Keeper of the Home

Learning the Gentle Art of Infant Toilet Training

2010-02-08T08:16:09Z

Image Credit

Guest Post by Louisa

I toilet-trained my first child when she was four-months-old. I thought I would start this guest post with a statement that knocks most people's socks off when they hear it. "Four months old, you are kidding, aren't you?" No, I kid you not.

I had worked extensively in China and seen what mothers did there; always aware of their children's needs, able to listen to the signs that told them when their child wanted to pee and available to help them achieve their own personal hygiene at a very early age, many from birth. In our age of disassociation from our babies, when we wrap them up, place them in prams and car seats and leave then in front of TVs for hours, it seems impossible to be in such harmony with our little ones, but it is absolutely possible and many, many, many people have done it before now.

After reading Jean Liedloff's Continuum Concept before giving birth and then the book Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygieneby Ingrid Bauer, I knew that I wanted to train my baby too, it just seemed the natural thing to do. So this is what I did and you can too, if that is what you decide.

I believe that diaper-free babies are eco-friendly, aware of their bodies at a young age, sociable and under no pressure to perform in any way. They must be 'responded to' from a very early age however, before the feeling of peeing in a diaper gets too natural for them. It all takes time, patience and devotion, something that has to be thought about very carefully indeed before embarking upon as you have to be 100% available. This doesn't mean sitting and watching your baby's every move, it means being there for her when she needs to tell you she wants to pee/poo.

It is very well worth it for the sake of the planet alone, but also for the deep and long-lasting connection you will be forging with your child.

Starting off simply is a good plan. Use one less diaper at night by leaving your baby free from the waist down after her bath in the evening and getting her to sleep on a thick towel. Babies will very rarely wet themselves whilst asleep and will benefit from air circulation around the parts that have been enclosed and wet all day. This I did with my baby and never had an accident in bed, nor diaper rash. It helps if you co-sleep with your baby, (but I figure if you have thought of infant training, then you have probably thought of co-sleeping too) so when she fidgets in her sleep, you can get her up and let her pee into her potty. Making quiet hissing sounds will encourage her to relieve herself straight away, then you may settle her down again.

This routine I was doing pretty soon after birth with my baby, I then graduated onto awareness of her needs during the day. Making the hissing sound whilst holding her in a comfortable position over her potty I found to be a key factor to my success - staying tuned to her cues also was crucial; a young baby will cry to be helped to pee/poo before she gives up and does it in her diaper. Be gentle, understanding and don't get stressed, if you miss it this time, you may very well get it next time, no problem! Having your baby wear diapers during the day is up to you, having the potty in view as the child learns to walk is also up to you. As a rule of thumb, your young baby will pee 20 minutes after drinking fluids, then approximately every half-hour thereafter and once or twice during the night.

This is the start of diaper-free babyhood and it happens like this all over the world. That is why Chinese children have splits in their pants with their bottoms showing and use the gutters regularly, I kid you not.

My first born was a happy, capable and contented baby, we taught her to make a sign for 'pee' long before she could talk and she seemed very capable at managing her own 'toilet matters' as she grew.

She laughs now at seven-years-old when I tell her what she could do at four months old and she thinks it is the most natural thing in the world too.

What do you think... is this an idea that appeals to you? I'd love to hear who else (this is Stephanie speaking now) is intrigued by this idea, and especially if anyone else has tried it!

Louisa has brought her children (7 and 4) up in a natural way, she lives in the mountains of France, home schools and follows the principles of Weston A.Price and Rudolph Steiner. Her first child was potty trained at four months old, both her girls co-slept with her and her husband and were carried until the age of one. She lives in a TV-free house. She believes that when a woman takes on the role of nourisher, (both physically and emotionally) she becomes both hearth and heart of her family. Read her slow-living blog at: constantstateofflux.com or find her on Twitter as @lululovesmilk.

Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Notes from a Small Kitchen

2010-02-03T19:11:19Z

Did you miss the earlier posts in this kitchen organization series? Catch up here: Menu Planning, Favorite Recipe Lists, Recipe Binder and Creating a Homemaking Binder. Stay tuned for more posts on topics like bulk storage, pantry and freezer organization, and soaking/fermenting!

__________________________________________________________

This is a guest post from Katie at Kitchen Stewardship’s kitchen. Yep, the kitchen. Katie has been just swamped with the Real Food Face-Off and a few healthy foods carnivals, so she took the photos and turned the job over to me.

A big stress in the kitchen for any cook can be the WHERE question: “Where do I put all this stuff while I work?!” If your kitchen is small, like me (I prefer “petite”), you have to get creative.

Here’s my headshot:

Yes, that’s the full extent of the workspace for a real food kitchen. Katie had her husband install a few shelves like this for extra “setting stuff” space:

Most people just set things on the counter, but Katie has found a few unique places (I call them my secret gems) where she can stash something while she’s working. For example, did you know that little space between a double sink at the front is actually perfect for balancing a glass jar, a small pot, or even a plate of pancakes or tortillas?

