We're Moving!

Literally and virtually (at least partially-virtual!)...

Confused? Don't be.

Through a series of conversations with friends, strangers and the Holy Spirit, I've realized the next leg of my Journey involves teaching others how to grow their own food and become less dependent on our somewhat shaky (and cancer causing!) food system. Given that God has provided the perfect place for us to become more sustainable ourselves (post to follow soon), I'm packing up my gardening skills and passion for teaching others to my new blog The Beard Cutter's Farm.

I'll still post what God is doing in me personally here, but if you're interested in becoming more sustainable, finding great recipes, or if you're local, finding out what produce and treats we have for sale, then visit the "farm" through the link above, or in person.

We're excited to see what God has in store for us...but we absolutely know it involves loving, serving and teaching others along the Way!

Hope to see you soon!

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb: A Book Review

What a find!

As we're getting ready to move into our new place, where I highly anticipate creating an urban farming oasis, my delight could not be contained when I found this book as one of the options with the Blogging for Books program. I know this is a book I'll return to repeatedly in the years to come. I can foresee that it will be my faithful companion as I plant, grow, harvest and analyze pest and disease issues on my urban farm.

Postage stamp gardening is really taking off as people want to eat more local, organically grown produce. This book was originally published in 1975 and the new edition comes along perfectly timed for people like me who have small spaces and big dreams. 

The wonderful thing about gardening is that there is always something new to learn. Newcomb provides a thorough and easy-to-understand handbook for everyone from beginner to expert. She even honestly admits that when it comes to companion planting and organic pest control, there is always room for experimentation to see what works best in your climate and with the crops you grow. This book also contains a wonderful crop-by-crop analysis of planting, growing and harvesting tips. It's definitely a excellent place to begin when thinking through what you'll "experiment" with each growing season.

If you're curious about how to get started or have been growing vegetables for years and just want to increase your yield or lengthen your growing season, pick up a copy of  The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden: Grow Tons of Organic Vegetables in Tiny Spaces and Containers Like me, your copy will be dog-eared and dirt smudged in no time.

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In an attempt at full-disclosure, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review as part of the Blogging For Books Program. My reviews will always remain unbiased.

The Radishes Are Coming! The Radishes Are Coming!

If you planted your early veggies (radishes, carrots and onions) according to The Farmer's Almanac, your growing zone or the phases of the moon, you're probably beginning to see growth like is shown in these photos. Warmer climates, are probably already harvesting these crops! I planted four different kinds of radishes this year...some are earlier than others. I tried the Cincinnati Market again, but added Watermelon, Easter Egg and Champion too. I had a little help from my youngest and her neighbor buddy, so I don't honestly know which one is pictured above. My guess is the Champion variety. 

It doesn't matter to me though...they will all taste delicious. And I expect to harvest some small ones starting next week so I can let some of the late growers spread out. [Did you know the radish tops are edible/juice-able too!]

The bok choy is coming along very well too! It has been a hardy, fast growing, cold weather-friendly cabbage that I'm glad I decided to experiment with this year. If you throw it in some of your greens, it does have a stronger taste than the rest of your salad, but it is wonderful in juice because of it's mild taste. Go figure. A lot of people prefer juicing bok choy over kale.

The celery is looking pretty good. This is my first attempt at trying this slow-grower from seed. It takes a long time to harvest (as much as 130-140 days!). When I've started celery from scraps in the past, I've always begun clipping it when it's small and allowed it to continue to grow throughout the summer. [I currently have a bok choy that was started with a similar method] I usually prefer baby greens, so baby celery or baby bok choy is a great addition to a home grown salad.

It's not too late to get started with your carrots, radishes or beets, but you do want to start as soon as possible or the heat will kick in and your plants will bolt.

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End note: The photos above were taken about 30 minutes before they took a good shellacking from a torrential downpour combined with quarter-sized hail. They all survived and I had just moved my radishes to give them a break from all of the heavy rain we've had. The bok choy has some shredded leaves and I spent an hour repairing tomato plants, but only lost one.

Reserve Your Tomato, Pepper, Zucchini, Eggplant & Artichoke Plants Today!

Some of the plants as of 4/15/15. These will start going
in the ground or pots within the next 2 weeks!

