Impact Community Garden Gets Compost Bins

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Dave @ HappyAcres

I’m just putting the finishing touches on some new compost bins at the Impact Community Garden. We decided we needed to do a better job of dealing with our garden waste, and I volunteered to make the composter. I made the bins out of recycled wooden pallets I picked up at one of our local recycling centers. Some of the pallets needed a little work, but I was able to make minor repairs to them so they would serve our purposes.

assembling the compost bins (click on any image to enlarge)

The new bins are much like my Brown Gold Yugo compost bins here at Happy Acres, with a few significant differences. After repairing any broken slats, I stapled some poultry netting to one side of the pallets. The chicken wire goes on the inside and serves to keep the compost from falling out through the slats. I was able to reuse some chicken wire that I had previously used around our garden but was in need of replacement. It worked well on the pallets.

inside of compost bin showing poultry netting and door header

I assembled these pallets together using wire that I looped around the 2×4 parts of the pallets at the back corners. You can see how I did it in the below photo. This was much easier, and less expensive than the metal hardware I used for the bins at HA. And the bins are no less sturdy either. I used some 18 gauge wire I had on hand.

pallets are wired together at the corners

I also used pallets to make doors for the composter. I hinged them with some heavy duty galvanized hinges that should outlast the pallets themselves. The doors are a little heavy to open, but then the only time you really need to open them is when you are removing compost, or moving material from one bin to another. The last detail is a piece of 1×4 I used as sort of a door header that serves to keep the sides a little more stable. I got the idea from fellow blogger Emily’s compost bins. I notched the 1×4 to fit the pallets, and you can see it more clearly in the second photo above.

two hinges for each door

We decided to locate the bins in an odd-shaped part of the garden where the fencing takes a little zig-zag. There’s not enough room to really plant much there, but plenty of room for the compost bins. I think we could actually add a third bin in the future if needed.

side view of compost bins in their little nook

I’m happy with how the composter turned out. The wood will weather to a uniform gray color, and will look better than the unsightly piles of waste we had before. And the bins should promote faster composting of the material too. We have a source for some goat manure that should be a nice addition to the bins, and to the garden after it’s composted.

finished compost bins

While I had the camera with me at the garden I got some photos of what’s growing there. We’ve still got some nice fall crops growing, including kale, collards, lettuce, Asian greens and even some broccoli heading up – all in early December! I hope you enjoyed hearing about our new compost bins. And maybe it will give someone else ideas about how to make their own composter.

broccoli is heading up

 

Purple Rapa Pop mix Mustard greens

Mizuna Kyoto

Winterbor kale

collard greens

Merlot lettuce

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Covering Up & Cleaning Up the Garden

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Dave @ HappyAcres

Around here it’s time to get the garden ready for winter. We’ve had several killing frosts, so all the tender plants are done for the season. I’ve been taking advantage of the warmer days to work outside whenever possible. And we’ve certainly had some nice weather lately, though once again we could sure use some rain. We got less than an inch total in November, which doesn’t bode well for replenishing our supplies after the drought this summer. I would gladly give up a work day if it got rained out by a good all-day soaking rain!

One thing on my to-do list is getting the cold frames ready for winter. This summer I covered them with bird netting, to keep out the wildlife but let in sunlight and rain.

cold frame covered with mesh bird netting (click on any image to enlarge)

That worked out well, so I decided to leave the netting on this winter and put on the polyester row cover material right on top of it. I’m using Agribon 19 material to cover the cold frame lids, which normally gives the plants plenty of winter protection in our area. You can read more about how I build my cold frames in this article.

cold frames covered with Agribon material

In front of the cold frames you can see the cardboard I am putting down on the paths and around the edges of all the beds. My goals is to smother the weeds, while recycling the cardboard. As long as it doesn’t blow away, it will definitely keep the weeds down. Once it gets good and wet it should stay in place. I pick up the cardboard boxes at the kitchen where I volunteer. They don’t recycle them there, so I am helping out by doing my own brand of recycling. I also bring home rotten produce sometimes for the compost pile. I just hate to see organic material go to waste.