And you CAN set a colander of cooked beans on top of your dirty dishes in the sink. That’s a great place to set something that you’ll be using again, too, as long as you’re the only one working and no one will set something dirty on top of it.

Wonder where you can store your soaking oatmeal, especially if you let it go 24 hours? It always used to get in the way, but a reader mentioned she stores her soaking stuff in here when she’s not using the oven:

Just make sure you do this to remind yourself NOT to turn it on!

Glass jars that come out of the dishwasher and need to be completely dry before being capped live on top of the toaster oven for a few hours to a day. That way the heat can help them dry, and the toaster won’t hurt them like it would plastic or food.

Dishes are Katie’s least favorite part of the kitchen. She’s considering patenting the phrase, “And you KNOW how I feel about dishes!” The worst part of that job is balancing everything in the drying rack if she doesn’t have hubby to back her up with the dish towel. Wiping off the counter to make sure you have a clean space to set clean dishes is a key step. Here is another creative idea:

Pots are flipped upside down to dry, and there’s plenty of air circulation because of the gas range burners. I don’t know how this would work with a flat-top stove. Katie also is lazy enough to store her cast iron pans (at least one of them) on the stove at all times.

All right, Kitchen! That’s enough! This is Katie here. I’m embarrassed that you shared those pictures of the shelves. What IS all that stuff??? It’s scary to see my counter in pictures. Sourdough starters and apple cider fermenting into ACV and milk thawing to make mozzarella cheese…all these things take space!

I hope this silly post gives some of you some random ideas for a small kitchen (excuse me: petite) and makes you feel validated about having messy counters. You’re not alone! And I’ve been working on it. I went through my pantry and pulled out everything that I don’t need truly at close reach. That made room for all my glass jars to be behind doors, and I got smarter about what I store on surfaces. It’s a relief to have more counter space and the kitchen feels so much more open. See?

Katie blogs at Kitchen Stewardship, which is dedicated to the mission of taking baby steps to balancing stewardship of all God’s gifts. The four pillars of Kitchen Stewardship are health, environment, time and money. Weekly Monday Missions give practical tips for making one change at a time to improve your kitchen practices through faith.

A Tale of Rhubarb

2010-02-03T08:30:49Z

Guest Post by LaManda of The Yarden

Rhubarb. Usually there are three responses when I ask the question “Do you like rhubarb?” They are reliably accompanied by facial expressions:

1. Facial expression: puzzlement and slight trepidation

Accompanying answer “I’ve heard of it but never tried it”

2. Facial expression: I just sucked on the most vile thing ever

Accompanying answer (emphatically) “NO” (sometimes “eww” or “yuck”)

3. Facial expression: “heavenly rapture remembering the most delicious flavor ever”

Accompanying answer “I LOVE rhubarb but I never get to eat it!”

I am firmly in the #3 camp or at least I was. Prior to 2007 the last time I had eaten rhubarb (and gotten that facial expression) was during a road trip we took to central Indiana in 2003 to attend an Amish auction. I don’t know which I was more excited about – the Amish food or the auction. Both turned out to be winners that day. At the auction I got, among other things, a glass circa 1920s chicken watering device that I display as sculpture. After that we went to the restaurant and had not only pure rhubarb pie (not ruined by the presence of strawberries) but “white” (green) rhubarb pie. I had two pieces.

So the first thing we did when we got The Yarden built was tromp out and find two rhubarb plants. One typical red (Valentine) and one “white/green” (Victoria) and put them in.

Here I must note, as all good rhubarb storytellers are obliged to do, these plants get big and don’t like to be moved. We, in our enthusiasm, chose to ignore this information and put them somewhere where, two years later, they needed to be moved from. Luckily they survived and are now flourishing in their new spots where they are playing dual role of food and landscape plant. Their big, Jurassic looking leaves are a nice feature in a Zone 5 garden where nothing truly tropical can survive the winter.

Rhubarb is called “Pie Plant” and I have also heard it called “Grandma Plant” because it is often associated with old lady gardens and has somewhat fallen out of favor. This is a sad, sad state of affairs because rhubarb is a versatile plant that imaginative cooks can do a lot with.

Personally I am very attached to rhubarb for sentimental reasons. When my family moved to an even more rural location in Oregon in 1970, my mother put in a rhubarb plant. Per the above – long living and huge – the plant is still there. Ginormous. It provides enough stalks for more rhubarb goodness than my parents, their church friends and neighbors can eat. By the end of the summer my dad rides over it with the lawnmower. As much as we all love rhubarb, I think he enjoys this end of season ritual because, even as true enthusiasts, you can only eat so much of anything.

My mother is an excellent cook and, luckily, I liked cooking from an early age. She jokes that I showed my cooking enthusiasm from the get go because my favorite occupation as a tiny girl was sitting on the kitchen floor and banging on a pot with a wooden spoon. Rhubarb compote or “melted rhubarb” was one of the first things I learned to make. It is good for kids because you can use a plastic knife to cut it.

The below is more instructions than a recipe but you can’t go wrong with it so give it a try with any quantity you have.

