The Garden of Vegan

Go Get Your Gardens On

2007-03-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally here folks to uphold a descent garden. I can't wait...this weekend I'm planning on getting crazy in the garden! Have you started your seeds or bought your plants? What are you planting? Get out there and get dirty!

I'm not sure what I'm going to plant...I have a zillion seeds. I don't want to crowd the garden this year. I want it to be simple, pretty, and refreshing. Veggies of course...but which ones? Any suggestions?

Tomatoes for sure and probably some zucchini. Zucchini bread with fresh zucchini is something everyone should try, especially fresh out of the oven.

I'm glad I didn't plant a winter garden because with the cold weather, everything would have froze. My instincts were right on.

Go get your gardens on...and enjoy your soil!

It Was Fate - Freezing Temps are Here

2007-01-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Highs in the 50's...Lows in the 20's...Because I tend to believe things happen for a reason or at least that's how I deal with life and the unexpected events that creep upon us. If I had planted my winter crops this season, the cold would have kept me from tending to them and they would have died. It's best that I didn't plant any seeds. Who would have thought there would be ice on the roof tops and the grass would turn into mini blades of ice? There would be no way my garden would have survived? I'm a wimp so I'm sure I wouldn't be out in the freezing cold laying plastic down over the garden and making sure they get what they needed.

For those of you who are able to go out in the freezing cold and take care of your Winter crops, more power to ya! Good for you...you deserve a pat on the back.

My Poor Little Garden

2007-01-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

Here we are in 2007 and no lettuce, no carrots, and certainly no Fennel! The Fall passed me by and my garden was turned into a cemetary. We had tombstones lined up to decorate for Halloween and no seeds were sowed. I was sad at first but then quickly realized...I just don't have the time. It's better to have never planted a seed at all then to have planted the seed and let it die. Don't you agree?

I still have this hope that I can drop lettuce seeds into the ground and miracle lettuce heads will sprout up. This Winter is cold...really, really cold. I'm wondering if I should just get the soil ready for Spring and skip my Winter crops? I was so anxious to use my new garden bed for carrots but that didn't happen. I guess I have to listen to my intuition and just accept that it's late in the season and I can only hope to grow some veggies. I think I will attempt to drop some seeds and see what happens but not worry to much about it if nothing grows. That's a good way of going into the new year. Do my best and not worry as long as I know I'm doing what I need to do. Did that make any sense? This new year brings a whole new beginning...it's funny...it's really just another day but because we've made January 1st be the day a new year begins, in our heads, it's a time to start fresh and attempt to do all the things we set out to do the previous year but didn't.

A quick gopher update...the gopher is gone. Poor little critter...I hope he managed to move out of the neighborhood before he was forced out or worse.

Happy New Year...may you have plentiful fruit and veggies this coming year!

80's Flashback...Caddyshack

2006-11-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I'm Rodney Dangerfield or Chevy Chase but I'm going to lose it on this gopher!
After months of thinking he was gone for good, I looked out of the front window as I was getting ready for work one day and saw a pile of dirt on the front lawn. I couldn't believe it...first the backyard was made into a pool table with all the holes ready for playing...only a real pool table top is greener than my grass is...all thanks to this rodent!!! I'm afraid it's going to completely destroy the front yard. The gardener put poison in the hole but fresh dirt was left after he put the poison.
I found this picture online...I feel bad poisoning the little fella...but seriously...I can't handle the front yard being dug up. The backyard is already suffering from all the digging the gopher did. We stopped watering the grass in the backyard because it was becoming pointless. Why can't these creatures do things that contribute to your yard like eat the weeds or turn the soil...rather than turn the whole freakin' yard upside down. Now, I'm nervous to plant my carrots.

Doesn't it make the whole ground weak after a gopher digs it's maze? I just learned their tunnels can run up to 800 feet and cover an acre of land. I guess life could be worse...I could live on an acre of land and have it covered with mounds of dirt right?

Oh, and seriously...Minnesota couldn't you have picked a better mascot? I Googled "gopher" and Minnesota popped up all over the place. I don't care if The Gophers will try to keep Ohio state winless. I'm trying to find the best way to get rid of gophers!

Wish me luck...I have a feeling I will need it!

