The day arrived to pull up the rest of the radishes from the garden. I have to admit that there were less left than I'd thought. We really enjoyed grabbing a handful of these each evening to top pretty much every dinner we've eaten since they were first ready to pick.

I decided to add a few chives, since we have lots of them in the garden as well.

I wanted to preserve these radishes, so that they will be tasty for a few days rather than fading fast. The Easiest Pickle recipe was used as a sort of guide...substituting what sounded good with the radishes.

Easiest Pickled Radishes

radishes, sliced
chives, chopped
salt
sugar
cayenne
vinegar

I simply packed the jar tight with radishes + chives, sprinkled the seasonings on top, poured the jar full of vinegar and screwed the top on. Shake well before refrigerating. These will taste best after a few hours and will keep up to a week. Yum.

Love,
Jane

"It'll be spring soon. And the orchards will be in blossom.
And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket.
And they'll be sowing summer barley in the lower fields...
​and eating the first of the strawberries with cream.
Do you remember the taste of strawberries?"
-The Return of the King by J R R Tolkien

We set out to buy some seed potatoes, but truth be told...I knew I'd never get out of there with only seed potatoes. That succulent spot has to be one of my favorite places in the place where we live.

So we chose a few of those, because I have some empty pots at home...and...well...

These wooden drawers full of seeds sparked memories that I don't know that I'd be able to pull up on my own...seed shopping as a small girl with my mom...for our two big garden plots.

​Bulk seeds! And three kinds of pink corn!

So we got a few extra bits that weren't on our list...

...and the thing that was. (In bulk!)

Love,
​Jane

My progression toward minimalism, organics, small living, vegetarianism, growing our own food, zero-waste, reduced energy consumption, and ethical clothing involved a heavy dose of desire to have an acre of land to farm...for quite a while. I spent plenty of afternoons searching for houses with a bit of land...and then we spent plenty of Saturdays driving around to take a look at what I'd found.

This was to be predominantly my project. It felt powerful + possible. I wanted to work the soil...use my body...experience life springing from the land...tend abundant harvest...and feed families, including my own. I read about permaculture and crop rotation and no-till raised beds. I went to workshops on keeping chickens and beekeeping and market gardening. My heroes became Joel Salatin and Jean Martin Fortier and Brooke Salvaggio, all of whom we have had the pleasure of hearing speak. I drank in every word that they wrote, tasted the fruits of their labor, and dreamed big.

We don't have our acre of ground, but we do have a patch of yard that receives a healthy dose of sunlight. Our home is not zoned to keep chickens or bees, but there are weeks when we have fresh strawberries for breakfast and months when we can have fresh pickles for lunch. We're still eating our tomato sauce made from the tomatoes we grew last summer. There are bug bites and weeds and plenty of sweat too. I'm not a farmer, but I do grow food.

A big pot with a place in the sun is the perfect spot to grow some tomatoes or pickling cucumbers. A window box would be perfect for some leafy greens. There is always room to experience the miracle! 

Love, 
Jane

Just a little reminder that now might be the perfect time to make some simple tomato sauce. This sauce is a great way to stock up on a little zero-waste helper that gets used in so many ways around here. With a freezer stocked full of jars of this treasure, we are able to make pasta sauce, salsa, soup, pizza sauce, and chili all winter long. I actually used my last jar right about the time we were able to pick our first tomatoes in the garden this summer.  :)

Even if you don't have a garden, getting a big box of tomatoes from the farmers' market is a great option... plus you'll be all done with the sauce making in one go. (I might be a bit jealous about that.) :) Try going closer to closing time and see if you can get a bargain price for a box the farmer doesn't want to take back home. Dinged tomatoes are ok here too.

The tomato sauce I make is super simple... no tomato peeling. That would have been a no-go for me, personally. This works, because I freeze it instead of traditional canning.

I don't season this sauce before freezing, because I find that the flavors are just more flavorful when added later. This also makes it possible for me to choose any jar and flavor it into pizza sauce, salsa, soup starter, pasta sauce or any other number of uses I find for it.