Take a big armful of rhubarb and cut the leaves and the stems off. Chop it into 1” pieces.

Get a big stock pot ready. Wash the rhubarb and with the water still clinging to it, put it in the stockpot on medium heat. Once the rhubarb starts melting it is very juicy so it is better to add less water at the beginning. Start with a ½ - 1 cup of sugar. [We always liked to use brown sugar because it gave it a deeper flavor but white sugar is good too.] Stir it all together and let it cook. It will begin to cook down. Stir it often. It will begin to get stringy and become a deep, beautiful reddish/brown color. Taste it and add more sugar as necessary. It is done when the individual chunks have disappeared and it is a thick liquid mass.

To me a pot of melted rhubarb on the stove, cooled to room temperature or still slightly warm is heaven. You can serve it on ice cream or with vanilla pudding or over pound cake. Or just eat it plain.

This is the first thing we did with the rhubarb in The Yarden and it was a taste of heaven. Just like I remembered it…

So tell the truth... do you like rhubarb? How do you like to eat it?

Awarded honorable mention in Mayor Daley’s Landscape Competition for 2009, LaManda Joy’s 1,700 square foot, heirloom organic garden in Chicago’s 40th Ward is a laboratory and teaching ground for friends and neighbors. Her blog, theyarden.com chronicles the joys and challenges of urban gardening, entertaining, cooking and food preservation and reflects the skills and passion of its veteran creator.

LaManda is a member of the Garden Writer's Association, the Culinary Historians of Chicago and, after 20 years of experience, is finally studying to be a Master Gardener. You may follow The Yarden on Facebook, Twitter or theyarden.com

Three Winners

2010-02-03T08:09:09Z

In the midst of staying up way too late tying up loose ends before heading off to Blissdom tomorrow, I have three winners to announce:

Winner of a signed copy of the book Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood:

Michelle- preshusnhissight@

And two winners of a Meals ePlanner, from ListPlanIt:

Jessica- spriteslp@

Julie- julesa5@

If you see your name and you haven't been contacted by me yet, please send me a quick email at stephanie (at) keeperofthehome (dot) org.

Congrats, ladies! Enjoy your prizes!

I’m Going to Blissdom, Y’all!

2010-02-02T06:30:41Z

In two short days, I board a plane to go and do something I would have never imagined that I would do a year or two ago... I'm going to a blog conference!

I'm headed to Nasvhille, TN where I will be attending Blissdom '10 and I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am! Myself and 500 other female bloggers will be gathering to meet, share, talk, learn, network, discuss, strategize, glean, laugh, eat... I have a feeling there won't be a dull moment.

Sadly, it means that for 5 days I will be leaving three of my most favorite people in the world:

Daddy playing with Abbie and Caden on Christmas morning.

Honestly, what will I do without my best friend in the whole world and the two sweet little faces I love to look into each and every day?

Abbie is one cool dude, eating her oatmeal.

My sweet Caden, surprised and thrilled by "too many Clifford" books on Christmas morning.

Fortunately, I'll be bringing one darling little package with me on my journey:

My not-so-little girlie, Johanna, who is still definitely too little to be left without me (she's 5 months old now). I'm glad to have her as a traveling companion. Someone needs to keep me in line.

I leave for Seattle tomorrow afternoon and will be flying out bright and early at 6am Thursday morning. I'll arrive in Nashville by the mid-afternoon, in enough time to get settled at the hotel, get gussied up and attend my first cocktail party where I will start meeting some incredible, inspiring, fantastic women... I'm absolutely stoked to meet the likes of Crystal (Money Saving Mom), Amy (MomAdvice), Amy (Amy's Finer Things), Tsh (Simple Mom), Jessica (Life as Mom) and so many others I can't even begin to mention them. Wow. Can you say way too much fun?

I'll be there for the conference all day Friday and Saturday, and then spend Sunday attending church and hopefully doing a little sightseeing. I'll fly home, weary but happy, on Sunday afternoon and evening, then drive back from Seattle on Monday morning. Phew!

If you're going to Blissdom as well and want to connect, please send me an email (stephanie (at) keeperofthehome (dot) org) or tweet me as soon as you can so that we can try to find a time to connect- I'd love to meet with you! Or if you live in Nashville and have some ideas for my Sunday, please get in touch with me as well.

While I'm gone, I will do my best to get up a live-blog post or two (and I will definitely be tweeting the conference- @keeperhome). I've also got a couple of wonderful guest posts scheduled for you to keep things going while I'm traveling and then back home recuperating/doing laundry/loving on my family.

I can't wait to share with you about my experience and some of the things I learned at Blissdom! And with that, I'm off to Nashville!

A Year of Herbs: Ginger

2010-02-01T16:10:49Z

Image by vieuxbandit

As I went to write this next post for my Year of Herbs series, I had been thinking of doing comfrey or yarrow. However, I've really been enjoying learning about herbs that we all have right at our fingertips (like garlic and onion, or fennel and dill). Ginger seemed a perfect choice to study up on next!

