Back to Eden Film

Back to Eden Film

I first stumbled on this film back on September 21, 2011. I meant to watch it (more than the trailer I saw) and share a post about the movie. It has long been in the back of my mind and obviously I am just getting around to sharing now. Can I just say the film took my breath away, blew my mind, and built in my such a great excitement to garden I can hardly stand it?

As I have shared earlier this week; lately the chickens, rabbits, and garden seem like such a major, extra chore. I have to remind myself why I am doing this all. Why grow my own food when I could just buy it from the supermarket? Sometimes I just don't have the answers. Especially after we took some bad advice and fertilized our raised beds with un-composted rabbit manure late last fall. Apparently, the mild manure that can "just be added right to the soil" is only to be added if you feed pellets alone. We don't. We feed hay. You know... grass like the wild rabbits eat. Pellets are just a supplement. Well that means only add rabbit manure to your garden beds before composting if you have weed free hay. Funny the solid layer of grass and weeds growing like a carpet on all my old beds that we added rabbit manure directly to... lots more work. **Sigh.**

This movie changes all that for me. You know when you read and look in search of a better way to do something just knowing it is out there and it still alludes you. The answers are within this fabulous system revealed to Paul Gautschi by God and shared with the world. Now I just have to convince my husband, the muscles, and we will be in business. 

Here are the highlights that really stood out to me:

• Paul's love for God and gentle spirit are so appealing that you are just drawn in. His knowledge of scripture and application is just fantastic. I loved how the verses related so well to the action of gardening. 
• This is the perfect system. Designed by God, modeled by nature, and recreated by Paul. Amazing.
• That this "system" is being revealed now for a time of need. The ability to garden like this has always been "there" and many people have touched on or discovered many of the concepts shown but I do feel there is an element of timeliness in Paul's methods and in how it is revealed. I also feel pressured to have a food system in place for a time of need for myself, family, and strangers in need. 
• You may or may not be amazed as I was at the size, swift growing, and sweetness of the fruit/veggies. Even being said to taste like candy. In addition, the water content in the fruit of the garden is so apparent that I can't relate it to most modern food homegrown or otherwise. It was just dripping!
• No need for crop rotation (love this!), watering, weeding, fertilizing, soil testing, etc. Most of the chores of modern gardening are completely eliminated. Weeding, watering, and crop rotation are all major chores to me. Yuck! You don't have to "work" to keep up with this garden.
• I kept wondering how to create such a garden myself while watching. Either from scratch or with what I already have. About an 1 and 30 minutes into the movie you get a great demonstration of the beginnings of making a garden like Paul's. Clearly only time will make a garden as fertile as Paul's but you see the start and early success. There is also a step-by-step "how to" on the film web site.
• I love how Paul gives freely of his garden and his explanation of why he does so. Talk about beautiful. 
• The movie is a bit of a time commitment but it is so very worth it!

Please buy the DVD or give a donation if you have the financial means. I am not affiliated with the film in anyway but I love how you can watch the film for free and I feel that should be rewarded. I am sure it will be a blessing and money well spent. Have you seen the film? Or if you watch it please tell me what you think about it. I would love to know what stood out to you. Did you agree with Paul on his method's?

I Grew That

Tonight was one of those moments that reaffirms why I want chickens and a garden. Trust me... I think ALOT about throwing in the towel. I am tired, worn, and it often seems like just one more chore and one more expense. I feel like right now the need for cheap food outweighs the need for truly clean, healthy, and wholesome. I do what I can with what I can afford. Then as I am quickly throwing together a cheap and last minute meal I am out of onions. Ugh! I just sent Gary to the grocery store so no chance of going back just for onions. 

Then it hits me. All the things in the garden that overwintered were growing in the warm spring weather we have been having. Fantastic, there were onions (although small) out there. Ethan was still sleeping and Wade was playing and watching "Cars", so I ran out the back door and did a hurried garden raid. My Tuna Cabonara would be on steroids tonight. Swiss Chard, onions, asparagus, and a big fat carrot (although I left the carrot out of the tuna dish). Then three homegrown chicken eggs and I felt like I was soaring. FOUR ingredients from my own yard. 

