My Edible Yard

Urban Garden Update

2013-05-18T15:30:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry to have been missing in action for a few days, but work has taken my time, so here's a quick garden update in pictures.

Container Carrots - What a difference a month makes!

Corn and Beans

Waiting impatiently for the first daylily bloom.

First Marconi pepper with 2nd to follow soon.

Burgundy Okra is thriving in the heat.

I've been working on a new project I think we'll all enjoy as a community. Details to come soon.

Happy urban gardening!

Urban Garden Share in Lutz, Florida

2013-05-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

Kelly Williams in Lutz, Florida sent in these great shots of her urban homestead garden and her gorgeous daughter, too!

Kelly Williams' great backyard urban garden.

Kelly's raised bed garden from another view.

And here's what she has to say about her edible yard and what she's growing: "This is a view of the back edible garden from the lanai. On the trellis we are growing cantaloupe, cucumbers, acorn squash, butternut squash and watermelon. Also growing in this area now are Floradade tomato, giant red mustard greens, long beans, romaine lettuce, lemongrass, collard greens, lacinato kale (aka dinosaur kale), fennel, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, chard, nasturtium, carrots, recently harvested beets, jalapeno peppers, poblano peppers, mint, lavender, scallop squash (aka pattypan squash), spaghetti squash, parsley, rosemary, thyme, culantro, Italian parsley, cranberry hibiscus, onion, and chives. The fencing is to keep an armadillo from digging up the plants. We also grow non-edible native plants in this area, as well. Currently growing is beach sunflower, beautyberry, native cassia, blanket flower, scarlet sage, Muhly grass, and oakleaf hydrangea.

Someone seems awfully proud of her urban homesteading prowess!

Look at this great squash trellis!

Thanks so much for letting us visit your edible yard, Kelly. You've got a great thing going!

A North Houston Urban Garden Share

2013-05-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

Here's what Joeby Ralston from North Houston, Texas has to say about her urban garden: "I am sending you two pictures of my urban garden in the North Houston Area. I love gardening!!! I have 6 raised beds (4'x6'). I planted my potatoes and tomatoes on 2/9 to get ahead of the warm weather we get so early here in south Texas!"

Joeby's urban garden. Love the raised beds and trellises!

Look at the irrigation system Joeby's come up with for her raised beds. Nice!

Joeby goes on in her email to say that she's not entirely happy with her backyard garden. What do you think? I think she's nuts. It's stunningly gorgeous! We can all always make improvements, Joeby. That's what urban homesteading is all about!

Urban Garden Share

2013-05-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

This is so terrific! The first person I got an email from is Janis Keller in Pembroke Pines, Florida with some gorgeous pictures of her urban homestead garden.

Annona tree, also known as cherimoya.

Apple bananas.

Calabaza squash.

Just beautiful, Janis. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

I Showed You Mine. Now Show Me Yours.

2013-05-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

So I've been posting my little walkway condo container garden photos and letting you know what's going on at my urban homestead. Tell me what's going on at yours. What are you growing? How are you growing it? Send me photos. I'd love to share them with our My Edible Yard Urban Homestead community.

Ara

Newest Addition to the Urban Garden

2013-05-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

And here's the latest addition to the My Edible Yard Urban Homestead garden, a true bay laurel, or Laurus nobilis as it is botanically known. I just received it in the mail yesterday from Tropical Plants Library Online in Fort Lauderdale.

True Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis).

This is the true bay laurel, as in the one woven into wreaths in ancient Greece and that grown throughout the Mediterranean, not the bay leaf we here in the U.S. have come to know in the grocery store. It's said to be a bit difficult to grow, but my growing instructions say that's because it needs shade (especially important while the tree is young), sandy rocky soil for a well-drained growing medium, and it doesn't like to be overwatered because it's used to a dry native climate.

I'm giving it a go and have temporarily potted it in a container that's basically the same size as the pot it arrived in. I'll look for a new, slightly larger container this weekend to give it some room to grow. I'm hoping to be cooking with fresh bay leaves soon.

