The Grene http://emily.posterous.com Why not make a better world? posterous.com Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:08:27 -0700 Tattie Harvest III http://emily.posterous.com/tattie-harvest-iii http://emily.posterous.com/tattie-harvest-iii
Tattie3

Two medium, three small, seven tiny, nine minuscule: 450g.  This crop was made into patatas bravas for Jamie's birthday dinner.  They were delicious.  I was especially impressed by the two-tone tattie.  I hope I get more of those. 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Wed, 05 Sep 2012 06:03:12 -0700 Tattie Harvest II http://emily.posterous.com/tattie-harvest-ii http://emily.posterous.com/tattie-harvest-ii
It occurred to me that I forgot to weigh my first harvest.  This one comes in at 630g, so I'm estimating the last batch at 500g.  That's over a kilo of potatoes so far!  I'm planning to use the little ones to make potato salad for dinner, and the largest four or five are for the nice man downstairs that has put up with my gardening all year.  The count for today comes to 5 small, 12 tiny and 16 minuscule, plus two medium reds.  Total weight so far, 1.13kg.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Fri, 31 Aug 2012 05:24:35 -0700 Tattie Harvest I http://emily.posterous.com/tattie-harvest-i http://emily.posterous.com/tattie-harvest-i Despite the rain today, I ventured out into the garden to get some
potatoes to go with tonight's stew. The little pot (my control group)
only yielded three small potatoes, so I started digging in the box.
To my delight, we have achieved 6 small, 10 tiny, and 13 minuscule in
our first harvest! I dug up the first layer of two plants, so
presuming there are still more undisturbed under there, we might have
five or six more harvests of the same size over the next few months!

I was concerned for a while at the state of the plants, since about
half of them went yellow and wilted in the rain, and the remainder
were being slowly but thoroughly eaten by invisible bugs. I smoothed
the soil back over the part I had disturbed and with any luck, my
little potatoes will get a chance to grow a bit bigger before I make
them into mash.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Wed, 09 May 2012 03:48:16 -0700 Potato update II http://emily.posterous.com/potato-update-ii http://emily.posterous.com/potato-update-ii
Photo

Compare to 17 days ago: http://emily.posterous.com/potato-update

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Tue, 08 May 2012 07:36:20 -0700 Tomato and Tomatoer http://emily.posterous.com/tomato-and-tomatoer http://emily.posterous.com/tomato-and-tomatoer
Photo

The windowsill tomatoes are all doing wonderfully. I planted them out into their own pots a few days ago, and they're starting to put out their third set of leaves. There is no way I'll be able to look after ten indeterminate heirloom tomato plants in my little flat. Anyone want to adopt a few?

The chard in the background has been looking a little weak, but it's making good progress. I'm going to wait until their stems are a bit sturdier, then try them in the new trough outside.

This weekend we made a Homebase trip for more compost for the potatoes. They are growing like crazy! I'm going to need more wood slats for the sides soon. We also picked up the aforementioned trough, half of which now contains lettuce from the Farmers' Market, and some large pots for the tomatoes. When I was downstairs just now harvesting parsley and oregano for a batch of beetroot salsa, I noticed that my planted-on-a-whim mustard greens are getting huge. They might go well with the pheasant tonight; I will have to look up how to cook them.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Wed, 02 May 2012 12:56:40 -0700 The Usual Suspects http://emily.posterous.com/the-usual-suspects http://emily.posterous.com/the-usual-suspects
Photo-22

I have three kinds of lovelies in my bathroom window this Spring.

1. Serrano peppers, from seeds saved from last year's crop. These
were very late in sprouting, and are still very small. I will have to
watch them very carefully.

2. Heirloom tomatoes (Brandywine) from free-with-purchase trial seeds.
There were ten seeds in the packet. They all sprouted. I have
learned from internet research that Brandywines are an indeterminate
potato-leafed variety. Indeterminate means they will grow taller and
taller forever, unless I snap off the secondary stems. Potato-leafed,
sadly, does not mean that their leaves are shaped like potatoes, but
like the leaves of potatoes, which is less interesting.

3. Ruby chard. By far my favourite vegetable (and so versatile!),
they were quick to sprout, but have since been overtaken by the
tomatoes. I am starting to see secondary leaves, though, so now the
only challenge is refraining from eating them until they're big enough
to tolerate losing a few leaves at a time.

I love growing things. It's like making food out of dirt and code.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Tue, 01 May 2012 09:11:00 -0700 Guest Post: No-Knee Gardening ~or~ Everything’s Coming up Sprouts http://emily.posterous.com/guest-post-no-knee-gardening-or-everythings-c http://emily.posterous.com/guest-post-no-knee-gardening-or-everythings-c

I sprained my knee.  OUCH!  It looks like the big garden will fall by the wayside for now, so... SPROUTS!

