Redlands, 31 January, Cloudy, Cold and Light Drizzle Remains

I really think Mother Nature is trying to tell us something – specifically those of us in SoCal! For nearly the whole month of January, we basked under sunny skies in temperatures that made us believe it was Spring. Just this past Saturday, my family and I spent the entire day in the yard, under sunny and quite warm skies. At one point, everyone was down to  tank tops and sunglasses while we weeded and transplanted.

A close look at the orchard showed they too think Spring is here. The buds are beginning to swell just a little early. Lettuce is growing like weeds as is our kale. Our “yesterday, today & tomorrow” shrub has one single purple flower – more are a coming!  weeks earlier than last year!

Then something quite weird happened. We went to sleep under clear skies  on Saturday and woke to clouds and drizzle. The temperatures dropped almost twenty degrees. A scarf and sweater covered the tank tops and sunglasses we not needed. By the end of the day, heavy rain was coming down! Amazing change in just 24 hours.

Sure, we are in Winter and that does mean rain – even here in SoCal. Sometimes, it is hard to remember that! Personally, I think we needed a reminder of what season we really are in. Around here, when we have prolonged sunshine and warm temps I can always tell that we have lost sight what season we really are in when the demand for tomato plants start to come in – especially when we are in January.

Don’t get me wrong, it is an easy thing to do. Sometimes we can go through a whole Winter season with almost no rain and cold. But yesterday, we were given a reminder – and it was a good thing! For weeks, plants have been basking in warm temperatures – surely they were getting a little thirsty! I know what around here, we almost turned on the automatic irrigation [something we turn off around Thanksgiving and turn back on around March..we hand water as needed in between]. Native wildflowers needed the cold and rain to ensure a lovely display in Spring. Birds and other wildlife were in need of water refills and we needed to return inside, to warmth and comfort – to continue the rest that Wintertime brings.

Seizing the opportunity Mother Nature gave yesterday to take off the day from watering the nursery, my husband and I headed up to Oak Glen for lunch. The rain was really coming down and it was so refreshing. Law’s had the fireplace going and as soon as we stepped inside – it was like we were home [minus the three teenagers]. The smell of freshly baked apple pie filled both the restaurant and me like a warm blanket. For the first time in weeks, figuring out what to make for dinner was easy – a pot of warm, seasoned beans. [I don't know about you but when the weather is unseasonal...cooking is very hard for me! Who wants a pot of warm beans when its bbq weather?]

Yesterday, I was reset into the season. While I love the warmth and the clear skys, part of me [and I suspect all of us] needed the cold and rain. We needed Winter. We needed to slow down, bundle up, rest. And didn’t it feel good?

Friends, the sun is starting to come out this morning. When it does, let’s be in the season – enjoy the resent yesterday gave us. And while with the warmth will return our planting urges, unless it is a bare-root tree, berry vine or leafy greens [and other cool season favorites], lets keep to planning and pre-ordering our springtime garden favorites. If the bug to dig in the dirt really hits, use it to get the beds ready for planting in just a few short weeks.

Spring will be here before we know it! Until, let’s fill the days with good books, apple pie and a pot of beans!

Redlands, 28 Jan, 08:11, not a cloud in the sky.

Since the beginning of time, we humans have used various herbs and botanicals as a way to improve our health and well-being.  Gone are the days that elixir’s of yarrow or tinctures of wolf bane are administered by our physicians. Over the years, scientists have discovered the active chemical compounds in many botanics and have either duplicated them chemically or isolated them from raw materials and voila – modern pharmacology.

This is good. Countless lives have and will be saved. But what about the common, non-life threatening stuff? You know, stuff like the seasonal cold and the sore throat or stuffy noseit brings? Is there something we can do to relieve our most worrysome symptoms without all of the chemicals?

As growers of herbs, we are asked these questions a lot! Sure, when someone comes up and starts asking whether we grow Valerian, if we have any Feverfew on hand, or how to much Melissa to add to a salve – we have a pretty good idea of what health symptoms they are trying to relieve.  Truth be told, when we see people taking charge of their health symptoms and turning to nature for relief, my heart is very happy.