True Bay Laurel in temporary container.

Summer Garden Update in Pictures

2013-05-07T15:00:00.000-04:00

Heirloom Golden Bantam corn and Provider beans.

Brenda's daylily getting ready to bloom!

Marconi pepper is starting to flower.

Buckwheat Crepes with Brie & Honey Sauteed Swiss Chard

2013-05-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

I thought this recipe for buckwheat crepes from Food52 contributed by Caroline Wright looked like a perfect way to start off a series of Meatless Monday meals. Though I can't wait to try them just as is (gotta pick up some buckwheat flour), I can see morphing them into all sorts of variations to use up produce from the garden and even switching out the cheese. Maybe a nice homemade farmers cheese or goat cheese chevre? Clearly, any green like kale, mustard, spinach, or callaloo, would be equally scrumptious. What about adding some pan roasted sweet potatoes as a side dish?

Buckwheat Crepes with Brie & Honey Sauteed Swiss Chard
Photo by Caroline Wright

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup buckwheat or all-purpose flour
2/3 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted salted butter, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces brie, thinly sliced
2 bunches Swiss chard, leaves sliced into 2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

Directions:

Combine milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt and flour in a blender; blend to combine (about 1 minute).
Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Wipe skillet with a lightly greased paper towel. Add enough batter to thinly coat bottom of skillet, swirling pan while pouring (about 1/4 cup batter). Cook crepe until lightly golden, about 2 minutes; flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer cooked crepe to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining batter and stack crepes as they are cooked.
While crepes cook, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a separate medium skillet over medium heat. Add chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in honey and vinegar.
To assemble crepes, fold each crepe in half. Arrange brie slices on crepes, then top with sautéed chard. Fold crepes into thirds and serve.

Bon appetit and happy Meatless Monday!

Marando Farms

2013-05-05T15:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know if you remember this post I wrote a little over 3 years ago about my first experience purchasing raw milk or not, but I've found a source that's not nearly as nerve wracking, less expensive, and makes me feel good because I'm giving back to my community by shopping locally grown. Marando Farms in Fort Lauderdale. Not only are they a great source for local raw milk products, but they also carry locally grown organic produce, eggs (chicken and often duck), meat (chicken and beef), baked goods, pet food, locally caught fish, and more. And since I can't grow everything I want to grow here at the condo due to space limitations, they are a wonderful supplement to my edible yard and urban homestead. Yes, it's a bit of a drive for me to get there (25 minutes on the expressway), but I think it's well worth it. And I love the fact that though they don't grow or raise everything themselves, they try diligently to obtain from local Florida producers. Here's a recent article about them from the Broward/Palm Beach New Times.

Picture from Marando Farms Facebook page.

Marando Farms. They've become a weekly habit for me.

How to Grow Carrots in Containers

2013-05-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

While I've successfully grown carrots in raised beds ... that is once I figured out that the days to harvest listed on the back of seed packets really needs to be doubled to actually get full-size carrots ... it never crossed my mind to grow them in containers. And it certainly never crossed my mind to attempt growing them year round in containers. And what about the fact that I'm in south Florida and carrots are a cool season crop here, which means they should be planted in September and October? But I recently read some articles on it and many people living in condos and other small space situations are doing it. So why not try?

Carrots in container. Seeds planted directly into organic mushroom compost on 04-18-2013.

Germination started on day 5, 04-23-2013.

Starting to get 2nd set of leaves, 05-03-2013.

I've got to say, I'm amazed ... and thrilled. If my experiment is successful, I'll start another container of them in about 3 months so I have a continuous crop of carrots.

Here's the internet tutorial I found most useful about growing carrots in containers.

Gift From a Fellow Urban Homesteader

2013-05-02T15:00:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like getting a gift from a friend, and I got a wonderful gift on Tuesday from Facebook friend, Brenda, in Port St. Lucie. A box containing 3 daylilies from her own garden after she read my post on the My Edible Yard Urban Homestead Facebook page about some species of daylily tubers being edible.

