by or comes in to check out a book.

And besides being an investment in a good cause, and in addition to giving young artists a chance to display their work, the early flowers really brighten the room. Teachers’ Manuals on the right, flowers on the left. I know which side makes me smile!

Could be worse, indeed.

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>I can see the ground!! And — and — more!

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>It’s not exactly aesthetically pleasing. Muddy brown, with old half-decomposed leaves, sunbleached boards that soaked up their share of snow for months, and a snake-like dead zucchini vine.

It’s not traditionally beautiful. The trellis is falling down, and that is an old broom handle leaning against the wall. One lone (dead) raspberry bush, if you can even dignify it with the term, stands weakly in the dirt, untrimmed last fall and uneaten by the neighborhood wild bunnies over the winter.

But walk around the corner and look closely. Not green, but red: the rhubarb is poking its head through the matted blanket of last fall’s leaves. Mmm. I can taste the muffins already.

Happy Love Thursday, everyone. I hope you’ll all see the sun, and soon.

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>Savoring Spring

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>When Jordan from Mammablogga proposed “Savoring the Season” for her next group writing project, I thought, savor what?
I live in Wisconsin not only because I was born here, but because I like it. I enjoy the seasons changing: the cool winds of autumn with colorful leaves falling all around. Sipping my morning coffee on the deck outside my dining room door in the comfort of summer. Winter, with its crisp, icy beauty, and the snow blanketing the world, sending us inside for hot cocoa topped with marshmallows and whipped cream.
But now, right now, I’ve had enough of winter. The snow that remains has melted and refrozen, with as much dirt and road salt in it as actual snow. The heaps in parking lots resemble glaciers, odd-shaped and huge, with a small trickle melting from beneath leading to the nearest sewer grate. It’s not pretty.
Something resembling grass lies matted flat, in shades of tan and brown, on soaked yard. I can’t see my garden yet or reach the compost bin.
It’s coming, though. I can smell it in the air. Or maybe that’s just mud…or the molds and spores thawing to make my allergies explode inside my sinuses.
Spring is on the way. I bought seeds! I have to be an optimist! The glass is half full! Either that or that drink I just poured has frozen in the sub-freezing temperatures that persist.
That wind — it’s a warm one, isn’t it? Oh, I give in, get my gloves. Any wind, though, will help melt or sublimate the remaining solid. Apply a little science, and I’ll feel better.
Winter? She’s a queen, and the queen will take her time before abdicating the throne to that young sprout, Spring.
And when spring really turns up, and the grass really gets green, and the compost is happening again, I’ll rejoice. And I’ll savor every moment.

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>spring fever

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>I want to plant my garden. Unfortunately, it’s still snow-covered. After that stage, it’ll be a mud puddle for several weeks before I can even set foot in it to spread the compost and convince husband to run a rototiller through the ground.
That doesn’t stop me from thinking, though. Husband came home from the grocery store with a small squash, reminding me of his personal goal to eat more vegetables, and also reminding me that if he likes squash, we could plant more than zucchini this year.
I also found a great recipe for the crockpot that includes spinach — lots of spinach. I could grow that, too. There’s a nice little connection between the pet rabbits and my garden: if I grow too much, they’ll eat it. If I don’t grow enough for the humans to enjoy, the rabbits will still eat it. It’s a win-win. The parsley and the lettuce I grow primarily for them, even though I enjoy adding it to my own salads.
So I hinted to the Husband that he and the kids could make me happy on Mother’s Day by getting everything I need for the garden. I suppose I need to make a list, then. Lists R Us, here goes.
Tomatoes. Always. Big ones and little ones.
Peppers. Green bell peppers, red chili peppers. I wouldn’t turn down red or yellow peppers, either, if they’ll grow in our rather dense soil.
Broccoli or cauliflower. We’ll eat the “fruits” and the rabbits will eat the leaves and the stems.
Lettuce. Parsley. Spinach.
Stringless Pole Beans, green! And how about yellow bush beans to provide ground cover and give us the pleasure of Packer beans when the pre-season starts?
Zucchini. It seems like I either have feast or famine with this squash. We gave them away at our rummage sale in August, free with any purchase. People thought we were kidding until we handed them a squash on their way down the driveway.
Carrots. They don’t grow well in our thick soil, but the rabbits love the greens. Every time I thin them, the bunnybuns get a treat. To them, it’s like candy.
The green onions and chives will come up on their own. So will the rhubarb around the corner. The wild raspberries? The birds beat me to them last summer. Maybe I’ll have better luck this year.
All this makes it sound like we live in the country and have a huge yard. Nope. City house, less than a mile from downtown in our lovely small metropolis, with a small but decent backyard. Right now that backyard is covered with melting snow, and lots of it. I can glimpse the mud and brown grass at the edges, which means there is a growing season on the way.
I love our Wisconsin winters, but I’m really looking forward to spring.

