Chicken Coop Envy

For years while I was dreaming about having my own garden, I also dreamt of egg laying chickens frolicking in the yard and being able to simply go and get fresh eggs everyday. It was a "city girl wanting a country life" type of dream and the reality of chickens never happened (not yet anyway). But lo and behold, the next best thing to actually owning chickens is your friendly neighbors owning chickens.

That is what happened last week in the neighborhood. My good friends and neighbors bought three beautiful chickens. Handy Tod built the chicken coop and I had the pleasure of finding the first egg when his wife Molly and I ventured out in the rain to check on them. The kids were beside themselves and Jacob started to point across the street and saying "bok bok bok". Now all Molly and Tod have to do is become chicken experts and I suspect will be supplying all us close friends (wink wink) with fresh eggs. They have named the new members of their family Kennie and Toddie.

Fall Splendor

Usually this time of year is my favorite. Okay well it's a second close to mid summer when the entire garden is in bloom. Fall has it's own mystique and vibrancy and depending where one lives it can be breathtaking.

He wants the biggest one!

So many pumpkins, so little time

I went with Jacob to The Flower Farmer in Canby. Although I had gone to Sauvie's Island in the past, this place had a train and well, in my house anyplace with a train wins. Truly beautiful and set on acres of land where children run around trying to pick the perfect pumpkins. The mini train makes one stop so the kids can feed the animals (donkey, chickens, goats and rabbits) and then goes onto the patch. They even get to pick out their own little pumpkins. It's much quieter than Sauvie's Island (where I usually go) and there are spots to sit (and play) where you can totally be on your own if you choose. There is a farmer's market as well that is quaint and sells the seasonal offerings. Flower Farmer also sells lots of flowers in the summer months and does an annual Basil & Art Festival in August.

ROLLING GREENS

There is nothing like walking into a place and having a moment of profound awestruck inspiration. Such a moment happened this morning when I visited Rolling Greens Nursery in Los Angeles. This is a mecca of all things creative in the world of gardens, flowers, beach and cottage outdoor/indoor design. This is not just a nursery but an overflow of ideas and inspiration the likes of which I haven't seen in quite a while. It makes me understand that all spaces can flow and be intrinsically connected through color, themes and amazing ideas. Whether you want ethnic, rustic, beachy or elegant...this space had it all. I spent an hour just walking around and taking photos. Today's posting is a sampling of the unbelievable installations that I saw within various parts of the nursery.

Old Macdonald had a farm!

looking through some old photos I came across some memorable visits to pumpkin patches and farms and decided that my post today was in honor of this slow seasonal change that is upon us. I am excited to take Jacob to his first pumpkin patch on Sauvie's Island and I am sure he will be standing in the middle of the field trying to lift multiple pumpkins.

It seems as if summer flew by and today at the store I saw orange everywhere and people buying halloween costumes. I will blink once and then it will be Turkey day and lights and the smell of pine Christmas trees. I am trying to enjoy every moment but sometime it just zooms by in chunks of time. Why did it seem to go by so slowly when we were kids?

TOMATO DAYS

When I was a little girl in Russia I remember having a love for a plain and pure tomato. Well actually it was tomato with salt. Russians must love their salt because there is nothing like tasting a beautifully ripe tomato sprinkled with a little salt. As summer is coming to a close the tomatoes here in Portland are finally starting to ripen. Today I stepped outside to find the vines sprinkled with red, orange and yellow tomatoes of varying shapes and sizes. I ate two heirlooms and a handful of sun gold and sweet 100's before lunch. YUM. The hardest thing about planting tomatoes is picking which variety you want and then staggering the various kinds in such a way that you have an abundance of tomatoes throughout the season. Aside from picking the usual suspects it is wise to get adventurous and try out purple, black and even white heirlooms. Each has a unique acidity that adds a great assortment of color to salads and other dishes. 

There were of course other things in the garden today but I was neglecting them because my focus was on gathering as many tomatoes as I could. My neighbor Molly just informed me that you can freeze tomatoes whole for the winter. I've never tried that but that might be something to do this weekend.

