Sprouting Peppers Are Rich With Promise

Whoa. I bit the bullet this year and decided to try to start peppers from seed. I know, I know, I know. Many are lucky with peppers - I am not. Once they are in the ground, I do ok... but starting from seed has never worked well for me.

We splurged and purchased 4 kinds: Golden Summer (Yellow), Gourmet (Orange), Marconi (Smoky Red and Green), Fat N Sassy (Red & Green Bells). We had a failed start and the Golden's paid the price. Only 10 seeds in the packet in a 9 cell block equaled failure of all but 1 seed. Everything else had mild but reluctant success. So, we tried again a week later. The Marconis and Fat 'N Sassys were much happier. The Gourmets only had 15 seeds in the packet. About 6 in total are fighting to make it.

We need 24 plants this year. We eat peppers like candy, we freeze them for pizza every Friday night and we grow them for my parents who need them all year long in their meals. So, we tried round three with all of the remaining Marconis and Sassys yesterday and will know in a week or so if we are going to make it. Buying plants is always an option. Buying more seeds is also an option. I would just love to taste success on this area of our garden more than anywhere else.

As it stands, we have more than our requisite 24 seedlings, but we need 24 PLANTS... seedlings are a promise of potential - but no guarantee.

Fingers crossed!

April Showers bring May flowers...

And how true it is. I have an early April birthday. When I was a child, that rhyme made me uncomfortable and maybe even a little cranky. I felt certain that a little girl with an "April Showers" birthday was synonymous with a stormy personality and overcast appearances. Since my sister had a "May Flowers" birthday and her childhood nickname was "Sunshine," I felt even more certain of the truth that April babies were not as good as May babies. Childishness comes in many forms. As a gardener today, with 2 May babies, I have fully embraced the cold, muddy, mucky and overcast Aprilness of the season. In fact, I more than embrace it, I bank on it. What farmer or gardener is not grateful for April showers when seeds are being sown, gardens tilled and greenery popping up everywhere preparing for the imminent growing season? In fact, I not only enjoy the weather, but I give myself permission to look like April too. When my kindhearted postal carrier came to the door yesterday to deliver a package she was not at all surprised to see toddler, baby, dog and mumma all covered in black goodness. On a gorgeous April day, you will be hard pressed to find my family looking anything other than muddy. I never was the child that could do her hair, put an outfit together or resemble a flower in way, shape or form. I have a woody, stocky stature that more closely resembles my herb garden than a delicate flower bed. Sure, I’d love to look and smell like a rose, but since that is not possible, I enjoy the sun tanned, rain soaked and wind burned appearance that is proof that I live in my yard. More importantly, I am utterly grateful to celebrate my birthday in a month when everyone is too busy getting their gardens in to take notice of it’s passing. Secretly, I will relish every soaking rain, every sunny day and all of the earthy goodness that April showers upon me and I will choose to believe that that is my real birthday celebration. As long as April continues to end the winter and usher in the growing season, I will be utterly grateful to be a woody, muddy, messy April baby.

Vegetable Seed Starting Plan 2010

Our garden plan is done - more or less. Now, I need to map out my seed starting/planting calendar. I am still getting use to the warmer springs in Green Bay than I was use to in Two Rivers. My peppers are started (a little too early, unfortunately) and I am getting organized to start everything else.

April 1st - (Indoors) - Peppers*
April 15th - (Direct) - Asparagus
April 15th - (Direct) - Spinach
April 15th - (Direct) - Arugula
April 15th - (Direct) - Raddichio
April 15th - (Direct) - Salad Bed
April 15th - (Direct) - Cilantro
April 15th - (Direct) - Carrots
April 15th - (Direct) - Radishes
April 20th - (Indoors in peat pots) - Green Bean*
May 1st - (Indoors in peat pots) - Squash*
May 1st - (Indoors in peat pots) - Cucumbers*
May 1st - (Direct) - Dill
May 1st - (Direct) - Fennel
May 15th - (Jung Arrival) - Tomatoes*
May 15th - (Jung Arrival) - Leeks*

*Transplant after Memorial Day

My grow light is installed and I am chomping at the bit to get started! What a fun time of year!

Next step - get the herb garden planned (since we will be doing an expansion) and get the mint moved into the herb garden.

Garden Plan for 2010

My garden plan for 2010 is done for now. Once we actually get into the dirt, however, I am certain it will change a bit. As much as I want to grow all kinds of great things, we really only want to garden things we either love to eat or things that will save us substantially at the market.... hence 24 pepper plants and 12 tomato plants. My herb garden and cutting garden have not gotten any attention from me yet, so that is still pending. I have started my pepper seeds on March 14th as well as some basil seeds. I need to make my seed starting calendar this week so that I do not miss important dates, but with the arrival of Rex, I am just behind on everything.

