Knitting Zeal

Canna Lillies in the garden

 

Red Canna Lily

 

This summer is the first time I've ever grown Canna Lillies in the garden.  Now that they have grown, I'm discovering them EVERYWHERE!  

My parents's next door neighbor shared some of the rhizomes from the plants in his yard.  My mom gave me a bag full of these strange tuber looking things.  I guessed on how to plant them, and picked a really sunny and open location in the front yard.  Last year we had a large tree removed from our front lawn and now that the area gets sun, I can grow flowers there.  I wasn't sure exactly how big the Canna Lillies would grow.  I wasn't sure they would grow at all, really, they were just so odd looking.  Within weeks of planting I saw green shoots and quickly the plants resembled the beginnings of a hosta plant.  But then they just kept growing up!  They have been fun to watch, especially now that they are blooming these bright red flowers.  They remind me of the ginger plant, which they are related to, as well as a banana leaf. 

Since they are a tropical plant, I'll have to remember to dig them up in the fall and put them away in a warm and protected area to replant next spring.  I have lost many gladiolas because of forgetting to retrieve them!  Hopefully that won't be an issue this year.  

Our veggie garden

Our little raised bed veggie garden is chugging along.  This heat has been brutal, but I've managed to keep it alive with daily watering.  So far we've had lots of peas harvested and about three grape tomatoes.  Today we picked another bigger tomato of a species I forget.  I used a different type of soil this year and it is obvious.  Last year I used Miracle Grow enriched soil.  The tomato plants were huge!  This year I used a non-enhanced soil and the plants are noticeably smaller.  I have been adding an organic fertilizer every two weeks or so.  

I'm now noticing baby cucumbers growing and the carrot tops are really getting bigger.  Last year I planted carrots, but they did not amount to anything.  I'm hoping that the ones growing this year will actually be edible.  The cucumbers are tiny with one that is about gherkin pickle size.  They are a favorite veg here, even the kiddo will gobble them up, so I'm hoping for lots of them in about a month.  The kiddo has been enjoying the peas.  He will eat the whole pod, despite it technically not being edible.  They are really sweet.  The only things that haven't flowered yet but are growing like mad are the green beans.  They are twisting and twining all over the place, but no flowers or beans yet.

the kitchen herb garden

The basil I planted in my herb garden has been eaten by something.  I'm not sure if it's insects or critters, but it isn't doing well.  I finally decided to try planting one basil plant in the raised bed, near the tomatoes.  It is doing beautifully.  Nothing has nibbled it at all.  So, hopefully I'll get at least a batch of pesto out of it later this summer.  I did discover a very tiny green worm or caterpillar eating some of my herbs, mainly the dill, that did not survive.  Something always eats the cilantro too, but I still have a small plant of that left.  I had to fence in the veg bed, but I cannot fence in the herb garden. Since they are mostly edible herbs, I do not use pesticides.  Hopefully some of the herbs will survive the summer.

Menu plan Monday for the week of June 11, 2012

Last week's pickup from the CSA yielded TONS of lettuce.  Four huge heads.  I gave away one and washed the the other three to store in the fridge for this week's meals.  We'll be eating lots of salads! I'm still a bit squeamish from all of the additional critters that come home with the lettuce.  This week there was only one or two slugs and one large caterpillar.  I have to wash the lettuce when I get home  because of the bugs and because I just don't have enough room to store the whole heads of lettuce. I also picked up bunches of swiss chard, kale, garlic scapes, and a wee bit of strawberries. Chard and kale are new to me, so I also picked up a cookbook of recipes for CSA produce.  From Asparagus to Zucchini was published by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition.  It has multiple recipes for just about anything that could be picked up at a local farm.  I'm looking forward to trying out new recipes and new produce! 

I made chard for the first time Sunday night using a recipe found in the cookbook.  I used an Asian-style recipe that used some soy sauce and garlic to a saute of chopped chard.  We really enjoyed it!  It is such a pretty vegetable, especially the red stemmed version.   Menu Plan

Monday: grilled chicken caesar salad

Tuesday: Pork tenderloin, salad

Wednesday: Chicken stir fry with baby bok choy, brown rice

Thursday: Mom's night out, boys on their own! (I'll make them pasta and salad.)

