We Grow Grub

Wintry Hiatus...

2011-02-14T12:42:00.000-05:00

Photo by Ali Sabin

Grrrrrowl.

2010-08-31T16:46:00.000-04:00

There is a delicate ecosystem that we established to maintain a finely tuned operation within our garden, however, a key player, the fish, has been kind of anorexic lately and has decided that it doesnt "feel" like eating the excess of mosquitoes in our environment. Therefore, the mosquito population has risen exponentially and has began feasting on the co-habitants (me) and laborers (again, me) pretty heavily. Resultantly, I have not spent more than 5-10 minutes in my front yard and plants have perished. All because of one "weight-sensitive" goldfish. He is a son-of-a-bitch.

Holla...

2010-06-02T14:07:00.002-04:00

I grew these from seeds. holy crap.

Yes, things are happenin.

2010-05-27T09:09:00.003-04:00

Ahahah, so, since the last post from winter, we have had an upsurgence (is that a real word) of flora and fauna (seriously, one of our fish survived the winter...in the pond. We thought they had all passed but missed this little, i mean big, guy. He/she is El Gigante now. The grandest 18¢ feeder fish to walk/swim the lands. His/her best friend is a lil green lizard that flirts with me when i drink coffee beside the pond. He bobs his head up and down and then reveals his majestic neck-sack. He wants to have my babies.) Our flowers have sprung up too alongside many many fruitful new veggie plants. So far we've enjoyed kale and shard (that also lasted all winter. Seriously, after the zombie apocalypse, the only survivors will be roaches, my kale and shard, and El Gigante, the 18¢ feeder fish.) cucumbers, red leaf lettuce, arugula, purple pole beans, giant green tomatoes, beets, savoy cabbage, and onions. Images soon...

Winterized Kale and Such

2010-02-16T09:27:00.008-05:00

Not Cool, Mother Nature, Not Cool

2010-02-11T09:47:00.006-05:00

"What are these images?" you ask...they are my pond, frozen. Yep, its freakin cold. Painfully, dreadfully, cold. On the brighter side though, its great refrigeration for my kale, chard, arugula and beets that are hanging on for dear life. They may be dead, i don't know, but they're definitely preserved; like a woolly-mammoth in the Arctic.

WhhoooHoo, come to our MARKET!!!

2009-11-27T19:19:00.003-05:00

HOwdy there, Im pleased to announce that IPullPrints (me) will be in the Railroad Arts District Holiday Market with some super rad artists including but not limited to:

And a whole handful of others. Its gonna be awesome so come on down!

Hot Pepper Jelly Burns Your Fingers.

2009-10-20T14:21:00.006-04:00

Prologue:

I've never made jelly or canned anything so Im entering this venture wary of burns and botulism.

Ingredients:
Fresh anaheim peppers from my garden (red/green)
Liquid Pectin
Sugar
A Jar
A new lid

At the height of my veg preserving ambition, I made hot pepper jelly and found a few things to be useful bits of knowledge:

1) Wear Freakin Gloves! The pepper juice doesn't really burn at first but you will notice remnants when you wash your face later and splash peppery acid in your eyes. Though I washed my hands, it hung on like "an Alabama tick" and re-emerged at a very inopportune time.

2) Don't forget that cans pop. After sealing the jar, I nessled into my Tom Robbins novel, ignoring the rest of the world and was startled by a loud POP! hours later.

3) Try smaller jars. I was super pissed that after 48 hours of undisturbed setting time, my jelly was still syrupy. It wasn't until I poured off the top inch of solution that I found actual jelly. My anger subsided.

4) Cooking fresh peppers makes pepper spray! No really, I was all choked up and crying and laughing b/c, as I hovered over my boiling ingredients, the fumes gave me a punch. It was fascinating and hysterical at the same time.

5) I think that's about it. Oh, except, if you do happen to over cook the solution and the jelly doesnt coalgulate, don't forget that you can still use the mixture as a sauce. I used that ole syrupy inch in a stir fry and it was rad (see previous entry about MuscleMan).

Garden Veggies Entice MuscleMan to Eat Tofu!

