Inspiration from Veggie U 2012 Food & Wine

The Veggie U culinary education program has delivered 1800 classroom kits to over 26 states from its Milan, Ohio headquarters since its inception in 2003. Many of these kits are funded through the annual Food & Wine Celebration held at the Culinary Vegetable Institute. Alex and I attended the 10th annual fundraising event two weeks ago surrounded by great food and glorious gardens.

Encouraging Healthy Eating at Veggie U

Veggie U exists to "to promote the well-being of children through a healthy lifestyle." Farmer Jones and a team of teachers developed the Veggie U Earth to Table curriculum for fourth graders to give students a full-sensory experience growing plants and raising composting worms. The end result is an series of fun lessons that teach children where food comes from and why vegetables are an important part of their diet.

The Veggie U success naturally collects admirers among culinary celebrities. Robert Irvine, of Restaurant Impossible fame, was on hand during the 2012 event. He has used Farmer Jone's microgreens in his restaurants since 1997 and supports Veggie U because he wants people to eat better.

Our "eating habits have changed dramatically because we're busy," Robert shared with a group of reporters. He offered a potential solution: independent grocers could try marketing a selection of grab and go ingredients and recipes for simple real food meals to compete with fast food. And of course, educating children is key to changing habits. Robert, and Veggie U, operate under the principle that "if you make exercise and food fun, children will be healthy."

Great Gardens

The Veggie U Food & Wine Celebration is held on the grounds of the Culinary Vegetable Institute (CVI) in Milan, Ohio near Sandusky. The drive in to the CVI are lined with fields of asparagus, ancient grains, and flowers. The grounds surrounding the event center are richly landscaped with edibles.

As Alex and I admired the herb garden, we could not help but fondle and smell the plants. Our attention was noted by CVI sous chef Brian. He gave us a personal tour of his favorite herb oddities including dozens of varieties of common herbs and sweet aztec, a stevia-like sweet tasting plant.

The most surprising herbal introduction was to the eyeball flower. A small pinch of the tight tiny flower petals on the tip of the tongue causes a tingling and numbing sensation similar to licking a nine volt battery. Wow, plants are amazing.

Home Cooking Inspiration

What I most appreciated about the Veggie U event was the quality of the food samplings. This particular batch of chefs from around the country created diverse, local-focused cuisine. Alex and I walked away with a half dozen ideas to try in our home kitchen.

Salmon Skin Chicharron - The Greenbrier (on our life list to visit) combined old school charcuterie with neavou molecular gastronomy at their stand. Alex loved crunching on the salmon skin chicharraon, gently cooked then deep fried strips of salmon skin shown standing up in the metal cone.

Pickled Tamale - A Cleveland-area caterer offered a tamale with a twist: wild rice covered in corn masa, wrapped in swiss chard, and soaked in vinegar brine for a few hours before service. This preparation was reminiscent of a Greek stuffed grape leaf. Takeaway was both to attempt tamales with a chard wrapper and consider lightly brining almost anything.

Sauerkraut Cakes - Jonathon Sawyer can do no wrong in my book but he did something genius at this event: sauerkraut cakes. We didn't ask about preparation but guessed that the kraut was mixed with a little egg or flour and pan fried.

Stuffed Baby Pattypans - I cannot resist a 'cute' vegetable and little pattypans always end up in my market bag when I see them. One chef played on their shape by hollowing out the center and stuffing the squash with a sausage mixture, something I will surely make at home.

Pressed Pulled Pork - The dish we could not stop talking about was a lengthy charcuterie-like pork preparation. Not only did the pulled, then pressed, then seared ham and shoulder squares taste delicious, they are a unique stand-in for a meat patty in a burger or layered plating. We will be recreating this post haste and will share the recipe when we do.

Veggie U set the bar for the chef-tasting fundraiser season very high and I am thankful for having the chance to visit. If you are heading to a similar event like Taste the Future or the Columbus Food & Wine Affair, I suggest you check our CMH Gourmand's article about how to survive such a foodie buffet.

