Making Salad out of Spring Greens & How about green tomatoes?!

Hello Everyone!

It has been awhile since I've posted!  Summer does that to me.  However, what we call Summer up here on Vashon Island would fall under the heading "Spring" in most of California.  I imagine you know what I mean..

But, is this a bad thing?  Not really.
Every year is a blessing to be appreciated, every month is a gift, and every day is a present.  As long as we keep this in mind, it'll also be easy to see all the good that comes with a cool Summer...

• Did you plant snow peas this year?  I am STILL picking them out of my garden - on a hot year, they are gone by June.
• Did you plant lots of tomato plants?  Well, this is our opportunity to practice growing them without ever feeling exhausted by too many tomatoes to keep up with!  (that's a stretch...I know)

But...

• How about the fact that the Fall Berry Season will be super plump this year?  Let's spend our canning energy on lots of jam that can last for years on the shelf...then on a hot year, we put up a couple or so years of tomato sauce, etc.
• I STILL have homemade applesauce from a bumper crop we had four (that's right - 4) years ago! 
• This has been the perfect year for SALAD out of the garden - while our lettuce finally bolted (most of it), my chard is soft and young, my kale is delicious, and I'm still enjoying brocolli and cauliflower and cabbage from our Spring planting.

Long story short - don't let the weather people fool you.  THEY say sunny is a good day and rainy is a bad day - we'll pumping water that is 1,000's of years old our of our aquifer on a hot day is NOT my idea of a great plan for a Summer evening!  Every rainy day is another drop INTO the aquifer...and that means another generation that can happily live on this beautiful island.

Today, as we begin the Fall properly, I'd like to toast a perfect, Northwestern Summer...here's to ya, Mama Earth!  Job well done!

Warmly,

March

Our Berries Are Headed to Strawberry Festival!!

Yum!!

We just got a call from a food vendor who wants 

to make syrup from Vashon Strawberries

for Strawberry Festival!

How fun is that?  So...our luscious berries (frozen

and fresh) will bring joy to many this coming

festival weekend!

Thanks, Nanette!

Viva la waffles with 

REAL Vashon Strawberry Syrup!

Winter Subscriptions Available NOW!

From our Farm to Your Pantry...

A Four Month Subscription

to wholesome & delicious, organically grown, family farmed

Spring & Summer treats during the Winter Months

for your and yours!

While many people enjoy the fruits of the abundant 

land we live in...not all of us have the time necessary 

to preserve the bounty!  

Esperanza Farm Winter Subscription

$350

November - February

-------------------

(1)

Once a Month Pick-Up!

(These items are "non-perishable," so you can come by just once a month

and pick up your goodies!)

(2)

Surprises in every box!

(Every month you'll get a different flavor of:  tea, fruit leather (perfect for kid's lunches), 4 jars of jam, apple pie mix, and 4 jars of frozen berries - perfect for yogurt, smoothies, pie,

on ice cream, in oatmeal...and more!)

We're taking Subscriptions NOW! 
(Early Sign Ups Allow More to Join)

Contact March Twisdale
Phone:  473-1643 
Email:  Esperanzavashon@gmail.com

Lights of Springtime

OUR LIGHTS OF SEEDLING SPRING!

This is one of those frames that comes with a large plastic cover - for outdoor greenhousing.

We find that it grows mold when used that way - we never use the plastic.

The metal tray under the whole thing is a blessing - keeping our wood flooring safe and dry.

That's one of those oil spill catching things they sell at car supply stores.

Our seeds LOVE living in a south facing window with no shade trees around the house.

These lights are special - ask at the store which will work for plants - and we've got them mounted on 

long pieces of wood which then have screws for the chains to go around.

This system allows extremely quick and easy lowering or raising of the lights - CRUCIAL!

To really get good effect, you need the lights no more than 2 inches from the top leaves

of the plant.  It takes a bit of organizing, but it's worth it.