2009-10-12T15:42:00.006-04:00

I've been cooking a lot lately and my brother has been rad enough to be my guinea pig. He's a trainer/fighting person/nutritional guru and has been super supportive of my growing efforts. This dish is a super spicy tofu/veggie stir fry sauced-up with a hot-pepper jelly mixture I made from the over abundance of peppers yielded. He's never tried tofu and was a bit taken-aback by the texture but ate it nonetheless.

He looks happy. Great Success.

More Unchartered Territory

2009-10-09T15:03:00.004-04:00

So, I have this vegetation, lots of vegetation. Naturally, the next step will be preserving the veg. Following suit with this entire journey, I have absolutely zero experience in preserving foodstuffs. Thank freakin goodness that there's a guerrilla army of homesteaders out there that also like to digitally publish their efforts. According to these die-hards, if I impale these anaheim peppers with needle and thread and hang them for a bit, I'll have a bushel of dried spicy treats for the winter. We'll see how they fare.

Meet Our Newest Member

2009-10-06T09:05:00.006-04:00

Meet my new homey, Maple Syrup Sabin. She was a foster that I simply couldn't release so, we now have three pups. She's a Boxer Jack and is extremely clumbsy. Her interests include socks, kale and my underwear.

Another point of interest: she has no belly hair. Its painfully cute.

Welcome, Miss Maple, to our team!

Yes, this is real.

2009-07-20T22:00:00.001-04:00

Here a little treat that we saw sprouting out of our water garden. Im so excited!

I've been a'Rooten!

2009-07-13T23:26:00.002-04:00

Here is my very first underground harvest. I uncovered a freakin a** ton o'taters. (and one onion). My Pop came into town and we made home fries and they were super! (following suite, we ate them with Lambic mixed Hoegarrden, delicous). I have some on my front stoop if anyone would like some. Nevermind the pups barking, they're in da house.

YAYYYYY!!! Babies!

2009-07-11T15:11:00.008-04:00

No, not my babies. I don't particularly care for babies. I'm refering to buddies' babies. Some friends of ours are having one and we were invited for a pre-baby party ( shower) and it was awesome! Everyone there was soooooooo nice and their house was like a museum of great new-fangled art. We brought them a basket full of yard veggies to bring on the birth...They were extremely gracious and thankful hosts. I like them.

We're in Apartment Therapy!!!!

2009-06-19T14:45:00.004-04:00

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! We're in Apartment Therapy! Please pleeease pleeeeeeeease go and leave a comment and I might win an Apartment Therapy book and I'll invite you over to look at the book and I'll feed you veggies!!!!!! Please...ps, here's our corn plants.

Fooooooooooddddddddd!

2009-06-19T11:21:00.002-04:00

Yeah! I made okra from the garden last night and it was awesome, nutritious and virtually free.....yummmmmmm, free is delicious!

The Sweet Sweet Harvest...

2009-06-12T19:35:00.003-04:00

YYYYEEEEAAAHHH! So, this morning, I collected my first multi-veggie harvest! Let's see what we got right chere...Kale, anaheim peppers, okra and tomatoes. Yes, a bountiful smorgazborg. (Is that how you spell smorgazborg?)

Elephants need you....

2009-06-12T13:12:00.002-04:00

Join PETA in the fight against animal abuse! Go to PETA.org, print out this sign, hold it up to yo face, snap a picture, upload it to PETA.org and they will, add you to their Flickr photos, print out your picture, put it in a book and give it to Ringling when they open their show at Coney Island. DO IT!

Ok, now im really just bragging.

2009-06-09T21:41:00.006-04:00

So, I've been a touch under the weather so my pop came into town to visit. I rarely see him so it was pretty rad annnnndddd... to top it off, he left a bottle of Lambic in my fridge as a surprise. Its excellent with kale.

I got ya where I want cha, now Im gonna eat cha.

2009-06-09T21:32:00.003-04:00

My Okra's here!!!!!!!! YYYYYYYYEEEEEHAWWWWW!

Dagnabbit, I ran this over with my Car...

