Tater Soup

Tonight, while at the "farm", I got a craving for potato soup, salsa and watermelon. So I dug up a bag full of taters, tomatoes, onions, peppers and tucked a melon under my arm and headed home. When Renee arrived home she promptly googled a potato soup recipe (I made a few adjustments) then I started washing the produce. Then a few hours later we were eating a nearly completely home grown, home made meal.

Preparation for tonights meal began on March 27, 2010 when I paid my $40.00 for plot 23 at the College of Southern Idaho's Community Garden. 

Recipe:

6-8 cubed potatoes

1 stalk celery sliced

1 diced onion

salt to taste

3-4 cups milk

1 to 2 T corn starch

4 tsp butter

1 T. parsley

pepper to taste

Boil potatoes till barely soft with onion and celery. Drain water and add to milk. Mash part of the potatoes to thicken soup, add 1-2 T. corn starch, butter, parsley, pepper, salt. Let simmer until potatoes are soft.

The meal in pictures...

...and the finished product was better than I had dreamed it would be... topped off with some home made guacamole dip left over from yesterday's lunch (thanks to the Martinez family) and a glass of cold Crystal Light. 

Sweet Corn Harvest

I planted corn in my home garden this year. Following is my recipe for good eating tonight.

1) Picking the ears
2) Corn shucking
3) Cook the corn
4) Insert napkin into shirt collar
5) add salt and healthy dollop of butter
6) Repeat

Plot (23) August Ag Report

Unless the (seed) falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)
Now enjoying the fruit of my labor.

Potato Progress

Curiosity got the best of me tonight.
 
I dug up a potato plant to see what I couldn't see. I was thrilled to see so much activity has been going on under the surface. I found it interesting to see that the condition of the original potato seed had really not changed at all. Maybe they will be bigger in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Mid-July Update

Garden photo update: July 3, 2010

Potatoes: doing well, the Colorado Potato Bug and some kind of underground dweller likes my potatoes.

Onion: Not much to growing an onion.

Snow Peas: Beginning to climb and have bloomed out, the are growing good.

Squash: with the warmer weather most of the squash has begun to grow.

Tomatoes: blooming and forming

Peppers: enjoying the hot weather.

Enemy #2

The Colorado potato bug has begun her damage. The larva stage of the potato bug does the most damage to the potato plant. I've begun by work of removing the leaves with the larva and tonight I'll make a stop by the garden shop and buy some Sevin dust and continue the fight.


The next task is to begin working on what to do about the underground critter who likes to eat the potato.

Enemy #1

Meet the Colorado Potato Beetle:
After reading about this garden pest I discovered that he even has his own postage stamp

I took this picture tonight while weeding.

Temps are Finally Reaching into the 70s

The famous Idaho Potatoes are growing strong! I will begin replanting some of the recent frost victims this week. Maybe all danger of frost is waiting for us in September or October?

Cool Spring

I have not had much growth at Plot 23 so far due to a cool (cold) and wet spring. Since planting most of the starters I started in March we have had three nights of frost. Most of the okra is dead, I lost two of my 8 tomato plants and one pepper plant.

However the world famous Idaho Potatoes are looking good. I will hope to post some new pictures later this week.

The Times News ran an interesting article today (6/1/10) about the community garden you may enjoy.

BTW: the weeds are doing great.

Sunny and Warm

Today proved to be a superb planting day. Sunny and warm with a high of 74 this afternoon.

In Idaho the danger of frost is always a reality but the locals were busy at the College of Southern Idaho's Community Garden.

"The sower went out to sow his seed..." Luke 8:5a (NASB)

Irrigation Lines

John Culberth (father-in-law) was here this week and helped with irrigation lines.

Planting began on 4/24/2010

I've begun putting seed potato and onion out on the "farm". I have tomato, pepper, and lettuce growing in the garden shed while I patiently await the "last frost".
This first photo is four rows of "World Famous Idaho Potatoes"

This photo is from the North, facing the South.
Bottom of this photo are the World Famous Idaho Potatoes; nothing is planted in the center and left rows yet. The upper right are red and yellow onions





This photo is taken from the South, facing the North. The lower left rows are the red and yellow onions, top of photo are the World Famous Idaho Potatoes.

Pay Dirt

Today's temperature: 55 degrees (F)

Sky Condition: Not a cloud in the sky

I drove by the new 'farm' today to take pictures and get an idea of how much Terra Firma a 25'X50' garden plot is. WOW! That's a lot of dirt.

I am now responsible for weed control of this 1,250sq.ft section. This is plot 23 of 46 plots.

Per my signed agreement:
"WEEDS MUST BE KEPT UNDER CONTROL. Your garden plot will be reassigned to a person on the waiting list if your garden plot is identified as being intensely weedy. This is a judgment call that your fellow gardeners make on community work days. If your garden is identified as weedy you will be notified and given two weeks to clear it of weeds. If your garden is identified twice during the same season, you will forfeit your garden plot, and deposit, to a person on the waiting list."

Pressurized irrigation water is supplied to all plots.

I now have approx. four weeks to determine what to grow on the 'farm' and need to start my starters this week at home in my garden shed.

I will for sure plant potatoes. (I'm in Idaho, it's my first farm...) I'm planning on pumpkin, squash, and maybe some sweet corn.

Plot 23

Today (March27, 2010) I start tracking my 25' X 50' farm at the College of Southern Idaho's Community Garden. I will post updates with pictures journaling the experience from ground prep to the table. Follow along if you can handle the excitement.

Gardening Rules and Guidelines
Failure to comply with these rules will result in forfeiture of your deposit, and possible revocation of your gardening privileges.

Safety (emphasis mine)

• Keep hoses, weeds, sticks, bricks, tools, and toys in your garden, and away from public footpaths.
• Maintain a five foot walkway around your garden. This enables the CSI tractor (What? Do I get to drive this tractor?) to move up and down pathways without driving in your garden.
• Hoses must be disconnected and stored in your garden after each use. Failure to do so results in a test of strength between garden hoses and lawn mower blades.
• Never bring into or leave wood in the garden area with exposed nails.
• Do not extend your garden plot past the boundary markers. If additional space is required, please contact the CSI representative or call the Ag office at 732-6401.
• Do not bring glass into your garden.
• Alcohol is expressly prohibited on CSI grounds.