paper pot planting & Seedy Saturday!

I think I like this little paper pot maker I bought at a seedy Saturday!

Main reasons for this are to get away from plastic and the troubles that come from re-using plastic 6packs (like disease and fungus.)
although I will use some this year anyways

Attie liked it it too at first!

Her teeny tiny attention span could only make it through about 3 pots...  then she ends up going on a tangent

She was just glueing bits of newspaper with the Oatmeal Glue paint.


Having so much fun.


Being creative.

Then she says:

"i'm going to Fridge it"


:0)


she "Fridges" things.




















Going through seeds to decide which to plant first.

I got my seeds from Seedy saturday in Regina!  (I bought from Prairie Garden Seeds and Heritage Harvest Seeds

What a great day THAT was.  We had a good time. Attie played in the children's spot - which was completely hands ON.  the theme was "touch everything"  - which for kids is the only interesting option.  paint, plant, play with dirt and plants...

and I got to wander in and out of like- minded, organic gardeney type folks, frantically gathering seed for this year's abundance!

Stories and enthusiasm bounced from one bright eye'd, winter worn prairie person to another. 

After what I had been through the weeks and months prior to March 9th,  It was like the first piece of sun I felt cutting through my skin,cuting thru to my bones.

Feelings were:  hopeful and warm-hearted.

 So, I used a mix of :  20% compost : 40% peat : 40% vermiculite

the first batch had some little weeds who didn't get cooked in the compost last summer.

so I cooked (sterilized)  the compost this time.  at 200 c for 30 mins, just like the internet said to do.
covered it with cardboard.

Sterilizing compost

... So I'll let you know how that worked.



 and Ava crawls.  also she is standing up on things!!  waaaahahaha she's growing fast.

 helping momma fill the pots with soil

Then her little creative and easily distracted tendencies drew her to the doggie dish. 

and mud making.

a few days later....

"...the difference between
the sprout and the bean
it is a golden ring
it is a twisted string..."

-Joanna Newsom  

Juicing from the Garden - with the toddler!

Today's presents from the garden

Still lots of cucumbers  which are perfect in juice when we have too many!

They just give so so much juice.

Note the heirloom purple dragon carrots!

fun and very tasty!

 heirloom Bassano beets

I almost thought I'd mistaken and planted turnips there...

 but they are sweet like a beet!

Sweet morning smiles!!

 I'm glad we also planted regular beets cuz I really like the purple juice they make!

Beets are a good liver tonic, but only use one or two in a juice. 

bringin in the treasures!

Attie loves helping make juice.
Right from harvesting the veggies to pouring the finished juice into her cup.

I love doing it with her.

 Its fun, she's fully capable and then there's no kid whining at your knees... 

and it helps with her loving to drink it too   :0)

My personal Juicing tips:

- Apples and carrots are necessary
- beets make a good color
- add something green for health
- cucumbers + watermelon give loads of juice
- juice gets your insides moving. like Now.

clean up
- do it immediately after - makes it MUch easier.
- or at least rinse everything out asap.
- pour the juice  (thru a sieve if preferred) into another vessel and wash out the juice catcher immediately
- I scrape all the produce mush into the mush catcher and then fill it with water for the compost, which needs water anyways and makes it easier to clean the mush catcher!

and most of all:



** put ice in your juice!

yummm and health!




Do you have any essential juicing tips?

Quinoa - Recipes and Growing!

Quinoa -  (Keen- O- Wa)

The super grain!  Full of what our bodies need and void of what we don't.

"This plant origionated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source.^[14] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration human occupied spaceflights.^[14]"

- quoted from Wikipedia

seed before cooking

 after cooking

Quinoa has a soft, slightly crunchy almost nutty taste. It makes a very healthy and yummy oatmeal,  can be used in baking, in place of rice or pasta for a side dish, with sauces, in cold salads, ...

Here is a yummy looking recipe:

Martha Stewart's Quinoa Spinach Bake

I am going to try it tonight and probably put in in a regular roatation!!

There is a Saskatchewan company who produces Quinoa,

 along with other organic grains, flakes and pastas.

NorQuin Brand.

the prices are really good...