Little Hands, Little Feet

I was asked recently to write an article for a friend starting up a website about children. I started thinking a lot about children and gardening. What age do children begin to understand nature and how do we begin to teach them about plants and the connection to food? How can we as parents encourage the natural curiosity that our children display for all things nature. In my case, I recall that my son (now 18 months) was able to focus with his eyes on trees and flowers when he was just a tiny infant. I spent the first summer of his life trying to be outside as much as possible. When he started walking at 13 months it was just about springtime and all the flowers in the garden had emerged, thus I took the opportunity to walk around smelling everything. He waddled behind me, carefully observing and watching my every move. It was only a month or two later that he started picking the flowers himself, leaning over to smell them "like mommy" and handing them to me.


Digging in dirt is as fun as digging in sand and another way for babies, toddlers and children of all ages to connect to the earth and for us adults to begin a dialogue about what things we can plant and how with water, care and sun we can grow food. My son eats a lot of vegetables and recently we picked green beans from the garden, along with cucumbers and baby tomatoes. Suddenly Jacob had interest from a different perspective. He would run to the back garden and point to the cucumber and want to eat it straight from the vine. He walks around to inspect the color of tomatoes and is learning that green is not as good as red. Even now, after all the raspberries have disappeared, he still walks to the canes and points up at the leaves as if he knows those little berries should be there. It is magical to see the connections in his mind that he now makes in regards to some of the foods he eats. It it this awareness at a young age that I feel helps children to understand not only the importance of where food comes from but the cycle of seasons and how change in nature reflects so many things in this world.

Hollyhocks, Sweet Pea and Toddlers Oh My!

Stepped outside the door a couple of days ago and the fragrant scent of sweet pea engulfed almost the entire periphery of the house. My 17 month old son has discovered that he can pick flowers (among other things) and smell them (or at least pretend to smell them). He has also delighted in the fact that you can pick the petals off the leaves and throw them up in the air. Maybe he thinks they will fly.

The portland weather has been cool and many things in the garden seem to be very behind. No cukes, only flowers and tomatoes are inching closer to ripeness but if the rain and lack of sun continues then we will be lucky to get tomatoes at all this year. The only positive news is that this cooler weather has allowed the kale, swiss chard and certain lettuces to really take off. My newest love of the week is lemon basil which I planted on a fluke and have been using it in everything (salads, fish and chicken dishes, etc.)

THE BEAUTY OF COLOR

I have embarked on a journey of creative collision. One that involves my camera, my garden and the divine dance between earth and sky. I have spent a few days digging in the dirt, picking berries and trying to capture the magic that only happens once a year when all things bloom at the perfect moment during the season. I walk outside my door here in Portland and am instantly seduced by the scent of roses everywhere, the vibrancy of blue Delphiniums and the promise that tomorrow there will be more. I've never planted snapdragons as they are typically annuals and I prefer perennials, but after this one planting I can see why people come back to this flower year after year. They are amazing cut flowers and visually fill in a variety of spaces.

Have you ever had a real berry?

What is a real berry? I am browsing the supermarket and I pick up a plastic container of strawberries. They are somewhat glossy, large and an average shade of red. The problem here folks is that these strawberries like many do not taste like real berries. The kind of berries you used to eat when you were a kid from your grandmothers backyard. The kind of berry that you can smell when you sit at the table and is so juicy and flavorful that you cannot help grab handfuls. These berries are not uniform in shape, they are not grotesquely large...but just the sight of them and you know they are organic, natural and REAL. Sure you can go to the farmer's market and ask for organic berries but to me there is nothing that beats rolling up your sleeves and picking them yourself. Berry picking season is now upon us. I highly recommend the trip to a u-pick farm with the family. Not only will you have fun plucking berries but you will eat your share right there on the spot. Picking is also great for future freezing (that is a note to all you morning shake fans who use frozen fruit and pay a fortune for it). My newly discovered passion of the last few years are Boysenberries and Marionberries and I cannot wait to pick them. While there are many U-pick farms around (you can find one in your area by going to pickyourown.org), the berry picking season is short (May-July for Strawberry, Boysenberry, Marionberry & Rasberry).