Nature is nothing if not gentle. And what feels better when we are ill than that? A gentle touch? A cold cloth placed gently on our warm forehead? The gentle soothing a teaspoon of herbal honey has on our hot, scratchy throat? Let’s face it, symptom relief is what prompts is to take both the over the counter medicine or the herbal cup of tea.

But let’s face it, we personally know less today about using herbal tea when a cold hits than the otc stuff.  Just last year alone, the number of those coming up to us at farmers markets asking not for the culinary herbs but the medicinals more than tripled. Not only was the community looking for the actual plants, they had questions about how to use them.

This part gets pretty tricky for us. The inherent chemical properties of herbs and botanics is very real stuff.Let’s never forget modern pharmacology’s roots are quite literally in herbs and botanics. As growers, yes,  we are familiar with many of the phytochemical aspects of  botanics we grow,  however we are not physicians. We can not diagnose nor treat. 

Taking it a step further, we are very mindful that even everyday foods, like grapefruit, can have a seriously negative impact on someone who is taking medication for blood pressure for instance. We want our community to feel better, live healthier lives – not compromise their well-being.

So, while we are committed to the use of nature of ease symptoms, we are also passionate about educating the community to have conversations with their physicians of osteopathy[ look for the DO behind the name] or traditional medical doctors . Gone for the most part are the days that physicians turn a deaf ear to the use of herbs, food, botanics as a way to cope with chronic symptoms or to ease common maladies. We highly encourage anyone seeking to use botanicals to complement traditional treatments to be well informed-  doing some serious research regarding the use of botanics as medicine .

Not any online research will do! We highly encourage those interested in using botanicals to take a look [and bookmark] Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases & the National Center for Complemantary and Alternative Medicine. As a general rule of thumb, source online information found at .edu or .gov for they are not online for profit – like a .com. Not all .com’s are full of garbage – some are actually sharing information ahead of the mainstream curve.  Personally, if I come across an  information .com, I will cross reference it at a .gov/.edu.  From there, I have a conversation with my Osteopath [again, look for the DO behind the name ]and we go from there.

Now that we are done with the disclaimers, let’s move on – neighbor to neighbor, mother to mother. This week, Corrina came down with a cold and it is a doozy. Full body ache, can’t swallow, voice almost gone. She missed school yesterday [5 advanced placement classes and tests in 2]. That tells me she is feeling absolutely miserable. And as you Mom’s out there know, there is nothing worse that seeing our babies [yes, she is 17...but when are they not our babies??] feel bad.

Out came the herbal honey. Made several weeks ago [about the beginning of winter which almost always signals the beginning of cold and flu season] the honey , taken by teaspoon , was a welcome balm to her sore throat.  The honey we use is raw, local honey [found at the weekly farmers markets - wildflower is our preference since it can also help with seasonal allergy symptoms] and add to it the diced cloves of several heads of heirloom garlic, rinds of local lemons and the leaves of grey sage. We then heat the honey, sage, garlic & lemon rind in  a double boiler for several hours on the lowest of heat, strain and seal seal. * Note – honey should never be given to children under the age of 2

A pitcher of water is being kept by her side and as it emptied, it is refilled [an easy way to keep vital fluids up]. Freshly picked, local oranges are being  juiced several time throughout the day [mega vitamin C] and time outdoors in the sunshine is a must [20 min in the sun a few times each day]. Sleep and rest is encouraged, so pajamas are highly encouraged  as is a full stack of “sick-day” videos on the top of the television.

Foods are kept light. Since she is a vegetarian, my homemade chicken broth is out. For years, I have used chicken stock  as the base to a noodle soup [yes, I do believe it to be a natural "penicillin"] which is loaded with garlic [naturally anti-viral], onions [same + anti-bacterial]  and cayenne [ditto plus it helps relieve a stuffy nose].