Daylilies from Brenda.

Sauteed daylily tubers and greens with onion by Wild Forager.

Brenda's package arrived in the middle of a typical south Florida thunderstorm, so I had to wait till the rain stopped to get them into a nice homey container of organic mushroom compost. They seem to have survived the postal trip just fine. I haven't yet been able to ask her if she knows which species they are so I can check to see if they, indeed, are edible, but it doesn't matter. Even if they're not, they're going to provide the garden with some beautiful color.

Daylilies turn out to be a great plant for the garden. They're perennial and hardy from zones 1-11! If you're interested, here's some more info on daylilies.

Garden Chores for May in South and Central Florida

2013-05-01T15:00:00.000-04:00

May

Plant lima beans, snap beans, collards, and summer spinach. Continue planting heat-tolerant veggies such as calabazas, chayotes, yard-long beans, okra, Southern peas, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes and tropical crops.
Plant basil, chives, dill, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, mint and thyme.
Cover developing papaya fruit with paper bags to protect from fruit flies.

Marconi pepper and Burgundy okra 04-22-2013

How To Make Israeli Pickles

2012-04-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a pickle freak. Not just for pickled cucumbers. I love pickled anything. Beets. Carrots. Green beans. Summer squash. Bell peppers. Pears. Yes, you can pickle fruit. You name it, I'll pickle it, and eat it. Most of the pickles I make are in a Caribbean vinegar-based pickling liquid, which I've concocted from several recipes over time, and sell quite well at market. Did you pick up on that? The selling at market? It means I won't be printing that recipe here.

But one pickle that I've never made and absolutely love is an Israeli pickle. Israeli pickles are fermented in a salt brine over several days. And if you can get your hands on them in a Kosher or Middle Eastern market, you'll see that the cucumber that's used is a specific gherkin grown in the Middle East. I've not yet found the seeds to grow my own, but I'm on the hunt for them. So I thought I'd give it a go since I was able to find some just harvested, organic, farm-fresh, Kirby cucumbers at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market last week at Bee Heaven Farm's booth.

Ingredients:

Approximately 4 lbs pickling cucumbers, washed and dried
1 head of garlic, peeled and sliced thin
Fresh dill (I used my own out of the garden, but I estimate this to be equivalent to 1 package at the store)
1 Tablespoon crushed red chili pepper flakes, divided into 3
4 Tablespoons Kosher salt
Water, enough to fill the container you'll be using
Glass jar with lid
Metal knife

Instructions:

Find an appropriately sized glass jar with lid. I found one for $4 at my local grocery store by chance.

Glass jar with lid

Fill it with water and then pour that water into a pot. I used a measuring cup so I'd know how much water I was dealing with. My jar holds 9-1/2 cups of water give or take a splash.

Get your ingredients ready. Slice your garlic into thin slivers. Trim and quarter your cucumbers if you're using Kirby cucumbers like I did.

Note: You'll want to trim at least 1/16th inch off the blossom end of your cucumbers, according to several pickling/canning sources, to help maintain the crispness of your pickles. The blossom end contains enzymes that lead to softening.

Farm-fresh, organic, Kirby cucumbers

Garlic, dill, Kosher salt, and crushed red pepper flakes

Into the jar, place one third of the sliced garlic, dill sprigs, and 1 teaspoon of the dried red chili pepper flakes. Now add half the cucumbers, followed by another third of the garlic, dill, and chili pepper flakes. Next add the other half of the cucumbers topped with the last third of herbs and spices.

Filled jar before adding water

Now add all 4 Tablespoons of Kosher salt to the water in the pot and bring it to a boil. Using a metal knife stuck down into the jar to help disperse the heat so your glass jar doesn't crack, slowly and carefully pour the boiling salt water mixture into the jar, leaving about half inch of head space.

