February 2011 Archives

My Nature Mill Composter is back!

Actually it's a new, improved "Pro Edition" Nature Mill Composter, a replacement provided free of charge, under warranty, for a unit purchased a year ago as a birthday gift.

I'm  thrilled to have it back.

Nature Mill Composter is a small, electric composter promoted as an easy system to quickly process kitchen leftovers.

Designed to be installed inside in a kitchen cabinet, I put my original unit a year ago in the garage, just to make sure it worked.

It turned out to be a good decision.
 

The challenge with the first Nature Mill Composter was getting the mixture of brown and green right.

Without the right combination, the unit had a smell no one would want in their kitchen!

The original unit also had problems with the stirring arm.

Both my brother and I had to replace the stirring arm and motor in our respective units.

Since both units were under warranty, the parts were provided free of charge.

The new "improved" Nature Mill Composter has a different arm system design, and a different "recipe" for mixing kitchen leftovers.

Besides adding sawdust pellets, or chopped up dried leaves for the "brown," Nature Mill now recommends a tsp of baking soda in every 5 cups of leftovers.

I set up the new Nature Mill Composter in its spot in the garage.

After making sure the unit was working, I  fed it a couple of cups of chopped up cantalope rind, strawberry tops and lettuce as well as a couple of cups of sawdust pellet.

Now a couple of days later, the material looks like its composting well.

I hope this unit will work well enough so that it can end up in the kitchen.

I love the idea of having an easy way to compost kitchen leftovers I can then spread through my winter potted plants and garden.

Charlotte

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(I know, it's better to call them container gardens but it's a garden in a pot - a large pot, but a pot  nevertheless...)

With the price of produce on the rise this year - and if you enjoy having fresh greens, there's no easier way to get some than to plant them close by.

And no, you don't need a traditional garden or an expanse of soil.

I've been growing salad greens in several large - 18" wide containers - on my deck, right off my kitchen, for years.

I do "treat" my container pots in the fall with a few cups of homemade compost,  stirring it all in before ice and snow covers them up.

As soon as the weather starts to warm, I move the containers, on wheels, into a sunny spot so ice and snow will more quickly melt and we can get a good spring start.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on seeds, either.
 

There's still plenty of time to shop for seeds, including my personal favorites, 20-cent packets of American Seeds available at most big box retail stores.

It's like collecting baseball cards; I always add a few extras for trading later.

In mid-Missouri, the "gardening" season starts mid-February so on February 14, 2011, Valentine's Day, I planted my first salad garden.

I usually plant my seeds in little bunches; this year, I decided to make a new "design," bordering half the pot with semi-circle rows of lettuce, then spinach, then radishes, bunched up in the middle. 

Took me maybe 5 minutes, not counting daydreaming.

In a couple of weeks, I'll seed another couple of rows on the other side and have enough for several fresh salads by early April.

Once lettuce and spinach grows big enough to harvest (I use chicken scissors to cut them to about 1/2 inch) they'll easily grow two more crops right where they're growing.

You can also seed smaller containers with herbs to make charming inexpensive but very practical gardening gifts.

Once they start to fade, it's time to make room for summer tomatoes, peppers, herbs...

I did already mention daydreaming, didn't I.

Charlotte

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I love to garden but I don't always remember when is the best time to get things done.

There are a number of wonderful gardening calendars on the market but I still find gardening by holidays works best for me.

Missouri is notorious for changeable weather so it's sometimes a wild guess when the gardening season should begin.

I keep two large containers on my deck so I can get started.

My 2011 gardening calendar, prompted by holidays,  includes:

 Jan. 1, New Years: Check all inside plants for hitchhiking bugs; trim dead leaves. Check bulb gardens  in basement refrigerator. Pour over garden catalogs.

Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Day: Make sure inside plants are all getting sunlight needs met. If not, move them around. Review my garden diary from last year for what worked and what didn't. Trade garden catalogs with other gardening friends. Stock pile free mulch from local recycling center.

Feb. 14, Valentine's Day: A time when mid-Missouri usually has a few warmer days mid-winter and soil can be worked without using a pick ax.

Good time to check check birdhouses for repairs; clean garden implements; wash flower pots and  local shrubs and trees ordered from George O. White Nursery.  Prune fruit trees.

Feb. 21, President's Day: Plant onion sets in the garden. (I pop a few into the deck containers, too!) Plant my deck containers  if weather was bad on February 14.

March 17, St. Patrick's Day: Plant potatoes, peas and broccoli in the garden; starting tomato and pepper seedlings inside.

March 20, First Day of Spring: Work more compost into raised garden beds. Plant more lettuce, spinach, radishes. Prune roses.

April 22, Earth Day: Plant tree seedlings and native wildflowers. Update garden diary for bulbs I need to divide and move this fall.

April 24, Easter: Planting last of my spinach, peas and lettuce in the garden. Time to cover the garden with tulle to keep deer out.

May 8, Mother's Day: Last day of frost, so everything can get moved outside. I'll leave seedlings in their containers outside for a few days before moving them permanently into the garden.

