The Home Farming Movement

Hey y'all -

I hope this post finds you doing well. In addition to being an animal lover, I love nature. I'm also a novice composter, thanks to my dad. This year we did not plant a garden because we couldn't decided where to put it and by the time our location was chosen, it was too late to plant.

The fact we could not decide on a location should not have prevented me from planting a few container or raised bed gardens. This fact reminded me of a great site, Home Farming.



So what is Home Farming? I'll let the creator of the Home Farming site tell you. "Triscuit has created this site with help from Urban Farming, a non-profit organization, to help build a home farming community where both beginners and more seasoned gardeners can dialogue and gather information towards their common mission: to reap food that is deliciously fresh, penny-wise, healthier for themselves and the planet. It’s about home farming, and the everyday joy that grows out of it".

So what can you do on Home Farming?

• Put your garden on the map
• Connect with other Home Farming members in their forum
• Get expert advice from Paul James, their resident expert
  
• Explore their crop guide - vegetables and herbs no home farm should be without
  
• Watch videos on starting and tending to your bountiful harvest

There's nothing in this world like fresh vegetables and herbs. Join the movement today! You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for stopping by y'all. I hope you have a fabulous fall day!

Green Thumb

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you having a fantabulous Friday!! I am looking forward to a sunny weekend free of rain, which was greatly appreciated all this week. It has made our garden jump out of the ground and I couldn't be happier!! Today is a little about what I do with my time when I am not creating fabulous spa, bath and body products. Brace yourself..........I have a green thumb!


Last year, our garden was about 1/3 the size of the one you see above. It was our first attempt at planting a garden in Saluda County red clay. In case you were wondering, it's like digging into slate rock. Our veggies last year were very successful so this year, we decided to add a wide variety of goodies to the mix.


Green beans are picture above and this is the first time I've ever tried to grow them. My mother was born and raised in the south and refuses to eat a canned green bean. Those bad boys better be fresh! I wish I had a $1 for every bean I snapped growing up. There was no escaping the sound of the stainless steel bowl clacking when Mom took it out of the cabinet. I knew what was next! Seems like we ate green beans with every meal. Hahaaa....just kidding Mom!


Next we have squash and I am so excited they popped out of the ground. There is nothing finer than steamed squash and onions, or fried squash dipped in ranch dressing. Yummo!!


Woo-hoo......we have radishes!! I just knew this would be a test of my gardening skills and here they are!! I can't wait to have fresh radishes on a salad or dipped in ranch dressing!!!



Above we have green bell peppers. We love them on salads, in stir fry, gumbo, kabobs or dipped in ranch dressing.


Onions are pictured above. They don't look like much but they will be fantastic in our morning omelet, stir fry and a wide variety of other meals we love cooking. Oh yeah, or dipped in ranch dressing.


Cucumbers, we have cucumbers!! Prevo is a cucumber freak and could eat them morning, noon and night. I love mixing them with tomatoes, onions and Italian dressing. This is a fabulous summer time dish! If you don't like tomatoes or onions then eat the cucumbers........yep, you guessed it, dipped in ranch dressing. Are you seeing a pattern here?



Heck yeah, we are corn farmers!! Well, not really but we do have three rows and as you can see, they are growing quite nicely. And, this is the sweet, white corn variety which I could eat straight off the stalk!! I am looking forward to creaming, grilling, steaming and frying fresh, sweet corn. I haven't tried ranch dressing with corn but there is a first time for everything!



Last year we had 3 tomato plants and had more tomatoes than we could eat. So, this year we have 3 plants again but this time, we will have a handle on what to do with all the tomatoes we hope to have. Since we put up a volleyball net in our back yard, we have gathered every Saturday and tomorrow is no exception. We have plenty of people to feed so the extra tomatoes will not go to waste! There is nothing better than a tomato sandwich and I just may have to drizzle a little ranch dressing instead of mayonnaise on the bread. Ooo..Ooo..Ooo.......I almost forgot about fried green tomatoes dipped in ranch. Oh my goodness, they are "smack your grannie" good!



Last but not least are carrots! I am so happy to see them peaking out of the ground. They were the last to show themselves. We are looking forward to a variety of recipes that call for carrots and yes, of course, dipping them in ranch dressing. Just so we are clear, there is nothing better than the ranch dressing you make yourself with the packets. Fresh garden vegetables and homemade ranch dressing.....there's nothing finer!!

Thanks for stopping by y'all and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!



Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy