Better Homes and Gardens Article

There's an article in this month's Better Homes and Gardens about the next hot trend being Urban Homesteading.  It suggests a couple of ways to learn more about it.  One of those ways they suggested was reading the book "Farm Anatomy" by Julia Rothman.  It looks very nicely illustrated, very pretty.  Definitely not something I'd want to buy for my kindle, since the illustrations are the main point of the book.

Also they suggest the following blog:  SeattleHomestead.com

Blingy Chicken Coop

Check out this article -- a $100,000 chicken coop from Neiman Marcus (aka "Endless Markup"):

http://now.msn.com/neiman-marcus-dollar100000-hen-house-is-a-gift-for-chicken-lovers

http://now.msn.com/neiman-marcus-dollar100000-hen-house-is-a-gift-for-chicken-lovers

I've Been Gone for a Week

I've been on travel to DC for a week and so haven't been posting.  However, it's been pouring rain while I've been gone.  I just got home today and looked at my veggies and they are BIG.  Here are some pictures.

Tall planter boxes full of different varieties of lettuce

Mesclun -- looks really nice

Turnips are really growing big

Original planter box -- alot of lettuce, chard, kale

More lettuce

Obviously we like eating lettuce.....  I just turned off the sprinklers, as it looks like more rain is coming.  I also pulled a ton of lettuce leaves off while it was raining.  We've got beaucoup salad for the week.

CSA Today

Here is what we got in our CSA box today.  We swapped the pomegranate in for 4 small granny smiths out.

Swiss chard, beets, apples, squash, pomegranate, mushrooms and eggs.

So we've decided to stop the CSA box once our 12 week obligation is up.  Only because we're getting too far ahead on veggies.  My square foot garden plots are really coming in with tons of lettuce and veggies, and we can't keep up with everything.  So we've decided to drop the CSA, in a couple of weeks, and then just buy a few items from the farmers market as needed.

CSA Box and Brussels Sprout

Here's my CSA box this week.  A bag of mesclun, bag of mushrooms, two apples, one lime, one small jar of honey, 5 eggs, green beans, snap peas, two tomatoes, one onion.

The CSA box I got this week

We then went to our grocery store, Fresh and Easy, to get some bread for the week.  While there I saw Brussels sprout off the plant!  Check out below.  I've never seen them this way before, and really didn't know they grew this way.  Always bought them in a bag...  and don't grow them myself...

Brussels sprout

Mom's Veggie Garden

Here are some pictures of my mom's start to growing a container garden with some lettuce, radishes, carrots and spinach.

Mom's three containers

Carrots and radishes

Mesclun

Spinach rows planted at different times

Strawberry Bloom

Look at my strawberry blooms!  They look a bit prehistoric!  I also have two more strawberries growing.