Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens South Africa

Some of the rare and beautiful colors and textures from my visit... and remember this is winter.

 The Botanical Gardens are considered one of the most important horticultural spaces in the

world as it is home to an extremely rare collection of flora.

Sustainability Grootbos

I was able to take part in the "future tour" of  Grootbos. It explained a program run by the hotel in environmental sustainability for the hotel and local township. I learned that a majority of the food and plant life in and around the hotel was grown at a local farm...all possible waste from the garden was composted...seed saving...farming  and there was a training program to teach the locals in these processes, with classes available in hospitality service all leading to jobs within the respectful industries  

After the farm we were privalaged to visit the township... where I learned of "Smilie" roasted..smoked goats head.... Thank you but Im a vegetarian 

July Garden

Here is a look into the garden as we start July. I came home and the growth was amazing to me and so many plants at different stages. The first of the sunflowers had started going to seed while new ones were blooming... Corn was starting in stages as well. To my surprise there was a butternut squash coming and lots of  melons starting... with of course an amazing amount of green beans! Excited to see how things develop this month

also found this obscenely large zucchini hiding under the leaves

scary ¿right?.... but I diced it up into a delicious ratatouille and it was wonderful

Also look at the amazing growth of tomatoes in the  minifarmbox

Melon with Spicy Radish

I just picked some of the Black radishes I planted and one of my favorite things to do with them is eat them with sweet melon. Its a play on prosciutto & melon salad

I simply use a mandolin slicer to slice the radishes very thin give them a little sprinkle of salt and then eat them over a variety of sweet summer mellon with olive oil and maybe a touch of balsamic on herbs or greens

I did them here with summer cantaloupe on some bronze fennel greens
Make sure the radish is very spicy and crisp  as well as the melon smooth and sweet Also I love it with arugula as well!

June Garden

Time to check in on the garden! I am on the road a lot and Its exciting when I get back to see what tremendous miracles happen! Now let me say that my minifarmbox's have irrigation on timers...Thank goodness! Everyone gets water! So I keep up on maintenance like weeding and monthly feeding the soil with organic fertilizer. It's exciting to see what has happened from just putting down some seeds and letting them do there thing.

Welcome Home from the garden

Thrilled to come home and collect this handful of super delicious dragon tongue heirloom beans from the garden! Yes Already! Guess what I am having for dinner:-)

2014 May Garden

So Happy and excited to see what has grown from Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds that I litterally through out into areas of the minifarmbox.  Thank you to Emilia and the automatic watering !!

 I am so Grateful!!

Summer Seed Starting 2014

Well Thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, I decided to give it a try and start my vegetable garden from scratch with new heirloom varieties and some seeds I saved from last summers harvest.

I planed out the minifarmboxes and planted seeds then covered with deer netting to keep the squirrels and birds away.

Then took another set of seeds and used starters containers and planted them, covering with cheese cloth to keep damp and protect from the birds squirrels and wind

I'm excited to see how this works out

Cilantro Hummus Summertime Favorite.... Easy!

I have really been enjoying the produce of the garden with Hummus this year! With all the green beans , tomatoes and cucumber its been such a perfect acompanyment. A friend gave me a great idea for my hummus... add a big hand full of cilantro and a hand full of spinach ... It turns it a beautiful green and the flavor is delicate and delicious. Now you can use the recipe I tested in my "New Years 2011 post" ...remember?  or 

This amended version I have been making this summer

1  (16oz)   can organic ready to eat garbanzo beans (and liquid)

1    cloves garlic

 juice of one fresh medium lemon

¼     cup tahini

 ¼cup olive oil, plus extra for garnish

1      teaspoon ground cumin

½      teaspoon salt (to taste)

       1 large handful of of Cilantro

and one medium handful of Spinach


Place beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini,  ¼ cup of the olive oil, cilantro, spinach, cumin and salt in a food processor or blender (good Blender works best for me).
 Add liquid from the canned beans and process to a smooth consistency, about 2 minute.

And dig in with any fresh vegtables.. above I have lightly steamed green beans from the garden and a variety of tomatoes from the  garden and these  Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers , they serve them on Virgin America Airlines and I just LOVE them...and just by chance they are gluten free

Figs Already!!!

I can't believe it, Went outside and noticed all these figs on the tree already !!!

 Iced Coffee and fresh figs and another look thru these French magazines 

Divine!!  

EggPlant Pasta :-)

Cherry tomatoes and eggplant and tiny globe basil from the garden

Garden Confessions

This year the garden felt so full with promise and I really had big ideas about it in my head but that didn't come true. However it taught me a great lesson about gardening and life...not to mention it reminded me of that fav joke.... Wanna make God Laugh... tell him your plans:-) 
Give yourself credit for getting out there and trying. Life is about doing and learning.

To start it was very devastating to learn that the bee hive had been infiltrated by a Hostel Queen (LOL) and the hive had turned aggressive. I learned it can happen when you bring your bee's in from another area and the hive is not well established or adjusted to the new regional accommodations. One option is to go in and kill the Hostel Queen and replace her with a pregnant more docile Queen but unfortunately with my work schedule I exceeded that option and had to exterminate the hive :-( It was really sad... more so than I though it would be. However, I do have 2 local docile hive's awaiting delivery to me so hopefully we will be back in business soon. 