Friday: Taco night, maybe taco salad.

Weekend: BBQ!

I have this huge head of kale.  I've never had kale chips, but keep hearing about them, so I may try making some to see what they are about.  

Check out the menu plans over on Organizer Junkie!

Spring means a lot of sneezing

I am not complaining at all about the amazing spring weather we have been having this year (nor did I miss the lack of snow and freezing temps all winter!) I realize it is largely due to global warming and shifts in el nina or something like that, but I love spring and how pretty everything outdoors looks during it.  The frost date was changed to a month earlier for my area in the US and that meant that I even got to plant my herb and veggie garden a month earlier too.  It seems that all of the trees and flowers have bloomed at once this spring.  

Spring means seasonal allergies for my family, though.  In years past I suffered through it.  This year has been tough, with a month long battle against my sinuses in March and the cold that kept returning to our family!  To deal with allergies this year I have added taking a Claritin tablet daily to my routine and I have to say it has really helped!  I am still congested when it wears off by morning, but it does get me through the whole day with little sneezing and reduced congestion.

My son is battling seasonal allergies this year too.  I noticed in the fall of 2010 that he seemed to have fall allergies, but this is the first year I've noticed he is suffering in the spring.  To relieve his symptoms I've been giving him Children's Claritin, which he is happy to take because he reports feeling relief.  I can hear how less congested he sounds during the day.  I've tried giving him the medicine at different times of the day and it seems that if I give it to him at dinner time, he gets the most relief for nightime and during the day.  

I'm happy that I was selected to participate in the Children's Claritin Mom Crew program this year, as it has helped me connect with other moms who also have kiddos dealing with allergies.  While I've been enjoying all of the perfect weather spring days we've been having, the rain this past weekend was welcome!  I hope it's cleaned the air of some of the pollen, as well as washed the green caste off my blue car!

Disclosure:  As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit.  No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

The kid and the Philadelphia Flower Show

 

 

Aloha!  The kiddo, my mom, and I went to see the Philadelphia Flower Show on Tuesday, apparently with every single senior citizen in the tri-state area too.  (It was really crowded!!) It was beautiful, of course and the theme was Hawaii, which is my dream place to live (specifically Lahaina, Maui.) 

 

The entrance of the show led visitors under the sea, sort of.  The kiddo thought it was cool to see fish "swim" overhead.  We missed many of the main exhibitors because it was just too crowded to get close enough to see any details and I didn't want the kiddo to get hurt because he was too small for people to notice.  It was bad enough I kept whacking him in the head with my camera lens!  We found that some of the smaller displays were just magnificent.  I think a favorite was MODA Botanica.  They had a moving display that the visitors could control by turning dials on the ends.  The dials changed the scenery in the display by sliding parts back and forth.  It was sort of amusing to realize that most adults were not tuned in to the control they could have over the exhibit, but the kiddo and other kids discovered the dials and started playing.  It was very clever to see them change the scene, even if it ticked off some of the visitors who didn't understand!  (Grownups can be so fuddy-duddy!)

 

There were tons of orchids, almost everywhere you looked.  It was hard to photograph them in the poor lighting so I ended up having to use a flash most of the time.  My son did well, considering what a busy day it was.  We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, which had really good fries, according to him!  He also loved taking the train to and from the show and was more than happy to ditch me on a busy train and sit with his grandmom.  

I uploaded most of my photos on Flickr, if you want to see more!

 

The show is open until Sunday, March 11, 2012.  They redesigned the layout from previous years, which in my opinion was done poorly.  Traffic flow around the main exhibits was horrible and at one point we were trapped in a corner because everyone just stopped moving to try to see some dancers--certainly not a place to go if you are at all claustrophobic!  I really hope that in future years they work on having a way to go around all the exhibits on all sides so that doesn't happen again.  If you go, be sure to check out the layout online and get a map there to help.   

 

Fun at Linvilla Orchards in the winter!

