Eating Locally

25 May

When I got home, I made the most wonderful salad! Lettuce from a local organic farm, kale leaves from volunteers in my garden, Indian Plum growing tip leaves, dandelion greens. Added chive blossoms, curly marjoram tips, lemon balm tips, and sweet cicely seeds.  Vinagrette from the store. Lettuce was grown 15 miles away, harvested by me about 12 hours ago. Other bits grown on my property, harvested by me about 10 minutes ago. Dressing was the only thing to travel. I am definitley going to manage the Indian Plum in the orchard more, to provide more tasty tips. This was from one that I had simply cut to ground level about 6 weeks ago. I may cut more of them down, while the rains are still here. Indian Plum and dandelions are bitter flavors, which I like. The Indian Plum has undertones of cucumber. The Sweet Cicely seeds are at the green and chewy stage, and taste like licorice.

Tuesday food thoughts

When I got home, I made the most wonderful salad! Lettuce from a local organic farm, kale leaves from volunteers in my garden, Indian Plum growing tip leaves, dandelion greens. Added chive blossoms, curly marjoram tips, lemon balm tips, and sweet cicely seeds.  Vinagrette from the store. Lettuce was grown 15 miles away, harvested by me about 12 hours ago. Other bits grown on my property, harvested by me about 10 minutes ago. Dressing was the only thing to travel. I am definitley going to manage the Indian Plum in the orchard more, to provide more tasty tips. This was from one that I had simply cut to ground level about 6 weeks ago. I may cut more of them down, while the rains are still here. Indian Plum and dandelions are bitter flavors, which I like. The Indian Plum has undertones of cucumber. The Sweet Cicely seeds are at the green and chewy stage, and taste like licorice.

Garden One

Two weeks ago, I started my first Guerilla Gardening project. In a small square hole in the sidewalk, I planted an offshoot of my P-22 apple rootstock (to be grafted upon later), jostaberry, chives, elephant garlic, forget-me-nots, and salad burnet. I left room for a sorrel, and I left a bit of chickweed, to be a winter annual. Forlorn-ness, as a bicycle has been parked upon it once, and the chives were simply stolen. I will replant them, but hope to add a sign, saying that this is a food garden, and people are welcome to harvest, but to please leave plants themselves behind. I really want to start food gardening in the planters and sidewalk holes of the city I live near to. I have lots of food plants growing on my own acres, and can propagate more, to put in the city. I've just realized that the small trees I am finding near the plum tree, are offshoots from the rootstock, and I can graft on to them. I've got a four-in-one plum tree of my own to provide scionwood. I'm making more P-22 apple rootstocks, as they are a very dwarfing variety, and then my friend B and myself, can graft apples on to those.