August 2008

I bet you’ve noticed the abundance of tomatoes lately. They seem to be infiltrating the garden and I seem to be making a lot of tomato recipes lately.

It is really amazing that they all just turn red at once, calling to any person passing by to eat the fruit.

Oh and I do! Oh yes, I pluck one or two! And softly bite into it, which gently pops it. And with the few that I taste I find that every plot has a specific tomato taste, believe it or not.

I notice that Robin and I’s are a little sweeter than others. Some have more of an earthy taste to them than others. And this is specifically among the small cherry type tomatoes.

I haven’t found any information to why this is, but I suspect that it has something to do with soil-the nitrogen maybe. Not a 100% sure. But that is my scientific guess.

So next the time your at the garden, taste a few tomatoes. I won’t mind. It’s all in the name of research.

I love that sound. The pitter patter of storms on the roof (now my air conditioning unit), to me it has always been calming. Even the big storms that we have in Texas, the thunder, the lighting brought a comfort. This comfort came from knowing that the sun will always shine, again, either in the morning or when the clouds break.

But although, this still has meaning to me, now it means crucial water to the garden. I can always tell the difference after the rain has come. The plants are livelier (if that’s possible) and of course greener. And if you are my plants you’ve grown more. It’s a beautiful sight that I love to see.

And although this rain brings comfort and growth, the state as a whole is in a drought and it is expected to continue. Personally, I’ve been thinking of how can I conserve water- not leaving the faucet on while doing dishes, no small loads of laundry, and I may even start collecting my shower water. Do I have any raised eyebrows?

Let me explain. There is nothing wrong with that what before you get in it. It is just going back through the system, your paying for it in some way and you will pay for it again with the next shower. So why not put your water to use and water your garden plot.

This is called greywatering. I first heard about it in the book, “The Urban Homestead,” (a book that I highly recommend to all of you growers and eco-consciene people out there) the book talks about collecting rain water and greywater. Two things that are actually easy to do!

Really all you need is buckets and maybe a plan. But hey you can find all that stuff on the web or in Urban Homestead! Plus, we won’t have to use the hoses.

Link to collecting rainwater: http://www.gdrc.org/uem/water/rainwater/introduction.htm

Link to collecting greywater: http://www.greywaterguerrillas.com/index.html

My mouth drops every time I come to the garden. It seems that everything is blooming and growing. It is amazing to just see how it expands. One day all you have is dirt and some seeds and then BAM you have a green garden. I’m so excited. My tomatoes will be coming to turn soon and I already have eggplant and squash which will be turned into excellent Ratatouille, Baba Ghanoush and other wonderful dishes.

Of course for those of you who have been coming out lately you’ll notice that my cucumbers and squash plants have taken over. I was warned by several of you that this would happen, but I don’t listen very well. So hopefully they will not be taking over the mulch sidewalks in between to become the attack of the vegetables. That would be cool though.

I guess it is time to start planning the fall garden, but I still have to wait on my summer plants to come in. If I was a true pilgrim, I would have planned better, but with my current situation back in the 1500s I’d starve. But luckily they had the Native Americans and I got a great garden family. My only question is who knows what they are planting?

Greetings all.  Ken here and I just want to let you know that I will be a guest writer on this Blog from time to time.  You can read more about me over on the main Project Grow site.  This will be the first in a series of recipes inspired by friends in the Northwestern part of Greece where I used to frequently visit.

This is my recipe for Greek Pasta Salad:

Ingredients:

6 – 8 Kalamata Olives, Finely chopped

1 Medium Tomato Finely Chopped

½ Large Green Pepper Finely Chopped

5 – 6 Ounces Crumbled Feta Cheese

2 – 4 Cups Cooked and cooled Pasta as desired (Use your favorite type)

3 – 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil mayonnaise or conventional mayo as desired.

3 Cloves finely minced Fresh Garlic or 1 – 2 Teaspoons Garlic powder to taste.

Fresh or Dried Basil to taste.

Put the Olives, Tomato, Green Pepper, Garlic, Basil and Cheese into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add in the Pasta and mix again thoroughly.  Add in the Mayonnaise and mix again.  Can be served immediately or refrigerated for later use.

Yield:  5 – 6 Servings as a side dish or 2 – 4 servings as a main dish.

Preparation time 20 minutes.

I only assume that we all are feeling the clamy sweaty humidity that is becoming present in our little community. Thankfully, we have the genorisity of some to water out plots, when we are not there. But there are other ways to protect our little seedlings.

• Feritilizing isn’t necessary in the heat because plant growth slows in the heat. Plus it is toxic in heat levels above 90 degrees!
• Be careful of over watering because it can waterlog seeds
• Water plants in morning to avoid the mushrooms.
• Add more mulch to retain moisture. A two to three inch covering will insulate the plants.
• Shade young plants because of the strong sunlight

This precautions will help protect your garden during the summer and through the hot days to come!