I came in feeling like a hero and a warrior. I have to fight to keep thinking of the positives of these extra chores in my life and I honestly felt rewarded for my efforts today. I guess there is good reason to scatter more seed in the ground... even if I am behind this season.

Happy Gardening.

Weekend Highlight: Gardens, Greenhouse, and Cute Toddler

Once again we had AMAZING weather on Sunday. Hard to believe it is only March 12 with such a promise of spring. It frustrates this Momma to not be able to bend over or put on shoes as we still have no baby. I kept looking around the yard and shaking my head at how far we have come and yet how much more there is to go.

One of the most wonderful surprises about yesterday was all the life found yet in the garden. So many plants made it over winter. Including a large row of carrots we planted late and have over wintered. A few more weeks and they will be perfect!

Wade loved running round the garden paths. The paths did a great job holding up to the very wet winter. All we need is a few more loads of wood chips...

He was so precious posing for me everywhere. I can't wait to garden with him this summer. Last summer he was tiny but still loved to crawl to the garden for beans and tomatoes.

Do you remember the green house (Before, Update, Update, Growing stuff, etc.)!?! Well it is looking pretty impressive finally. Of course I am disappointed we didn't grow anything in it over winter but sometimes you just have to let things go. Not everything can get done all at once. It just needs some white trim around the side winder and a gutter for a rain barrel. We spent $25.00 for roller shades in order to get some protection from the sun and right now it hides the little bit of mess that needs to be cleaned out. Looks like it has been there forever.

That is cilantro!!! I was shocked to find tons of it growing. Although it is a cool or early spring weather crop I guess I should be surprised. I can't wait to find a bunch of uses for it this early on. We actually had several herbs make it over winter in the herb bed and a rosemary plant in the green house made it as well.

That is Rainbow Swiss Chard. Looks a little beat up but there are several wonderful bright and fresh new leaves growing. Yum! I need to get some spinach seeds planted!

The winterized beds. We need some dirt!! Time to get things going. We might be able to get a jump on the growing season. Although this year we won't risk it. We will be putting up row covers for early spring to ensure the rain (or hail) doesn't damage the tender new plants. One bed even has onions I thought were lost from our early spring hail storm last year.

Check this out! This is a thermostat installed in the green house. I can set the desired temp and a blower will turn on and keep the temp down to what is set (say 80 degrees!). That should help a lot with growing in the green house this summer.

Here is the blower. I know... not impressive looking but wow does it work! Best part... the blower, thermostat and installation is "free" on a barter for a tattoo! I love my husband's skills to trade. 

What happened around your house or homestead this weekend???

Life After Kale....

I may have said this too many times on this blog but I am spoiled.   I am fortunate to run out to the chicken coop when I am short eggs for a recipe, to reach out my backdoor to grab herbs for suppers and to generally eat fresh and well out of my garden.   The land, the open spaces, the quiet.  Yes lots of good things to be thankful for but kale has spoiled me the most.  This often despised vegetable has worked its way into my heart and daily meals.  I find myself craving it!   Last years planting (after not putting the garden to bed the previous fall) had sprouted curly green growth in just April of this year.  Imagine having your favorite veggie at your beck and call for eight full months.  And then, on particularly hard frost night, it's gone.  This friends is what heartbreak looks like to a grower...

Sure it is sunny but all that brightness is deceiving.  It's freezing out there.  A confession?  I took this picture from my kitchen window because I didn't want to pull on a coat and shoes!  But the good news is I managed to get one last good pick before the sun came out and withered the frost covered leaves.  This is what happiness looks like...

