Shopping for Coco Coir

On Wednesday, March 13, 2019, I went to Adams Fairacre Farms in Newburgh, NY to buy Coco Coir, a natural fiber extracted from the husk of coconuts. Coir is a great substitute for peat moss and peat because it is a renewable resource widely available and environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, gardeners choose to use such products as: perlite (ref 1, ref 2) and vermiculite (ref 1, ref 2) on a regular basis in order to aerate and keep their soil moist. I am determined to use only organic products from renewable resources and I refuse to use either perlite or vermiculite. When I read that you need to be cautious when handling perlite because breathing its dust can hurt you, and also that up to 1990 in Libby, Montana, they mined perlite that was contaminated with asbestos, I stay away from these products.

Soon, I will be receiving several fig cuttings and I am preparing myself for their arrival. There will be several separate posts on this project.

Here is the Coco "brick" I bought at Adams. It is compressed and it will expand almost tripling its volume when moistened.

As I was looking around the gardening products, guess what I saw!!!!!! They had Chicago fig trees. This fig tree may is a very hardy tree that will do very well in our zone 5b.

I had to act fast and immediately grabbed one package, after all, you never know how many customers can swarm this area even though they had about 20 trees. There is the tree, in my shopping cart, looking proud and happy it just got adopted by a loving family.

Happy plantings!

The Brussels Sprouts are Sprouting!

YES! Less than a week ago I set up a small station indoors and planted a few seeds and today, BAM, several Brussels Sprouts seeds have sprouted!! How 'bout them sprouts! I feel giddy with delight and I find it very hard to contain myself.

Here is an extreme close up of one of the cells.

The general location is in the upper right corner of the tray.

In the upper right corner there are three, that's right, count them, three cells that have sprouted.

Happy sprouting!

Greek Prasorizo - Leek and Rice

This was my dad's most favorite dish and my mom would make it very often for him. The recipe is very simple and easy to follow. Because leeks are grown in sandy soil, the most difficult part is washing the leeks.

The ingredients are few and can scale easily.

• One cup of rice.
• Two leeks, cut lengthwise and then cut roughly.
• One large diced onion.
• Two cups of vegetable broth.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

In this recipe I make a quick vegetable stock and use it instead of using water to make the rice. The vegetable stock adds a new dimension to this dish. Please stay away from store-bought stocks.

I made a nice YouTube video of the whole process and I think you'll enjoy it. 

This is such a wonderful dish that can be eaten as a meal or as a nice side dish.

Enjoy!

Making a Small Batch of Sauerkraut

A few days ago I made a small batch of sauerkraut. I had made a much larger batch of sauerkraut recently, but it was so good that I ate all of it. The next batch will be with red cabbage. Yum!

Sauerkraut fermentation creates conditions that promote the growth of beneficial probiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your digestive system.

By the way, on Route 52 in Orange County, NY, there is a small strip of stores and one of them is called SourKrauts Automotive. I have to go there and mingle with them because I really think they are a bunch of angry Germans or some sort of sauerkraut aficionados who love cars. Once I visit them I will edit this post with the findings.

For this recipe, I used one medium head of white cabbage and one tablespoon of salt. I made a YouTube video of the whole process.

Happy fermenting...

Yesterday I Started Seeds Indoors

In the summer of 2018, I started to garden for the first time. I built one raised bed and planted a variety of vegetables. At the same time, I bought eight 5-US Gallon buckets from Lowe's to plant potatoes in. The planting and growing of the vegetables and potatoes was a huge success! Unfortunately, we had a rainy summer and aside from two green bell peppers, seven puny tomatoes, and about a dozen potatoes, the garden was a lot of fun.

I've been educating myself in the various aspects of gardening and I felt I was ready to tackle a larger project than just one raised bed.

I added three additional raised beds using pallets, and one potato tower for the 2019 season and I cannot be any happier. I see gardening as a journey, an ongoing experience and not just planting for yielding high amounts of crops.