2009-06-02T10:54:00.003-04:00

I'm not the best driver. In fact, i kinda suck at driving. In my 15 years of legally operating automobiles, I've hit five parked cars (two at traffic lights, the driver of one already wearing a neck brace), totaled a honda, taken out a fence and now, ran over my favorite onion. This was the champion onion, the biggest of the bunch, needed the least water, care, etc. So, as a reward for bein the big champ...I backed over it with my nissan. Then I chopped it up for a salad. And, while this lil fighter never made it too its full glorious potential, it still tasted terrific.

PS-Should you be driving around and notice a balding blue nissan with a bike rack, cracked tail-light and dislocated back bumper, you may want to take a detour.

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-06-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

So so so pretty, i love this!

They Don't Know They're Going to Die...

2009-05-27T09:46:00.002-04:00

Oh spicy spicy Anaheim pepper, how I cant' wait to eat you. I have about 4 of these growin, just taunting me with idea that, someday, they may be the basis for chile rellenos. They know their time is coming.

(Have I mentioned that I'm writing this on about two hours of sleep so it may seem a little odd.)

Aahahhahaah, Im Aint Skeered!

2009-05-26T15:32:00.003-04:00

After much coercing, my fiancee made me two super-sweet raised beds. However, since he has about three hours a week of free time, I took it upon myself to make two more and...I USED PROFESSIONAL POWER TOOLS!!!!

I had to Google "How to unlock a Dewalt Miter Saw" and found the following forum reply: "If you can't unlock a miter saw, you probably shouldn't be using it". Luckily for my garden, I don't give a crap. I figured out how to unlock the dang thing and went to choppin, my phone next to me prompted to dial 911 incase a chopped a few digits. Here are the results:

* Note the fine craftmanship of these deluxe and jangy corners. The lesson here: there's more than one way to skin a cat providing that you have many many many nails to secure your corners. (The internet doesn't hurt either).

Bartering is So FREAKIN RAD!

2009-05-22T12:55:00.008-04:00

So, these really cool folks were gving away a freakin ton of windows in exchange for someone to paint a scene on one of them for their sunroom. Um, Yes, abso-freakin-lutely. They were soooooo generous! I got about 50 windows at least! Next stop...humongous greenhouse!

Ten Million Strong....and Growing.

2009-05-14T15:05:00.008-04:00

HOly crap, I've been so busy making prints for a recent show and preparing for another that I've neglected my grow blog. The rad thing is that, even though i've been a lazy planting turkey, my veg keeps growing...Ive eaten so much freakin red leaf lettuce that i kinda wanna puke. We have taters to spare, onions gallore, lettuce (wayyyyy too much lettuce), arugula that's outta control, teeny corn sproutlets, lots o' kale, tons of herbs, a soybean sprout, one teeensy anaheim pepper (my favorite new addition, re-emerging yellow pepper plants, and two huge tomato plants (that, so far, have sprouted two itty bitty green tomatos. Images to follow...

Also, someone, anyone, please please please come take some of this lettuce. I have scissors on the front step, please help your self. And parsley and arugula, please take them. For cripes sakes, take them!*

* ps, if you get sick off my veggies, you're not allowed to sue me. I mean, I didn't poison them or anything but the FDA isn't exactly stamping me "Approved" either. Thanks for your cooperation.

Oh, there you are Lil Fella

2009-04-10T08:48:00.003-04:00

I planted chives last year and it was a slow, disappointing yield. No flowers! Aren't these things supposed to have flowers? My mom used to make this chive vinegar when I was a kid and it had flowers in it. Well, HERE THEY ARE! Yes, after two years, we have a flower; the new pride and glory of the entire landscape. Its glorious.

Primp and Proper Hardscaping

2009-04-09T09:45:00.010-04:00

I've dug many paths and, while its in the spirit of nature and all that good stuff, I've realized, I'm not that natural. I bleach my hair, prance around in 5 inch heels and insist upon wearing makeup in the garden. Some may call this being shallow but I really don't give a crap. So, when I realized that my garden borders were becoming unkempt, I freaked out. I bartered my way into a pile of antique brick (in exchange for a website www.ggld.org), "put on my face", and began laying a path; a proper path with straight lines and structure. With my bare, slightly manicured hands, I'm laying a brick path that will ultimately stretch from my front step to the street (roughly 50 feet). My grandfather, Poppy, has been a brick mason since he was 14 years old so I'm hoping that I inherited some knowledge along the way. We'll see...

