and all thru the farm not a vegetable is growing not even a weed...but the greenhouse is up just waiting for lights, heat and seed.

I'm off on my newest learning experience..how to grow vegetables and flowers in our greenhouse. My teacher is my good friend Jeanne who has been doing this for a multitude of years with great success..  Of course I can never do anything the easy tried and true way.  So I've thrown her a little curve ball.  Instead of using the tried & true way of heating the greenhouse, Dave being one to find ways to being energy efficient & frugal found and installed radiant heat lamps.  Now you should know that Jeanne & I are not exactly spring chickens and therefore not as open to change.  But kudos to us! We decided in our older age we're up to the challenge of this new experience and experiment.  The plan is to grow spinach, kale, arugula, lettuces & root veggies as well as flowers.  How wonderful it will be to go into this wonderful warm & earthy smelling place while outside it is a winter white wonderland.

Who needs Florida when I can get it right here outside my door...dreaming of fresh veggies, flowers and snow....

So I decided that this year I would start my veggie garden from seeds. Isn’t this what true farmers do? Being a person who believes in cooking everything (well almost) from scratch doesn’t it seem that the first step should be to grow my food from scratch? However, I didn’t take into consideration that I don’t have the benefit of a mother, father, sister, brother, aunts, uncles, etc. (you get the picture) who could hand this down and guide me in the process of starting seeds indoors. Nor do I have a cookbook for this in the absence of family know how. Really, it can’t be that difficult or can it. Now that the seeds are here..what do I do next; what kind of soil do I use; what window do I place them in front of, or do I place them in front of a window; how much water do they need; when should I plant them; can I plant them all at the same time; oh and if they do germinate then when do I transplant them….the questions just go on and on. It seems one answer will lead to many more questions. I feel frozen…I’m afraid to make a decision or make a move  fearing utter failure.

When I was a little girl I learned to cook by helping my mother and father prepare the family meals. I would stand on a stool and help mix or separate the eggs for a cake, or measure out the flour or help clean the chicken for our Friday night dinner, peel potatoes & carrots, etc. Oh and yes, I had to do the dreaded cleaning up after myself. It was great family time and I gained the knowledge needed to carry me forward cooking and caring for my family…total hands on experience. What better way to learn something.

But now I think I can relate to all those people who prefer to buy foods ready made. You just read the directions and pop into the microwave and Voila! it’s done. No thinking, no decisions to make, no time involved. Oh, but it does cost a heck of a lot more money not to mention the loss of valuable family time or the gratificatioin of creating something.  The same would be true if I would buy my veggies as plants ready to go into the ground. It seems sad to me that skills such as planting, growing and cooking our foods which were considered a commonplace and normal part of family life are basically lost to the family and are really now considered artisan skills. One has to take a course to learn how to do and practice these lost arts. But I am lucky to live in an area that offers courses in these life skills. So I will be going next Sunday to Riley Rink to take a workshop on starting seeds indoors.  I have already put Ed on notice to put aside time to do the planting with me.  Since he has been spending so much time working on the mountain I am truly looking forward to spending time with him.  What better way then to be creating something…life.  So wish me luck since I am dreamin of a great, big productive veggie garden..Yummy..Irene