Pic1
Fenugreek seeds, lentils & mung beans soaked on day one.  (No fancy equipment.  I used mason jars with the mesh from packaged grocery store onions as the strainer top.) 
Pic2

Rinsed and drained every 8-12 hours. 

Pic3
2 days later, they’re done! 
Pic4

I couldn’t resist a yummy snack.  I have a very fond memory ofmy college cafeteria serving bagels with cream cheese, tomato, and alfalfa sprouts.  This is a “lighter” version. 

I like to host a dinner each week with friends and we all bring something to the table.  This week, a friend is bringing a marinated london broil for grilling.  I will be making a Korean sprout salad to accompany the grilled meat. 

...

This guest post brought to you by Jeri Crystal, my mother and Queen of Frugality.  Do you like my crown?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:44:49 -0700 Potato update http://emily.posterous.com/potato-update http://emily.posterous.com/potato-update
Photo

This weekend I did a bit more potato work. The plants are growing like crazy, so I topped up the compost again, which necessitated another layer of wooden slats. I've also been noticing telltale signs of digging, so I installed a layer of chicken wire (reclaimed from an unsightly bit of the fence last month) and put up a helpful sign. This means you, Charlie.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:26:49 -0700 Abundance http://emily.posterous.com/abundance http://emily.posterous.com/abundance
Photo

I will never lack for sage.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:22:24 -0700 Coming along http://emily.posterous.com/coming-along http://emily.posterous.com/coming-along
Photo

The windowsill plants are coming along nicely. It's just about time to plant out the celery and chamomile. I was delighted to find out that the mixed salad seeds included some basil, which I've never had success growing in Scotland. They are thriving, though. When the lettuce is spent I'll turn the pots over to basil production. Could be some nice pizza in our future.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:36:15 -0700 Sprouts http://emily.posterous.com/sprouts http://emily.posterous.com/sprouts
Photo

The first crop of ruby chard that I planted outside failed to take, so I'm sprouting some under supervision in the bathroom window. Look how their little stems are already red! I'll let them get to about three inches tall and then try them outside again.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:11:11 -0700 Just like magic http://emily.posterous.com/just-like-magic http://emily.posterous.com/just-like-magic Here is the promised picture of my wonderful potatoes. Agriculture is amazing.

Photo

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:30:47 -0700 Grene and growing http://emily.posterous.com/grene-and-growing http://emily.posterous.com/grene-and-growing I give you this picture of my precious chamomile, partly because it is pretty, and partly because pictures of freshly-planted seeds just look like pots of dirt. This weekend while Jamie was white water rafting I went on a planting frenzy, getting my parsley, tomatoes, peppers, and chard into rotation, and giving my potatoes their first top-up of compost. More on those to come, as soon as it is a nice enough day for photos.

Photo

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:08:45 -0700 Potato! http://emily.posterous.com/potato http://emily.posterous.com/potato
Potatoes24mar

Having stared at a muffin tin full of sprouting potatoes for six
weeks, last Saturday we embarked in earnest upon the Great Potato
Adventure. We started with three old pallets appropriated from beside
the bins ages ago, and attacked them with hammers until we had a nice
pile of planks. From these we built a potato box, a neat contraption
that allows the gardener to build up the soil as the plants grow,
maximising the yield in a small space. During the growing season,
we'll add planks and raise the surface level, and come Fall we'll
remove planks to harvest the mature potatoes.

Today I planted in the seed potatoes: five varieties with a range of
properties to test. I took this photo before covering them over with
compost. Now I leave the rest to chance: I'll just keep an eye on the
watering and try to stop Charlie using it as a litter box.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:01:59 -0800 Signs of Spring http://emily.posterous.com/signs-of-spring http://emily.posterous.com/signs-of-spring
Mustard

Mustard sprouts are the first crop of the season. I can't wait to
have enough to put on a sandwich!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde
Mon, 16 May 2011 05:49:01 -0700 Two amazing things http://emily.posterous.com/two-amazing-things http://emily.posterous.com/two-amazing-things
Appletrees2

These seedlings grew from apple pips my planted by my ever-optimistic
husband. There are five in all. I am amazed that they are doing so
well.

I am equally amazed by the final launch of the space shuttle
Endeavour, which I am watching now. The deeds of nature and the
deeds of man.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1217073/profilepic.jpg http://posterous.com/users/biCkACvto Emily Thomforde Emily Emily Thomforde