Cold Frame update - Late December 08

It’s almost the end of December, the 27th actually and I finally got out to check on the health of my romaine, lettuce and radish plants. They reside in two small cold frames in my front yard and would no doubt be complaining about the cold if they were able. The mean temperature for this month has been two degrees lower than normal and that’s a lot!
I noticed some of the larger plants in cold frame #1 show evidence of tip burn. This was caused by their coming in contact with the glass on days that were below freezing. Otherwise, they are in good health. The plants in cold frame #2 are also good to go, just a little smaller due to them get planted after the ones on frame #1.

Two conclusions I’ve come to regarding this effort are; one, that even though plants will grow during the winter, they do so slowly. And two, I need to consider a much larger cold frame if I am to have anything worth harvesting. Eleven square feet (the inside growing area of both frames together) is not enough to produce enough to feed one person. I will need at least sixteen square feet to accomplish this. So, that will be my next project this coming early spring. I am in the planning stage at this time.

I’m Making Soup – Vegetable Soup!

It’s one of those cold dreary days when you don’t want to go anywhere you don’t have to. The kind of day that shouts SOUP! Not being one to put off my urges, I threw together the following ingredients I had lying around;

5 oz beef stew meat, cut into small pieces.

• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of cut green beans, rinsed
• 1 can of beef stock
• 1 can of water
• ½ medium potato, chopped
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 wedge of green cabbage
• 1 beef bouillon cube

I found an old pot with a lid. Like me it’s pretty beat up but often contains some pretty good stuff. Placed it on a preheated stove burner and added a small amount of beef. In my world, vegetable soup should taste like vegetables with just a background of meat flavor present.

After braising the beef for a few minutes, I added the onion and then allowed it to go for another minute or so. Next, in went the rest of the ingredients. Did I mention my recipes are also a reflection of my personality, simple and stupid.

On goes the cover and the heat is reduced to a light simmer for about forty five minutes or until I decree that the key veggies are done. Just how done things get is often determined by how hungry I am at the time.

Cold Frame Insulation

Over the last couple of days, Mother Nature has dropped an arctic cold wave over much of the county. Here in southwest Missouri, we have taken a pretty good hit also. On Sunday, December 14, 2008, the temperatures went from the high sixties to below freezing in just a couple of hours. Yowsers! Overnight, they then dropped into the teens. This is the first time in my memory that such cold came so early in the season. Hey! It’s not even winter yet! Outside, I have two small cold frames I built out of 2x4’s that house young and tender romaine lettuce plants along with a scattering of radishes and spinach. When I began the experiment in September, I had anticipated December temperatures dipping to the twenties once or twice, but not the teens like we have had for the last two days. That’s just too darn cold!

To their credit, the structures have insulated the plants pretty well so far. The temperatures tonight outside will be very cold again, dropping down to 18F or so. This level of cold has been a trial for the plants. I hope I’ve prepared for them by taking additional steps to insure their survival. On Sunday, I made sure to turn on the small 40 watt light sources I have installed in each frame and then covered them with spare floor mats. As a result, the internal temperatures in both cold frames have stayed in the mid to lower forty degree range.

In reflection, if I made any mistakes, it may be that I have neglected to build up the soil around the back side of each frame. The earth is a great insulator and the other three sides are covered well, just not the backsides. Next week, I plan to attach some additional insulation to see if that will help. Also, I’m hoping the ambient temperatures will moderate a bit during the rest of the month.

Mid December Cold Frame Update

It’s now closing in on the middle of December 2008. The weather here in southwest Missouri has been on the cool side. Already this fall season (it’s still fall until Dec 21st), we have seen quite a few nights where the thermometer has dipped down into the twenties. Over the last couple of night, it has been cold enough (the high today was only 32F) that I left the covers and warming light bulbs on. When I looked out this morning there was even a light dusting of snow, the first of the season, on elevated surfaces.

In spite of everything, the crops look pretty darn good as evidenced by the picture taken this date. OK, so they are a little on the small side. The ambient range of temperatures over the last few weeks has been in the range of 40 to about 55 Fahrenheit, so growth has been slow. I am thinking about increasing the light wattage to 60 in CF#1 to see if that might help. What I really need to think about for next winter (yes, I’m going to try this again) will be an underground heating cable. In any case, I will do a year end update on December 31st and will take some impromptu measurements at that time.

Good Food Costs More

After learning I had high blood pressure and hearing a stern warning from my doctor, I embarked some time ago on a quest to accomplish three dietary goals; 1) a reduction in weight, 2) elimination of all spurious salt and 3) a farewell to all my favorite meats, eggs and poultry in an effort to get my cholesterol under control. This didn’t leave me with much to eat. Maybe a limp stalk of celery and other assorted vegetables. I was amazed at the amount of salt in everything I had taken for granted. Breads, chips, canned soups and even most packaged goods have liberal amounts of sodium. My new dietary guideline for salt restricted me to just 1500 milligrams of salt per day. Imagine my consternation when I began to actually read the nutritional labels on food. A cup of tomato soup can easily contain 900 milligrams of sodium. That’s well over half my daily allowance right there! Bummer. Maintaining my cholesterol intake to below 100 milligrams per day also proved to be difficult. (I’m genetically disposed to be a meat and potatoes kind of guy). In looking for alternatives, one of my friends had pointed out that there are all kinds of low salt, low cholesterol products out there. I would just have to ferret them out.