May 30, Memorial Day: Last day to plant anything from seed in the garden for this year, which means pumpkins, cucumbers and zucchini go in.

Compact fruit trees, bushes and perennials also get planted so they can benefit from June showers.

June 19, Father's Day: Last weekend to plant perennials. Check garden centers for end of season plant sales.

July 4, Independence Day: Last day for planting beans for the season. It's also the last weekend for pinching back Mums so they bloom bushy this fall. There's little planted past this point that will survive Missouri's hot summer. Update garden diary.

Sept. 5, Labor Day: Harvest fall crops; check for bugs; add compost, and start getting raised garden beds ready for winter. Also time to offer sugar water to my honeybees since little pollen is available.

October 10, Columbus Day: Trim deck plants before bringing them inside house for winter. Trade plants with friends for holiday gifts.
 
Also time to pick pears and apples off my compact fruit trees.

October 31, Halloween; First fall hard frost. All plants that are going to winter over should be settled inside.

Halloween weekend is also a good time to add compost to raised bed gardens; mulch rose bushes, and make sure bird feeders are mended and ready for winter.

November 11, Veterans Day: Clean and store pots, gardening implements; toss out torn gardening gloves; mark envelopes with saved seeds; update garden diary on what worked well this year and what I want to do differently or try next year.

November 24, Thanksgiving: Buy bulbs on discount and make bulb gardens for winter gifts and store in basement refrigerator.

So much easier to remember this way, don't you think?

Charlotte

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Bluebird Gardens site visitor Mike recently asked if I knew anything more about his made in Japan donkey ceramic (photos)

What's interesting about this donkey ceramic is the pixie riding on the back of a lid that lifts.

A separate plate matches the same design.

I love made in Japan collectibles for fun home decor and gifts; they are relatively inexpensive and can be charmingly whimsical.

Donkeys were a favorite theme for Made in Japan ceramics for many decades.

Some were produced for local markets, others for export.

I promised Mike I would post his photos in case someone else can help him with more detailed information.

We still have snow on the ground in Missouri but February 5, 2011, I saw a sure sign of spring: a pair of Eastern Bluebirds perched on a branch outside my office window, scouting my garden for the first of their three yearly nestings.

I love getting packages at Bluebird Gardens Quilts and Gifts.

Sometimes the packages are very simply addressed.

The Post Office staff still smiles when I talk about the large box addressed with just my first name, home town and zip code.

I did get it, though!

Even when I know exactly what's in the box or envelope, it's a thrill every time I open a container to see what the customer is sending.

So you can imagine the excitement when I get an unexpected package, nicely addressed, and with contents carefully packed inside.


The last time I received an unexpected package, it included a set of original award-winning photographs.

The customer wanted them  carefully transferred onto fabric so the images could be made into custom handmade pillows for an artist studio.

The unexpected package before that was a series of original bird drawings.

The customer wanted the drawings made into a custom throw as a surprise birthday gift but forgot they had sent us the originals, thinking they were misplaced.

One panicked phone call to tell us they couldn't find the drawings ended with my assuring the caller we had them safe and sound.

I usually make a bet with myself as I open the package; is this a photograph, or precious art?

Definitely priceless!


Charlotte

I've been making homemade soup in the middle of winter storms for years.

You don't have to have a winter storm to make this homemade soup, but it does seem to taste better when it's made in the middle of a snowy and blistery day:

1 container chicken (or beef) stock, low in sodium

Sliced yellow onions
Sliced celery
Sliced carrots
Sliced potatoes, (optional)

Chicken (or beef) bouillon cube (low sodium)

1 to 1 1/2 cups water

If you want your homemade soup more like a stew, keep adding ingredients to the broth and added water until you get the consistency you want.

I usually chop 2-3 yellow onions,  8-10  celery sticks and as many carrots (counting the pieces I nibble)

Put stock in pot with added water and bouillon; add onions, celery and carrots.

Bring heat up to high until it boils, then turn to low. Add pot lid and simmer for half an hour.

Then add the secret ingredients - fresh herbs!

My favorites are rosemary and basil; fresh sage is nice, and parsley makes a lovely garnish.

If you don't have fresh herbs, add your favorites in generous doses. Dried herbs tend to have less flavor than fresh ones.

If you like potatoes in your homemade soup, this is a good time to add slices potatoes. If you add them at the beginning, they'll overcook and fall apart.

Cook on low for another half hour or until vegetables are cooked through but not mushy.

You should be able to clearly recognize what's in the soup!

At this point, you can eat as a stew or add a protein, such a cooked chicken, beef or shrimp.

If you're missing flavor, this is the point to add salt by seasoning the protein or adding protein that's already been seasoned.

This homemade soup keeps nicely in the freezer.

While soup is cooking, make a batch of corn bread or homemade biscuits. They'll be handy to sop up any remaining soup; or you can pour thick soup over corn bread and biscuits.

This basic homemade soup recipe is wonderfully delicious the second day, too.

If you like soup in summer, this is delicious cold the second day. Add a handful of wild violets to add a citrus taste, or fresh nasturtium blossoms for a nutty flavor.


Charlotte