My Skinny Garden

Gardening: Like a House of Cards, Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:03:00 +0000

Then, one morning I woke up motivated, finally having the courage to weigh myself. Those seconds staring down at the scale, waiting for the big red digital number to appear, it feels like being a little too close to the edge of a cliff staring down at jagged rocks, the wind at my back. I gained two pounds and poof, the freak-out switch was flipped on. I was mad at myself for not trying harder and for even bothering to weigh. That scale has caused me to quit so many times over the years. The irrational personal assault tape was on play. Outwardly I could feel my facial expression and my body shift position. I withdrew into the vortex of negative self talk. I surrendered to it, fully.

Because I hadn't shopped for food that weekend I went to work that Monday morning after weighing, having skipped breakfast with no lunch packed. I skipped that too, because I didn't feel like I had enough self control to get a healthy restaurant meal. By the time I got home I was ravenous. I don't recall what I ate for dinner but lets say it was pizza and cake. Or something just as bad. The rest of the week was basically the same. In fact, until I wrote Cris that email in which I had a simple yet profound discovery, every day was one long string of depression, skipped breakfasts/lunches and binging dinners. I floundered through all those hours knowing I was in a bad place but unsure what to do about it. And I had no motivation, whatsoever, to get to the bottom of things. I didn't feel like I'd done anything to cause this but more like a cloud of badness was cast upon me without warning. I couldn't move out from under it. So I wallowed in it...and I ate.

Somewhere in that email to Cris I started to realize that yeah, the weight gain sucked. But the biggest problem wasn't the weight gain, it was that I was totally unprepared for it. In fact, I was unprepared for the week in general, regardless of the scale debacle. I hadn't stuck with my plan, and I never realized until that moment how important the plan actually was. If I'd taken the time to shop for healthy food and map out my meals for the week, maybe after I'd gained that two pounds I would've hung my head for little while, all day maybe. But I probably would have at least stuck with my eating plan. And if I'd stuck with my eating plan I wouldn't have been starving when I got home and if I hadn't been starving when I got home maybe I wouldn't have thrown in the towel and pigged out on pizza and cake...for an entire week.

Not taking the time to shop and plan my meals turned out to be so important that not doing it literally ruined my entire week. What I signed up for seemed like a simple nutrition and exercise plan I could easily slip into my life but I was realizing that it was much more complex than I ever knew. Looking back over my shoulder, my success or failure was was much less a state of mind and much more a bunch of little processes, one connected and dependent on the next. It was like a house of cards. And pulling that one on the bottom out caused the entire thing to fall. School started > no meals planned > no grocery shopping > no lunches prepared > 2 pound weight gain > KABOOM!

Gardening TV Shows: Dig In Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:46:00 +0000

If you follow me on twitter you probably know I listen to The Mike Nowak radio show every Sunday 9-11 on Chicago's Progressive Talk Radio. Well don't look now but he's started a gardening TV show! "Dig In Chicago" airs every Saturday morning at 10:00 on Comcast channel 102. I watched the first episode on my iPad this weekend and I'm hooked already.

At first I was skeptical. There aren't that many gardening TV shows out there and I have watched most of them, at least once. There's the big garden makeover ones which just piss me off because it's no fair I had to work so hard for my little garden and these people get a big fancy one for happening by some big box store at the right time. And there are others that are just too persnickety for me. I loved "The Manic Organic" which went off the air almost immediately upon my discovery of it. It seems like gardening shows with content useful for real gardeners never seem to survive. Maybe that's changing. I hope so.

I love Dig In Chicago. That's the bottom line. It is informative, has gardening information that is relevant for the time period in which it airs and it even has a short segment from a local restaurant on how to make a couple of garden related cocktails and an easy meal using stuff commonly grown in our edible Chicago gardens. The first episode featured a discussion about Lurie Garden which is apparently actually a rooftop garden sitting atop giant underground parking lots. As a Chicago gardener, I'm ashamed to admit that I did not realize this. I've read and seen photos of Lurie Garden, their "Salvia River", on all my favorite Chicagoland garden blogs but seeing this TV segment made me push visiting Lurie to the top of my list of gardening things to do this year.

Chicago has a vibrant gardening community that I think will love this show. Even if you're not in our area, you should check it out. The show airs Saturday mornings at 10:00 am on Comcast and you can watch the previous episodes here.

White Peony In Bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:26:00 +0000

I love these big gaudy flowers.

Troy-Bilt Saturday 6, We're Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:47:00 +0000

You know how I know I'm not a real journalist/salesman/marketing type person? Because I've been trying to think of the right way to write this post about how I'm partnering with Troy-Bilt again for the second year in a row and it's caused a war in my head.

On one side there's the voice saying to just announce it. Be positive, sterile. Something like "I've teamed up with Troy-Bilt again! I'm so excited to be able to review their awesome products, give some away, write some articles for them because, hey! I love to write about gardening!" On the other side there's what I really want to say about it. And the same ole question over whether I'm being too personal. If I write what I really want to, will Troy-Bilt be disappointed in me? What if my fellow bloggers call me an ass-kisser? A shill? But at the end of the day, when a blogger stops being authentic all in the name of product endorsements, it's over! Right?

Here's the truth. Last year I was so shocked (flattered) that Troy-Bilt asked me to become one of 6 bloggers in a new program they were trying that I couldn't stop questioning why they'd pick me, of all people. I know a lot of you thought the same thing, whether you said it or wrote it or not. It ended up being such a pleasant experience that I'd made up my mind when it was all over I would write an open letter to Troy-Bilt thanking them. One that would explain to all of you exactly why I loved working with them so much...after the contract expired and there was no incentive to continue writing about them. I wanted to be able to openly and honestly talk about how I'd long respected them like a lot of you because they were one of the first companies to ask garden bloggers for real, honest reviews of their products. But not that long after our contracts had expired, there they were again, asking our opinions on ideas about other programs they were considering for 2012. Then in a move that shocked the shit out of me, they asked us all back for a second year. Instead of indoctrinating a whole new set of garden bloggers, they were investing in the same 6 of us all over again. We talked about what worked and what didn't work and here we, back for season 2.

As a member of the Troy-Bilt Saturday 6 I'll review a few products here on my blog, give a few away, and write a couple of articles for their online newsletter, The Dirt. I am particularly looking forward to trying some of the newer products now available with rechargeable battery power. I encourage all of you to check out Troy-Bilt's new Facebook page where they are sharing good gardening info.

Troy-Bilt, one day I'll write that letter so everybody will know the real deal. In the meantime, I am honored and appreciative of the opportunity to work with you again and I'm looking forward to this new gardening season.

On my end, consider this the official disclosure that I am being compensated for honest reviews of their products. If I don't like them, I'll tell you so.

