Updates and Future Endeavors

While we have neglected our blog for a very long time, our adventures in urban farming and sustainable living are alive and well.

A few highlights since our last blog:

Garden

• In and effort to start seeds indoor, we purchased grow lights from the local hydroponic store  Last year's effort was an epic failure. We had maybe 10 little plants out of the hundreds that we had hoped for. So much for our plans to sell plant starts at our driveway market.
• We planted 9 or so dahlia bulbs last year and enjoyed fresh cut flowers all summer long. At the end of the season, we dug up the bulbs and stored them in our garage. It's amazing how much those buggers multiply.
• We're still eating the potatoes we harvest last year.
• It was a great year for our strawberries. We still have some in the freezer.
• Thanks to some calcium amendments to the soil, we had our best broccoli crop ever.
• We didn't have nearly enough driveway markets.

Food

• We got a butter churn for Christmas. Michael made butter without me. When we bought some cream to make some more, the cream went bad. I can't believe I still haven't made butter.
• Those frozen chicken carcasses became the makings of yummy chicken broth and homemade chicken pot pie.
• For the sake of convenience, we shopped at the grocery store a lot more and the markets a bit less.

Chickens

• I can't believe we ate Lucy, Gigantor, and (what was that other girl's name...?). We've come a long way since Rita (Michael's first backyard slaughter).
• A chicken or two died (from sickness/injury), but I can't remember their names.... funny how that happens when they die.
• Spot hurt her leg and now she's all out of alignment. Her tail leans to right (or is it the left?).

Well, there you go. That's your 2012 year in review.


Endeavors, adventures, and goals for the coming year:

• Preserve more, waste less. Use our money more wisely.
• We're trying to start seeds again this year. I thought we had it dialed in this year, but now I'm not sure. Those little plants aren't looking so lively lately. 
• This year we plan to sell our beautiful dahlia blooms at our driveway market (that is if our bulb preserving efforts work in our favor).
• Michael wants to add a few dahlia flower beds in the front yard and maybe a fruit tree or two. 
• Make butter a little more often before the cream goes bad. Maybe we'll milk a cow.... or a goat. I think we should try making yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Market Harris Farm & Garden a little more, sell a little more, and maybe make a little spending money. We picked up some old cupboard doors from an architectural salvage yard. These are going to make some really cool signs to advertise when we have veggies and flowers for sale.

-Trisa