Its amazing the affect of losing the hive had on all my plants and flower. Its really draws light to the importance of  every link in the chain and I see why people are fighting so hard for Bee's. Whatever your feeling about bee's, they are such gigantic part of our food chain

Next The tomatoes, squash and zucchini failed horribly, I dreamed for so many exotic varieties of tomatoes and squash but no way. I leared that I was planting the tomatoes in the same place each year and although we amended, it was not enough nutrients for the tomatoes and squash to be strong. Along with a spider mite invasion that knocked them out cold.I will try to grow some plants this winter to help the soil and next year grow the tomatoes in different areas or barrels

While I was sad about this I was forgetting to look at what was doing well, Its all about your attitude and perspective, and suddenly I realized how productive the garden was for me and I became over joyed 

I ended up pulling out all of the plants that didn't do well and replaced them with different things and its been great.

You can't be so stubborn in your mind determind to get what you think you want but instead go with the flow adapt change and appreciate what you have and what is good

Below are some of the great thing I am getting 

These white cucumbers  which are amazing ,I have never had anything like them Green beans are insane, Egg plant and these Fabulous Cherry tomatoes Kelly's Breakfast, White current,and Green Grape and herbs are abundant Basil Cilantro Parsly thyme and even some peppers but I am most excited to have some melons coming ...Every year I try them and they do bad (mainly because everything else around them does good and cuts out their sun)

Whatever the case I still encourage anyone to just start growing something ...If you are successful , Amazing, if not be open and learn what might have been going on and have the courage to keep trying.

2013 Summer Garden ...Lets Plant!!!

Great Morning planting the minifarmbox garden with Conor and Aaron! First we turned over the soil in the boxes and added ebstone organic Earthworm casting and Flower & Vegetable Planting Mix to replenish the soil and bring the boxes up to level. Then we place out the seedling and figured out where was best place to plant and before putting them in the soil we dusted the roots with Sure Start. 
Finishing with a healthy watering. 

Here is a fun film of Conor from minifarmbox helping me plant the 2013 Summer Garden

Thanks to 

Conor and Aaron @

www.minifarmbox.com

www.ebstone.org/index.php

www.ardenwoodsedibles.com

music is 

Bring It Back (Radio Edit) Freemasons

So Excited about the Garden:-)

Nysha and I just picked up seedling plants for the garden and I am so excited to get them in the ground with Conor (minifarmbox)

Left are the golden raspberries and right are the sweet peas which I planted from seed and they are so fragrant and beautiful its overwhelming:-)

The Gardens My Party... Lets get it started!!!

Amazing Fun day with Nysha from Ardenwood Edibles! 

We took a trip out to Bountiful Gardens, where her friend David Diaz started some of her seedling this year. Such a beautiful nursery! We had the most fun, Nysha picking out unique and interesting varietals for my garden this year! I am so excited to see what happens!!

Here is our fun film picking seedling plants to being the 2013 Summer minifarmbox garden

Thanks to 
Nysha @
www.ardenwoodsedibles.com
David @
www.bountifulgardens.info/index.html

Helpful websites
www.minifarmbox.com
www.ardenwoodsedibles.com
www.growitalian.com
www.seedsofchange.com

Sunset Magazine March Issue 2013

Get a load of this!!!! All that work in the Garden paid off... I was so excited to hear that Conor owner of minifarmbox had spoken to Sunset Magazine.He was showing them the documentation of our progress on the garden from my blog and they flipped to do a story on it. 

And Looked what Happened :-)

Cool HUH? 
Now the only awkward part is the food recipes and the fabulous food photography is not mine, but all in all its Great Story for a nasty patch of land down the hill.. that Conor at minifarmbox and Nysha at Ardenwood edibles and Andrew (my guy who helps and teaches me about the bees) turn into a real paradise for me 
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!
there is also an online issue to check out 
March 2013 Sunset Magazine 
 you can also checkout images from the  blog about the Garden bee's and my recipies  if you click 
Garden, Bee's or Food
in the "Label Tab" on the left

August Tomatoes

Let tomato season begin! we are staring to see our first substantial handfuls...so exciting!!!!

Above you can see our  Black Krim, Juliet, Large Red Cherry,Black Prince, Viva Italian and St Pierre

Also Check out this Artichoke we left to flower ...It is the MOST amazing electric purpley blue color...So Beautiful

Time to Check in on the Garden

Ok after a bit of a rough start..things are coming along. We were so excited to get plants in early and enjoy summer crops and a couple of cold nights here put all that to a end.

 Most of the tomatoes and squash we planted originally didn't make it but I ran out and was able to get some more in at the begin-ish of  June.

I feel better looking back at the blogpost from last year and seeing that we are right on time and things are looking good

Its filled with so many hidden treasures ... its stared now with green beans and cucumbers...and I think in the next couple of weeks we are going to start harvesting some squash, tomatoes and eggplant (fingers crossed) :-)

WOW....Green Beans

I don't think you understand

I was away last week and this is what we picked ...just from the blue lake vines on the wall... TODAY! 
Exciting:-) also made Pickles with the lemon cucumber that are popping up all over!

they have all been so delicious and make me happy to be home 

July First Garden Picks

I am learning a lot about the Garden this year and I guess thats the beauty of it .... like people, no two gardens are the same, each is individually it own thing. 
I worked hard to get things in early this year to reap the most of our summer crops... to my disappointment a lot of things died off and I am realizing maybe the time we put the garden in last year wasn't late but right on time....
I have some leftovers from the winter garden which are still producing for us like lettuce, leeks and  artichokes.  
We have , what I affectionately call sewer tomatoes , They sprung up around the grey water and grew from discarded tomatoes from last year..they are great cherries and are getting us excited for all our other tomatoes to come (they are finally growing good)
We put green beens on the wall this year and they are going like crazy... that is exciting too:-)

Hope all your gardening is going well and love some input on recipes that you make from your produce.