A year in review

It's hard to believe, but on December 1st it will be one year since I made the commitment to be a localtarian and to try and grow as much of my own food as possible. So, to begin, I want to recap what's happened on this journey so far.

I gutted a once-unused section of my backyard and transformed it into three fruitful plots. I also discovered Jake's aptitude for using a saw - something he might be regretting now that I've signed him up to build me a chicken coop.

I learned to use a cloche to protect my tender spring vegetables, which allowed me to get the seeds started much earlier during the chilly month of March. I also rediscovered the joy of salad – nothing tastes better than delicate, vibrant greens eaten right out of the garden. And nasturtium (the beautiful red-orange flowers decorating my bowl) – what a beautiful addition to my garden and our salads!

I discovered that I actually can grow carrots, not just little orange stubs. They just need more room or depth to grow.

I learned to start seeds indoors, which helped me grow the beloved chocolate cherry tomatoes. This was really the most fruitful and successful plant I grew – the plant that made me the star of the staff lounge and the best girlfriend ever.

I rediscovered the kitchen and my love for food. I learned how to use squash, starting my love affair for butternut. I learned that a pumpkin can be more than a jack-o-lantern by roasting it, making it into puree, and turning it into pumpkin butter or a delicious pie.

I discovered the resources available around me, like the organic blueberry farm just a few miles from my work. And the year-round farmers' market in the U district that I used to go to on a whim when I was in college. I also discovered a plethora of blogs that helped me along the way by teaching me more about gardening and how to use the foods I grow.

I learned to bake bread and made my own bread every weekend since last November – dutch oven pot breads, white and wheat sandwich loaves, baguettes, focaccia, chile cheese bread, spelt bread for Jake, and the list goes on. I learned that no kneading is necessary, as long as you have a little time and a type-A personality.

While I made many gains this year, I still have a lot to learn. Luckily, I just got accepted to the King County Master Gardener program, which means my intensive gardening education and 90 hours of community service in the name of gardening will begin on January 9, 2010. I can't tell you how excited I am to get some more knowledge under my belt to be able to really understand what is happening with my soil and plants.

In addition to becoming a master gardener, I have a few goals that I'd like to work towards this year:

• I want to beef up on my food preservation knowledge beyond freezing. I'm finally going to invest in the materials I need to start canning and we're going to buy a chest freezer for all the grass-fed, local meat Jake is going to buy.
• I'm going to get rid of a bit more lawn and add two more raised beds for veggies. Jake is also going to help me rethink our current raised bed layout and see if we can't squeeze more into that space.
• We're going to get chickens! As soon as we get back from our little jaunt in Buenos Aires, it will be time for Project:Chicken Coop.
• I'm going to make more of a commitment to buy all local grains (besides flour, which I've already been doing) and dried beans.
• I'm going to add more herbs to my garden, like sage and tarragon, and I want to be more proactive about drying and preserving them so that my spice rack is stocked up for winter.
• I'm going to jump on the blueberry season as soon as it starts and am going to pick and freeze as many pounds as I can. I discovered this fall that blueberries in oatmeal are delightful. Rationing my 30 cup supply can only last so long.
• This whole endeavor has helped me learn about how amazing bees are and how much we depend on them for our whole food production. I'm going to grow even more bee-loving flowers than last year, including a beautiful crop of sunflowers.
• Finally, I want to try my hand at growing peppers this year.
  

Here's hoping that 2010 is as productive and fruitful as 2009. Cheers!