Planting Where You Live

One element to gardening that is important to consider is that plants grow better when they are cultivated in a climate and soil condition that they are designed to flourish in. For example, our weather is very temperate – it never gets very hot or very cold – which is great for growing year-round, but not so wonderful for growing heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. We hope to remedy this by growing them in the hoop house my husband constructed; however, we learned the hard way that simply sticking plants or seeds in the soil, watering, and weeding does not guarantee gardening success.

Know Your Frost Dates

The first key to gardening is to not plant too early (or too late). You can’t always know how the weather is going to turn out during any given year, but you can look up weather patterns to find the last frost before the planting season and the first frost of fall. This information is helpful to prevent damage due to unexpected frosts.
 

Climate and Season Length

Consider the humidity levels and temperature in your location. You may struggle with growing long season or heat-loving vegetables like me, or you may have trouble growing cool season plants. Whatever your growing situation is, be sure to factor it into the plants you choose to grow. The Plant Hardiness Zone Map can be helpful in determining what will develop successfully in your area.
 

Know Your Soil

It is very helpful to know the type of soil you have to work with. There are three basic soil types: sandy, loamy, or clay. You can also test the pH of your soil with a simple test available at most garden centers. Some plants grow best in sandy soil, while others prefer another type, or a certain mix. The same is true of soil pH. Once you determine your soil type, you will have a better understanding of what will grow well in your garden. You can always amend your soil through different methods to achieve a different soil environment.
 

Talk to Your Neighbors

One of the best resources for growing in your area is a local gardener. Talk to people about what has worked for them, and what dates they recommend planting. Those of us who have learned by trial and error can save you some wasted efforts.

 

About Author: 

Krystle writes from Long Beach Washington where she is a wife, mother, photographer and modern day homesteader. Krystle has a passion for whole foods and simple back to the land living.

Checkout Krystle's Photography or connect with her on Facebook.

Fresh this Season

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Creamy Asparagus Soup

You might remember from a previous post that I enjoy asparagus season. Asparagus has recently become one of my favorite vegetables, so it was a special surprise when my husband brought a bundle of green spears home for our anniversary. We decided to try making a soup with part of the asparagus. The soup turned out more delicious than I anticipated; it will definitely be a repeated recipe in our home.

 

Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe

About 8 oz of asparagus
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup of whole milk
Salt to taste

Trim tips off of asparagus spears; set aside.

Chop asparagus stalks and place in medium saucepan. Add stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes. *Transfer asparagus and stock to a blender and puree until smooth. Work in batches, if necessary.

Return puree to saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and add milk and the reserved asparagus tips. Heat soup through and adjust seasoning with salt

* When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

About Author: 

Krystle writes from Long Beach Washington where she is a wife, mother, photographer and modern day homesteader. Krystle has a passion for whole foods and simple back to the land living.

Checkout Krystle's Photography or connect with her on Facebook.

Vegetarian Meal Ideas

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Spring Pea Hummus

My mother has always taken delight at the patches of mint that thrive along the edges of her house. "It keeps away the ants!" she insists. I have no idea if this actually works, but having her advice firmly imprinted into the core of my being, I too cultivate patches of mint here and there. Which means, that right about now, mid to late spring, we have lots of it. Good for tea, good for jelly, and awesome in a agua fresca with lime and cucumbers, mint also pairs perfectly with peas.

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Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Are you an oatmeal lover? Recently I started adding strawberries to my breakfast oatmeal and thought the combination would make a pretty good muffin too. Several experimental batches later I now have a strawberry oatmeal muffin that I'm proud to share with you. Here's the deal, you don't just want to toss some chopped strawberries into an oatmeal muffin batter. You can if you want, but they won't turn out as well as they could. Macerate the strawberries first in a little sugar with some balsamic vinegar, to concentrate and intensify the flavor of the strawberries. Macerating the berries first also releases some of the strawberries' moisture, which will go into the batter where you want it.

One ingredient you might find odd in this recipe is the 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper. I don't know what it is about black pepper, but just this small amount brightens the overall flavor of the muffin.

The muffins get plenty of leavening from eggs, baking powder, and baking soda. The baking soda and the baking powder will react with the yogurt and vinegar as soon as they come together, so work quickly. Do not let the batter sit around. Get it into a muffin tin and into the oven as soon as you can after you mix the wet and dry ingredients.

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Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

When I was a kid, my mother often used to add sliced raw jerusalem artichokes to our salads. I have no idea why. She doesn't do it any more, and hasn't for years. At the time I just thought they were weird looking and didn't taste like much. Nothing at all like the real artichokes that we kids fought over at the dinner table. My kid's mind decided that they didn't grow very good artichokes in Jerusalem. Hah! Well, mystery solved. Turns out jerusalem artichokes are neither artichokes, nor are they from Jerusalem. They're tubers, native of North America, and the plant is related to and resembles sunflowers. (In fact, these days they are often called "sunchokes".) "Jerusalem" is thought to have evolved from the Italian name for the plant, "girasole" for sunflower. Why "artichoke"? If my mom had only cooked them, then that part of the mystery would have been solved for me. Cooked, they taste surprisingly like artichokes. Yum!

A traditional and wonderfully easy way to prepare these chokes is as a soup. If you like the taste of artichokes, I urge you to try your hand at making this soup with jerusalem artichokes. This is lick-the-bowl good.

Word to the wise. Sunchokes are known for ... well, how can I say it politely... causing flatulence, especially when raw. In fact, Hank calls them "fartichokes". (He grows them in his garden, he should know.) He tells me that slow cooking them, like this soup preparation, greatly reduces the problem. Eh hem, although I'm sure I'm risking telling you Too Much Information, I had no particular gaseous issue with this soup. Thank goodness, because I can't wait to make it again.

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Sweet and Spicy Mushroom Stir Fry

Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord as he shares a lip-smacking recipe for mushroom stir-fry he recreated from one he enjoyed in China.

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Meyer Lemon Risotto

February, March, not much is growing this time of year, and usually the weather is blustery and rather gray. That is, except for the citrus. All over Sacramento, and most of California, orange, grapefruit, and lemon trees are laden with bright fruit. Meyer lemons in particular are well suited for home landscapes, which is why so many people have their own backyard tree. Supposedly they don't orchard well, but if they are spaced out enough, as in one in my backyard and one in yours, they're fine. The fruit is a cross between an orange and lemon, so the peel is a little more orangey than a regular lemon, and the juice is not nearly as tart. The peel itself is also mild. Sometimes we look out into the backyard to find that some critter has eaten all of the peel off of a few Meyer lemons, leaving whole globes of lemon segments naked.

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