Highs and Lows of Life and Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:54:00 +0000

I read something the other day about how stupid it is to limit what you write about on your personal blog when your personal blog is in a niche, like say, gardening. I took this as a sign from the eGods that that I should just write. So many days go by that I have things to say but don't publish anything because the gardening angle isn't clear to me. Don't get me wrong, I can always find one but sometimes it's exhausting.

On the gardening front I have been plant sitting a flat of seedlings for a coworker. I'm freaking out about them because some of them are in serious need of thinning. I feel compelled to do it myself but if somebody thinned my seedlings I would not be happy. So, I'm just trying to keep them alive until they get picked up. Meanwhile, all my seedlings are dead. It is hard to believe that I spent more money on seeds than ever this year yet I am going to be buying all my plants for the garden.

Tomorrow is my father-in-law's birthday. I normally have plenty of tulips and daffodils blooming in the garden on his birthday but with everything so early this year, I was worried I wouldn't have anything to take to the cemetery. But I think I can pull together a nice albeit very different bouquet than the last couple of years. The pain's still there. We miss him terribly and need him now more than ever.

Earlier this morning a person in my husband's family died unexpectedly in his sleep. He was my age. I wish I could tell you about the sensitive details. They are in my head like a captured animal pacing around a cage desperate for a way out. How sad and devastating it is for our family. How the frantic phone call led us to believe it was a different person. It is hard to find the words to articulate the feeling of having fully processed that a person has passed away then discover they're alive. That it's really a whole other person. It is a roller coaster of highs and lows. The highs eclipsed by guilt and shame, the lows filled with sadness and devastation.

I planted salad greens, radishes and things of that nature. They are up and I am thankful for that.

Garden: Like a House of Cards, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:38:00 +0000

Back in late December 2011 my husband and I started a program at the gym designed to lose weight. It included regular meetings with a dietitian and working out with a personal trainer three times per week. I remember the first meeting with the dietitian when she asked me what my motivation was for signing up for the program, I said that I couldn't find the motivation to lose the weight, to get healthy on my own so I decided I'd pay somebody to try to motivate me. I thought she was going to reject me on the spot. Return my money and send me on my way. "Without a high level of motivation, most people are not that successful with programs like this." she told me. "Sorry, I could lie to you and say I'm highly motivated but I'm not. I have no reason to believe that I'll be successful with this program because I've tried everything and nothing has worked. I know what to do, I just can't seem to do it." I was defiant. "Well, what's your expectation for a program like this" she asked me, puzzled. "I just want to finish it. I never finish anything. I just want to follow the directions you give me and not quit before it's finished. I don't even care if I lose weight because I know if I just do what you say, it'll happen." The doubt lifted from her face a little. She said she was relieved that I didn't have an unrealistic weight loss goal like most people. "OK, let's finish it, then" she said. And that was that. Sort of.

It was a long hard, slow three months. The first few weeks of the program were horrible. I felt like that lame story of the clam without its shell. Vulnerable. I tweeted that I was wearing a coat of insecurity. I was afraid of everything. And I didn't know why. The only thing I was doing was recording my food in an online food diary and working out and I've done that a million times. But I was freaking out. About everything. My relationship with my husband. My job. My family. And then I started getting sick. This is inappropriate for a gardening blog but I got three bladder infections in one month. Three! And a really bad cold a bunch of other crap.

Other stuff happened that is probably relevant but I haven't figured out how, yet. Like I refused to weigh because it always derails me. Or so I say. It was really helpful that my husband and I were both in the program together and although I was highly motivated at times, the team at the gym was mostly dragging me along kicking and screaming. I never missed a session with the personal trainer, or the dietitian. But I was a slack ass when it came to getting in my extra cardio and at some point I stopped logging my food.

One day after complaining to my trainer about feeling extremely unmotivated I got an email from the dietitian. I hadn't sent her my food logs in a few days. Her email was short. "Alicia said you were really struggling this week. Is there anything going on that we can help with?" And I started an email to her that practically ended up like these blog posts. Long, rambling, cathartic.

Dear Cris, thanks for the email. I'm sorry I've been out of touch...

The intention of my email to her was to make excuses. And in the meantime to say something that would make me seem less lame. Or maybe make her feel sorry for me. Anything! But the more I wrote the more I was accidentally digging deeper and deeper into the problem.

One Seed Chicago: Voting Ends April 1st!

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:26:00 +0000

Vote for your favorite herb seed here! Voting ends April 1st.

Candidates:
Chamomile
Basil
Cilantro

I can't believe it's March 30th and I'm just now getting around to writing about one of my favorite annual gardening projects, One Seed Chicago.

One Seed Chicago is a program hosted by NeighborSpace, Chicago's land trust for community gardens. Mr Brown Thumb is the ambassador of the program. You may have seen him educating folks about the program at various gardening events around the city.

Each year three seeds are chosen and people in the Chicagoland area vote for the seed they'd like to grow. The winning seed is then mailed, for free, to everyone who voted. Not to brag, but the seed I voted for has won every year that I've participated. Last year was Swiss Chard.

This is such a fun little contest because spirited debates always break out, each gardener arguing, debating on behalf of their favorite seed candidate. In fact, an actual debate was held this year on Mike Novak's radio show. You can listen to the podcast here.

I was really excited to see that One Seed went herbal this year because I'd already made a commitment to grow and eat more fresh herbs, myself. When you think about it, herbs tend to really easy to grow in the home garden and I think they are so underutilized. We could all make a lot more delicious homemade dishes simply by using all the wonderful varieties of herbs available. I grow the basic herbs every year...a thousand varieties of basil etc. But this year after reading Gayla Trail's new book Easy Growing, about growing herbs and edible flowers, I'm inspired to try more new stuff.

As much as I would love to launch into a debate over why you should pick Cilantro over the Chamomile and Basil, there is already so much good information on the One Seed Chicago site about all the candidates. Please check them out. Personally, I am voting for Cilantro because it's an herb I have been trying to establish a relationship with for a while now. I have always been on one of the cilantro-tastes-like-soap people. But over the last year I've read so many good things about the healing properties of Cilantro. Supposedly it's like a blood cleanser and besides that, it is such a versatile herb used in so many different cuisines. But I wouldn't be disappointed if Chamomile won because, My God! Those cute flowers! And who doesn't need more basil?

The voting ends on April 1st so please hurry over to the One Seed Chicago and vote for the herb you'd like to grow. Regardless of which one wins, it's always fun to be growing the same exact seed as so many other gardeners around the Chicagoland area.

Garden: Like a House of Cards, Part 1 of 5

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:13:00 +0000

Where I go on an on about why I'm a gardening failure to the point that I need to break it into multiple posts. Where I write and write until the answer comes. Settle in. This could take a while.

