Strawberries, mint and green onions

I love spring and summer so much. Starting in January, I'll start planning what will be planted, start planning my foraging trips with my family to get the ingredients for my salves, teas and foods.

One of my favorite things is watching my perennial plants come back, and being able to make gifts of them to friends. There are a few people who have rhubarb plants that came from my original 10 dollar tiny rhubarb crown, quite a few who are growing raspberries that originally came from 3 plants my kids and I put in over a decade ago, and of course, every year, I give out a bunch of strawberry plants.

My favorite 4 plants to give to friends are mint, strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb. I know the ones I have grow well up here because they've done well for me with minimal care. My initial rhubarb plant is now 5 large rhubarbs!

Propagating the type of strawberries I have is really easy. I have a well established patch and every year, I'll pull up a few large crowns and plant them to let them send runners. The reason I put them in their own pots is that way I can put them somewhere convenient to surround with smaller pots to root the runners.

Runners are long stems with a node or two on them that will root. I'm holding one over the plan in this picture.

I've found this can be a good time to do some decorative planting. In this picture, you see a couple runners planted in a vintage colander I picked up. In fall, I'll dig up the crowns and put them in a larger pot or in a bed. 

But mostly, I just put them in small pots to give to friends to start their own strawberry patches. I use the same soil mix that I do for my garden. Any basic container mix works just fine. Strawberries are pretty hardy. 

I'll use a small piece of wire bent into a U to pin the node on the runner in place until it roots.  The pin is sticking up here. I pushed it in right after this photo was taken. I've also used hair pins in a pinch. 

When it starts looking like a plant and growing new leaves, you can tug slightly on it to see if it's established roots. If it has, cut the runner between the mother plant and your new baby strawberry. 

Mint is super easy to propagate. It will root in water.  Cut longish stems, and strip all but the top few leaves from the stem. The leaves you strip can be dried for tea, used as garnish or my favorite? Dumped in a glass of cold water to flavor it. 

These are chocolate mint plants that I'm starting now. They will go in a sunny window indoors and I'll switch the water very 3-4 days. In a couple weeks, they will develop more leaves, and start growing roots as well. 

When they have some nice roots on them, you can take them out of the water and put them in soil. That's what I did with these plants. They were transplanted into a pot directly outdoors a couple weeks ago  It's a different type of mint! 

Obligatory mint warning!
Mint will grow everywhere given a chance. It's generally a very neighborly thing to keep it contained.

A few of my friends will get pots set up for indoor growing using an indoor medium, some will get outdoor plants they can choose what they will do with it.

The next one isn't a gifting plant- but it's one of The Amazing Turnip Girl's favorite plants because as she puts it "Green onions are the easiest thing to pirate!!"

I swear she watches for the first batch of green onions I buy for a recipe in spring. She cuts them down but leaves the white bulbous ends to put in dirt. Then through out summer, she keeps it watered and cuts fresh green onions as wanted or needed for recipes.

Tulips in the Sun to color!

In Anchorage, Alaska right now it's about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm putting out seeds that are safe for before the final frost, and my rhubarb is starting to come up. For all of you who are waiting for spring, I hope you enjoy this coloring page!

You can print the blank Tulips in the Sun coloring page below. Click the images for larger versions.

Small jpg Tulips in the Sun coloring page:

Large transparent png Tulips in the Sun coloring page:

Here's a picture of my weird alien looking rhubarbs starting:

Sun and Flowers coloring page

I'm really loving this kind of look right now. This page was inspired by the fact it's time to start ordering seeds for growing in the summer, that the days are getting longer and winter will end.

My husband saw it and said "Oh, some people are going to be really happy!"

Click the images below for larger versions of this sun and garden coloring page to print and color.

Small jpg version:

Large transparent png version:

Would you like to help me plant my garden this year? If you have seeds you'd like to send me, you can message me on my Facebook page.

Why I need the Ball Blue Book® Guide 37th Edition

I planted too much zucchini.

Right now it's only seedlings, but it's still there. I can see the future and it's going to be entirely too much. But my kids, who LOVE zucchini are still think I should have planted more. After all, the package had 30 seeds and we plant all of the radish over a summer. No, I didn't plant zucchini, that's madness. But 6 of 7 seeds I planted are growing. 6 zucchini bushes.

My raspberries? Are trying to take over the world. I've mentioned them before, my incredibly sweet raspberries accidental hybrid raspberries? Once upon a time I planted 3 canes.

Yeah, that's a wall of raspberry plants. With lots of flowers.

Then of course my rhubarb, which is very large, very happy and needs to be split this year.