[Updated 5/14/15]

For now, I'd like to offer my local friends an opportunity to reserve your tomato plants for spring planting. This is restricted to the Northern Kentucky area, but I'm sharing all the information here, because there are a lot to choose from and I can update quantities more easily as the numbers change.

All plants are grown from non-GMO seed and started in peat cups or with my worm castings. I only use organic fertilizer made from fish or worm byproducts.

Cool Weather Plants!!

[04/01/15 All of my good cool weather plants are gone for the season, but if you stop by to purchase for late spring plants by mid-April, I may have some stragglers I can give you as a bonus. Right now, I still have a few cauliflower and cabbage plants.] 

And now for the tomatoes,  peppers, and more!!

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[Photos used unless otherwise noted are to show the varieties only and are obtained from Seeds Now. Details about each variety also obtained from Seedsnow.com] 

Brandywine Pink- No more available for 2015: A massive heirloom of a beefsteak type. Produces large (up to 1 pound) pink fruits; easy to grow

Yellow Beefsteak-   No More available for 2015: Large, solid, and meaty tomato; can produce fruit over 2 pounds; great slicer

Black Krim-  No More Available for 2015:  high yields; rare heirloom; rich flavor; skin turns reddish black; interior dark reddish green; very sweet

Heritage Rainbow-  1 AVAILABLE:  This was a mixed bag of seed of various heirloom varieties. Last year I grew yellow beefsteak, green pear, red pear and red/orange beefsteaks with this seed mix. In other words, it's a surprise! All varieties grew well and tasted wonderful, that's why I started so many this year.

Rutgers-  No More Available for 2015:  This is a traditional salad tomato. Popular for cooking, canning and paste; excellent yields; medium-small in size

Beefsteak (Ponderosa Red)- No More Available for 2015:  large, solid, meaty tomato; great slicer; easy to grow

Cherry, Red (small)- No more available for 2015:  small, sweet, firm fruits; extended grow period; very easy to grow

Gardener's Delight- 2 AVAILABLE:  compact plant that grows well in containers; produces fruit in clusters

Mortgage Lifter-  No More Available for 2015:  Rich flavor; turn dark deep pink; large fruit

Roma-  11 AVAILABLE :  medium-small fruit with vigorous vines; very popular for cooking, canning and paste; determinate height

Marglobe Supreme- No More Available for 2015:  perfect for home gardeners; grows will in containers and tight places; high yields

Atkinson- No More Available for 2015:  great for use in salads, sandwiches; excellent flavor; quick to mature

Tigerella- No More Available for 2015: This is one of my favorites. Grows well; has rich tangy flavor; produces high yields of striped tomatoes up to 3 weeks earlier than most varieties.

Homestead- No More Available for 2015:  Strong, sturdy vines with medium sized fruit; great for canning; grows well in heat & is wilt resistant

Cherokee Purple-  No More Available for 2015:  Beautiful dark pink/purple color with green tops; very sweet and rich in flavor; easy to grow and produces high yields!



Tomatillo-   1 AVAILABLE:  Delicious green tomato; popular in Mexican dishes and salsas


Orange King Peppers-   3 AVAILABLE about 5/21/15:  Peppers have thick walls that turn from green to orange; good for home garden & market growers; good yields of orange colored sweet peppers



Orange Horizon Pepper-  0 AVAILABLE (starting more 5/2/15):  Large yields of orange sweet peppers; easy to grow; grows well in 5 gallon container; perfect for culinary dishes



Jalepeno Pepper (HOT) 3 AVAILABLE about 5/21/15:  Slightly larger fruit & taller plant with heavy yields.



California Wonder Bell Pepper-0 AVAILABLE (starting more 5/02/15):  Large yields of blocky, mostly 4 lobed, thick-walled, sweet peppers that can be eaten green or wait until they turn red.



Yellow Bell Pepper-  1 AVAILABLE about 5/21/15:  Colorful and tasty; sweet bell pepper




Florida Market Eggplant-   3 AVAILABLE about 5/28/15:  Will produce excellent yields of dark purple fruit; plants are strong; fruit is excellent for baking and slicing

Yellow Pear- No More Available for 2015: Very popular; easy to grow; excellent for canning and sauce

Cherry, Chocolate-  0 AVAILABLE:  Produces high yields; grows in cluster of 8; crack resistant and hold very well; excellent for gourmet dishes; great flavor and easy to grow



Green Globe Artichoke-  1 AVAILABLE:  Most popular artichoke variety suitable for all gardeners - beginner to advanced.

