Garden Project Update

Such a delicious suprise this morning!  Seedless Concord grapes ripe ahead of schedule.  So juicy and sweet.

This long neck pumpkin will definitely be ready before Thanksgiving, Hooray!  I have never seen a long neck pumpkin before.  This heirloom variety is said to be exceptional for pies!

Grow baby watermelon grow!

I have a feeling this Honey Dew will soon become a delicious frozen treat :)  I have been eating tomatoes all week three times a day.  It is amazing that the antioxidants in ripe tomatoes help protect humans from sunburn.  Tomatoes ripen at the height and heat of Summer to help protect humans; huh who would have thought ;)  The more I learn about nature the more amazed I am!  Happy Gardening!

Garden Project

Last Winter I spent a lot of time reading Walden and Walden 2 and thinking about food production.  This year I was fortunate enough to help build a small garden which has been an amazing learning experience.  This fall there will be a huge bounty of grapes!

The raspberries have been a blessing.  I think I have harvested 2 pounds so far.  Every day there are more and more.  I am excited to see how much it grows next year.  There are few things nicer than picking a perfectly ripe and flavorful raspberry instead of the flavorless ones at the store.

I was thinking about the raspberry bushes and the tending they received earlier this Spring.  It was maybe an hour of work.  I was at the market and saw that they were selling a handful of organic raspberries for $8 or about what is currently minimum wage.  It occurred to me how backwards our food system has become and how disconnected with the Earth we have become.  How is it more logical to import Raspberries from other States or Countries and to then trade labor credits (money) for the raspberries when the Earth already has a plan to provide Raspberries?  I think the Bible says something to the affect of providing every fruit and seed bearing tree.  What happened to that?

Here is a picture of the Sweet Potato bed!  MMMMM!  It seems that small farms and small scale food production took a dive after the second world war.  At this time Organic farming was replaced with monoculture big scale agriculture.  But this doesn't have to be.  Everyone can reclaim their land and grow their own food.  Humans have done it for thousands of years!  Enough ranting for now let me show you some more of the garden.

This mint patch has grown large enough for the entire neighborhood.  If anyone wants some mint let me know!  It makes an excellent and soothing tea as well as garnishes for beverages.  It is also tasty to snack on while weeding.

The Kale bed is enormous now.  The huge leaves may be chopped up for a salad or cooked as a green.  There is more kale here than in a grocery store!  It is super delicious and fresh and full of nutrients as opposed to what is at the store.  The best part:  it keeps growing!

This is the most beautiful cabbage I have ever seen.  We lost about 20 cabbage plants with fluctuating weather.  All of the Savoy cabbage went to seed.  Luckily there are a bunch still of red cabbages.

To make the best of things the cabbage bed was seeded with Honeydew which should be ready in late August. There are also several other kinds of melon including Watermelon!  I can't wait!

More brassicas, the initial crowns of the broccoli were harvested long ago.  The plants continue growing delicious side shoots.  A truly wonderful plant.  In total there are about 30 plants.  So much broccoli!

I am really looking forward to seeing how this experimental potato bed turns out.

My mouth is watering thinking about the sweet corn.  We are trying the Native American method Three Sisters.  Basically the corn provides a support for the lima beans to grow on and the lima beans put nitrogen in the soil.  The third crop is squash which makes a ground cover to block out the weeds.

The beans are climbing up the corn effortlessly almost as if by the design of some sort of omnipotent being ;)

There are about 50 tomato plants.  We are taking a canning class.  Unless something happens there are going to be at least 1,000 tomatoes.  I think that is incredible.  We planted sauce tomatoes, Cherokee purple and several other varieties along with garlic, basil and onions.

:)  These guys are so cool!  They will start laying soon.

So much lettuce, so tasty!

 Baby squash.  The squash family is terrifying.  There are about 60 plants.  There is going to be a mountain of Zucchini!  I can't wait to eat Zucchini all Winter long!

Celery with melons that will vine up the trellis.

The second Tomato bed :)

Baby Bell Pepper.  Only about 8 pepper plants, that should be enough.

Peaches!  Everything is turning out well and it is a great learning experience.  I keep dreaming about a world where everyone was doing work like this and sharing with one another instead of running around in a rat race.  This is just a small part of the garden that my friend and I have built.  It still amazes me how much two people can accomplish when they work together.  Note: this is not out in the country somewhere but here in Clintonville in two very small yards.  You can accomplish a lot if you set your mind to it!  Hope everyone is having a great Summer and doing good work in your own garden! 

Highbanks to Northmore on the Olentangy River

Turkey vulture coming in for a landing.

This pretty Doe was relaxing by the river.

Smooth calm water as far as the eyes can see.

We put in near the scenic river trail at Highbanks Metro Park.  On this day the second put in was best; the water level was around 2 with a recent 7 things were still mushy; use caution on the banks.  Two boys just drown at Dodridge.  It is proper river etiquette to portage all dams to pay respect to those who have lost their life.  The Olentangy is a beautiful place full of wildlife.  It is easy to forget this gift that we have.  We saw one duck family that had 5 babies. 