I wish I could tell you these leafy greens are washed and resting comfortably in my crisper but they are not.  Gone already.  Cooked up and taken to a family supper.   What is a kale addict to do when she has no more free kale?  Buy it?  It's just not the same.  It feels like cheating to me.   Ah... farewell kale.  See you in April.

Living Off the Land

Just for fun... how much land do you need?

I loved this graphic and found it interesting to think about. We are no where near living off our 1/2 acre but we are slowly moving towards that. If disaster hit tomorrow? I think we would still be very unprepared although not as much as those who may live around us. I hope we could continue to get into a position to stay afloat in such a situation and perhaps help others along the way.

Visit the website for more information and to better read the details on the graphic. What are your thoughts? How much land do you need? Are you living off the land?

The Place of Dreams

Geauga County Fair

Labor Day weekend brings many wonderful things but no doubt my favorite is the Geauga County Fair. The first time I attended this fair was at Gary's encouragement and we jokingly called it our "honeymoon". Newlyweds we had a house that needed years of work, no chickens, rabbits, babies, barely a garden and a whole lot of hopes and dreams. It was fun to go to the fair that first time with Gary. He told me stories of when he was younger and running around the fair ground enjoying his youth. It wasn't like the fairs of my youth. It was more real, more country, more "fair" than any fair I had ever been to. I simply fell in love and I hope it never changes. However, this 2011 fair seemed more special than most...

My favorite part of every fair is always the animals. I could wander the barns for hours looking at and longing for the animals. Particularly the draft horses but all the animals drew me. I couldn't wait to share that with my son sincerely hoping to instill a deep love and respect for animals and the land in his heart at a young age. To be stewards of the Earth is to fulfill an ancient assignment given to us by God. For Wade to love the land and animals is to love God and obey Him. What better life could I strive to give Wade? Of course Wade can do and be as he chooses but I would hope that a part of himself would always come back to loving God's creation and having the same deep appreciation for it that Gary and I do.

Saturday afternoon we packed the car and prepared to drive the hour drive to Burton, Ohio. It was hot. I mean HOT! Everyone was talking about how it was the hottest days of summer yet. You just stood outside and started sweating but I wasn't going to let that stop us. I packed food for the baby and several iced water bottles and we loaded the car and headed out. We had a lot of fair to see and didn't leave as early as we had wanted. I was worried about how Wade would do in the heat and without a solid nap. I worried for nothing. Wade was a trooper and LOVED every minute of the fair. I have hardly seen him having so much fun.

Wade simply loved the sheep, had his first pony ride, saw cows, pigs, goats, miniature horses, and of course animals he had at home: rabbits and chickens. The fair was magical but we were no longer on the outside looking in. We as a family had started to secure and raise our own food. We had 23 birds in the freezer, a fresh laying flock of hens, my first ever canned tomato sauce, and a litter of rabbits with two more on the way in our own backyard. We had several gardens with more beds planned and could walk around this fair and dream of the next steps that didn't seem so far away. 

I jokingly talked with Gary about sheep. They were sweet and shy and you could get meat, milk, and wool from them and they would mow the lawn. Why couldn't we get the whole neighborhood to sign a petition to allow them. They would hardly be noticed noise or sound wise, right!?! Perhaps two pot belly pigs raised for 9 months to slaughter age was just around the corner in our lives? No one would even know they were around. OK, maybe not but when you are walking through the fair barns you just can't help but dream. We have come so far. Someday my little boy maybe auctioning off his prize winning rooster or buck rabbit at this very fair. I could have a 4Her in my future yet. Welcome to my place of dreams. I can hardly wait until next year.

We Make Our Own Cough Syrup, too...

I am a big believer in food as medicine. I believe food is taken into the body and then treated as either a medicine with incredible healing powers, as a food for general energy, or as a poison that can weaken. That being said I am also into medicinal herbs and edible weeds. I have eaten dandelion in salads, tasted a edible weed that is incredibly similar to pepper (yarrow - old man's pepper), and two years ago we made our first batch of homemade cough syrup. It was a learning experience and after a couple Ohio winters our stash has dwindled and we set to make another batch.