Filled jar

Put the lid on the jar and let it sit till it's cool enough to move. Place the jar in the sunniest spot in your kitchen. I put mine in my kitchen window. Let it sit there for 3 days. Then you can move the jar to a different location for another 3-4 days. After a week, put your Israeli pickles in the refrigerator to get nice and cold, and give them a taste.

Israeli pickles

Let me know how yours turn out. I'll let you know how mine do.

Earth Day 2012

2012-04-22T10:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day! Make it your goal to reduce, reuse, and recycle in 2012.

TV or Not TV

2012-04-16T05:50:00.000-04:00

That is the question I asked myself when we first got to the farm. Would there even be time for TV? What do I really watch that's worthwhile? The news? I can get that on the web. Cooking and DIY shows? Again, recipes and projects can be found on the web. The big question. Can Mickey live without the TV? Now that's a different story.

So I compromised. I got a Roku box and turned on Netflix. It cost $8.95 a month and provides all sorts of things to watch -- TV series, documentaries, movies. Granted, nothing live. But I figured it was enough to start with and, if he really had TV withdrawal and just couldn't live without it, we could get Hulu for $18 a month. Thankfully, Netflix has kept him ~~happy~~ satisfied.

Now at the condo in Pompano Beach (side note: my life has changed a lot in less than a year, but that story will unfold with time), I find myself facing the same question. TV or not TV? I survived just fine with Netfix at the farm. Truth be told, I didn't really have time for even that what with feeding chickens, planting crops, canning and baking for the 2 farmers markets we sold at, etc., etc. More often than not, I'd fall asleep within minutes of sitting down out of pure exhaustion.

What will I do without TV? What did people do before TVs became so commonplace in today's society? Here's a list of 10 things to keep me busy off the top of my head:

Work in the garden
Preserve the harvests from the garden thru canning, freezing, and dehydrating
Clean and organize the urban homestead
Stitch, be it knitting, crocheting, or needlepointing (I have 2 knitting projects I'm currently working on, 1 needlepoint, and I'm learning to crochet)
Read (gosh, I haven't read a good book in forever)
Take a walk to the beach and enjoy the view
Take a photography class or at least work on my photography skills (which I sorely lack)
Research and implement projects here on the urban homestead to improve its efficiency and my self-sufficiency skills
Save the money I'd spend on cable and put it away for a vacation, urban homesteading projects, or a rainy day
Keep up with my blogging

TV or not TV? That is the question.

So there it is. Not TV. That is my answer.

It's Been Way Too Long

2012-04-15T05:56:00.000-04:00

It's been way too long since I've posted. And my life has changed ... in many ways. A lot of work, hard work, is involved in getting a farm started and keeping it going. But more of that later. Just wanted to let you know that I'm making a concerted effort to begin posting again on a regular basis.

Adventure of the Week

2011-06-09T16:10:00.000-04:00

I've taken to scanning Craigslist a couple times a week for anything I think might be useful on the farm. Tools. Vehicles. Compost. Livestock. All of these things will be needed. On Tuesday morning as I did my perusing with a hot cup of coffee in hand, a Chevy van jumped out at me as looking like a good deal. I knew it had to be a Chevy, because that's the engine Mickey prefers on American-made vehicles. He was a used car mechanic for 17 years. And it was a 6-cylinder, so that gave it a star, too, with regard to better gas mileage. Now, if it was just what the Craigslist ad said it was. I jumped over to the Blue Book website to see if the price was in the correct range for it's age and condition. It was. Now to call the phone number listed in the ad.

Yes, the van was still there. It had just been listed the day before. The gentleman gave me the address and was willing to give me directions, but I told him I had a GPS and would call if I got lost. Oh, I forgot. The van was in a used car lot in Valdosta, Georgia. Actually, Valdosta is only 60 miles away from the farm, about the same distance to Gainesville. And from what I can tell, prices for lots of things are cheaper in Georgia. At least vehicles and gasoline. Similar vans were averaging $2000 more in Gainesville. So I talked handyguy Charlie into making the trip with me, just in case I needed someone to drive the van to the farm, and off we went.