On this eve of St. Patrick's Day, I am certainly feeling my Irish roots. We just keep picking rocks out of our garden and yard!

Clothes Line Going Back Up

Ok... my husband doesn't know this yet, but I have plans for this weekend - and they involve getting my clothes line up. Today I opened all of my first floor windows to give my stagnat little house a much needed breath of fresh air. I tucked the kiddos into blankets for their naps, threw on a fleece and opened up the first floor pores. As I was putting Michael down for his nap, he kept saying "I smell the windows up here mommy!". I laughed and asked him if the window smell made him happy - to which he assured me that it did. (The monsters who hide outside the windows at night aren't there during the day, so it is ok to open the windows.)

As I came back down to put take my diapers out of the dryer and put the sheets in, I realized that the glorious sun was shining and I wasn't sunning my winter-weary dipes. Yep. It is time. Clothesline time again. And in answer to the obvious question, "Yes dear, I will be more than happy to don snow boots and trudge through the remaining pile of snow to hang the dipes... give me my sunsoaked clothesline and I will do almost anything.

Masarik Family Cleaners (Go-To list)

Here are the recipes that I use regularly:

Pet Safe Dry Carpet Cleaner
2 c baking soda
¼ c cornstarch
¼ cornmeal
10-12 drops of my favorite antimicrobial essential oils (my faves: lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, palmarosa)

Linoleum Cleaner
1 T of natural liquid soap
¼ c Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)
¼ c vinegar
2 gallons of water
8-10 drops of my favorite antimicrobial essential oils (my faves: lemongrass, lavender, peppermint, palmarosa)

Citrus Loving Wood Floor Cleaner
¼ c. vinegar
2 gallons of hot water
10 drops of citrus essential oils

Wash floor. No need to rinse. To boost, add vinegar and 1 or 2 T of liquid soap as needed.

Borax Booster All Purpose Cleaner
4 T vinegar
4 c water
2 tsp borax
10 drops of tea tree essential oil
10 drops of any favorite smelling essential oil (peppermint is my favorite)

Fresh Smelling Furniture Polish
¼ c olive oil
4T white distilled vinegar
20 drops of lemon or orange (or combination) essential oil

The oils will moisturize your wood while the vinegar cleans it and prevents streaks and smears.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Make a thin paste of lemon juice and borax and rub the toilet.

Diaper Station Antibacterial Freshening Spray
2c Water
14 drops of lemongrass, peppermint, lavender or tea tree oil (or combination)

Homemade Cleaning Wipes
Use paper toweling cut in half or take old receiving blankets and sew them into 4"x4" (or any size you want) squares
Place in a used diaper wipes container
Mix 3 cups of water, 15-20 drops of antibacterial essential oils
Pour mixture over the "wipes" use within 2 weeks or so to prevent mold
If using cloth, throw them in your laundry and wash as you would rags or towels

Dishwasher Detergent Woes - SOLVED (for us anyway)

So, I realize that it has been two weeks since my inital posting on this recipe. We have learned alot in those two weeks.

1. Our dishwasher is old, poor and just plain old not working well and will probably need to be replaced this year. We've looked into repairing it, but the reality is that this machine was abused before we got it and hasn't fared well. Repair would be only slightly less costly than replacing and if we replace, we can go with a more efficient model.

2. The recipe works... pretty well. It works beautifully for stoneware and plastic. Does a much better than ok job on glass. Is hit or miss with silverware.

We have varied our silverware washing routine several times: insert full of food, insert used but without chunks, insert lightly pre-washed and just give up and handwash. Insert lightly pre-washed works pretty well. We just rinse our silverware with clean water and insert into the machine for sterilization.

Knowing that this recipe is so accessible, green and miserly, it is a winner for us. It isn't a fail safe, but then again... nothing in our dishwasher ever has been.

The recipe again is:

4 parts Borax (1 cup)
4 parts Baking Soda (1 cup)
1 part CANNING/PICKLING salt (1/4 cup)
1 part Citric Acid (1/4 cup)
A few drops of favorite antibacterial essential oil per batch (a batch for us is a popcorn tub)

Where to buy citric acid and oils: my new favorite organic, fair trade supply source: www.mountainroseherbs.com. They are great to work with, their prices are really fair and it is USDA organic and Fair Trade. How can I argue? I just wish I had a local vendor selling their stuff!

What if you have a batch of another kind of homemade dishwasher detergent that doesn't work? I am mixing mine with water and using it as porcelain bathroom scrubber. Be sure to rinse with vinegar water afterwards or else you will have that dreaded white film that vetoed the recipe from your dishwasher to begin with.

Happy home cleaning!