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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

Last week I decided to harvest the chia seed from the plants. I had finished the actual chia plant harvest 
about a month ago, and the "heads" of the plants have been stored in open jars to continue the drying process. We hadn't grown chia before, so the learning curve was steep...
 Here are the dried heads I call em.  They are so poky, even when fresh. When blooming they have beautiful but small indigo flowers coming off of them. They remind me of artichoke plants but much smaller and pokier. OUCH.
 I started this process by shaking the jars. It worked a little.
 Then I would dump the jar upside-down to empty the seeds out.
 After blowing some of the husks off of the top of the seed collection, this is what they look like. A little lighter in color than those purchased in stores.
My whole yield was 1 TBSP. Although I am proud of it, that 1 TBSP came at a cost of: 2 seed packets, 20 feet of garden space, quite a few chia splinters, about 30 minutes of harvest time, and about 20 minutes seed-harvesting time. 

Granted, I didn't really know what I was doing. Afterwards I learned some cultures swat the plant with a fly-swatter. This method did not sound appealing to me, and I'm not too sure how effective it was at actually capturing the seeds. For seed spreading I get it... But really?

Why grow or eat chia?
Dr. Oz said to. Kidding. This one gets me every time. He really did say that you should. I would love for people to take me that seriously! But I'm not writing this as a shout out to Mehmet. Chia really is good for you. The seeds have ample quantities of Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for us for many reasons, anti-inflammatory mainly. The neato thing about these (versus the very popular flaxseed) is that they don't need to be ground. They also have a hefty amount of fiber which is pretty good for bowel health. (Fiber can work both ways on our digestive system so caution here if your bowels are sensitive.)

What's in chia?
Here is an approximation of what's in 1 TBSP:
70 calories
5 gm fat 
5 gm fiber
3 gm protein

How to eat chia?
They have some flavor dry, but I don't recommend eating them this way. I make a pudding or eat them mixed into oatmeal or sprinkled on yogurt.
Here is the recipe for the "pudding":
(if you don't like tapioca I'm not sure you would enjoy this)

Adapted from Whole Foods Chia Pudding--Serves 6
2/3 cup chia seeds
2 cups milk or milk substitute
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp maple syrup or both
Combine
Mix
Mix again later (takes at least 30 minutes to thicken)
When thickened, serve and enjoy

Cost
After growing and harvesting these little super seeds I can see why they are $8 a pound in the store. For the record, I do eat chia seeds on a fairly regular basis, but not daily. 

Yum Factor
I just made a single serving of the pudding above with the bountiful harvest. Although I feel like a glutton the night before Thanksgiving, I am going to enjoy the entire chia harvest anyway. 


Saturday, November 17, 2012

Trip to So Cal

Mama had another getaway... I can't believe it! I went down to the Los Angeles area to visit my old friend Shannon. I haven't seen her since right after she had her first kiddo. We have kept in good touch, chatting on the phone every week or two. We were pregnant together and we would compare weight gain, growth, etc. It was such a blast to catch up.
 Meet Brooklyn, 4 days older than Owen.

Here Is Brooklyn, 2 and Anaya, 5,

I also had plans to see another friend get married. It was a busy weekend. On the way there we saw a pretty impressive show on the opposite side of the freeway. We were grateful that our side stayed open, and it seemed to be pretty well contained. 



 Mama's are ready to go to the Hilton in Universal City.
 Lacey and I did our RD internship together. We bonded and spent a lot of time together that year. I've missed her so, and we have kept in touch via snail mail, calls, and facebook. I was honored to be a part of her wedding. It was a beautiful traditional (I'm pretty sure..) Jewish wedding. I know it was a Jewish wedding, but as far as traditional, ??? I have never been to anything like it before, it was quite awesome!
 Pretty!
 Under the Chuppah
 Lacey and Alon had such a fun time up there, even with the tears.
 Gorgeous!
 The night was so fun, I think a traditional American wedding could stand to improve a bit... Once the couple was announced for the reception, we all went straight to the dance floor and danced together. Talk about high energy! The live band was fantastic, and played an eclectic mix of traditional songs and 70's funk. We danced a few songs around the couple, then went to our seats for the salad. Then, off to photo booth or dancing for a few more songs. Then dinner. I loved the pace of this, it was unique and unexpected for us. Thanks to Shannon and Marvin for picking me up/taking me to the airport, letting me stay at your home, and for being my date (Shannon!). I had a blast!
Lacey was stunning of course. The wedding was wonderful, truly fun and beautiful. I can't wait to hear about Thailand and see you again soon!!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

75 degree November

I just spent a decent chunk of naptime in the garden. The tally was a little premature, as I harvested another big haul today.

One surprise was 3 decent English cucumbers, which stopped bearing about 2 months ago. Score!