mix of lettuces

We’ve been eating lettuce from one of the cold frames for a couple of months now, but there’s still plenty in there. I will be replanting some of it soon with some transplants I’m growing in the greenhouse. If you look closely you might see some chickweed and dead nettle in there too. Looks like I need to add weeding to my to-do list too!

shredder ready for action

Another chore I started this past weekend was shredding up our leaves. We don’t have a lot of them, but what we do have are like brown gold to the garden. Shredding helps them break down much quicker. I put some of them in the compost bins, and others went directly on garden beds. I don’t like to put whole leaves on the compost pile because they tend to get matted up and resist breaking down. I’m also shredding a few other items when I use the shredder, like some trimmings from our shrubs. I pulled up the dead basil plants and ran them through, and that bag really smelled great!

shredded leaves on the compost pile

I always think of my dad whenever I use the shredder. He always shredded his leaves and gave them to me to put on my garden. Raking leaves always brings back memories too. When I was a kid we would rake them up into big piles and then jump in them. Back then we burned them, in the days before we knew about global warming or air pollution. These days I value them as free organic material.

straw covering garlic bed

It’s also time to give the garlic beds a protective covering of straw. I haven’t seen any sprouts yet, except for the ones I planted for green garlic. Some of them were already sprouting, so they had a head start. I won’t cover the garlic bed too deep. A couple of inches of straw should be enough to keep weeds down and moderate temperature fluctuations. The straw I’m using has been aging all summer, so hopefully it won’t be adding too many weed seeds to the beds.

green garlic sprouting

About a month ago I planted a few dozen or so of the Asiatic type garlic cloves (Chinese Pink, Maiskij, Uzbek) for green garlic. They don’t last long in storage, but they are also the earliest to mature, so they are a good choice for green garlic. I planted these closely together, about 2 inches apart, since they will be pulled up next spring before they are mature. They will give us a nice taste of garlic before the main crop is ready to dig. Green garlic is so useful in the kitchen, and planting some is a great way to use those smaller cloves of garlic, or the ones that have started sprouting.

garden fencing

I have plenty of other garden chores left to do, like pulling up tomato vines, eggplants and peppers. I generally try and shred them too before adding to the compost pile. But the big project this week will be some new fencing for the main garden. I’ve got a contractor coming to do the hard work of digging the holes, setting the wooden posts, and putting up the new fence. But I’m going to tear down the old fencing myself and get rid of it, and that will take some time and effort. And I can’t do that before the new fence goes up, so I’ll have to be working along with the contractor. I’m expanding the garden a little bit too, so I am really looking forward to having a little bit bigger garden, plus a fence that really keeps the wildlife out!

 

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Photo Friday: Ace the Office Cat

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Dave @ HappyAcres

It’s been a little over three months since new cat Ace came to HA, but he has certainly made his way into all our hearts in that short period of time. He’s such a social creature, easy-going and friendly. And of course playful, since he’s only 8 months old. He really likes to hang out in my wife’s office. There’s so much interesting stuff in there!

For instance, he is fascinated by her printer, even when it isn’t doing anything. But when it starts up, he usually comes a running! Sometimes it seems like he’s just waiting for it to do something.

Ace checking out the printer (click on any image to enlarge)

However, he does spend a fair amount of time relaxing in her office too. My wife’s chair is a favorite hangout for him.

Ace in a favorite spot

Another day: same cat, same chair.

Deja vu all over again!

He doesn’t always wait for the chair to be empty. At least he doesn’t mind sharing his space!

Ace loves to share too

Who invited the paparazzi?

He does use the office for other things. Like getting a bath from Puddin. They spend a lot of time hanging out together, until she needs a little peace and quiet.

Ace gets a bath from Puddin, his mother figure

Then she heads to one of her hiding spots. Some of them work better than others, of course.

Puddin in tote bag: Can you see me now?

That’s an update on some of the feline happenings here at Happy Acres. I hope you enjoyed the update!