The commercial name for elderberry syrup is sambucol and it is marketed to support the immune system. Even being in the natural foods industry, this product is never cheap. If you had to harvest the flowers and berries at the exact right time and pick the itsy bitsy berries off their delicate stems, you would definitely understand why. (I have the kids do it on the porch.) With a family of seven boosting our immune systems sounds like a great idea until you have to pay an arm and a leg for it. But if it was growing in my backyard for free and just needed a little attention, I could do that.

Granted we only use berries, sugar and water while most commercial brands of elderberry syrups also contain the actual flower, I am still happy with the results. (I am not writing this post as a recipe or a how-to but more as another way to use what you have. This is something we have studied and researched and we never eat anything we are not 100% sure of its identity.) A few warnings about elderberries. The seeds contain cyanide so you don't want to eat them raw. Elderberries also can be easily confused with other less tasty and potentially harmful berries.

Today I have 10 pints up in the cupboard and one open in the fridge. A teaspoon a day for general immune system support and a tablespoon for when our bodies are actually in battle against nasty winter sicknesses.

If you don't have this tiny fruit populating your property, elderberries are made into jams and jellies sometimes found at apple houses or farmers markets. I have not tried them as a preserve so if you do let me know if it's worth trying that next summer.

Good Food Friday : Asian Style (Super Quick) Green Beans

Incredible how many beans a 30 ft row of plants can produce isn't it. And this was just one picking!

So far I have frozen 25 quarts, fermented a gallon and given away countless grocery bags, not to mention the ones that have been served at our supper table or brought to picnics. We sure do enjoy the foods of the season but boiled beans can get old real quick especially when cooking for a bunch of kids who can remember everything they have put in their bellies for the past week. So I found this recipe (and others, but this is my favorite). I always loved the green beans at any Asian buffet but it never occurred to me to try and make them at home. The ingredients could not be simpler and the results could not be more delicious. And my favorite? The beans still have a nice crunch!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• Braggs Liquid aminos (you could use soy sauce or tamari)
• sugar
• olive oil
• minced garlic

Directions:

• In a large lidded frying pan saute garlic (3 cloves) in oil until very lightly brown.
• Add green beans and saute until they start to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Swirl some Braggs liquid aminos (I did three circles around the pan) on the green beans then sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar. Stir and cover. Reduce heat to low. A glaze will form on the bottom of the pan so return to the stove every couple minutes to stir. Since the pan is covered the beans will steam themselves.
• After ten minutes the beans will be cooked but still snappy. Stir the glaze and green beans one more time. If at any time the beans start to burn, add 1/4 cup water to deglaze the pan and save supper!
• Serve immediately, or in a bit or cold. Good anytime. For that extra Asian kick, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Good Food Friday: Perfect Kale Chips

Heard of them? Maybe... Tried them? You should! I love kale unconditionally but kale chips? How could I not at least try. So while the recipe is nothing new or original (basically just olive oil, salt and your favorite kale) I just wanted to let you know that indeed the recipe deserves the attention it is getting. Easily successful if you have a watchful eye. Here is how it goes...

Sigh... kale at sunset. Beautiful, huh?

Gather a bunch of kale. Like tons. This stuff cooks down so if you want enough to serve more than yourself and another lucky soul get two grocery store bunches. If you are growing it in your backyard, get about twenty stems.

Rip the leafy parts off the hard stems. Big pieces, about the size of my palm worked for me. Toss them in a large bowl to accumulate.

Drizzle with olive oil. Start with a little and use a rubber spatula to scrape and toss the kale with the oil. The goal here is to get all the kale lightly glistening with oil and not so much that they are greasy. I know, it's a fine line, you will find what works. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. (Some recipes here get fun and add garlic or cheese or spices. I've tried cheese and was mildly disappointed so I'm just going to keep it simple.)