Truthfully, I had never, ever thought of ginger as a "herb" (or at least, a medicinal one) until I began studying up on herbs. Suddenly I was just floored to realize it's useful qualities and the fact that it was readily available at any old grocery store!

One little caveat- based on my current commitment to spend a bit less time blogging and writing complex posts, this hasn't been nearly as thoroughly researched as my Garlic post. This is just what I was able to come up with in a more reasonable amount of time (and it took me several weeks!) and some of the ways that I have been learning to use it personally. I hope you still find it helpful to encourage you along in your own studies and use of herbs!

History

Ginger originates from tropical Asia but has been used in the West for at least 2000 years. It has traditionally been used as a warming herb, and in the 18th century began to be added to remedies to help reduce irritation on the stomach. It is still sometimes used this way in Chinese medicine, to reduce the toxicity of some of the more harsh herbs.

General Qualities and Uses

Ginger is known to: improve circulation, aid digestion, reduce nausea, help heartburn, reduce aches and pains, increase warmth, decrease congestion. Also known to be anti-inflammatory, relaxing, detoxifying.

Active ingredients in ginger are turpines (yes, similar to turpentine) and oleo-resin compounds called Gingerols. They are antiseptic, lymph-cleansing, circulation-stimulating, and mild constipation-relieving qualities, and potent perspiration inducing action.

It is also a good "carrier herb" which means it helps to bind several herbs together and help the entire formula to work more deeply and effectively. Great to add in to a combination with other herbs.

So maybe ginger snaps aren't medicinal...

Image by rusvalpauke

Methods of Use

Powder- Ensure that you're using high quality ginger powder (even the stuff from the grocery store is fine if it's actually fresh). I have a nice big bag of very fresh ginger powder from Oregon Spice Company that works well, and another great place to purchase fresh ginger would be Mountain Rose Herbs.

Fresh ginger root-Buy one that looks particularly fresh from the market or grocery store. It will stay nicely in the fridge for several weeks. Just cut off chunks as needed.

Capsules- These are basically just powdered ginger in a capsule, but some people may find it easier to take. These are available at pretty much any health food or supplement store.

Dried whole or chunks- These can be used similarly to powdered, or could also be boiled just like fresh ginger root.

Ginger Oil- It is also available as an essential oil, though I will confess that I have not tried it in this form and have no found a lot of information on how to safely use it, as oils are much more concentrated than these other forms.

Particular Uses

Low Blood Pressure- Take ginger in any form daily. This is only a temporary help, so underlying issues should definitely still be looked into.

Circulation- Ginger really speeds up circulation, brings warmth and helps to flush different areas of the body. Excellent to use a hot cup of ginger tea for this purpose (with lemon and honey is nice), or a bath is a great option (see bath description under Fevers). I tried this the last time I had some mild fever/chills with a bad cold, and the bath was so soothing and definitely helped to warm me up and relax me enough to go to sleep quickly.

Colds/Flus- Really soothing to symptoms of colds/flu (congestion, chills, fever, aches and pains). With that same cold, I made for myself a "winter sickie tea" as I called it, and it included a heaping dose of ginger. Sipping on my tea throughout the day helped so much to warm and decongest me and allow me to function as well as possible while getting over my cold. You can make a tea like this using any form of ginger (fresh, dried, powdered) by simmering it in boiling water.

Congestion- Ginger helps in two different sort of ways. Very helpful for general congestion within the body, particularly the build up of toxins or when major organs (like the liver or the digestive system) are rather congested and not functioning well. It helps to speed up the circulation, break down congestion and flush toxins to get things working more smoothly again. In regards to congestion from a head cold, it breaks up mucus and helps to flush it out. Whenever I would get too congested with my last head cold, a big mug of tea with ginger would do the trick. Within less than a half hour, I would start to notice that I was blowing my nose more frequently and then within 15-20 minutes, suddenly I began to feel very noticeably less congested.

Constipation- Acts as a stimulant to the digestive system and helps to get things moving, but without the harsh action of a laxative. One option for desperate times is a ginger enema (and quite frankly I have no clue how to administer an enema nor tips for you on how to do so, but have only read that it is helpful!). Taking it orally is generally useful enough, mixing either powdered ginger with water and drinking 2-3 times a day, or simmering fresh ginger to make a tea (and simmering with flax seeds, and also honey or molasses adds to the effectiveness of this brew). This is considered quite safe for children as well as adults (though as always, use a much smaller/weaker dose when giving anything herbal to children).

Digestion- Ginger stimulates the digestive juices which is why it is so helpful for cases of indigestion. It relieves gas, cramping, heartburn. It can be taken either before OR after a meal to improve digestion. If a meal is sitting heavily with you, sipping on a mug of ginger tea afterwords will likely be very helpful. I have used it over and over again in this regard, especially while pregnant, with excellent results.

Fever- Because it increases circulation and stimulates perspiration, it flushes out toxins and can help a fever to leave the body faster. One excellent way to use ginger with a fever is a soothing ginger bath. You can use anywhere from 2-6 Tbsp of ginger or even up to 1/2 a cup (though you should work up the amount slowly if you are not used to it). Just toss the powdered ginger right in the tub as it's filling up and then soak in the tub while sipping on a glass of water. You will definitely notice the warmth, but will also find that fever and chills will most likely decrease after a while.

