Saturday, May 19, 2012

The World provides if you just stop and look.

So Today was one of the perfect Magickal Harvest kind of days.. I started with a  Facebook message.. 22 hrs ago...
Oh girrrrrls! Its ready!
 Well being that we are Magickal Harvest.. We believe that gifts are available everywhere you go. You just have to stop and look. Then POOF MAGICK.

There was and Abandoned lot with a ton of Comfrey growing wild. So of course in no time we were there ready to take advantage of the Amazing Herb.
 
The thing about urban/wild foraging is you do not want to get greedy and take everything that is there, always make sure that you leave enough to keep the harvests coming and say thanks for whats been provided. 

We took advantage of a small section of Plants + Root ( we didnt even make a dent  in what was available)
So Here is what we did with our plant..  We separated the the clumps to make plant systems for replanting for the Plant Swap tomorrow. We took the damaged leaves and stems placed into a tote to cover in water to make all natural fertilizer.

Then the large beautiful leaves where hung to dry.  Which in turn can be used to make Salves and Teas

Yes they are as big as you think!

Nonie S on the swing while Miss Dawn hangs the Plants
Then come the 3rd use.  When you separate plants you can get a lot of breakage. which is all good. The 3rd use of the compfrey plant is drying the roots.  

These roots will be cleaned and dried and made into tinctures. I pays off to look at the world around you and learn what is available in your area. 

On the Same street we found a large area where Horsetail was growing... which we can dry and make hair rinses and teas.


Then with a little jaunt down a side street we found LARGE BEAUTIFUL NETTLES. I will post a pic when I find one. I hope this inspires you stop and take a look at the world around you

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Growing a money saving garden


“To forget how to dig the earth
and to tend the soil
is to forget ourselves.”
~Mohandas Gandhi

One of the reasons that people grow their own veggies is to save money..
The 6 vegetable to grow to save money

  1. Lettuce
  2. Bell Peppers
  3. Garlic
  4. Winter Squash
  5. Tomatoes 
  6. Broccoli 


Here is a news clip that show how just a few plants can save us money.




Lets look are some examples.

Culinary Herbs: Almost $2 for a half ounce of herbs.
 A packets of seeds are the same price. How ever now you can grow 2-3 Plants at a time and use these for the entire summer. If you have a Green House all year long. If you buy a start.. Which will run $2-3 you can start using immediately.

Lettuce: Bagged lettuce $3 per bag.  Usually bought for 1 Meal. Lettuce sees $1.79 for a large packet that is a mixture of heirloom lettuce. You can fresh lettuce in a little as 30 days. Can even grow in a window all year long. 

VIVA LA LETTUCE!

Now. Starting a garden can take some money in the beginning. Now I use the Square foot gardening method of veggie growing. My start up was a little pricey when I started but after the 1st year it started paying for itself.  To keep it cost effective I add an additional box each year. To prep the already made beds all you have to add is a helping of compost. (Which you should start the if you don't have a pile already this will save you $3 - $4 per cu ft)

My Tip for everyone is... Start small and  grow your own veggies because it is something you love, If you don't like to garden.. do something else.  
 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Kohlrabi-HUH!?!

So What is this Funny Looking plant???

This is the freak show veggie that is totally awesome!
The Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a part of the Cabbage family, The  plants form a bulb, actually and edible swollen stems, just above the ground that are shaped like round tennis balls. They are green or deep violet-purple depending on the variety, with ruffled foliage that looks like broccoli leaves growing out of the bulb's tops and sides.  These are often missed labeled by people as a root veggie they are not.

These are considered “cold weather” plants, just like your cabbages and lettuces and should already be in the ground in most parts of the country. There still is time to plant seedlings, but to start from seed, you would start in February (late winter). They do very well in part shade/sunny location, and do well with moderate watering/ light fertilizer. They are a hardy plant...

Harvesting these guys...they are much tastier as little bulbs, when the skin is tender, and the bulb is about 2-4” diameter. They tend to taste “woodier” the bigger they get, but all hope is not lost...if you have ginormous kohlrabi, simply slice them with a mandolin and make a scalloped  dish, or enjoy grilled with fresh herbs and olive oil.

"I begin to harvest kohlrabi when they reach 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Cut the stem about an inch below the round bulbs. Trim off the leaves to cook separately and store the thick skinned bulbs in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator. They will keep well for at least 3 weeks to cook up as you need them. I still enjoy kohlrabi sliced up raw best of all, but now I like to use both leaves and bulbs as cooked vegetables too. The leaves make a wonderful greens. Cut out and discard the stems, then drop the leaves into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then heat some olive oil in a skillet, add garlic or chopped onion and sauté until fragrant and softened. Toss in the kohlrabi leaves and cook a few minutes more. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Peel and slice kohlrabi bulbs raw for snacks, just like you would slice up an apple. Thin slices make crispy sweet dip holders or can be used instead of crackers for creamy spreads. Slices are great to add to green salads instead of cucumbers. You'll find shredded raw kohlrabi makes especially mild, sweet coleslaw, and you can also make kohlrabi pickles.