Homemade Sauce...ooh la la

2006-10-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

If you've never attempted to make homemade sauce, now's a perfect time to try. As the weather changes and Fall brings the crisp chill in the air, homemade sauce for your pasta really hits the spot. It may seem intimidating at first because a lot of people think to make a delicious sauce you need to simmer it for hours. It's true the longer the flavors embed into one another, the sauce taste better but that's not to say the sauce won't taste good after 45 minutes.

What to do with all those tomatoes you grew this summer...SAUCE...SAUCE...SAUCE. Here I've pictured the ingredients for a sauce I put together with veggies from my garden. I used three Brandywine tomatoes, a couple mini bell peppers, one green pepper(it's not spicy at all), and of course some basil.I also used some ingredients not from my garden such as onion and garlic.

I sauteed onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Once the onions were slighty translucent, I added the chopped tomatoes and peppers. I let the them all cook together until the tomatoes broke up easily. Meanwhile I boiled water, added my pasta and salt. Once the pasta was cooked, I added it to my sauce.

For the kids version I just topped with basil and parm. They loved it.

For the adults, I added a little jar of tomato basil sauce because the three tomatoes didn't give a lot of juice but the flavors of the three tomatoes dominated throughout the sauce. It was very tasty. This whole meal took about 45 minutes. The added ingredients from the garden really made the sauce take on a wonderful homemade flavor...ooh la la!

Fruits...Well, Veggies of My Labor

2006-09-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

This is the garden I've worked on all Summer long...It's sad to think I'll be ripping out the roots and digging these plants up real soon to prepare for the Fall garden. Gosh that sounded so harsh. I must say I was very fortunate to not have too many unwanted visitors this Summer feasting off of my garden. I've heard such horror stories from my friends and co-workers on the rodents, rabbits, and bugs that have eaten their veggies this Summer. I did actually have many visitors this Summer but they came before the plants produced anything. I had a family of duck, a family of quail, another family of birds living above the garden under the neighbor's eve, and rabbit, oh and I can't forget our friend the gopher. I wonder what happened to him. He was a big pain. He kept digging up our backyard lawn and making piles of dirt and holes in the grass. We tried a variety of things including pouring bleach down the hole...that was my mom's idea...it may have killed part of the grass but certainly didn't kill the weeds. My mom said she actually saw the gopher and she put the hose in the hole and turned it on. She was at war with that little gopher all Summer. Our neighbor is a park rancher and he had a trap that worked for him so he set it up for us in the hole but I never heard of it catching the little critter. He may have decided to leave our yard and venture elsewhere. Whatever the case may be, he's gone and I'm glad he didn't make it to my veggies. I don't even know if gophers eat eggplant, tomatoes, greenbeans, or squash...something tells me they aren't into Serrano Chiles though.

I've put together a little album of this Summer's highlights...

Mini Orange Bells

Sweet Brandywine...Ahhh, the sauce...

Eggplant ready for pickin'

The Swiss really ARE Beautiful!

The Lone String Bean

Muy Caliente! Spicy Serrano Chiles

A Variety of Harvest

2006-09-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of gardening IS harvesting time. All your sweat and hard work is now paying off and you can savor the flavors of your veggies. There really is a difference in the flavors of your garden veggies compared to the market veggies. I've made sauces with the Brandywine tomatoes and the sweetness combined with the hardiness really stands out. For me, it gives me joy to know the food I can cook for my family is partially from our backyard and that I haven't just put time into the cooking but time into the growing of the ingredients. It's very rewarding and satisfying once the meal in on the table. I have to give credit where credit is due so I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to my dear friend Loretta for starting the seeds of the Brandywine tomaters and driving them all the way up to my neck of the woods for me to transplant into my very own garden. What you started, I finished, and I wish you could taste the sauces I've made. Sorry...maybe next year, I'll jar some up for you.

Shown above is a variety of harvested veggies. If you look closely, there's one serrano chile in the mix of peppers. I have a whole loaded plant of serrano chile peppers right now. It's so beautiful. Two of the peppers are already red. That means they are piping hot. I'll have to figure out what to do with those to babies.

Forgive Me Father...

2006-09-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Forgive me father for I have sinned. It's been 35 days since my last blog and I have many things I need to blog about. To start, I will share my beautiful green beans. The stalks are tall and plentiful. At first I thought I was going to end up with these tall plants hanging on for dear life to bamboo for support with no beans blossoming. Then one day a tiny bean started to form…suddenly there were beans dangling from all over the vines. It’s such a rewarding gift to plant something and actually have something to harvest, cook, and enjoy for dinner. I always have this vision of crops growing and being able to support a family on the food from the small garden on the side yard…then once the vegetables start to grow, I realize, it’s just enough for one or two dishes. The beans…oh yeah…they really surprised me. I’ve had a couple meals already and still they are producing more string beans. I’ll post more on the food recipes later.