Instead, it was a vegetable stock [onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, celery] to which I  added Brussels sprouts, cayenne and orzo. [look for recipe in future post]

More ways to ease symptoms of a cold or flu:

Steam shower:Place sprigs of eucalyptus, rosemary, mints, oregano on a shower floor [where the stream of pure hot water will hit them] , close the bathroom door [and all windows]  breath in the vapors that are released for about 10-15 min.  [you are not in the shower!] Variation: Boil a large pot of water on the stove. Once to a boil, remove and place pot on a heat proof surface. Drop in above mentioned herbs and drape a towel over head and with eyes CLOSED, breathe in vapors. Be sure to remove drape and come up for air as needed.

Chest/Back Rub: Apply some gently warmed herbal infused oil  to chest and back – massage for several minutes.  [do test on skin prior to full application by applying a small amount to the forearm and allow it to stand 15 min or so. If irritation occurs, apply pure olive oil to the site and massage in  since water will not wash away the oil] Two therapies in one – herbal infusions and touch! 

To make the oil infusion: smash garlic cloves, drop in washed herbs mentioned above [smashing them a bit as well]  to cold-pressed olive oil in a mason jar and store in dark place for several weeks – gently mixing 2-3 times per week, straining off spent herbs and adding new if so desired ]. *If you have young children or those in your home prone to sensitivity, you may wish to remove a portion of the infused oil at this point and set it aside before strengthening the oil by adding more herbs to infuse longer. Essential oils and flower essences can be added to the infusion [omit mint in oil if planning on using flower essences] A good reference books: Advanced Aromatherapy by Kurt Schnaubelt  and  The Fragrant Mind – Valerie Wormwood

Trader Joe’s Green and Dynamo Juice Blends. Both are must haves in our home when someone is ill [dark chocolate covered raw ginger is good, too]

Laughter – really is the best medicine. Liz Lemon anyone?

Enjoy the day!

Redlands, 14 Jan, 11:55hr, sunny and heading outdoors asap!

We must apologize. We said we were gonna be there and we weren’t.  Last week, the Redlands Saturday Farmers Market returned and we did not.  Have you been looking for us at the Thursday Market Night as well? Nope, not there either.

Although we had hope to see you all bright and early this year at our cities local farmers markets, it looks like you will not be seeing us at market until spring – March, to be exact.

Using these next several weeks to focus completely on our 2011 growing season is a good thing. Already, we have begun sowing seeds for transplants that need several weeks lead time – heirloom eggplants, peppers [sweet & hot], tomatoes and melons.

The greenhouse is full of baby rooted cuttings to many of your favorite perennial herbs: lavenders, white sage [non edible *new], bay laurel [new] rosemary, mints, tarragon, sage [purple, grey, tangerine], lemon verbena, and many more!

When we return to market in March, it will be the perfect time to plant leafy greens galore! The temps will still be cool enough to grow lettuce to your hearts content, and oh so easily! Cilantro, onions, chard, kale, arugula, mustard’s will love the the spring. Specialty greens like shungiku, savoy, purple mizuna will thrive as well. Pole beans, soya beans, snap peas – yep, they will be happy in the early spring gardens.

Are heirloom tomatoes your thing? Our plan is to have a some of each and every tomato variety we are growing for 2011 with us when we make our way back to market in March. Same holds true for more of the warmer season edibles like peppers, eggplants, melons, squash & melons.

Wondering what all we are growing for 2011? Be sure to take a look at our recent post for an almost exact listing. If you want to stay current, please sign up for the email newsletter on our site [right hand of page - middle of the way down]. Our goal is to send out a weekly update of what we are bringing to market that week.

Instead of adding more farmers markets to our calendar this year [our season is March - September/October], we have decided to stay completely local – right here in Redlands. We look forward to seeing each of you at either Thursday night or Saturday morning markets to answer your garden questions in person.

