Locavore In Training

Heather's Note: My friend Penn lives in Canton (a section of Baltimore for the non-Maryland people) with his wife and has been learning to how to combine a desire to grow his own food and city living. When he isn't an urban "farmer", he works in IT and writes for blogbaltimore.com. I've asked him to share his experience here, to show another spin on local food. If I'm lucky, one day I'll convince him to share his award-winning white chicken chili recipe (mentioned below) with us.

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It's called a tale of two pots because that is what I started with when I first started my city garden and it also makes for a very catchy title!

It all started with my White Chicken Chili, and our discovery of how much better and cleaner cilantro is when it's home grown. We used to buy our cilantro in bunches at Safeway. It wasn't bad, it was just usually very dirty and not very potent so we always felt we had to overcompensate to provide taste. When we moved to our house on Essex Street, I was able to buy a couple of these little guys and put them on my retaining wall that separates us from our neighbors.

I filled both of these pots with some potting soil and planted basil, cilantro, green onions, and more basil. You can never have enough basil! The plants were very easy to take care of and after they initially sprouted, provided a better view in the backyard than the ugly gray cement.

It really wasn't hard work. Very easy to manage and tend to each and every item. The other advantage was that it was easy to cook around these herbs. If I have an over abundance of basil, I will take some and boil it in olive oil. This gives olive oil a hint of basil and it taste much better with bread and Parmesan. Excess cilantro and basil goes into salads and soups. Green onions always work out well with almost everything we cook. It was amazing how much fun and how easy it was to grow these things.

This obsession of growing my own foods didn't stop there. I wanted to do more. I wanted tomatoes, I wanted rosemary, I wanted to grow everything that was in my spice cabinet. I wanted to grow, and then dry, what I couldn't eat. I bought rosemary and lavender. I got mint from a friend. My herbs were multiplying on my wall. No longer did I carefully care for two pots but, in the same season, I now had 5. I allowed my cilantro to seed so that it could die down and then come back. It was awesome!

My next step was tomatoes...

Think it comes from here?

photo credit: Virginia Ngai / Istock

Not so much anymore...

I think the coolest thing about my path to local, sustainable foods is knowing where my food comes from. And, I don't mean which grocery store. My food sources have become, or will continue to become, quite local.

This is where my food comes from:

Clagett Farm, my CSA. Affiliated with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, I get the freshest, organic produce possible, but I also get to feel good about supporting the group and farm. Driving through this weekend, I couldn't help but feel the anticipation. There was almost no trace of food in the fields, but in a few weeks... it will be a completely different story.

I also briefly stopped by my new community garden on Saturday as well. I was hoping to time the visit to see as few people as possible... I'm new to the garden, felt a little guilty about immediately taking the weekend off. I do have a good excuse, with my parents in town, but still! Luckily, the hard work of growing food was finished by the time we drove through!

The view from just behind the deer-resisting electric fence, you can barely see the raised rows of potatoes that were planted last weekend.No planting here, but it's the amazing water view I'll be enjoying while working the garden this year!

I also planted my little 3' x 3' raised bed this weekend. Swiss chard, snow pea, kale, spinach, beet and carrot seeds are all tucked underneath a thin layer of newspaper so they don't wash away with the impending thunderstorm. (What a good suggestion from my dad! Wish both my parents were around more to help, or at least be amused, with my projects!)

That, along with some really great quality time with the folks, made for a successful and fun weekend!

Hello, my name is Heather, and I have a problem. A serious problem. (Ok, more than one, but let's stay focused here.) It's a Spring gardening problem.

When the weather starts to change from the cold, gray of the winter into the fresh, green warmth of Spring, I can't help myself. Each year I promise myself that this is "it", that after this year I won't have to do it all again. And each year, it's a lie.

My fatal flaw? Buying plants. Last year, I acquired enough new plants to almost fill brand spanking new large garden beds. Hostas, astilbe, ferns, bushes, lilys... Honeysuckle, columbines, and oh, let's not forget the vegetables. And last year, I told myself that the beds were full. That once the plants all grew and matured, the garden would be the lush, green jewel that I want.

So, this year, I decided to turn my former vegetable garden bed into a cottage garden. Surely, that justifies more plants? Oh, and maybe there's still some room left in the other beds?

3 orders have been placed, and I don't even remember exactly that's been ordered:

• Heirloom bulbs - iris, lilies, daffodils?
• Organic tulips (for fall delivery)
• Miscellaneous order of other flowers (seriously, no clue...)

Not a bit of it has been delivered. The "new" bed isn't even ready - I have to remove the never-producing strawberry plants, leftover herbs, overwintered lettuce and swiss chard, garlic and rosemary bush. And yes, I still want more.

Ok, I missed it. It was yesterday. World Water Day 2010 "is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources."

Even though I missed it, it's still important so I thought I'd mention it today. On top of the expense of bottled water, there's the environmental and health concerns with plastic! I use a Klean Kanteen water bottle during the work day, and I'm ordering a Seychelle water bottle for on the go and at the garden use. Since it's filtered, I won't have to worry about using tap water anywhere.