Check out the beans…Jack would be proud!

Bean Stalk Reaches for the Sky!

Green Beans Galore!

Mr. Caterpillar

2006-08-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

caterpillar
n 1: a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth 2: a large vehicle that is driven by caterpillar tracks; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work [syn: Caterpillar, cat]

Mr. Caterpillar chomping on my Hillbilly Tomato plant...how DARE he!

Clearly this is not a a large vehicle moving earth... more like small, slow moving creature EATING earth. So the other night I was in the garden performing a little tlc. I was clipping some Marigolds and trimming some of the leaves and branches off of the Hillbilly that's not doing so well when I happened to look up and right infront of my face was this vibrant colored caterpillar snuggling with my leaf. It was amazing to watch this caterpillar devour the leaf. I know...I know...what am I thinking leaving it alone and not saving the leaf...but it seems so wrong to yank it off and toss it over the fence to the neighbors yard. The dark side of me couldn't wait to see how much of the plant the little fellow could really put away. I DID IT...I left the pillar alone and walked away...the Dahli Lama would be so proud! The next day I went to work and didn't check on it. When I arrived home anxious to see the damage, he was gone, missing in action. Where, oh where had he gone? He couldn't of gone far...I mean, why would he? He had the whole garden to himself. Green as far as his little eyes could see. Soon the mystery was solved...ladies...let me tell you...if you don't know where something is and you happen to have a hubby...chances are he's thrown it away...at least that's been my experience. Anything from gift cards to magazines to caterpillars...and if he didn't throw it away...perhaps he eBayed it. In this case he did the right thing. He cut the leaf the caterpillar was on and threw the whole thing in the yard waste bin.

It's times like these that I wish I had the latest and greatest digital camera. I was trying for probably about 30-40 minutes to take a clear picture up close and still didn't get the shot I was striving for. I was in the dirt trying not to step on my other plants with thongs on and dirt was getting all in my toes...but I was determined to get a shot of Mr. Caterpillar or is it Mrs.? Anyhow, this was the best shot I could get. I could actually see his mouth consuming the leaf. Hanging onto the bottom side of the leaf effortlessly, with the wind gently moving it back and forth, he continued to devour the leaf.He really looked a lot more striking up close. He had these orange stripes that really contrasted with the green...simply magnificent! He'll someday be a beautiful butterfly.

Toes clean, one somewhat clear shot out of many, mystery solved, and Hillbilly plant still in tact...I'll never really know what damage Mr. Caterpillar did overnight and I'll never see him again...sounds like summer love.

The Bald Frog and the Wig

2006-08-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was updating my profile and decided I'd answer the random question that Blogger gives you to answer for your profile...by the way, whoever has the job of coming up with those questions has a job that rocks! Anyway, if it asks you to write a story, they'd better give you less limitations. I was getting all into it then when I clicked save, in bold red writing a message pops up saying there's a limit of 150 characters. So I go back to my story cut and paste it into WORD and keep checking the word counter...YES, finally I was able to cut parts out of the story to get the count down to 125 words. I cut and pasted the story back into the profile and AGAIN..."Limit of a max of 150 characters." I'm thinking...what the heck...I already got it down to 125. Then I realized..."characters" not "words". I'm thinking, I just came up with this whole story and there aren't parts I can cut out to get it down to 150 characters...it's just not possible. My mind is set on the full story and I need to do something with it now so I wrote a quick blurb about the story and said to read the full story on my blog.

Call me a dork...no really, you can because I just spent an hour on this random fiction story that was only supposed to be an extra curriculum activity on my blog...not part of the major. Anyway...here it is:

The topic they gave me to write on was;

The children are waiting! Please tell them the story about the bald frog with the wig:

The Bald Frog and the Wig
by: Tiana

Oh and yes...you can laugh at me!