For the spring of 2019, I bought my seeds from:

• Johnny's Selected Seeds, 
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds,
• FEDCO

I chose three different varieties of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and a variety of herbs. I also bought asparagus seeds and I am very excited about this particular vegetable because Ruth Stout wrote extensively about her methods of growing asparagus in Connecticut.

Here is my finished asparagus bed that I prepared in September of 2018 with a heavy layer of hay and straw.

During the late fall of 2018, I added a few inches (five 5-gallon buckets) of chopped leaves that my good neighbor Scott. gave me.

I also had to buy a few other items to accelerate the germination of seeds: a two-bulb shop light from LOWE'S in Newburgh, NY, two LED bulbs, two fifty-cell potting trays, and a six pack of Corona.

I created a short YouTube video with the finished product.

Happy growing veggies!

Greek Lemon Chicken with Potatoes in the Oven - Κοτόπουλο του φούρνου με πατάτες και λεμόνι

Recently I posted a YouTube video demonstrating a traditional Greek/Hellenic recipe, Κοτόπουλο του φούρνου με πατάτες και λεμόνι, which translates to Baked Chicken with potatoes and lemon.

In this dish I use a "secret" ingredient that makes it smell yummy and taste delicious. Our family would visit Greece during the summer months and we would have lunch at Berry Trees, Μουριές, a darling little taverna nestled in Hania (village), Evia (region). I found a Facebook post on the page Avlonari, such a lovely place and I copied the following picture that shows the outdoor seating area of this taverna.

They have indoor and outdoor seating available, but it's just great having lunch under the canopy of a blackberry tree. There, I spoke with the mom of the owner and she told me that she smears mustard on the potatoes and chicken. The mustard gives this dish a delicate flavor and I've been using it in this recipe ever since with success.

Keep eating!

Saddle Brook Farm Animal Rescue

After reading a Hudson Valley Craigslist post about getting free horse manure from Saddle Brook Farm Animal Rescue, I made arrangements for a visit.

If you don't know anything about Craigslist then you better watch this YouTube video documentary that explains everything about it. In essence, Craigslist is the poor man's version of ebay. ebay is structured, polished website for sellers and buyers whereas craigslist is a barebones website for people to sell and buy just about anything. I go to Craiglist once a week and I look around for garden-type of materials that are of interest to me.

Saddle Brook Farm Animal Rescue is a riding facility located in Walden, New York. They offer riding lessons for children and adults. Also, they welcome people traveling with horses providing stalls for their horses, a round pen to stretch their legs, and miles of trails to ride on. How cool is that!

As soon I arrived at the farm I was warmly welcomed by Opel a beautiful white dog. I'm not sure about the breed, but I am absolutely sure about the fact that this dog was not a watchdog. 

I created a YouTube video about my visit there:

At the farm I saw chickens, roosters, goats, a lama or two, horses, dogs, and cats too.

I do want to thank Saddle Brook Farm Animal Rescue for allowing me to get manure for my garden.

Goodbye Ol' Buddy, Ol' Pal!

Watch the complete YouTube video here.

In October 2018 we were forced to fell our majestic, 100 year old pin oak tree. For the past 34 years this tree had provided shade for us and a home for birds and squirrels.

In May 2018 a tornado-like storm hit the village of Walden and many trees were toppled by the storm or were subsequently cut down by the homeowners. Our pin oak was uprooted slightly and we were very uncomfortable with that. Ach!

Throughout the summer of 2018 we invited several companies for estimates but only Flanagan Tree Service LLC qualified for the job. I must say they were well prepared for this job and they had the right equipment to get the job done correctly and quickly.

It took the Flanagan crew three hours to complete the job. Bravo to the crew and management!

Now, we have just a few woodchips left and two six foot pieces that we will make into tables for the house in the future.

Find a comprehensive video of the whole operation at my YouTube channel.

RIP pin oak. You served us very well and we miss you.