Simple Tomato Sauce

Wash, destem, and cut large tomatoes in half. Blend lightly (I use the "chop" button). My goal is to break them up, but still have pieces.  Bring to a boil and boil over medium heat, stirring as needed (I start by setting the timer for 8 minutes and slowly decrease the time between stirring down to about 4 minutes). Boil down to desired thickness (time needed will depend on the consistency and amount of tomatoes used).  Pour into jars and let cool before storing in freezer.

​I'm never sorry about the time I've spent making tomato sauce!  :)

Love,
Jane

anyway... what i really want to write about today is compost... because even though we are not wasting food, we do end up with some organic waste.  when i began to focus on zero-waste and also to care about where our food came from, we became interested in composting as well.  

of course there are a few different ways to compost.  worm composting speeds the process, specially made bins keep the process contained, and simple burying of compost works too (i didn't know this, but my mom has been burying compost in her yard for years).  some areas have curbside compost pick-up and many areas have some place that compost can be brought... like the farmer's market or a nearby farm.

we are blessed to live in a house with a yard... and we want that black gold for our own use. mr. tribe built our compost bin of discarded pallets and wire (pretty much like this, but ours has two sections).  this was a simple method and almost free. ;) we add compost to one section until we decide to let that pile sit and really finish turning to dirt... at which point we start to use the other side.  we also have a big round of chicken wire next to the compost that we put raked leaves and spent garden plants into (no weeds)... these are the "browns", which i'll get to shortly.

strangely, the only item left behind by the previous owners of our house was a round plastic lidded tub with 2 ventilation valves that can open and close.  maybe someone will tell me what its real purpose is, but i thought it would make the perfect vessel for compost collection.  it sits next to our sink (something my mom has commented on, "i've never seen compost sitting on the counter"). i'm not sure that is the most lovely spot for it, but it does encourage use... and i would have never known that my mom composts, if it hadn't been sitting there.  that makes me think that it might be well-positioned for starting conversations.  ;)  a lot of people say that compost does not smell.  ours does (not outside, but inside)... especially cantaloupe rinds and banana peels (yuck)... but as long as the lid stays on, it's not a problem at all.    ​

the process of composting is quite simple.  we only add non-meat/non-dairy items to our compost (that means no bones or dog poo either).  i don't add cooked food waste (not that there ever is any), because we don't want to attract critters.  (i save any unwanted compost items separately and bring them to the compost bin at whole foods. we were also able to compost this way on vacation.) we compost hair, dryer lint (because we only dry cotton in the dryer), food-soiled paper, peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, dead flowers, pits, seeds, finger nails, bits of yarn or twine, and a stray napkin or piece of toilet paper. once the tub is full, it gets dumped onto the heap outside. a scoop of "browns" from the leaf round gets added... and a black plastic garbage bag that acts as a cover weighed down by rocks gets replaced.  this black plastic concentrates the suns heat... which is a good thing, because heat speeds decomposition.  a periodic shovel "stir" happens too.

that's all it takes to turn organic waste into productive soil.  when that black gold is ready (that is, all dirt), it gets added to our garden beds and grows the best vegetables!  it amazes me every time to think about how that waste nourishes new life.  what an amazing Creator! zero-waste by design!

​For more on what to compost...right this way.

love,
jane

i've written a bit about the life changing mind shift that comes from being a participant in the miracle of growing food.  this short film came out recently and resounded with those feelings on a whole new level.   these are a few of the quotes i loved the most: 

"soil is more important than oil."  ~wes jackson, the land institute founder

"i've always thought that it's too bad that soil is sometimes thought of as synonymous with dirt... because it's not.  it's is really more like gold.  the fact [is] that this stuff is pumping carbon from [pointing up to the sky] where it's doing bad stuff to where it's doing good stuff."  ~dan o'brien, cheyenne river ranch farmer

"we have to take a lesson as a human civilization... to begin recognizing with humility that these plants are far better than anything we've ever conceived of.  they sequester.  they build organic matter.  they create soil health."  