Hungry Gnome Garden Scapes

2009-04-08T14:04:00.005-04:00

After reading about this service in the Flagpole this morning, I had to investigate. Turns out, its pretty rad. Coming from Roots Farm, Kevin Yates of HungryGnome.org creates edible landscapes in peoples' yards. He says:

Hungry Gnome Gardenscapes is dedicated to empowering people to grow their own food. Growing food connects us to the fundamental processes of life and can fulfill us in ways that little else can. Growing your own food (even if it is just a small amount) has wide ramifications ranging from a personal sense of achievement and the delightful taste of food harvested minutes before eating, to a deep sense of spiritual connection with creation.

I emailed him this morning and he responded in a polite and timely manner. He seems really nice. Props to Kevin Yates with Hungry Gnome Garden Scapes.

Another Reason Why Georgia is Rad!

2009-04-07T09:54:00.013-04:00

So, alot of folks give Georgia alot of guff, especially folks around Athens, but, personally, I think they are bonkers. I've been here for freakin ever and, the more I get out, the more I like appreciate it. This weekend, the UGA Horticulture Club had a wicked plant sale! I got there a bit past midday and was nervous that it would be a violent free-for-all like a Tupperware party in the 50's but it wasn't. There was more than enough for all, no need for a-pushin' or a-shovin'. In fact,they were still unloading their bountiful supply when I arrived. It was truly awesome. I got some lovely grasses and tomatoes that I used to trade for two 60 year old lantana (I definately got the sweet end of that stick, thanks neighbors).

Here yee, here yee, I hereby contribute 5 ounces to your 1 million pound goal.

2009-04-06T11:32:00.006-04:00

Yes we can! I just signed up for the 1 Million Pound Harvest Drive by FreedomGardens.org. The goal is to tally our harvests every month and, hopefully by the end of 2009, we will have collectively grown 1 Million Pounds of Produce!

The folks from FreedomGardens.org write:
"Last year we launched the successful 100-foot Diet Challenge encouraging individuals and families to eat at least one homegrown meal a week. The overwhelming response led to the creation of Freedom Gardens, an online social networking community of nearly 2,500 gardening enthusiasts who are fed up with foreign oil, frequent food miles and high food prices—and who want to band together with like-minded folks. So, this year, we want to expand the scope and impact of the 100-foot Diet Challenge and think big—really big! Are you ready for the 100-foot Diet Challenge 2.0?

1 MILLION POUND FREEDOM HARVEST CHALLENGE"

I can't wait until the end of April cause I have a freakin crazy ton of greens to tally! Though, five bags of greens probably amounts to about 5 ounces. ahahaha. "Here yee, here yee, I hereby contribute 5 ounces to your 1 million pound goal." I'm totally gonna be contributor of the month.

Walk the Line Tattoo Guys, You are the BOMB!

2009-04-06T09:55:00.003-04:00

Hey, thanks Cory and Dustin for digging and mulching in the crappy, windy cold weather. You guys are super rad!

Ahahaha, Holy Crap!

2009-04-03T12:02:00.007-04:00

Holy Geez! Remember that garlic that I found in my fridge and dropped in a bowl of water (refer to post from March 29). Well, here it is only 4 days later. Its freakin hysterical. Im not kidding, in less than a week, it has grown to be about 9" in height. Freakishly quick growth. Maybe I shouldnt eat this...

Um Yeah, I think the Drought is Over.

2009-04-02T15:06:00.004-04:00

Unbelievable. Its been raining and raining and raining. We very well may be partially amphibious due to our rain exposure as of late. Again, I'm stuck inside. Again, planting seeds. I have a bazillion left over so, if anyone wants some seeds and happens to have an Ark in which to make the commute, bring it on.

Garbage Can: A Treasure Chest of Valuable Loot!

2009-04-01T15:22:00.009-04:00

I FOUND THE COOLEST SITE!!! Its called Compost This and it tells you what you can and cannot compost and why. They even have toenails on there! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. I got excited and rummaged through my home to find hidden goods. Here we have taters, greens, carrots, coffee grinds and natural filter, brown bag, and hair. Yes, hair, from my pups. I have bleached blond hair so mine's no good but my dogs go au natural so I'm stealing their strays. So, friends and family, if I pick a hair off your coat, dont thank me as you're doing me a favor as well.