The little white puffs

We all hate weeds. I personally loathe them. They are wicked little things that make gardening so much more time consuming than it should be. One such weed that seems to pop up everywhere no matter how hard I try to keep it in check is the Dandelion. While many people think of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a pesky weed, herbalists consider it a valuable herb with many culinary and medicinal uses. To most of us the display of those yellow flowers is just another sign that we have to put on our gloves and head outside for some much needed work. Having spent years complaining about this weed I have never fully looked at or considered it's beauty at certain times. I have recently (through my son) been appreciating and admiring the metamorphosis of the little white puff ball that accompanies this pesky and sometimes prickly plant. Upon close inspection (see photo) it is amazing to see the uniformity and perfection of nature as the flower turns into a delicate puff of seeds that are carried away...or in my house...blown away by an eager toddler. Now I understand why fields and fields of dandelion puffs can be the most fun afternoon for young eyes. I will continue to remove them from my flower beds and lawn but the artist in me has decided to let nature take its course (at least until my son moves on from his puff ball fascination).

Sorrel Soup?

For the last 4 seasons of growing I've been enchanted and annoyed at this huge green and abundant plant in my herb garden known as Sorrel. It was there when I moved in and for a while I had no idea what it was until my mother tasted it and excitedly pronounced that it was "Schevel". In Russia it turns out, this is a popular plant used to make a cold soup. So now I pick the leaves and take to my mother and let her have her fun making this soup. In the summer a good Sorrel plant will grow to be quite large and will bolt and flower. The best time to pick is in cooler weather when the leaves are younger and not as sour. Garden Sorrel is almost impossible to find in stores (just like another Russian favorite Black Radishes...more on those later) and so growing it is about the only option. The soup itself is an acquired taste and there are variations on the recipe depending on if you are in Russia, Ukraine, Poland or other parts of Eastern Europe. Below is my mother's recipe to try if one dares on a hot day.



In other news...lettuce bed is growing great. Too much rain for tomatoes (yellow leaves) and I've planted 6 different varieties. Seems like another late growing season for Portland. As of beginning of June there are no open roses which has Portlanders freaking out. My rose trellis had two roses on it last week that were open. SUN SUN where are you? I am hearing that the Portland rose gardens normally filled with freshly opened roses are bare and only buds abound. Horrible for the Rose Festival season. What is worse is that because of all the rain...cherry pickers across the NW are having a difficult time and worried that they will not have ripe cherries for peak 4th of July holiday. Even my strawberries are only flowering!!!

I cannot keep Jacob (my son) out of the garden. He has decided that he would like to remove the marigolds that were planted in the tomato beds and that dirt is very fun. If he could sit in it all day he would. Very excited about exposing him to how food grows and having him pick berries from our yard.

Revekka's simple Sorrel Soup (Scha-vel)

Ingredients:
Water
salt
bunch of fresh Sorrel leaves (you can combine with fresh spinach as well)
green onions
hard boiled eggs
fresh cucumber
sour cream

bring pot of water to a boil.
chop a bunch of fresh sorrel (you can also do 1/2 sorrel and 1/2 fresh spinach)
throw in boiling water, sprinkle a little salt into water.
boil for 5 minutes. Take off stove and let soup cool
Separately boil a few eggs till they are hard boiled (cool)
Once soup is cool (at least room temp), ladle it into a bowl,
add a Tblsp. of cold sour cream (or more if you want it more creamy)
chop 1 hard boiled egg, green onion, fresh cucumber all into the bowl and serve.
If you want the soup to be super cold them cool it in the fridge first.

SPRING PLANTING AND RHUBARB CRAZY

It has been quite a while since my last posting. I have been busy becoming a mother (15 months ago) and also taking care of my own mother. Several seasons have come and gone but now I have a new little person to share my love of nature, gardening and photography with. I noticed within just a few weeks time that the Rhubarb I planted a year ago has doubled in size. I now have enough to make several pies or jars of jam and freeze some for the winter. Rhubarb was something I never thought I would like and it was an homage to my late father that I decided to plant it in my garden. Lo and behold, after making Rhubarb jam I fell in love with the sweet/tart combo and now I am hooked (now I know why my father always wanted me to try it).

Jacob my son is now walking and exploring the back yard and garden. He is obsessed with the garden boxes and wants to pick the leaves (see below). He is aware of the world around him and pointing to birds and bugs with awe and the sheer excitement that comes from seeing such creatures for the first time.

As for spring planting, I got alot of things in the ground a couple of weeks ago but it was still too cold for cukes and tomatoes. The chives are in abundance (great with scrambled eggs). This weekend is when my favorite veggies will go into the ground and I will pray for a good sunny summer here in Portland. I am eagerly awaiting June and July for the full and awesome display of flowers. The trellis is covered with greenery and tiny buds that will soon bloom into what is still my favorite flower, the rose.