Join Us for the Dark Days Challenge
I’ve always wanted to join Urban Hennery’s Dark Days Challenge, but for some reason I always found out about it after the deadline to sign up was over. This year, I asked Laura about it a few weeks ago and she said she wasn’t going to do it because she was too busy. I offered to host the challenge at Not Dabbling where we have a few extra writers to take on some of the workload. So the challenge is back on – YAY. Knowing many of you are local, seasonal eaters already or interested in giving it a go, I thought you’d enjoy joining us.
Sunday, November 27th, 2011 to Saturday, March 31st, 2012. By joining the challenge you commit to eating one meal per week comprised of 100% local food (local being 150 mile radius from your home for this challenge). If you’re interested, head on over to Urban Hennery and sign up. We’ll be doing the recaps on Not Dabbling and you’ll be hearing about my Dark Days meals here. We’ll be doing special themes and giving away prized at Not Dabbling along with recaps for all the people joining us each week as well. It’s a great way to challenge yourself to eat locally, give yourself something to blog about each week, encourage creativity in your cooking, and of course increase blog traffic because we’ll be linking to you in the recap posts.
Do you think it’s easier to eat locally during certain times of the year in your area?
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What is She Doing?
I’m fairly certain my neighbors must think I’m crazy, especially this time of year. The other day I was in the front yard planting crocuses and miniature daffodils in the lawn. I decided that I wanted to make a river of blooms down through the middle of the lawn, with a few smaller patches radiating out to the side.
In order to avoid forgetting where I planted the bulbs and accidentally dig them up while planting more, I dug all the holes at once. It looked like I had lost my mind. My neighbor actually came over to see what I was doing, she said she was wondering if I was getting rid of more lawn.
I was thinking that in these situations I should come up with some crazy story to tell people when they ask (my neighbor wasn’t the only person to stop). I should have said I was trying to catch a gopher. Hopefully, when they drive by next spring they’ll remember this day and realize what I was doing.
Do ever think things your neighbors do are crazy? What about you, do you do things your neighbors might wonder about?
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GRR, Dealing With Invasive Ground Covers
The people who built our house weren’t gardeners and tried to cut corners anywhere possible when it came to the garden. As a result, I have had to correct many problems in the garden. From the foundation borders around the house being backfilled with sand (yes, ridiculous I know) to covering the entire back yard with gravel and driving on it all the time compacting the soil. On top of all of these problems I find myself with several invasive ground covers that they planted, most likely because they wanted a “low maintenance garden”.
Since I’m an organic gardener, spraying the ground cover is not an option. I don’t even like to use organic sprays as I think they’re also hard on soil and insect life. As a result, I spent lots of time each gardening season yanking out invasive ground covers and at least trying to keep them under control while slowly eradicating them. In all I have about 700 square feet of invasive ground cover I’ve been working on eradicating.
On the back hillside, which I can see from my kitchen window, I spent a few years smothering it with tarps and leaves. I have almost eradicated the Japanese honeysuckle from that area. This past week I’ve been spending a good portion of my garden time pulling up the remaining vines. I’ll most likely have some to pull up next spring, summer, and fall. With that, it should be gone – WHEW. But then I have to move on to the front hillside which is planted in variegated vinca vine.
It’s been backbreaking work to be sure. Next spring when I see this hillside covered in hundreds of tulips, muscari, snowdrops, and other flowering bulbs I’ll be glad I spent so much time eradicating the ugly ground cover.
Have you ever had invasive species to deal with in your garden? Did you plant them or were they left by a previous gardener?
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Jerusalem Artichokes
I purchased these Jerusalem Artichokes last year at the farmer’s market and they got pushed to the back of my fridge. I was actually going to plant them last fall and completely forgot. When I finally saw them in the fridge it was mid-winter. Then I forgot about them again until a month or so ago when my mom and I were talking about them. I got them out of the fridge figured they would never sprout or grow, so I was going to throw them in the compost. I figured I’d let them sit on the counter for a few days to see what would happen. Low and behold, they started to sprout roots and green shoots.
I haven’t planted them in the garden yet because I need to find the perfect spot. Planting them in a raised bed in the back would be a good ideas, I hear they can become invasive. This is a completely new plant for me (although I have something growing along the edge of the woods that looks very similar and I must dig some up to see if they have tubers). From what I read they’re kind of like a potato, but slightly sweeter and nuttier. Some people eat them raw, some people steam them like potatoes. The history of the Jerusalem Artichoke, or Sunchoke as it’s also called, is quite fascinating (here’s an interesting link). Since it’s a native wild vegetable to North America, I really want to include it in my garden.
I’d like to spend some time researching how the Indians prepared them and try to use their methods. It certainly would be a great history lesson for kids to grow and eat these. They would pair well with a lesson on the Native American Indians who cultivate them or Lewis and Clark since they used them for sustenance on their long journey.
Do you grow Sunchokes? Have you ever eaten them? Any tips for me? Do you grow any other unusual vegetables?
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Quote of the Day: Robyn Griggs Lawrence
The beauty in November is the assuredness with which it accepts its Novemberness. Pale, low light is kind to dried beige stalks and barren fields. The earth breathes with a sense of quiet, signaling the time is right to go within. After all that manic energy of summertime and harvest, there is relief in the stillness.
Robyn Griggs Lawrence
(The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty)
It’s amazing how quickly things change when November hits. Last Sunday I was out working in the garden and there was still tons of color in the garden. The leaves were all shining in bright shades of yellow and red.
November came on Tuesday and by the end of the week all the leaves were down and everything was brown. One of things I love about November, is how the late evening sun bathes everything in a beautiful golden glow without leaves on the trees to hide it. It’s perfect harmony for this time of year for sure as it brightens up what could be a rather drear time of year.
November is one of those months that I really notice a change, it’s kind of like March. Many months blend into each other and you can’t distinguish between them. November and March are quite unique, making their beginning well known because there is such a distinct change in the colors in nature and the light of the sun. Oddly enough March and November are polar opposites. In March everything is bursting forth and things seem to grow overnight. In November everything breathes of sigh of relief and hunkers down for the many months of rest ahead.
What month do you notice being most distinct from those around it?
