Delishytown

Cooking is fun. Eating is funner. I cook, photograph and write these recipes. Everything I post on this blog I make from scratch using fresh wholesome ingredients.. I've been cooking since I was a little kid. My recipes are based on trial and error, along with studying cookbooks, family recipes, blogs and cooking shows. Some of the veggies and herbs I use are grown in my garden. Yay sustainability! I'm working on making my yard into an edible landscape. It's really fun to go out in the garden and pick your veggies for dinner!

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12 posts tagged grow your own food

Growing Organic Zucchini

Here’s a healthy zucchini plant growing in my friends garden. Zucchini is easy to grow. It likes warm weather and full sun. The large yellow flowers are edible, as well as the zucchini squash that form from the fertilized flowers.

Conventionally grown zucchini is one of the foods most likely to be GMO in the grocery store, so it’s a good idea to grow your own organic zucchini this summer.

I’ve grown this plant for many years. My main gardening tip for success is that the large leaves tend to be susceptible to fungal diseases. Water them early in the day so that the leaves can dry off. Try to not wet the leaves each time you water, just water the soil if possible. If you do see an outbreak of (usually powdery type) fungus on the leaves, just spray the plant with a milk + water solution, about 1/3 milk to 2/3 water. I planted these with organic compost and organic vegetable fertilizer. 

The best thing about zucchini is that it can be harvested at any stage, from very very small with the flower still attached, to XL used for grating into zucchini breads and muffins.

An easy recipe for zucchini are these crispy zucchini rounds. Just coat sliced zucchini with scrambled egg wash, then dip it into bread crumbs mixed with grated parmesan cheese, seasoned with salt pepper and a little garlic powder and paprika. Spray with olive oil spray and bake at 400 for 20 minutes until crispy. Serve with your favorite creamy dressing or organic ketchup. Yum!

Front Garden Edible Landscape Project

This is a big, beautiful vegetable and fruit garden I planted in my friend’s front yard. It’s a very sunny, west facing wall / fence. These photos were taken in the morning. This area gets full sun from about noon until sunset.  This part of the yard before was weedy trees and viney things. They cleared the area and built the raised beds, which came out great, really tall and sturdy. Then they went to a composting facility, bought a truckload of organic compost and soil, and worked for an afternoon shoveling it all in to fill the raised beds.

The next step was going to the nursery to pick out plants. We made a list of all the fruits and vegetables they like to eat.  It was fun plant shopping and we made several trips to various nurseries in the area, including making a stop at Tomatomania, a local Heirloom Tomato sale.

We planted grapefruit, orange and lemon trees, 2 kinds of grapes, 4 blueberry shrubs, lots of strawberries in pots, 8 varieties of Heirloom tomatoes, 3 types of peppers, zucchini squash, 2 kinds of corn, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers, green beans, peas, carrots, various lettuces, chard, beets, basil, tarragon, oregano, and cilantro. We also planted some flowers like marigolds, cosmos, lavender, hollyhocks and sunflowers to attract the bees. I added bagged, organic compost containing additional fertilizers, along with organic multi purpose granulated fertilizer, to every planting hole. 

It looks really beautiful and everything is thriving. This was a really fun project to work on! I can’t wait to do the next one.

Edible Landscapes for everyone!

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Terriers Repel Rodents and 9 other Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks Here are a few organic solutions to control pests in your garden. I have used all of these methods with great success. 1) Leave saucers of water near plants. Since I started doing this, the squirrels no longer bite into my tomatoes on a hot day. A lot of people think the squirrels are being total assholes for biting into their tomatoes and leaving the rest of it on the vine to rot. They’re just thirsty and they want the juice. OK, they are sorta being total assholes, but it’s not personal. If you leave water in clay saucers in several spots in your yard, they won’t mess with your crops as much, unless they are really hungry. The dishes of water will also give the lizards and snakes a drink, and these guys help control pests. Birds need water too and eat a lot of bugs. If you add dishes of water on the ground, and get a birdbath and keep it filled, you will see a vast improvement in pest control. 2) We used to have a rodent problem, but now we have Terriers. Terriers like to chase critters. It’s their favorite hobby. Get a lovely Terrier from the Animal Rescue, and encourage him or her to chase away rodents.  I have several solutions for killing bugs on plants.  3) Soapy water in a spray bottle. Squirt about 1 tsp dish soap into a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, shake it up and spray it on the undersides of the leaves where the bugs like to congregate. This kills whiteflies, aphids and bugs like that.  4) Another way to get rid of bugs is to sprinkle worm castings on the soil. They sell it in bags at the Nursery. This is a repellant and not a bug killer. It also helps to fertilize the plants, so I like to use this as much as possible. Good for repelling whitefly. 5) If it’s a slug / snail problem, you can make beer traps to kill them. Bury a small container like a yogurt cup up to soil level in any area of the garden where you see plant damage from Slugs and Snails, usually indicated by massive holes chewed in your Chard or greens. Pour some beer into the cup. They will go in and drown. They like beer more than they like to eat plants. So does everybody. You will find a lot of dead slugs and snails in the cup the next day. Dump it out and repeat until you get rid of those bastards.  Warning: A container full of dead slugs and snails is completely disgusting. Not for the squeamish. 6) Another way to get rid of the slugs and snails is with Beneficial Snails, called decollate snails, sold in the refrigerator case at the nursery or home improvement store. The good snails eat the baby destructive snails, but don’t eat your crops, because they would rather eat the meaty other slug and snails. This way is good because you pit creature against creature and let them duke it out amongst themselves, thereby eliminating the feeling that you are a bug murderer.  7) Praying Mantis’ and Ladybugs eat bad bugs too, and won’t damage your garden. They sell these guys at the nursery too, in the refrigerator case. Release them at night after a thorough watering of the area where you will release them. They are more likely to stick around if they have a cool drink of water once they get released from their container. I like this method a lot because it’s fun to see the Ladybugs and to be surprised by the occasional freaky-as-hell-looking Praying mantis. Don’t spray any soapy water on your beneficial bugs.  8) Another solution for slugs and snails is Iron Phosphate, which is organic, (it’s just Iron & Phosphorous), they sell it in canisters, usually called Sluggo. But this product will also kill your Decollate snails, so don’t use it if you’re trying to establish beneficials in your garden. 9) Garlic repels most bugs, but doesn’t really kill them unless it’s a strong enough solution. But a very strong garlic solution will also burn your plants. 10) Marigolds repel bugs. Plant them with tomatoes, peppers, squash.   Happy Gardening!