Some things to keep in mind:

(1)

You want to plant seeds in waterproof trays that will all grow to about the same height.

If I put tomatoes (tall) and basil (short) in the same tray - then you see the trouble with the lights, right?

(2)

The heat of your home is getting a "second use" by keeping the seeds warm!

(3)

Seedlings take some time (not much) but they save tons of money!

Just our tomato plants alone, when ready to go into the garden, would have cost us $200 

if we bought them from someone else!  AND we got to choose our own varieties.

We'll talk more about this in the early Winter!

Happy Summer for now...

Cultivate a Seed Bank you'll LOVE eating!

Do you pull up all of your carrots?

Do you yank out those darn lettuces once they bolt and turn bitter?

Do you spend time "weeding" out old plants that are going to seed?

STOP!

Have you heard of the advice to continually sow successive generations of plants?

This lengthens your harvest period and increases your yield, right?

WOULD YOU LIKE THE PLANTS TO DO THIS FOR YOU?

If you say YES, then do what we do!

Leave in several of each plant variety...and let them go to seed!  Once plants

have established themselves "wildly" in your garden, THEY will naturally offer

up several "crops" per season...all on their own!

Right now we have the following, and you can too, after one year of "letting them bolt!"

(1)

We have Strawberries full of ripe berries AND new plants 

just getting started (with everything in between).

(2)

We have fully ripened chamomile AND new babies just a few inches tall.

(3)

Some of our "wild" lettuces went to seed back in early April,

some are going to seed now, some are about to go to seed, 

and a ton are babies or just perfect for the salad!

(4)

We have parsnips almost in seed,

parsnips that are almost ready to harvest,

and some that are just getting started.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

AN OVERLY CLEANED UP GARDEN IS A LOT OF WORK

& NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST FOOD PRODUCER!

LET THEM GO TO SEED!

Slugs...Slugs! SLUGS!

Am I worried?

Actually...no.

We've done the same thing year after year, home 

after home, from California to Washington!

And it works.

It's called The Slug Boat, and it will:

SAVE TIME

SAVE MONEY

SAVE YOUR PLANTS

and all with

Zero Animal Cruelty!

As you can see, we've used a pair of kitchen tongs to gather a group of European Slugs (we never get the banana slugs in the garden).

Three weeks ago - Slug Hunt #1 - 112 slugs relocated (1 hour)

Two weeks ago - Slug Hunt #2 - 54 slugs relocated (1 hour)

One week ago - Slug Hunt #3 - 27 slugs relocated (30 min.)

Two hours ago - Slug Hunt #4 - 15 slugs relocated (15 min.)

It takes 1 month of regular slug "hunting" and next year will see AT LEAST a 50% drop in numbers, and so on each year.  

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL HUNT, 

you simply take a walk to a nearby open space or empty grassy lot and relocate those slimy yet gentle creatures!

**Timing is everything - head out around 8pm, 7am, or in the rain!**

HAPPY HUNTING!

Harvest on purpose - weed by accident!

This is where one of our grapevines lives.

When we gathered soil from our garden (in the Winter) to prepare the wine barrel

for the vines, we brought along the "seed bank" that our garden currently has.

While I did plant strawberries on purpose as a cover crop, I clearly didn't need to.

All that you see (lettuces, herbs, even parsnips) are volunteers.

Every day (for health and for savings) I wander my garden in search of salad.

I've noticed that, in past years when I sometimes forgot to eat what I grew, I would have

to PLAN to weed.  They would get so bad, I'd spend a long afternoon on the job.

This year, as our need to eat out of the garden is greater, I'm finding that I naturally

see and yank out weeds as I'm gathering my family's salad.  I haven't 

had to set aside time to weed more than once this whole Spring!!!

So, my advice on this is two-fold:

(1)

Let your good plants go to seed and build a "seed bank" that you LOVE!

(2)

Eat what you grow as often as possible - and the weeding will happen almost by accident!

Happy Spring and Salads, everyone!