Garden Update: Second Week of June 2013

Ok, I have not really blogged about this year's garden for a few reasons. 

One: By the time I think to take a snapshot of my work for the day, it's already dark.  This is the MAIN reason I have been updating Facebook about my garden accomplishments without any photo attachments. Normally I work way past dark. Meaning, I use every last bit of sunlight as the sun is going down to get my gardening done,often shoving plants into the ground while squinting to see, and then, as the light is waning and while I can JUST still see (usually the moon is already out and quite bright) I will be watering in the plants or seeds in the bed I just finished. The sun starts to go down around 7pm or so, and I am not "done" until around 8pm.

 Two: I often forget to go out the next day and get a snapshot, but I am getting better at remembering to do this. A couple of Facebook friends have been saying things like, "Show us photos or it didn't happen!" and "Blog it or it didn't happen." Just so you know, THIS POST IS FOR YOU,  J.C. and V.K.!! Now I just need to remember to update my blog!

Three: I am growing organic vegetables (mostly by experiment and on a learn-as-I-go basis) on too much land (about 400 tsubo, or around a 1/4 acre) all by myself (husband gave up helping long ago)  while working full time (and I am always frustrated that I don't have enough time for gardening). It is hard keeping up with everything. I wish I had a neater, prettier garden. Currently, it's a jungle out there!

"Mini" cucumber plants that I was lucky to find at the local home center are interplanted with green onions  (1 on each side of the cucumber plant) as well as nasturtiums (the red flowers you see here). The onion's smell confuses or wards off bugs that like to eat cucumbers. The nasturtiums serve to trap any beetles that like cucumber. Apparently they like to eat nasturtiums even more? 

 

I've tried growing onions for the past 3 years. They take up a lot of valuable space in the garden, and my soil is not rich enough to get big fat onions like the ones you buy at the store. I am thinking to give in and just buy onions form now on, as they are so cheap in late Spring. The down-side is, those store-bought onions are grown with petrochemical fertilizers. We eat a lot of onions at my house. Way more than I can grow myself. I always end up buy a lot (a couple of large boxes- kilos!) even when I grow my own. Sigh. 

On the bright side, here is a close-up of a mini-cucumber forming. I bought lots of plants because I will be making all of them into natural-fermented pickles. Yum! They are made using filtered water and  natural sea salt. The Lactobacillic Acid that forms makes them ferment and become sour. When they are ready to eat, they need to be kept in the refrigerator as there are no preservatives and they are not heated and canned (which would destroy the good bacteria) like store-bought  pickles. Does anyone want to try some?

 Here we have 3 small beds that, rather than till with the tiller and re-shape, I decided I could get away with just hand-pulling the weeds out and hoeing the beds for a "no-till" area of the yard. I've been moving more and more to "no-till" beds as I've read it's better for the living organisms in the soil and reduces weeds (more on why in a later post). I've planted "sati-imo" and ginger here. I won't need to bother with these beds for several months, unlike in the front yard where all the tomatoes and cucumbers are. I need to check those beds every day. 

From time to time I stop to catch my breath while weeding or planting, and have a chance to look around and appreciate my work. That's when I notice the plants have been putting on flowers are getting closer to bearing fruits (veggies). Can you guess what plant this flower is from? It's an eggplant blossom! It's interesting that the stems are purple, the flowers are purple, and the skin of the fruits are purple. That's me standing over the flower, trying to angle my iPhone in for a close-up.

My morning Smoothie

Most mornings I have a huge Smoothie for breakfast. There are all kinds of recipes out there for Smoothies, but I like to use what I have and experiment. Here's how I make mine.

Yes, those are some very brown (and very sweet) bananas. The inside was perfectly fine.  I add fruit for natural fiber, sweetness and vitamins, and veggies for nutrients such as protein, calcium, fiber, etc.  I try to sneak in at least half a carrot and/or half a cucumber, plus a stalk or so of celery, and a fist-ful of leafy greens whenever I can. Sometimes I can vaguely taste the celery or cucumber in the background, but over all it's the fruit that you can taste and smell the most. Note: The lemon is peeled and the whole fruit (without skin) is added since I am making a HUGE jug of smoothies (makes 4-5 servings). Please adjust to your recipe. 1/4 or even 1/2 of a peeled lemon may be all you need. Too much makes it very sour!