Ginger Bath- Described above. Good for fever/chills/aches/pains. Also for detoxifying, increasing circulation of the body in general.

Ginger Poultice- Used externally, over an area of congestion or for inflamed, aching, sprained or stiff skin, muscles or appendages. Mix the powder into a past with water and spread it about 1/8 inch thick on a cloth (like cotton or wool). Put it over something to catch the drips and add enough boiling water to wet and heat the herbs (but not wash them away). When it's cool enough for the skin, apply and secure using a towel, etc. to hold it in place. Can add a hot water bottle or heating pad on top to increase it's effectiveness.

Headaches and Migraines- Often helpful because many headaches apparently have their root cause in poor digestion and circulation (something I'd never heard before until studying ginger!). One great way to use ginger is this case is to soak your feet in a strong ginger bath. Ginger can also be taken in capsule or tea form for a headache, but may take longer to work that way.

Heartburn- Aside from Slippery Elm (which I take in lozenges made by a company called Thayer's), ginger is my go-to herb when I am pregnant and dealing with heartburn. I assume the reason it helps so much is because the heartburn is stemming from indigestion, which is worsened in pregnancy by hormones that slow down digestion and by increasing pressure on the stomach as the uterus expands. Whatever the reason, sipping on ginger tea throughout the day, but especially before and after meals, is sooo helpful for me in keeping the heartburn to a manageable level!

Inflammation- Can be very helpful for things like arthritis, tendonitis, sprains, etc. It is very anti-inflammatory and can be used externally (as a poultice, as mentioned above (Ginger Poultice) or taken internally. One suggested internal dose for inflammation is 1/3 tsp powdered ginger 3 times a day.

Lungs- Ginger can be taken both internally and externally (in a poultice put over the chest) to help with lung irritations (like asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia) or any kind of congestion.

Menstruation- Helpful for cramps especially, because of antispasmodic properties and because of the increase circulation and blood-flow. Could use as a tea/capsule, or take a bath or use a warm poultice on lower abdomen.

Mumps (or swollen lymph glands)- Ginger baths are very helpful for relieving the swelling, and can also be used internally.

Nausea- Pregnant women take note! Ginger is your friend if you suffer from morning sickness! Sipping on ginger teas can be very helpful for mild nausea that comes and goes. For more persistent nausea, try taking ginger either in capsules, or just 1/2 to 1 tsp of powdered ginger with some water. I've also known someone who just ate small chunks of fresh ginger directly and said it really did the trick. Taken directly in the mouth it helps to give much more immediate relief. Sometimes it helps to take several doses 15 minutes apart to soothe extended nausea. If you struggle with motion sickness, taking a dose of ginger before your begin to travel and also while you are traveling can help to keep the nausea at bay. You could also mix the ginger powder with a little honey or molasses to get it down more easily. One book noted that while ginger will help with nausea in about 9/10 people, there are some who don't find it effective. For those people, peppermint may be a more effective nausea remedy.

Skin Issues- A ginger bath can be helpful for rash or other skin irritations. Because it increases the circulation and flushes out toxins, it can clear out what is happening on the inside of the body that is being eliminated through the skin (because often our skin is just showing that there is something happening inside the body- it's a symptom of something else).

Stimulant and Tonic- Ginger can be invigorating, when lacking energy or for those in cold climates during the winter. Something like a ginger tea or bath will icnrase circulation and warmth and act as a pick-me-up.

Sore Throat- One book suggested using a mixture of ginger powder and clove powder in equal parts (ginger for anti-inflammatory properties and clove for pain relief), then take 1 tsp of the mixed powders and stir into 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Use 1/2 tsp of this herbal oil, swallowing slowly to allow it to coat throat. Or gargle with ginger tea, or the ginger/clove mixture in water as a gargle. Could also make small balls with honey and ginger to suck on.

Ok, ok, candied ginger may not be medicinal either, but it's pretty, no?

Image by thedeliciouslife

Warning/Contraindication

*Ginger can sometimes be too stimulating for some people. Start with lower doses, whether orally or in a ginger bath or whatever, and work up if it is well tolerated.

*Because of it's mild laxative-resembling qualities, taking too much can be too stimulating for the intestines in some people. Start slow on doses and work up as your body tolerates it.

*If the stomach is already upset or over-producing acid (or in an ulcerous state) avoid too much ginger as this may cause more irritation.

*Though ginger is safe in pregnancy and useful for nausea, still use it with respect and do not use extremely large doses. If in doubt, ask your midwife or naturopath. Sticking with fresh ginger teas makes it hard to take in too much.

Have you tried using ginger in a medicinal or healing manner? What have you found it to be useful for? Have you ever thought of ginger as a "herb", for that matter?

Getting Organized in the Garden: Seed Starting and Planting Schedule

2010-01-29T00:27:05Z

One step to ensuring a really good gardening season is knowing in advance what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. This will help you to avoid planting things too late because you weren't ready or didn't have the right supplies on hand at the right time.