It didn’t take me long to figure out a couple of things concerning packaging. Labels may say the food is low fat, low sodium, sodium free, fat free, heart health, zero trans fat… Well – you get the picture. You have to become a nutritionist just to figure it all out. The second thing that became apparent is this; healthy food costs more! A lot more! Even though it may be cheaper to make, you the consumer, will pay through the nose. It’s like the food industry could care less about health if it threatens profits. The sad truth is that foods do taste better if they are full of fats, sugar and salt! Big corporations know this, so that is what they place on the shelves and that is what we buy. When absolutely forced to, they may begrudgingly offer a healthier substitute, but will charge exorbitant fees in the process. (A case in point is an 8 ounce bag of salt free potato chips that sells at a local store for $3.19 versus an 11 ounce bag for $3 bucks)! Hey, the only difference is the lack of salt. Right?

My final gripe is the way many stores will attempt to hide the good stuff around the store. I would be all in favor of some form of label, a bright orange color perhaps, that shouts ‘Low Salt’ or ‘No cholesterol’. This would make my weekly ordeal so much more painless. OK. I’m through for now. I have to go shopping.

Shadow Rock Park - A Post Flood Report

In the spring and summer of 2008, exceptional rains caused a local river in Forsyth Missouri to overflow its banks. The resultant flood completely submerged two popular park sites known as Shadow Rock and River Run. The flood lasted over six months, the longest in recent memory. After the waters subsided, everything in the area was covered by a half inch of river muck that dried into a concrete like substance. While there have been some cleanup efforts both park areas still need a lot of work. Both parks have suffered some degree of damage, especially to buildings that, after a prolonged period of submersion, were assaulted by the remnants of two hurricanes, Gustav and Ike. One building, in particular, the popular Lions Club kitchen and exhibition hall had part of its roof torn off. One rumor purports that the City may go ahead and bulldoze it to the ground and then build a new structure in its place.

The roads will need to be cleaned with road graders and a large contingent of volunteers may be sought this spring to added in then general removal of trash, tree limbs and other assorted flotsam that litter both parks.

In a precious report, I alluded to the possibility that the grassy areas may or may not grow back. If this is the case, re-seeding will need to be done in order to bring both parks back up to specifications. Both areas are very popular spots for local events and campers during the regular season and bring in much needed money for the city of Forsyth.

My Radish Problem - No Bulbs!

Here’s the problem. My radishes have not bulbed up after putting on great tops in my cold frame #1. As you can see in the slightly blurry picture, they look very healthy with the exception that where a nice radish should be, there is only a red root.

Some blogs have suggested that the problem might be do to the nature of the soil I’m using. In my cold frame I have used a potting mix, not actual garden soil. Also this mix is pre-fertilized and perhaps it is due to the excess nitrogen that I’m just getting leaves and no root crop.

So, in the fashion of a true researcher, I am planning the following experiment. I am going to set aside one square foot of space (actually an area measuring 6 inches by 24 inches and will divide it up into four sections, each containing a different mix of soil. I will then sow equal mounts of radish seed and will keep a record of the development of each. Perhaps I will then be able to solve the mystery of poor radish development.

My soil mix strategy will be as follows; Area one will have plain soil taken from the garden. This is basically 100% unimproved clavey loam (CL) that is very common in this area. Area two will be 75% CL and 25% Scotts Premium potting mix (PM). Area three will be a 50-50 blend of CL and PM. Finally, area four will be all potting mix.

I plan to document this experiment from the date of visible germination to finish by taking photographs from a fixed position. This will allow me to quantify the rate of bulbing (if any) against a scale of time. I plan to report these results in a future blog and will do a video of the results on YouTube. Wish me luck.

First Snow of the Season – Be Prepared

OK – so I’m exaggerating a little. When I got up this morning there were only a few flakes coming down and its too warm for them to stick. The effect, however, is enough to get me to thinking about the sort of winter we will have this year. The weather service is using the catch all word ‘variable’ to describe what we can expect. Sounds like a copout to me. Why can’t they just say, ‘We have no clue?’

Whatever the outcome, it’s a good idea to make sure your vehicle(s) are well stocked and prepared for inclement weather. As a matter of course, make sure to check your tires and battery before the advent of really cold temps. These are the two most often experienced problems that motorists have this time of year. Also, if you live in a rural area, make sure to put together a little survival kit in case you get stuck somewhere far from home. Key items would be a fully charged cell phone, candles to help keep warm, food, a good thermal blanket, a whistle and flares. This stuff is a pain to cart around, but if you’ve ever gotten stuck far from home on a dark night as I have, it can really save your bacon.