It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Valdosta, a straight shoot up I-75. And just as the salesman promised, the van was there and waiting for me. He even let us take it for a spin without asking for my license or first child. It was exactly what he said it was. What do you know? A truthful salesman. I still insisted on him running the Carfax report for me, just in case he had not been told the truth by the owner. But even that turned out well. One owner, 1 small fender bender, no frame damage. The only thing that could make this better would be if I could get the salesman down in price. And I did just that. A whole whopping $300, which equated to a 7.5% drop in price. Not too bad for my first time negotiating a car deal on my own, huh?

The end result? Why, our first farm vehicle, of course.

It'll be used first and foremost for delivering produce and setting up for market, but it should prove useful in many other ways, too. Now for van driving lessons for me.

Chicken Rustling on the Urban Homestead

2011-06-03T07:13:00.000-04:00

We've been robbed. Really. Our urban homestead has been visited by chicken rustlers. I originally ordered 36 meat birds. The hatchery sent us 40 chicks. They all survived. I counted them numerous times when they were babies and still corral-able, if that's a word. There were 40 chickens, roosters and hens alike, but 40 chickens in total.

This past Tuesday was the day they were scheduled to be readied for the freezer. As directed, Mickey had fed them their last meal on Sunday evening and they received only water from Monday forward to make sure they didn't get dehydrated. Not feeding the chickens for 24 hours makes for a cleaner and much easier processing. Tuesday, Mickey and the husband of the friend whom I had bartered with to perform the freezer readiness duties did their jobs transferring the 12-week old chickens into cages and getting them to my friend. It was a several-part transfer because the cages weren't large enough to hold all the birds, but it worked out well because she would be working on the batch she had just received while they guys were transporting the next batch.

And then I received a Facebook chat message from my friend asking me how many birds there were again. I responded quickly with the 40 I knew it to be. She said she had counted twice and there were only 34. I didn't know what to say to her. All I could think was that while I've been up in Lake City readying the farmhouse for move-in that some of the birds had passed and Mickey didn't have the heart (or the guts) to tell me. He was having a rather tough emotional go of it with the purpose of the day, and I decided I wouldn't ask for a day or two, giving him time to get past the situation.

So here's what appears to have happened. One day a couple weeks ago, Mickey came home to find our backyard gate open and a bicycle he had never seen before lying in the walkway between our home and our neighbor's. He thought it was odd, but let it go and continued into the backyard to count the hens who roam freely and might have escaped. All 10 were there. He noticed some feathers in the yard, but again let that go knowing that all 10 hens were safe. It never crossed his mind that it might be the meat birds because they were safely locked in our homemade chicken tractor. He could see them. And the tractor was locked. There were lots of red chickens. About an hour later, he went back outside and the bicycle was gone.

My guess is that someone in the neighborhood was hungry. And I'm okay with that. I've always told anyone stopping by to see the garden or the chickens that if they want something all they have to do is ask. I often give egg customers fresh produce from the garden when they stop to pick up their egg orders. What goads me is this person didn't ask. I would have given them the chickens. I would never knowingly let someone go hungry if I have the means to feed them a meal.

So the missing chicken mystery is solved. We've got chicken rustlers in Pembroke Pines. Beware.

What Is It About Laundromats?

2011-05-22T07:11:00.001-04:00

What is it about laundromats that give me the creeps? Is it because they're usually in the worst parts of town? That they're hot and stuffy? That they always feel dirty to me? I've been twice now since I got up here to prepare the new farm for living in. The first visit was exactly what I remembered my experience to be in my early 20s on first moving to south Florida. Hot. Dusty. Dingy. Stuffy. Uncomfortable. Almost creepy. This one was located right next to a liquor store in the not best part of town, so there were lots of people in and out of the parking lot who didn't look to be walking straight. They probably weren't driving straight either, now that I think about it.