This year I found a really simple tool to help me make my garden plans:

This is my seed starting schedule from my ListPlanIt membership. It's simple as can be, but it forced me to take a bit of time to think through what I need to do this winter and spring to have everything ready for the garden when I need it to be ready. It took me about 45 minutes to do the quick but necessary research to complete mine.

Here are some steps for making your own seed starting and planting schedule:

Figure out which plants are going to need to be started or prepared early. You can see my list above. The only one I may not actually start early indoors is cucumbers, as I have good success with them straight in the ground, though getting a slightly earlier harvest would be really nice. We'll see.
Determine your last Spring frost date and your first Fall frost date. Here's a good site for Americans. Canadians, try this one. I just wrote both dates at the top of my seed starting page for easy reference (and you can see that I wrote the wrong ones first and crossed them out- this doesn't have to be perfect or polished!).
Figure out how long each type of seedling should be started before being transplanted out to the garden. I found this page at Victory Seeds helpful, as well as this one at the Old Farmer's Almanac. I looked up the number of weeks that each type of seedling needed and wrote it in the upper left corner of the Sowing Date box.
Figure out when those seedlings can be transplanted to the garden. I didn't write exact dates, but just a general time (ie early April or mid May). Again, I got these off of the links in #3 and partly from my experience from past years of what worked well.
Get out a calendar and count backwards. Take your transplanting/outdoor planting dates and go back however many weeks you've specified that each seedling needs, and that will give you your Sowing Date (the day you start your seedlings). For example, my broccoli and cauliflower seedlings can go outside as soon as it begins warming up and nearing my last frost date, around late March or early April at the latest. They need 6 weeks to grow indoors, so that brings me back to late February to have them started.
Write any other notes that feel relevant to you. I noted how many of each seedling I would like to start and put that number in my Notes box. I would like to start 12 each of cauliflower and broccoli, so you'll note the 12 there. For my tomatoes, I want to start 3 seedlings of each type I'm planting (one cherry and 5 other tomato varieties). The plan is to actually plant 2 of each variety, but I want to start 3 of each just in case I have one that doesn't do well for some reason.

That's it! A little bit of research and effort, and now you have a blueprint for your seed starting and transplanting. This page could also easily be used for all of your other seeds that will go straight into the ground. Just skip the Sowing Date column and only write down the approximate time that you will plant these seeds directly into your garden.

To get ready for your garden even more, a next step would be to draw yourself a garden layout plan. You can see some examples of mine from last year in this post on succession planting. I haven't yet made mine for this year, although it is in the works. This is a very helpful tool to make sure that you have room for all that you want to plant and to start thinking strategically about which vegetables will go where (and why). One excellent book that I am referencing as I make my layout this season is Carrots Love Tomatoes, a book on companion planting.

How do you plan out your garden seedlings and planting? Have you started to make your plans for this gardening season yet?

Real Food Recipe Roundup: January

2010-01-28T07:26:37Z

It's time to share a few favorite recipes and recent finds with you once again! Here are some that we are either really enjoying these days, or that I'm dying to have again once we're finished with our grain/sugar/starch free diet (the Maker's Diet):

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

With the odd combination of sweet potato and black beans, I would have not guessed just how good these would be, but they really are amazing and addictive! We like to eat them with sour cream/creme fraiche and fresh guacamole, and I make them using my homemade soaked tortillas. They're also a great meal to triple and then you can eat one meal, while freezing two. To serve the frozen meals, I just allow the burritos to thaw for several hours, then put them in the oven at 350 until they're warm again. They turn out just a teeny bit crisper than when made fresh, but they still taste great and make such a nice, simple meal on a busy day.

Bierocks

I'm always looking for new ways to serve cabbage to my family and this recipe has turned out to be a real winner. The first time I ever made it, my husband was on a yeast-free diet so I couldn't use bread dough. Instead I made them with a soaked biscuit dough and we liked it so much that I have never bothered with bread dough at all, though someday I might try it that way. I like to make a big batch of these as well, as they make a wonderful food to pull just 1 or 2 from the freezer when my husband needs a lunch to go, or a whole bag to reheat for a dinner. I serve these with sour cream/creme fraiche (I keep saying both because we use either/or depending on what we have at the moment) and grainy or dijon mustard. The kids like them with ketchup instead of the mustard.

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes (aka gluten/grain free muffins!)

Currently, our family is on the Maker's Diet, so I'm actually drooling a bit as I write about the first two recipes with tortillas and biscuit crust! We're grain free/sugar free/starch free while on Stage 1 and Stage 2. I found this recipe on The Nourishing Gourmet for a muffin made using coconut flour instead. Now I cheated and just ground up unsweetened shredded dried coconut in my blender to make a "flour". I also made almond flour (by grinding soaked/dehydrated almonds) and I used the two "flours" to make an all-purpose mix. I substituted my flour mix for the coconut flour in this recipe and used stevia instead of the honey, and then all blueberries because they're sweeter than raspberries. They turned out pretty well and feel like a real treat to us since all other muffins are off limits. My only complaint is that they're too soft because of all the eggs in them, but that's what you get with completely grain free muffins, I suppose. They actually get nicer left out on the counter (because they dry out a little), or so I think anyways. My one recommendation is to double this recipe, at minimum, because it makes less than a dozen and they're quite small. I like bigger muffins, so I triple this to make 18 decent sized muffins.