Which brings me to the new Ball Blue Book® Guide to Preserving (shortened frequently to Ball Blue Book or Ball Blue Book Guide)- the 37th edition is a HUGE update from last year, and every year brings new recipes and is always the most current information on safe food preservation. So even if you have old copies, it's well worth it to get the most current edition at least every other year. This year is one you should definitely have-

Same great format, this book is the number 1 canning reference in my kitchen. Yes, I have a lot of canning books and love them all- but this is the one everyone needs. It teaches you step by step canning basics, and you check out the videos on the Ball Canning website for more information. Then it has recipes.

Jams, salsas, ketchup, juices, jellies, relishes, ways to use them, non-canning methods like dehydration and jerky as well. How to preserve darn near any food item to use or giveaway as gifts (a jar of jam is a great way to say "I love you") , everything well indexed. I LOVE the index, Apples to Zucchini (well, actually Acid to Zucchini-Pineapple Doughnuts, but it sounds better the other way)

Too much zucchini- call friends, see who is willing to take zucchini. Then look up the recipes for what you know you'll still have leftover-

Several kinds of pickles, a wonderful looking jardiniere, relish, the above mentioned doughnuts, dehydrated zucchini chips. I'm set! What doesn't wind up on the grill, in soup, in baked goods or passed off to friends and family will get used in these recipes. I know my son will eat the heck out of hot zucchini pickles in the fall and winter.

Raspberries- preserves, jams, jellies, conserves, fruit leather and juice. All set there too. I know some people say they can eat all the raspberries they grow- but last year I got quarts and quarts of berries and this year is looking even bigger.

At the end of the book is a trouble shooting section, and a section that explains how to tell if your canned goods went off and how to dispose of them.

When people ask me about canning, this is the book I recommend to them to get started. It might be the only book you need. It's no fluff. There are pictures, but most of it is recipes that are clearly written and easy to read and follow.

Follow Ball Canning on Facebook and Twitter for more information, recipes and occasionally nifty jar crafts.
You can get the book from Ball Canning-  Ball Blue Book® Guide
Or you can get it from Amazon here-

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Amazon.com affiliate links don't affect your cost, and provide extra income to me personally, which helps support this site.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.

Fabulous week- with photos!

Mt. Susitna

The photo above was taken earlier this week. We hadn't planned on going to take pictures of Susitna, we actually went the other way for photos of ducks and other wild life. But while we were driving back into town, I was stunned by how pretty the sunset looked, and so we did stop for photos. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

I also saw this piece of graffiti-

Bee the love you seek, I love you all, Forever.

Here are some of the birds we saw at Potter's Marsh that evening.

Seagulls

Bald Eagle in flight

Ducks and a sandpiper

Remember when I said my raspberries had become a nice little thicket?

That started out as 3 canes 3 years ago. Next year should be amazing with all the second and third year canes. We plan to plant some of the smaller canes at my dad's house.

Raspberries and strawberries from my garden. Yum yum! The strawberries started a few years ago as a single hanging basket from Wal*Mart that my husband got me because I really, really wanted strawberries growing in my yard. They needed transplanting fairly quickly, the original plant wasn't in great shape. But it sent off lots of runners. I replanted some of the runners in 2 spaces in my yard. They've been coming back reliably ever since, and sending out more runners. So now I have 2 strawberry patches. Everyone loves to see the strawberries ripen. They are so sweet and big!

In fact, I'm going to go have some soon!

This weekend is our annual Greek Festival, it's always a lot of fun. Baklava and tiny cups of rich, dark coffee, music and dancing. Then Monday Michael has a job interview. My fingers are crossed!

I've been working on a pattern using ruffle yarn. It's a lot of fun.

10 radish recipes I want to try

Radishes are really wonderful. They grow easily and quickly which make them a great starter vegetable for kids to grow. Since a lot of types are ready in 3 weeks planting every 2 weeks ensures a regular supply over the summer. The whole plant is edible. Radish greens can be cooked like most greens or put into salads or pickled. I'm planting organic cherry belle radishes, while they do well in poor soil, I also worked organic plant food into the soil before planting.
My daughter loves that they are coming up so quickly compared to carrots. I'm collecting radish recipes for the bounty that's growing now.

So here's my list of 10 radish recipes I'm really looking forward to trying:
The Root:

Out to Lunch with @MadameHuang has Sichuan's gorgeous radish pickles, the recipe is written for icicle radishes but will work with Western radishes as well. Spicy-sweet, these would be wonderful with summer salads.

Just Bento has Sweet/sour/salty "instant" pickles flavored with ume vinegar and strawberries. My daughter loves sour flavors, and this will probably be her favorite recipe. There are also furikake recipes available on this site.

Gourmet.com's Quick Radish Pickles are super simple with a ginger sweet flavor that's perfect for summer. It's also a very small recipe, using only 7 radishes.

