Good 'N Planty

Columbus, Ohio

Abby — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:18:23 +0000

I have been slacking on blog posting for several reasons these past few weeks, the most recent being the trip I took to Columbus, Ohio for the dedication of the Waterworks cistern in the school garden I was working with. I got to meet some wonderful, driven people and see the beautifully-designed school and garden. I'm proud of Organic Gardening and the Waterworks sponsors, Aveeno and Nature's Path for putting this program together, it was great to see how it's helping people firsthand.

Another stop that day was a luncheon with Antonia Demas, the founder of a curriculum called "Food is Elementary." She was an incredibly interesting and informative speaker and we were treated to a lunch prepared from her school menu: Three sisters casserole (butternut squash, kidney beans and corn tossed lightly in maple syrup, served warm), cranberry hoecakes, cabbage salad, chickpea quinoa and baked apples- everything was seasonal and delicious.

It is always good to come home but I had a great time visiting Columbus and definitely found it to be, as Scott says, "a surprisingly hip city."

Celosia

Abby — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:13:27 +0000

I didn't have very much room for cutting flowers this summer- I wanted give enough space to the veggies. But all summer long I had this vibrant stalk of celosia cheering everything along. In the rush of preparing for a small dinner party on Sunday, I ran downstairs to cut this single stem and plopped it in a vintage tin. My friends were intrigued by my alien-looking centerpiece, and I was pleased it got the attention it was demanding. It was also perfect timing to cut it, too- I doubt it would be looked as nice after this mornings first snowfall.

The Fruit of Love

Abby — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:42:50 +0000

This weekend my lifelong friend Gwen and her boyfriend Andrew went apple-picking at a local orchard.

It was a beautiful day and according to Gwen, "the bounty was plentiful..."

She didn't suspect a thing, until Andrew spoke up..."You know Gwen, most apples have a star in the middle when you cut them open, but this one has a RING!"

Haha- What a clever boy, congratulations Gwen and Andrew!

Warming up!

Abby — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:15:59 +0000

Yesterday was the un-official start of winter in my book. Ok, maybe not winter, but I needed a coat, hat, and gloves, and my car was frosted. I actually didn't mind the cold simply because it gave me the chance to test out the beautiful wool arm warmers my sister knitted for my birthday, (thanks Kate!). I love wearing mine, they are so much less restrictive than mittens.

If you're not a knitter, this awesome etsy store sells arm warmers made from recycled sweaters- or just stop by for some inspiration and make your own!

Meat Eaters

Abby — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:23:05 +0000

I love this free (!) downloadable Carnivorous Plants calendar from A Print A Day. I laughed the other day when I saw people shopping a calendar kiosk in the mall -doesn't everyone wait till they're on sale after Jan. 1st? Well now you can have your 2009 calendar without spending a penny. (Plus...you could probably fill in the all the dates with pencils and reuse it!).

DIY Kitty Litter

Abby — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:13:26 +0000

Being unable to keep neither a dog nor cat in my rented apartment, I finally found the perfect pet- 2 weeks ago I bought this little Holland Lop, Jackson. Being a new pet owner, of course I stocked up on all the essentials- and non-essentials (a cute little rug for his room, white picket fencing for around his cage...).

One thing I wasn't too excited about buying over and over is kitty litter. Jackson is already litter box trained and to keep him happy I change his box every few days. Right now I'm using newspaper pellets but I wanted to find a better alternative. I was so excited to find this idea on Allie's Answers- DIY Newspaper pellets!

I've never been so excited to have access to a paper shredder. : )

P.S. We put our pets to the test to find the latest and greatest in organic pet foods- get our picks here!

School Garden

Abby — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:26:14 +0000

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting my mom's school to help finish setting up their new "school garden." My mom is a middleschool English teacher at a small private school close to my office. When I heard we needed to test some raised garden bed kits for next year's Editor's Choice, I jumped at the opportunity to help my mom's school get a garden.

In order to get started, the kids split up into groups and found the directions and tools needed for each bed. There was an adult to assist each group, but mostly the kids did the work on their own- a testament to the clarity and ease of installation of each bed.

Once the beds were assembled, the kids flattened cardboard boxes and covered the grass in and around the beds (the pathways will be mulch), then shoveled compost into each bed.

Some of the beds will grow cover crops- the kids in this picture are planting rye, and some of them will grow flower bulbs.

After everything was completed, the kids came inside and filled out evaluation forms and rated each bed. I love how seriously they gave their opinions- on one it read: "I would never recommend this product to anyone!"

It was really fun to talk with the kids during the whole process and hear what they had to say about compost and worms and gardening at home. I can't wait to check back in and show you the gardens (and kids) progress!

Parsely Salt

Abby — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:29:02 +0000

Doubly useful- you can use up the last of the seasons fresh parsely and preserve the salt in tins to give away as Christmas gifts!

Parsley Salt Recipe

See also the Parsely Salt Crackers below this recipe.

Gourd Dollhouse

Abby — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:19:53 +0000

Look at these sweet little gourd dollhouses- such a creative alternate for gourds- Check the upcoming issue of Organic Gardening for instructions on how to make a Gourd birdhouse from an OG reader!

Best of all, you can learn how to do it yourself here!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Abby — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:03:01 +0000

After sampling some beautiful roasted mini(!) butternut squash from the test garden, I knew I had to include it into our Harvest lunch menu... I searched for the best recipe and found 4 that came close, but not quite. Once I had a good idea of what a roasted butternut squash lasagna would consist of, I combined several recipes and came up with one that suits the season and the star of the dish perfectly.

Butternut Squash Lasagna, adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
4 oz. goat cheese
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 cooked lasagna noodles*
2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor or mash with a fork. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese. Cool slightly. Finely chop basil and add to sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*I'd urge you not to use no-boil noodles- I tried that the first time and it really dried everything out. I also pulsed roasted butternut squash and although that give a really nice sweet flavor to the lasagna, it was also very dry- if you added enough milk/water to pulsed roasted squash to make a thinner paste, it would probably still work fine.