I purposefully tried my best to clear the zinnia patches of flowers and buds in preparation for the coming cold front. I made quite a dent but there are still at least a hundred left.

Blessed with our abundance!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Garden Tally 2012

 This post always takes a while to put together, adding up my totals, possibly weighing some items, and of course doing math. Never a strong point of mine- the ole numbers game- but I enjoy them regardless. Adding up all the fruits of our labor is quite a treat.  The platter featured above is a September tray for a birthday party. Homegrown except for the center dip, artichoke and red pepper dip.


We purchased most of our seeds this year from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed company:
http://rareseeds.com/. We made our first trip to Green Acres and had a wonderful time despite none of their plants being organic... We purchased some tomatoes and eggplants from Green Acres and called it organic from then on!


This year I attempted to become extremely organized. I measured out each of the 7 rows into 12 foot sections, and marked them off with paint. Then I planned out what was going to go into each block. I used some crop rotation techniques from How To Grow More Vegetables, by John Jeavons. The idea is that certain crops deplete the soil of certain nutrients, so by planting the same plants in the same spots, year after year after year, the soil would be low in certain nutrients. It is usually applied in larger scale farms, but let's face it, this is a big garden! This guide I crafted rode frequently in my basket to the garden, and was used by garden helpers on planting days. I stuck to it, and also wrote down the days I planted, when the seeds germinated, and then ready for harvest. It was getting pretty trashed, eggs cracking on it and such so I stopped bringing it with me. Not sure where this ratty thing is now, but I'm sure its around here somewhere. 

This plan worked out very well. All but 2 blocks were planted and crops growing in the sections. I also labelled each section with a reusable marker. I did have a garden gnome who would assist in moving these markers to make life a little more interesting.

Here is the list of crops and the loot results:
Eggs: 4-5 daily since 3/26, ~800 eggs, ~70 dozen
Purple Carrots: ~9#
Broccoli: 4 smallish heads plus 10 shoots
Snap Peas: 4 pounds of sweet snap peas
Leeks: 12
Radish: 20 bunches 
Red Onion: 25
White Onion: 15 small
Garlic: 25 small
Romaine: 15 heads
Mustard Greens: 20 bunches
Cilantro: 8 bunches
Fava Beans: 10 beans  :(
Dill: 20 bunches
Parsley: 62 bunches, and still going strong!
Red and Golden Beets: 20 single beets
Russet Potatoes: 8#
Fingerling: 4#
Red La Soda Potatoes: 6 #
Sour Tree Cherries: 3#
Plums: 12#
Chard: 3 bunches
Zinnia: 300 single flowers pink and green
Sunflowers: 45
Dino Kale: 30 bunches
Dwarf Kale: 25 bunches
Tomatillos: 250/30 green baskets
Green Zucchini: 22
Lungo Bianco Zucchini: 65
White wonder cucumber: 32
Lemon Cucumber: 60
English Cucumber: 30
Lemon Summer Squash: 45
Soy beans: 3 cups
Blueberries: 4.5 cups
Large Yellow Heirloom tomatoes: 25
Cherry tomatoes: 32 green baskets
Bull's Heart tomatoes: 25 medium
Okra: 125 pods
Black eyed peas: 4.5 ounces dried beans once shucked by O and I (seemed like it should be more!)
Holstein beans: 1# dried beans once shucked by O and I
Green Pole Beans: 20#
Dragon Tongue Bush Beans: 16#
Lemon Basil: 5 bunches
Basil: 40 bunches
Canteloupe: 2 small
Watermelon: 2 small
Spaghetti Squash: 8
Pumpkins: 2 (2 still growing)
Gourds: 2
Acorn Squash-3
Eggplant: 65
Roma Tomatoes: 8 green baskets 
Amaranth: Many large heads that proved challenging to harvest. Still have a grocery sack in the garage waiting to be harvested.
Hot peppers: didn't tally
Marigolds and Cosmos galore
That's a lot of food...
Where did it all go?

1. We ate it fresh! Owen could be found eating the small green beans off the bush or stuffing his mouth with basil. I made a few dishes like lasagna, eggplant parm, and lots of zucchini soup when we had a surplus and froze them.
2. I Canned it~ Tomatillo salsa, green beans, okra, plum preserves
3. I Froze it~Green beans, hot peppers, kale, pesto
4. ISold it~ I did an unofficial CSA to see how it could work... It was pretty fun for me, yet challenging to coordinate garden loot, Owen, and delivering the goods. I made some "Farm Money" I called it, to go towards either next years seeds or reimbursing ourselves for this years. It was really fun and I appreciated my customers! 
5. We Traded it~ Traded eggs for citrus fruits, veggies for canned applesauce, veggies for flowers
6. We gave it away~ You can't charge your mom or mother in law you know! Every year I check into donating to the local soup kitchen and I get a bag together and then someone comes to the house. I don't like letting anyone leave empty handed who makes the trip to see us. 
7. We fed it to the chickens~ half eaten by critters, freezer or fridge burned, it all goes straight to the chickens. My compost bins are slightly neglected since our chickens get all of the veggie and fruit waste now. 


