Vermiculture - a composting solution for the urban garden

One of the biggest gardening challenges I have in my urban setting is maintaining a compost pile. This year I hope will be different. I have a plan that should address my compost problems and also benefit my container gardens. Part of my plan involves my new vermicomposting system.

Chicken and Fruit Curry

 We are deep in the middle of winter and by deep, I mean under several feet of snow. This is the time of year when I am grateful for all the work I did in the summer and fall preserving food. I am out of fresh veggies, but my freezer and pantry is still full. The freezer is stuffed with bags of frozen berries and apples which are wonderful for baking with and for breakfast dishes but I also like to use frozen fruit in savory meals. One of my favorite dishes using frozen apples is Chicken and Fruit Curry. This dish is deliciously sweet and spicy and just right when the snow is swirling outside the front door.

My February Garden and Kitchen To Do list

My hell strips are under all that snow.

I'm serious about home food production this year. I'm also serious about lists. I make lists of all the lists I'm going to make and that is not a joke (but I'll put 'make a joke' on the list). Put these two things together and you get a Monthly Gardening and Kitchen 'Honey Do' List. In this house, I am both the Honey and the List Maker, which is convenient. Here is what I'm working on this month:

Sustainable Gardening: How to choose the right seeds today so you can save seeds tomorrow

Have you placed your seed order yet? I am almost ready but I 'm giving myself time to really think about this year's order of seeds and plants. As a sustainable gardener, I'm looking at what I already have before I order, and making sure when I do that any new seeds will help me meet my sustainable goals. Increasing the amount and variety of seeds I am saving for future planting is a priority and that process starts now with my seed order.

English Afternoon Tea: Jam Tarts

Jam tarts are a popular British teatime treat. They are simple to make and are a wonderful way to celebrate homemade jams and jellies. We British love our jam and take it quite seriously. My favorite scene from the movie Hope and Glory, set in London during World War Two, is when the dad brings home some jam which has washed up on the beach in crates from a sunken German ship. The family debates whether they should eat it because it could be a Nazi plot to poison them - after all, the Germans know how "mad" we are about jam! If you are also mad about jam these tarts are just the ticket.

Five reasons urban sustainable living takes a community

My friend Lynne will share in the honey produced from my hive located on her property.

The longer I work towards building a sustainable life, the more I realize I can't do it on my own. Living in an urban/suburban neighborhood has many advantages, which is why we chose to live here but complete self-sufficiency is a challenge. Reaching out to others who have the same goals and interests can go a long way to helping us live the life we want. Here are five reasons why urban sustainable living takes a community.