My smoothies are always Vegan (no animal products such as milk, yogurt or honey).  I mix all this with cold water and ice cubes during the Summer. In cool months, room temperature water seems cold enough.

After blending to a smooth texture, I add some SUPERFOODS. In this case, alkalinizing Chlorella for cell detox,  some Midori Greens (I love the mild taste and it has so many things in it!) and a tablespoon of energizing Chia seeds. The Chlorella is the "Secret Ingredient" that make my smoothies the color of the inside of your cousin's baby's nappy. However, I can vouch that my smoothies actually taste like apples or bananas, or whatever fruit I have on hand that day, no matter what this may look like to you! It's all apple-banana flavor AND smell- promise!  :) 

A view from them top. Looks good!

 This smoothie was very thick. I make them thick if I am having them as a meal replacement, or if it is a cooler day and I feel the need more something substantial. I have made thin, watery smoothies as well, which taste better on very hot days in the Summer time.

And voila! I've posed my drink next to the persimmons I used in it for comparison. The chlorella powder does a great job of dying nearly everything a vivid greeeeeeeeeeen color but I assure you the taste is very fruity and delicious! 

My recipe changes every few days or every week, as new fruits of the season become available. Some days I have strawberry-apple-carrot smoothie, and some days it's orange-apple-carrot smoothie. I like to make them not only by taste, but also by color. If I am feeling the need for a very RED or ORANGE color, I will NOT add Chlorella powder, which would ruin the lovely color of the fruit!! IN that case, I might add some other type of (not green) SUPERFOOD such as hemp seeds or flax seeds for extra ooomph!! 

So, what would you like in YOUR smoothie?

Last week I made Vegan Chilli.

It seems like everybody I know was making Chili last weak. I made a huge pot of this Vegan Chili and it lasted me all week long! The "meat" is soy protein crumbles (TVP/TSP).

And here's the recipe I used: Vegan Chili

Meatless Monday Challenge!

I decided to participate in a weekly "Meatless Monday" challenge. It's only a week late, but here's last Monday's food:

Breakfast = a green smoothie made with apple, banana, kale, lemon, and other fruits and veggies.

Lunch = Mikan, Salad with boiled veggies and avocado (homemade vinaigrette), and homemade Vegan Chilli

Dinner=  I had the same Vegan Chilli with brown rice for dinner. It was nice and hearty!

It's time for a change.

It's the start of a new year, and the start of a new me. I'm making this year the best one I've ever had, because I'm working on myself, loving myself, respecting myself, and enjoying myself. For starters, I'm  dedicating this year to getting healthy in every aspect of the word! There's nothing I can't do if I have the health and energy to do it. But there's NOTHING I CAN DO if I am tired, in pain, and unhappy with my body! So here's my plan:

• Daily Smoothies for breakfast and as snacks.
• Cram as many kinds and colors of veggies as possible in each day.
• Experiment with Vegetarian, Vegan, Macrobiotic, and Raw Food recipes.
• Exercise!! Exercise!! Exercise!! (several times a week)
• Give my self permission to do the things I love without regret! (art, gardening, friends, etc.)
• Spend more time with friends!
• Cultivate a positive attitude!
• Actively listen to my body!
• Start meditating to calm my mind.
• Let it go. Let it go. Let it go!

You can help rescue animals from the nuclear zone in Fukushima!

My friend Isabella Gallaon-Aoki routinely drives up to the evacuation zone and tsunami-afflected areas of Fukushima on the weekends to rescue stray and forgotten pets. She brings them back to Niigata where they are housed, fed, healed, spayed/neutered, and re-homed. Since the tsunami, she has steadily built new cages to house these poor victims of the Fukushima tsunami. The new shelter spaces, vet bills and food cost quite a bit of money, as you can imagine. Would you like to help her out? You can contribute by chipping in to help pay for ongoing recue work! And also by visiting Animal Friends Niigata Facebook page.