Black Beauty Zucchini Squash- 1 AVAILABLE:  Grows in a compact bush plant (not a vine); produces dark, green, glossy fruit, which is long; easy to grow; firm, very tender, with excellent flavor.

Cherry, White [My favorite!!]-  2 Available: very sweet; high yield from one plant; skin turns from white to pale yellow as it matures

Summer Crookneck Squash-  4 AVAILABLE: early summer variety that is a popular heirloom.



Luffa Gourd-  4 AVAILABLE: it really is just what it sounds like, a gourd that produces luffas that are wonderful for exfoliating skin or scrubbing your dishes.

Spaghetti Squash- 4 AVAILABLE: once baked, this the "meat" of this squash can be shredded and eaten in place of flour pasta; great for low carb or gluten free diners!

Texas Sheet Cake -Revamped (Vegan; low Gluten; lower Sugar)

Yesterday for Dale's birthday, I converted a Betty Crocker Texas Sheet Cake recipe and I thought I'd share it with you. This is one of my all-time favorites cakes and although I still wouldn't call it "healthy", it was definitely a step in the right direction. This wouldn't be something I'd make regularly because of the sugar and gluten factors, but for a special occasion, it was pretty tasty. When you see the amounts of sugar, you'll understand what I mean and believe it or not, this Betty Crocker version was the lowest in sugar I could find. That does give the icing more of a glaze texture instead of the traditional fudge-like icing of most Texas Sheet Cakes. Hope you enjoy it. We did (and still are!)!

Texas Sheet Cake (vegan; lower gluten and lower sugar):

• 2 cups spelt flour (I used 1 cup gluten free blend to lower gluten even more)
• 1 cup Sucanat (*see note below)
• 1 cup organic evaporated cane juice crystals
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup almond or coconut butter"milk" (**see note below)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 flaxseed "eggs"

Frosting

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3 Tablespoons baking cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons almond or coconut milk
• 1 cup coconut sugar (***see note below)
• 1 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

For the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 pan and set aside. Stir flour, sugars and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat coconut oil, water and cocoa together just until boiling. Remove from heat. Pour oil/water/cocoa into mixing bowl with flour mixture and stir until well mixed. Add butter"milk", baking soda, vanilla and eggs to mixing bowl and stir until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For the frosting: While cake is baking, heat coconut oil, cocoa, almond or coconut milk, and coconut sugar in 2 quart saucepan just until simmering. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Stir in pecans, if using. 

When cake has been removed from the oven, pour frosting over hot cake and allow to cool completely (about one hour) before cutting.

Notes: 

*You could probably strictly used Sucanat in place of traditional sugar, but it will significantly increase the fiber content so you made need to add more liquid to get a cake-like consistency to the batter.

**To make soured/butter milk, add 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup and then add almond or coconut milk to equal 1/2 cup. It will separate and curdle quickly. This is what you want it to do.

***Add the 1 cup of coconut sugar to what you heat in the pan, otherwise your frosting may be gritty. If you want to eliminate the powdered sugar altogether, then cook all coconut sugar in saucepan just until the sugar dissolves. Cooking too much can make it harder to spread onto cake.

Two HEALTHY Super Bowl Snack Recipes

I've been on a quest to find some healthy alternatives for next week's big game. And even though "Deflate-gate" has had me angrier than I care to admit, I know my family will want snacks. It's sort of a tradition. Last year, Abbey handled most of the cooking and it was amazing, healthy, and even better because I didn't have to fix it! But this year, I'm on my own for finding healthy options.

I almost put in a request to Liana Shanti to ask her to develop a Super Bowl recipe book. Her Rawganic Vegan recipes are always tasty and usually fairly easy with very few "weird" ingredients. [weird = difficult to acquire in the Midwest U.S.A.] She must have read my mind, because although a booklet has yet to arrive in my inbox, she recently shared a delicious dessert hummus recipe that I made today and received a hearty thumbs up from three of the four who tried it.

The Double Fudge Chip Hummus (mine pictured above) has just enough sweetness, in addition to substantial protein from white beans and nut butter, to make this an awesome alternative to pancreas-overwhelming fruit dips you find in the store.

My favorite magazine, Urban Farm, also came through with the Hungry Locavore's Orange Salsa recipe. I made both of these today and let's just say lunch was pretty awesome!