Challenge: You have $5 in the World, What do you do?

2009-03-31T10:55:00.004-04:00

Let's see...I have $5 to my name. I could go out for a beer, but I'd just want more. I could buy A grocery. I could save it (aahahah, right). I know, I'll make a sound investment in my future by buying seed potatoes! The 7 lbs bag was exactly $4.99 ($5.34 with tax so I had to scrounge up some change) but now I have a full-days worth of activity and hope for the future, all for $5. I cut the taters so that there is at least one good eye on each section, stuck them in a basket with damp newspaper (to prevent dehydration), and stored them in my closet till the wounds heal. Then, out to garden!

Clean Out Your Fridge!

2009-03-29T10:19:00.005-04:00

Yep, its still raining, all my buckets are full, most of my seeds are planted...what to do? Clean, alright, fine, I'll clean. EUREKA! I found old garlic from so long ago that I can't remember. "What a waste", I thought to myself. But then, what do I see but a little green sprout from one of the cloves. WHA HOOO! I unshelled the others to find a ton of greenery waiting to escape. I shelled them and dropped them, sprout-side up, in a bowl of water. They're now incubating under a grow light in my kitchen.

4 Days and 4 Nights.

2009-03-28T13:18:00.002-04:00

Planting seeds, the perfect way to stay horticulturally productive during a monsoon. These here are soy seeds waiting to be covered by a smidgen of earth. I have them in Jiffy pots which really helps me remember where they are when I put them in the ground. I poke a hole in the bottoms, bury them with just a bit of rim showing and am able to conclude that, if something is growing outside the boundaries of a Jiffy, its probably an intruder to be yanked.

Booo, Rain. I mean, YEAH Rain.

2009-03-27T08:45:00.001-04:00

There's good news and bad news. The good news is that we're getting a freakin ton of much needed rain and I'm catching what I can before I finish my homemade rain barrel. The bad is that I'm stuck inside with pent up momentum. Time for more seedlings...

The Urban Garden Project! We're In!

2009-03-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited! I'm part of the Urban Garden Project™!

"The Urban Garden Project™ is the initiative to encourage people to learn from history, become more self-reliant, save a significant amount of money, and eat healthier, all as a result of planting their own urban garden! The goal of The Urban Garden Project™ is to encourage and catalog the creation of 100,000 urban gardens by 2020." (Urban Garden Project™: urbangardenproject.wordpress.com)

Like Baby Tortoises on a Beach...

2009-03-25T09:15:00.001-04:00

Ahaha, hey lil fellas! Here I have a row of kale sproutlets and an army of swiss chard seedlings. May they grow to be bountiful masses!

Anyone want Greens, or Reds for that Matter?

2009-03-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

Our Arugula and Lettuce are popping at the seems. (Especially after surviving the Blizzard of 2009). So...if anyone would like a few handfuls of Red Leaf or Arugula, just lemme know...The Red Leaf has turned out to be relatively mild but the Arugula packs a serious punch! Yummmm.

Lucky Ducks.

2009-03-25T09:04:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it? I found a tonnnn of iris bulbs just scattered about in our backyard; lil patches of lost and lonely plants just trying to make it amidst the bumble and brime of milkweed and dandelion. I scooped them up and moved them to the front to line a small path to our water hose. They seem pleased.

And what more, they definitely added to the aesthetics of our veggie garden. Now, I just have to remember not to plant any food-stuffs in their vicinity so we dont get poisoned...

I like P.L.A.C.E.

2009-03-24T14:24:00.001-04:00

My friend Craig is rad and began P.L.A.C.E. to "promote local agriculture and cultural experiences". P.L.A.C.E. offers farm tours and all sorts of community events. They're doing good things. Check it out...

Spotted Team Surviver

2009-03-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

As you can see here, the remaining members of Spotted Team are hanging their heads low and retreating to the wilderness.

Sadly, Only the Strong will Survive.

