Lotsa Peppers from the Garden! Home Grown Meal

With all the extra pepper harvests, we are adding it to almost every meal we have! This is a stir fry noodle dish called Yakisoba. Yakisoba literally means, grilled/stir fried noodles. We used a gluten free noodle substitute that is normally used for Pad Thai and it worked great! We added Tonkatsu sauce, for the flavoring to mimic the traditional sauce. Tonkatsu sauce tastes is kind of like Worcester sauce but sweeter and thicker. I guess the closest mixture would be Ketchup with generous amounts of the Worcester sauce mixed in.

Here are just the veggies: HG Paprika and Anaheim peppers, Farmer's Market Carrots, Onions and Cabbage.

Here it is with the noodles added. The noodles were cooked separately, slightly undercooked, so it can absorb the extra liquids from the veggies. It was very yummy!

Harvest Updates

Here's some peppers, pineapple guavas, green beans, and the last of the eggplants

First crop of Sun-chokes, pretty good sizes, and still a LOT more from where these came from. We found a good way to eat them. We've pickled them. They don't develop the strong smells that we were not fond of when cooked. Plus we applied shaved bonito flakes, salted, minced perilla (shiso) and ground sesame very generously. It's crispy and refreshing! They say it's very good for diabetics because it contains inulin, which helps regulate insulin levels.

More Peppers

Even More Peppers!

We're nearing our end in Pepper production. We were VERY pleased with the plants this year, and thankfully NO Pepper Weevils!

We have started seed on Broccoli, Cabbages, Lettuces, Celery, Daikon and Napa Cabbages in pots while we let the soil rest a bit between the summer and winter plantings. We have started a new method of composting. Instead of stuffing our compost bins with the veggie garden's end of season plants, we're chopping them up, taking out a few inches of soil from the bed, then placing the chopped vegetation there in the bed directly, then burying what was grown in that bed (as long as it's not diseased). The idea is: that that plant, be it tomato or beans, grew using the soil's nutrients and the sun's energy to grow, so returning it to rest right THERE makes the most sense. All the nutrients minus the fruits of the plants are are basically returned, in addition to new energy made by photosynthesis. There are other methods, like cutting the plant at the base and simply laying the old plant on the soil, but for us, that method takes too long for decomposition.

We are blessed with a very long growing season, so we don't let our soil rest as long as those who have snow cover.  So far, as long as we add nutrients back into the raised beds from our compost and through our till under method and a bit of rock dust, we get great results with happy plants! We are in zone 9 with 120-150 days with heat about 86 F. We get frost about 3~4 weeks out of the year, so growing winter hardy crops, we can be growing year round.  Carrots, Beets and Daikon actually store more sugars in their roots when there are colder temps. Cabbages can withstand some frost, and peas cant withstand quite a lot of it. I know we're spoiled here with all the warm weather... I just wish we had more rain! (the grass is always greener...)

Garden Updates

Peppers are nearing
the end of production

Bittermelon in pots

Garlic starting to sprout

White Sesame blooming
and setting seed

Strawberries for next spring all in pots

The fig tree has finished this years' production
and the leaves are starting to turn color

VERY late season pumpkins next
to Borage almost ready to flower

Navel Oranges are now bigger than baseballs

Carrot seedlings on the left.
Onion and Garlic Chived on the right.
This is where Cherry Toms
were grown this summer

This Valencia orange was surrounded
by too many plants in it's  root zone
and was infested with bark-boring beetles.
(LOL, I envision Volks Wagon bugs,
barking and being bored)
The Bird of Paradise growing
behind it was finally removed
and planted in the front yard.

This bed had cucumbers,
zucchini, pumpkins and beans.
Most of it was tilled under and
the land is waiting for
the fall plantings of Peas.
Against the back wall, the Sunchokes
are starting to wither

Pink little Cosmos enjoying a
little rain this morning. 
The weather is SOOO bizarre!
Earlier in the week we
had Temps in 110.
Now we have thunderstorms
with scattered showers,
temps in the 70's

Seed starts of Cabbage and Lettuce

This area is where the Asian Pear
Tree stump was.
Tim dug it out and Andrew planted
the Mango tree in place of it and filled
the area back up

Late cucumbers: we're taking
a gamble with the weather

New Zealand Spinach is so hardy

Just a couple of snapshots,Harvest Updates

Hello blog-o-sphere of Self-Sustainers! Here's just 2 pics of the daily harvests I've shot before I ran out the door to my 1-1-1/2 hour commute to work. I have struggles with the moral implications of my time spent away from family and garden while slaving away for the Big Boss. I want to be free of this United Corporations of America but, I guess I am using it temporarily as a stepping stool to gain my independence from it. I've gotta come up with a better plan though. Learn more self-sustaining skills is one thing. Saving up for more land is another. Then there's long term goals beyond that, like what do I do about maintenance of aging technology, even if I am able to afford purchasing them now? Like solar panels, or aging electric cars? This is WAAAAY out in the future kind of stuff. I don't even own either things right now. So why worry? I'm a worry wart...hehe.

