Optimism

July 16th, 2012

optimism [op-tuh-miz-uhm] noun – a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

I’m an optimistic person. Mr Chiots are planning our big move in mid-September, which is too late for planting a fall/winter garden. Not being one to discount it because of the move, I am starting a few flats of seeds with hopes of being able to make a trip up to the new place sometime in late July or early August to plant my fall crops.

What did I start?
Leeks: Bleu of Solaise, Tadorna, Carentan
Kale: Lacinato, Toscano, Red Russian, Winterbor
Brussels Sprouts: Long Island Improved
Cabbage: Tete Noire, Perfection Drumhead Savoy, Pixie
Broccoli: Purple Peacock, Waltham,
Cauliflower: Giant of Naples, Snowball
Radicchio: Casteldefranco Libra, Rossa di Verona Dragon

Will I get up there? Who knows, maybe, maybe not. If I do make it up I’ll have a few flats of seedlings that I can plant. Will the plants survive without me? Who knows, maybe, maybe not. When I was debating whether to plant the seeds or not, I figured I had nothing to lose. A few dollars in seeds and a half hour of my time. If I don’t make it to Maine before our move, I’ll take them and plant them in a low tunnel to see what happens. I figured I have nothing to lose!

Have you started your fall/winter garden yet?

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Quote of the Day: Bernd Heinrich

July 15th, 2012

Early the next morning, I awake to a wild melee of bird song. Far sweeter than any symphony I could possibly imagine, it comes from all around.

Bernd Heinrich (A Year In The Maine Woods)

We love the birds here at Chiot’s Run and do what we can to provide for them naturally. New plants are often chosen with the birds in mind. I find myself often going to the Cornell Bird lab page to identify birds I hear when I’m out working in the garden. Little mr wren is probably my favorite with his sweet songs that he sings all day long. Just this past week I’ve been listening to our resident bald eagle screeching down by the lake. I must take the time to head down and look at their nest one of these days.

Birds aren’t just pretty to look at in the garden, they provide a very valuable service in the form of pest control. People always ask me about dealing with specific pests and I always recommend putting up a bird feeder and a bird bath to keep them coming to your garden all year long. Once you do you’ll notice the birds constantly harvesting insects. The more birds I notice in the garden the fewer problem insects I notice.

As a result of our efforts every year we see/hear a few new species of birds. We should have kept track but we’re up to about 25-30 different species of birds including owls and bats. We’re excited to see both new and familiar birds at our new place. No doubt our bird identification books will come in handy for a those that we don’t see much here in Ohio.

How many different birds do you think you’ve seen in your garden?

I highly recommend adding a bird id book or two your library. We always have one with us when we’re traveling. These are our 2 faves:

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Real Food

July 14th, 2012

Maybe most important, farm food itself is totally different from what most people now thing of as food: none of those colorful boxed and bagged products, precut, parboiled, ready to eat, and engineered to appeal to our basic desires. We were selling the opposite: naked, unprocessed food, two steps from the dirt.

Kristin Kimball from The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love

The main reason I started an edible garden is because I was dissatisfied with the quality of produce at the grocery store. There’s just something about food that’s freshly plucked from the garden. I still buy some things at my local farmer’s market, but even that isn’t quite as good as something that’s only minutes from plant to plate.

This week we’ve been enjoying so many wonderful homegrown vegetables: beets, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and all kinds of herbs to season and add flavor. Every morning we’ve been enjoying harvest vegetable hash with eggs poached on top – life is truly good! (for my recipe visit Eat Outside the Bag).

What are you enjoying from the garden this week?

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Friday Favorite: Watering Cans

July 13th, 2012

Up until four or five years ago, I’d never found a watering can I liked. I kinda felt like Goldilocks, they were all: too small, not balanced properly, water sloshed out while walking, or they just weren’t quite right. Then I found this one. I ordered one from I purchased a watering can from Gardener’s Supply after reading all the glowing reviews and fell in love.

I proceeded to order another one for myself and a few to give as gifts to my mom and a few gardening friends. Sadly this watering can is no longer available so I don’t know what I’m going to do when mine crack (they are plastic after all). I certainly wish I could have purchased these in galvanized metal so they would have lasted the rest of my life.

I LOVE this watering can because:

It’s perfectly balanced, seriously – you can barely tell you’re carrying 25 lbs of water!
Holds 3 gallons of water, reducing the need for extra trip and builds nice biceps in the process. I carry two at once which allows me to water a fairly large area with one trip.
Easy to fill, easy to carry, easy to use, easy to clean.
The crown comes apart for easy cleaning, which let’s face it, needs to happen often, especially if you harvested use rain water!

From what I hear, Haws watering cans are nice, but pricey. Perhaps when these finally give up the ghost I’ll spring for a Haws to see if they’re all they’re cracked up to be. So now I’ve got you wanting this watering can that you can’t find any more. Perhaps if enough people ask, Gardener’s Supply will start carrying them again. If they do, I’ll be buying a few!

How many different watering cans have you tried? Do you have one you like that you’d like to recommend?

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Non-Toxic Cleaning Series: Product Review & Giveaway

July 12th, 2012

The non-toxic cleaning series continues, I’ve been busy testing a few homemade recipes for items like rug cleaners and mildew busters. When I first started the series I had a few different companies contact me about testing their products. I told Better Life I would because their products sounded great. I know many of you don’t necessarily want to be making your own cleaning products and would rather purchase a good non-toxic alternative. So I figured I’d test them out for those of you who do.

They sent me a box with 6 different cleaners. Last weekend, when we set off the clean the house in a jiffy for some potential buyers, I put these products to the test. I was fully ready to not like them as much as my homemade cleaners. Generally I find myself disappointed in purchased products, especially with the price! I was pleasantly surprised, however and really liked these.

The what-EVER cleaner was great for cleaning cabinets and other areas with greasy/oily buildup. After using them to clean my kitchen cabinets they looked amazing. This product really does clean very well, so well in fact that I’m thinking I’ll always have a bottle on hand for those tougher jobs that my homemade multi-purpose cleaner doesn’t work as well on.

The stainless steel cleaner EINSHINE working wonderfully on my appliances. Those of you who asked about cleaning stainless steel will be happy about this product as it can be difficult to find a product that cleans it well. I’ll definitely be keeping a bottle of this on hand for shining up that beautiful stove of mine.

SIMPLY FLOORED was another hit here at Chiot’s Run. Since the entire house is hardwood flooring, we use a mop for everything. I loved that this product has just a touch of sage scent, just barely enough to detect. One of the reasons I do not like store-bought cleaners is I find the heavy scent to be very offensive to my very sensitive nose. That’s one thing I appreciated about all the Better Life Products, no overpowering scents that scream “I JUST CLEANED MY HOUSE”.

The one product I wasn’t super excited about was the glass cleaner I CAN SEE CLEARLY. I didn’t find that it cleaned my windows any better than using the window cleaner or vinegar. I also received a bottle of granite cleaner which I haven’t used since I don’t have stone in my house. The wood polish was used, but I haven’t yet decided if I like it more than simply using my homemade multi-purpose cleaner.

~~Lucky for you, Better Life will be giving one lucky reader a You Pick 6 box. You can choose which 6 products you’d like to try; simply comment below for your chance to win.~~ Here at Chiot’s Run I’ll be keeping some of the what-EVER cleaner on hand from now on, and I might try their Knock-Out clothes spot treatment as well.