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans

Kentucky Pole beans have been around for quite a while. 'Kentucky Wonder' was first introduced in 1877 by Ferry-Morse Seed Company and is still a very popular variety today. I grow them mainly because I like the taste even if they are more susceptible to disease and pests. This is because, unlike bush beans, they are in the garden for a longer period of time. They sell online for about $2.65 for a two ounce package or about 160 beans. That makes the per bean cost about one and a half cents each. That’s pretty expensive if you consider that the average home gardener my only plant twenty seeds or so per season. By the following season, germination rates and therefore seed viability will not be as good. Many go ahead and buy new seed each year. Alternatively, you can prolong the ‘freshness’ factor by keeping them in a sealed container in the refrigerator during the off season. Another way to save on these and all seeds, for that matter, would be to go in with friends who also have a garden and share the costs. By far the best way to save, when it is feasible, is to let some of the pods or fruit go ahead and mature on the vine towards the end of the season. Beans are great sports for this type of treatment. You just leave them on the vine and let them dry out. By October or so, you can go out and harvest them easily. The picture I have published in this blog were harvest this date from the few remaining vines out in my garden. Even though the pods were few, I got over 60 beans that will be stored over winter. Come this spring, about 20 or so will go into production. I plan offer any excess seeds to local gardeners to trade for seeds I might not have. That’s also another good reason to keep track of people who like to garden in your immediate area. You can trade seeds to you hearts content.

Drivers Be Careful Who you Follow!

Avian flu aficionados. Here’s something new to worry about. Apparently cars driving behind trucks carrying chickens to the slaughterhouse were found to be teeming with poultry bacteria…

Next time you’ve just cruised down the interstate behind a truck full of chickens or Thanksgiving turkeys, you just might want to wash your car. This, because a study led by a team of Johns Hopkins scientists finds that tailgating such feathered cargo can significantly increase your exposure to poultry-borne bacteria. A report was posted in the premier issue of "The Journal of Infection and Public Health," which will publish research on the epidemiology, prevention and control of infectious disease.

In the study, test cars followed poultry trucks as they traveled from farm to slaughterhouse. After these road trips, researchers discovered that the interiors of cars that had their windows down were teeming with a wide variety of bacteria. And many of the bacteria were strains known to be resistant to several common antibiotics. In this age of avian influenza and antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs,’ scientists are exploring all possible pathways of disease between humans and animals. This case shows just one way to keep from being exposed to pathogens that can cause you harm. This article was gleamed from Scientific American.

Empire District Park in Forsyth Missouri

I decided to take some time off today and hang out in local park here in Forsyth Missouri. It's called empire Park by the locals and comprises a large area of manicured lawns next to Taneycomo Dam where some of the best trout fishing in the United States can be had. This is because the water is really cold. It comes down strezm from the base of Table Rock dam by Branson and feels like it is freezing. I guess the fish like it, however. Personally, I like to come down to walk on the well maintained concrete path that cuts throught the middle of the park. alsong the way there are benches to rest on or you can just find yourself a nice patch of grass and watch the boats go back and forth. Scttered strategically around are picnic tables, some of which are covered. There are also restrooms, boat launch areas and plenty of good spots to fish from shore if you want. At this time of year (November), we still get fdays that see 60F or better. The park on such days is lees crowded and affords anyone a chance to get out to commune with nature. did I mention there are a lot of ducks here also. I counted over 60 during my walk earlier today. So, if you live nearby and have some spare time, please come on out and enjoy! You can view a video on this topic at 'Empire District video'.

A Branson Pot Luck Thanksgiving Lunch

Thanksgiving fareThis past Tuesday, November 25th, agents and their brokers at the Carol Jones Annex in Branson Missouri held a potluck Thanksgiving lunch that was very good. During the event, the mood was upbeat and happy as we dined on succulent and diverse dishes brought in by many of the agents and brokers. It was a smorgasbord par excellent and I was amazed at the diversity. Even in challenging financial times, I think we are all very grateful to live in a country like America and to have the great fortune to be involved in the real estate profession. But I digress.

The food offered for my inspection included all manner of side dishes that complimented the main offerin of turkey. In addition, my personal diet notwithstanding, there was a plethora of pies (some homemade) to tempt even the most discerning taste buds. My hat goes off to all who attended and especially to those who made the time to bring such great food for all to share.

FS Chili Recipe

The FS stand for Fast Slow, which is what this chili is all about. It goes together fast and easy, but takes seven plus hours to cook. That’s because this is a crock pot dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef stew meat, chopped into small pcs.

