Garden Update & CSA Crate Loot #10

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Good evening, lovelies!

How are you? Hope you’ve had a wonderful Saturday. I managed to get some things done around the home front but other than that the REAL highlight was going to the farmer’s market and picking up our CSA crate. The Farmer’s Market seems to be getting busier by the weekend. I was a little later than normal and missed out on the cilantro and squash blossoms. I was early to the CSA pickup though and scored extra plums and bell peppers! wOOt, wOOt! Seriously, can’t believe we’ve enjoyed 12 crate loads so far on this locavore journey of ours.

I only came home with swiss chard and strawberries from the Farmer’s Market because between the garden and CSA crate; we’re getting lot’s of great seasonal produce. Still love to support local farmer’s though!!

Check it out!

I’m always amazed by how quickly things grow ...

the watermelons are taking off…especially this one!

Baby cucumbers… whoohoo!

Cute lil itty bitty beans, curling… do you see them… ?? adorb!

Do you think fairies play inside these magical bean stalks??!! I do! 

Our family of baby pumpkins… the first family (we think) died from heat stroke! 

Sorry the lightening is off…but it was the only time of day I was able to get out with the cam (D-40) .

Green Bell Peppers… our bells are lovin’ us of this year…they dig there home (raised bed).

What’s up doc? sorry! can’t help myself!

The kale is doing better BUTl… I think the bugs have invaded it…

some kind of black bug…worm maybe?! I’m doing my best to keep them alive tho!

Damn pests.

baby jalapeno pepper… mmm, spice! Love me some spice!

My pepper pot is going to make it after all. yay!

Mmm!  Tomato’s …

Still nursing these guys too (our zucchini) is struggling this year. The plants will bear fruit but die off…

we’ve fertilized, watered and lovingly cared for them. There is a baby zuke in there 2 actually…

and the other plants have a couple also… *fingers crossed*

This week we harvested 2 strawberries, 4 jalapenos, 4 carrots & 2 heads of cabbage!

so much fun to garden with the tots! They love gettin’ dirty and diggen’ things up, that’s for sure.

Our rooster…. formerly Lois but now named Louie.. how appropriate!

Funny how things,  happen, huh?!

CSA CRATE CONTENTS:

* bell peppers

* carrots

* 2  kinds of plums red/green

* cantaloupe

* summer squash

* butterhead lettuce

* red leaf lettuce (lettuces not pictured…put em’ away before I snapped a shot!)

* garlic chives

* tomatoes

* potatoes

* onions

* green beans approx 2 1/2 lbs!

Roma and Beef steak tomatoes! juicy and sweet! did I hear someone say salsa?

Love packin’ away organic fruits, veggies and herbs in my wonder thunder produce bags.

Makes my heart leap…

btw, these bags are organic and  printed with safe water-based inks! YES!!!

I have lot’s of plans for this haul of produce… mainly to get it into my belly…

but you know what I mean, err, well, I hope, anyway! LOL!  Lot’s of menu ideas! hee, hee!!

Support your local farmer!  Join a CSA today or find a farmer’s market near you!

P.S.

you might have wondered why my site was acting wonky by displaying old posts on the main page…it won’t be doing that anymore, thanks to @dawniemom!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Urban Garden Update, Part 2 & CSA Crate Contents #9

Good evening, peeps!

Hope you enjoyed yesterday’s front yard urban garden update!

We have a lot of ideas and still have much more work to do.

It’s a slow going process but so worth every little bit of progress.

The backyard garden is doing alright this year. The heat really interferes with growth.

It’s tough but so much of a live and learn experience.  Gettin’ there.

Today, we did nothing but tend to the garden and housework… all day long! It was totally worth it because things are much neater and tidy.

The garden was fertilized, watered, weeded and we harvested basil, two serrano peppers & more peaches. Lot’s of yummy veggies & fruit coming our way shortly.

This post is full of pics and is lengthy, SO consider yourself  forewarned. LOL!

Our Basil is doing so well… parsley, cilantro, and 2 different kinds of thyme in this bed

& watermelon would be on the left …(not pictured)

Cukes trellised … so many blossoms…fingers are crossed!

Almond trees in the ground!

The area we live in was once known for it’s almond orchards…

some still exist but many have been plowed by new development

Backyard garden…  our pepper bed on the right… (chocolate, purple, green, jalapeno’s)

The calendula flowers are starting to die out… we reworked the bed today and planted more beets and dill!

Zucchini bed having some trouble… starting to come back and turn green again

WAS yellow and had spots (possibly mold) but looking a bit healthier these days.

Will get a flower then baby zuch’s die off…so, we shall see. A little bummed about the zucchini…

anyone know what might be the problem?