Just looking for our naturally grown herb & heirloom veggie plants? You can always find our plants on the cart at Olive Avenue Market.On our cart, you will also find plants that we do not take to farmers markets – [we can only sell plants at certified markets that are on our County certification and well sometimes, I get an itch to grow something else - like sweet peas, tulips, hollyhocks, ect] The market is open 7 days a week and it is where you will also find seasonal gourmet creations we offer – like our herb sea salt blends , herb enhanced jams and preserves.

Farquhar Farms in Redlands is another location you can find not only our naturally grown edible plants but also pick up freshly grown heirloom produce. Just behind their produce stand [where you can always find fresh local citrus], they have been busy adding a garden of heirloom vegetables. Last fall, they added yellow heirloom beets, chard, lettuce, and red celery. They harvest right then and there what you are looking for – a great way to see nothing goes to waste!

See you all soon and enjoy the day!

Redlands, 12 Jan, 16:45 hr, warm and sunny. Why we live here in Southern California!

By now, most of your mailboxes should be brimming with garden and seed catalogs for the upcoming  spring and summer planting seasons. If you are like us, you have been filling your quiet time pouring through the pages of these catalogs, highlighting and circling plants and ideas that catch your eye, dreaming of spring.

Perhaps you have gone as far as to begin a list. You know the list needs revising, but heck, we have plenty of time for that, don’t we? Yes and No.  For the home gardener, yes there is still plenty of time to get your list finalized and your seeds ordered. For us as growers, we have already begun sowing the seeds of 2011. 

But not all of them, which gives us time to have this chat.  We have spent the past several weeks reviewing what plants were hits last year and those that fell by the wayside. Who knew we would constantly sell out of large leaf basil and  almost all varieties of mint? Who knew that melon sells would a flop? [really don't understand this one - we grew varieties one never sees at grocery stores and seldom at farmers markets, except that they do take a lot of space]

 Friends, we would love it if you would share with us what is on your list.  It’s a win /win situation for us both. We will focus on  growing  exactly what the community is looking for and you have a local source of naturally grown heirloom vegetable and herb starter plants to fill your warm season gardens!

Our focus this year when selecting seed was to offer you more varieties to try. Some of these varieties were only available to us in very small quantities [sometimes less than 1/8 ounce] versus the ounce or pound size we normally choose. This means that some plants will be in very limited quantity from the beginning. We suggest that after browsing our list for 2011, if something catches your eye, please email us.  

Speaking of emailing us, from now through 3/1/2011, we are offering you, our local customers and garden buddies a 10% discount. Simply email us with your wish list, drop us a check [we will email you with your discounted balance and mailing address] and your plants will be waiting for you at our booth at the Redlands Saturday Morning Farmers Market at the date of your choosing. It’s that simple.

And what varieties of herbs and heirloom have made their way onto our top-secret growing list? Okay, it’s not top secret but know there will be more available come spring and summer than what is on this list. [followers of our online newsletter will always have first peek so do sign up ]

Drum roll, please! Here are some of the heirloom we are growing  for 2011: [*Note: List is subject to change. Plants may vary due to pest, weather and seed viability. Some varieties are going to be VERY limited as only a small amount of seed was sourced.] 

Artichoke: Globe

Garlic: Inchelium Red

Pole Beans: Rattlesnake, Old Homestead, Cherokee Trail of Tears 

Broad Beans: Extra Precoce A Grano Violetto

Long Bean: Chinese Red Noodle

Edamame Beans: Black & Envy

Beets: Golden, Bassano, Bull’s Blood

Cucumbers: De Bourbonne, Fin de Meaux, Poona Kherra, Mexican Sour Gherkin, Boothby Blonde & Lemon

Eggplant: Listadi di Gandia, Rosa Bianca, Little Fingers

Oriental Greens: Japanese Giant Red Mustard, Mizuna, Tatsoi

Specialty Greens: Creole collards, Garden Cress, Mustard Greens, Arugula, Burgundy Amaranth, Savoy, Shungiku, Mache. Mesclun Salad Mix