​"nature loves diversity."

gardening is the purest way i can think of to go zero-waste, eco-friendly, healthy, and fair in the kitchen. there is no packaging needed to transport vegetables from field to table... no fuel used to get produce to the farmer's market or shop... we'll always know how organic our meals are... and that the ones who harvested were well compensated (with full plates).  :)  

we don't grow most of what we eat, but i am grateful that we can grow some of it.  the time and effort that goes into our garden opens up a whole new appreciation for rain and sun.  rainy days are no longer mere inconveniences.  i am extremely grateful for them.  compost is an incredible process.  peels and pits, leaves and sticks turn into the richest soil.  nothing goes to waste, and the cycle of life and death is complete as death brings new life.  it attests to the creativity of a generous Creator.  witnessing growth, blossoms, and fruit ripening right in my backyard is mind blowing.  tasting fresh from the vine tomatoes, cucumbers or strawberries... digging out dirt covered potatoes or carrots... well, it is enlightening.  they taste different... better... less like an item purchased at a store... more like a miracle on your tongue.  

the process takes time, and that is the beauty of it.  because each avocado or cucumber or tomato or watermelon took time to grow from seed to appreciable nourishment.  each zucchini or blueberry drank in the sun and rain.  they are miracles each and every one.  

growing herbs on the windowsill, growing sprouts from seed, or growing vegetables from vegetables... all enlightening and possible anywhere.  growing tomatoes or zucchini instead of grass is a powerful act.

​if each and every human fully appreciated exactly what they put into their mouths at each meal, it would be hard to let even one bite go to waste.  it would be gut wrenching to think of the rain stopping or the sun becoming too scorchingly hot.  it would make us angry to think of the pesticides that deplete our rich soil and endanger the harvesters of these precious jewels.

in my experience, gardening grows more than fruit and vegetables... it grows humans who notice and care... it grows grateful souls and activists.  

love,
​jane

we've had some days lately where dinner had to be on the go for some and at different times for others.  i decided to make some jarred meals as a way for each one to have their portion ready when they needed it.
this meal was a sort of pesto pasta, and it was so good.  

i may be the only person in the universe, but i don't really love garlic.  it tastes pretty good in my mouth, but i really don't like it coming out of my (or other's) pores.  so i thought i'd try to make some pesto out of what i had (which did not include garlic).  there were two stalks of basil + tons of chives growing in our garden... in they go.  about a tablespoon of pepper flakes + a small handful of pecans + a bit of salt + a glug of olive oil... and a whirl in the blender.  i was pleasantly surprised to find that this pesto had the little mouth sizzle and spicy feel of garlic pesto... but none of the delayed effects.  no need to use exact ingredients with pesto, just use what you've got.  it's a great way to use wilty bits of green stuff.  :)
​

pesto pasta to go

tomatoes
chickpeas (bought bulk)
cooked pasta (bought in a cardboard box)
grated cheese, ours was pepper jack (bought at cheese counter, put into our container)
pesto (ours was made from fresh basil, fresh chives, olive oil, pecans, pepper flakes, salt...blended in the blender) (herbs grown at home + other bulk ingredients)

layer and enjoy!  refrigerate for later.  when we eat these at home, i like to warm up the jar in the microwave for 30 seconds (after removing the cheese).  this just pretty much brings it to room temperature.

in order to really mix things together, i like to dump it out onto a plate or bowl.  a lot of food fits into that jar! for the ones who need to eat it on the go, it might be nice to dump, stir and pour back into the jar to mix all the flavors.

this would be great for a picnic or road trip meal!

love,
jane

my thought was pickles, when i planted these cucumbers.  jo is in love with pickles...so much so that i've helped julia make them as gifts for jo.  i don't really love pickles from the store, but i really do like fresh crunchy ones that haven't sat in their brine too long.

i've made pickles before where you heat water and dissolve the salt and sugar in it... but when i saw this recipe, i thought i'd give this method a try (with a little tweaking).  it just seemed so easy.  what resulted were some of the simplest and tastiest pickles yet.  here is my take:

the easiest (and tastiest) pickles

cucumbers, sliced short or long ways (always taste the peel to make sure it is tasty- some are bitter)
1/2 c. white vinegar or cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dill 
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. red pepper flakes

i used a large mason jar and put as many cucumber slices as i could fit into the jar.  add the rest of the ingredients and shake.  refrigerate and shake when you open the refrigerator.  these were tasty right away, but can be eaten for 3 weeks.

the night i made these, i just couldn't resist tossing the tomatoes i picked in with a whole jar.  we added some feta cheese and it was delicious.  this could be an entire meal, if some pasta and fresh mozzarella were added.

love,
​jane