The truth comes out...

I have an addiction, and it shows up every spring. The first day of warm, sunny weather I load the kids up, make the drive across the river to Bantings Nursery, and buy more fruit trees. This time we did it while Justin was in Texas...probably a good thing because I went a little crazy! I went there to buy another apple tree to cross pollinate with the Ana's apple tree that I already have. I ended up with a plum tree and a satsuma tree as well...oops!
So, now I have a peach, plum, grapefruit, satsuma, 2 apple trees, and 2 blueberry bushes....I have to stop because I'm running out of room!

If you want to plant fruit trees in your yard do it now before the weather gets too hot. Best time to plant trees down here is fall through the early spring. One of the hardiest, most disease resistant fruit trees for this area is the satsuma tree.

Apple trees are typically grown in areas with much colder weather, but they have a few new varieties that can take the heat. The two that I have are Ana's apple and Einshimer's apple. You have to get 2 different varieties in order to cross pollinate. Without the second tree, the apples will not get plump, and they won't produce much fruit.
Bantings Nursery...they have great prices on fruit trees and shrubs.

I have to admit this is my least favorite part about gardening...the digging. Luckily, I have to stong boys who love to help me now =)

Our newest apple tree.

My Special Valentine

Justin had to go out of town for work so we celebrated our Valentine's day yesterday instead of today. So, I woke up this morning thinking of today as being like any other day. That is until my sweet kids decided to surprise me with a gift that they put together all on their own. I have to admit, I'm gift bag re-user =) They found an old Valentine's bag in my stash. Inside were cards and pictures that they drew for me and beautiful hand picked flowers. Others might call them "weeds"...but to this mom they were "wild flowers" =) that were picked especially for me. Life doesn't get much better than this....

It's days like today that make me glad I'm alive

I look forward to this day every year. After weeks of cold, rainy weather and being stuck inside for days, comes the most beautiful day. The boys were just as excited to see the sunshine and feel the warm air. They ran out this morning into the backyard, and before I could make it out there Colby came running through the house to tell me that his apple tree was blooming!
I love to see my kids' excitement over nature. They "get it". There is something so spiritual about stepping outside barefoot in the sun warmed grass, gazing up at the vibrant blue sky, and seeing God's creation come back to life again. I love the feeling of being reconnected to the Earth and God's beauty again. I simply love it.

Just a peak at what's blooming in our yard....Ana's Apple Tree.



This isn't a fruit tree, but it has beautiful flowers this time of year.


Strawberry plants are flowering...can't wait to harvest the berries =)

Kids' favorite flowers to grow

Can't go wrong with sunflowers!! Let your kids plant the seeds in the spring or early summer. Kids love these because they get so tall so fast! There are different kinds of sunflowers that grow to different sizes. Be sure to read the labels on the back of the packages to see how tall that variety gets. This variety here is called "Skyscraper" they grows to be 12 feet tall!! Our neighbors have gotten to enjoy these as well because they tower over our fence! ;)
At the end of the sunflower's life the entire head of the flower begins to droop and then dries out. One sunflower head produces hundreds of sunflower seeds that can be eaten raw, roasted, or saved to plant the following spring. I was hoping to harvest the seeds by now, but due to all of the rain we've had over the last several weeks they have been saturated and have become soggy. Hopefully, i'll have better luck next year!

Zinnias and as you can see the butterflies love them! They make for a great addition to a butterfly garden. Best of all, zinnias make great cut flowers...they last for weeks in a vase.

Now is the time of year to start saving the seeds. Pick a dry, dead flower from a friend's garden and pull it apart. Inside will be plenty of seeds. Save them in an envelope or brown paper bag labeled "zinnias-plant in spring". In the spring let the kids sprinkle them in the garden and cover with 1/2 inch of soil. :)

ANDI SCORES - Nutrient Density Scale

This is a sample of the ANDI (nutient density scale). This scale shows the rankings of foods according to the nutrients they pack. The following nutrients are included in the evaluation: Calcium, Carotenoids: Beta Carotene, Alpha Carotene, Lutein & Zeaxanthin, Lycopene, Fiber, Folate, Glucosinolates, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Selenium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, plus ORAC score X 2 (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a method of measuring the antioxidant or radical scavenging capacity of foods).

Colorful plant foods contain a huge variety of protective compounds, mostly unnamed at this point. Only by eating an assortment of natural foods that are nutrient-rich, can we access these compounds and protect ourselves from the common diseases that afflict Americans and the out of control medical costs.

Keep in mind that nutrient density scoring is not the only factor that determines good health! For example, if we only ate foods with a high nutrient density score our diet would be too low in fat. So we have to pick some foods with lower nutrient density scores (but preferably the ones with the healthier fats) to include in our high nutrient diet. Additionally, if a thin person or highly physically active individual ate only the highest nutrient foods they would become so full from all of the fiber and nutrients that would keep them from meeting their caloric needs and they would eventually become too thin. This of course gives you a hint at the secret to permanent weight control.

If you want to read more info on this scale, go to the Whole Foods website. This is where I got most of this information from.

So now which of these vegetables can we grow in our gardens down in the deep south?

Kale, Collards, Spinach, Cabbage, Romaine, Broccoli, Cawliflower, Green Peppers, Carrots, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Blueberries, Oranges, Canteloupe, Kidney Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Sun Flower Seeds, Apples (only a few varieties: Dorsette Golden and Anna's Apple), Peaches, Green Peas, Cucumber, Corn, and Bananas

Fried Okra Recipe

Okra is a must have in a Southern garden. It is so hardy and thrives in our really hot weather. I only have 3 okra plants in my garden, and it has produced enough okra to eat 1-2 times a week!

Here is my favorite FRIED OKRA RECIPE:

1 lb. fresh okra, cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices

3/4 cup buttermilk (i use low fat - only 2 grams of fat per cup)

1 1/2 cups self-rising white cornmeal mix (next to the flour in the grocery)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

canola oil

1. Stir together okra and buttermilk in a large bowl. Stir together cornmeal mix and next 3 ingredients in a separate large bowl. Remove okra from buttermilk, in batches, using a slotted spoon. Dredge in cornmeal mixture, use a slotted spoon and gently shake off excess.

2. Pour oil to depth of 1 inch into a large, deep skillet or dutch oven: med.- med. high heat. Fry okra, in batches, 4 minute or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

A Day's Harvest :)

Even though I have been battling with the stink bug issue, I've been pretty impressed with the amount of veggies we have gotten this year. So far, we have harvested (not including all the veggies still on the plants) a total of 35 tomatoes, 4 family meals of eggplant, 5 red peppers, 4 dozen jalapenos, 5 meals of okra, and 3 meals of green beans. The only ones I've been a little disappointed in have been the green beans. I though with as big as they have gotten that they would have produced more beans. I think my apple tree has started to shade that area of the garden a little more...so my guess is not enough sunlight.

This is what I harvested one morning about a week ago: eggplant, okra, green and purple beans, tomatoes, handful of blueberries, and several apples. :)