Always good to be able to pick up a bottle while doing laundry.

My second trip to the laundromat I looked for a step up and found it. A newer laundromat, newer machines, and air conditioning. Well, sort of. It was definitely cleaner, less dingy, and cooler. The A/C was running with the doors open to let out the dryer heat. The seating wasn't any more comfortable. Metal chairs as opposed to wooden benches. Would it hurt the owners to supply a cushion or two, or do they want you uncomfortable on purpose so you get out of there more quickly? And the cost. Do they really need to charge $1.25 a load? My gosh! Somehow I remember 50 cents almost 30 years ago.

Looking forward to having my washer, dryer, and clothesline up here on the farm.

2011-05-15T10:16:00.001-04:00

The 250-gallon food-grade rain barrels have arrived. I've got them protected under the carport for right now till we can begin to set up our drip-tape irrigation system.

250-gallon food-grade rain barrels.

No Idle Hands on the Urban Homestead

2011-05-15T06:49:00.000-04:00

Up here in Lake City getting the house ready to move into, I've been trying to keep busy even in the evenings while sitting in front of the computer watching TV.

Simple garter stitch dishcloth.

True homesteader spirit, eh?

Investing in Efficiency on the Urban Homestead

2011-05-07T16:39:00.000-04:00

Well, we've done it. Yesterday we purchased our first piece of farm equipment. An Earthway Precision Seeder. A friend of mine and fellow fledgling farmer, Crystal at HeartSong Farms, was selling hers and I was able to pick it up for a great price. Brand-new, they usually sell for between $90 and $109 plus tax and shipping, and I was able to get this once-used Earthway for $65. Period.

Earthway Seeder

Seeders are a great tool not only for the small farmer, but for urban homesteaders, too, because they furrow, plant, cover seeds, and mark the next row for planting all in 1 pass. Just think about how much time (not to mention backache) you could save by using one. The Earthway Seeder comes with 6 plates for different size seeds (sweet corn; radish, leeks, and spinach; carrots, lettuce, and turnips; beans and small peas; jumbo peas; beets, okra, Swiss chard) and has an optional plate kit for other size seeds (carrot; broccoli; cucumbers; popcorn; lima beans).

Here's a video of the Earthway in action:

Have you used a seeder before? I'd love to hear about your experience.

DIY Projects

2011-05-04T09:38:00.003-04:00

Be sure to take a look at my DIY Projects page in the upper left corner of the blog. I've been adding tons of great new DIY ideas to save you money and help make your urban homestead more efficient and productive.

Happy urban homesteading!

Staying Focused On The Goal

2011-05-03T08:37:00.001-04:00

I've ignored the floors for 3 days now. Saturday was spent at the Sustainable Homesteading Expo at Magnolia Farms. A useful and educational day. Sunday was supposed to be spent as a rest day, but instead it ended up an errand day. A productive day. And yesterday was spent vegetating. Some days my body says, "Stop. Listen to me. Rest." So I did. I didn't waste the day. I simply got work out that had to get out and then stayed at the computer all afternoon searching out information on future farm projects.

But the goal is to be able to move in to the new farm as quickly as possible and that can't be done unless I stay focused. And the floors are the one big thing I'm doing myself to get us moved in.

Today is a floor day.

Magnolia Farms Sustainable Homesteading Expo

2011-05-02T14:21:00.001-04:00

What an incredible day I had on Saturday at Magnolia Farms' Sustainable Homesteading Expo in Live Oak. Just a short, 15-minute drive from me here at 3 Rivers Farm in Lake City, I got the chance to explore the neighborhood and drive a direction through town I haven't yet ventured. The weather was perfect for a day filled with workshops and learning, clear blue skies, and not too hot as long as you sat in a shady spot.

Beautiful peacock.

One heck of a turkey!

