Square Foot Gardening

I have been very busy with woodwork refinishing and gardening, which explains my absence from here! I am using a method of gardening called Square Foot Gardening. We started this two years ago, and with each year it gets better and better. Paul built two more boxes this year. I am happy to say that we are enjoying the first fruits of this garden:

Radishes

Here is the garden:

Paul is going to finish laying the garden blocks down in the back.

I need to plant more seeds!

And here is a close up of the first square I planted:

In the corners: Flowers

Foreground: Carrots

Middle Front: Beets

Left side: Sugar Snap Peas

Right Side: Radishes

Back: Lettuces and Leeks

I have been methodical about writing down not only what I planted when, but I have also been calculating the projected harvest dates as well. So I have a separate page called "Harvest 2007" that has the weeks of summer and what will be ready during that particular week. I had to use a calendar and the seed packets to calculate the harvest dates. It did not take all that long, and now all I have to do is consult the Harvet Schedule each week to see what I can pick!

In the Garden!

Today I worked for a long time in the garden. No white dress however! I was in my gardening ensemble, which is clothing that does not mind getting dirty. I was trying to get a photo of an elusive cardinal who feeds from our birdfeeder. I had no luck, so instead took some photos of spring beauty in the backyard.

Lilac

Tulip

Honeysuckle

Cheddar Chive Muffins

This morning I made a recipe for breakfast that we all enjoy often. It's actually a muffin recipe, given to me by my sister, but we always make it in a cast iron skillet and cut it in wedges. It is delicious, and even more so now that we can include fresh chives from our garden that survived the cold winter.

Here's the recipe:

1 and 1/4 cup milk (or milk substitute)
3/4 cup mashed potato flakes
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 TBSP sugar (or other sweetener)
2 TBSP chives
1 TBSP parsley flakes (optional)
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt

Heat milk in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in potato flakes. Let stand for about 2 minutes, then whip with a fork until smooth. Let cool slightly. Turn into a medium mixing bowl. Beat in egg, oil, and cheese. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into potato mixture just until moistened (batter will be thick). Put into a greased muffin pan (or use paper muffin cups to line the muffin pan) or into a large, greased, cast-iron skillet. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!