While I've always been aware of local farms, it has been the past four years that I've really become a frequent shopper of local farms and farm markets.  From spring through late fall, I tend to purchase most of my produce at farm markets.  I just never bothered to visit farms in the winter.  When I received an invitation to check out Linvilla Orchards in the winter, I jumped at the opportunity.  I had no idea how much fun it could be to visit in February!

The last time I was at Linvilla Orchards, in Media, Pennsylvanian, was at least 7 or 8 years ago with my niece, who turned 9 last week!  My sister and her family used to live in Media and introduced us to Linvilla.  It sure has changed since I last visited!  

There is a new Garden Center that is just a bit over a year old.  It is a beautiful building filled with plants, gardening items, and unique gifts.  They had a great toy section filled with quality toys.  My son loved that part!  We picked out a few little plants to buy to restart our terrarium, along with a really cool succulent plant.  The building itself is built to be green---energy efficient and environmentally friendly.  They use an  energy efficient geothermal pump to keep the greenhouse cool in the summer and warm in winter and they collect rainwater to use to water everything they grow on the farm!

Inside the back of Garden Center, until mid-March, is Fore! the planet, an 18 hole mini-golf course.  This indoor mini-golf will be available every winter for visitors to enjoy.  The course was originally displayed at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and was purchased by Linvilla.  For a nominal price families can play a fun round of golf inside a the warmth of the green house while also learning about the environment.  From butterfly metamorphosis to recycling, this mini-golf course was interesting to all ages.  My kiddo had never played mini-golf before, so he really had fun figuring it all out.  We worked on aim and golf stance, but in the end he had fun climbing and chasing the ball around. He even got a hole in one!  

Fore! the planet mini-golf at Linvilla

Since today's weather was absolutely beautiful, we had a blast enjoying some outdoor fun too.  The Christmas Tree Maze is next to the Garden Center. It was created from 1400 recycled Christmas trees leftover from the farm and area tree sales.  We got a flag to take around with us in case we got lost, which we did, but thankfully we found our way out after about a half hour!  The trees smelled great.  The maze was really tough and we went around in circles several times.  The kiddo had a blast in the maze and really liked holding the flag.  

Exploring the Tree Maze at Linvilla

The last time I had visited Linvilla there were some animals.  This time it seemed like the animal area doubled!  We saw all varieties of chickens, ducks, swan, a cow, a pig, some sheep, lots of goats and the cutest little donkeys.  We fed some chickens and chatted with a goat.  The pond was a great swimming hole to the water fowl.  I forgot how big the Linvilla property was!  

Feeding the chickens at Linvilla

 

 

Chatting with a friendly goat!

 There was also a beautiful playground filled with "transportation vehicles" according to my son.  He had a blast playing with the other kids there, pretending to drive a train or a boat or a monster truck.  I loved the play castle! Admission to the playground is a dollar.  What I really liked about the playground was that instead of a traditional playground filled with teeter totters and swings, this one was filled with climb-on equipment that encouraged imaginative play along with physical activity.  There were lots of slides and steps, but also things to feed a child's imagination.  My son would have spent the whole day here pretending.  There were also plenty of benches for the adults to sit and rest.

 

 

Playground at Linvilla Orchards

 

We ended our day with a visit to the Farm Market to purchase some treats.  We got the requisite cider donuts, that my son remarked were the biggest ones he's had yet!  We also picked up a yummy French apple pie for dessert tonight. All winter long the veggies in the market are half price, so we selected some to bring home too, including some great broccoli for our chicken stir fry dinner.  I bought some popping corn that is supposed to pop larger than average corn.  (Homemade popcorn is a favorite afternoon snack here and super easy to make!  Much better than microwaved popcorn.)

When I asked my son tonight what his favorite part of the day was, he replied "all of it!"  He excitedly told his daddy all about his day and seemed to really be impressed by the mini-golf and the playground.  We are planning to return again soon and not wait for summer to visit.  I was really happy to find that visiting the farm/orchard in the winter is just as rewarding as the summertime, even if all the flowers are indoors!

 

 

Disclosure:  We were invited to spend the day at Linvilla and enjoy the activities for free.  No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this post.  The experiences and opinions expressed here are mine.

