If you haven’t seen it yet, this week we revisited and revived our 100 Foot Diet Challenge where we are encouraging folks to eat at least one HOMEGROWN meal. Sign up for the challenge here.
Growing Right Along
Though I know it really has nothing to do with the title of this post, there’s so much news and projects in the works I don’t even know where to start.
Some important things to mention so listen up and listen carefully!
Jordanne’s working on a couple “top secret” projects. HINT: has to do with one of her favorite things.
I know ya’ll have be clamoring for recipes so she’s also working a a recipe sharing sort of thing that will feature recipes from LHITC.
Not only that but upgrades to our gardening social network, Freedom Gardens, is in order and so to with the popular photo gallery. The most hit page on our website is getting yet another face lift and even more photos!
Are you totally excited and impressed like I am?
Well then, here’s where I am going to add a gentle reminder that LHITC is ad free. If you enjoy daily reads here, gleaning information and inspiration here’s how you can go about supporting our growing outreach. Or send a big box chocolate to keep this girl going as she works into the wee hours of the night to tackle some of these projects.
After a cool start weather wise, the summer harvest is now just started to pour in and what a blessings. We are so thankful for the bounty that the earth provides.
Now for some incredibly yummy photos. Going to mix in a few shots of what we harvested (many of the seed varieties can be purchased from our seed store Freedom Seeds) along with what we have been eating.
Heirloom tomatoes
Basket of peaches
Apples
and more apples!
Part of the winter squash harvest Pumpkin, Baby Blue Hubbard and Burgess (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Chantenay Red Core Carrots (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Eggplant, tomato and basil bruschetta with tabouleh
Peacevine Cherry Tomatoes (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Veggie patty with beans and carrots
Double Yield Cucumber (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
A whooper! Cherokee Purple Tomato (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Tabbouleh with tomato and summer squash pasta
Homemade/handcranked peach ice cream
Homegrown toppings for pizza
Sun cooked pizza in sun oven (www.PeddlersWagon.com)
Provider Green Beans (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Homemade/handcranked strawberry ice cream
Vegetable pot pie with cucumber and tomato salad
Tomato, cucumber soup with herb croutons
WEEK OF EATS AT THE URBAN HOMESTEAD
All food items are homemade/homegrown/home preserved unless otherwise specified
Our Food Pledge
If not from backyard, then locally produced
If not locally produced, then organic.
If not organic, then family farm.
If not family farm, then local business.
If not local business, then fair trade.
SATURDAY
Breakfast – blueberry pancakes with strawberries
Dinner – flour tortillas with spanish rice, topped with sauteed green peppers and red onions
SUNDAY
Breakfast – apple crumble
Lunch – Saturday dinner leftovers
Dinner – avocado and tomato sandwich
MONDAY
Breakfast – apple crumble
Lunch – tomato and squash pasta with tabouleh
Dinner – tomato and squash pasta with green beans
TUESDAY
Breakfast – apple crumble
Lunch – veggie pot pie with cucumber and tomato salad
Dinner – leftovers
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast -apple crumble
Lunch – tomato and cucumber salad with herb croutons
Dinner – leftovers
THURSDAY
Breakfast – apple crumble
Lunch – vegetable patty with carrots and green beans
Dinner – herb pizza dough topped with tomatoes, basil, peppers, garlic with carrot, raisin citrus dressing salad
FRIDAY
Breakfast – french toast and honey
Lunch – roasted eggplant, tomato and basil bruschetta with tabouleh
Dinner – no knead bread, fresh tomato sauce (tomatoes, onions, peppers, parsley, basil) over spaghetti with salad
What summer time treats/feasts are you enjoying in your neck of the woods?
That ice cream looks to die for! And everything else as well. Now if that’s not a reason to grow your own, then I don’t know what is! Thanks for the posting!
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I would love to get started but we’ve had a setback with our tomatoes. Hornworms chewed the plant to bits!
We do shop our farmer’s market each week but I’d rather grow my own veggies. Other than herbs, what else do you suggest we plant since it’s later in the summer? Help (if you can).
Love the blog!!
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What size pizza pan fits in a sun oven? I have one and would like to try pizza in it.
Had to yank a whole tomato bush just now. We noticed the tomatoes were blighty. I hope we got it before it infected the other bushes. I’m saying a prayer.
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Anais replies
July 28th, 2010 at 5:51 am
@Ginger: I have these old pizza pans – must be 15 years old for that matter. Guess they are about 10-11 inches in diameter. Sorry to hear about your tomatoes. After that heat spurt, we have cooler than normal weather with overcast/gray mornings – we love it but not sure the tomatoes do.
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Your apples are beautiful! How do you get such big, beautiful apples? We’re having a terrible time getting anything decent out of our apple trees and I don’t want to spray them with chemicals. Please share your secrets with us!
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Anais replies
July 28th, 2010 at 5:58 am
@MissMimi: Our apple trees are a couple years old and they have surprised us on how easy it is to grow apples here in hot, dry So Cal. We practically let the tree be, but we figure our success has to do with planting them in 20 years worth of composted and naturally amended soil that’s rich in minerals and organic material. When you have healthy plants bugs don’t seem to be interested in attacking – the like to go for the weaker ones. Healthy soil equals healthy plants.
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So when is your cookbook coming out??
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Anais replies
July 28th, 2010 at 6:03 am
@Florence:
Too much on our plates right now. Still have to finishing this website – folks are constantly complaining about the “GOAT ATE THIS PAGE”
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Thank you for posting photos of some of the veggies along with the delectable meal photos. We planted your double yield cucumbers along with the Longfellow. Also, the Chatenay Red Core Carrots and the Provider Beans. It’s wonderful to see my DY Cukes look like your cukes because I thought I was growing bionic cucumbers, etc. They are delish! I only planted 2 of each types of cukes and they are producing like crazy now growing up and out a large tomato cage and almost taking over a 4 x 8 raised bed. Some other folks didn’t have such luck with growing cukes this year due to excessive heat and humidity here in NE.
It would be interesting to hear how you folks handle the hornworm. We had found one on my tomato plant and didn’t want to apply the Bt. I googled and discovered that they glow in the dark so if you go out there with a blacklight at night you can find them. By the Grace of God and Mother Nature, I found the babies and saw the eggs (like a fluorescent speck) and got them all and that was a week ago. No more evidence of them (fingers crossed) as my tomatoes should be ripening any day now. Also read that putting coffee grounds around the base of the plant should help deter them. Don’t know if anyone else has that experience. As Anais says, “Care to Share?”
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Anais replies
July 28th, 2010 at 6:10 am
@Chris: First off, we deeply sadden to hear of your friends tragic passing. Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to you and her family.
How odd it feels to transition to a happier subject but here it goes.
Glad to hear your seeds are growing so well. We’ve had nothing but POSITIVE comments regarding our line of FreedomSeeds.org (all profits help support this site!) Haven’t (yet) had a hornworm problem that I am aware of. I wonder if the little birds are helping out. Towards evening we get a flock of birds that descend on the towering tomatoes figure they are eating/feasting on something! How about our other readers how are you deterring the horrible horn worms from ruining your tomatoes – care to share? Good luck!
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care to share your veggy patty recipe?
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Anais replies
July 28th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
@shauna: We are working on sharing our recipes, trying to make it a win-win situation since this site is free of ads. So please be patient and stay tuned!
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I just pulled up the first of our new Red Norland potatoes. Never grown ‘em before, so I was excited to see they actually grew something!
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