I can't believe it's 2010. That number still sounds like some distant, futuristic year when we'll all be living like the Jetsons. (I'm waiting for my robot maid to arrive!) It's been several months since I last posted, so I figured it was high time to catch up and talk about my plans for the new year.
Last year, I had lots of big ideas for my garden, which never materialized. Though, with the help of my very kind, generous, and slightly insane in-laws we cleared lots of space in the yard where I will eventually plant things. My father-in-law and his wife came to San Diego to visit us in the sweltering heat of August. They spent most of their 3-week "vacation" working in our yard. They trimmed back trees, pulled out dead plants, removed a dying hedge, fixed our fence, got rid of a giant & useless trellis on the east side of our house, built a patio cover, and moved my future grape arbor to a new, sunny spot. Truly, it was an extreme makeover for the yard - and not one we could have possibly handled on our own in such a short period of time. There is still much I want to accomplish in the yard. For example, we still have retaining walls made of crumbling railroad ties that need to be replaced, and I need to beef up the raised beds with decent topsoil. But, overall, I have a blank canvas to work with at long last, and I am so grateful for all the work that was done for us.
In my quest to make more things by hand, I tried making a few of my Christmas gifts last year. I made scarves for several close friends and one for my fabulous sister-in-law. I had been to an employee craft show at work, and one woman was selling scarves she made out of cotton knit fabric. They were super soft like a t-shirt, but still very warm. I was in love! And I also knew I could easily make some myself. So I bought some fabric and got to work. I hand sewed the fringe as well. I was quite pleased with how they came out. It felt good to give a gift that I'd made myself, though I had my usual paranoia that the recipient would hate what I made. I want to try making something for people every year. I don't think I'm quite to the point where I want to give *only* handmade items. But maybe someday. This year for sure I plan to give some homemade preserves. Jams, jellies, syrups, sauces...I don't know what exactly, but I'm going to put those canning skills to use!
Speaking of canning, I was delighted to received a pressure canner for Christmas from my husband's mom, sister and brother-in-law. I can't wait to give it a try. I'm really hoping to make and jar up my own caramel sauce. I don't know why I'm fixated on caramel sauce, but that was one of my main motivations for getting the canner. That, and making pickles. I don't know if you can use a regular hot water bath type canner for pickles, but now I have both types! Hooray for home preserves!
Now that it's January, the seed catalogs are arriving in the mail and I'm looking through them daily, trying to decide what I want to grow in my fledgling garden. There are dozens of things I want to try, but there's no sense in trying to grow everything in my first year. I need to start small. I plan to start an herb garden, for one thing. Some rosemary (to replace my giant rosemary bush that we removed since it was so woody and overgrown), basil, cilantro and parsley. I think those are the main herbs I use in cooking. Maybe eventually I'll branch out and expand. Dill and oregano might be nice to have as well. I also want to try some watermelon, though I might try planting that at my mom's house where there's more sun. There are some nice cucumbers from Seed Savers Exchange that I want to try. Some carrots. Zucchini. Maybe that should be it for veggies. I'd like to try growing berries, but I'm not sure of the variety to choose or which ones grow best here. And I have a few different types of flowers I want to grow. Specifically some sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and Johnny-Jump-Ups. Is that too many? Can I actually grow all this stuff and keep it alive? Will my water bill cripple us financially? Time will tell!
My husband and I are working toward getting healthier and more fit this year. With our dieting efforts, we've stopped eating out as much and are eating more at home. I enjoy cooking, though sometimes I run out of ideas that are practical from a time perspective. I've been really trying to incorporate more vegetables, and trying to be more aware of eating fruits/veggies that are in season. I'm also trying to cut back on the amount of meat we eat. I watched Food, Inc. a couple weekends ago. It was sobering to say the least. While I was under no delusions that the meat industry was a pretty picture, I didn't realize how bad it really was. The film wasn't just about the meat industry, it also talked about all types of foods. The cheap calories, the preservatives, the artificial junk. It really made me reconsider what I eat, and what I feed to my children. We could eat much better, both in terms of nutrition and in terms of the larger social/ethical issues surrounding food. It gave me a lot to think about. In fact, at first I felt sort of overwhelmed and hopeless. Like the problems are so gigantic, and there's so much to change. Where do I even start? But, much like doing right by the environment, it's all about willingness to change and taking steps in the right direction. Maybe I can't be a perfectly green vegetarian homesteader right now. Maybe I'll never be. But I can try to make better choices, even if they're small ones. Really, I think that's what this blog - what my ambitions - are all about: making progress.
