Busy as a Bee

Been working up garden stuff.  In the kitchen, making my mom's no cook, crisp sweet pickles which is a week long process.  Unfortunately, my pickle barrel pic didn't turn out so good.

Next, I was making half a batch of Hot BBQ Slaw - a recipe I got from Holly Dunn, LPN @ Hartselle Hospital back in the mid-eighties.  That stuff was great on hotdogs, which was about the only hot food you could get on night shift.  I have a great tomato, onion & pepper relish that uses up that garden bounty, also great on a hot dog.  Given this and grill team, it might appear that it's all about the dog.  In this house, it definitely is but it's the four-legged variety! 

These are awesome, easy recipes and I'll share the recipe if you want. 

Seriously???

Woman faces jail for growing vegetable garden! 
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Grill Team

There's  reason for the title and a story behind my latest sewing project.  My husband participates in the mostly annual Doo Dah Parade in Pasadena - a parody of the Rose Parade, not to be confused with a San Fran parade of similar name but questionable sexual orientation.  He participates in the Barbeque & Hibachi Marching Grill Team whose uniform is Hawaiian shirt, shorts, apron, grill & tools with a charcoal bag chef's hat. Rigorous training consists of cigar smoking and beer guzzling.  They cook hot dogs which are given to the crowd, sometimes shot from a bazooka, served with ketchup, mustard and relish by "condiment girls".  Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up. 

Phil in my first "parade" apron hastily sewn (and glued) the night before a parade years ago.  Dig the lobsters!

The point is that the Hubby was recognized with a cool trophy this year.  So I decided for Father's Day I would make him a new apron and mitt set.  Off to Ebay to shop for just the right fabric.  Then wondered how was I going to quilt mitts that withstand the heat.  It's been said that adversity is the mother of invention and that may be true but I'm here to tell you, laziness too has given birth to some rather interesting inventions around here!  I decide to purchase (on sale for 50% off - yay me!) mitts from the store.  Then it was just a matter of creating a cover for the existing mitt and securing it, which was almost a bigger job than the poor sewing machine could handle.  Ran out of time and right mitt could use some finishing touches but there's time for that before next year's parade. 

You'll notice that in speed sewing for a deadline, bias tape and grosgrain ribbon come in handy.  Since mine was an original design and not wanting any of my cool innovations to go unused or misunderstood, note that I tapped my scrapbooking skills and supplies to create tools, requisite beer and cigar with holder!  It was a fun project and won't the Hubby look doggone good parading next year?  

My First Flock - The Coop de Gras

As the recession that never was started taking it's toll, sustainability became and remains a hot topic.  Pair that with the benefits of organic free-range eggs and a backyard flock is born. 

In fall 2008, we started our first efforts in poultry farming in our urban backyard.  I have childhood memories of collecting eggs for my Great Aunt but gained no practical experience other than a vague recollection of the coop.  I started off with advice from my folks who had some but distant experience.  I supplemented with literature from The Auburn Extension Service and many other online and book sources.  Some practical advice in this urban setting was given by Annie (owner of a 3-hen poolside coop) which came in the way of what not to do when building your coop.

I don't have the most awesome coop in the world.  There are many with cool features and conveniences had we been building from ground up or making an outright purchase.  What mine had was practicality & resourcefullness by which I mean we used materials on hand (wire left over from a stucco job, scrap wood, tar paper) and we enclosed underneath our sons long abandoned tree house.  It's worked out well for us.  We built nesting boxes.  The only thing that required a trip to the hardware store was hinges, a handle and closure hardware for the door which probably didn't amount to $10.

Now on Facebook there are great poultry keeping sites to follow.  Check out some of the really extraordinary coops available, before you buy or build. We plan to do a new coop and I will be looking to "I Really Love Chicken Keeping" and "The Chicken Whisperer" on FB for some design ideas.  Stay tuned for the update. 

Welcome to my urban farm blog!

Until this week, it had been an unseasonably cool summer in sunny southern California.  I was late getting my garden started.  First mistake, I didn't cut back the artichokes at the end of last season.  For those of you who aren't familiar with artichokes, don't feel bad, I had never seen one either before arriving in California.  They're perennials from the thistle family that have an edible plant that left alone will open into a purple bloom.  But I digress.

When the last of the artichokes were harvested (and cut back), I planted tomato, squash and some peppers.  After a battle with weeds, I decided to try covering the dirt around the plants with newspaper which is SUPPOSED to form a weed barrier and act as a moisture retaining mulch.  To top that off, I added mulch.  Then I got stupid with it when one day at Costco, I find a bargain price on an industrial sized vat of "Preen" - which is SUPPOSED to keep weeds out for 3 months.

Now I have to admit, the organic farmer in me put up a tough fight against the chemical "de-weeder" but alas, the lazy gardener in me won hands down!  It really was a struggle.  I grow my own food to know where it comes from and what's in or on it.  I read all the warnings and debated about donning a haz- mat suite to use the stuff.  I worried about my dogs (who like to eat grass).  I worried about my chickens that like a good dusting in the fresh garden dirt but good intentions be damned I used the stuff, carefully as directed.

Family and business commitments kept me busy, away from home and out of the garden.  This was followed by the recovery & catching up period which brought us into a heat wave...  Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses!  When I finally set foot back in the garden area about 3 weeks later - HOLY COW - I have grass growing that would do any golf course proud.

What the heck?  How good this be?  I feel so betrayed!  I was weak, gave in, took the easy way out and alas...it let me down.  I guess the lesson learned here is nothing keeps weeds out of the garden like good old fashioned elbow grease.