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato sauce

1 15 oz. can Red Kidney beans, drained

½ bell pepper, chopped

½ large onion, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1 pkg Chili mix

Directions:

Set a small or 2 ½ quart crock pot to low.

Place the beef into a freezer for about twenty minutes to firm up the flesh. This will make cutting it into small pieces easier. Remove from the freezer, separate and cut into small pieces. All meat to warm to room temperature then place in a frying pan to which a tsp of olive oil has been added. Cook for a few minutes over medium high heat, stirring enough to brown the meat evenly on all sides. Drain and add to the crock pot.

Chop up the onion and bell pepper into small pieces and add these along with the other ingredients (not the Kidney beans) to the crock pot. Cover and cook for about seven hours. About thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time, rinse and add the kidney beans. Serves 6.

Cooks Notes:

A couple of things to know. One I used a commercial chili mix (in my case McCormick’s Original Chili) because I wanted to keep the preparation simple and fast. Second, the chili is going to look really dark and red when you serve it. Almost like BBQ sauce with lumps. Don’t let this bother you, however, it is a very good tasting blend.

Cold Frame construction - Using 2x4's

In response to numerous requests (actually only 2), I wanted to clear the record on what you need when building a cold frame. Actually any materials will do. I’ve seen cold frames made out of plastic, wood, concrete and blocks of soil. Any material that will; act as a thermal barrier, can be tilted to face south and has a lid that admits light will work. I built mine out of 2x4’s as I had a pile of them lying around so the price was right.

I built the frame by working from the top down. That is I started by measuring an old window frame I scored from a friend, measured it and then cut four pieces of lumber to creat a frame. I then too another piece of lumber and four ‘legs’. Two measured 14 inches and two 9 inches. There were nailed to the four corner of the frame to which were added more lengths of wood until I have a box that measured about a foot and a half

deep. There was no bottom to this box. I merely dug a hole in the ground that was also slanted back to front. I then layered in a sheet of weed blocking material, placed the frame over it and then affixed the window sash to the top with the aid of two hinges. During the construction, I used about forty galvanized nails which cost me a few dollars at the local hardware store. Other than that and the labor, the cost to build was nothing. My only other cost was involved in purchasing three cubic feet of potting soil. I used Miracle Gro for CF#1 and Scott's Premium potting mix for the second one. Both are good. You can use whatever soil you choose, just make sure it is weed free.

Cold Frame Plants

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update on cold frame #1 (CF1). I have romaine lettuce, spinach and radishes growing here. As you can see by the picture of a spinach plant, the plants are getting bigger. Growth is not as fast as in the summer, but in view of the below normal temperatures we have had lately (daily temps in the 50’s and nightly in the 20’s) here in southwest Missouri, I am happy they are surviving at all. For added protection, I have made sure to place covers over the frames and even have rigged up two 40 watt light sources to help keep the internal temps in the high 40’s even when it has gotten as low as 24F.

The cooler growing environment is resulting in slower growth. That’s a given. What interests me, however, is the overall effect slow growth will have on the morphology of the mature plants. I do know that in very warm conditions, plants like lettuce and spinach will have a tendency to bolt. Bolting is very common in plants like these when they begin to form flowers and seeds in response to stresses like too much drought, light and heat. I am making sure to give my plants about an inch of water per week, light in the late fall and winter is now as severe and they are definitely not getting over heated. Even under full sun, with the lids closed, I am lucky to see internal temps in the mid 60’s. So when can I expect my first harvest? Perhaps sometime in late December. That’s my best guess at this point.

Internal cold Frame Temperature Data

After having constructed two identical cold frames and then planting vegetables in them. I began to think about what might happen if it got really cold this winter. I know that most lettuces and many cole crops (Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, and kohlrabi) can survive brief bouts of freezing temperatures. What would happen, I wondered, if it got really cold out there. To that end, I decided to place two wireless 900 MHz temperature sensors into both cold frames just to monitor what was going on.

As luck would have it, last night it did get into the 20’s. I had the opportunity to graph both the ambient outdoor temperature and also the internal frame temps in 30 minute intervals. The graph above is a result of one of those experiments. Note: The Davis reading referrs to the outside ambient temperature.

The results were pretty interesting. For one thing, at 4:30 PM, I switched the sensors just to see if CF2 was really colder than CF1 and yes it is. That may be due t the fact that CF1 has a layer of plastic wrap over the glass which creates a small airspace that may indeed raise the insulating value a little. All other factors being equal, it may have increased the insulation enough to raise the internal temperature about 1 to 2 degrees.

The constant warmth of the ground also creates a warming effect as can be seen by the differing slopes of air temperature versus internal cold frame temperatures. I calculated that it will have to get down around 10 above zero before I would need to go to added measures like turning on an electric light bulb inside the frame. Some night if we do get exceptionally cold I will plan to stay up and record that event to see exactly what would happen.

