Monday, April 23, 2012

What's Available To You

It's coming up to the most wonderful time of year when produce is beginning to grow abundantly. Local farmer's markets are opening up with displays of gorgeous varieties of produce. Produce sections of grocery stores sometimes will sometimes make note on signs of local items - and get an abundance of something in particular when it's about to become overripe. Look for deals like this - buy as much as you can and freeze some or can it for the winter months. Do this with as much fresh produce as you can throughout the summer growing months.

If you have dirt, use it. I'm giving it a shot and I'm totally amazed at what's growing in my kitchen right now. I have sprouts growing from squash seeds I saved and dried over the winter - and they're growing! Tomatoes can be grown in pots. Compost can be saved on your kitchen counter. Some plants like beans and peas are tall and pretty. Try out just a few plants to see what you can do. Better yet, invest a few bucks worth of seeds, some egg cartons and dirt and see what's possible.

If you're not able to grow your own produce, look for a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and sign-up. If I still lived in the city, no doubt about it, this is what I'd do. You do have to pay up front to support the farm, which is run by volunteers, people who want to learn about farming. A box is distributed to each member weekly from a designated spot. The variety is better than any store and you may get lucky and get heirloom varieties. The CSA's that I have read about often include a newsletter and recipes - now that's what community is all about!

Join a Community Garden. Learn gardening from people who've been around and grown lots of gardens. Now would be the time to join a class or volunteer. Where I used to live in Los Angeles, there was a community garden where you could rent plots and it was about $30 a month (though probably much more now). I see these opportunities becoming more and more available which is exciting.

The thing is, right now is the time. Investigate your area. Plant some seeds. Join a CSA. Maybe you can do a little of each. Join a CSA, grow some plants of your own, take a class. Can and freeze some of the abundance for winter. Learning how to keep things like squash and root vegetables throughout the winter is another really helpful thing to learn, too. To take advantage of what's available you have to do it now.

Follow my garden by clicking the Garden tab or go to www.inspiredhomegarden.com.

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