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Filling Your Own Ark, One Seed At A Time

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Dave @ HappyAcres

Most people are familiar with the story of Noah and his Ark, whereby God commanded Noah to build a boat and fill it with family, food and animals. The Ark was to serve as a sort of floating zoo to spare all of its occupants from the Great Flood that was to come. In recent years the Slow Food Movement has adopted the Ark idea with its Ark of Taste program, which serves to promote and preserve “delicious foods in danger of extinction”. More than 800 products from 50 countries have been added to the International Ark of Taste, and they include such diverse items as Viennese snails, Icelandic Goat, Huehuetenango Highland Coffee, Cheshire Cheese and Madagascar Mananara Vanilla. The list makes for interesting reading to say the least!

The U.S. has it’s own Ark of Taste, with 200 products currently listed. When I first checked out their list, it was interesting to see that I grow several of the vegetable varieties here at Happy Acres, including Lorz Italian and Inchelium Red garlic, Deer Tongue and Speckled lettuce, Jimmy Nardello pepper, and Amish Paste and Cherokee Purple tomatoes. Taste is all-important on the Slow Food Ark, and so is history, with many regional foods included. The Slow Food USA biodiversity committee evaluates Ark of Taste nominations, and many varieties submitted never make it ‘on board’.

Lorz Italian garlic (click on any image to enlarge)

The whole idea of the Ark of Taste got me to thinking about my own personal favorite foods. Since we grow a lot of our food ourselves, we get to pick and choose most of the individual varieties we eat. And I guess you could say my wife and I serve as our own evaluation committee. So with that in mind, if I had to ‘load up the Ark’ with the seeds of my favorite things, what would they be? What would make it on board, and what would be left behind?

Jimmy Nardello pepper

I’m already off to a good start with the above named varieties from the U.S. Ark of Taste. Cherokee Purple is my favorite heirloom tomato when it comes to flavor. Jimmy Nardello is a proven winner when it comes to tasty red peppers. And Lorz Italian is one of my favorite garlics, with good keeping qualities and consistently great production. Inchelium Red is a great garlic too. The jury is still out on Amish Paste tomatoes, though when they do produce here they are great for processing. One of my favorite tomatoes is Juliet, but it is a hybrid and probably not a good choice for seed saving. So I believe I will stick to open-pollinated varieties for my list. I think Eva Purple Ball would be a good choice, since it is a consistent producer with a good taste, and so very useful in the kitchen. I would also take Black Cherry, which is my favorite O.P. cherry tomato, and is tasty and reliable in the garden.

Eva Purple Ball tomato

As for lettuces, I would add Spotted Trout (aka Forellenschluss) to my Ark. It has a mild, buttery taste and it makes nice large tender leaves. And how could I have wilted lettuce without Simpson Elite or Red Sails? They both need to go too! I would also add some seeds for Oakleaf. It’s a classic, great tasting heirloom lettuce that does well in cooler weather. And for hotter weather I like Anuenue, which is a Batavian type that makes a crisp tender small head and is really good in all seasons. That should be enough lettuce to keep us supplied in salads.

Spotted Trout lettuce

But I also want to include some more substantial greens, like kale. I’d vote for Lacinato and Beedy’s Camden, since both do very well here and are my favorites for taste and production. It would make sense to include some Swiss chard, since it produces so much over a long season. But my wife is not so fond of the taste, and she would give vote against it. So no chard for us! But we both love arugula, and I have saved seed from some of my favorite tasting strains, so they have earned their spot on the Ark. Asian greens are a favorite here too so I’ll throw in some seeds for tatsoi and komatsuna. Ok, I think that’s enough greens, so what else would I take?

harvested komatsuna greens

For the squash family, I am really fond of the Striato d’Italia and Tondo Nizza zucchini and the Pennsylvania Dutch Longneck Squash. Gold Nugget is also a favorite winter squash of ours, and one that I never see available here commercially. It has a great taste and the smaller size is perfect for individual servings. I do like the dual purpose heirloom Tatume squash, so I think they will go along for the ride too.