Dixie out free ranging or wreakin’ havoc…

she loves to eat our tomato flowers… Grr!

The eco tot and Baby C garden is in the very front of the pic… carrots and peppers so far…

all planted by Tristan, our 3 year old himself. He works this area and waters…

Baby C proved that he liked dunking his head in the muddy water after his brother watered.

It was pretty hilarious and I wish I would have had the camera for that shot.

Strawberries halted in production but have a a couple blossoms…

*click on photo’s to enlarge* 

Hot green chili peppers…serrano’s and jalapeno’s

These pepper plants nearly died while we were on vay k!

upon my return I discovered them to be a shriveled mess.

After a little water revival they perked up some..

Not entirely but it’s looking WAY healthier.

Tomatoes! We shaded them some because it’s hella hot

& they could use a little break from the heat.

They’re VERY happy about this.

Purple kale…

living on (just barely) after Henrietta & Dixie took the liberty of helping themselves!

Asparagus, in it’s first year… the stalks fern out… pretty, huh?!

They’re some baby gus’s in the box but the first year they get to kick it.

Our 2 peach trees sit beside this box… only 1 is producing fruit this year.

I’m still leaving out our cabbage bed, carrots, grapes, apricot, cherry and nectarine tree…

phew… it’s overwhelming! LOL!

Our first Orange Jubilee Tomato and the chicks pecked at it!

sheesh!

Now onto the CSA loot… all organic & farm fresh… support your local farmer!!!

“personal” watermelon (scored 2 extra for being early at the pickup)

& a cantaloupe from the farmer’s market.

Peaches& Saturn Peaches– round (on bottom)

red potatoes galore.

Sunny, sun… sunflowers! They brighten my soul.

Olliaberries & cilantro are from the farmer’s market…

purple basil, corn (gave 4 ears to parents)

paddy squash (3), summer squash (3) all included in CSA crate.

I like to reuse the butcher paper from the CSA box and wrap up herbs in it.

Once herbs are wrapped, I allow a tiny bit of water to run through so dampen the paper…

this helps the herbs “keep”.

Kale from the farmer’s market. I promise it’s not moldy… LOL!

Oops! PLASTIC…. next wk. I need to remember to leave the green baskets behind &

remember my cloth bags because this week I forgot them… doh! The consequences:

2 plastic bags and the green baskets. YUCK!

Red onions…  which I plan to use in salsa

Oh! which reminds me… I completely forgot to edit the jalapeno and tomato pic…

visualize 4 tomatoes, a package of cherry tom’s & a handful of peppers ( jalapeno & serrano), will ya?

All tucked inside our CSA crate!

Looking forward to using up our bounty of veggies & fruits (from the garden and our crate).

Having fresh organic produce on hand makes me giddy!

Are you involved in a CSA share?

How does your garden grow?

Hope you had a great weekend!

Front Yard, Urban Garden Update: Part 1

Our little front yard urban garden….

Such a difference from the last post!

Lot’s of flourishing going on…

Watermelon is trellised & cukes but not in this pic!

Bush beans are starting to flower…look closely and you can see little pods.

Pumpkin & Cucumber plants … tall plant in the back is Basil.

& not pictured but in front of the Basil is lemon thyme, parsley, cilantro, thyme and our…

watermelon….

SQUEE!!! SUGAR BABY’S…. Lot’s of them!!!

Lot’s of baby pumpkins like this one TOO!

MMMmmm…Summer, I LOVE, LOVE you!

We harvested our peaches off one tree… 45 in this bowl and still more to pick!

Did someone say cobbler? Um, yeah! ;P

Thinned out the carrot bed some more….

Lot’s of faces and smiles from this little guy, while doing so… just call him “bugs” LOL!

Volunteer sunflowers… food for the bees! I also bought some at the farmer’s market today and put them in a vase.

ahhh, the vibrant colors…they instantly lit up my home .

Hope you’re doing something summery with lot’s of sunshine & smiles.

Stay tuned for garden update, part 2!

the {upcycled & recycled} 365 Ways to Go Green!

Hi everyone!

Hope you all have a great weekend. TGIF!

I’m sure many of you, like myself, have wondered what to do with an item… as in how to reduce, reuse and recycle it!

you know; commit an eco action and feel like a planet saving hero…right? Right!

Today’s,  planet saving hero, is a friend of mine; whom I had pleasure of meeting on twitter.

His name is Mike, otherwise known as Canarsie BK across the web … he’s down to earth… AND

he’s determined to show you just how easy it is to go green… all year long.

His non intimidating sustainable acts prove eco friendly can be simple & fun.

Be sure to follow Mike’s journey and get an eco glimpse of his 365′in ways filled with plenty of fantastic 3R’s (green) ideas.