Romaine is the Game

How can such a beautiful and healthy vegetable come from such a small seed? I choose to grow romaine lettuce in both my cold frames this winter for two reasons. One it is on the list of the American Cancer Research as a cancer fighting agent, and two it like cold weather and will mature inside of 60 days. It also does well in confined spaces needing just an 8 inch spacing between plants. Unlike leaf lettuce, romaine will also keep for long periods in the refrigerator and adds a lot of crunch to any salad.

Since I have about twelve square feet of growing space, I will be able to grow at least six plants in each cold frame while still having plenty of space for spinach and radish plants. By starting six new plants every third week, I will be insuring a steady supply of greens throughout the winter. Mind you, as a bachelor, I’m only feeding myself.

Got er Done!

Today was Sunday and it was nicer out than I had thought it would get. we started this morning at 27F but finished with the low fifties. The painting of the frame went quickly as did the did of the hole it would go in. I think the hole deal was about an hour or so. I have also equipped this frame with an internal wireless temperature sensor that is very closely matched to the one on the other frame. right now they bot are in close agreement with CF1 reading 55.4F and the newer CF2 reading 53.1F. As it turned out I did not have to purchase any vermiculite as by mistake, I bought three bags of Scott's Premium potting mix. This was a lot more money than I wanted to spend for this project, but since its done I went ahead and filled CF2 with 2 bags or 2 cubic feet of the stuff. I also have three trays of starter lettuce and spinach plants hardening off in the garage. I will plant these out into the new cold frame sometime early this coming week. The weather service is expecting temperatures to go on a roller coaster ride with cold fronts coming into our area every other day or so. I'm not too worried, however as early this morning when the temperature read a frigid 27F, the atmosphere in CF1 was a balmy 59F. I had covered it last night with two layers and made sure to leave the small 40 watt bulb on also.

CF2 on the Way!

It's now mid November 2008 and we are now entering the time of year I like the least. The next fourteen weeks will see some of the coldest weather of the year and most of the trees will be bare. Thank goodness for my cold frame with its spark of spring greenery inside. It will soon have a friend when I install a twin unit next to it. I'm in the process of painting the frame and still need to purchase a soil amendment (vermiculite)to add to the 3 cubic feet of Miracle Gro potting soil bought at a store last week. I now have three trays of plants (lettuce and spinach) that need to be planted out soon, so I need to get to it as they say. The new cold frame will be referred to as CF2 and the original CF1. CF1's plants are going great. I'll try and post a current picture sometime soon. The average temperature in that frame has been about 54F which is near the ideal temperature to grow lettuce and spinach at.

Over the next weeks they are forecasting a series of cold fronts about every other day with lows getting into the twenties. This will be a real test to see how well these guys can surviive.

Cold Frame #2

Yes, I’m at it again with the building of my second cold frame in less than a month. Does one man need two Cold Frames? Apparently, yes they do. Winter is coming and the price of lettuce at the local market is at an all time high. I love my salads (it’s a diet thing) and with lettuce at almost $2 per head, I now have plenty of incentive to grow my own.

The addition of a second 36 inch by 24 inch frame box will give me another 5.8 square feet of growing space. So, the two combined will allow me to grow about 12 to 14 plants at any one time. If I start 4 seeds every two weeks that will assure me a steady harvest of lettuce though out the wintertime and on into spring.

The construction will be documented in a video call Building a Cold Frame Part 2 and will be published on You Tube, I hope.

I had been concerned about the survival of young lettuce plants when it gets really cold outside. Recently we have seen temperatures that have dropped down to the low thirties and I am happy to report that conditions inside the box have remained in the fifty degree range. I have also installed an electric cord with a light bulb on one end to help warm things up in case it gets really cold outside.

Cold Frame Update

Boy, It's Cold Out There!

We had our first arctic blast of the season last night when temperatures got down to 28 Fahrenheit for the first time. That was cold enough to put an end to my few surviving plants out in the garden. My cold frame, however, came through in great shape. You can check out my video of the building of a cold frame at Building a Cold Frame.

At 6AM this morning when it did hit 28 degrees, the temperature inside theCF was a toasty 45F. That’s warm enough for lettuce to survive. I looked it up and the optimum temperature range for this cold hardy crop is 45F to 65F so that is good news. Now mind you, I did have a blanket draped over the frame last night and that more than likely helped. The good news is that I don’t think we have many nights that get that cold even in January. We’ll just have to see won’t we?

A Sure Investment Bet

Is everything going to go to H@** in a hand basket this coming year? What’s going to happen to the value of the dollar? Is there some way to protect my shrinking saving account?

