Garden Retrospective 2009
28 Oct 09 by Jenn Martin | No Comments | 39 view(s)Categories: family, garden | Tags: aspen, lindy, oakley
Tomato and Mozzarella Tart
28 Sep 09 by Jenn Martin | No Comments | 181 view(s)Categories: food, garden | Tags: cheese, puff pastry, summer, tomatoes
Imagine that Pizza and Quiche fall in love, get married, and have a baby. Consider this the birth announcement. Welcome to the world, beautiful one!
Our Guest Gardeners
31 Jul 09 by Tim Martin | 1 Comment | 158 view(s)Categories: garden | Tags: tomatoes
I just wanted to send out a sincere note of thanks to our guest gardeners. We were gone for no less than 23 straight days this summer, and somehow, our garden survived. We’ve been collecting a variety of items (zucchini, squash, cucumbers, uh, more cucumbers, tomatoes, musk melon… it’s all been good.
Jenn got the award winning picture, today, though. So, without further adieu…
One day’s haul
Personal thanks go out to the Kirks, the Hickmans, and the Garners. Really, we appreciate it a great deal.
Borax, not Borat
8 Jun 09 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 146 view(s)Categories: food, garden | Tags: ants
When the strawberry orgy was mid-flight, we were not the only ones enjoying it. That’s right, hundreds of ants decided that they, too, were worthy of the sweet goodness of the strawberry. And they figured they might as well walk right into our kitchen.
Many families would run right out and buy some ant traps, or call in the exterminator. In fact, I had some ant traps in my hand at Target, but we decided to trust the “internet” on this one.
Jonathan Hatch provided the recipe, and I have to say, it’s worked for us!
- 1 cup hot tap water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons of Borax
Mix it up, soak some cotton balls in it, and throw the balls wherever you see the ant trails. They eat up the sugar, get a load of the Borax, and take it back home with them. Success (so far).
How great is that? A detergent as a pesticide…
Garden Update::Photo Walk
18 May 09 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 125 view(s)Categories: garden
We had a solid haul on our garden walk today. The serviceberries have arrived in quantity enough to require a bowl. To this point, though, I still don’t have the words to describe the taste. I can say, though, that Aspen loves them.
Ripe in the tree
Fruit has appeared on the apples (four of the eight) and the blueberries.
And the blackberries and raspberries are progressing in most cases.
An apple with Tim’s hand, and a blemish
“It’s OK, Oakley. I’ve got a joke!”
11 May 09 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 48 view(s)Categories: family, garden
We were working in the garden yesterday, toiling away with the planting of the new vegetables (which I’ll catalog here sometime soon.)
Oakley comes out of the house (having done something), and she’s gritting her teeth and grunting.
Oakley: Grrr!
Tim: What?
Oakley: I stained my pants.
Tim: OK. No big deal.
Oakley: Ugh.
Lindy: It’s OK, Oakley. I’ve got a joke.
Tim: OK.
Lindy: Aspen is a ho! laughs
Aspen: What?!
Lindy: Aspen is a ho!
Aspen: That’s not even a word!
Lindy: laughs again
Aspen: Lindy, you don’t even know what that means!
Lindy: laughs again
Aspen: What do you think a ho is?
Lindy: It’s kind of like a rake, but not.
Aspen: Oh, OK, you’re right, but that still doesn’t make sense.
Yes, I know, this kind of ho is spelled hoe. But no, er noe, it wouldn’t have been as funny that way. And yes, Jenn and I managed to stifle our laughing fit through the entire incident.
Why Local Matters
3 May 09 by Tim Martin | 2 Comments | 249 view(s)Categories: food, garden | Tags: strawberries
Not more than two years ago, Jenn and I both read a book that really opened our eyes. Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Vegetable Miracle chronicles her story of a year of eating hyper local… basically only things they grew themselves or could get locally. While I’m not prepared to become a zealot on the subject, I will say we’ve really enjoyed adopting some concepts from it.
If you follow the blog, you’ve read about our CSA involvement, our garden, and my wife’s food. It’s all good by me. This weekend, though, is a mircocosm of one of the best parts. We’re eating seasonally and locally where possible, and we’re all in love with strawberries right now. During the course of the year, we basically give them up. Frankly, out of season strawberries really lack the flavor you get now.
Prior to visiting the farmers’ market yesterday, we had bought a few California strawberries. At least they’re from this continent, we thought. We had no idea that strawberries were already in full effect until we hit the farmers’ market and came home with 16 quarts (5.5 of which are already gone 24 hours later). Understand, I love California and it’s ability to produce things we like to eat when we can’t here in Tennessee (even though the dairy from Wisconsin is clearly superior contrary to what the arrogant California cows believe.) Sorry, lost my train of thought…
So, local strawberries, in season, are better. Why? Let me show you. Pardon the poor focus on some of these shots… Keep reading…
Rain isn’t necessarily bad…
2 May 09 by Tim Martin | 1 Comment | 179 view(s)Categories: family, garden | Tags: aspen, jenn, lindy, oakley, rain, tim
Ah yes, Nashville has been set upon by rain, and not just a little. Yesterday’s makeup soccer game? Canceled. Aspen’s game this morning? Canceled. Oakley’s 4pm game? Yup, canceled.
So, did we just sit around the house? No we did not.
It was the opening weekend for the Franklin Farmers’ Market, and we set out looking for fun. I kid you not, my wife walks around the farmers’ market like an 18 year old boy walks around a Brazilian beach. How she avoids a neck injury I do not know. Keep reading…
Garden Update::Apple Trees
26 Apr 09 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 44 view(s)Categories: garden | Tags: apple trees, garden
I’ve failed to do a good job documenting our garden this spring already! So, back to it here. I’ll share some pictures and stuff (current) and a little history of what we added this year.
First up, the apple trees. We’ve been out with the apples a lot lately due to the caterpillar infestation. So far, we think we’re winning via hand picking, so we’re gonna hold off on spraying. We’ll see if that’s the right choice or not.
The Caterpillar Hunter
The cages, in case you’re wondering, are there to protect the trees from the deer. Keep reading… Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli
24 Apr 09 by Jenn Martin | No Comments | 206 view(s)Categories: food, garden | Tags: broccoli, food, side dish, vegetable
“I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more.” – George H. W. Bush
I, however, do like broccoli. My family, including my 3, 6, and 8 year old girls, likes broccoli. And yes, even if they didn’t, I’m one of those mean mamas who would make them eat it – at least until one of them becomes Madam President! Which one or ones will it be? (As a side note, I’m glad to see broccoli in the new White House organic vegetable garden.)
So, until the White House, how do we fix broccoli here at the Martin house? Of course, broccoli with cheese is a classic. So much so that one year we grew broccoli and had the girls sprinkle grated cheddar around the plants as a fun and unique mulch! I also like to steam it and add a big splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice and big sprinkle of kosher salt. But perhaps my favorite way to prepare broccoli is to roast it. Using the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe as a guide, it’s easy to create what the Amateur Gourmet calls “the best broccoli of your life.” Perhaps even George H. W. Bush would like broccoli if he had it like this!