Spring Gardening Q&A

I opened a can of aphids (gardeners like worms, so we wouldn't be scared of a can of worms!) when I asked on Facebook what challenges and questions fellow gardeners have. There are so many I'll do a few Garden Q&A posts. Feel free to add your questions and answers in the comments!

What can I plant now?

In Ohio, we're well into the summer planting season. Gardeners are free to plant seedlings and summer maturing seeds.

Every gardener should test their soil and amend as necessary to insure the best results. If you grew tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or potatoes in a particular bed last year, try to rotate to a nitrogen fixing plant like beans to renew the soil. Otherwise, be sure to amend with nutritious worm castings.

Seedlings or seeds?

For best success, buy seedlings for the following plants: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, okra, and herbs. Plant seeds for beans, peas (though it's too late for those in Ohio this year), squash, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes and greens.

What spacing do various plants need?

You want to allow just enough spacing for a plant to grow to maturity without leaving too much room for weeds. Greens, lettuces, radish, and carrot seeds can be planted every 1-2 inches. Space herbs 4-6 inches apart. Plant bean seeds 2-4 inches apart and squash every six inches. Broccoli (pictured above with sandal spacing), cabbage, tomato, pepper, eggplant, and okra seedlings should be spaced every 10-12 inches as they will easily grow to take up that much space and possibly more.

How and when do I set up cages and supports?

Even though it looks goofy, I advocate for setting up cages and supports very soon after plants sprout. It is easier to train a plant inside a cage than to add a cage later when it can damage leaves. For tomatoes, bury a large cage deep in the soil or put heavy duty stakes on either side of your tomato row and run wire between and around the stakes for support. We often add stakes later as plants need it.

Bean, peas, cucumbers, and squash can be trained to climb up a fence, bamboo teepee, crossed branch trellis, or even an old wire matress frame. The most important part is to bury stakes deeply so they will support the plant as it grows.

What can be done about rodent/pet pests?

My best advice for rodents is to get a big dog. Really, Devie is the only thing that scares away the squirrels with any regularity. She does like tomatoes and peas off the vine herself, so we have to fence our raised beds to keep her out of them!

If a noisy dog is out of the question (believe me, the barking at every little thing is annoying), you can try sprinkling cayenne pepper around the beds as some digging rodents will be deterred by the spice.

Removing any other potential food or housing source is another way to deter rodents. Stop feeding birds near the garden, as mice and squirrels are attracted by bird feed too. Keep compost and wood piles away from vegetable beds because they house rodents.

What about insect pests?

I generally see two kinds of insects in my garden - legged beetle-type bugs and crawling caterpillars. Both tend to eat the leaves and young fruit of my future food. Many gardeners hand pick largest pests like caterpillars and slugs, killing them in a jar of soapy water. Lil likes to find slugs and grubs to feed to Austra - the better for my garden and my eggs!

For leggy pests, spray the plants with a dilute solution of Dr. Bronners lavender or mint soap, 1 teaspoon per 16 out spray bottle. This makes it hard for beetles to crawl on the leaves and they will find somewhere else to live.

Crawling caterpillars and slugs can take out a whole plant overnight. I combat them by sprinkling diatomaceous earth (DE) on the leaves and around the soil. Diatomaceous earth is the sharp silicon shards of ground up diatom fossils that cut through the skin of insects without an exoskeleton. It is safe for humans and pets to consume, even, though during application gardeners should wear a mask as DE is a fine dust that can be a breathing hazard.

Introducing beneficial insects like ladybugs and praying mantises will result in the 'good' bugs preying on the 'bad' one.  The most fail-proof, but costly, way to avoid many of these pests is to install row covers or grow in high houses or high tunnels.

The Mother Earth News article 'Organic Pest Control' provides specific recommendations for the top twelve harmful garden insects.

Eight hundred words on six questions seems like enough for today! I'll answer more questions about pruning, containers, and anything that comes up in the comments next week. If you're planting a garden for the first time, don't forget about my free Grow Your Garden ebook - it covers all the basics.

Please join the conversation - do you have innovative solutions to these questions? Or more garden challenges? Leave a comment.