Thoughts like this got me to thinking about ways I could make ends meet this coming winter. One idea was actually poised by some expert I saw on a media show one afternoon. He stated that one way to protect the value of your money would be to stockpile food items now as a hedge against price increases in the future. He was referring to items with a long shelf life like canned goods, beans, pasta and such. If. For example you buy a can of corn for fifty cents now and food goes up an 20% or so by winter, then that’s the same as getting 20% interest on you savings since you will be consuming the food no matter what! By logical extension then, if you normally consume about $100 of only canned goods on any given month and then bought $600 worth of added can goods this month to be stored away to and used starting in April 2008 you will have at least broken even if prices remain stable. If, however, prices go up say 30% during the next six months then you have saved more real money than you could ever have done in any savings account. The only possible downside would be if prices in fact go down (not likely) in which case you have limited your liability by the small amount invested. On the other hand if prices continue to rise, by all means continue to purchase goods to put away for a rainy day.

For my part, after six months, I plan to do a report on my personal gain or loss. You can get a copy of this article along with the six month summary report (due in April 2009) on this site.

Cold Frames

If you’re like I am, sometime around January the first you get a hankering for fresh vegetables. The produce on the shelves at the local mart just doesn’t measure up. Its all be shipped in from distant places, often foreign countries and has the price tags to match. Now with all the upheaval in the financial markets and all, I have begun to wonder just how expensive everything may get. I’m in sticker shock already when I buy a head of lettuce. I mean isn’t iceberg lettuce mostly water?

So, that got me to thinking one afternoon when I came across an article concerning the building of cold frames. A cold frame is really nothing more than a wooden box with a lid that admits light. According to the article, you can grow all sorts of veggies outside it, even in the dead of winter! Hmm, I thought, maybe this is for me. I remembered that some years ago a friend had given me two old windows. She was going to throw them out and I’m the kind of guy that hates to waste anything so I took them off her hands and then they ended up in the crawlspace under my house for the next seven years. To my credit, I did remember I had them and I thought that do to their small size (23 x 36), they would be a great experiment to see if I could actually grow lettuce in the wintertime. (Note that the article also indicated that cold hardy crops like spinach, onions, radishes and even carrots could also be brought to maturity).

So, last month in October, I went about the construction of my very first cold Frame. (I also documented this effort for You Tube in case you are interested. You can see the video by typing in ‘Building a Cold Frame’ in the You Tube search area at www.youtube.com). My total construction time using just 2x4’s was under three hours including the time it took me to dig a pit and paint the frame. Since I had all the materials lying around the house, my only cost was the purchase of fresh Miracle Gro™ soil from Home Depot in Branson.

I now have a functional (I hope) cold frame and have planted ten Little Caesar romaine seeds in a seed starter pack sitting in my kitchen. From past experience, the seeds should germinate in about four days and then will take four to six weeks to reach transplant stage at which point I will place outside into the elements. That will put these guys out in early December weather where the average lows will be in the 30’s and 40’s. Romaine goes best between 45F and 65F so I am counting on the sun to warm the box during the day and the natural ability of the earth to insulate to keep things warm at night.

With any luck, I should have something ready for the table in early January 2009.

Deer and Tomatoes

Somewhere long ago and far away some deity with more time on his hands than sense must have decided that tomato plants should taste good to deer. Not just the leaves and fruit, mind you, but the whole friggin plant! I did a little research and was mildly surprised to discover that deer are ruminants just like cattle. That is, they both have four stomachs and go after greens. Unlike cattle, however deer are browsers while cows are grazers. Without going into detail, what this means is that deer require a slightly higher caliber diet than do their brethren livestock. They also like to eat more frequently, but in small amounts than the grazers do. The bottom line is that good old Odocoileus virginianus (or white-tailed deer to the rest of us) will just about eat anything in the garden that isn’t tied down. Not only do they love the entire tomato plant but likewise for those prized pepper varieties that take forever to grow. So, if you have deer where you live you need to come up with a plan to protect yourself from their glutinous habits. I have found that simple barricades are just not enough. If you really want to be safe, plan on erecting a fence or other similar barrier. That’s my plan for next year!

Chili #3

Chili Experiment #2

This second batch was similar to the first, with the exception that I used the following new additives:

1 small Bananarama bell pepper

½ tsp brown sugar

¼ tsp vinegar, white

2 green onions

1 tsp basil, dried

1 pc bacon, chopped

Dash salt, pepper and garlic salt

I also used extra lean 93/7 hamburger 0.93 lb that cost 3.89 per lb for a total of $3.62.

The chili mix was a package of McCormick Hot Chili seasoning Mix. I also did this deal in the crockpot after first cooking the hamburger and bacon and green onions in a pan over medium heat.

The beans and tomatoes remained the same so from a nutritional standpoint the only real changes were the brown sugar and the bacon.

This meal was begun at 4PM in the afternoon. I was also the sole judge this time.

Results:

I was able to make five 7 ounce tubs for storage from this run. All tubs were marked and placed in the deep freeze in the garage. I had enough left for a few tablespoons.

Not too bad. You definitely feel the increased heat with this dish. No doubt due to the package mix. Not a dish my father would approve of. I like this a little more than #1 and want to continue experimenting in this direction, but with the following changes:

1) I would like the chili to be a little milder – this may take care of itself when I add some crackers and shredded cheese with I did not have for the taste test.