What would I do to earn $ if I leave the rat race? I could trade my skills in exchange for other's skills, bartering is another option. We'll still need to make some sort of income to pay those icky taxes they waste on dumb things like bailing out the richest people, if we plan to stay in the States.

I can't believe how expensive land is STILL, even after this financial fallout. They are purposely inflating the prices in my opinion. It's just not realistic. Homes are supposed to be the cost of 3 years of fulltime income. Here in SoCal, that's not even remotely close! The average home is easily $500K+ still in the desirable neighborhoods.  The average income is about $50K/year. That's 10 years of fulltime work to afford the home. I'm nearing 40 and I can't even come close to owning my own place without going into significant dept. (which I prefer NOT to do). I don't want to owe anyone anything, except love. 

 In the mean-time, my garden lags big-time because of the lack of time I have to devote. It irks me that I can't do what I want. I miss the days I used to spend baking in the sun watching the plants grow. I'm a farmer at heart.  It's a catch 22. If I don't work, we will do OK for now, we CAN live on one income. I'll have more time to learn about self-suffieciency. However, it gives us no wiggle room for savings to achieve our dream of buying our own land. If I work, I hardly see my family, and the garden becomes neglected.

I also have another dilemma. I should really post this part on the blog I keep for him.  I have a son who has special educational needs. He just needs MORE education. FAST. He is highly gifted, his thirst for knowledge is insatiable. School is too slow for him and he says he hardly learns anything new. He probably would excel if we homeschool him. Public school is doing their best but, I don't know if it's much different than studying at home. They separate him to do his own level study while the other children get their curriculum. If he's separated, what good is it to him to BE in public school? In fact, he learns more at home. For example, he was reading at 2nd grade level at the end of Kindergarten via school differentiation program. The summer passed and he was reassessed. He tested at 5th grade reading after the break from school. What does that tell us? OK, so socialization is pushed, they say he needs it. However, he seems to struggle making friends with his peers. His interests are different that theirs, I suppose. He wants to talk about planets, States and learn about global concerns. His peers just want to run around and play tag. So, there you have it. I probably SHOULD homeschool but, I'm afraid.  I'm afraid I won't have enough patience. I'm afraid I like my work too much.  Homeschooling will definitely be part of "going off the grid" though... 

I'm such a mess... I've got 2 halves battling it out inside me constantly. Once again I'm on the fence dangling my feet on both sides.  This is probably the first time I've spilled over to blend my family life issues with my passion about living sustainably.

OK, sorry for the rant, I needed to vent. Here's some pretty veggies/fruits that will help sooth our angst.

I promise I will take Garden Update pictures soon!

It's been a while...

I apologize for my absence in the blogosphere. It's be a very hectic few weeks since our son started school again.  School schedule reduced my time in the garden to less than 30 a day. I don't have time to jot down our harvest weigh-ins either. We planted papaya seedlings we grew from seed in the front yard. I hope at least on of these plants is a female.

The figs are really at the end of the season now. Alma Paprikas are delicious!

Yes, we're still getting strawberries. Not in huge quantities but, it' a nice addition to our yogurt along with the figs. Our pineapple guavas are somewhat edible too. First Fuji Apple!