If you've read my blog very long you know that over the past few gardening seasons I've petered out. Given up at the end. Let things go to shit. Left ripe fruit hanging on the vine. And each year "the end", my end of my gardening season, just keeps getting closer and closer to the beginning. My season shorter and shorter. My harvest less and less. My motivation shrinking. My shame over quitting, growing.

At the end of last year I had decided I was done. I began regretting ever digging up that first patch of grass. Building a garden that I had once enjoyed started bringing me just as much regret and shame. Like I need more things to be ashamed of!

This happens to nearly everything I start in my life. I dive in, get high off the newness and beauty of whatever it is, then fall hard. Or peter out. If I'm being honest, gardening would've been one of those fall-hard ones had it not been for this blog. The pressure if it kept me going, and gardening I guess.

All the negative self-talk has escalated. I chalk it up to bad habit. I'm worthless and I just can't stick with anything. I'm destined to quit everything I start. It holds me back. It makes the doubt and self-loathing well up in me. But instead of quitting all proper like with advanced notice and planning I just start half-assing stuff until I get so bad at it that going on with it feels worse than the half-assing. Then, poof, I'm ghost. I end on a low note, carrying the failure in my back pocket for next time.

You probably know her if you read my blog. My friend Katie. My God! The self reflection. The examination! The soldiering on! It's invigorating to read and exhausting at the same time because I don't understand how I am as able bodied as she is yet I wallow and she soldiers on through it. As she candidly writes about on her blog, she got divorced and nearly died in the same year. And she's fighting her way back, fear by fear. There was a lady at a gym I used to work out at in Memphis who once told me that life is about learning. That problems come up and you can face the with fear or dignity. And that when it comes right down to it, your life is about how you face your fears. The more breakthroughs Katie has the happier I am for her but the more I feel the need to distance myself from her blog because what she's doing is a reminder of what I'm not doing.

Then something happened that I have a hard time finding the right words to describe because it's blurry. I don't mean my memory of it is blurry, I mean that whatever it is, it's still unclear to me, hard to define or describe to you because it's way down inside me and until things come to the surface, what words are there? It wasn't like a light bulb moment. It was like a slow drip I didn't even notice until it became a big puddle that got my feet wet when I accidentally stepped in it. For a minute I decided, or rather the thought just slipped in that what if I wasn't a natural destined failure? Maybe there was a reason for it. Something that caused it. If I could only find a reason, something that led to it, maybe I could fix it.

Sunday Gardening Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:25:00 +0000

Semi Dwarf Georgia Bell Peach Tree is confirmed dead. This little tree was one of the first things I planted in my garden. Clueless, I planted it close to my house where it grew taller than I expected. In 2010 when it was three years old and I spotted baby peaches for the first time I was in shock. People said I'd never get peaches from it. Not in our climate. Grace. Last year the baby peaches up and died one day when they were about the size of golf balls. And all the leaves fell off. In the fall I tried to trim it only to be informed by my neighbor that I'd merely "topped it" and likely killed it. Cause of death - unknown.

Bindweed is already coming up all over the garden. This is earlier than I remember ever seeing it. I am so not ready for this battle. Bindweed is the one thing in this world that makes me think of resorting to using chemicals in my garden.

I finally found the nerve to dig up some dandelion greens and I added them to this spicy Italian soup I like to make. I only added a little in case it's terrible. But I'm excited to be branching out.

I cleared out three of my six raised beds in my vegetable garden. If you knew my mental state right now you'd understand why this deserves to be here.

The two asparagus I planted last year are up. I traded Jessica some rhubarb for the asparagus. My rhubarb never came up. And far as I know, neither has Jessica's or Jennah's, who I also sent some to.

The strawberry invasion is worse than I could ever have imagined. They are completely covering the 2.5 foot space around the 4 x 8 foot raised bed they're in and have even spread into the adjacent perennial bed. Worse, I'm having a serious moral dilemma about whether to try to give these away or just start yanking them out. I'm all for sharing plants but I'm not thrilled about the work that goes into the finding of the people to come get them and the dealing with said people who will likely see my garden which is a shambles. I don't want to talk about it.

Grow These 3 Lettuces for Beauty and Deliciousness

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:36:00 +0000

When you walk by the lettuce isle at the grocery store it's a real snore-fest. Don't get me wrong, some upscale grocery stores have a few interesting varieties but lettuce is so easy to grow from seed and there are so many wonderful seed varieties available that I'm all about works-of-art salads now. Gorgeous varieties whose colors compliment each other like an expensive designer outfit. These three are my current favorites for a beautiful and delicious salad.

Romaine "Freckles" from Botanical Interests. I love this one for its flavor but also because the leaves are green with red flecks which is awesome. Like all salad greens, this one can be harvested early or allowed to grow larger. This variety tolerates heat well in my garden.
"Sea of Red" from Renee's Garden. This variety has deep red leaves, is heat tolerant and it's slightly stronger flavor adds interest to any salad.
Tango lettuce from Johnny's. This one is bright green, also heat tolerant and and in combination with the Freckles and Sea of Red, makes a salad masterpiece.

It probably sounds crazy but when I'm harvesting lettuce from my garden for a dinner salad, my mood, ...what I want the salad to look like, is a high priority. I start clipping leaves in color combinations that feel good, tweaking as I go until the bowl is full and I get that feeling of standing in front of a mirror staring at a reflection and thinking this outfit looks good. I feel good! The multi colored "Freckles" makes me think of a beautifully patterned skirt with so many subtle shades of green and red that I could stare at each leaf for hours just trying to identify them all. Tango is like a beautiful frilly pale shirt, simple but elegant the way it lays over the top of Freckles. Sea of Red, the shoes that add a punch of color.

Lettuce is probably the easiest thing to grow from seed. Just broadcast the seeds over soil then water and in a few days they should be sprouting.

Do you have a favorite combination of salad greens you like to grow? If so, I'd love it if you'd share it with us.

Chicago Flower and Garden Show: The Great Chicago Seed Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Today the Chicago Flower and Garden Show opens at Navy Pier. This year's theme is Hort Couture. Flowers meet fashion. Now this is a theme I can get behind!

There are a lot of things to see at this year's show, exhibits, presentations, awesome vendors like the succulent plant people. But the thing I'm most excited about is The Great Chicago Seed Swap.

The basic premise is that you get to take a pack of seeds for every pack you bring to swap. These can be seeds you've saved from heirlooms you've grown or extras you've ordered that you can't use. Please see Mr Brown Thumb's post about this event for the full swapping details.

I'll be volunteering at the seed swap so please stop by to say hello. And if you want some seeds but you don't have any to swap, Mr Brown Thumb has extras so please don't let that stop you from attending.