This is a great day trip of about 13 miles.  If you go plan on about 6 hours to be on the safe side.  From a previous trip I can tell you that the park rangers are NOT HAPPY if you come back to get your truck after dark.  Bring snacks and water to keep your spirits up, there is nothing worse than being thirsty on the river.

Highbanks to Northmore has only two dams to portage both around Broadmeadows.  I suggest the east bank for both.

The river recently receded from flooding and the deer were happily grazing.

This gorgeous cliff  is just south of Highbanks.  From here the nearest road is a ways off.  It is a very quiet and peaceful place.

Turtle friend catching some rays!

Mango Soft Serve

On a sweltering hot day the idea of cooked food doesn't appeal to many and the idea of turning on the stove sounds awful.  Here is a healthful snack for you to enjoy.  Rich in B vitamins 125% Vitamin A and 159% Vitamin C with a robust amount of minerals this treat is sure to please and refresh.

I like to chop up bananas and put them in the freezer.  Frozen banana chunks are an awesome addition to smoothies but they also can make a healthy soft serve treat!

For this recipe you will need:

1 x-large frozen banana chopped up
1 ripe mango
dash of sea salt (optional)
dash of cardomom  (optional)
handful of fresh raspberries (do not blend)

Simply blend all ingredients and serve!  Or place in the freezer for 30 minutes for a thicker consistency.

Super Natural Treats!

Many years ago I managed an upscale ice cream shop in Grandview.  There I learned about the artisinal ethos.  I learned to use the best ingredients possible and that the time and love you put into your work will be appreciated by your community.

Flash forward to now where I have added a few twists of my own.  In my opinion it isn't enough to make something that is tasty.  It has to be healthful as well.  All recipes are conceived with nutrition in mind.  Raw fruits and vegetables have tons of nutrients vs. cooked and pasteurized counterparts!  My melon bar has over 50% vitamin A + C.  I am very proud of that.  5 years ago I sold ice cream sandwiches and bomb pops, I didn't know any better back then.  Those treats are not healthful and shouldn't be given to children in my opinion.  I remember the final days of my ice cream selling time.  I looked at all the products sold by distributors and the more ingredients I read the more frustrated I became; they are all junk even a lot that are promoted as being "healthy."

Regarding sugar, I don't want to use it.  Is it a challenge to create flavors with out sugar? Yes, very much so.  But I am adamant about offering treats with no sweetener, no sugar, no honey, no stevia etc.  If it isn't sweet enough toss in a banana or some grapes or a fresh date.  Whole foods are what our bodies are designed to flourish on.  It is so hard to remember this with so many companies selling "food" that has all the nutrients processed out of them.

It takes maintaining an adequate supply of fruit and caring for it during it's ripening.  Fruit is rarely sold ripe at the store or distributor.  This is the reason why commercial companies don't offer fruit only bars; it would be so much more expensive to use ripe fruit vs toss in sugar or even worse high fructose corn syrup!

I am very grateful for the community support.  I have been selling out almost everyday and it has been difficult to keep inventory in stock and ripe on time while keeping up with my "day job".  I will be working on increasing production in the coming days.  Hopefully, I will find time to get out on the water soon.  Have a great Summer!

Banana Time

It's Banana time again and I am loving it.  Nothing breaks the spell of winter better than having loads and loads of ripe nutritious fruit.  The past few days I realized that I hadn't cooked anything and had been chowing down paletas for every meal!  Copious amounts of Vitamin A from mangoes, Vitamin C from oranges and pineapples, B Vitamins from bananas and lets not forget a powerhouse of minerals from coconut and almonds!  I feel great after a winter of cooked vegetarian meals there is no better way to get ready for summer than fresh ripe raw fruit and nuts vibrant with vital energy.  Hope everyone is having a great spring!

Melon Paleta

One time I rode my bike to the west coast but I can't imagine riding the Banana Bike that far; it is too heavy!  So since I can only bring fresh frozen treats to my neighborhood I thought it would be nice to share with everyone else.

This is one of my favorite treats.  One 4oz. bar has half of your vitamin A and vitamin C!  They taste so delicious on a hot day and are super hydrating.  Once a man in Whetstone Park bought one and took a bite and then said give me three more! 

 

1 large sized ripe cantaloupe (Organic if possible) with seeds removed and chopped up to fit in a blender

1  Organic ripe banana

2 pinches of sea salt

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Pour mixture in molds and freeze a minimum of 6 hours until set.  Enjoy with friends and family on hot Summer days!

This tastes so fresh and reminds me of summer as a kid without any funny ingredients you can't pronounce.  Instead of High fructose corn syrup and food colorings it is loaded with vitamins, potassium and minerals.  Instead of a sugar crash it hydrates you and gives your body sustainable energy! Hooray for nutrition!