Well children you see, the bald frog wanted to be SOMEBODY…somebody BIG...but all the other frogs in the rainforest laughed at him and made fun of the red spot on his head...so he decided to leave Costa Rica and head to NY. He jumped in a wine barrel and crossed the Caribbean Sea…days later and a little tipsy he hit shore in Miami. Hitching a ride on a big rig carrying oranges, frog made it to NY. He was tempted to stay in Miami maybe hit up Miami Ink for a tat but he knew he had to press on and make it to Broadway. He thought, “They won’t take me like this.” So he picked up a wig. First he thought red…then he said NO, brunette! Wig on head, frog approached the audition doors when suddenly the director swung the doors open and stopped. He said, “PERFECT! I need a frog but I need a BALD frog.” Frog quickly removed his wig and the director said, “Wow kid…you got IT and that red spot really adds character! You’re going to go places.” Today the wig still hangs on frog’s dressing room wall on Broadway.

Who's Lookin' for an Eggplant Update?

2006-08-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

And so the story goes...

The little eggplant COULD make it up that hill. Not only did it make it up the hill...it brought a little friend along for the ride. If you look just to the right of this baby eggplant, you can see another eggplant starting to grow.

I must say...I am very excited and proud. I wasn't sure it was going to make it but it DID and now I can sit back and watch as this little eggplant forms into a big bold purple mama of an eggplant. I can't wait!

Fresh Ingredients for a Killer Salsa...and No...You Don't Have to be Latina to Make a Killer Salsa

2006-07-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

Fresh ingredients for a killer Salsa...and No...you don't have to be Latina to make a killer salsa although I have a few friends who think you do.

The key to a good salsa is fresh ingredients. If you have the ingredients in your own backyard, even better.
I did attempt to grow tamatillo this season. I started from seed and they grew into little plants. When I transplanted them to the larger containers the poor little seedlings didn't make it. I have two Serrano chilies growing right now. They are tiny now but should be ready in a couple of weeks maybe even sooner. The tomatoes are growing but not ready for harvest. The ingredients in this picture are store bought with the exception of the lemon. I have a lemon tree that gives us plenty of fruit each year...it's the BEST. It's one of those necessities...EVERYONE should have a lemon tree and if you don't...run out and plant yourself one! Trust me you'll be happy you did...if you're not happy with it, your family members, your neighbors, your co-workers, and friends will all be very grateful you did.

Okay...so how do we put all these colors and flavors together to make a tasty salsa that you can savor at your next party or just while hanging out at home? Your guests will be asking you for the recipe. I just made this on Sunday and our friends were first in awe watching these on the grill asking...what are you going to do with those things. Then the smells of the grilled chilies, tomatoes, onion and tamatillo were making their mouths water. They kept asking...when is this salsa going to be done. That's when I thought...I need to blog about this!

First you want to wash all the fresh ingredients. I use a fruit and vegetable wash called Environne. You can find it at Whole Foods. Then place one jalapeno, one yellow chili, about 4-5 tomatoes (juicy ones work well), 4 tamatillos, half of an onion (I used red but you can use any) and you can also put a clove of garlic if you like (it really kicks up the flavor) in a large bowl. Drizzle EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil) all over to coat well. Sprinkle cumin, black pepper, coriander, and salt...oh and garlic salt if you don't mind the extra salt. Mix ingredients well. Start your BBQ up and set to medium heat. Next place each ingredient on the grill until the skin begins to get soft and peel off. Once everything is soft, remove from the grill. Before putting it all in the blender, make sure you take the seeds out of the jalapeno and the yellow chili pepper unless your mouth can take some serious heat. After you've removed the seeds, plop those bad boys in the blender...all the grilled ingredients except for one tomato. Blend until it's the consistency you like. You can add the last tomato and not blend it as much so it's a little chunky. Squeeze 1/4 to 1/2 of lemon into the blender, again, depending on how much you want and how big the lemon is. Chop as much cilantro as you like and drop it into the blender. Pulse just to mix it up. Taste the salsa and if you don't taste all the flavors, add a tad of salt. It's really hard to mess this up because it's all up to your taste buds. I like to eat it with Mission restaurant style tortilla strips.

Now if that doesn't make your mouth happy...I don't know what will...maybe a jar of Pace perhaps?

I didn't mean to blog about it but it's pretty darn yummy...and I'm not even Latina...

The Little Eggplant that Could or Could It?

2006-07-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

The little eggplant that could or could it? I've had several flowers bloom on my eggplant stems and just as I get my hopes up the flower falls off. The flower is a pretty pink flower. It appears to be thriving and full of life. It looks like an eggplant is beginning to form from the flower but then it gives up, it stops chugging. I kept asking myself...is it me...am I doing something wrong? Have I watered enough or too much? Are some litte critters stopping by and making them fall off as they brush up against the plant? I'm really giving it my all this time. I still need a lot of experience in the garden and am learning each day but it's EGGPLANT for crying out loud not, yes...you guessed it, rocket science.