And, here's a pretty interesting video about bottled water.

Thanks Sierra Club for posting the video!

After a rough start this morning, today turned out really well! Since the majority of our fall cleanup wasn't ever done and we've had more rain/snow than should be possible, our yard is a giant leaf-covered mudpit. It's a sad, sad state of affairs. I may have contemplated moving away rather than dealing with it.

Not much was accomplished before lunch, so when we broke for food there was conversation about how to get it done/not doing it/hiring a crew to handle it. So, Jay and I dealt with it the best way we know h0w - he went off to play video games and I ran away to check out the community garden. That's how normal people handle things, right?

Anyway... Turns out the community garden is another hidden gem! Tucked away from most of civilization near lots of woods and wetlands, it's a surprisingly flat, dry "farm" within view of a river. No idea what river, though it's located on the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary... so maybe it's Jug Bay? I'll have to ask someone next time I'm there!

I was immediately briefed on the farm by the leader, Lloyd, given paperwork listing the rules, required tools, and member contact information. I'm also now in possession of the planting schedule and chores, so I know when to show up. Brief it was, and I was thrown pretty much immediately into work. Today was all about potatoes, onions and peas. I missed the potato planting, but I ended up helping to hill them. Planted a row of sugar snap peas and half a row of onions before helping to tidy up.

What a surprise when I ended up home - Jay did a ton of the yard cleanup while I was gone! The front yard, which is much drier than the back, is all ready for the Spring chores. Guess I won't have to run away from home after all!

Between the CSA and community garden, I'd better quickly learn how to  process and store all the extra produce! With some luck, and skill I don't have, I can probably put up most of the produce we'll need through the year. My Ball canning book arrived, now I just need to find a common-sense guide to freezing as well. Speaking of gardening, I'm still debating on if I should try to set up a small garden here. I don't need it, but I'd like to have herbs on hand. (Yes, I do have my aerogarden for that... shhh) Maybe some lettuce, swiss chard (because I already have some  of both that overwintered) and kale as well. I probably won't need the 2 3'x6' raised beds I bought though... at least not this year. Maybe I'll set one up as a 3' x 3' and see what happens!

If you're going to get dirty, at least start out cute!

I'm happy to report that my worm friends seem to have settled in to their new home. They arrived last Thursday, looking as healthy as you can expect 1,000 red wiggler worms who just traveled from NC to MD through the USPS. I dumped them in as instructed in the Worm Factory manual - minus the light above their home. Since they are living in the shed, there is no electric for an easy light source. Well, this turned out to be a mistake.

When I checked in on them the next day, I was sad to discover some dead escapees around the composter. They seemed confused on what was up and what was down, so some ventured up and out. I rigged an LED flashlight above it, figuring I would replace the batteries once a day or so since I would leave it on all day. Then the monsoon 4 days of straight rain came, and I just couldn't get myself motivated to trek through the standing water, mud and muck to check on them.

My new rain boots arrived yesterday, so the first thing I did was check on them. Even though it's started to dry out, I was thankful to have them. Turns out, the flashlight was still on, and it doesn't look like there were more escapees! They were all tucked in the dirt, seemingly adjusted. Good times!

I also took the extra daylight time to clear a thick layer of leaves that still remained on my perennial beds. (One of "the kid's" supposed chores.)  I'm hoping they can dry out over the next couple of days, and that the plants have all fared well over the gallons of rain and snow. If things can dry out enough, I'll get the leaves collected and shredded this weekend and maybe even set up my new raised beds! Hooray for sunlight and spring!

I have been a busy bee! Although tonight was supposed to be devoted to bees...

I had to get the worm factory ready for the eminent arrival of the red wiggler worms last night! Jay had agreed to place them in their home, should they arrive while I was at bee class. He's been such a good sport. Last night he watched part of the worm house prep process and decided that I'm "a weird girl" and that it's "yucky." Well, yeah.

But, that's ok! I'm strangely excited to have worms as "pets" and even more excited to see how much of our current trash and recycling I can reduce though this venture. Since I decided to skip bee class (too much to do, too little energy), I was able to welcome the worms myself. They were waiting in the mailbox. My mail person must be confused. They were wrapped in a cloth bag about the size of a grapefruit. I dropped gently placed them into the worm factory, using a flashlight for light. Daylight savings, where are you? I got myself all freaked out while doing it, thinking I was hearing random noises and being a little weirded out by the sight of 1,000 worms. They're supposed to take up to a week to adjust. I'll check them in a few days and see how they're adjusting.

Last night, the aerogarden lit up a little more like a Christmas tree than usual, demanding some attention. Turns out I didn't read fully through the instructions, so thank god they have warning lights when I'm supposed to be doing something to it. I needed to change out the water and add new nutrients. All the pods have sprouted now, sans parsley... and that looks like it might be getting ready to pop any moment now.

It's a small set of "farm" chores, for sure, especially compared to what it will be in a few short months and nowhere near what I hope for eventually. Considering the extremely limited amount of daylight I have after returning from my long trek to and from work, it's pretty decent.

My raised bed setup arrived a couple nights ago, if the weather cooperates,  I'm going to try to get them set up this weekend. Definitely going to be researching delivery options this year - I lost count of the number of trips back and forth from the nursery for compost, mulch, soil, etc. Let's simplify and save more time for playing in the yard!

I'm still very interested in the beekeeping thing, but with class going until 10 on a school work night, I just can't hang. Turns out there are a couple other options. There's one hosted by the Anne Arundel beekeepers group I could take, I could try again on this one next year, and I need to learn more about mason bees. Might be a decent for-now option. (Note for the husband: They do not sting.)

I have one of two fence quotes back, hoping to get that project moving soon. Lots more research to do on the chicken plan, but it's the non-chicken related steps that are holding the project back so far!

Happy to have requested the day off tomorrow! Yay for relaxation.

I woke up this morning really excited about all the progress I've made this week. I'm really, really excited about the backyard chicken plan... several fairly large things need to happen before I can have them clucking around the yard, but it's feeling very real. A couple of calls for fence estimates went out yesterday, we need to close in the fence for privacy and safety for the girls.

Random worry this morning... what in the heck do we do with them when we're on vacation??

I'm excited to get move involved with Clagett Farm this year... though I haven't quite managed to get that worked out yet. I'm also really looking forward to getting involved in a new community garden. That one is also eluding me so far as well, their welcome meeting is today and I can't make it. I'm particularly interested in the beekeeping that they're already doing at the garden... maybe I can use my new-found knowledge there?! Oh, that and the asparagus patch! Yes, please!

All of this excitement really put into perspective the one thing I am not excited for today...  My horse lessons. I'm probably the last one to this party, but I'm not really enjoying it. Anyone else figure that out already? I still really want to learn, to be involved with horses... I just don't think this place is a good fit. I'll be canceling today (before my lesson!) because there are too many projects that I could be working on instead of something I'm not totally enjoying. I get enough of that during the week, thanks.

Oh, and if I'm not paying for lessons anymore... maybe that means more heritage bulbs will find their way here... (I'll tell ya more about that project soon...)

So instead of my horse plan for today, I'll be doing some much needed catch up on housework and then researching chicken breeds and housing. (I thought I had already figured out the breed, but turns out different breeds do well on different types of soil... I need the clay-friendly ones!) Then, I'll be hanging out with one of my favorite people. Another beautiful day on tap as well...

Wowie! What an interesting week! Not only is today the most beautiful day we've had in months, I've gotten into some interesting things over the last couple of days...

First of all, the Aerogarden is up and running. I got it all set up about a week and a half ago, and we're starting to see signs of life!

A couple pods haven't quite emerged yet, but I'm excited to see growth in what has felt like the dead of winter lately!

On Thursday, I started my BUMBA (Bowie, Upper Marlboro Beekeeper's Association) Beekeeping class held at Watkins Park. I was amazed to see over 50 people show up - people of all ages. Our first class was focused on going over the basic materials needed and bee behavior. I'm looking forward to the rest of the classes, where we'll get into more specifics on what's required to maintain a hive. (Quick PSA - the bees are in trouble! Learn more about that here.)

The highlight of the night? No question - one of the instructors demonstrating the bee dance. I was too caught up in trying to catch it on video to get all the details, but I'm pretty sure she was showing us how bees communicate when they find good food (maple, in this case.) Pardon the quality, but I just had to share...

Today held some definite excitement! My Backyard Chicken Keeping class!! The class was run by Lee Kelly, a jack of all trades farmer who works for the Accokeek Foundation. He started the class by asking each of the 8 woman attending (one also brought her young son) what we hoped to get from the class. The rest of the class was informal - the first half an in-depth Q&A and the second half discussing his prepared handouts. An awesome bargain, I walked out with a bunch of materials including what seems like a really great instructional book. Half the class drove over to the staff area to get a special treat! Lee allowed us to hold and pet one of his chickens. At least half of the women in the class plan to get chickens, but had never even touched one. (Me included...) I was over the moon to be surrounded by other crazy like-minded people!

One of their heritage breeds, Dominique:

Yes, she's giving me the stink eye...

Turns out the foundation runs an large and varied farm; in addition to the chickens, they have the Oxen, Rocky and Bullwinkle:

Some cattle, including a baby calf!

They also had a large flock of sheep, turkeys, pigs and a variety of wild geese and ducks easily spotted. They run an organic farm and I believe host a CSA. They've got quite a fantastic view too, right on the Potomac.

Really, I can't believe after living in Maryland for somewhere around 20 years, I've never been to either Watkins Park or the Accokeek Foundation! Never even heard of them. What gems!

And then there's Watkins Park... I haven't seen it in the daytime yet, but I'm already impressed. 850 acres a stone's throw from the beltway in PG county, with a Nature Center hosting live animal exhibits. I felt so fortunate to have arrived early for my class so I could take a stroll around the center. Apparently they put on a Christmas light show during the winter, and have an antique carousel, picnic areas and mini golf for the warmer months. It's only 30 minutes from our house, so I have a feeling I'll be visiting again even after my class has finished!

Finally, I'm not the only one enjoying the return of the sun! Max is also soaking in some rays!