Kohlrabi's mild flesh cooks up to tender sweet succulence. Peel off the outer skins and slice or cube to saute slowly in sweet butter, or steam the unpeeled bulbs whole, then peel and cut up. Traditionally, cooked kohlrabi is served in a rich homemade cream sauce and it is quite delectable this way, especially with a few gratings of nutmeg added to the sauce. Stir fry kohlrabi with carrot slices, and scallions for a delicious and colorful side dish, seasoned lightly with fresh ginger root. I've found that cooked kohlrabi pairs beautifully with fresh herbs like lemon thyme, marjoram, summer savory, garlic chives, broad leafed parsley, or dill leaf and aromatics like curry, nutmeg, ginger or paprika. To finish a dish of herbed kohlrabi perfectly, add a dollop of sour cream or fresh, whole milk yogurt. Unpeeled, trimmed kohlrabi bulbs can also be baked in the oven. Just put them in a covered casserole with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until fork tender. Cool, peel and slice, and dress with a little butter and lemon and your favorite herbs or spices as above. I find that baking the bulbs is easy and really seems to intensify and concentrate their flavor."  - Renee Shepard from ReneesGarden.com (this is a great article please it give a Read)

Kohlrabi Saute from Renee's garden
4 medium kohlrabi bulbs
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fresh low fat sour cream
Peel the tough outer skin from the kohlrabi, then coarsely grate bulbs. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil. Add garlic, onion and kohlrabi and saute, stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until kohlrabi is tender crisp. Stir in lemon juice, parsley, then season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream, and serve hot.
Serves 4 -6

Pickled Kohlrabi from Renee's garden

3 kohlrabi peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 large carrots peeled, cut into sticks, parboiled 3 minutes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 large sprigs fresh dill

Pickling mixture:

3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cups water

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Combine kohlrabi and carrots and pack in a 1 quart glass jar along with garlic, bay leaf and fresh dill. In a saucepan combine pickling mixture ingredients and heat, stirring, until it boils and sugar is dissolved. Pour boiling mixture over kohlrabi filling jar completely. Cover jar. When cool, refrigerate for 3 to 4 days before using to let flavors blend.
Makes 1 quart.
  

Roasted Kohlrabi -from allrecipes.com  
 4 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
salt and pepper to taste 
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese   
Directions  
1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). 
2. Cut the kohlrabi into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut each of the slices in half. Combine olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi slices in the olive oil mixture to coat. Spread kohlrabi in a single layer on a baking sheet. 
3. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally in order to brown evenly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven to allow the Parmesan cheese to brown, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately  

Kohlrabi Slaw

  • 2 small kohlrabi
  • 1 cup radish
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    1. Peel two small kohlrabi.
    2. Shred the kohlrabi and radishes. You may use a food processor for this. I hand grate using a cheese grater.
    3. Mix 1 Tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley in a glass bowl. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
    4. Add shredded veggies and toss.
    5. Chill for 30 minutes or more.


There are many awesome images out there... But this one totally is inline with the Magickal harvest way of thinking!


Have you wanted to know what Kind of vitamins are in Spinach. Wondered about the Nutritional Value of Blessed Thistle? Well We found an awesome Website called  Plants For A Future this is a comprehensive database where you can search for over 7000 edible and medicinal plants using a number of search criteria including: common and Latin names, keyword, family, habitat and use (medicinal, edible or other).

Rant to Dream & A Dream to Reality - Oh yeah we are doing it!

 There was a ranting conversation back in the fall of 2010 between Dawn and I about the unavailability of fresh organic food for families and individuals who may not be able to pay the extra $1.00+ per pound because of budget or other reasons. One phrase stuck in my mind 
 
"Fresh Healthy Food is a basic human Right!" 

After this very long and passionate conversation. (Which I was so happy we had because the started an awesome friendship) We decided that this was a situation,  where in stead of complaining about the injustices of it, Let's Do Something about it!  Little did we realize at this point in time how much this single conversation would change how we live our lives. (I will expand on how in another post)
Magickal Harvest was born from that conversation. 
 
One of the ideas born from that conversation was that we wanted to help people feel empowered to grow their own food and help those who needed a helping hand. Well we got to cross one of Magickal Harvests goals off the list. Last weekend we got together with a Local Family and assisted them in building their garden.  You can watch the highlights below.


We want to thank EVERY ONE who came out to lend a hand. We are truly blessed to have a group of wonderful people who give much time and effort to this little dream that Dawn and I put into motion. With out all of you, Magickal Harvest would still be just a dream.

Now this is only the beginning. going forward we want to be able to help many more families get started.  We Love Community Gardens and Support them completely. Eventually we want to get to that point. I feel that there is a certain pride and can do spirit that comes from looking at what you grew on your own. Be it just from a Container of lettuce to a full garden of food.
Remember everyone,

I have the right to eat fresh food and I have the power to grow it!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

MAGICKAL HARVEST GIVE AWAY! As soon as we reach 100 facebook "likes" on this page MagickalHarvest on facebook a giveaway will be LAUNCHED! now go, tell your friends. Give away will in a Copy of Square foot Gardener and a Lovely VIVA La Lettuce Tote bag!

IN Honor of Dawn and Jennifer making a rant... into a dream..and a dream into reality. We are doing a MAGICKAL HARVEST GIVE AWAY! This weekend we are bringing gardeners together to help build a container garden for a local family. This was the rant that started Magickal Harvest. We dared asked the question why cant we help people build and grow gardens of their own. This is a Grass Roots movement to empower individuals to take control of the food they feed themselves and their families. "We believe that Everyone has the right to fresh food and they have the power to grow it!"