If you have any tried and true football snacks that are healthy and delicious, please share in the comments below. While the boys in our clan will chow down on their favorite Buffalo Chicken Dip (yuck!), the girls and I will be highly anticipating our tasty whole food and vegan alternatives.

Kale Crunchy "Croutons" (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I love a good salad loaded up with lots of dressing, croutons and other tasty, crunchy goodies. That doesn't necessarily fit into a healthy, vegan, gluten-free lifestyle though. I refuse to pay over $6 a bag for gluten free croutons, so I've been on a quest to find a decent replacement. My daughter, Leah, recently began making roasted chickpeas which I admit were an adequate alternative.

But today, after juicing my breakfast, I found myself wistfully thinking that it would be great if I could find a use for all of the pulp remnants I've had lately. Sure, I can feed them to my worms, but they have had a plentiful supply since I've been mostly drinking juices for almost a week. I know you can also use pulp in place of eggs in fruit breads, but kale bread just doesn't sound very appetizing and I don't currently plan to start making gluten-free dessert breads.

Which brings me to my epiphany for the day: Instead of making kale chips (like everyone else does), why not make kale "croutons"!

Granted, they aren't square and you won't crack a tooth on them or break a tine trying to impale one on a fork, but they turned out pretty well and I thought I'd share with you how I did it.

Basically, after I juiced my kale, apples and carrots, this is what was left:

You can see in the bowl that I'd already begun to separate out the kale. Next time, I'll empty the kale pulp out of the juicer before I add any other fruits or veggies. I was using curly kale. I'm not certain that you'll get the same effect with a lucinato-type kale.

At this point, most-to all of the liquid has been removed, so I drizzled a little olive oil and sprinkled some garlic powder on them, laid them on my toaster oven pan, and began to roast them. I attempted to dehydrate them on the lowest toaster oven setting I have, which is about 150 degrees. I wanted to keep them RAW, but after 15 minutes, not much had happened to make the texture crunchy. I then roasted them at 200 degrees for 10 minutes and they were perfect. Since I had two different temperatures and times in total, here's my best recommendation and I will update this post when I make them again with more accurate information:

• To keep them RAW, use a dehydrator or an oven/toaster oven on the lowest setting (about 150-170 degrees) and check every 15 minutes until you have the desired texture. Toss them every time you check them.
• To get them crispier, roast at 200 degrees, evaluate every 5 minutes and toss them each time you check.

Now...I'm looking forward to my lunch salad today!

Note: I think you could use any seasoning/flavor combination that you'd like. I personally will be trying some nutritional yeast on the next batch to give them a cheesy taste.

Lemon Spinach Quinoa Salad

This is another Kroger deli salad that we have enjoyed and for which we've created our own recipe (see also Super Food Salad). It's delicious and pretty easy. Plus, it's a good source of vegetarian protein. With 14 grams of protein in 3.5 oz of quinoa, this is one reply for all of those questioning doubters who ask vegans, "But how do you get enough protein?!"

The lemon vinaigrette dressing is a recipe I found on Epicurious. Otherwise, this recipe is just my best guess at how to replicate the Kroger version.

Dressing: 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. sugar or honey

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. sea salt

3-4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions

1 1/2 cups mango, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 c. wheat berries (soaked for 1 hour before placing in salad), optional

mixed greens, power greens or baby spinach- as many as you want to make a good sized salad

Mix all together. This is a salad that can be eaten warm or cold. If you want to leave out the wheat berries to avoid all gluten, you won't even notice a difference and could probably even substitute sunflower seeds.

Enjoy!

It Always Looks So Desolate! (End of October Update)

Although it's a gorgeous 60+ degree day for November 3rd, many of my plants met their demise thanks to the hard frost we had Sunday morning. It was time to pull up all but the last tomato plant and the rest of the marigolds, nasturtiums and impatiens. They fought valiantly, but mid-20s was just too much for them to handle.

As I pack up the patio garden each year, I'm always struck just how desolate it all feels. I'm thankful to have the mini-greenhouse now so that my spinach, collards, chard and green onions have a chance to linger a little longer. But other than green...the color is gone for the year.

I looked back in my journal and the first planting I documented outside this year was on March 31st. Seven months of continuous (and counting!) outdoor planting is pretty awesome for our Ohio River Valley climate.