Every year we learn so much and want to change it. I don't think my crop rotation efforts will be needed next year. This was too big of a garden for Owen and I to manage once Chris got us set up with the drip system and tackled the weeds. The harvesting is my favorite but it takes a lot of time. I started going to the garden once Owen was asleep at night (clad in my headlamp) or during his nap with the monitor blaring across the property. I feel like we can grow the same amount of food (or more) in a smaller space. The garden is CONSTANT entertainment. That is the beauty of it. We don't go to the park on a regular basis because we spend so much time outside as it is. I'd be rich if I had a dollar for every time Owen has fallen in dirt, picked up sheep or llama poo, said "Mama carry you (me)",  said "More basil mama," and us changing >3 times per day due to mud/dirt/sweat/dinge. We wouldn't change it though. It is easy to spend 2 hours outside daily, and to get things done in the high season it is a minimum of 45 minutes per day. 

This zuch plant was gifted from our friend Jason, a fellow gardener. Today I noticed 5 more about 4 inches each. Hope to harvest before the rain comes again.
The Bull's Heart tomato.
These zinnias seemed so slow to get going, but I picked 25 more today! They are still thriving and there are so many more blooms. I guess I will try planting them earlier next year.

So there you have it, the garden tally blog. I have mentioned that we are still getting loot. My basket was full today but I didn't include it in the tally. Eggs, green beans, tomatoes, tomatillos, zinnias, kale, and parsley. The only produce I have been buying is mushrooms, when you don't grow it you seem to crave it! Guess I will start looking into fungi.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

UCSF Holiday Toy Drive

Our loot collected last year

It's that time of year again. The last 2 years we have gathered toys and delivered them to UCSF for the children who are hospitalized over the holidays. UCSF is very near and dear to our hearts (literally!!) as we spent 2 months there the first year of Owen's life. The Child Life program is fantastic, but like all wonderful programs, they need help. The first year we mailed a large box to SF, and last year we had to take our truck down to the city to deliver the goods! It was so much fun to bring family and friends together, and then deliver the toys.

Since we have ~1.5  months (no planned date yet to deliver), if you see any items on the wish list while you are out and about, go for it! I have been keeping my eye on items from the last year for when they go on sale.

Here is their wish list and rules:


Child Life Department 

Toy Donation Guidelines
These guidelines help to ensure donations are appropriate and safe for hospitalized children. Please follow these guidelines when selecting items for donation.

  • Because of infection control issues, toys should be new
  • Please do not wrap gifts. 
  • No stuffed animals. 
  • No weapons or violent games of any kind, please.
  • Please make sure that glue, paint, markers or crayons are non-toxic.
  • No latex balloons.

Greatest Needs____________ ____           ____________ ____________
* Teen items * Light spinners * Video games, E or E10
* Fisher Price doctor kits * Interactive noise and light up toys * Batteries (especially C)
* Art supplies, art kits * CDs (children/teen music) and CD players
* Fisher Price Little People * Books/CDs in Spanish, Russian, Arabic Chinese

Toys/Gifts
These are some ideas and suggestions for different age groups and activities.  

For infants:  nesting cups, plastic rattle, crib mirrors, clothes, white noise machines, texture balls, infant clothes, play mats, plastic crib mobiles.  

For toddlers and school age:  small cars and trucks, pop up toys, interactive toys, playdough, Brio and plastic train cars, musical instrument kits, musical toys/instruments, all-plastic multicultural dolls, plastic animals and dinosaurs, bubbles, board games, stickers

For teens: gift cards (I-tunes, Best Buy, Amazon, Xbox Live, Play Station, etc), art/bead kits, journals, headphones, backpacks and purses, make up kits, baseball hats, board games, sports balls, DVDs, perfume/cologne, video games 

For parents and families: scrapbooking items (HP photo paper and HP Printer ink #110, Pioneer 8x8 scrapbooks), novels, magazine subscriptions, toiletries, word games/activity books, phone cards, food/entertainment gift cards, individually wrapped snacks

For Creative Arts Program:  tabletop easels, modeling clay, paint set, drawing pads, bed easels, art store gift cards, small portable music stands, beginner level instructional books, portable digital recording devices, guitar picks
Thank you for your interest in supporting the children, teens, and families at 
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
 If you have any further questions please contact Audrey Muntz at (415) 353-1203.

You can contact me: chelsea.britton@yahoo.com or via facebook to meet up/collect toys. Or leave a comment on this post.