Distribute kale evenly on many baking sheets. This batch of mine took four. Yes four. Seems like a lot but by the time it was said and done I ended up with a medium sized mixing bowl of kale chips.

Place kale in a preheated 250* oven. After 15 minutes pull them out and check them. Chip by chip and leaf by leaf. Pull off the ones that are already firm and crispy or just about there (they will hold their shape when picked up basically). Then there will be some that are still very soft and flexible. These require a couple more minutes in the oven. Condense the kale on your baking sheets (by this time I was down to two) and stick them back in the oven for 5 more minutes.

So there you have it. Very specific directions of how to succeed. I think the greatest improvement of this version and most others is the lower oven temperature. Much less risk of the super crumbly over cooked kale chips. And don't worry about if some do get too crispy. Save them to crumble and sprinkle on soups or salads. Nothing goes to waste.

(Insert picture of gorgeous kale chips being gobbled by curious guests...)

Sorry no finished product picture. It's becoming an unfortunate habit of mine. Taking too many before and during photos and having no proof of end results. But trust me, they look like every other kale chip photo out there. Just fewer burnt ones... and I'd be willing to bet that this recipe alone could convert you to become one of the unconditional lovers of all thing kale!

Q: What's for supper...

A: Vegetables.

I love vegetables. More specifically the ones I just picked in my very own garden, grown from tiny seeds. In the summer, my go-to supper is always stir-fry, basically veggies over rice. I'll place the food on the table and my husband will smile and the kids we immediately begin bargaining. How much do I have to eat to get my dessert? If I eat all my zucchini can I leave the mushrooms? What are these slimy green things? Then there is the baby.

A rice monster.

The best thing about growing your own food is there is always something to eat. Sounds logic, but to really think about it makes me feel thankful, safe and grounded. A quick trip into the garden can round up snacks (snap peas, edemame or kale chips) and ideas for treats even refreshing beverages (ever try lime basil-aid?) Sure beet greens may not make my six year old's top ten favorite foods but he will eat them and his belly will be full and he will grow and play. He will do the same on hot dogs and cheese curls too but something happens when kids eat the food they help plant, tend, harvest and prepare. They experiment. They talk. They learn. A garden is magic.

My garden: snap peas, snow peas, peas, peppers,

zucchini, beet greens, onion greens and kale

The market: yellow squash (dollar basket) and carrots

Rice: organic brown rice (bulk)

Oops turned Agricultural Experiment

I accidentally left soybeans soak way too long and by the time I found them they were sprouting. This is not what you want for making soy milk. I drained the water off and this is what I saw.

It reminded me a bit of potato eyes growing those creepy white arms and legs. Bummer. Then I remembered an article Lauren sent me about using store bought dried beans to plant and grow instead of seed stock. Lauren and I fill each other's inboxes daily with interesting articles and links to pretty things and this one stuck in my mind (definitely not pretty but on the interesting side). I remember skimming it and then filling it away in my mind as a must try. Little did I know that it would come in handy so soon. Even though it was raining I headed outside to do a trial plot. Please do not allow this one occurrence of immediate action fool you into thinking I'm incredibly ambitious. Nope, I'm only half dedication to growing my own food and half convinced that if I didn't plant right away the stinky beans would end up in the compost and I cannot waste anything. The guilt from throwing out a cup of moldy beans would surely send me into a guilt spiral. Okay, so maybe not that bad... anyway...

I had about a foot in my greens bed between kale and spinach that made a ideal place to try three rows of edamame.

The article said to plant them one inch apart possibly two in a hole, just to make sure something comes up since sprouting and planting is just a good idea not really a guarantee. But since it was raining, I rushed and ran a trowel through the soil and sprinkled a heavy layer of sprouted beans.

Guess you can see that my planting style is a lot like my cooking style, really no measurements and no fear of absolute failure. I also planted some by my peas, not wanting any beans to go to waste in case this experiment actually pans out.