3:00 pm March 11, 2012

The Great Chicago Seed Swap

Chicago Flower and Garden Show

Outside the White House Let's Move garden

On Losing Passion. On Quitting. On Going Through the Motions

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:05:00 +0000

It's been nearly two months since my last post here. I've composed a lot of posts in my head but nothing makes it out of there. It's part laziness but some of it is the subject matter. Topics I'm passionate about like the short-lived partnership between the National Wildlife Federation and Scotts/Miracle Grow or the unfair public albeit sneaky attacks on a good friend in a new garden publication and then the promotion of said publication by other writers has been hard for me to digest. Writing about these things takes so much energy. Even though it usually helps me work through all the negative emotions around it, the process is a painful one and something I haven't been up for. Friends have lost lovers, modest farmers are trying their best to fight against a corporation big enough to buy us all, big enough to weasel their way into the government. I find it all incredibly depressing and when so many of these things are crammed into such a short span of time it starts to make the world seem real hopeless.

I'm mad at myself for giving up like this. I wish I could just write about the state of my garden every day, no matter what condition it's in. It seems so simple but I'm seeing it all through the filter of these bad things. I'd like to be like Nigel Slater who wrote about cooking each day for a year. It wasn't always fancy but he did it. There had to be times he was struggling. Days when he'd lost his passion, but somehow he and most of the rest of the world fight through it rather than crumbling beneath it all. There has to be a way to break this cycle. I'm sure you get sick of reading about it, and I get sick of experiencing it.

For the second year in a row my garden sits littered with last year's dead plants because I didn't take the time to clear it out at the end of the growing season. Every container on my patio is still there. Dead, frozen remnants of some kind of pepper whose name I cannot recall have fallen onto the patio.

Last year my garden was in the same shape around April when I took a road trip with some friends to Milwaukee to meet Gayla Trail. When she said in her lecture that leaving the dead plant material can actually help enrich the soil it was all I needed for the self-loathing to lift enough for me to get out there and get to work. I'm looking for that kind of inspiration right now.

Today I cleaned out my seed starting room in the basement. Somehow every year by this time that room looks just as bad as my dead garden does. I spent two hours vacuuming up spiders, spider webs, dirt, throwing away trash and putting things back in their place. The seed growing lights are still working. I'm thankful for that. And yesterday some seeds I'd ordered arrived in the mail. I can't say I'm excited about gardening right now. I'm just going through the motions and hoping the passion creeps back in sometime soon.

On Rescuing Orchids

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:21:00 +0000

I bought this sweet little miniature orchid at the Milwaukee Art Museum in the Spring when we went on a road trip to meet Gayla Trail and listen to a gardening lecture she was presenting at their show Art in Bloom. We're all so citified that I think we were a little worried about being trapped in the car for that long (nearly 2 hours!) so I conjured up some Southern survival principles and made us homemade pimento cheese sandwiches and other various snacks for the trip. Getting there was a lot of fun. We drove through torrential rains and got lost at least 10 times even though it's a straight shot from Chicago to Milwaukee. We ate so much on the drive that when we arrived and Gayla wanted to have lunch, we were all too full, but also too embarrassed to admit we'd eaten pimento cheese sandwiches all the way there.

While standing in line to get our books signed after the lecture we spotted these lovely little orchids. In truth, I think it was Mr. Brown Thumb who spotted them then seduced us all into buying one. Or rather, he bought one and we all copied him knowing if we didn't, he'd be bragging about his orchid all over social media while we sat bathed in regret that we didn't get one, too. That could have been me! That could have been my orchid!

Everyone was skeptical about buying them. Orchids bloom once then sit naked for a couple of years before blooming again. We've all killed at least one. We whined a lot but eventually we all (me, MBT, Jessica, Kim) bought one as a souvenir. Mine did great for a while, despite the neglect. It's in a perfect spot in the bathroom with lots of indirect light and close to the water for convenience. Still, I never remember to water it. And it's still in the same tiny pot it came in because I'm too afraid to repot it. Eventually a few months ago the main stem turned completely brown. I noticed some of the roots had shriveled up too. The only reason I didn't throw it out was because the leaves were still green. So I started trying to revive it, watering it once a week or so. To my surprise, some of the roots started to plump up.

I did a little research on the dead stem last night and it appears this is quite common and doesn't necessarily mean the whole plant is dead. Most articles I read recommended cutting the brown stem all the way to the base of the plant so that the plant can focus all its energy on regeneration. So that's what I've done. I have no idea if this little guy will make it but I'm going to try my best to revive him. I have the signed books from Gayla and the memories of the insightful discussions and laughs we had chatting during lunch and dinner but this is a living memory of that fun drive and meeting new friends so I'd like to save if I can. If you have any tips for rescuing orchids please pass them on. Otherwise, I'll keep you posted!

Strawberry Patches Are Overrated

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:24:00 +0000

I'm getting rid of my strawberry patch. Period.

When I expanded my garden a couple of years ago I devoted one of my four 4x8 foot beds to a strawberry patch. I dreamed of the endless pints of delicious strawberries my strawberry patch would produce. I scoffed at other gardeners who complained incessantly over how invasive the strawberries were. Stupid gardeners, I thought. Just put them in a raised bed!

I love the leaves of the strawberry plant. Deep green, like giant clovers except the leaves are veiny with pointed edges. I love how they turn red in the fall then shrivel up and die like there's no hope for next year. But alas every spring they return dutifully and multiply.

These plants are a pain in my ass. There is no better way to say it. They manipulate me into thinking I'll be in fresh organic strawberry heaven when the bed is a carpet of beautiful green strawberry plants. But they don't produce that much. And they attract all manner of birds and squirrels. A big percentage of the fruit I harvest has a bite taken out. Eventually I'll cover the bed with bird netting which protects the fruit but always ends up tangled with weeds and it makes harvesting strawberries dreadful. And the weeds! God! Weeding that strawberry bed is virtually impossible because the vines running along the dirt are so intertwined. They remind me of tangled cords behind a TV entertainment center or the wires on a giant computer server. Imagine trying to find a weed, green like the strawberry vines only more slender. The weeds, the strawberry vines, they are all tangled together like a woven basket. I grab hold of the base of a weed and yank it out but its bindweed, tightly wrapped around the strawberry vine. The bindweed breaks at the base leaving an inch sticking up from the dirt but the roots of some strawberry plants are yanked out, too. Causalities of war.

The worst part is that the strawberries are sour. I don't fertilize them or add compost to the bed, maybe that's why. I have no idea what variety I'm growing. I started out with a few plants from a friend and they have multiplied so much that they are now overcrowded in their 4x8 raised bed. Not only that, putting them in a raised bed does not contain them. They spill over the edges which does look pretty. It makes for great pictures, the dark foliage and bright red strawberries against the cedar wood. But as soon as they get long enough to touch the ground they root. And they seem to grow under the wood of the raised beds or under the ground, I have no idea how they escape. I gave away all the plants outside the bed this past summer, dug some up and planted them in pots. Still, by the end of the season they'd spread about 10 inches outside their bed. Strawberries without borders.