I did a little research and also asked my tried and true friend and the reason that makes the most sense is simply the heat. This eggplant you see here though seems to be on it's way. Hanging down is a bud that appears to have an eggplant forming. I will continue to check the little plant each day in the hopes that it COULD make it up that hill and blossom into a beautiful purple eggplant. Now...what to do with it once it's ready for harvest...I'm thinking eggplant parmesan or grilled eggplant. If it could only hear me now...it'd probably choose to stop chugging and fall off the stem.

PLEASE...TELL ME YOU USED PROTECTION!

2006-07-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

It's a MUST...you have to protect yourself while hoeing out there! It gets so hot and before you know it...it's too late! You have to protect yourself with a good sunscreen...face, lips, and whatever other body part you don't want shriveling up prematurely. GET YOURSELF A GOOD HAT!!! I know sometimes it's so much easier and tempting to not take the time to protect yourself...you walk out to take a peek at your garden...see what kind of progress has been made, checking for new leaves, flowers...and then you get caught up in the heat of the moment...you start picking the weeds and before you know it...it's too late...it's been 20-30 minutes that you've been out in the sun without any protection. YIKES...the fine lines start to creep up without you evening noticing...yes...this is a sad reality my friend. One day you're in the mirror and you see lines on your lips...freckles that have darkened, crows feet, huh...dare I say crows feet? YES...CROWS FEET! I don't even need to tell you about sunburn...or do I?

Sunscreen for your lips, face, body and of course...a Hat! UVB/UVA Protection! The days of sun bathing with baby oil or Hawaiian Tropics Dark Tanning Oil are so OVER!

You also NEED to stay hydrated! I recommend Pellegrino straight out of the bottle...chilled of course...if you have time to sip it from a glass...squeeze a lime in it...it's fab!

Beautiful Butterfly, What are YOU Doing in My Garden?

2006-07-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Butterfly...what are you doing on my Marigolds? Hmmm?

I have a feeling Miss Butterfly is up to no good. It's so hard because she is hypnotizing and my eyes follow her around as she flutters from flower to flower but I KNOW she's petal hopping and leaving her mark, her eggs for me to clean. I stopped to take a picture of her amazing wings knowing each second I continue to let her sit on my petals, she's laying her eggs. Sure enough after I snapped a few pics, I looked and saw little black dots all over the petals. I busted out with the Dr. Earth insect spray and then sprinkled red pepper flakes all over my garden. RED PEPPER FLAKES is my tried and true anti-bug voodoo secret. You laugh but seriously...they work! I'm a new BlogStar if you can't tell...so I have to cut it short because I have too many other things I need to blog about. I just wanted to share Miss Butterfly with you. Although I'd love to let her procreate in my yard...I just can't sacrifice my garden. Fly on butterfly...fly on...

Jack and the Bean Stalker

2006-07-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

Jack and the Bean Stalk...as you can see in this picture there are tiny holes in some of the leaves. I believe a caterpillar has been visiting the garden. Hmmm...I've noticed little white butterflies fluttering around too. I was told the little white butterflies will be laying their eggs around the full moon. What does this tell me...it tells me I better make sure she doesn't pick my garden as a breeding ground or her little nest haven. This is not a cocoon motel or the town butterfly brothel. I'll just have to keep a close eye on these little critters.
As for green beans...I love to cook green beans and eat them up. I cook them for my family and they love them too...what's not to love...they have great flavor, crunch, they have a little bean hiding inside and they are GREEN!

Oh, How They Grow

2006-07-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

A couple days just short of a month...the garden of vegan is starting to blossom. What a proud gardener I am...if you only knew my attempts to being committed to my garden in the past. This time around...I am more mature, more garden savy (as Captain Jack Sparrow would say). I hope I can continue on this path of watering, fertilizing, and loving my garden as it should be loved. I even go out and spray the leaves with Dr. Earth's bug repellant and cut the leaves off that are not so healthy. Time is the key...spending quality time with your garden. I'm still crossing my fingers and saying my prayers that my garden will give me plentiful fruit that I can share with family and friends.

In the Beginning...

2006-07-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was a little garden. New roots, fresh soil, and a lot of love.