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| Playing with Food with Your Culinary Companion, Chef Amee |
| If you and your family are interested in taking a weekend trip to cultivate your gardening an cooking interests, check out Apple Annie's Orchard in Wilcox, Arizona. It is about a 3 hour trip from Phoenix, but there is so much to do there if you plan it right. Throughout the year, they host many festivals including a Peach Mania Festival in July and August, The Apple Harvest Celebration over Labor Day Weekend in September, and The Fall Pumpkin Celebration in September and October. They even have a Grandparents Weekend and Antique Tractor Show in September as well. They have a fantastic website so click on the picture above and it will take you directly to their site. Don't forget to check out their Harvest Calendar to plan a trip to pick your favorite fruits or vegetables. Apple Annie's Orchards, 2081 W. Hardy Rd., Wilcox, Arizona, 85643 |
| Chef Amee's Garden |
| This summer, I attempted to plant another batch of goodies in my garden: parsley, chives, cherry and pear tomatoes, mini bell peppers, purple beans, edamame, sunflowers, watermelon, cantaloupe, and basil. It has been a labor of love with some success. I had heirloom yellow pear tomatoes coming out my ears and then the infernal heat beat them down to a mear driedup shrub. Oh, how sad! I haven't given up! My herbs have agreeably stuck with me through the summer heat and I have a cantaloupe plant will not give way to the hot wind. Who knows? I don't believe what many of the local Arizona gardeners say about being able to grow lots of stuff in the summer, that's a bunch of manure! 95% of what is planted dies. There's no negotiating. Now is the time to think about your fall garden. Put together a couple compost bins that are available through most cities and get your desert dirt ready for production. Think about what you would like to grow and figure out how much sun your backyard really gets. Check out local garden shops and bug them with questions- you learn so much by hanging out at the local greenhouses. And don't give up! Be creative and try some new things. Seed packets are cheap and the dirt will be good to you for a long time. Check out my planting schedule and composting tips below! |
MaryJane Butters has become one of my new heroes-- she is a farmer, crafter, business owner, educator, entrepreneur, and just plain 'ole down to earth! Iowa Public did a great piece on MaryJane, and I just knew that all of the farmgirls out there would want to see it... Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=pcn21XuJNVI |
Created and hosted by Chef Amee Hoge
| Get inspired to start your own garden project. It's all about playing in the dirt and growing something on your own! |
| My herb garden |
A cantaloupe plant that just
popped up from my compost.
popped up from my compost.
Check out my plethora of
yellow pear tomatoes! I had 8
plants pop up, also due to the
seeds in my compost pile.
yellow pear tomatoes! I had 8
plants pop up, also due to the
seeds in my compost pile.
Somehow, I
have been
lucky enough
to grow a
lemon tree out
of my hanging
pot through
the seeds from
my compost.
It is doing
magnificiently!
have been
lucky enough
to grow a
lemon tree out
of my hanging
pot through
the seeds from
my compost.
It is doing
magnificiently!
Garden Planting Schedule
January 1- March 1
tomato seeds beets peas
February 15- April 1
tomato plants sweet corn zucchini potatoes
honey dew melon cantaloupe bush beans lima beans
April 1- May 1
basil soybeans/edamame sweet potatoes watermelon
bell peppers tomatillos cucumbers strawberries
blueberries blackberries boysenberries
August 1- September 15
pumpkin radishes squash
September 15- October 31
peas turnips spinach lettuce broccoli garlic leeks
carrots
beets oregano cabbage parsley green onions, cauliflower
chives
Note:
Plants that survive best in the desert climate are generally plants
with strong, durable leaves that don’t need so much water and get
lots of sun. Plants with delicate leaves such as thyme, dill, and
chives along with plants that love humidity don’t do well in the
desert.
January 1- March 1
tomato seeds beets peas
February 15- April 1
tomato plants sweet corn zucchini potatoes
honey dew melon cantaloupe bush beans lima beans
April 1- May 1
basil soybeans/edamame sweet potatoes watermelon
bell peppers tomatillos cucumbers strawberries
blueberries blackberries boysenberries
August 1- September 15
pumpkin radishes squash
September 15- October 31
peas turnips spinach lettuce broccoli garlic leeks
carrots
beets oregano cabbage parsley green onions, cauliflower
chives
Note:
Plants that survive best in the desert climate are generally plants
with strong, durable leaves that don’t need so much water and get
lots of sun. Plants with delicate leaves such as thyme, dill, and
chives along with plants that love humidity don’t do well in the
desert.