They've had their chance. In the Spring of 2012 when the plants come in, I'll dig them all up and give them away. There must be a better use for that bed. Maybe I'll grow more herbs or tomatoes. Good riddance, strawberry patch! Thanks for nothin.

Smoothie Recipe: Spinach Banana Date Coconut Water

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:36:00 +0000

This is my new favorite smoothie. I got the recipe from a raw vegan guy who makes YouTube videos on juicing and smoothies. I find him very entertaining and all of his juice and smoothie recipes I've tried have been good.

Recipe:

Water from one coconut (use the coconut meat too if you're not worried about the fat content)
1 banana
2-3 pitted dates (depending on how sweet you like it)
1-2 handfuls of spinach

Open the coconut and dump the water through a strainer into the blender to catch any woody particles that may have fallen in during the opening process. Add banana, dates, spinach and blend until smooth. Drink immediately.

If you can't find or don't want to deal with actual coconuts you can substitute store-bought coconut water. I was able to find young coconuts at Whole Foods but the process of opening them was pretty barbaric and messy.

On the suggestion of a Whole Foods employee I used a hammer. It worked, but with every crack of the hammer, the outer flesh of the coconut was flung onto the counter, backsplash, my face, my husbands face. I guess I need more practice.

Don't let the green scare you. It's really delicious.

Troy-Bilt Snow Thrower Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:05:00 +0000

In honor of Chicago's first real stick-to-the-ground snow of 2011 and in general holiday merriment, I'm giving away a snow thrower courtesy of Troy-Bilt. This is the Troy-Bilt Storm 2410, a two-stage snow thrower with an electric push-button start. It will clear snow drifts up to 21 inches high at a width of 24 inches at a time.

I don't own this or any other snow thrower so I can't comment on its performance but I did find this cute video of a guy clearing his driveway using this model. It looks like it works well. But, now I can't get this song out of my head!

To enter the contest post your worst snow-shoveling experience and I'll pick a winner at random. The contest is open to people living in the contiguous United States only.

This contest will close on Friday December 16th at 7:00 pm CST. I will contact the winner directly so please make sure I have a way to reach you. If I cannot contact you within 24 hours I will select another winner. The snow thrower will be shipped to you directly from Troy-Bilt so you will need to share your address with them after I notify you that you have won.

Good Luck!

Update: Congrats Benjamin Vogt, winner of the Troy-Bilt Storm 2410 snow thrower! Check out Benjamin's blog The Deep Middle.

Her Red Shoes Matched Her Red Poppy Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:02:00 +0000

The room was drenched in red. So red I gasped when I walked through the door. Deep red carpet. Red sofas. And walls and walls of mirrors. It was warm, mysterious, the entry way drawing me in as I caught glimpses of rooms tucked here and there. Every room excited me like discovering another secret pocket in a cool old jacket and being eager to find out what's in there.

When it was time, we all gathered in the lobby with our glasses of wine and stood watching as she descended a grand spiral red staircase wearing a strapless dress that fit so perfectly it seemed every stitch was sewn with her in mind. The dress was stunning, simple. Stark white, strapless with a bedazzled diamond shaped piece of silver just below her breast bone holding all the sheer soft fabric in place.

I don't know why but it made me feel good that she walked in alone. Her sense of pride and confidence was palpable. I appreciate tradition, but in 2011 I admire a woman who doesn't feel obligated to be given away like a piece of property. When she reached the platform landing at the bottom of the stairs, she turned toward Andrew, her right shoulder facing us, her new red poppy tattoo prominent and in perfect compliment to the red soaked room.

They wrote their own vows, part of which included each of them selecting a passage from a book for the other to read. Michelle handed Andrew the book Love is a Mix Tape opened to the part he was to read. "I am riding in the car with the windows down and the music blasting...." These may not be the exact words but this is how I remember them. He was reading about himself. A passage from a book Michelle read that reminded her of him. I could tell from the sound of his voice that he felt a deep connection to the words. That he was touched that she knew him so well. And then Michelle's turn. A story in first person of a girl discovering her confidence and beauty and ending in beautiful dresses and red shoes, both of which Michelle was wearing.

After the readings, they said their vows. Michelle started with a warm genuine smile, her head tilted ever so slightly to the left "Andrew, you are my favorite person." There is no better compliment. Her vows were conversational and sweet and powerful. And then Andrew..."I, Andrew, take you Michelle, to be my lawfully wedded wife." Their vows were so different yet they perfectly complimented each other. Their beautiful wedding bands were cut and sculptured from the same piece of reclaimed wood. They were married by our friend Nick who'd been ordained just for the occasion. I have scoffed when I've heard of people doing this but standing there watching two good friends be married by another good friend, a person who knew them better than some random judge or minister would have, I totally got it.

The rest of the night people talked about her red shoes. Michelle insisted that she had no idea about the reading Andrew selected or that it contained a reference to red shoes. And I believe her. But Andrew knows her that well. He knew she would walk into that all red room wearing beautiful red lipstick to compliment that striking red poppy tattoo. And he knew her well enough to know she'd never wear anything but red shoes to her own wedding. Those readings, the red shoes, they were so much more than coincidental stuff at a wedding. They were powerful expressions of their bond, their friendship, how well they know each other.

We were asked to bring something for a time capsule. It seemed like a cool concept but coming up with something for that time capsule was harder than I thought and ultimately I left nothing on the table. But I'm hoping the capsule isn't closed, yet. That when they open it years from now they'll read about my experience at their wedding. About how I stabbed myself in the finger with a butter knife that morning and bled all over my kitchen while waiting for my girlfriends to come over for coffee. That Monica took me shopping that day for something to wear to the wedding and that I walked into a dress shop with a deep sadness over my body but I walked out confident with a dress I thought I looked pretty in. That my husband said he didn't think he'd ever seen me in a dress and that he liked it. That I felt pretty that day like the girl in the story that Michelle read at her wedding. That I was mesmerized by all 9 of those beautiful wedding cakes and admired them both for having the balls to have wasabi cakes and plenty of vegan fare. That we danced the night away despite Michelle's recent knee surgery. That I will remember fondly Michelle's first dance with Andrew and watching the hug between Michelle and her brother later that night. No words were exchanged but I know that feeling. It was the same hug I shared with my brother after his wedding years ago. A relationship so close that no words need be spoken yet deep emotion and appreciation are communicated.

I was so moved. It's been two months but these thoughts and feelings still linger.

Contest: Troy-Bilt Cordless Battery-Powered Pole Saw

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:50:00 +0000

Thanks to the fine folks at Troy-Bilt I'm giving away one of their cordless battery-powered pole saws. The saw extends from 5-8 feet and comes with a lithium battery and charger. For my information check out my review of it. And for a good laugh, watch the video below of me actually using it.

