Farming and Gardening
“To grow a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn
I never would’ve thought that playing in the dirt would be more fun in my late 60’s than it was when I was young. The smell of fresh soil and the feel of the dirt on my hands are the exact same sensations I experienced as a kid. And I love it!
Maybe playing in the dirt takes me back to a more uncomplicated time in my life. When we think about the difficulties we’ve been living with I guess it would be normal to find a way to capture when life was simple. I didn’t have a huge interest in gardening until just a few years ago and now I find myself doing exactly what my grandfather did. He had a small plot of land and spent time in his garden growing fruits and vegetables.
It’s funny because in my earlier blogs I spoke of how I continued to get up early, grab my coffee, say a few prayers, hit the floor with stretches and yoga, jump in the shower and do my hair and make-up before I start my day. Well, that has gone to hell in a handbasket, thank God. What’s missing is jumping in the shower, doing my hair and make-up and hit the ground running. Yoga and meditation are still present in my morning routine after my coffee but I get distracted from the rest of my old routine. There are times that I don’t hit the shower till late afternoon or I’ll turn around and it’s all of the sudden 4:30pm!!!
When I walk out the door in the morning to just take a look at my plants and veggies is where I lose all control. Before I know it I’ve got my hands in the dirt rearranging something or removing brown somethings or planting something new. And yes, I am usually barefoot so my fingernails and toenails that are loaded with dirt! I wouldn’t have let that happen to my nails years ago; I really did get manicures and pedicures. I have tried to think about caring or being embarrassed about it but I just can’t. How easy would it be to go into the garage and grab my gloves and put shoes on? So not interested…
Most of my fruits and vegetable plants are in pots so I’m able to relocate them if they need more or less sun. The raised bed has herbs and a small cherry tomato plant and all are doing well. There is much to learn about gardening or farming but I’m willing to make mistakes and eventually learn how to be successful. But for now there’s too much fun to be had going by the seat of my pants. For instance, I didn’t realize there were male and female cantaloupe flowers that need to be pollinated, why would I need to research that before planting? And no, I will NOT be manually forcing sex on them. If the bees don’t bother to do their job then I’ll have to go without melons this year.
My life has changed for the better for a couple of reasons, not working as hard and the pandemic. They both forced me to slow it down a bit, toss out the behaviors that don’t apply anymore get more creative in my modest world. I have a small group of lovely people who I occasionally hang with and they’re all I need in my life. I take good care of every plant, talk to them and nurture them which brings me an abundance of joy and peace. Of course, I’ll let you know how my harvesting journey goes, I’m very excited! Peace to you and your loved ones.
Purslane/Portulaca
one of the healthiest weeds around!
Always check with your doctor before ingesting any plant. Just because they have top notch nutrients and good for you, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily good for YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
Purslane is a good source of alpha-linolenic acid and shown to contain five times higher omega-3 fatty acids than spinach. The flower, leaves and stem are all edible but the stem can be a bit tough. I have tossed them in with my salad and also sauteed them with other greens.
The plant is nutritious and safe for human consumption in general. However in lieu of the high content of oxalic acid it should not be consumed by people with kidney disease/stones or who have high uric acid.
If I were to consume this plant I would also need to eat dairy with it; dairy binds with the oxalates and bypasses the kidneys.
I can grow these all year long here in Florida. When I lived in upstate New York I could only grow them in warm sunny weather; they would return each season and spread everywhere. I never tried to grow them up there inside and I have no idea if that would work but it’s worth the attempt.
Purslane/Portulaca September 2023
a beautiful weed that has a whole lot of nutrients
Easy to grow as long as they can wake up with the sun
They come in different colors and open up with the sunrise and close with the sunset
Start of my potato plant
AND…..the potato results….
Sort of like an Easter egg hunt, digging them up!
Repotted to larger pot
They clean up well…
I’ll be digging up potatoes soon, leaves are almost done!
My first home-grown baked potato
Purple majesty potatoes grown in the bag. I didn’t get the amount of potatoes I was expecting.
October 15, 2021
But were they ever delicious!!
