Growth

Okay... I may be a little obsessed with my plants. But I figure I might as well take pictures while I can! They are definitely growing, but definitely need to grow some more. The Basil is especially pretty and the Zucchini has really shot up almost over night!!

These on this plate are: Basil (top, left); Chamomile (back and center); Parsley (top, right); and the one in the center and the three bottom ones are Spinach. I'm not too hopeful for the 3 Spinach pots on the right. They just haven't shown any sign of life. But the one on the left has a sprout coming up!!

Here's a better picture of the Basil!!

And this is Basil from the top!
Next we have Zucchini!! Brett and I are both really excited about these plants!!
Here's the beginning of our tomato plants... All four containers have at least two sprouts for a total of 8-10, and we're just hoping at least four of them will mature nicely to grow into beautiful tomato producing plants!!
We planted some Spinach seeds in pots and then we planted some in the ground. These are additional Spinach pots! We have about 9 Spinach pots total (but not all of them have sprouts).
And these are the little Spinach sprouts coming up in the garden plot in our back yard. We planted five rows and so far there's at least a little sprout in each row! Although this would be a lot of Spinach if all of them produced, I'm not positive all of them will mature nicely and so we planted many, just to make sure we get our Spinach this summer!! We love to eat it, but if all the Spinach plants that have sprouts right now continue to grow and then produce lots of Spinach... we'll have loads to share!!

I'm looking forward to the months to come!!

Readings so far...

Well I finished a wonderful book earlier this week. I actually was sad to finish Animal, Vegetable, Miracle because it was such a good book. Barbara Kingsolver does a splendid job sharing the journey of her family's food life for one entire year. They committed to eating local and called themselves "locavores." I have decided I will print the recipes from the book (http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/) and try them out. Anyway the book is truly inspiring to me... not just to eat local, but to know the land where you food comes from, the processes in order to produce your food, and also the importance of community. If you get the chance to read it, I would highly recommend it. Nah, I would suggest you make the time to read it!

More recently I have been enjoying revisiting the writings of Wendell Berry. Again, another great author and one everyone needs to read. Here are a few excerpts from the introduction of the book (intro. written by Norman Wirzba talking about Berry's essays found in The Art of the Commonplace).

"We have assumed that we can know and pursue what is best for ourselves, all the while disregarding the needs of the communities, natural and human, that sustain us," (p. viii).
"Though more of us than ever before live a life of luxury and ease, fewer of us can claim that our lives are permeated with peace and joy," (p. ix).
"Berry concluded that the source of help cannot come from within ourselves for 'it is not from ourselves that we will learn to be better than we are,'" (p. ix).
"Our fundamental mistake is that we have presumed to be the authors of ourselves and our destinies, and thus have forgotten or denied that we are part of 'a great coauthorship in which we are all collaborating with God and with nature in the making of ourselves and one another,'"(p. ix).

In the first essay, titled "Native Hill," Berry describes his journey discovering the pleasure of returning to the place of his youth and allowing that place to become his own. As Berry illustrates the life he once knew in Kentucky as a young child, he reminisces about working the land with his grandfather. Although I never have really "worked the land" here in America, I have recently been drawn to the idea of knowing more about my connection to the land. This is not is some mystical way, but rather a longing to know the hard work that goes into producing the life sustaining food we eat. Our God has created a system that works beautifully... as I see it... he gives man the ability to sow seed, he blesses the earth with sun and rain, the food grows, he provides man the opportunity to reap the blessing of harvest and the food sustains man physically by the grace of God, while he sustains man spiritually. All the while, man is acquiring physical activity, fresh air, appreciation for the land, and many other beneficial things.

Why has our society taught us that separating ourselves from the land is desirable? No longer do we understand the affects of the weather patterns or the process for growing the food we eat. Literally, I know kids that do not know vegetables come from seeds you plant. And, although embarrassing, I'll admit that I am having to relearn the process of photosynthesis and other plant life biology. I'm sure this used to be ingrained in the lives of young children growing up on farms, if not just because of curious questions, but today it's the farthest thing from our busy minds when picking out delicious strawberries at the store.