Another use for coconut/almond flour: I used my flour mix, added some melted butter and 1/2 tsp salt to make a crust for quiche. I just mixed it up and pushed it into the pan and baked it for 10 min. at 350, then baked my quiche as usual. It was a bit crumbly but a wonderfully tasty substitute!

Fermented Salsa (Nourishing Traditions)

No, it's not an online recipe, but I figure probably half of my readers have Nourishing Traditions. I had a goal last year of introducing our family to more lacto-fermented foods and so I tried this just before the New Year to get one more new recipe in. We already love salsa so this wasn't much of a stretch, but I wondered if we would like it with a fermented taste to it. The recipe is similar to my own, so it seemed very familiar, but it did have just a bit of a more sour sort of kick to it. It was totally enjoyable, though, even to Ryan (the ultimate test). He didn't like it so much after a week in the fridge, however, as he felt that it got more sour as it went on. My one major suggestion is to hold off on the salt and lemon (or only put some of it in) until you taste it. The first time I made it with sweet, flavorful tomatoes. The second time the tomatoes were really bland (score one for eating seasonally only- out of season food is just not the same). Without the sweetness of the tomatoes, the salt/lemon became overpowering and I had to do some major adjustments. With good tomatoes this recipe is wonderful, though!

Peppermint Pattie Coconut Bark

This was my incredibly yummy, decadent indulgence all Christmas season long! This whips up in just over 5 minutes and freezes within about 20 and gets eaten almost as quickly. It's a wonderful way to get more coconut oil in your diet if you're not sure what to use it for. I've also tried this with stevia instead of sweetener and my hubby didn't like the taste, but I thought it did the trick. Perhaps when you're craving sweets and can't have them, even a not-quite-as-good imitation will do? Just make it the regular way and you won't be disappointed!

Blueberry Clafoutis

This is an unbelievably easy dessert to make! It takes 5 minutes to whip up the batter in the blender, then pour it over the berries and bake. Done. One recipe isn't enough, so I always double it at least. Nice with a dollop of whipped cream for dessert, but also nice sans whip cream for breakfast. On our grain free regimen, this has been a nice change of pace for breakfast fare. One tip: don't ever bake it with a lid on. It will be gooey and will sink. Ask me how I know.

Easily distracted- I took this picture before making my zucchini into pizzas- just imagine them with pizza toppings!

Zucchini or Summer Squash "Pizzas"

My newest creation. I had been craving pizza during this grain free diet and wanted to see if I could find a way to make it without a grain crust. Since zucchini works in pasta-free lasagna, I figured it just might do the trick as a base for making pizza, too. I used these cute little gray summer squash (like a short, gray-green version of a zucchini) and sliced them so they were about 1/4 inch thick. I layered on tomato sauce, meat and cheese as usual then baked then at 350 for 5 min. The short cooking time is key, because my husband took seconds that had been sitting on the hot baking stone I used and he said it had become a bit too soft to eat easily and wasn't quite as nice. So just enough time to warm them and melt the cheese, to keep the "crust" nice and firm. Very tasty and easy!

What real food recipes have you been enjoying lately? Please share them with us!

Your Turn to Get Organized with a Meal ePlanner!

2010-02-02T06:28:26Z

As requested, here are the closeups of some of the pages from my homemaking binder.

My 21 Favorite Meals (well, 22)

My monthly cleaning schedule

My newest daily routine which I am still working to fully implement!

Believe me, if you're looking for someone's routines and schedules to emulate, mine probably aren't the right ones! Organizing is something I strive for, but not necessarily something I always achieve. And please always remember that when I share things like this, this is just me. Just my family, our season of life, our preferences, etc. It shouldn't tell you the "right" way to organize your own home or time, because there is no right way. Just seek the Lord and do your best to figure out how you can serve your family best!

Now it's your turn!

I promised a while back that I would be giving you access to a few of the meal planning pages from ListPlanIt, so here they are!

Favorite Recipes (general)

My 21 Meals

Menu Planner

Each of these pages is included in a ListPlanIt membership, but this is just a little sampling to give you a taste of how helpful they are! Just look for the "Print" option near the top of each page to print off as many of your own as you would like. Thanks, Jennifer, for making these available!

And another ListPlanIt giveaway...

This time it's a Meal ePlanner. Actually, 2 Meal ePlanners, to be more precise!

What exactly is a Meal ePlanner you ask? It's sort of like having a ListPlanIt membership, but with a focus on just one area... meals planning and kitchen organization. It functions similarly to an eBook, in that you download it and can print off any or all parts of it as you wish.