Akane apples and everbearing strawberries from the front yard

Really Late Harvest Tally for May 2010

May 2010 Harvest Tally

Loquats 28.82 lbs

Lettuce 15.03 lbs

Strawberry 07.85 lbs

Carrots 05.31 lbs

Cilantro 05.25 lbs

NZ Spinach 02.13 lbs

Garlic 01.31 lbs

Total lbs 65.70 lbs

Snow Peas 07.0 oz

Garlic Chives 08.0 oz

Shiso 07.0 oz

Total oz 22.0 oz = 1.375 lbs

complete total 67.08 lbs

Really Late Harvest Tally for April 2010

April 2010 Harvest Tally

Loquats 25.06 lbs

Garlic 19.50 lbs

Oranges 17.87 lbs

Lettuce 14.40 lbs

Strawberry 13.75 lbs

Onion 12.25 lbs

Baby Carrots 08.00 lbs

NZ Spinach 06.22 lbs

Potatoes 02.00 lbs

Oregano 01.44 lbs

Cilantro 01.12 lbs

Lemon(gifted) 03.60 lbs

Total lbs 125.21 lbs

Kumquat 04.0 oz

Shungiku 01.0 oz

Garlic Chives 06.0 oz

Total oz 11.0 oz = 0.687 lbs

complete total 125.90 lbs

Really Late Harvest Tally for March 2010

March 2010 Harvest Tally

Oranges 38.06 lbs

Lettuce 20.31 lbs

Strawberry 03.85 lbs

Baby Carrots 02.53 lbs

Cilantro 02.03 lbs

Peas 01.90 lbs

Daikon 01.75 lbs

Total lbs 70.43 lbs

Kumquat 13.0 oz

Onion 12.0 oz

Seri 06.0 oz

NZ Spinach 06.0 oz

Aloe 04.0 oz

Total oz 41.0 oz = 2.56 lbs

complete total 72.99 lbs

Leaf covered with gems

Walking home from dropping off my son at school, I found this beauty!

This photo depicts the fragile balance of life: The irony of this once living leaf, now lifeless, yet a solace to the dew droplets from the drying concrete... Water, the sustainer of life, held here momentarily, captured on "film".

Local farms could be illegal

Does this mean I'm a Criminal? For all of you out there who grow their own food, even if it's just one tomato plant, we are going to be criminals if we let the agri-giants get their way!

Garden Updates

Beautiful Alma Paprikas turning color

Egyptian Walking Onions that I traded at the RIPE Altadena (Residential In-season Produce Exchange of Altadena)

Amish Paste Tomatoes still going strong in the bed we grew the Hairy Vetch cover crop in

4 new beds waiting to go into the ground... But first, the brickwork needs to be completed around the edge of the concrete. The gravel under the concrete keeps coming out and needs to be retained by a brick border.

This bed had the Cucumbers, Corn, Beans and Zucchini. It still has the old Zuke but, I've planted another one a few feet away. Hopefully the new one will take. It had a rough transplant where half of the root ball fell off while I was trying to get it out of the pot. The 4 pots you see are more Cukes. This is the gamble bed, to see if we can coax a few more cukes before the end of summer.

This bed had the Cherry Tomatoes.

The Garlic Chives have grown in quickly after 2 trimmings within 3 weeks.

The Navel Oranges are getting pretty large. We will have a good crop this winter if all goes well.

My brother is giving us a hand digging this Super-dwarf Cavendish outta here. It turns out this plant will never fruit and it's a waste of resources to keep it around.

This is the NEW Banana Tree that is replacing it. The Double Musa (Mahoi). It's supposedly produces 2 bunches of bananas in it's second year. Hopefully this one will bring us the fruits we've been waiting for. Grow tall little one!

In the foreground, the new "Mahoi", behind it is the branble of thornless blackberry, then in the back you can see the larger super-dwarf Cavendish that will soon be yanked

The Garden from the NE view. You can see the sun-chokes have finally flowered against the wall. (yellow daisy-like flowers)

Here's a closer look at the Sun-Choke Flowers backed by white hibiscus flowers

This bed had the other bed of Tomatoes...they didn't fare well because we have root knot nematodes in this bed. In order to help reduce the nematode numbers, I'm trying sesame and marigolds. I'm also going to be spraying more beneficial nematodes again, when the temperatures get a little cooler.

This is White Sesame in the front and Yam behind it

This is the path behind the house I'm standing next to the Loquat tree. On the left, you can see the Rhubarb and the Asian Pear tree stump

Here's the Rhubarb and Stump close-up. Notice the stump is trying to grow back from the base of the tree, which is the root stock. The grafted stock seems to have died off, so we will have to uproot this tree. We're SOOO Saaaad.... :'-( 

On a happier note, our peppers were stellar this year with no insect problems and they are still very productive! The key to our pepper success: Rock Dust!

Some cuttings that we are rooting. Cuban Oregano, Thai Basil, Scented Geraniums and a Plumeria branchling.

"New" Civic Hybrid!

Since I started working, we've been needing an extra car. My husband and I need to drive to work, and my Mom needs to get around to shuttle our son and do her own things. I had my eyes set for the up and coming Nissan Leaf: All Electric Beauty but, alas our family's urgency met fate. The Leaf doesn't come out until December, and even then it's first come first served on the sign up list.  So, I decided to buy a certified used vehicle. I got it for a good price, ($16K) considering it was an '07 with only 10K miles on it. New ones start at $26K.

Finally, a car that meets me halfway on how I feel about oil.