Buy Local Plants! Swaps and Sales {Friday Five}

Some say the soil is the key to a successful garden while others say the sun. I believe that quality seedlings make a huge difference between gardens that produce strong crops and those that falter.

The healthiest seedlings are raised locally by savvy growers. Seedlings at 'big box' stores are often stressed from lack of care and long transport distances. Small, local farmers and gardeners, on the other hand, baby their seedlings to keep them strong and disease free.

Fortunately for Columbus gardeners, local seedling sources are plentiful. If you are still looking for seedlings and/or have some extras to share, hit up one of these plant swaps and sales:

1. Chadwick Garden Plant Sale -  Friday, May 11, 7 am - 7 pm (Auction begins at 11am) and Saturday, May 12, 8 am - 3 pm (Auction begins at 11am) on the grounds of the Ohio 4-H Center located just east of 315 on the OSU campus at Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive.

2. Worthington Plant Fest 9 am - 4 pm Saturday May 12 at the Village Green, corner of Rt. 161 and High Street (Rt. 23). I'll be here selling Swainway Urban Farm organic seedlings!

3. City Folk's Farm Shop Seedling Swap - 9 am - 5 pm Saturday May 19. Bring your labelled seedlings to City Folk's Farm Shop at 4760 N High St Columbus OH 43214 to swap with other growers.

4. Como Yarden Heirloom Plant Sale - 11 am - 4 pm Saturday May 19. Fantastic culinary varieties grown in organic Ohio soil.

5. Central Ohio Plant Swap - 10 am Saturday May 19 at Shelter A - Aspen (formally called #5), Hilliard Municipal Park, Hilliard, Ohio. Details on the gardenweb page.

On a Collar Quest

I love dogs. I love Capital Area Humane Society (CAHS), the shelter that housed our hounds before we adopted them. And I REALLY love guerrilla marketing.

Naturally, I'm delighted to introduce you to the newest adoption and awareness campaign at CAHS: Collar Quest.

Volunteers and staff at CAHS are dropping 50 special signs with collars around the city every week during the month of May. Location clues will be posted on the CAHS Facebook page. Fans who find the collars will receive a 25% discount on an approved pet adoption. A few special ones are associated with a gift card to CAHS' retail shop, Bells and Whiskers. At the end of the Collar Quest, one lucky collar-finder will receive a grand prize package of a free adoption, food, vet services and training.

We visited the shelter yesterday to hang out with adoptable dogs, kittens, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Oooh the cuteness!!

There weren't many kittens on the adoption floor when we visited but there are benefits to knowing one of the shelter managers - my sister Sarah showed us some of the kitties that are too young to be adopted. (Can you see the dark mark on Sarah's hand? It's from a month-old nasty cat bite, a serious hazard of her job.)

In the end, we decided that none of the pets were a good match for us right now. Lil was a bit sad that we couldn't adopt but she chose to give a dollar from her own wallet to the shelter. She wants a cat and we've promised her one when we move. We'll be following CAHS on Facebook for collar clues. Maybe when we find one, the orange kitty will be available for adoption!

Will you join us on the Collar Quest?

Baby Fruit {Wordless Wednesday}

1. concord grapes 2. red currants 3. peach 4. montmorency cherries 5. strawberries 6. raspberries 7. blueberries

I took pictures of fruit babies last year. The comparison is interesting both because the fruits are three weeks ahead of where they were in 2011 and my photography skills have improved dramatically.

Watching my fruit babies mature is bittersweet this year. The fully ripened fruit will likely be harvested by the new owner(s) of the homestead. I would like to move as soon as possible so that I can plant at the TBD new location, but at least if we stay around here long enough, we'll enjoy some fruit this summer.

Our realtor is hosting an Open House for our home at 349 Tibet this Sunday from 2-4 pm. I'm providing scones and jams - come see the homestead and grab a homemade snack!

Old Hound Devie {Wordless Wednesday}

They say moving is one of the most stressful life events along with death, divorce, and illness. Most of the family is holding up well but the old hound dog Devie is a mess. Alex insists that I tell you I am the second in line for 'most stressed'.

