Like the seasons, I begin again

When I went back to school to pursue a calling, I knew that Nutrition would be my focus. I had the choice of minoring in Hypnotherapy or Urban Farming. I started with Hypno thinking it would be more marketable, but after one class I changed course. I've never had a garden, despite the multitude of Better Home & Garden magazines I've collected over the years. Up until last year, the last time I planted a seed was in 7th grade science class. I had watched all of the food activist documentaries, but was especially moved by Dirt! I had never thought of soil as the source for life, but without out it we have no food. It's just that simple. Motivated to grow an edible, but attractive food landscape, I began my garden a year ago, about the same time I interned at a nearby permaculture (see previous posts). You know you're meant to garden when you find pleasure in pulling weeds. I am not even close to being an amateur gardener, despite courses in urban farming and spending 30 hours working on a farm, and I'm barely able to call myself a novice, but to be in the yard and in the dirt is very gratifying. 

For a gardening newbie like me, mint is one of those herbs that is incredibly tolerant and forgiving. This guy was in my garden and taking over, even though I planted him in a container. Mint loves to stretch and root. I dug him up and replanted him in a container that was a bit neglected through the fall. It's winter now in Florida (a great growing season) and he is happy.

My previous posts from last summer shed light on my struggle to grow tomatoes in Florida. Tomatoes, at least for me, are the crown jewel of the garden. Despite my full on organic attack on the pests, my plants were no match for the Florida heat and aphid assault. I think I harvested two tomatoes from 3 plants. Depressing. I was about to give up hope for homegrown tomatoes when my local nursery said I was not alone. You mean, there are others who can't grow vegetables in the summer? It's not just that I know nothing about organic pesticides or the pH of my soil? By the way sand is bad for plants. Seems pretty obvious but I had no idea that when soil degrades and loses nutrients it turns to sand. Oh what a horror when I scraped away the top layer of dark soil to reveal a gray sandy base. No wonder my damn plants are growing! Anyway, the good news is that growing during Florida summers is hard for just about everyone, at least everyone who is a novice like me. Fall is the better time of year, so I gave it a try. I began from seed three varieties of tomatoes and oh the gloriousness of these little beauties. Today I sliced into an heirloom variety and enjoyed it with a fried organic egg from Lake Meadows and sliced avocado. Talk about the kind of yum that makes you rock back and forth and say, "mmm, mmmm, mmmm." 

Greens are also really gratifying to grow. They are awesome cold weather crops and easy to start from seed. I'm loving the gold and red Swiss Chard. My lacinto kale is super hardy and is a beautiful silver green which makes super easy Microwaved Kale Chips. I just know that I'm enjoying tons of chlorophyll, Vitamins A, C, and K, and folic acid. I've also got several collard green and arugula plants growing. All combined, these dark leafies are super versatile in green smoothies, sautéed with garlic, lemon and olive oil, or chopped into a raw salad. 

Part of the joy in gardening is getting my kid excited about vegetables and this no small feat. He had such a fun time harvesting tomatoes, parsley, collards, kale, swiss chard, and arugula. He discovered a lady bug hanging on a pepper plant and checked out the milkweed for any caterpillars. It's the little things.

But don't be mislead. He's not going eat this tomato, but he does like picking them. I have better luck when I tell him the Kale Chips are Hulk Munchies.

The perils of juicing Malabar Spinach

Today was the final day of work for my Urban Farm externship. I completed 30 hours at Econ Farm. On Wednesday we are celebrating with a Pot Luck gathering. Today we built a trellis for the cucumbers that will provide shade to the lettuce beneath. It's already starting to heat up here. We built the trellis with onsite bamboo and zip ties. 

Check out the cocoon of this moth. A literal twig house.

Look how enormously amazing this Giant Collard Green plant is in the forefront.

Back home in my own garden, the Malabar Spinach gifted to me is doing well. It grows like a vine. The leaves are thick and bright green, and slightly heart shaped. I can't seem to get regular old spinach to do anything, but this Malabar stuff is taking off. The pests in my garden are attacking nearly everything, but not this. No wonder it's a favorite in permaculture design: low maintenance! Anyway, here's the deal with Malabar Spinach-and this is only true if you are someone who cares about the texture of your food-there is something very slimy and off putting about good ole' Malabar. I tried it raw in a salad with other greens and it has a very strong presence, and not in a good way. Trying to convince myself that all green is good, I tried sautéing it. Yuck. The stuff does not cook well. But what to do? The spinach is growing like Jack's beanstalk. I harvest a bowl of it and take it to my juicer. Juicing Malabar Spinach is like some crazy science experiment. Kelly green snot, yes, snot. When you juice Malabar Spinach it comes out as some gooey, slimy, liquid snot that happens to be a beautiful vibrant shade of green, but is so offensive it belongs on a show like Fear Factor. And just so you know that I made a valiant effort, I did try to cut the green slime with lemon juice, cucumber and apple, which did absolutely nothing to offset the disgusting sliminess of Malabar juice. Malabar Spinach was my first lesson in planting only food that you are going to eat. Just because it grows doesn't mean you have to grow it!