Last year, I had lots of big ideas for my garden, which never materialized. Though, with the help of my very kind, generous, and slightly insane in-laws we cleared lots of space in the yard where I will eventually plant things. My father-in-law and his wife came to San Diego to visit us in the sweltering heat of August. They spent most of their 3-week "vacation" working in our yard. They trimmed back trees, pulled out dead plants, removed a dying hedge, fixed our fence, got rid of a giant & useless trellis on the east side of our house, built a patio cover, and moved my future grape arbor to a new, sunny spot. Truly, it was an extreme makeover for the yard - and not one we could have possibly handled on our own in such a short period of time. There is still much I want to accomplish in the yard. For example, we still have retaining walls made of crumbling railroad ties that need to be replaced, and I need to beef up the raised beds with decent topsoil. But, overall, I have a blank canvas to work with at long last, and I am so grateful for all the work that was done for us.
In my quest to make more things by hand, I tried making a few of my Christmas gifts last year. I made scarves for several close friends and one for my fabulous sister-in-law. I had been to an employee craft show at work, and one woman was selling scarves she made out of cotton knit fabric. They were super soft like a t-shirt, but still very warm. I was in love! And I also knew I could easily make some myself. So I bought some fabric and got to work. I hand sewed the fringe as well. I was quite pleased with how they came out. It felt good to give a gift that I'd made myself, though I had my usual paranoia that the recipient would hate what I made. I want to try making something for people every year. I don't think I'm quite to the point where I want to give *only* handmade items. But maybe someday. This year for sure I plan to give some homemade preserves. Jams, jellies, syrups, sauces...I don't know what exactly, but I'm going to put those canning skills to use!
Speaking of canning, I was delighted to received a pressure canner for Christmas from my husband's mom, sister and brother-in-law. I can't wait to give it a try. I'm really hoping to make and jar up my own caramel sauce. I don't know why I'm fixated on caramel sauce, but that was one of my main motivations for getting the canner. That, and making pickles. I don't know if you can use a regular hot water bath type canner for pickles, but now I have both types! Hooray for home preserves!
Now that it's January, the seed catalogs are arriving in the mail and I'm looking through them daily, trying to decide what I want to grow in my fledgling garden. There are dozens of things I want to try, but there's no sense in trying to grow everything in my first year. I need to start small. I plan to start an herb garden, for one thing. Some rosemary (to replace my giant rosemary bush that we removed since it was so woody and overgrown), basil, cilantro and parsley. I think those are the main herbs I use in cooking. Maybe eventually I'll branch out and expand. Dill and oregano might be nice to have as well. I also want to try some watermelon, though I might try planting that at my mom's house where there's more sun. There are some nice cucumbers from Seed Savers Exchange that I want to try. Some carrots. Zucchini. Maybe that should be it for veggies. I'd like to try growing berries, but I'm not sure of the variety to choose or which ones grow best here. And I have a few different types of flowers I want to grow. Specifically some sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and Johnny-Jump-Ups. Is that too many? Can I actually grow all this stuff and keep it alive? Will my water bill cripple us financially? Time will tell!
My husband and I are working toward getting healthier and more fit this year. With our dieting efforts, we've stopped eating out as much and are eating more at home. I enjoy cooking, though sometimes I run out of ideas that are practical from a time perspective. I've been really trying to incorporate more vegetables, and trying to be more aware of eating fruits/veggies that are in season. I'm also trying to cut back on the amount of meat we eat. I watched Food, Inc. a couple weekends ago. It was sobering to say the least. While I was under no delusions that the meat industry was a pretty picture, I didn't realize how bad it really was. The film wasn't just about the meat industry, it also talked about all types of foods. The cheap calories, the preservatives, the artificial junk. It really made me reconsider what I eat, and what I feed to my children. We could eat much better, both in terms of nutrition and in terms of the larger social/ethical issues surrounding food. It gave me a lot to think about. In fact, at first I felt sort of overwhelmed and hopeless. Like the problems are so gigantic, and there's so much to change. Where do I even start? But, much like doing right by the environment, it's all about willingness to change and taking steps in the right direction. Maybe I can't be a perfectly green vegetarian homesteader right now. Maybe I'll never be. But I can try to make better choices, even if they're small ones. Really, I think that's what this blog - what my ambitions - are all about: making progress.
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