Kale: Lacinato, Red Russian

Chard: Ruby Red, Rainbow, Fordhook Giant

Lettuce: Red Salad Bowl, Green Salad Bowl, Amish Deer Tongue, Oak Leaf, May Queen, Little Gem, Forellenschluss, Mervelle des Quatre Saisons, Rouge d’Hiver, Freckles

Melons: Ananas, Crenshaw, Crane, Bidwell Casaba, Gaucho, Melon de Castillo, Sakata, Tigger,  Thai Pai Sai. Ogen

Peppers: California Wonder, Corno Di Toro, Hungarian Hot Wax, Joe E. Parker, Purple Beauty, Corne de Chevre, Italian Pepperocini

Snow & Snap Peas: Corne de Belier, De Grace, Oregon Sugar

Summer Squash: Costata Romanesco, Tondo Scuro di Piacenza. Ronde di Nice

Pumpkins: Black Futzu

Spinach: Bloomsdale Savoy

Tomato: Yellow Perfection, Cherokee Purple, Yellow Brandywine, Brandywine, Red Pear, Grandma’s Oliver Green, Green Zebra, Golden Jubilee, Henderson’s Pink Ponderosa, Pink Oxheart, Black Prince, Creme Brulee, Sara Black, Beefsteak, Cour di Bue, Principe Borghese, Thessaloniki,  St. Pierre, Anasas Noir, Hawaiin Pineapple.

Herbs:

Basil: Lettuce Leaf, Siam Queen, Dark Opal, Lemon, Cinnamon

Fennel: Florence

Parsley: Flat Leaf Italian

Chives: Garlic

Lemon Balm

Marjoram

Oregano: Greek, Italian, Hot  & Spicy, Zaatar

Cilantro: slow -bolt,

Chamomile: Roman & German

Chervil

Calendula

Cumin

Dill: Dukat & Vierling

Epazote

Rue* non-edible, use as a companion plant or flea, fly stinging insect repellent

Geranium: Rose, Lemon, Nutmeg, Apple

Lavender: French, Provence, Grosso. Ms. Katherine, Hidcote

Bay Laurel – one gallon size

Aloe Vera – one gallon size

Feverfew

Lemon Grass – one gallon

Lemon Verbena

Mint: Peppermint, Spearmint, Chocolate, Corsican

Rosemary: Tuscan Blue, Kebob

Sage: Berggarten, grey, purple, golden, tangerine

Savory: Winter & Summer

Sorrel: Blood Veined, Garden

Stevia

Aztec Sweet Herb

Tarragon: French & Spanish

Thyme: French, English, Caraway, Lemon, Lemon Rose

Vietnamese Coriander

Fenugreek

Lovage

Edible Flowers

Redlands, 12 Jan, 13:47, sunny, clear and beautiful.

Salt. No, not the video that was just recently released featuring the worst excuse of plot, action and void of any actual acting capabilities.  The salt we are talking about here is the mineral universally used by all mankind to enhance the flavor of food. Salt, the one product that is a mirror into an specific areas geography, its environment,  its technological  practices, its traditions – perhaps even the people themselves.

And why would a local grower of edible plant starters even be talking about salt? Very good question and no, it is not as random as it may appear.

There are many parts to this answer, the primary reason being we grow edibles out of a passion for eating fresh, seasonal and local food. As we prepare these foods, we love to enhance their inherent flavors and thus we grow and use a large variety of herbs as seasoning. Along with the herbs, we use salt.

The second reason we are having a chat about salt is because it is one area in the education and evolution  of  sustainability that in my opinion is being overlooked. So far, the conversation about sustainability has been more focused on the growing of food  as it relates to environmental health, economic profitability, and its impact on society. As US Davis puts it, ” [sustainability pertains to ]meet[ing] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance”.

Around here are are quite passionate about making decisions and taking actions that put value on that of our personal health and that of our environment. This is evident in the fact that as a grower, we do not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. It is why we grow in biodegradable pots and why we only grow  heirloom  annual herb and vegetable plants.  So why the discussion about salt?

