Saturday was a perfect day!

     Mary Ann, me, MM, Sarah-bear and Jimmy went to the Annual Herbal Affair in Sand Springs, OK. It is our fourth year in a row and is now to be considered a tradition. I love those! There is something so comforting and fun about them. We start the day with making everyone an excellent coffee, meet up at Mary Ann’s house to load her wagon. Everyone gets out to go and look at their garden. Bob did a great job at building her raised beds! We’re about tied now in the square footage. We have a bit of a friendly competition going on between us. Then, we all load up, girls with the girls, boys with the boys and head out to spend the day in the sun, finding all of our deals.              As always, I bring my camera and get a pic of us unloading the wagons but nothing else till I’m home. I always get too excited looking through all the plants for my little treasures that will complete my well-planned masterpiece. 

     




I was able to find every single plant I wanted except for one. I was also able to get quite a few new and exciting ones as well. Wrap the outing up with a ten dollar pizza from Pizza Hut and head home to plant the beautiful bounty we purchased. It only gets better, Bob has volunteered to come over and help MM fill the final bed! 
There is something so special about an empty garden bed. When the soil is ready and beckoning you to fill it. It’s like a canvas screaming for some paint to fill it’s emptiness. We are taught that we were created in His image. Man and woman in His image. He is the master creator. So, it stands to reason that if we are in His image, when we create, anything, that we are at our finest. I sure feel like it brings out the best in me


Can it get any better than that? 

Yes, yes it can! I get the house straightened up, Mary Ann comes over to our place, helps me plant, we have a blast, my mom brings home armfuls of clothes for me and Sarah-bear’s grow-up box from garage sale hunting and a gorgeous new rug for our living room! To top it off MM helped me get some sentimental plants of mine out of the full sun. They just aren’t ready for it yet and if anything happened to them it would make me cry. Yes siree, today was a perfect day

A good friend of mine said, "In order to write you have to sit down and do it.",

and all I can think is "ouch".  They are true words indeed.  So this is me, sitting down and writing.  I have thought about writing for the last month.  Things have been very hectic around here.  I've always had a good excuse not to write, after all, I am a very busy woman!  However, enough is enough, so here goes.  
     Many things have been done around here since I last posted.  The two additional raised beds have been built in our garden.  One of them has even been filled.  It was a huge job that the whole family helped with.  That always makes it better.  In spite of the occasional whining the day was fun.  I've had to change the plans a couple of times, but I'm flexible.  The seedlings have been transplanted, except for the tomatoes that will go in the last bed.  

That makes a grand total of seven beds in the winter garden.  I call it that because it is the garden we use year-round.  We also got the composter put together and in use.  I love being married to a man who can do anything!  It is a wonderful device, however, the fourteen day compost is only achieved when you shred all your materials and add it all at once.  That's okay though.  I'll get there eventually.  

                                

 The flag-pole garden has been dug out, lined and refilled with better soil and less rocks.  It has also been planted with carrots, radishes, beets and carrots and onions.  

We also got the vertical beds put in two of the winter garden beds.  I am very excited about the extra space we will have to grow things.  It has effectively doubled the growing space for the beds!

On a different note, some of you might remember me mentioning that the farmers I buy my milk from, Rex and Marie, have a community garden that they host all year, every year.  For either $50.00 or seven hours of weeding members can buy their veggies at wholesale costs.  We have decided to become members of that garden.  It has been so wonderful eating the seasonal crops that they are turning out.  I throughly enjoy every minute that I spend with them.  They are wonderful people who enjoy what they do.  They are a real inspiration to me.  I took some pics of their hoop house.  We bought some kale, collards, and swiss chard and had the most wonderful salads for the next week. If any of my locals would like the info on the community garden,please, feel free to contact me.

I have learned that foods eaten, when in season and local,are more nutritious simply because they are fresher.  

What's in season now?

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 9:02 AM

  |  posted by Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N

Eating with the seasons is a great way to maximize nutrition and minimize the environmental costs of our foods.  Foods that are fresh (i.e., in season) and locally-grown are going to be more nutritious because nutrients degrade during shipping and storage. It's also better for the environment (and the economy) because the alternative (shipping foods long distances) uses so much energy.  

Makes total sense eh?  I'm looking forward to the fresh fruits and veggies coming up in our garden!  I am including a list of the plants we have planted currently and some that will be added soon.  Also, some pics of my garden plans.

Okay, so the list is too long for me to do today.  Sorry about that but the day is ticking away and there is still laundry to do and dishes to put away. Hope this finds everyone enjoying spring time as much as we are!

God Bless our blooms!