On pulling up in the driveway and getting out of the car, I was first met by a beautiful peacock, followed quickly by a fantabulous turkey. He is something, isn't he? He struts around the property making the usual gobble-gobble sounds we've been told they make, but he also kept making this loud thumping sound, much like a drum beat, that I later was informed is a mating call to female turkeys.

One of the several goat feeding stations on the property.

Magnolia Farms is all about dairy goats. And I mean lots of goats. Over 80 of them and most of them Nubians. So it was fitting that the first workshop given by co-owner, Darlene McElwee, was about goats. She gave us an information-packed talk on the raising and care of goats and demonstrated both manual and machine milking, as well as offering herself up for assistance if any of us intending to raise them needed help in the future.

Chevre (herbed and plain) made out of fresh goat milk.

The second workshop continued along the same theme ... goats, that is. Goat's milk to be more specific. Darlene demonstrated how to make chevre cheese out of fresh raw goat milk. It looks fascinatingly easy with her simple directions, not to mention tastes delicious. In the picture above, I've got it on a cracker topped with homemade tomato preserves from Marie's Home Canning in White Springs. The lemon peel and hint of ginger in the preserves compliment the tanginess of the goat cheese perfectly, making this a snack that could easily become addicting. I can't wait to try my hand at cheese making myself.

Next was lunch and Darlene and Mike (Darlene's husband and co-owner of Magnolia Farms) walked us down to a beautiful field set up with picnic tables and a covered area where they had set up lunch buffet style. What a fabulous farm-to-table spread they put out. Pumpkin soup, bean soup, salad with loquat dressing, a wrap stuffed with mushrooms, onions, and zucchini that was scrumptious all by itself, but when dipped in the loquat dressing ... OMG! As if this wasn't enough to fill any one's belly, dessert was one heck of a kitchen sink dump cake made with locally grown blueberries and strawberries.

Darlene McElwee, co-owner Magnolia Farms (foreground); Phenie Sawyer, owner Preferred Organics (background)

And then on to the soap making workshop by Phenie Sawyer, the owner of Preferred Organics in Jacksonville. I had no idea how easy it was to make cold-processed goat milk soap. At least she made it look easy. The biggest thing to remember about soap making is making safety a priority. Make sure to wear goggles or glasses (we are dealing with lye here), long sleeves and gloves. And never pour the liquids into the lye; it should always be the lye into the liquids. If you follow these simple guidelines, making soap for your urban homestead will be easy as pie.

Next, there was a great discussion on organic gardening led by a woman who up until recently had a 200-acre organic production farm. She explained to the group that our National Organic Program's definition of organic in the world of farming is:

“Organic production. A production system that is managed in accordance with the Act and regulations in this part to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.”

The problem is, when dealing with the food brought into this country to feed us, the words "according to the rules and regulations of each specific country" should be added to that definition. What we consider organic here in the United States is not necessarily what China, Mexico, or Guatemala considers organic. So, when we buy something labeled organic in our grocery stores, we don't necessarily know what that means. To ensure that you know what you're feeding to your family, it's always better to buy from local farmers either at the farm directly, through a CSA, or at a farmer's market whether they are certified organic or not.

Not a good picture of Ethel, but the shade was taking over.

Of course I came home with quite a sampling of the goodies.

Although there were a couple other workshops throughout the day, the last workshop I attended was the canning workshop led by Ethel from Marie's Home Canning in White Springs, Florida. Her mother started the business in 1960 and supported their family after her father was injured in a construction accident. Ethel and her sisters have run the business since their mother retired, and though 2 sisters have since retired, Ethel continues the family tradition. She says her first "job" at 4 years of age was chief jar washer because her little hands could fit into the jars to get them clean. If you've not tried her goodies, you should. Her tomato preserves are to die for, and the pear relish I turned into a salad dressing last night was pretty darned tasty, too.

chevre. If you'd like more information about Magnolia Farms or just like to see some great pictures of it, they are also on Facebook.

My Edible Yard

Urban Garden Update

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