I'm really hoping this style of planting works. It is so much cheaper to buy dried beans at the store instead of ordering the seed stock alternative. The price of edemame seed is crazy per ounce (I think I paid $2.29) and I got my organic soybeans for $0.99/lb. Oh, pretty pretty please work because I'm dying to have some of these dried beans growing in my garden this year.

Cannelini beans are the stuff that traditional Italian meals are made of. These were expired at the store so they were FREE! I think I feel round 2 of bean seed sprouting happening very soon.

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Also so very exciting news from the new raised beds...

I am dedicating these beds to called my kitchen garden. They will be growing the things that can be planted early (greens and peas) or are perennial (asparagus, herbs and strawberries). These plants grow fast and will be included in meals several times daily. So instead of heading out the the big garden and wandering through row after row of vines and late season crops all of these will be right out my kitchen door.

Expectations: Planting Seeds

Who turns their living room into a green house?

Dirt covers my floors, couch, dining hutch, and end tables. Make shift seedling pots are over ever flat surface available. There are sour cream, yogurt, coffee cups, baby food containers, non-dairy coffee creamer jugs, peat pots, etc. anything I could get my hands on to grow a plant in. I debate adding more tables until we have a few warmer nights outside. Thirty and forty degree temps are not going to keep my seedlings flourishing. Expectations...

I worry about the seedlings often. Are they warm enough? Are they too leggy? Are they growing fast and large enough? Will they successfully supply my family with much needed fruit or will they only succeed in being leaves and stems? My expectations, hopes, dreams ride on these little seedling's backs. This is my chance to learn (more than I know), see what I can grow (on a large scale), and how being a stay at home mom I can still provide for my family. I don't have much room for error in this. Perhaps these seedlings will even open the door to additional income for my family in the future. Expectations...

The expectations are great. A pantry full of homegrown food. Even a simple shopping cart of groceries stresses my tiny budget. No extras. No pop, sweets, treats, extra baked goods, or much meat ever get bought at the grocery. It isn't like you need those items. Could we eat even cheaper? Yup. Sure we could if we ate the same boring meals day after day. I don't want to eat as poor as I am. White rice for dinner every night isn't on my menu. I want to eat variety. I want to eat quality, expensive, healthful food. Honestly, I want to eat like a king and queen and have excellent choices for my children. So you see, these seedlings are my pantry. My hopes for variety and savings in the next year. Expectations...

I tend them at least three times a day. I turn them. Water them with a spray bottle to ensure the germinating seeds don't get washed around. Watch to see if new plants have sprouted. Gently fertilize them once they have more than two leaves. Thin them. Transplant them. Expectations...

Try watering 240 seeds with a spray bottle. The muscles in your forearms get a nice little workout. There is of course more than just food growing. I have some perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, and annual flowers growing as well. Or hoping they grow. They tend to have longer germination periods so there is the promise of beautiful landscaping without actually knowing if a single plant will thrive and with out the huge expense of purchasing more mature plants. Expectations...

Honestly, I know in my heart that if this garden isn't as spectacular as my expectations imply there is always next year, but I want so badly for this year's garden to be spectacular. I have waited for and imagined this garden for years. No master gardener grows their masterpiece garden in three year but... expectations...

People driving buy, walking by (we have a lot of foot traffic & street traffic), and stopping by must think we are crazy with my current living room green house. I can only imagine what they think is going on here. My one neighbor is thrilled though that I will be canning for the first time this year. He exclaimed that it is a "lost art". Maybe I am not crazy after all... expectations.

Grow little seedlings. Grow! What are your expectations for your yard/garden/living room this year?

P.S. I confess I am addicted to buying seed and I promise to stop now for the year. I walk past a seed rack and always find more veggies and flowers I could grow to make my yard lovely.

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Farm Friend Friday Folks! Thanks to Verde Farms and Dandelion House for hosting...

Lots more fun stuff here...