The Secret to Organic Strawberries

In a previous post, I posted a photo of a small bowl of freshly picked strawberries just before I handed the bowl over to Hubby so he could enjoy their juicy yumminess.

Since that post, I've thought a lot about strawberries and how they start in this world--as a humble non-assuming little white blossom. And if they get pollinated correctly by the bees and other flying critters, those blossoms become strawberries.

I've also thought a lot about the use of the word "organic" that has become so popular in describing how food is grown or produced. After maintaining an organic kitchen garden (potager) for over 7 years now, I have to let everyone in on a big secret. "Organic" is really easy! It was the non-organic method that was much harder.

Early on in my foray into growing organic fruits and vegetables for our own consumption, I read an article about the centuries old method of companion planting that is now gaining a resurgence starting as a grass-roots level. The premise is that certain plants are planted next to one another so they benefit each other based on what bugs they attract or repel, what nutrients they use, they're growing habits, and even the essence of their pollen in the case of companions like basil and tomatoes (tomatoes take on a wonderful taste with the essence of basil if planted next to it). This concept means that a vegetable and fruit garden not only looks better with flowers intermingled in it, but it is healthier.

My own experience has been that I have not needed to use pesticides for 7 years. That's right... NONE! Why? Because of the flowers and plants I purposefully planted in the vicinity of the strawberry plants that grow in pots right next to the 1200 gallon pond in the near center of my garden (you can see the strawberry pots in the background of the photo below).

Now what are these "magical" plants that grow next to the strawberries? Simple bright red canna lilies, lemon balm, and fennel. Well, those don't seem all that special, right? But they are to the strawberries. Here's why...

The bright red canna lilies and fennel attract lots of large predator insects that eat the smaller insects that would otherwise dine on the strawberries. The red canna lilies also attract hummingbirds. Hummingbirds, although partial to the sugary nectar of flowers, get most of their calorie intake from small insects like spiders, mites, gnats and mosquitos. The strawberries benefit again. The lemon balm that's great on sauted chicken breasts, also helps in the same way and gives off a strong enough odor that it camoflages other more vulnerable plants around it. A lot of herbs do this.

See how easy "organic" can be? I just plant things next to each other, water them, and they take care of each other. Really amazing, isn't it?!?! Don't let all the hype or the higher prices of "organic" fool you into believing that you can't grow things this way yourself. If you haven't, just trust me a teensy bit and take the plunge... grow some of your own produce. It's easier on the pocketbook, tastes phenomenal, and it's good for you.

Good Enough to Eat

A new collection of my photographs is on display at the Rosehaven Cottage Art Gallery entitled "Beautiful Produce".

Being a photographer as well as gardener who grows produce in my garden has opened my eyes to the simple beauty of produce on the branch or vine and produce that has been been harvested. I regularly walk my gardens at various times throughout the year, as our climate allows us to have a year-round produce garden. As I walk the garden looking for the minute changes from one day to the next, it always fascinates me how beautiful nature can be in its simple colors, textures, and forms. In particular, what I find striking is the beauty of the produce that we eventually eat. The phrase "looks good enough to eat" has takes on new dimensions for me as I have realized that what we do end up eating has an amazing beauty all its own.

In this collection, I have tried to capture the beautiful simplicity of fruit and vegetable produce without post-production enhancement in order to show the subjects as they appeared in reality when photographed. The light I've used is always available light. When I've shot these photographs, it's been just me, my camera and the beautiful produce.

Adventures in Fruit Leather

After a failed attempt at making prunes over a week ago, it took a while for me to build up enough gumption to try and make fruit leather from what is left of the plum harvest from our tree this year.

Yesterday, I looked at the basket and two bowls of plums on the kitchen table and realized that if I didn't do something with them, they would go bad (I've had my fill of fresh plums this season).