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment telling us why you need a pole saw like this and I'll pick a winner using a random number generator Tuesday October 4th at 8:00 CST. The product will be shipped directly to you from the manufacturer so you won't need to give me your mailing address, but you will need to give it to them.

Note: Only folks in the contiguous US may enter. (sorry, international friends) Please make sure you enter the contest using an account that is connected to an email address or leave your email address in the comment. If I cannot contact you to inform you that you are the winner, I'll unfortunately need to pick a different winner.

Good Luck!

Review: Troy-Bilt Battery-Powered Cordless Pole Saw

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:47:00 +0000

Where I complain about the cost of tree trimming:
I just couldn't do it. Pay nearly $500 for my semi-dwarf Georgia Bell Peach tree to be trimmed. I'm sure It's worth it. That the professionals know the proper limbs to cut back and the angle and position to cut them to stimulate more growth. To trim it so that it doesn't continue to grow into the house. I planted it to close, I didn't know any better. But for a lot of people, me included, spending that kind of money on a little scraggly peach tree I bought at Home Depot before I knew anything about gardening just can't be justified. Christ! It was never even supposed to bear fruit according to all the "gardening experts." I did get peaches last year but this year when they were able the size of walnuts something terrible happened and the leaves and peaches all dried up and fell off. I holding out hope for peaches in 2012!

How I came to know that pole saws even existed:
As one of the Saturday 6 bloggers I visited the Troy-Bilt facility in Ohio back in April of this year. We went out to the big pavilion at the Troy Bilt lodge where there was a sea of gardening gadgets laid out for us to test. It was like we'd all been good boys and girls and were waking up on Christmas morning to a delivery from a Gardener Santa. I was struck by how many of us were drawn to the battery powered pole saw. Personally, I never knew such a thing even existed or I'd have purchased it a long time ago!

My experience with the Troy-Bilt electric battery powered pole saw:
A pole saw is basically like a long stick with a mini chain saw on the end of it. It can be used to trim the longer branches of small trees and I would imagine, shrubs you have a hard time reaching. For example, the Hydrangea that I planted in the back of what has grown to be a lush wide perennial bed. It's not particularly tall, it's just so damn far back that I have to walk over peonies and coneflower to get to it.

Consistent with my experience with other Troy-Bilt products, I found this easy to assemble. The pole saw came in three pieces. The end with the actual saw on it, the end that holds the battery, and the extension pole that goes between the other two pieces. It took me less than 5 minutes to assemble. Each part connects by sliding one end into the next and hand tightening it. No tools were needed.

At it's shortest the pole saw is 5 feet and with the extension pole it's 8 feet long. One of the best things about this electric pole saw is that it uses the same battery as the Troy-Bilt electric string trimmer so if you already own one of those, you won't need to purchase the battery and charger. Personally, I am glad to now have a backup battery and charger that I can use for both.

I found the pole saw easy to operate and very similar to operating the string trimmer in that you press a button on the battery end then squeeze the trigger to turn it on. The position of the trigger makes it easy and comfortable to keep depressed while using the equipment. I mention that because I know the first generation electric string trimmer had the button and trigger positioned in a way that made it awkward to hold but that has been fixed with the current generation of that string trimmer and it seems like Troy-Bilt considered that when designing this pole saw, too.

The hardest thing about using this piece of equipment was trimming the branches in a way that didn't cause the branches to be scratched up below the cut. I have never used any type of chain saw so I have no idea if this is unique to this pole saw but I am pretty sure it was my own technical problem. What I found is that for the longer branches I would start to cut them but because I didn't have enough control over the pole saw, the blade of the saw would hit the branch then bounce up and back down onto the branch scratching it up quite a bit. Once I was able to figure out the best way to hold the pole saw, the best body stance and foot position to keep it stable, the cuts were pretty clean. For a first time user, I would definitely recommend determining where you want to make your cut then cutting above it first to get a little practice. I feel like this would also be less of an issue using the saw at the 5 foot length than it was at the 8 foot length considering it all seemed to be able pole control. Still, it's something to consider because damage to the branches could leave them vulnerable to disease.

I am not a tree expert but I have heard that fall is a good time to trim them so now's a good time to think about doing that if you have a tree that needs it. For my small garden, this pole saw will be a life saver. It takes up virtually no space stored in the corner of my garage, is cordless with a rechargeable lithium battery (no gas! no oil! no emissions!) and it's easy to use. All things I look for in tools for my small home garden. I would certainly recommend spending the money to have a tree professionally trimmed if you are able to afford it. But if that is not in your budget or you are a big DIY person like me, you may want to consider a small pole saw like this.

Later this week I will be giving away one of these Troy-Bilt pole saws here on my blog so be sure to check back. The equipment will be shipped to the winner directly from the Troy-Bilt facility.

Disclosure: I was given this piece of equipment free of charge in exchange for an honest review of it here on my blog.

Memphis Teacher's Order to Dismantle Garden Hits Home

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:33:00 +0000

Tennessee Coneflower growing in my Chicagoland garden

I tell people the story all the time. About when I was in a long-distance relationship with my now husband and we'd been traveling back and forth to see each other for about a year when we finally started talking about moving to the same city. He lived in Chicago but after visiting Memphis a few times he said was willing to move there. "Are you kidding me? I laughed. You're my ticket out of Memphis!"

If you ever pay attention to those articles that list the top 10 cities for this and that you'll notice Memphis, Tennessee always ranks in the top 5 or 6 for fattest and most dangerous cities to live in. Not only that, the racial tension there is incredible. From my own personal experience, it seems like the white people hate the black people, the black people hate the white people and the only thing the whites and blacks agree on is that they both dislike that the Hispanics keep moving in. And other than those three, no races are present in any significant numbers. I couldn't wait to leave. That was nearly 10 years ago.

When I first read about Adam Guerrero, a teacher in Memphis whose garden had been deemed a nuisance and ordered to be dismantled by September 23rd, I was struck by how close to home this story was to me. I won't provide the intricate details about Adam's project and the complaint against him here because they have been well documented by the Memphis Flyer, Colleen at Treehugger.com and MrBrownThumb (who brought it to all our attention), all articles I encourage you to read. My intention here is only to provide my personal feelings about it, looking at this story from where I stand now.

I grew up in a 700 square foot house on Owen Road two miles from where Adam Guerrero lives. My family lived there until the last 6 weeks of my 6th grade school year when we moved to the burbs, to Raleigh. It was about the worst time in a young girl's life to move away and try to make new friends. I was chubby and introverted, on the cusp of puberty. I graduated from Raleigh Egypt High School in 1985 long before Adam Guerrero became a teacher there. When I attended that school, less than 10% of the students were African American. In the early 90's when my parents sold our ranch style house on Longsneck Ave. I remember talk about how upset the neighbors were going to be that we were selling it to a black family. Now, when I go back to Memphis to visit, I want to drive by that old house, my old school. Drive fast down "thrill hill", that very steep hill near Raleigh Egypt High School where the drop-off gives you butterflies, where I learned to drive a manual shift. But I'm always warned, don't go to Raleigh. There's nothing but gangs there...it's very dangerous. I am not sure how many actual gangs there really are in the Raleigh area but I know that the term "gang" is thrown around way too much these days, many people falsely assuming every group of young black or Hispanic men must be in a gang. I digress.