2) I would like to add more onions and bell pepper pieces. I like the added crunch.

3) I could see just a few more beans in this dish.

4) I did not miss the corn.

Purple Coneflowers

On the right is a group of Purple Coneflowers I picked from the front planting area in my yard. These were grown by me from seed two seasons ago and just flowered this year. I started with something like twelve seeds and did not see much the first year in the way of plants. Then, during the winter, they all but disappeared only to come back very strong this spring. Wow.

An Experimental Chili Recipe

I decided to go on a chili recipe development craze and came up with this first . It was not too bad. Click anywhere on this text to expand the notes. Experiment number two will be coming shortly.

Recent Salmonella Scare

In the news, recently, there has been some talk about tomatoes being removed from shelves due to contamination with a rod-shaped bacterium called Salmonella, that is too small to be seen without the aid of a microscope. I think there have been a number of well-known fast food enterprises (you know who they are) that have removed just about all tomatoes from their foods in response to these reports.

My feeling is that, while a few people my get sick and suffer from abdominal craps and diarrhea, the published stories may have been just a little bit overblown by the media. (Gee. When has that ever happened before?) If you are really concerned, just make it a point to boycott fast food venues for a while (not a bad idea anyway) and frequent local vegetable stands for some good old American, I-grew-it-right-here, organic produce. I’m not saying that even farmer John’s produce might not also be contaminated from time to time, but if you always practice good hygiene when you handle your food, you will probably not have that much to worry about.

Fall Flowers in Spring?

It may just be me but it seems that everything is coming up a little earlier than it used to. While driving around today, I reflected that we are only just into the second week in June and with the official start of summer another ten days off and already I’m seeing roadside flowers like Queen Ann’s lace, purple coneflower and even orange milkweed. I could have sworn these are early fall plants. Perhaps there is something to say for global warming after all.

Brandywine Time

In spite of generally cold and overcast conditions that have defined much of our spring so far, I have gone ahead and prepared a small planting of tomatoes. Here in southwest Missouri we have certainly been blessed with our fair share of rainfall lately. As of the 12^th of April 2008, we have 21.77 inches of rain so far this year. That’s against an average of about twelve inches and has been enough to flood the Bull Shoals River next to my house. It so bad that the small park next to the river is under about twenty feet of water at this time.

A good time to start some seeds, or so I thought. So how about getting some good old tomato seeds planted in a couple of starter pots! The seed I planted this date are a heirloom called Brandywine which I’m sure many folks out there are familiar with. They have won numerous awards over the years and arguably are one of the best tasting tomatoes of all time. You might say what they lack in appearance (it is an ugly looking tomato so don't let the stock picture fool you) are more than made up for in taste. Could there be a moral here somewhere?

My Vegetable Salad Analysis

Later in the growing season, say about July. There is nothing quite like harvesting a bit of lettuce along with whatever else is growing. Once these veggies are combined,  they form a leafy salad that is just chock full of nutrition. Right now, that's just a dream as there is nothing in the garden to harvest at this point in time.

The idea of a fresh salad, however, stuck in my mind and so off to the kitchen I went to throw one together from stuff bought at the local grocery. And, it was at that moment that I got the idea to make an effort to discover just what exactly I was going to eat from a nutritional standpoint. So, digital scale in one hand and veggies in the other I came up with the following. Please note that the Bacon Ranch Dressing I used is from some company called AWG that makes Best Choice products among other things. Click on the picture at right for a better look!

Latin Chicken Recipe

While I'm on a recipe kick, here is a really great dish that looks complicated but is not. I got the original idea from watching a Rachael Ray program on TV. I made a few minor changes of my own and viola a masterpiece is born.

I've made this a number of times for friends and have always gotten rave reviews. The two sauces, one sweet and one spicy really come together nicely. If you do decide to serve this, just be ready with plenty of extra. If someone out there does try this, please let me know what you think. I would also be interested in any variations that might be out there.

Only 500 Calories! Well...mostly!

Here is a recipe that I recently came up with as part of the diet I've been trying this spring. It's called the South Beach Diet and it does work. A doctor wrote the book and his ideas make a lot of sense. Just a while ago, I've gotten away from the diet. This may be to my eventual detriment but I digress. The recipe is simple goes together fast. Best of all, it's filling while still within bounds in the calorie department. Instead of chili, you can try any of a number of pasta combinations that suit you taste. I used a George Foreman Grill to quickly grill the chicken breast and since I had made the chili and pasta ahead of time I was able to throw this on the table in just minutes.

Hint: Click on the picture at right to enlarge it for viewing or printing.