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>What’s a locavore?

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>Husband, Mr. Word Person and crossword puzzle addict, was listening to a show on NPR about new words coined in 2007. We laughed at “w00t” and talked about a few others, and he mentioned “locavore.” He thought I’d like the word.
I do like the word and the concept. It makes me think, and that’s a good thing in today’s world. A locavore, according to Oxford, follows “…a trend in using locally grown ingredients, taking advantage of seasonally available foodstuffs that can be bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives.” If you’re worried about your carbon footprint, eating local also minimizes the need for transportation that ships the food over miles and miles of roads or rails, spewing carbon monoxide into the atmosphere.
That sounds rather radical, and my inflammatory choice of words makes it more so. I like the philosophy of eating local. The reality is harder. If I choose to increase consuming locally, it’ll be tough in the winter. Summer, it’ll be easy.
Here are a few steps we’re already taking along the locavore route. We shop at a farmers’ market, I have a decent vegetable garden, we can buy local produce easily. I freeze what I can; there is plenty of diced rhubarb and little grated zucchini in my (now functional) freezer.
Meat and bread are harder. When we buy from local bakers, is that enough? Or do we need to be sure they’re getting their raw materials locally? When I bake my own bread (in my lovely bread machine), do my raw materials need to be locally milled as well?
And what about produce that doesn’t grow locally, but has nutritional value? I’m thinking of the cases of oranges and grapefruit that I buy from the local music department’s fundraiser every year. This becomes a staple of my winter diet, and I hope the extra vitamin C helps keep the all-too-common colds away.
As with all green philosophies, I’ll use this one when I can. I’m sure I won’t be a perfect locavore, but I’ll work it into my family’s life little by little. We’ll make an impact. We’ll think globally and act, or at least eat, locally when it’s possible.

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>Sing it with me: It’s a small world after all —

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>Blogging has expanded my worlds, er, world in ways I never expected. I started blogging as inexpensive therapy. As I surfed through other blogs, I developed networks of acquaintances and (dare I say it?) new friends. One of the great things about blogging and reading blogs is the networking. I’ve discovered so many people with whom I share so much.
Other parents of teens.
Other parents of college kids.
Working moms with many different experiences.
Parents of children with autism and Asperger’s. (Too many to link!)
Other teachers.
Other gardeners.
Other coffee lovers.
Other Green Bay Packer fans (Okay, maybe not, but I know they’re out there!)
Other women of my age (and not) with the same sense of humor. (Again, too many to link, snicker)

I took a leap, despite my relatively low readership, and added BlogHer ads. This network has the added advantage of seeing links to other enjoyable blog posts and discovering more favorites.
Well, a few days ago, I got an email from a favorite local coffee drive-through kiosk. Upon seeing my post mentioning their lovely beverages, they offered me a sweatshirt for the positive word-of-mouth PR. Word of keyboard? Well, customer relations. I will wear it with pride! My coffee-fiend friends will be jealous.
Today I received more good news. My blog blast post about our LoveSac Rocker and its wonderfully funny warning tag won honorable mention from the Parent Bloggers Network. Fun! Now I like the rocker even more.

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>Compost is Something Good, or I’m the Honored Guest!

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>Lorna from Something Good and The Freelance Parent asked me to write a guest post on compost. It’s up here.

To see more day-to-day compost adventures, you can look to these earlier posts.

When neighbors’ fences attack
Compost can be beautiful!
Husband’s role in the process (besides eating the produce)
Oh, the compost, it happens.

Meanwhile, I’m going to make a cup of coffee. I know where the grounds will go.

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>The Zucchini, it loved the rain

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>I have hidden zucchini in spaghetti sauce, muffins (raspberry/blueberry), chili, meatballs, chicken stew, and more.
I have used zucchini openly, without subterfuge, in chocolate zucchini cake, sliced it thin with potatoes and a little basil and grilled it (mmm), and of course, the ever popular zucchini bread.

(–adapted slightly from the Good Home Cookbook)

Mom’s Melt-in-your-mouth Zucchini Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup oil
2 1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
(Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, craisins (dried cranberries), walnuts: 2/3 to 1 cup each)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans.
2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine the oil and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the zucchini and vanilla extract. (Add optional ingredients here) Add the flour mixture and stir just enough to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
4. Bake for about 1 hour. Test with toothpick for doneness.
5. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely before serving.
6. Guard the kitchen carefully. The aroma will attract random teenagers and neighbors to knock on your door, remarking, “Ooh, something smells good!”

Tips and options: I’ve made this with egg substitute, and I’ve had success reducing the oil in a variety of ways. I’ve used 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/4 to 1/3 cup oil. I’ve also tried 1/2 cup oil and 1/3 cup butter or margarine (sticks), softened.
I haven’t tried this recipe as muffins yet. Maybe tomorrow — I just picked two good-sized squash today.

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