While reading about Adam's garden I was directed to an article published in July 2011 in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis' major newspaper where a midtown woman was being praised for growing food in her front yard. Her garden is adorable! Her house is bigger and nicer and her garden has a cute white picket fence around it. But for the life of me I can't figure out why her garden is being praised while he has been ordered to dismantle his. Are we really still that concerned about aesthetics in 2011? Or is it because her house is in midtown, a progressive neighborhood where the more tolerant open-minded people live? If Adam was standing in the middle of her cute midtown front yard garden posing for a picture with the three black kids who help him with this garden now, how would the same garden be perceived? Would The Commercial Appeal have even done that story? Or if the cute midtown lady with that adorable light blue dress and fashionable boots was photographed standing in the middle of Adam's current garden, the images rich and color-saturated with cool camera angles, how would Adam's garden be perceived? And why have none of the local TV stations or The Commercial Appeal newspaper done a story on Adam, especially considering that it's global news on social media networks? I appreciate and applaud them both for what they're doing, utilizing their property to grow some of their own food and getting rid of water hogging chemically treated grass. But especially Adam who seems to be giving of his own time and money to teach kids where their food comes from, how to catch and utilize rain waiter, how bees work and how important they are to our food system, how bio diesel and soap are made, how to turn vegetable scraps into organic nutrient-rich compost fertilizer, how magical albeit gross worms are, wiggling their way through the dirt aerating and fertilizing the soil as they go. And as Adam pointed out, these projects are not only important for the environment, they are great teaching tools for math and science. Not only is he doing his part to save the planet, he is giving kids real life examples of how geometry can be utilized to build worm bins and real life examples of science with all the living plants and animals at his garden. He has built a little pocket of utopia there but somehow he, it, has been vilified.

I have seen firsthand the difference that learning about where your food comes from can make and the confidence it gives you to be able to grow some of it yourself. It may sound silly if you've never done it before, but to know how to grow a tomato and compost vegetable scraps is so empowering. Knowing that even though you're only one person on a giant planet, you can actually still help a little. All kids need to be empowered with this knowledge, but especially the ones that Adam is working with. The population in Memphis is over 60% African American. The statistics of rates of incarceration of African American men is staggering compared to other races. We could debate potential reasons for that like whether racial profiling really exists and how much of a role it plays, but in the grand scheme of things the important thing to remember is that poverty breeds crime and higher rates of minorities continue to be below poverty level. There are studies that have shown how community gardens reduce crime rates, anti-social behavior and even raise property value in the immediate area surrounding them. Adam is doing the same thing at his house but on a smaller scale. He is doing exactly what needs to be done with exactly the right people and I agree with the random guy on twitter who was participating in this discussion the other day when he said "he's doing a good thing, everybody just get out of his way!"

I have only been able to follow this story via social media networks and Adam has showed up a couple of times to thank people for their support but I get the feeling this is not the type of attention he would ever want. He seems humble and quietly dedicated to making his community a better place. That is a lesson I was not taught growing up. I learned it accidentally while working to build our local community garden. That focusing energy on your own community, a few dedicated people really can make a difference. I believe that Adam's project has the power to be a catalyst for big changes in the culture of the city of Memphis but even if it doesn't, even if he only changes the lives of those three guys in the Memphis Flyer story, it's still so worth it.

This story, the fight to save Adam's garden has been hard for me. It has made me come face to face with the reasons I left Memphis and the shame I feel for not staying there doing what I could to bring about change. My pleas that my family and friends who still live there, some of them teachers, join in the fight to help Adam have not even been acknowledged which has been painful and caused me to draw some unpleasant conclusions. It makes me wonder if there is any hope for Memphis at all. If there are enough enlightened people there to bring about a change because I know that although this judge may be shamed into overturning this ruling, the change Memphis really needs has to come from within. Large numbers of people, white, black and brown have to somehow come to know that we really can all coexist peacefully, embrace diversity and learn from it. That it's OK, awesome even, to grow stuff in yards besides grass.

I hope that Adam's garden is spared and that he feels supported by all the people around the world publicly speaking out on his behalf and that he continues to teach from that same garden. And I also hope that the citizens of Memphis, especially my family and friends see the outpouring of support from around the globe and that it causes them to examine their own personal beliefs about grass and gardens and race and tolerance.

How you can help before the deadline this Friday September 23rd:

Call Judge Larry Potter (901) 545-3456 or email him at larry.potter@shelbycountytn.gov to ask him to reconsider this ruling
sign the online petition at change.org
go to the Facebook page, click "I'm attending" and tell Adam you're supporting him from wherever you live
if you live in Memphis, check for updates on their Facebook page or blog and show up at court to support Adam this Friday

Green Tomatoes Remind Me of Her

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:56:00 +0000

I've been thinking about her a lot lately because her birthday is coming up. If she was still alive we'd already be celebrating it because she insisted her birthday be celebrated an entire week rather than one measly day.

Man! She used to go on and on about fried green tomatoes. We had the same conversation a million times about how gross I thought they were and how amazing she thought they were. I was happy to bring them to her. Especially this time of year when Chicago starts to get cold and the garden is still littered with all different varieties, the frost imminent. Green tomatoes are so beautiful. Perfectly shaped, firm, blemish free. Full of potential. I love the ones that are real dark green on the top and how the dark green fades in subtle streaks to a softer, paler green.

The range of emotions I have when she crosses my mind is so wide that it catches me off guard. Most of the time I think of funny conversations we've had and laugh. But now and then when I'm wishing I could talk to her about something I get teary, or pissed off that she's gone. We worked together for 7 years but I learned a lifetime of lessons from her. She was so vibrant and charismatic, stronger than just about anybody I know yet pathologically compassionate. One time there was a going-away party for a temporary worker who'd been in our department over a year. Carolyn knew of him but because she supervised the clinic and he worked in the finance area, they didn't know each other well at all. I recall watching her as one of the managers made a short statement about how much we appreciated all his hard work and wished him luck in his new position. So predictable. Carolyn's nose started to turn pink then tears filled her eyes and we all busted out laughing. "You don't even know this guy! Why are you crying?" She was moved by the speech, she told us, laughing right along with us. All of us, even Carolyn, got a big kick out of her habitual, uncontrollable crying. But the best part was the juxtaposition of the crying to her palpable strength and confidence.

