Garden Sunlight Study

 How I wish it were time for the flowers to start blooming! Its the middle of winter here and this is the time of year when I could use a little more sunshine.

If you have decided to start a garden this spring you may be wondering:  How do I choose the best location for the garden with all these clouds and snow?  

I would start by checking your weather forecast and find a day over the weekend where the majority of the day you will have sun and less cloud coverage.  Then use your camera to take a picture of the area of your yard which you think would be the best location for your garden.  Start at 9 am and take a picture.  Continue to take a picture every hour until 3 pm (or 5pm.)  I set a timer every hour to remind me to take the picture. Below are my examples:

Sun shining bright over the garden

Sun shining and all beds in full sun

Sun continues to reach all beds

Sun continues to reach all beds

Some shadows but still mostly sun

Mostly shadows with some sun

Shadows at this point with some light

All the beds are in shadows.  During the summer they would still have some sun.

The general idea is that you are looking for an area of your yard, deck, patio or flower beds that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight a day (preferably 8 hours).  You are checking between the hours of 9am to 4pm when the sun is at its peak intensity. 

The above photos were taken as an example in January to get an idea of how this process works. You can choose to take your pictures now or wait until February or early March.  I would recommend taking them by March.

Garden in late April (large Maple tree casts a shadow on Bed #4 in the afternoon)

Also make sure to account for surrounding trees that will have their leaves by April.  They will cast a shadow on your garden (just make sure it doesn't happen all day!)

Of course you can also just look out back and observe the sun patterns if you choose.  Pictures help me visually observe what is happening and to compare from hour to hour what has changed.  Hope this helps you get started on your choosing your garden location!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

In the winter I seem to always crave soup and this is another recipe that is a family favorite.  We always have it around Thanksgiving (with leftover Turkey) or Christmas but its good anytime of the year!

Chicken (or Turkey) Wild Rice Soup          Makes 3 quarts

Ingredients:
2 or 3 bunches chopped green onions
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots diced
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups cooked wild rice (Uncle Ben's- with 23 herbs & seasonings) 3 qts.
2 cups light cream (half & half)
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Optional ingredients: 
8oz. mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup white wine
pancetta (Italian bacon)

1. Cook Uncle Ben's wild rice according to the package directions (about 25 minutes).

2. Cook Chicken or Turkey and cut it into small pieces.

3. Saute onion, celery, carrots, (mushrooms and pancetta if you choose to include these 2 items) in butter.  Reduce heat and blend in 1/2 cup of flour and cook until bubbly.  Add wine if you prefer.

4. Gradually add broth to the rue mixture stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute.

5. Reduce heat and add remaining ingredients: Chicken or turkey, cooked wild rice, half & half, parsley, salt, pepper and tarragon.

6. Simmer for 25 minutes.  I usually serve this with garlic bread or french bread.  Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

It has been unusually cold this past week (-7 degrees) and I have been craving some warm comfort food.  I decided to break out my grandma's Homemade Chicken & Dumpling recipe to warm us up!  This recipe has been in our family since 1960 and it is delicious.

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
2/3 cup cold water or less (I add one ice cube to the water)
32 fl.oz (1 qt) Clear chicken broth (33% less sodium)
1 spoon chicken bullion granules
4 chicken breasts (can use type with bone for added flavor)
1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions for starting chicken & broth: 
1. Put the chicken in large pot and just cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook chicken.  Leave water simmering and add bullion and chicken broth to the pot. 

2. Remove chicken from pot. (Remove from bone if you used this type). Cut chicken into small pieces. 

Directions for Roll-out Dumplings:
1. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.

2. Add shortening to the bowl and cut the shortening into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork.

3. Add 2/3 cup cold water (or less) to the dry ingredients.  Use your hands to break up the pieces of shortening. 

4. Flour a work surface or large cutting board.  Kneed the dough with knuckles (about 40-50 times). The dough will be very tough.  You can't over kneed the dough. 

5. Roll out the dough (this is the tough part).  Keep working with it and rolling it out as it pulls back.  You want it to be about 1/8" thick and as large as you can get it. 

6. Cut the dough into strips 1" wide.  Then break the strips into pieces about 6" long.

7. Drop the strips into the boiling broth.  

8. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.  DO NOT stir. 

9. Add chicken pieces into the pot after the dumplings have cooked 20 to 30 minutes.

10. Add 1/4 cup cornstarch dissolved in water a little at a time after dumplings have cooked. This will thicken up your broth. 

Serve with mashed potatoes from your garden and enjoy the taste of your Homemade Chicken & Dumplings! 

Harvest Totals for 2013

Our garden is covered in snow and I can't believe that its already January.  Many people are making goals for 2014 and reflecting on the past year.  Last night we sat down and discussed last years garden and then started making our plans based on what we learned.  We already know for certain that this summer is going to be busier than last year.  Therefore our big picture goal is to simplify for success.

Today I made charts of the quantity of harvested vegetables from our garden in 2013 (see below).  This chart then helps us plan for this upcoming year.  Its also a great quick visual reference.

CHALLENGES IN 2013:
We  started out challenging ourselves last year by adding 2 more raised beds to the existing 2 beds we had in 2012.  We could have stopped there but we decided to compound the challenge by growing a total of 25 different herbs and vegetables.  I will admit that we were overly ambitious.  At the same time we held realistic views of these challenges realizing that we would have failures with the variety and quantity we were taking on.  It is important to remember that every year you have some losses when you garden due to weather, water, pests or disease.  Remember to keep in mind that you will have more successes than losses!