2009-03-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

This guy is from "Orange Team". With 16 brothers and sisters, we decided to forgo formal names and assign them teams: "Orange Team" and "Spotted Team". As with most ecosystems, there are winners and there are losers. Apparently, "Orange Team" is kicking the dirt outta "Spotted Team" who has suffered a tremendous loss of at least five teammates.

BathTub Water Garden.

2009-03-24T09:38:00.001-04:00

Boy did we luck out. When I bought this house, the previous owner left a multitude of interesting items...a bike, a ceramic owl lamp, some matchbox cars, and...this super freakin rad claw-foot tub. What better use of another man's trash than to house 16 goldfish in your front yard. And, in the spirit of drought tolerance, it'll be a gray-water home for our new friends.

May I Present the Fore-Fathers of this Vast new Terrain:

2009-03-24T09:21:00.000-04:00

Dig Dug.

2009-03-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

Holy Geez. I've been digging my tale off. Note the hard, clay-like consistency of the terrain. I went at it with all my 100 lbs. of maniacal fury and a shovel to shape and mend the area. Kinda like large scale grooming. As this was all rotten-handle-shovel-work, I now have the hands of a crab fisherman on the open sea...very Ernest Hemingway...I kinda like it. I also ordered a dumptruck load of wood chips (sorry neighbors for covering your driveway) to build up the beds. The granite sand is arriving today to fill the paths. Again, neighbors, should you decide to use your driveway, it may be occupied for a bit longer...

The Grand Master Plan.

2009-03-24T09:03:00.000-04:00

I devised a plan. I wanted a super curvy landscape or accessible, edible treats. This is in code. The good news is that it looks pretty, the bad, is that I cant really recall what the letters represent. Time to get to work...

Yummy Yummy Rosemary

2009-03-24T08:57:00.001-04:00

So, after planting things all willy-nilly last season, I've matured into being far more calculating in my plant placement. With this row of rosemary, I honestly felt like a super-pro landscaper at a car dealership or something. I was proud. I also really "dig" the idea of smelling rosemary upon arrival.

Post Post Apocolyptic Yard

2009-03-24T08:51:00.000-04:00

And here's the yard about 7 months later after we raised the money to build our fence. My fiancee build this inch by inch (he even made the pickets, talk about custom made). Then I scraped a hearty layer of weeds off the surface and laid mulch/newspaper beds.

Post-Apolcolyptic Yard.

2009-03-24T08:39:00.000-04:00

The aftermath of destruction is never pretty. Here's our yard after digging up the grass. A relatively lovely site to see considering...

Survivors...

2009-03-23T12:34:00.001-04:00

Luckily, there were a few stragglers along the periphery that were spared: a prayiing mantis that, hopefully, didnt suffer some sort of death shock from my shoving a giant camera in its face, and some lovely flowers (till I cut them and threw them in a vase in our kitchen, that is).

Fatalities!

2009-03-23T11:58:00.001-04:00

When ripping out a lawn, there are a few deaths along the way. RIP: bitter (seemingly poisonous) lettuce, decoy collards, tomatoes, kale, and tiny chard. You were missed but your death was not in vain.

Good riddance to the following: bastard bermuda grass, milkweed, and other assorted and sundry lawn invaders.

First Things Second.

2009-03-23T11:51:00.001-04:00

So, in the spirit of being a novice, we decided to jump in head first and just grow some greens. We dug up some deep rooted grass, burmed up a few rows and started planting, no rhyme or reason. The kale was the big winner, followed by the tomatoes that later arrived. The lettuce was hysterically bitter (seriously, unbelievably bitter) and bled some kind of white goo that seemed a little suspicious. The Collards became sacrificial decoy plants and attracted the predators. This worked pretty well till we realized that we had to thin out the plants and ultimately should remove the entire lawn...

AHAHAH, Our Yard Sucked!

2009-03-23T10:52:00.000-04:00

Literally, it sucked. Our yard sucked up rain, sunshine, and fuel from our really old mower. It was completely useless. It rarely rains here in the summers and it was all wasted on this pointless terrain that devoured even the bravest of newcomers (for instance, these two saplings were STRUGGLING). Then there's the concrete path which led to a flooded area in our garage. Again, precious rain water sent "down the drain" or "drive" for that matter.

On the bright side though, we got a TON of sunshine (that pun is intended).