I am intrigued by the journey: of hoping the seeds you planted actually grow, watching them transform into beautiful, unique plants, and then even discovering new ways of cooking them. Although my mind has been focused on plants lately, Brett has also introduced me to the idea of raising animals to provide other means of nutrients as well. Through his interest in cattle, I have learned the benefits of knowing the different breeds, considering the health of the animals, and even valuing the taste of home grown meat. This journey... although just beginning with my reading and a few potted plants... has drawn me into a deeper appreciation for how the Lord created this earth to operate. I long to understand more about his plan for man from the beginning... Adam and Eve style. Also, I have realized that in my current lifestyle I trust in the supermarket to provide my food for me every week, but long to fully transfer my trust to the Lord for providing soil, sun, and water to create the nutrients that sustains us. I see this as the goal of the journey: to know the Lord more by appreciating his provision, acknowledging his will, and glorifying him.

Seriously Amazing...

Okay... I'm just amazed at how cool it is to watch plants grow from little seeds. Every time a new one sprouts up I get really excited. Before you see the green sprout, you just sit and wait hoping that something will come. Sometimes I get a little doubtful because none of the pepper seeds we planted have begun to sprout. But we do have tomato, spinach, and zucchini already sprouting. I am continuing to hope that they grow to full maturity and will be able to provide us with good food this summer. I'm learning the art of being patient, but I am also continually surprised and encouraged each time I see a new little sprout. It's amazing how the sun and a bit of water can transform such a tiny thing into a beautiful plant! I can't wait to see what's in store!!

Spring Has Sprung

There's so many exciting things happening around here! These are the trees in our back yard. Oh so colorful! And considering our living room is on the second floor, our windows pretty much display this beauty all day. It's incredible to see how they change so quickly. The tree to the left was bright reddish-pink the other day right before it bloomed. Yesterday all the flowers opened up and they were more pinkish-purple. And today as the little pedals are flying off the tree in the wind, they cover the ground in pink-polka dots.


We have a dogwood in our side yard. Just a few of the flowers have bloomed! I look forward to when the whole tree is covered!!
Our grass is growing!!! Brett has been so diligent to water the grass everyday and it has paid off. We have a fairly good covering and we're thankful it came in before the leaves made their canopy. You can see the shadows (and that's just with a few leaves on the trees) and understand why grass doesn't like to grow there. Hopefully it will survive well enough, but we'll just have to wait and see!!

I've planted all our seeds for this year in these little pots (some left over from the wedding, some plastic containers from the kitchen). I was somewhat surprised to find this today, but it's our first tomato plants shooting up. It's kind of hard to see, but I promise it's there... I hope they do well, cause I would love to have some fresh tomatoes this summer!!
And last, but definitely not least... The herbs!! All three (Parsley, Chamomile, and Basil) are doing great, but Parsley and Basil have really shot up lately! I'm so excited! I just hope they stay strong!!
Well... I am so thankful it's spring! You know... Fall use to be my favorite holiday, but I think Spring is catching up to it!! This weekend is the first Farmers' Market of the year, here in Overland Park. I'm excited to see what kind of produce they'll have and the potential for new friendships! If you have a Farmers' Market near you, check to see when they open and hurry over!!

The good stuff...

The seeds came in the mail a few days ago. It's been bright, sunshiny and warm the last few days. I've been to the library to gather sources. All of this means... the garden is coming. I continually have to remind myself that this process will be slow. Although a lot of work is required the results won't come immediately like I am used to in this "instant gratification society." Even though it's difficult for me to wait sometimes, this is the precise reason why I wanted to start this journey. I have pictures for today (and lots of them)!

These are pictures of the seed packets. I just thought they were unique and adorable. I can't wait to open them up and plant!







This is a picture of the resources Brett and I have been reading/plan to read in order to gather more information about: cattle raising (Brett's interest), Seed Handling, Vegetable Preserving, Organic/Community Gardens, and the Art of Slow Food.




Here is a picture of our garden plot...


and for those of you who attended our wedding, you might recognize the pots below. We had leftover pots after the wedding and so we have kept them dry in our basement and began watering them about two weeks ago. The Basil and Chamomile have begun to sprout. We are excited to see if we'll be able to keep them growing and hopefully have some Basil to add to some of our meals later on!!


In the midst of planning our garden, Brett decided we should try and grow grass under our tree in the front yard. You see, we have a beautiful tree out front that is massive (well big for our yard). In the past it has been too shady to grow any grass. So we purchased some shady grass seed and for awhile I was a little doubtful about the grass actually growing, because the weekend after we laid down the seed, it snowed about 7 inches. But, as you can see below, we now have some sprouts. Hopefully they will continue to burst from the soil and surprise us with a green blanket under our "oh so shady" tree.



Even with the small amount of growth so far (Basil, Chamomile, grass), it has been a joy to sow, be patient, and then see the result!! I am more and more excited about this process every day. It does some daunting to live a life engaging with slow food, but I'm excited!!