Edible Garden Update

Last Friday I was able to head over to my mom’s and work in the garden that we share. With all the rain we’ve been having and being super busy I haven’t been able to get over much in the last month. I planted the tomatoes and peppers that I started from seed. I also reseeded the beets that got washed away in the huge rain storm. Beet varieties we’re growing:

‘Detroit Dark Red’ Beet – 55 days. The most popular, old standard, all-purpose, red beet with uniform and smooth, blood-red flesh that is sweet and tasty. 14-inch tops make good greens. Heirloom variety introduced in 1892 (source: Bake Creek) These are my mom’s favorite, they make a mean pickled beet!

‘Formonova’ or Cylinder Beet – 55 days. A wonderful Heirloom from Denmark, this one is famous for slicing with its long, cylindrical roots. Produces much more uniform slices than round beets.This tender and sweet variety is also known as “Butter Slicer” because of its wonderful texture. (source: Baker Creek)

‘Golden’ Beet – 55 days. This variety dates back to the 1820’s or before. The beets are a rich, golden-yellow and very sweet. A beautiful beet that won’t bleed like red beets. The greens are also very tasty. A favorite of many. (source: Renee’s Garden)

This year we expanded the garden and added a new gate. It sure is nice to have a proper gate! Right inside the gate we put bean towers that will have morning glories growing on them. Along the front edge of the garden we’re planting flowers to attract beneficial insects and to add some beauty.

Yesterday we were back over to take my dad to the airport and I was able to finally get the popcorn planted, just before a big rainstorm hit (hence the overcast skies in these photos). I’ve grown ‘Strawberry’ Popcorn in the past and it was really great, but this I decided to grow:

‘Pennsylvania Butter’ Popcorn – 102 days. Flavor is superior to commercial popcorn. [Pre-1885 heirloom popcorn maintained by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Introduced in 1988 by SESE.] Produces white-kerneled ears, averaging 2 per 8 foot stalk. Ears contain 26 to 28 rows of kernels, length ranges from 4 to 6 (source: Southern Exposure)

I have just enough space for my sweet corn, which will go in a little later than usual because we’re planning around vacation times. We don’t usually grow sweet corn, but this year I decided to give it a try. A row of sunflowers will go in between the two kinds of corn as well.


Everything was looking good yesterday. The potatoes and peas that we planted a few months ago are blooming (you can see what varieties and the garden plan here). The broccoli and cauliflower that were planted a couple weeks ago are growing beautifully and the onions are also sizing up nicely.


Just as I finished taking these photos the rain moved in and watered the garden nicely. So far it looks like the 2011 gardening season will be a productive one, filling our plates and pantries with delicious homegrown food.

How’s your garden doing? Anything doing worse/better than usual? What have you been planting this week?

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Making Your Own Whole Grain Mustard

I posted my recipe for Whole Grain Stout Mustard on the Your Day blog at Ethel so head on over there. If you remember I talked about my love of condiments one Friday. Of all the condiments mustard is my favorite. I love a good hearty whole grain mustard, but they can be pricey in the store. Making your own is quick and easy.

I get my organic mustard seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs in case you’re wondering, they’re inexpensive and you can buy in bulk. People will certainly be impressed when you take homemade mustard to the next cookout you attend.

Head on over to the Ethel Blog and tell me what your favorite condiment is.

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A Day to Recharge

As an introvert, being around a lot of people wears me out both physically and emotionally. One of the reasons I really enjoy gardening is because it’s a great way for me to get some quiet time alone to recharge. After a busy week last week with lots of trips out and about, I was sorely in need of some quiet time. Mr Chiots was heading out for the day to cheer on some friends that were running a race, so luckily I had a day to myself. I thought about working in the garden, but I had been doing a lot of that all week and needed a bit of a rest day out of the sun.

I checked We Took to the Woods out of the library a few weeks ago and haven’t been able to find any measurable amount of time to sit down and get through more than 10 pages at once. I decided to make the most of my day by spending it sitting on the front porch in my little folding chair finishing up the book. There’s nothing like a good book and a few hours of uninterrupted reading to restore the soul. Now I’m ready to take on the week!

What’s your favorite way to recharge?

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Quote of the Day: J.W. von Goethe

Happy it is, indeed, for me that my heart is capable of feeling the same simple and innocent pleasure as the peasant whose table is covered with food of his own rearing, and who not only enjoys his meal, but remembers with delight the happy days and sunny mornings when he planted it, the soft evenings when he watered it, and the pleasure he experienced in watching it’s daily growth.

J.W. von Goethe (the Sorrows of Werther)
found in The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook

In spring I can’t help but be so ever thankful for having a bit of earth in which to cultivate some of the food for our table. At the moment we’re truly enjoying fresh green salads topped with whatever edible flowers are blooming and the yellow strawberries that will be bearing all summer long.


The asparagus is almost finished and will be replaced on our plates by those beautiful golden peas I planted a few months ago.

The strawberries are finally in full swing and every evening we’ll be enjoying a bowl of shortcake covered in fresh raw milk from the farm (recipe to come later this week). It’s the perfect late dinner on a hot day!

The peas and strawberries will give way to zucchini, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes as the summer days grow hotter. Then before we know it we’ll be craving warming stews filled with squash and venison and a side of crusty bread in the cold months of winter. I don’t know if I have a favorite season when it comes to eating homegrown goodness, I’m learning to appreciate the different flavors and textures they each bring to the table.

Do you have a favorite season for eating fresh from the garden? What’s your favorite item in each season?

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The First Bouquet

This past week I spotted the first light pink double peony blooming and had to bring it indoors. I picked a few other flowers including: euphorbia, crimson clover, dutch iris, chives, single peony, ladies mantle, and east friesland hybrid sage.

After ready a few books like Simply Imperfect: Revisiting the Wabi-Sabi Houseand The Kitchen Gardener’s HandbookI decided to try having freshly cut things from the garden in the house more often. It can be anything from some freshly harvested asparagus in a vase waiting to be eaten, a branch of forsythia being forced into early bloom, or a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the garden. Someday I will have a dedicated cutting garden filled with all sorts of things to bring indoors, but until then I’ll snip a little bloom here and there. They won’t even be missed in the garden and I’ll be able to enjoy them inside.

What’s your favorite cut flower to have in a vase on the table?

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