Last fall  at the RIPE! Fall Garden to Table Festival we debuted a gourmet salt blend featuring our very own naturally grown herbs. The goal was simple – muse the herbs we grow and enjoy in our home cuisine with  local citrus[fruits/berries] and high quality, sustainably crafted salts in order to make blends that accentuate seasonal produce. Being that we were moving into fall, we choose herbs that work well when roasting meats or vegetables – herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, winter savory, a hint of lavender [floral works well here] and a dash of dried local citrus.  

Sales of these salts were unprecedented! More blends were requested and the quest to explore salt varieties to compliment these herbal blends began.

As it would happen, I  ran into a gentleman at the Olive Avenue Market who was purchasing our herb salts but had stopped in looking for Sel de Mer. A great conversation ensued and he recommended the recently released book, Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral “, by Mark Bitterman. In this book, Bitterman  paints a brilliant picture of our collective history with this universal mineral, its use in modern industry, its artisanship [how it is created] and how individual salt[s] impact local economies. 

After reading the book [if one really reads an salt history book/encyclopedia] I began to look at salt another way .I began to ask how was the salt produced? How was it harvested? What steps were being taken  to protect the land, the culture and the natural resources from which this salt came? And  was my purchasing of this product contributing positively or negatively to the local economy?

Going back to salt we used as the base in the gourmet herbed salt on the shelves at Olive Avenue Market,  it is called  Sel Gris  – which is more commonly known as grey salt . Make no mistake, this salt is in no way local, it comes all the way from Guerande France.  So why in the world did we choose this specific salt?

We chose it salt because it is an excellent all around cooking salt- making it the perfect base to add our own local, naturally grown herbs to – no matter the herb blend. It showcases our lemon herb blend [our Meyer lemons, Greek & Italian Oregano, heirloom garlic chives] just as well as it does our bay laurel [look for this new addition at farmers markets in summer - 1 gallon size] and black peppercorn creation.  The salt is rich in minerals and because it is processed naturally by solar evaporation, many of these trace minerals and enzymes are preserved.

Perhaps the most important reason we love [and use] Sel Gris de Guerande is because it is sustainable. Salt has been produced in this geographic area for thousands of years. It is harvested by hand, preserving time honored tradition and craftsmanship. The locals of this area have taken great strides to adhere to sound agricultural, cultural and environmental standards.  For their efforts, they preserve their cultural heritage, their land and their local economy and we get not only a superb product but also the peace of mind knowing we are a part of their communities sustainability.

And what of California sea salt or the standard sea salt we all know and have used? Why not use this instead – it is surely more local? Bitterman has something interesting to say about this and we agree.  He points out that”most salts that call themselves sea salts are actually industrial salts made from seawater…vast evaporators [that] collect water from any available source regardless of purity of water..[and that] 90% of this product goes deicing, chemical process and other industrial markets”. His last word on this salt – “go shopping elsewhere”.  [Salted, Mark Bitterman 2010, pg 190]

Strange how somehow it all does tie together. For the most part, those of us who grow our own food, shop locally, strive to adhere to sustainable practices, prepare our own food – a common thread is our desire for wholesome goodness.  And this is what we are striving for in the herb salt blends we are creating. Clean, pure ingredients that enhance the goodness of fresh, seasonal foods.

One last word [for now] on salts. For those of us who have a difficult time choosing between sweet and salty – great news! We don’t have to. Salt brings out sweetness in foods. Have you tried salt crusted caramels? Salted chocolates? Do you see where we are going with this? Yep, in honor of the day in February we have chosen to express our love for others [otherwise known as Valentines day] we have crafted a special blend. Using pink salts mined in Utah as a base, we have blended shavings of 71% dark cacao with just a hint of our naturally grown French lavender – delicious as a finishing touch on a homemade chocolate lava dessert dressed with fresh whipped cream or a homemade sugar cookie shaped as a heart. Even the packaging is extra special – a round glass bottle with a cork top.

