Maggie's Garden

When Jen and I got our first pets, Maggie was a timid, scared Shepard/Collie mix who was scared of her own shadow and didn't know how to bark. Since we lived in an apartment, walks included cars backfiring, people hitting their horns, kids screaming, etc... everything to make Maggie shiver from first step to last. Over the next few years, Maggie worked her way into our hearts, heads and souls in such a way that when she became sick last month, we were devastated. We both just sit and cry thinking of how different, how hollow our house is without her. Although there are other dogs and people have different relationships with their animals, Maggie was our first girl...now and forever.... Jen and I, unconsciously, agreed that if we ever owned a homestead, it would be Maggie's Farm; what I realize now is that my garden always has been and will always be Maggie's Garden.
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I am having a hard time switching topics....I hope the line above helps....

Seed Catalogs are in full swing as I now get about 10-15 different catalogs to look through. Some of my favorites are the organic catalogs. There are a few others but these seem to be where I concentrate my time. There is good diversity of varieties and each have unique offerings which at a minimum make it an interesting read. Some of the best catalogs so far are

• Seed Savers Exchange
• Southern Exposure
• Territorial Seed Company
• Baker's Creek Seeds

As we are making choices on different varieties, I am trying to figure out an inexpensive way to set up a seed starting "station" in our basement. With money a big factor, I am looking into simple fluorescent (T12 or T8 preferable) from Home Depot or Lowes. These would not provide optimal light but would suffice with time spent adjusting light heights as the seedlings grow. A solution like this would run about $100 for every 4 feet.

More preferable would be a horticulture specific light (T5) from Sunlight Supply for instance The spectrum and intensity can be varied so much so that I would load up more seedlings under the lights, not be as concerned with light heights and they run more cool/efficient. These would run about $350 for every 4 feet but I would almost double the width of plants that I could stack in the 4 feet.

As a tentative plan, I am going to have the light station set up my mid to late January to start Peppers and Tomatoes by the 1st week of Feb. I will add a few annuals in the beginning of march. I still plan on winter sow'ing probable 30 containers (10" homemade greenhouses) worth of perennials like I did last year.

Cream of Curried Chicken Soup

• 2 lbs of Chicken Breast (on the bone)
• 2 Cups cooked rice (preferable brown)
• 1/2 Gallon Chicken Stock
• 2 Medium Size Onions (chopped)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 Carrots (chopped)
• 2 Stalks of Celery (chopped)
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp Curry
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Ginger Powder
• 1 dash Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Flour

Start by cooking the chicken in the oven until done. Cool to room temperature and with your hands, pick the meat off the bone creating small pieces to be added to the soup later. While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice according to the directions on the package on the stove top. In a small bowl or cup, add all spices and mix together.

Once rice and chicken are done, melt the butter in a large soup pot. once hot, add all dry spices and stir for a few moments to allow the oils to be released. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery and saute for an additional 5-7 minutes or until everything starts to caramelize and the onions are translucent. Add the flour and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a rapid boil and then reduce heat to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. With an emulsion blender, blend 80% of the stock, enough to leave little pieces of carrots, onions and celery but not enough to purify. Add chicken and rice and bring back to a slow boil for 2 minutes. Serve hot or is great the next day.

NOTE: The rice will absorb water the next time reheated so it will become chowder-like


Food Harvested:
None

Things Planted:
None

Seeds Saved:
Sweet Shrub
More Daylilies
More Chaste Tree

Preserved/Cooked:
Cream of Curried Chicken Soup
Healthy Mac and Cheese

Things to Remember:
1. Get as many containers as possible to pot up plants
2. Look into Wolf berries as well for the spring
3. If we do the arbor, put up to grape vines with it....