Today, he uses a tea bag to clean tiles... check it out!

{Meatless Monday} Raw Vegan e-books & daiya cheese

Happy Meatless Monday, peeps!

Hope you had a great weekend. Ours was jam packed – go, go, go! We even managed to get a few things done out in the garden. I can’t believe it’s been almost a week since I’ve posted anything here.

Baby C is gettin’ in his molars and is having a little trouble getting to sleep so it’s been tough for me to stay up and blog. I’m thinking it may even be safe to say that posts may be sporadic through the summer season as activities tend to pick up.

With the warmer weather here the inspiration for light and fresh meals has already begun. Lot’s of fresh fruit, salads, water, green smoothies and frozen treats have been on the mind and going into the belly. I have to say I’m getting better and better at eating raw meals. The heat makes me crave more raw, fresh foods. I’m so much more aware of what is going into my body since I started this journey which was actually last summer. It’s not perfect…but I’m learning so much about eating healthier and am doing my best to make healthier choices.

I’m trying to keep it relatively simple when it comes to raw vegan meals. I have a nice collection of raw uncookbooks as well as a few e-books. I’m in love with all of Ani Phyo’s recipe books and have made quite a few of her dishes. I recently made her banana bread biscuits and trail mix cookies! SOOOOoooo good!

The banana bread was just like the flour version but seriously, so much better and fresher tasting. I’m planning to make more soon. I hope to also meet her when she returns to Los Angeles for her book signing tour.

The eco tot really loves these donut holes, so, I’ve been making those up too (and I totally thought I took a picture of em’ but I guess not). Last week, was a toughie. I’m really hoping to stay on top of things more this week. Fingers crossed. I hate making promises I can’t keep.

Anywho! before this post turns into some sort of rant… (warning you…)

I’d like to highlight two e-books I’ve been uncooking from.

- The Magically Mysterious Raw E-book

- Raw on $10 a Day (or Less)!

LOVE, LOVE, them. Both are very different and unique in their own regard but have one thing in common SIMPLE & delicious recipes.

A dehydrator is required for some of the recipes featured but for those of you who don’t own one you can always use your oven on the lowest setting. Our oven does not set below 170 and in the raw foods world above 115 degrees destroys beneficial enzymes. I do what I can for now but I do WISH for TSM dehydrator.

Dehydrator or not… eating raw fresh foods does not require heating your food. A dehydrator helps people like me transition into the world of rawkin’ foods (makes ya feel like you’re still cooking somewhat).  I’ve made a few recipes from each e-book. Each one has been yummy.  Again, no pictures- I know, bad bloggy! *smacks hand*

To tell you the truth I’m horrible about remembering to take foodie pics until it’s too late and it’s already gone.  lol!

On top of eating raw, we mainly eat vegetarian and vegan dishes. Recently, I  had snatched up some daiya cheese from the health food store…

It’s not half bad and surprisingly cheesy!

If you haven’t heard of Daiya cheese it’s a dairy free cheese made from tapioca rather than soy! It was a splurge and I was surprised my local health food store carried it….I meant to grab the mozzeralla but instead grabbed cheddar. It melts and pulls apart just like cheese and tastes a lot like an american cheese. We added it to eggs, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and also made quesadilla’s one night (heavy on the gauc ). If you’re a vegan or veggie don’t miss out on this one!

Wish it didn’t come packaged in plastic though because I truly cringe when I buy items packaged in plastic. I don’t like to support all the plastic litter especially since I can’t recycle the package. Wish companies would get smarter and start packaging their products sustainably or at the very least package them in plastics made from recycled materials. daiya in bulk? Sheesh! <end rant>

I tell ya,  never thought being a mama to boys would be such a TOUGH task. Holy tots, wonder woman! Pre-kids, my lists were all checked and you couldn’t find a crumb or dust in this place. My OCD has gone out the window along with my skills it seems… still some room for patience but it’s difficult some days. I have a mild case of scatterbrainnervia aka anxiety (self diagnosing, myself here!).

Which is why I need to get this healthy eating on track so I can start gaining more clarity and function properly. SHEESH! I definitely feel a difference on days I eat more raw then on days when I eat foods that I know I shouldn’t be eating. bleah! Wish I had a lot more determination, like my bloggy friend Alysha! Blogging has been a bit overwhelming for me to get done lately too (in case you haven’t noticed ). With two active tots, teething, yada yada yada… + on my free time I’ve been doing a lot of research on homeschooling and reading a lot of great new blogs! good times.

Okay, okay, I’ll quit complaining and do my best to bring you green action on the daily but stick with me if it only happens weekly, please! 

So, tell me, what have you been cooking or uncooking up in the kitchie?

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