Look for all of our salt blends at Olive Avenue Market – Redlands, CA.

Enjoy the day!

Redlands, 12 Jan, 09:18, sunny and bright.

Yesterday, I came across a statistic that has me still reeling. Are we, the American people, really three generations removed from the actual growing of our own food and two generations removed from actually preparing it?

Say it isn’t so!

I guess that deep down inside, we know that this is probably very factual. When we look around, gone for the most part are family farms – most being sold off, with the land now redeveloped either into housing or commercial use.

 For those of us who do not have a family farm in our history, most of us can recall  summers  spent eating sun ripened peaches or apricots off the trees or plucking off  sweet, red , ripe strawberries that never made their way into the house. Maybe we ate from our home gardens, or from the one at ”Grandma Sue’s” or “Uncle Joe’s”.  Either way, growing food was part of a families everyday lifestyle.

Growing up, my family for the most part had a kitchen garden. When I was in elementary school and living in a duplex in lovely El Monte, CA, my mom planted tomatoes, pepper and squash on a small stretch of dirt just outback – right under the clothes line [talk about a small space garden]. When I was in junior high, my Mom and I would drive over to Ester Miller’s house where she [a first hand survivor of the Great Depression] allowed fellow members of our congregation to share space in her garden and grow as many veggies [and herbs] as our hearts desired [talk about community supported agriculture!]

I can remember that in her garden, Ester  had this really gross, monster of a pile that we  added weeds and  food scraps brought from home to. I  grew to despise this pile and having to be in contact with it.  It was really tall [or I was really short] but it had TONS of bugs crawling out of it. Sometimes, it even smelled bad.  I think it was the cow manure which she added, I can’t be sure. Yep,  you guessed it. It was the mother of all compost piles. Boy what I would give to have that today!

In high school, I have to say I do not remember our family having an edible garden. We like everyone else had replaced taste and  nutrition with ornamental and a few fragrant plants. We were not alone. With the rise of home owners associations, divorce rates  and the 60+ hour work week, tending a kitchen garden fell by the wayside. These were the 80′s and 90′s .

Then something quite amazing happened in these past several years. When no one was really looking, many of us [now older and with gardens of our own] started to think twice before planting just sweet peas in the springtime garden. Many of us snuck in a tomato plant or two. It was as though a faint voice from deep inside demanded us to embrace the homegrown  fruit & veggie once more, longing for taste, our bodies starved for nourishment.

Collectively, a great number of us grew tired and frustrated with hopping in the car for a bunch of cilantro and lettuce. It didn’t help that taste had become almost non-existent in the produce we were paying premium dollar for. A part of self was demanding  something real – fresh, clean food that enticed, delighted and awakened our senses. And it certainly did not help that the economy tanked and many of us needed to supplement our families grocery bills by growing some of our own food. Now, it was our wallets that demanded a change towards self sufficiency.

Before the economy took a flying leap off a short bridge, I was purchasing almost all of the produce our family ate. I purchased organic most of the time, something that ended immediately when we bought our home and my husband spend nearly 9 months unemployed. Gardening was no longer just a favorite hobby, it became my way of keeping sane while doing all I could to help make ends meet. And as many of you already know, I found myself professionally in my edible garden.  Through the process, my fascination California native flora was trumped by my new motto “if I can’t eat it, it’s not in my garden, even if it is water-wise”.

Sure, in my garden today, you will still find too much lawn and many ornamental plants. But the reality is that slowly but surely, edibles are filling this landscape. A few weeks ago, we added more lettuce and kale to the bed near the front that once only showcased natives. I decided to leave two of the existing penstemon since they will attract beneficial to the garden bed and are absolutely beautiful. In addition, penstemon is used in homeopathy [a component of  the agriculture practice called biodynamic farming] to build fortitude – something even plants need from time to time.