Terriers Repel Rodents and 9 other Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks

Here are a few organic solutions to control pests in your garden. I have used all of these methods with great success.

1) Leave saucers of water near plants. Since I started doing this, the squirrels no longer bite into my tomatoes on a hot day. A lot of people think the squirrels are being total assholes for biting into their tomatoes and leaving the rest of it on the vine to rot. They’re just thirsty and they want the juice. OK, they are sorta being total assholes, but it’s not personal. If you leave water in clay saucers in several spots in your yard, they won’t mess with your crops as much, unless they are really hungry. The dishes of water will also give the lizards and snakes a drink, and these guys help control pests. Birds need water too and eat a lot of bugs. If you add dishes of water on the ground, and get a birdbath and keep it filled, you will see a vast improvement in pest control.

2) We used to have a rodent problem, but now we have Terriers. Terriers like to chase critters. It’s their favorite hobby. Get a lovely Terrier from the Animal Rescue, and encourage him or her to chase away rodents. 

I have several solutions for killing bugs on plants. 

3) Soapy water in a spray bottle. Squirt about 1 tsp dish soap into a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, shake it up and spray it on the undersides of the leaves where the bugs like to congregate. This kills whiteflies, aphids and bugs like that. 
4) Another way to get rid of bugs is to sprinkle worm castings on the soil. They sell it in bags at the Nursery. This is a repellant and not a bug killer. It also helps to fertilize the plants, so I like to use this as much as possible. Good for repelling whitefly.
5) If it’s a slug / snail problem, you can make beer traps to kill them. Bury a small container like a yogurt cup up to soil level in any area of the garden where you see plant damage from Slugs and Snails, usually indicated by massive holes chewed in your Chard or greens. Pour some beer into the cup. They will go in and drown. They like beer more than they like to eat plants. So does everybody. You will find a lot of dead slugs and snails in the cup the next day. Dump it out and repeat until you get rid of those bastards.  Warning: A container full of dead slugs and snails is completely disgusting. Not for the squeamish.
6) Another way to get rid of the slugs and snails is with Beneficial Snails, called decollate snails, sold in the refrigerator case at the nursery or home improvement store. The good snails eat the baby destructive snails, but don’t eat your crops, because they would rather eat the meaty other slug and snails. This way is good because you pit creature against creature and let them duke it out amongst themselves, thereby eliminating the feeling that you are a bug murderer. 
7) Praying Mantis’ and Ladybugs eat bad bugs too, and won’t damage your garden. They sell these guys at the nursery too, in the refrigerator case. Release them at night after a thorough watering of the area where you will release them. They are more likely to stick around if they have a cool drink of water once they get released from their container. I like this method a lot because it’s fun to see the Ladybugs and to be surprised by the occasional freaky-as-hell-looking Praying mantis. Don’t spray any soapy water on your beneficial bugs. 
8) Another solution for slugs and snails is Iron Phosphate, which is organic, (it’s just Iron & Phosphorous), they sell it in canisters, usually called Sluggo. But this product will also kill your Decollate snails, so don’t use it if you’re trying to establish beneficials in your garden.
9) Garlic repels most bugs, but doesn’t really kill them unless it’s a strong enough solution. But a very strong garlic solution will also burn your plants.
10) Marigolds repel bugs. Plant them with tomatoes, peppers, squash.
 
Happy Gardening!