October 15, 2021I wasn’t expecting the potatoes to taste so exceptional, they were really earthy and fresh. I ordered seed potatoes (above…blue majesty, organic, non gmo) started all over again in a special potato bag. The bag is breathable, flexible and has handles to relocate it if necessary, as in the case of a major hurricane! It was not as big a harvest as the first batch in the white container. I’m currently letting a few of the potatoes to go seed and do it again but back in the white container where it produced much more of a harvest.
Root vegetables might be my most successful grows, since the tomatoes and eggplant have picked up some pests that think the leaves are hors d’oeuvres. The cantaloupe may be the culprit since it appeared to start there. I’ve moved the cantaloupe and the “swiss cheese” leaves have seemed to calm down on the other plants. Time will tell.
Cherry tomato
They grew fast
Final product with my fresh grown basil
NO…..I did not eat him!
The fruitless cantaloupe
Beefsteak Tomato
How come I only have one tomato on this huge plant?!?
Baby avocado
Larger avocado, needs to go into a much bigger pot
And here is that same avocado a few years later!
Yes, even in my last condo there were plants EVERYWHERE!!!
A fig tree I purchased a few months ago. It has grown into a beautiful tree to look at and hopefully eventually gives figs!
October 15, 2021
My purple daikon radishes didn’t grow as well. I followed a YouTube video and I don’t believe I had enough dirt and they were too crowded. However, I sautéed the leaves with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Absolutely amazing taste and they rank right up there in nutrients of broccoli and kale!
October 15, 2021
Cast Iron Cookware
Ohhhh….that bakery smell!!!
I’ll never go back to stainless
If you’ve read my previous blogs you already know that when I find a product that really strikes me I am compelled to share it. My purchase of cast iron cookware is no different.
Years ago I used the horrid, unhealthy Teflon pans and didn’t know any better. I needed easy at that time in my life and that was easiest clean up ever! My parents used Farberware in the 80s and I inherited those pans in early 2000 and still cooked with them until just recently.
Now that I have more time for myself I’m no longer really looking for easy cookware; I’m looking for healthy cookware. In further reading about the Farberware stainless steel I realized that they were aluminum based. I know they say the pots are safe unless they get pitted but how do we know that for sure? And especially since they’ve been in use since 1980?!
I remember my Dad used to have a cast iron pan but I have no idea what happened to that. Maybe that’s when my Mom stepped in and said she no longer wanted to perform a workout just by lifting the pan anymore. I can’t be certain why they decided to make the switch all I know is that it’s time for me to retire the Farberware.
There is no denying that the cast iron is much heavier but I eliminated that issue by purchasing the rack that sits on my buffet in the kitchen. So I don’t need to bend over into the bottom drawer. I didn’t want the weight of the pans to have any bearing on my decision to switch to the cast iron.
What I didn’t realize is how very functional this cast iron is. Wherever there is heat you’re able to utilize these pans, the stovetop, oven or grill. I love pasta and there’s nothing better than next day leftovers severely browned in oil and the cast iron did not disappoint. Searing my strip steak to perfection (just black on the outside and raw on the inside) was amazing. So I looked up few recipes and baked bread and a delicious lemon blueberry pound cake. When I baked bread in the deep pan the entire condo smelled like a bakery…scrumptious!! I must admit that I need to revisit making the bread again as the middle was too dense. It will be my pleasure to continue practicing that recipe.
The issue of cleaning cast iron and food sticking does not exist if you do what the directions read. In all instances I let the pans completely cool off and run warm water in them using a sponge to clean off all foods. After baking the bread I simply rubbed the pan with a clean cloth and put it back on the rack. Clean up was made easy because the set arrived pre seasoned.
I think I found my forever pans and I little workout for my arms certainly won’t hurt even well into my 90s.
Bon appetite!
Shelling
Doesn’t everybody categorize their shells?!
The colors are amazing!
Every once in a while you can find your own shell holder!
It’s an obsession, an addiction like a drug —only not bad for you.