With the start of my indoor experimentation last winter, I have been continuously growing food since April 2013. It's not enough to notice a huge dent in our grocery budget, but it's enough to have fresh options every day if we want them. It may be aloe vera juice, wheat grass, rosemary, basil, cilantro or alfalfa sprouts...but it's still fresh.

With my continued attempt at hydroponics, after less than two weeks, I actually have some semblance of kale, collards, Belgian endive, salad greens, and chard. I'll try to keep you posted on this part of the adventure. I'll concede intimidation, but I'm getting braver every day. 

The wormery continues to produce amazing organic compost. I can totally hook you up with some worms (pun intended!) if you're ready to start an indoor bin. 

The lemon and lime trees all look great. I have five of them at various stages in growth. I will probably start more this winter and hope to have a few of these older ones ready to sell by spring or summer 2015.

For the first time I had the courage to bring a tomato plant inside to see how long I could let it grow. Today, Leah and I enjoyed our first indoor vine-ripened tomato and the picture shows the second that will probably be ready in a day or two. I still haven't been able to successfully pollinate the blooms, but there are blooms. I just need to do a little more research on how to prompt the fruit to grow.

That's it for now. My passionate desire is to see blooms, buds, fruit and harvest year round. With the help of grow lights and the new deep culture hydroponics system, it may actually now be possible.

Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe': A Book Review

One of the great dilemmas of embracing a Vegan lifestyle is what to feed company when you're entertaining. The chefs of Candle Cafe' have eliminated the guesswork and have provided recipes even picky guests will enjoy.

The photos look delicious. The ingredients are healthy. The chefs are known for their Vegan recipes that impress New York patrons throughout the year. Thus, this book is a must-have for every Vegan entertainer.

I stopped counting at 20. That was the number of sticky notes I'd placed between the pages of this book before I stopped keeping track of what recipes I wanted to try. With every major U.S. holiday included, even Super Bowl and Chinese New Year, there are several recipes I will be cooking before the appropriate holiday arrives.

Grilled bok choy with sesame-ginger sauce; lemongrass-infused celeriac soup with matzo balls; flourless chocolate cake with macaroon crust; chickpea crepes with berries and vanilla-lavender cream; crispy black bean tacos; baked maple pinto beans; roasted squash soup with almond cream and spice pumpkin seeds; snowball cookies; and pecan pie with cinnamon ice cream...this is just a sample of the delicious recipes you'll find among the pages. There are also multiple cocktail options for each occasion.

Ten different holidays are represented and between them all they cover game day foods, Chinese, Mexican, Kosher, summer grilling and traditional holiday comfort foods. Even if you're not entertaining a crowd, there are enough options here to use for family dinners throughout the week too.

Last year I scanned recipes for hours on Pinterest to find healthy, vegan options for our Thanksgiving dinner. Not so this year, the chefs of Candle Cafe' have already taken the guesswork out of my preparation. Instead of my Kindle propped up on the counter, this year, you'll find this wonderful recipe book in its place.

Bringing the Garden Inside

The patio garden starts to look pretty bleak this time of year. As the weather dips cooler and the sun's rays are shorter, I begin to transition the garden inside for the winter.

I will continue to leave the herbs and greens outside until the frost is too heavy and the greenhouse can't protect them through the night, but some of the late tomatoes will survive up against our building at least until the days are cold too.

This year, I did bring one tomato plant inside and I've already moved our dining room around to accommodate the winter "jungle" that my kids just love (sarcasm intended!)

The citrus trees and a few greens have been placed under the grow light and I'm really praying that the trees make it through to next summer so they can go outside again in the warm weather.

This year, for the first time, I'm attempting to grow greens and kale hydroponically in a deep water culture tank. I've researched this for over a year now and was still highly intimidated. I don't know why it's so scary, but I think adding the right mix of chemicals is what seems overwhelming. The always friendly and helpful staff at Worm's Way make it sound relatively easy though and I know they're only a phone call away if I have any questions.

So while most gardeners, myself included, are cleaning up their plots or patios and gearing down for a season of rest, I've actually been spending quite a bit of time transitioning into my secondary growing season. I hope to keep you updated on the indoor garden process. My goal is to produce enough sprouts and greens that we need not purchase them at the store. It's an admirable goal and one that for the first time I think is actually attainable with the hydroponic system.