Seed saving is very important, especially since the Big Ag / Big Food creeps are trying to own patents on all the seeds in the world by genetically modifying them. Diabolical! 

These are seeds I saved from a Broccoli Raab plant that bolted in my garden last month. Bolting means sending up a flower stalk. For cold loving plants like Broccoli Raab, warmer temps signal them to bolt and set seeds for the next generation. It’s a Darwinian thing.

It’s easy to save seeds. You simply let your plants complete their life cycle when they’re done producing food. Instead of yanking the spent plants out of your garden, let a few of your favorite ones set flowers, and then set seed pods. These small flowers will attract beneficial insects to your garden, which is a bonus of this process. Allow the seed pods to dry on the plant and then crunch them open. Inside are the seeds for next years crop. I put mine through a mesh strainer to strain away the bigger parts of the chaff. 

Package them up, save some for your next years garden and share the rest. We win!!

Edible Landscape Update Feb. 14, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! My spring garden is up and growing. I haven’t posted edible garden pics lately so here a few shots of some of the plants in our garden from this week. I live in Southern California. The days are usually in the low to mid 60’s, and the nights go down into the 40’s. We get occasional frost and it’s supposed to rain next week.

We currently have a lot of spring vegetables growing in our front and back gardens. In the front yard I plant pansies, poppies and stock with the vegetables. In the back I have a bunch of nasturtiums planted, and various other flower seeds started, but I’m mostly concentrating on vegetable growing back there. We’ve got garlic, shallots, kale, chard, various lettuces, arugula, peas, carrots, fennel, potatoes, blueberries, strawberries, lemons and artichokes growing right now. There’s also cilantro, thyme, rosemary, parsley and oregano. Some of the herbs are a bit dormant right about now, but the cilantro seems to love this weather.The grapes, apple tree, and raspberries are also dormant at this time of year, and I won’t plant basil, tomatoes and warm weather stuff until about late April or early May.

I harvested a big salad spinner of rainbow chard and kale this morning and i think I’m going to add it to bean and cheese burritos for lunch. Yum. Happy Gardening! 

Blooming Artichoke Artichokes Artichoke plant Summer Squash Beets and Basil

Back Garden Update: July 1, 2012

Artichokes are continuing to bloom beautifully. I’ll let one of these plants set seed, but the others will be cut back to the ground once they fade. These are perennials where I live, growing in cooler temps. They’ll sprout back up again in late fall. 

Summer squash have lots of blossoms and it should be about a week till we harvest our first zucchinis. Eggplants have set fruit as well, I have two kinds growing next to each other. I can’t wait for baked eggplant. Cucumbers are still sprouting.

Tomato plants are growing vigorously and all of them have flowers. I see a couple small green tomatoes here and there. Strawberries are all doing great since I transplanted them into containers to get them off the ground.

We’re still harvesting beets, carrots, lettuces, kale and chard. It’s really fun to pull the root vegetables out of the ground! 

This week I’ll be planting more squash, tomatoes, peppers, basil, tarragon, and a new crop of lettuces in a shady spot. 

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reblogging: interesting info regarding Artichokes brilliantbotany: An artichoke is a thistle, Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus. It is an aster, meaning it is a member of the Asteraceae family. The part of it you eat is the involucre, which is the circle of green points below a flower’s petals. Only young blooms are edible. Post requested by waldfeuer.

reblogging: interesting info regarding Artichokes

brilliantbotany:

An artichoke is a thistle, Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus. It is an aster, meaning it is a member of the Asteraceae family. The part of it you eat is the involucre, which is the circle of green points below a flower’s petals. Only young blooms are edible.

Post requested by waldfeuer.

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Strawberry ripening in our Garden

Strawberry ripening in our Garden

Red Leaf Lettuce Seeds Dark Red Leaf Lettuce

Dark Red Leaf Lettuce Seeds saved from last year, and the Lettuce we grew from them. Seeds are cool and amazing. 

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Reblogging this amazing heirloom corn. If this is real I want to grow it. thegreenliferi: krippner: yourenotapersonunlessyoureacting: “Glass Gem Corn… hands-down winner of the most amazing heirloom corn variety we’ve seen yet! Carefully stewarded by http://www.seedstrust.com/ in Arizona…” Doesn’t look real, does it? Like some kind of corn done in stained glass.  This is just beautiful!

Reblogging this amazing heirloom corn. If this is real I want to grow it.

thegreenliferi:

krippner:

yourenotapersonunlessyoureacting:

“Glass Gem Corn… hands-down winner of the most amazing heirloom corn variety we’ve seen yet! Carefully stewarded by http://www.seedstrust.com/ in Arizona…”

Doesn’t look real, does it? Like some kind of corn done in stained glass. 

This is just beautiful!

(via yarrowandyew)

Source yourenotapersonunlessyoureacting
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Chinese Long Beans, Red Romaine and Red Orach seedlings for our edible landscape. Yum! Can’t wait!

Chinese Long Beans, Red Romaine and Red Orach seedlings for our edible landscape. Yum! Can’t wait!

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