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05/04/2007: "What Can You Make With Cauliflower, Basil, and Salt?"

Nate and I were walking about yesterday evening and decided to peek in on the cauliflower plants. They were an overwintering variety, and we hadn't seen much action out of them. We were tickled to find beautiful, large, creamy white heads on three out of four plants, with the fourth just starting to form a head. So we had cauliflower and cheese sauce with our polenta last night!



Last weekend, after working on the industrial farm, Nate and I went to the coast to visit Esther. She's enrolled in an intensive marine bio course out at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The program requires her to live at the marine center, which is nice, but it's no farm! Anyways, Esther called us to say she had a bucket of algae if Nate wanted to come get it. Algae is an incredible fertilizer because it contains all of the trace minerals found in the ocean. So off we went, 5 gallon buckets in tow. One of the things we love about the Willamette Valley is that the ocean is just an hour's drive away. It's fairly easy, though not at all economical, fuel wise, to take an afternoon and jaunt over to the spectacular beaches. Our day was beautiful, but extremely windy. Nate filled one of the buckets with sea water, then put a tight lid on it and brought it home. Once home, he used one of my large stewing pots to reduce the water. He kept the pot full for two or three days and the woodstove cranking. Pretty soon a white powder began to form on the sides of the pot. Nate just kept it boiling down. We now have close to a quart of fresh, wholesome sea salt.




In April, Nate used the soil blockers to make several basil, tomato, sweet pepper, and eggplant starts. He's been keeping them by the woodstove, nice and warm, under florescent lights. The blocks are nice because you can see the roots reaching out of the soil and you know it's time to "block up". Yesterday and today has been pretty cruddy weather with hail, wind, and rain, so off we went to the greenhouse. We made up a batch of potting mix (3 parts compost, 2 parts peat moss, 1 part garden soil, 2 cups fertilizer), and worked in enough water to make it gooey. The trick with the four inch block is to get the amount of moisture in the potting mix just right. Too wet and the block "melts"; too dry and it crumbles. So with a lot of trial and error we made up several blocks. The really cool thing about these soil blockers is that they are meant to be a modular system. The two inch blocks fit into the two inch hole in the four inch block. Once the four inch blocks are made, you just drop the two inch block into it and press a bit for soil contact. The roots get the hint and begin exploring their new space.

The tomatoes and basil went out to the cold frame. It was intended to be a "hot" frame, but it didn't quite seem warm enough for us, even with all of the fresh composting manure. But it's perfect for growing veggies right now. Let me tell you there's something amazing about the smell of fresh basil. I fantasized about just chomping the tops off.


The eggplants and sweet peppers are going to remain inside for another week or so before heading out to the cold frame. True to form, our spring has been damp, soggy, and a little chilly. Mid May should see warmer overall temperatures and very little fluctuation in day/evening temps. By July, we'll hit a long stretch of dry hot weather, going weeks without a rain storm. But right now, western Oregon earns its reputation for rain. Which isn't great for heat loving plants. Major operations in the area have heated greenhouses for just this sort of weather. The farmer's markets will be filled by mid June with ripe, organic tomatoes and peppers. However, this is uneconomical for us on a small scale, and unsustainable in the long run.

But in our little greenhouse, the starts are doing fabulous! I have nearly three dozen lavendar, two dozen nicotiana, salvias, calendulas, and many different herbs. And my quinoa and amaranth are growing like crazy, as is the alyssum. I've blocked up all of the alyssum and most of the amaranth. It looks like they'll be ready to start hardening off in a week and a half or so, just about when I'll be looking to block up the lavendar and more tender flowers. May 15 is our last frost date and many other seeds will be direct sown in the flower garden. The roses all have buds. Nate's started some of the squash inside near the woodstove, and he's eagerly anticipating melon starting. The season's shaping up!