Playing With Dirt
Basic Composting Instructions
Tools needed:
• 1-2 compost bins, supplied by most cities for a very small fee
and delivered to your driveway
• garden hoe
• 3-4 large, heavy duty plastic bags
• paper shredder (optional)
• 8-10 c. capacity container with sealable lid
• watering can or hose nearby compost area
Supplies needed:
Brown layers:
• 1-2 bags of manure, odorless-preferred & shredded paper
Green layers:
• leaves, grass clippings
• Don’t add- weeds, sticks, animal droppings, meat products
(bones, fat, meat), starches such as rice or bread, or dairy scraps.
You can add crunched-up egg shells.
Instructions:
• I kind of make a "dirt pie" if you will and start with 1 bag of
odorless manure from the bag (Wall-Mart/Home Depot for $2.50 a
bag).
• Then, I top it off with kitchen scraps at random.
- Keep a medium-size plastic container with a lid by the
sink to reach easily and keep things contained well.
-Let the kids take it out nightly or every other day
depending on how much scraps your and your family uses.
-produce scraps- rinds, peels, cores, old or moldy pieces that
didn’t get eaten
-egg shells, crunched up
• Top this layer lightly with shredded paper, leaves, or grass
clippings. Close the lid until another layer of scraps is added.
• Keep an extra bag of manure on hand to sprinkle for layers--
this helps composting to happen quicker and more thoroughly.
Compost Maintenance:
• Water 1-2 times weekly and then mix it 1-2 times as well.
• The larger the pile, the harder it is to get to the bottom of the
barrel and turn completely. That is why it is good to mix well from
the start so that the bottom of the pile will be good and mixed.
• I start one compost pile, fill it and create it for about 3
months and then stop adding anything, but continue to turn and
water for 1-3 months more-- while starting another pile, so that I
always have compost on hand. Once scraps and leaves break down
and the dirt gets nice and dark- it can be used!
• The whole process takes about 6 months. The only problem
I have noticed is critters, but only if you overwater or the lid is not
kept on it, so keep it away from the house. Food scraps provide
quite a bit of moisture to keep things breaking down so don’t worry
about how wet things are- go with your gut!
• Have some rodent repellent stuff on-hand, diatamacious earth,
to keep the buggies away.
Basic Composting Instructions
Tools needed:
• 1-2 compost bins, supplied by most cities for a very small fee
and delivered to your driveway
• garden hoe
• 3-4 large, heavy duty plastic bags
• paper shredder (optional)
• 8-10 c. capacity container with sealable lid
• watering can or hose nearby compost area
Supplies needed:
Brown layers:
• 1-2 bags of manure, odorless-preferred & shredded paper
Green layers:
• leaves, grass clippings
• Don’t add- weeds, sticks, animal droppings, meat products
(bones, fat, meat), starches such as rice or bread, or dairy scraps.
You can add crunched-up egg shells.
Instructions:
• I kind of make a "dirt pie" if you will and start with 1 bag of
odorless manure from the bag (Wall-Mart/Home Depot for $2.50 a
bag).
• Then, I top it off with kitchen scraps at random.
- Keep a medium-size plastic container with a lid by the
sink to reach easily and keep things contained well.
-Let the kids take it out nightly or every other day
depending on how much scraps your and your family uses.
-produce scraps- rinds, peels, cores, old or moldy pieces that
didn’t get eaten
-egg shells, crunched up
• Top this layer lightly with shredded paper, leaves, or grass
clippings. Close the lid until another layer of scraps is added.
• Keep an extra bag of manure on hand to sprinkle for layers--
this helps composting to happen quicker and more thoroughly.
Compost Maintenance:
• Water 1-2 times weekly and then mix it 1-2 times as well.
• The larger the pile, the harder it is to get to the bottom of the
barrel and turn completely. That is why it is good to mix well from
the start so that the bottom of the pile will be good and mixed.
• I start one compost pile, fill it and create it for about 3
months and then stop adding anything, but continue to turn and
water for 1-3 months more-- while starting another pile, so that I
always have compost on hand. Once scraps and leaves break down
and the dirt gets nice and dark- it can be used!
• The whole process takes about 6 months. The only problem
I have noticed is critters, but only if you overwater or the lid is not
kept on it, so keep it away from the house. Food scraps provide
quite a bit of moisture to keep things breaking down so don’t worry
about how wet things are- go with your gut!
• Have some rodent repellent stuff on-hand, diatamacious earth,
to keep the buggies away.
Keep bags of manure, shredded paper, grass clipping
and leaves to layer quickly in your compost bin.
and leaves to layer quickly in your compost bin.