This Year's Garden

As we continue to prepare this year's garden, here is a note about what we have in so far:

Potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, onions, sage, mint, lavender, rhubarb, horseradish, turnips, carrots, cabbage, lettuce and dill.

Yesterday we planted some beans called "Ireland Creek Annie Bean," an heirloom shell bean with a bush habit with "superb delicious flavor, makes its own thick sauce." I'll let you know about that later in the season.

Also some wax beans, some Edamame Soy beans, some Cilantro (which I LOVE) some Borage, more dill, and some castor beans.

Castor beans are not for eating - they are highly toxic. This particular variety is a red-leaf variety. Castor plants are tropical guys, but will grow as seasonal annuals here in zone 7. Why in the world would I have a poisonous plant in my garden, you may wonder. They are spectacularly ornamental, true, but Grandma Susie always had a castor plant out by her garden behind her house. She said they kept the gophers out of the garden, so we'll see about that, too.

I still have green beans, pole beans, squashes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and tomatillos to plant. Oh, and Sweet Potatoes, when the slips come in. I have a bed saved for the Sweet Potatoes :)

Will keep you posted!

In any endaevor, to achieve success, create a plan of action and follow it. If you don't have a PLAN for the future, your mind will just replay the past.

We built 4'x8' boxes, 1' deep for raised beds, a dozen of them. Have potatoes in four of them, Roma (sauce) tomatoes in one, other heirloom eating tomatoes in another, and beets & parsnips in another. Planted in plain raised rows we have onions, turnips, carrots, cabbage, lettuce & dill, besides the leeks, onions, chives, rhubarb, horseradish (thanks Renay!) and other herbs we have out there already. I stayed too long in the sun today, for which I'll be sorry later, but we sure got a lot done today. Good Day, yes.

Steve just observed that although it doesn't seem like it, the drive from our house to downtown OKC is the same distance as the Tappan Zee Bridge in to Manhattan.

What'm I going to cook first?

My friend Renay in Cooperstown asked me what I's gonna cook first, now that all our inspections have passed.

I'm going to wash up "Vishu the Preserver" (my 22 qt canning pressure cooker) and can some homegrown carrots. They overwintered nicely in the ground but I had to pull them so the guy could run the tiller in the garden.

Okay, I hear you wondering, she calls her husband "the guy?" Ehhh - no. A friend of ours came out and ran the tiller so Steve could stay on task with the house.  Put in a good eight hours tilling that garden up, but I did have to get the carrots out first. So I'm going to can them. I already have a box of new jars!

Tomorrow I am going to make up a nice, big cheesy tuna casserole with a crispy topping. Oh, are we looking forward to that!

I have to ask Steve if we can put stuff in the kitchen cabinets yet, because they don't have doors yet ("We don't need no steenkeen doors!") and I have to see if we need to put another layer of polyurethane on the cabinets.

March 21, 2011

I am thrilled to report that as of 9:30 this morning, our house has passed all inspections! Thank you City of Mustang, Building Inspector Jerry Calloway, and Administrative Assistant Gayla Early! Gold Stars to you!

Nearly Done, Maybe?

The plumbing, heat & air guys are done, just left. All that is in and working. A few dribs and drabs of electrical work, lamps to install, and whatnot, but I think we're about ready for final inspection. Have put in a call to the inspector, so we'll see what he thinks - more news as it becomes available!