Brussel Sprouts..."Yuck! Wait, They Aren't Gross?!"

Most people turn up their noses to brussel sprouts...the funny thing is when asked, most them have never really tried them! That was me, for 32 years =) I can honestly say, I probably wouldn't have ever tasted them if it weren't for my garden in my back yard. The only reason I planted them in the fall was I heard they were really easy to grow. At the time, I did this with out even knowing if I (or anyone in my family) liked them. I was really excited to see how many just 3 small plants have produced!
I roast almost all of my vegetable in the oven. It's such an easy and quick way to get such great flavors. It seems to intensify their natural flavors and the results are delicious!
I decided I would try and roast the brussel sprouts...I figured, if I didn't like them roasted I probably wouldn't like them any other way! It turned out my whole family loved them including my 5 year old boys! I'm sure it helped that I let them help me with the harvesting. That's a sure way to get them to like and try new foods =)
So here's what I did:
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim white ends off with a knife, and peel outer loose layer of the brussel sprouts off. Toss with a little olive oil, coarse salt, and cracked pepper. Spread on a sheet pan, and roast in oven for about 25-30 minutes....tossing every few minutes to create and even color all around. That's it!

It's almost time to get your beds ready!

It's time to take advantage of the beautiful weather and start getting your beds ready for your spring plants. If you're wanting to start a garden for the first time and need help, look back to my May of 2010's post. It should answer alot of your questions about starting from scratch. If not, I can try and answer any other question you might have =)
It's always a good idea to prepare your soil a little ahead of time to allow it to settle and rest for a few weeks before you plant your first spring veggies. If you need to add soil to your garden, I would recommend going to Charvet's. They have good rich "garden soil" at a great price...their small bags are $2.49 and the larger bags are $4.99.
Start by turning the top foot of your soil over with a shovel, and then add the bag of new garden soil. Work this in to mix with the soil that is already there. This will help the new plant roots to grow much faster. If you live on the Southshore like I do, consider yourself lucky! Our soil is so rich and doesn't need a whole lot of extra ammendments....makes gardening a little easier =)
Don't let the warm weather fool you!! It's still a little early to plant things like basil, eggplant, and bell peppers. They all are sensitive to cooler weather...wait a few more weeks before planting these veggies. If you are itching to plant something right now, you can probably get away with planting some tomatoes.
Until next time...hope you enjoy the gorgeous weather!!

Here are a few pictures of my winter garden. It's coming to an end, but still producing =)

Cabbage

Red Leaf Lettuce

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