It includes a brief intro to how to you it and some of the particular pages within. Then it gives you 17 different pages to assist you in making your meal planning come together easier. Lists like the 21 meals shown above, both monthly and weekly meal planners, grocery shopping lists, meal inventories, recipe card pages, and even a measurement equivalents page (no more running to the computer to pull up a measurement conversion website!).

Though I really prefer having the full membership to be able to access all of the lists available, having an ePlanner gives you a taste of what there is and enough specific lists to help you get organized in a particular area, without the cost of the year long membership, since ePlanners cost a mere $4.95. They're available for each category included in a ListPlanIt membership, allowing you to just purchase a few that interest you most (although if you're going to buy several, you might want to consider just purchasing a membership to give yourself full access to everything).

Who wants to win a Meal ePlanner?

(As always, please leave a separate comment for each entry, please!)

Leave a comment telling me why you need this Meal ePlanner!
Take a look through the other ePlanners available and tell me (other than the Meal one) which would be your first pick
Subscribe to my blog
Subscribe to Jennifer's blog at ListPlanIt
Follow me on Twitter (@keeperhome)
Follow Jennifer of ListPlanIt on Twitter (@listplanit)

Giveaway will end Monday, February 1 at 3:00pm. This giveaway has now ended- winners to be announced shortly!

Organization in the Garden: Evaluating What You Have and What You Need

2010-01-26T04:11:32Z

January tends to find me just a little bit giddy. Throughout the fall and early winter, I am just pooped from gardening and preserving season. I don't really want to see another canning jar, or hardly even another fresh tomato, and going out to get the garden prepped for over the winter is the last thing I feel like doing.

And then comes January. Christmas is finished. Plans for the new year have begun. Seed catalogues begin to look oh-so-appealing once again. Suddenly I am smitten with my love for all things glorious and green and growing. I can't stop thinking about what I will plant in the spring or how early I can work my soil. Planning out my seed shopping list is a deliciously fun and inspiring task, as I sort through what new and unique plants I will add to my repertoire this year!

So how exactly does one prepare for the coming spring and summer of gardening?

There are two major areas that I look at when I begin to plan and scheme for the upcoming season:

Seeds- what I already have, what I need, new things I want to try, placing my order as quickly as possible
Garden Planning- a seed starting schedule, outdoor planting dates, drawing up my garden layout of what will be planted where

Today, let's talk seeds. Later in the week we'll look at garden planning.

I've spent a lot of time over the past week or two sorting through my seeds and determining what to buy for this upcoming season. To get ready and make my decisions, here's what I did:

Sorted through all of my remaining seeds from other years and made a list of exactly what I have- which varieties and how much of each seed
Made a list of what I want to plant this year, and a basic garden layout sketch to ensure that it's actually feasible
Dreamily read through my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog and highlighted everything that looked good or interesting to me. So yes, I highlighted approximately 3/4 of the book. Just kidding. Sort of.
Went back through the catalog with my list of what I actually need to buy, narrowed down my choices to what I thought were the best or most intriguing varieties
Made my order as quickly as I could, because I want to be sure that I have plenty of time to receive my seeds, get my seedlings started and growing well in time to harden them off and have them out in the garden even earlier than last year.

I almost wrote a post describing how to choose seeds, and then I realized that I had already written a fairly thorough one last year, so why reinvent the wheel?

For more seed-buying tips, see my post from last year: Buying Seeds for your Garden

I have learned a few things over my 3 years of gardening and my seed selecting criteria is growing a bit more refined. Here are a few tips that I would add to the above post, knowing what I know now. When selecting your particular varieties of each plant (ie. which tomato out of the hundreds of options you could choose from), these are some things that I've learned to look closely at:

Days to maturity. Where I live we have a pretty good spring and fall growing season, but the actual part of summer that is really warm and sunny is a bit shorter. When I look for something like a melon or pepper to attempt, I'm aiming for something in the 60-75 day range if possible, rather than 80-90. Consider the length of your season, how long it's truly hot for, etc.
Characteristics of a variety. Do I want a soft leaf lettuce or a crisp romaine style? Do I want really large, juicy tomatoes or smaller, firmer ones? Am I really cool with (and will my family willingly eat) something that looks a bit different, like a brown bell pepper or a yellow carrot or purple broccoli?
Specialty features. Among heirlooms, sometimes you can look for specific things, like the insect-resistant purple cauliflower I grew last year. Or the slow-bolt cilantro I discovered this year, since my cilantro bolted last year before my first tomato ever ripened. So much for salsa!
Early and Late varieties. With my tomatoes, it's nice to have both. This year I'll have some early, some mid-season, and I'm adding one called Long Keeper for toms that I can pick unripened and will slowly ripen up until Christmas!
Yields. Many garden catalogs will tell you if a particular variety is heavier yielding (or if its lower), whether it yielded for a longer season than other varieties, etc. When you're growing in a relatively small garden and want to maximize your space, it helps to keep your eyes out for types of vegetables or fruits that have more abundant yields. Because who doesn't want to get more for their efforts?

Have you bought your garden seeds yet? How do you choose which seeds to buy?