She spent a lot of time building relationships at work and as a result, she could be a bad ass when it was necessary and people responded quickly and without bad feelings toward her. She took the time to tell people she appreciated them. I mean she would flat out say "Gina, I want you to know that I appreciate you because of this and this and this." We should all do that more. Just being in the same space with her felt good. She was about the only coworker I felt comfortable confiding in. I told Carolyn we were getting married long before I told anybody else. She screamed, then cried.

They called a mandatory meeting that morning. As we all gathered in the small corner conference room overlooking Navy Pier, Carolyn's manager walked in the door. "I have some bad news..." She said the words and as they registered I felt like I was being sucked into the ground. I had just seen her the day before, standing by the bathroom talking, smiling, it didn't seem possible. I am not particularly emotional but in that moment I could not catch my breath. I cried 10 years worth of tears that day sitting back at my desk, my headphones on, the music as loud as I could stand it, every song making me think about some aspect of her personality or life or too-soon death. And I wasn't the only one. I don't think any of us realized just how important she was until that day. We're all crying now, Carolyn.

This time last year she was vacationing in Cancun. In one picture she is standing with her girlfriend, she's wearing a light colored loose-fitting skirt, top and sandals. I was struck by how genuinely happy and beautiful she looked. I envied her for living life so fully and intensely. When Carolyn passed away unexpectedly last year I thought of planting something in my garden in her memory but nothing seemed appropriate. Carolyn was a houseplant person, the window in her office a jungle of lush green healthy plants. But I realized that what really reminds me of Carolyn is green tomatoes. That as long as I have a garden, as long as I grow tomatoes...

Pickled Red Onion and Watermelon Radish

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:56:00 +0000

I forgot I even planted watermelon radish until I noticed them bulging out the top of the soil in one of my raised beds while looking for peppers to pickle this weekend. Some of them were huge, nearly the size of rutabaga.

I've never grown radish before. I'm not sure why. They are known to be one of the easiest, fastest things to grow in the garden. But when I think of radishes I think of those limp circular slices thrown on every bad salad I've ever eaten. I've tasted them, but they always seem bland. This year when I received the list of seeds in the media kit from Renee's Garden, the watermelon radish really jumped out at me. Now this is coming from a person who knows nothing about radish so be sure to keep it in context. But this radish is larger than the typical tiny radishes. From what I've read, you can harvest them at any size. Mine were much larger than I expected but again, it was due to my negligence. Cut the radish in half and you'll find the center is a beautiful marbled watermelon color. I'll confess, I didn't try these before I pickled them but maybe a commenter can tell us what they taste like compared to other radishes.

Since there was no way I could eat all the watermelon radish I harvested before they went bad, I decided to pickle them. While reading the pickling recipe in Grow Great Grub I was really inspired by the beautiful pink color of her pickled red onion and cauliflower so I decided to to try the red onions with my watermelon radish. It's a stunning pink.

white vinegar
water
kosher salt
sugar
Penzey's pickling spice
Weck jars

I can't wait to try them although I've no idea what to eat this with other than on a salad. Suggestions?

Why I Speak Out

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:06:00 +0000

It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.

-Samual Adams

I remember it so vividly that it may as well have happened yesterday. It is 3:00 am and I'm sitting on a tall stool at the lab bench trying to harvest lymphocyte cells from the lymph nodes of a cadaver kidney donor. A bright fluorescent light is shining down where I've gently transferred the lymph nodes from the plastic urine cup to a clear round petri dish. It's been six years since I've done this, but I remember them. The lymph nodes look like little BBs embedded in a big glob of flesh colored fat. Sometimes they are large, fat lumps protruding from the tissue, but these are small. I have to press down on the tissue with forceps to find them.

He who allows oppression, shares the crime.

-Erasmus Darwin

She is standing over me, my trainer. I'm new here. It's my first time on call and we're here to perform the compatibility testing of this deceased donor against one of the patients on the kidney transplant waiting list. I'm sleepy, and already wondering how I'll ever get used to this.

I attach a clean needle to the syringe and draw the translucent pink cell media in completely filling it. The procedure is to use the needle to poke holes in the lymph nodes, then gently inject the cell media fluid into them so that the lymphocytes spill out of the holes into the petri dish. Then the lymphocytes are collected and used for testing. You know you've gotten some when the clear fluid spills out cloudy grey. This process always reminds me of how my mother taught me to poke holes in whole canned tomatoes before cutting them up so they don't explode.

People who advocate freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are people who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without the awful roar of the thunder and lightning. Without struggle, there is no progress.

-Fredrick Douglas

I've finished poking holes in one lymph node and as I'm about to flush out the cells, the needle grazes my latex glove grabbing hold of it. I quickly pull it away and the glove releases making a popping sound like rubber band against my skin. I have nearly stuck myself with a dirty needle, a cardinal sin for a lab technician. "Don't do that! This guy's black!" she barks.

A time comes when silence is betrayal.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I am paralyzed. I'm staring at her and I can't tell if my mouth has dropped to the floor or not but my head begins to swirl. My heart is racing. I'm confused, enraged, sad. I know this is one of those pivotal moments in life where no matter what I do, there will be significant ramifications. I say nothing.

As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.

-Benjamin Franklin

I went on to work at that lab for a year, the "N" word being used regularly by the staff and administrators. I was afraid to speak up. I needed that job. And somewhere inside I wasn't sure I could handle being the only one to take on a pack of racists. It was a miserable year. I burned inside. From the shame of not saying it was stupid and offensive.

A sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.

-Abraham Lincoln

That was nearly 10 years ago but I still regret not telling her it wasn't OK to talk like that at work, or at least it wasn't OK to talk like that around me. And to presume someone is more likely to have HIV because he is a black man. I still regret not reporting them all to somebody that would take action. Their revenue came from state contracts and public universities. Somebody must care.

I moved to Chicago about a year later. On my last day they threw a going-away party for me and another girl who was leaving and gave us both monogrammed jewelry boxes from Things Remembered. Mine was 1/2 the size of hers. Both were pretty but I was tickled by the overt message they were sending me. We like you 1/2 as much as her. Instead of filing a formal complaint I'd become a surly employee, not participating in any corporate events, escaping to the secluded DNA lab whenever I could. They all hated me by then.

The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.

-Elizabeth Cady Stanton

I speak up when I am offended or when I observe what I feel are injustices. I'm not stupid, I know that most of these beliefs and behaviors are deep-seeded, generations old. And that my calling somebody out probably won't really make a difference. But it keeps me from feeling that fire and shame inside. It feels less bad.

Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of the colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, (s)he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

-Robert F. Kennedy.

Lotus

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:55:00 +0000

More Wordless Wednesday

Marigold Summer Splash

noreply@blogger.com (Gina) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:45:00 +0000

More Wordless Wednesday

I'm growing with the SeedGROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.