Bon Appetit has Shaved-Radish Sandwiches which pair thin slices of radish with an herbed butter for a crunchy  sandwich perfect for tea.

Sarah's Cucina Bella has a Grilled Radish Packet recipe which promise to tame the peppery flavor. She's a recovering radish hater, so this may be the recipe to convert people who don't know how wonderful radishes are.

PopArtichoke's Ravishing Radishes Part 1 is a recipe for Sautéed Radishes with Thyme-Garlic Bread

Rak's Kitchen offers this Mooli Paratha recipe for an Indian flatbread cooked with radishes. This is a bit more work than the above recipes, but it's the one I'm most looking forward to making.

Greens:
Radish greens are a natural for furikake, my recipe is in the organic plant food link above. I'd also like to try

PopArtichoke's Ravishing Radishes Part 2: Radish Leaf Furikake, very spicy and simple to make. I think my son will love this.

Kalyn's Kitchen's Spicy Stir-fry Radish Greens look like a great quick, vegan lunch option.

Vegan Visitor has a Radish greens soup perfect for rainy summer days.

I'll be making printable radish recipe cards using the art above soon. The link for the seeds is an Amazon. affiliate link. I *always* recommend natural fertilizers and organic seeds. Organic fertilizers jump starts your seeds, then compost for feeding the rest of the growing season.

Today it's finally raining, so we don't have to water our plants.

Book Review- Modern Homestead

Renee Wilkinson is the author of the blog Hip Chick Digs and of a book on homesteading in urban areas called Modern Homestead : Grow, Raise, Create

There are a lot of books out there about getting started in homesteading in urban environments now, and the truth is, I don't think you can have too many because a lot of them offer different approaches and information.
This book is great for beginners. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you're first getting interested in trying to grow more produce for your dinner table or when you're considering taking the next step in homesteading.Renee writes in an easy and clear way. It's so easy to read that I spent a day in the sun with a choice between this book and a trashy novel I was reading and wound up happily reading this.

Grow:
It's in bits and bites, and she recommends that you start with what you think you can realistically handle, then lays out methods to handle it. Where to go to get information, how to set up a garden club to exchange ideas and seeds, and how to start planning and planting. She offers practical suggestions for planting in very limited spaces and how to find the best areas for sunny plants in those spaces.

Raise:
Then she gets into livestock. Are you able to have chickens? She gives plans for a minicoop that will fit on some balconies. It's sized for bantam sized chickens and includes a worm bin for compost. She gives lots of practical advice about how to raise chickens and care for them. Then gets into other things like ducks, goats and beekeeping,what kind of space, time and supplies you'll need to raise those.

Create:
The final section of the book is recipes, for cooking seasonally out of your garden or farmer's markets, jams and other food preservation methods, non-toxic cleaning supplies and beauty items.

One of the things I love about this book is how down to earth it is. It's fun to read, with great photos and lots and lots of information. She gives ideas for having a party with friends to make jams or bath salts. I really recommend this one, and it's one that I'm going to have my husband read as well.

You can get this book directly from the publisher, Fulcrum Publishing You can get more information about my review policy here.

Marian Call drawing and garden planning

With only two people commenting for my drawing of a Marian Call album download, the winner is Jennifer B, but knuckstermom, please email me at shala at donteatthepaste. com. I'd like to send you a little something for playing.

I'm planning my garden. There is still snow on the ground and on the mountains. I took this photo on my way home from the store where I picked up soil and pots for my starts.

I'm going to start my pumpkins tomorrow, we are growing them from seeds from our jack-o-lanterns. We are also starting our first batch of potatoes in true recycling fashion, we are lining laundry baskets with surplus burlap from a local coffee roaster, and planning to do them in stages started a month apart so we have potatoes all summer for the grill.

My teens are making seed tapes following the fantastic tutorial here. Because the carrots we picked are slow growers, they are doing radish seeds every 5th spot instead of carrots so we know that's where our carrots are.

Also planning rhubarb, but that's going to wait until spring kicks in properly and I can go to the nursery that is conveniently located within walking distance. In The Garden Nursery is always friendly and very knowledgeable about what will grow in Anchorage, and how to best care for it. 

The Turnip Girl becomes The Rhubarb Girl as soon as it starts coming up in the summer. She's wild for the stuff. Rhubarb sauces for fry bread, rhubarb lemonade, rhubarb soda pop, rhubarb pie. So this year I figured it's worth putting in, I know it grows very well in Anchorage and comes back bigger and better every year.

Mike is planning on doing some smokes with the pieces of birch from a tree cut down in our backyard. 

The weather may not agree, but I feel very much like spring.