My Mom and Dad had a condo right on the ocean in Fort Lauderdale quite a few years ago. We would visit to escape the Upstate New York winter weather and I remember walking the beach and feeling like a million bucks. There was nothing like the ocean breeze, the warm sun on my body, the feel of the waves approaching the shore
and that smell……………..ahhhhhhhhhh…….heaven.
We walked a few times daily on the beach and my Mom would never catch up to us. Her head would be down most of the time looking for shells. I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was about “shelling” until I tried it myself; well, so much for the walking. I was addicted way back then and now I believe I’m worse than my Mom. I can’t help it. For the life of me I can’t begin to imagine why the heck it NEVER gets old. Shouldn’t I be sick of it by now? The answer is nope.
Whenever I stay at the beach my first thought is about the tide and if it brought shells onto the shore. To be honest I do walk a good distance at a decent pace. I just could never join a race because I’d come to a complete stop whenever my very experienced eye got a glimpse of that special shell. Ridiculous!
I’ve gained quite a collection in the last couple of years being here and they’re all over this condo. You’ll see some of the pictures on the website. After collecting many shells I’ve now become a shell snob. I don’t look at the ones I have a lot of anymore unless they’re the shells that are special to me in which case I can’t have enough. I never pictured myself as a shell snob but I am.
Anything that comes from the ocean (minus plastics and trash) is sacred to me and I believe the ocean has healing properties. There are some shells that I’ve turned into necklaces, bracelets or anything that keeps them close to my body.
Some shells aren’t really shells, they’re unique pieces that are various sizes, shapes and appear to have a wood grain and are just beautiful! Those have an extra smooth texture on one side and I keep a couple in my pocket. When I’m stressed, nervous or need to think I just rub my thumb up and down the smooth part and it helps relax my mind taking me right back to the ocean.
One of the best advantages about shelling is it’s the most inexpensive therapy ever. It quiets my mind and keeps me present where I belong. Sometimes it’s good to escape our world and enter a place where there’s peace, lovely thoughts and beautiful nature. I truly believe if we all took just a little time to get close to nature we would have an easier time with life and all its dilemmas.
The same feel is present when I’m walking in the woods, forest or a back-country road.
I would recommend shelling to anyone; there’s no discrimination here. Welcome to my obsession!!
My Mom’s favorite and hard to find
I can’t possibly walk by and not pick them up when they’re staring at me!
It’s not always about the best shells
Hours…………..it takes hours to get through my walk!
Looks a bit like an uncle from years ago……………
These remind me of Asian rice hats!!
I usually skip these stones when the ocean is calm but sometimes they’re keepers!
Perfect, beautiful stones
Himalayan Salt Lamps
Not only are they gorgeous - but they are the PERFECT GIFT for any reason!
Are They for Real??
Do you believe all the hub bub that Himalayan salt lamps purify the air in your room? They’re supposed to trap airborne pollutants on their surface…….hmmmmmmm. Then you remove the pollutants from the salt lamp with a damp cloth. In addition the lamps are supposed to generate negative ions which really do have health benefits. Studies have shown that the reading of negative ions is way too low to make a positive effect on our health issues.
Let me share with you the benefits I have found having a salt lamp. To begin with my daughter has one and she got me hooked; I couldn’t keep my eyes or hands off it. So I purchased one of my own and I have to say that it is one of the prettiest tabletop fixtures in my house. It has the dreamiest orange-peach-salmon color and the shape of it easy on the eyes. It holds six salt balls that fit perfectly in my hand and has a knob to control the color and heat intensity.
I turn it up to the max in the morning and once it’s heated up I’ll take a couple of the hot salt balls and roll them all over the back of my neck, shoulders and around to the front of my neck; HEAVEN! Holding one in each hand while meditating is also wonderful. At night while watching TV I turn the lamp down and the dim color provides a perfect night light for the living room. It’s that same pleasing effect I experience when I have just the Christmas lights on.
Himalayan salt lamps make terrific gifts for anyone and guaranteed to bring happiness and a feeling of peace and warmth in their hearts. And who can’t use a good dose of that?