Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Garden Inspiration
I made a solo journey to Vietnam in March/April 2008. It was an incredible journey; I filled an entire notebook in those three weeks. The way I felt at the end of my trip and when I returned to the U.S. is a big reason I want to grow my own food. I am a runner and had completed three marathons at the start of this trip, but I did not run or do any type of traditional exercise while I was in Asia. Yet I felt healthier than I have ever felt in my life at the end of the trip. Many friends and colleagues over the years have talked about "cleanse" programs and diets that are designed to clear the body of toxins. With my background as a registered dietitian, I was always skeptical of these programs for a variety of reasons. However, the best way I can describe the way I felt after experiencing Vietnamese cuisine was cleansed! I realized everything I ate in this amazing country was local, fresh, and organic. There was no other option but fresh, colorful, delicious food! Though I read recently in Kelly Brownell's Foodfight that obesity is on the rise everywhere, including Vietnam, I definitely did not see any obese people. We live in a toxic food culture here where we have to make an effort to eat healthy; in Vietnam, you would have to make a concerted effort to NOT eat healthy! Maybe we can move back to that type of culture, one garden at a time.
So, Vietnam is a huge inspiration, along with Michael Pollan books and the countless food documentaries I've seen, SLU classes about food. A huge inspiration, of course, is that I have a 5-month old son, Seamus, who will be starting to eat delicious table food in less than a month, and I want him to know where his food comes from!
So, Vietnam is a huge inspiration, along with Michael Pollan books and the countless food documentaries I've seen, SLU classes about food. A huge inspiration, of course, is that I have a 5-month old son, Seamus, who will be starting to eat delicious table food in less than a month, and I want him to know where his food comes from!
Plans at Kayak's
April 23, 2011
Sarah called me last week and asked if I was interested in helping her start a garden at her house in Dogtown. I said of course!! Our plan was to dive in on Saturday, even though we had no idea what we were doing. I got an early birthday present from Mike (The City Homesteader) and a book called The Urban Homestead at the library (good old slpl.org), and I had read bits and pieces, but we figured we would just learn on the job. However, St. Louis received the biggest tornado/storm in over 40 years on Friday night, and Sarah woke up to a "mudbath" Saturday morning! We decided to brainstorm and plan our garden instead. Seamus, Sarah, and I went to the wonderful Kayak's coffee by Wash U and spent a few hours sipping iced coffee, sketching out plans, creating our veggie wish list, and watching instructional youtube videos. Our favorite by far was "Diva Dan." Pretty sure he's canadian. We read in a few different places that beginner gardeners should start small, like a 2-4' by 8-10' garden, so we don't become overwhelmed. We'll see how big it is after we start the dirty work. Here's my original wish list of veggies to plant:
cherry & heirloom tomatoes, lettuce (arugula especially, yum), brussel sprouts, carrots, chives, garlic, onion, peas, and spinach. Herbs: basil, dill, cilantro, parseley, rosemary, and thyme. We plan to get compost from my sister, Lynn Fingerhut, which she has accumulated over the past few years, and to get free soil from Carondelet Park (thank you Gateway Greening for the info!). My brother, Mark Fingerhut, offered some fencing to put around the garden to keep out critters. In our internet search, we discovered that certain veggies/herbs grow well together ("companion planting"), so after a little research, we came up with a rough blueprint for our garden. Here it is:
We'll have 3 sections behind Sarah's shed. The first will have tomatoes and basil, the second, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic, and the third, carrots, lettuce, and onions. Sarah wants to grow sunflowers next to the parking spot, and we want to do herbs in various places.
The plan is to start digging and planting next Sunday, May 1!
Sarah called me last week and asked if I was interested in helping her start a garden at her house in Dogtown. I said of course!! Our plan was to dive in on Saturday, even though we had no idea what we were doing. I got an early birthday present from Mike (The City Homesteader) and a book called The Urban Homestead at the library (good old slpl.org), and I had read bits and pieces, but we figured we would just learn on the job. However, St. Louis received the biggest tornado/storm in over 40 years on Friday night, and Sarah woke up to a "mudbath" Saturday morning! We decided to brainstorm and plan our garden instead. Seamus, Sarah, and I went to the wonderful Kayak's coffee by Wash U and spent a few hours sipping iced coffee, sketching out plans, creating our veggie wish list, and watching instructional youtube videos. Our favorite by far was "Diva Dan." Pretty sure he's canadian. We read in a few different places that beginner gardeners should start small, like a 2-4' by 8-10' garden, so we don't become overwhelmed. We'll see how big it is after we start the dirty work. Here's my original wish list of veggies to plant:
cherry & heirloom tomatoes, lettuce (arugula especially, yum), brussel sprouts, carrots, chives, garlic, onion, peas, and spinach. Herbs: basil, dill, cilantro, parseley, rosemary, and thyme. We plan to get compost from my sister, Lynn Fingerhut, which she has accumulated over the past few years, and to get free soil from Carondelet Park (thank you Gateway Greening for the info!). My brother, Mark Fingerhut, offered some fencing to put around the garden to keep out critters. In our internet search, we discovered that certain veggies/herbs grow well together ("companion planting"), so after a little research, we came up with a rough blueprint for our garden. Here it is:
The plan is to start digging and planting next Sunday, May 1!
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