They have tonnes of quinoa recipes!! 

check out the recipes

 The quinoa plant, is in the goosfoot family with things like spinach, beets and tumbleweeds.

The only downfall of quinoa, is that it can be kind of pricey.

So, in my seed ordering escapades, I ran into some local quinoa seed!

I am so very pumped to try it.  I guess the plant grows from 3'-8' (feet) tall.

Grows easily, and then there's some work to do involving the harvest.

But I am willing to try er out!!

Here is someone's story on their quinoa growing journey

And, THIS is the catalogue where I found quinoa seed! 

for the website and online catalogue:

Prairie Garden Seeds

Jim Ternier and Family have an excellent Heirloom seed company near Humbolt, Saskatchewan.

Their prices and variety are good.  Lots of grains, like quinoa AND chia!! 

(another plant I am going to try out this summer!)

Along with tonnes of heirloom veggies, grasses and flowers.

Also, cover crops for green manure.

(yet another experiment for this fall...)

They are a conscious and hard working family dedicated to the preservation of old heirloom varieties and seed variety in general.

check em out!

Jim,

 By Richard Widdifield

seed cataloging

I think maybe I've logged 5 hours into this baby already!  Familiarizing myself with heirloom vegetables. Reading all the mouthwatering descriptions of what they'll taste like.  Tonight I was on their online catalogue so I could see what everything looked like too!
 HOW FUN!

some of the tomatoes were just astounding.  crazy lookin things...

 Black Calabash


                                   Reisetomate

 Violaceum



                                        Zapotec




There's 20 pages of tomatoes... but somehow it managed to keep my interest!!

Heritage Harvest Seed company, out of Carman, Manitoba.

 The Seeds of Diversity claims they "One of the best selections of rare heirloom seed in North America! Over 600 hard to find heirloom vegetables, flowers and herbs. "
After looking at other seed companies, I think their close to right!   These guys have it all covered.

The Seeds of Diversity is a Canadian organization all about seed conservation and documentation.  There are 1400 members who save seeds and pay a small membership.  In turn, having access to samples of over 2900 seed and plant varieties from other members!  I think I'll join up.  Sounds kinda up my alley! 

I am hosting a Seed Talk and Swap at the Radville Library on March 6th, If you live anywhere near, be sure to come out!

I'm going to plant some wild and wierd heirlooms this summer!
What a world.   Saving seeds is where its at.

Where do you get your seeds from??

Have you found some favorite, special heirloom varieties?

heirloom seeds

We got a seed catalog in the mail from Heritage Harvest Seeds and i have had my eyes glued to its insides since! These people have been researching and finding old seed with history and/or has been bred to the region.

For Instance:

There is a Melon which the donators are quite sure the seed was brought over from the Ukraine by their great grandparents in 1874! EXTREMELY RARE. It says beside the write up for this "Cershownski" Muskmelon.

The "Queen Anne's Pocket Melon", cultivated as early as the seventeenth century. "were very popular in victorian times for their perfume-like qualities ans were often carried in the pockets of Victorian women!! An interesting historic novelty."

Melons bred and cultivated for their short growing season, their sweetness, tolerance to drought or even perfume scent!

Of course, this company doesn't specialize in Melons! That is just one section amongst its 74 page catalog.

I already ordered my main vegetable garden seed. I ordered mine from Prarie Garden Seeds.
A small seed company mainly certified Organic, a whole bunch of heirloom seeds and the prices are great!
after much catalog flipping and research, this was my order:

-Bounty peas
-simonet corn
-blue lake beans
-5 colour silverbeet swiss chard
- bloomsdale spinach
-scarlet nantes carrots
- vegetable spaghetti squash
- cibstata rinabesco zuchinni
- Brandywine tomato
- whippersnapper tomato


I just love the idea of using old seed. Its the same idea as using a clothing pattern from 1935.

The next steps are establishing some good perennials and saving seed!

I have been daydreaming about landscaping and raised bed building too.
this is the first spring in our new home, so there is a lot of work to be done to our yard! we've got a lot of cement in our yard, so raised beds will be built on that for herbs and spinach and the like.

oh, summer! I hope you will come to us!
today, the temperature is -17 C. on march 25th...
but i have faith.