Wordless Wednesday

Creating a terrarium

A couple of weeks ago my mom and I attending a class at the local library on creating terrarium planters.  A local gardening expert taught the class and brought many examples of terrariums that she created, along with all the supplies for us to make our own, except the jar.  I chose to bring a lidded jar, an old-style mason jar I purchased at HomeGoods for under $4.  

We layered charcoal, gravel/rocks, and soil in our jars before adding some plants.  The plants we used were mostly small rootings from larger plants and even some succulents (for open containers only.)  I used three small plants, one variegated, one with tiny green leaves, and a purple leafed plant.  (I can't recall the names anymore.)  I really liked how my terrarium turned out. We used moss to top the soil once the plants were in place.

Sadly, two weeks later, I discovered that two of the three plants had rotted.  I apparently watered the jar too  much and kept the lid closed too long.  So, I need to start over!  I'll have to spend some time at Lowe's or Home Depot to find one or two replacement plants.  I'm also thinking maybe it would be fun to do an open dish terrarium with some small succulents.  I've seen some great varieties available on etsy, so if the local stores don't have any, I'll order a few online. 

Touring an organic farm: Longview Center for Agriculture

The monkey boy and I, along with our buddies, had a great opportunity this week to join in on a fun and educational tour of the Longview Center for Agriculture, formerly Willow Creek Orchards.  A member of the Philadelphia Social Media Moms (PSMM) group, Carrie, set up the tour of the farm and a chance to pick blackberries. It gave me an opportunity to learn about another local farm while also having the chance to meet some other PSSM bloggers in real life!  

The 90 plus acres of certified organic farmland is host to a beautiful demonstration garden, pick your own fruits fields, 20 acres of apple, peach and pear tree orchards, and lots of land that hopefully will never see the development of townhouses or big box stores.  Farmer Mark explained how they maintain healthy soil by controling microrganisms and bacteria, providing essential nutrients without the use of petroleum based pesticides.  He also explained the strategic placement of flower beds near the veggie gardens that contain bee and insect loving zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers.  The insects aid with essential pollination that helps the veggies produce a hearty bounty.  

While we listened to the farmer explain the farms goals and missions, we were encouraged to pick and taste the veggies growing. My son enjoyed a sunny yellow tomato, which he later described as weird tasting but not bad!  There were purple beans growing that had just lovely purple blossoms covering the plants.  I think they will be on my list of beans to grow in next summer's garden at home.  The demonstration garden is also a pick your own garden, that is designed for plants to grow with great structural supports.  The tomatoes grew straight up supported by string tied to frames.  They were neat and beautifully organized.  

Greener Partners is the non-profit behind Longview Center.  They are leasing it from the owners of the former Willow Creek Orchards, and are dedicated to "Connecting communities through food, farms, and education."  The farm welcomes groups for tours, as they want to increase the community's knowledge of how food is produced.  It would be a fun place for a playgroup or mom's group to visit for a tour, or to join in on one of their educational activities that are offered.

After our farm tour, we had the chance to roam the rows and rows of blackberry plants.  While my son and his friend were more interested in collecting sticks and making "gates" our of vines, my friend and I went to work at picking as many berries as we could while the boys were entertained.  My son enjoyed sampling the blackberries fresh picked and we decided to use some of them in a popsicle recipe.  

The Longview Market is a beautiful farmer's market that sells much of their own grown produce, along with other locally farmed produce, meats, pies, organic dried beans, coffee, bread, and condiments.  They sell frozen fruit whips that the boys enjoyed immensely.  (My son took the photo below!) 

The Longview Center for Agriculture Market

3215 Stump Hall Road
Collegeville, PA 19426
Market phone: 610-584-8202

The Longview Market is open 7 days per week with the following hours:
Monday – Friday, 9 am – 6:30 pm
Saturday 9am-5pm
Sunday 10am-4pm

This is one farm that will be added to my rotation of local farms that I shop at for produce all summer long.  It was worth the 45 minute car ride!  I am looking forward to checking out the organic strawberries next May.

Thanks so much to Carrie of Making Lemonade for setting up this fun day!  It really was great meeting other like-minded moms who before I had only communicated with on Twitter or via email!

Wordless Wednesday