Rain, rain, go away…

Yes, welcome to Water World, formerly known as Forsyth Missouri! It’s a Saturday and as I sit here, the rain is gently fall outside. Actually its been falling a lot lately. I can’t help but think that perhaps we may not have to worry about a nasty old drought this year after all! It’s only the end of March and this area has had over fourteen inches of rain with more forecast over the next few days. Average rainfall through March ( for Branson Mo. would be 8.2 inches so we are some 6 inches ahead (the actual figures for today, March 29 at 12 noon, are 14.30” – 8.2” = 6.1” ahead). As a result, the local rivers are often out of their banks and the dam system is struggling to get a handle on all the runoff. All this water does have some good effects not the least of which is the replenishment of the local water table.

On days like this when I'm couped up in the house and I have a choice between housework and goofing off. Well you know how that works. I went out into my garage and prepared a new 35 cell tray of starter cells for the reception of seeds that are to be announced. I also prepared a small 12 seed starter set and planted some Four Seasons lettuce in them. These red tinged lettuce plants will add some color to my spring salads when they are mature in about 45 days. The seed starters I use quite often are made by Park Seed and are called Park Starts. I order most of my garden supplies from either Burpee Seed or Park Seed and have never been let down.

A Nifty Storage Container

As I anticipate my vegetable harvests to come, I would like to share what a great storage container I’ve found little butter container to be. Last summer I was just about to throw one of these out (it was a Parkay margarine container) when it struck me that it might make a good container to freeze the many soups and sauces I like to make. I was looking, at that time, for a way to freeze up small portions of my vegetable beef soup and spaghetti sauce that traditionally went bad after a short time in the fridge. In the case of the Parkay container, I found each would hold about 7 ounces of soup or sauce. This turned out to be just about right for the diet I was on at the time. In the case of the soup, each serving had about 150 calories, was low in cholesterol and saturated fat and (because I did not use any) was reasonably low in sodium. As time went on, I began to collect these little guys rather than throwing them away. I made sure to clean them well (they survive the dishwasher) and then make up large batches of a sauce or soup that gets placed into the deep freeze while the contents are still hot. So far, I have never been sick as a result and feel like I’m doing a little to recycle.

Broadleaf Italian Parsley

Parsley is a must around my home. Above is a picture of broadleaf or Italian parsley that was recently transplanted into the garden and that is known for its flavor. I grow at least a couple of bunches each season to decorate dishes and to use in some of my recipes. Back in ancient Greece, it was used in funeral ceremonies long before it found its way to the table as a decoration. Later on in pre-history it was used in the Middle Ages as a herbal medicine principally for ailments of the liver and kidneys. In modern times, while not used in mainstream medicine, some doctors prescribe a parsley tea for young female patients with bladder problems. A good source of information concerning herbs can be found in 'Rodale's Illustrated Enclclopedia of Herbs'.

It's All About the Soil

“So why is the condition of your garden soil so darn important when it comes to growing stuff? Hey, aren’t all soils basically nothing more than weathered, decomposed rock and mineral fragments mixed with air and water?”

Yes, that’s a good definition of sterile soil alright. However, fertile soil (the kind you must have to grow stuff) contains a whole slew of nutrients that are in a readily available form which plants require to flourish. The roots of a plant act as little miners moving through the soil and bringing needed minerals into the plant roots. However, by themselves the roots are not able to transport the nutrients through their cell walls. They require a number of environmental factors be present in order for everything to work. Chief among these factors is the soil pH which is a measure of acidity and alkalinity. The closer the soil is to a neutral pH (about 7.0), the better the uptake of minerals for plant growth will be all things considered. Other factors that need to be presence in a proper balance are; air, humus (organic matter), water and microbes. The clay and sand particles supply what is know as ‘crumb’ structure which supplies tiny spaces that allow for the containment of air and water in close proximity to the humus organic matter. If all these factors are ‘in balance’ you have a soil that will be able to ‘feed’ your plants and a healthy garden will result.

However, please remember that if things get out of balance, the plant will suffer. For example, one of the things that can go wrong in the garden is soil that becomes too compacted either by foot traffic or improper tillage. This action removes those tiny spaces which decrease the amount of air and water the soil can hold. So tread lightly.

Another common problem is caused when improper soil amendments are added which may change the pH to either too acid or too alkaline. If the pH is not close to neutral, the nutrients which are in the form of anions (negatively charged particles) or cations (positively charged particles) become tied up and therefore not available to the plant roots. Still other things that can go wrong involve the use of so-called fertilizers that contain high amount of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK). In high concentrations, they can also upset the overall balance you are trying to achieve. In addition to this, they tend to leach quickly from the soil, after a rain, to go on and pollute waters downstream.

It is far better to use natural compost in your garden as this material acts as both a nutrient buffer and reservoir for the plants to draw substance from as they need them. If you do not have a compost pile already, you should go ahead and start one today. They are easy to setup and more importantly you can supply them with all of your vegetable peelings and leftovers (anything but meats which tend to attract animals) rather than throwing them into the trash where they will end up in some landfill.

A Spring Morning in the Park