I guess that if the reality is we really are three generations removed from actually growing food for ourselves, it will take us some time as a society to come full circle. Do I think we will return to the days of farming as it once was? No. I believe we will continue on as urban farmers, growing in our backyards, on our balconies, in community garden plots and on windowsills. Gone is the time and hopefully the mindset that we must all be a rural farmer in order for our smaller scale growing to have value. The most simple act of planting a seed [non- gmo and hopefully heirloom] has the same value whether it is a row of 100 feet or simply one foot.

As Mr. Ball, chairman of the W. Atlee Burpee Co and past president of the American Horticultural Society  said a few weeks back in his Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, “Let’s make 2011 the Year of the Vegetable. We have nothing to lose but our waistlines”.  I will go one step further. We have everything to gain! Our self sufficiency, our local economy, our state of physical, emotional and psychological health as well as that of our community can be greatly impacted by the simple act of planting and growing your own food.

When hopping into the car and running to the grocery store  to pick up lettuce and cilantro is replaced with heading outside to clip from our garden, a new paradigm has begun. When our children see us and perhaps help with the planting of our edible gardens, they will not only know where food actually comes from [no, not the grocery store shelf] they then be more inclined to eat it.  As we grow more food in our garden, the lost art of cooking – blending foods for taste and pleasure will replace the habit of just filling our tummies to stop the hunger pangs.

Enjoy the day!

Week of January 3rd

Fresh This week  On our Homegrown Produce Stand

Heirloom Asian Red Mustard Greens  $2  4oz

Heirloom Salad Blend [lettuce, kale, cress, arugula, mustard, beet green & more] $6   4oz  very limited due to freeze last week  ………….”satisfying”

FRUITS

Limes $3  lb

Meyer Lemons $3 lb/2lb for $5

PRESERVES

Preserved  Meyer Lemons w/Paprika 8oz/$6 [great source of enzymes] “addictive”

FRESH HERBS  $2 a bunch

Rosemary

French  or Lemon Thyme

Italian & Greek  Oregano

Winter Savory

Grey Sage   [Purple $3]

Herbal Sea Salts - Made with pink kosher salts, mined from Utah - containing over 60 natural trace minerals, our naturally grown herbs and a hint of local citrus  4 oz $5.00 ea

 [Bay Laurel & Black Pepper - great on baked potatoes]

[Signature Blend - rosemary, thyme, savory, sage, lavender & orange/lime/lemon rind]

[Lemon Herb - Meyer lemon, peppercorns, Greek & Italian Oregano]

Herb Butter thyme,  garlic chives & sorrel 4 oz $5.00 *great on fresh baked breads!

Fresh this week in the NURSERY  $4/4in plant

Heirloom Red Garlic/Hollyhocks/Sweet Peas/Cilantro/Garlic Chives/Lemon Balm 

We are a small family farm and supplies are limited. Please place your order a day or two ahead of time  by email: Stand is open Monday—Thursday [let us know what time you will be by if  ordering perishables ]We will have your goodies waiting for your on  the produce stand. [at the top of the driveway]

1304 Rolling Hills. Redlands, CA

$1 credit applied for returned  glass jars. Please bring your own reusable bag.

We pick fresh, each morning specifically for what has been pre-ordered. We are NOT able to  honor drop-in requests. Thank you for  your understanding and support of  local business and family farms

Redlands, 13:30hr, light rain, cold.

Here we are only a few short weeks into Winter and already, SoCal has seen more rain and cold than most of of are used to. Frost has already appeared too. Just last week, our local citrus growers were out in the early morning hours lighting smudge pots to help warm the groves and keep frost from damaging crops. Here in the nursery, frost blankets are draped over the growing racks and every inch of the green house is full of tender seedlings not ready to brave the cold.

In our gardens, the impact of our first frost is very visible. Several of our perennial mother plants – plants we take cuttings from to grow nursery stock have been impacted.  Both of our African Blue Basil plants are in very bad shape, as is our Chipas Sage and Spanish Tarragon. As to our annuals, green leafy lettuce, chard, kale, mustard’s – all have some frost damage but for the most part are okay.