First we took away her couch. Her twelve-year-old paws click and clack on the hardwood floors downstairs as she tries to find somewhere comfortable to rest.

Then, when we have showings, we are taking her on rides in the car (which she hates) to new and unfamiliar places.

She has taken to lying on our bed (previously forbidden) where I snapped these shots of her sweet greyed face, outstretched paws, and my favorite droopy lips.

I wish Dev could understand me when I promise that she will have a wide wonderful world to explore at a new house soon. We'll even find a place for her old stinky couch.

Lessons in Spring at Inniswood Metro Gardens

I often forget about Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio. The park is a little out of the way and the highly stylized gardens are more formal than I prefer. So when a friend and I took seven kids to Innis last week, I was pleasantly surprised to explore the relatively new - and fabulously educational - children's garden.

The Sister's Garden is a 2.8 acre child's paradise opened in 2002. Beyond the kid-friendly sculptures at the entrance is a playhouse and shed for dramatic play, a water feature open in warm weather, and small fruit orchard.

The early readers in the group used maps to guide us through the rest of the children's area. They followed along the Native American story stone path that leads to a statue. Continuing on a wooden boardwalk led us to the tree house with levels for climbers of different abilities. From there, a stone path took us to the Secret Garden, a recreation of a broken-down, walled garden with quotes, jewels, and sculptures hidden among the intentionally overgrown plants.

After lunch, my crew of three walked to the frog pond to the right of the main entrance.

The kids loved spotting turtles and frogs hiding among the cat tails. Our eagle-eyes spied other parts of the amphibian life cycle - eggs (bullfrog, I'm guessing) and tadpoles. How cool to see all stages of life in one place!

The boardwalk trail beyond the frog pond included labelled wildflowers. Lil and her friends remembered some of the names from last week's hike at Highbanks.

Though the rules about the formal gardens prickle my anti-authoritarian instincts, I must visit Inniswood more often. We observed and learned so much and there are many gardens and areas yet to explore.

INNISWOOD METRO GARDENS 940 S. Hempstead Road Westerville, OH 43081 Open 7 am to dark daily

Know if you go:

• Food is not allowed in the formal gardens. There are picnic tables across the parking lot from the park.
• Pack a change of clothes for kids as there are many opportunities to get wet or dirty.
• Remind children to stay on trails and not pick the flowers.
• Check the program schedule for preschool play days, gardening workshops, and special events. The Inniswood volunteers and herb society are offering a plant sale May 5th and 6th.
• Admission is free. Thank you Columbus taxpayers!

Plant Your Trash

I am the first to admit that I love free food. It's one of the chief reasons that I garden - I can make a salad with no exchange of money. What's even better than paying for garden seeds is getting these for free too. Most of us toss viable plant starts into the trash or compost bin regularly.

Alex captured me rescuing a pineapple top from my parent's trash. Settle a pineapple in a container filled with soil and it will sprout roots and continue to grow. I have kept pineapples as house plants for years and have yet to coax one to fruit, but others report it is possible.

Ever found a garlic clove that is sprouted? Chefs reject these because the garlic itself can be bitter. Pop that sprouted garlic in soil (indoors or out) and the greens will grow. Viola! Garlic chives!

Whereas most fruit pits do nothing in the soil, an avocado pit will sprout a thick stem and long green leaves in a container. The plant will not fruit without a graft of a producing tree, but an avocado makes a great house plant.

My latest experiment in compost gardening is celery. I planted the base of a store-bought celery stalk approximately 2 inches under the soil in one of our outdoor raised beds. Guess what started peaking through this week? Celery leaves! Even if the plant doesn't produce thick stalks, I know the leaves will be tasty in soup or salad.

Obviously, traditional garden plants that produce well will be grown from quality seeds. But if you have a little extra soil, it can't hurt to grow some unusual plants for free from your food waste!

I am this month's Once A Month Mom Get Real guest blogger and my first post - Edible Gardening Basics - is up. I hope you will read and follow the discussion!