Striata d’Italia and Tondo Nizza zucchini

Beans are something I can’t imagine not taking with me. Fortex and Helda are my two favorite pole green beans. And Red Noodle is a great yardlong bean, so productive even in the heat of summer. I’m not sure if I have a clear favorite bush bean, though Derby would be near the top of my list. And I haven’t grown many dry beans lately, so I’m not sure what I would pick there. The U.S. Ark of Taste has a lot of different dry beans, including ones I have heard of like Cherokee Trail of Tears, Jacob’s Cattle, Christmas Lima and Turkey Craw and ones that are new to me like Bolita, Marrowfat, and True Red Cranberry. Sounds like I need to start growing some more beans!

With all those vegetables on board I do want to have some herbs to season things up a bit. Some Genovese basil would be nice, along with Italian Flat Leaf parsley. I would also want chives, fennel, lemon balm, oregano and mint, so some cuttings and root divisions would be needed. Sage and rosemary would be nice too. Is the Ark getting crowded yet? Once I started thinking about this, it’s hard to stop including things!

fresh basil

And so far all I have mentioned is vegetables and herbs. I guess I really should think about adding some fruits to my personal Ark List. Maybe some fig cuttings, or a blackberry plant. I’ll save those for another time. Wait a minute – I haven’t got any okra, potatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, hot peppers, onions, carrots, radishes or kohlrabi either. And what about taking some of our own honey. Or maybe I should just take the beehive with me. Nothing like having 50,000 (or so) bees riding along with you in close quarters. It looks like I’m truly going to need a bigger boat!

So what would you put on your personal Ark of Taste? I’d love to hear what floats your boat…so to speak!

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Classic Wilted Lettuce Salad

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Dave @ HappyAcres

Classic Wilted Lettuce Salad

My wife has fond memories of her mother making this salad for her and her family when she was growing up. Her grandfather always had a garden, so it’s probable the lettuce was home grown. I don’t remember having it that often back then, and for me it was a real treat whenever I did. My family didn’t even eat leaf lettuce all that much, since iceberg was the preferred green. At any rate, this wilted lettuce salad is her spin on a classic treatment for lettuce. And it is one of my favorite salad treatments.

Red Sails and Simpson Elite lettuce for wilting

These days, it’s me growing the lettuce. And except during the heat of summer, I usually have plenty on hand for salads. I always plant certain varieties of leaf lettuce with this salad in mind. Varieties like Black Seeded Simpson, Simpson Elite, Red Sails and New Red Fire all have large tender leaves that work well for wilting, but any nice lettuce will do. The slightly crinkled leaves of most leaf lettuces do serve to help the dressing cling to the leaves.

heating up the dressing

The origins of wilted lettuce are somewhat obscure, and experts differ in their opinions on the subject. Given the sweet and sour dressing, it reminds me of a German or Pennsylvania Dutch dish. And considering that our region in Southern Indiana had a lot of German immigrants, that makes sense why it is popular here. And that certainly fits right in with my wife’s family too.

Classic Wilted Lettuce Salad with Slobolt lettuce

Classic Wilted Lettuce Salad with Slobolt lettuce

This version of a classic salad has less fat and more sugar than other recipes. You can adjust the quantities to suit your own tastes. We usually have this as a side dish, and let the lettuce play a starring role. The salad is best made right before serving.


Classic Wilted Lettuce Salad Print This Recipe Print This Recipe
a Happy Acres original

8 oz leaf lettuce, washed and drained
3 slices bacon
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar, divided
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash lettuce and drain well. Place in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar over lettuce.
2. In small skillet or fry pan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain. Reserve about 1 tsp of bacon grease in skillet.
3. Just before serving, add vinegar and remaining 1 tbsp of sugar to skillet. Heat to boiling, scraping bottom of pan to deglaze.
4. Pour hot dressing over lettuce, toss to coat leaves. Add salt and pepper if desired. Top with crumbled bacon pieces. Serve immediately.

Servings: 2

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 250 calories, 138 calories from fat, 15.5g total fat, 23.1mg cholesterol, 315.3mg sodium, 321.1mg potassium, 24.1g carbohydrates, 1.5g fiber, 19.8g sugar, 5.5g protein, 44.9mg calcium, 5.1g saturated fat.

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