So, as I approach many of my "projects", I had to dive right in while I still felt the nerve and drive to do it. I knew if I waited, that the mood would pass, and I'd still have the same basket and two bowls of plums as well as a nagging thought that I'd chickened out.

Following the instructions that came with our Nesco dehydrator, I pureed the pitted plums (skins and all) in the blender until smooth. I sweetened the mixture to taste with corn syrup (apparently granulated sugar will make it brittle). Then I poured the mixture on the one plastic tray for making fruit leather that came with the unit. I had quite a bit of mixture left over in the blender and didn't want to do only one trayful, so I used another tier of the dehydrator as a template and cut out a "tray" out of parchment paper (I was feeling adventurous).

The dehydration took a little longer than expected (probably because my mixture was poured out a little too deep), but the result is exactly what I wanted! Believe it or not, the parchment paper tray was done in far less time. I liked the result better too.

I've now successfully produced my favorite flavor of fruit leather--plum! Now I am much more confident with the process and plan on turning the rest of the plums into fruit leather as well.

And as an endnote... I thought of my friend Emiline over at Visions of Sugar Plum the entire time I did this as well as when I was taking the photos. So, Emiline, this plummy post is dedicated to you!

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Juicy Plums for Independence Day

A bountiful harvest has begun here at Rosehaven Cottage thanks to one Santa Rosa plum tree that is laden with so much fruit some of its boughs are bending and touching the ground. This is really exciting for me because this is the first year that the tree has actually produced more than 1 or 2 plums. I LOVE plums (Hubby doesn't like them) so I am thrilled!

Some of you may remember that I wrote about this plight earlier in the year when the tree was blossoming as I shared some photos of the lovely spring plum blossoms. Now the majority of those blossoms have become luscious plums that are ripening at varying rates all over the tree.

Because sitting under the plum tree is one of my favorite daily activities, I have been watching and gently hand-checking the fruit each time I'm out there. Early in the ripening stages when a plum that's been within my reach has been ripe enough, I've plucked it from the tree and eaten it right there. Yummy!

Well, now that the number of plums that are ripe has increased, I was able to take my harvest basket out and pick the first bunch of plums all at once. That was a real treat!

The plums came inside and went into this nifty rinsing basket that Hubby has in the kitchen (the kitchen is Hubby's domain, by the way). After a good rinse in some cool water, the plums were covered with droplets and were very photogenic (as you can see in the photos above).

Of course I've eaten the perfectly ripe ones as a wonderful sweet treat as part of my breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As the others ripen, I'm going to try my hand at making homemade fruit leather with our home dehydrator. I'll make sure and photographically document the process when I do so I can share.

Now why, you may ask, am I featuring these fresh fruits on America's Independence Day?

Well, today is also my own Independence Day. It was two years ago today that I made the life-changing decision to eat, eat well, and gain my independence from the burdens of a chronic illness as well as OCD-related anxiety and depression. Along with adopting the WeightWatchers lifestyle, I consciously chose to no longer consume any hydrogenated oils and products (trans fats) while increasing my consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of walnuts and other nuts. I also chose to eat instead of continuing the pattern of "forgetting" to eat all day--a pattern that was taking me down a very unhealthy road and had caused my metabolism to grind to a halt. July 4, 2006 was a very big milestone day for me, to say the least.

As I've traveled this interesting health-focused journey for the past 2 years, I've come to love simple and luscious foods like these plums that I'm harvesting off our tree. Grown organically (as all the other produce in our garden), these plums are more than a summer treat for me. Instead, I see each one as a small package of health and wellness ready for me to consume and gain its benefits--the most profound benefit being independence.

Happy Independence Day!

Links to my writing on the Rosehaven Cottage Health, Wellness, and Food blog:
A Delicious Way to Get My Veggies
"Cute Attacks" and Feeling Healthy
Managing Anxiety and Depression with Nutrition

Links to spiritually-based resources at Provident Living:
Helpful Information on Social and Emotional Strength
Physical Health

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