BayBranch

backyard urban farming ~ lakewood, oh

potato tower May 20, 2009

Filed under: in the dirt — jojobickle @ 10:53 pm
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i’ve read about planting potatoes in old tires but the idea of food i’m going to eat next to an old tire doesn’t seem like the greatest idea, and getting sign-off to put a stack of tires in the yard from mrs. bickle is never ever going to happen, so i had resigned myself to not growing potatoes anytime soon. then … i was just minding my own business (actually trying to find info about the BCS tractor i really want) … i strolled across this great small farmer blog, One Straw: Be The Change which ultimately led to the Seattle Times and plans for a 4ft high potato tower. so off to lowes for some 2×6s and screws. for about $30 i’ve made this.

potatoe tower

potato tower

since sun is still a premium at the homestead, this is sitting in the only sunny spot left, at the end of the drive right next to the side walk. our neighbors love us! i used a few cardboard boxes on the bottom and just placed it right on the grass. the dirt is Sweet Peet we are HUGE fans of Sweet Peet and are hoping the potatoes are also.

finally in went some potatoes, and a couple of sweet potatoes for good measure. hopefully i will report back with raving results.

planting potatoes

planting potatoes

 

tomato trellis May 19, 2009

Filed under: in the dirt — jojobickle @ 8:30 pm

we started tomatoes from seed on january 25th…we were worried about them at first, but now have 23 tomatoes that are hardened off and thriving. yesterday we built a trellis for them and strung them up to bask and grow in the sunshine! here’s a pic of about half of them…

trellis1

trellis2

 

salad – from the garden May 18, 2009

Filed under: in the dirt, in the kitchen — jojobickle @ 8:22 pm

we are eating salad from the garden….yummy!

from this....

from this....

....to this

....to this

 

worm bin upgrade May 15, 2009

Filed under: in the dirt, worms eat my garbage — jojobickle @ 8:25 pm

recently we upgraded our worm bin to a tiered system, sometimes referred to as a flow through system. we started based on these plans, but modified to what we had…..worms are not all that picky. i’d like to modify it with a drain to easily get the “tea” from the bottom bin.

here’s how we built the new bin for vermicomposting:

materials

  • 3 rubbermaid (or $6 bob’s plastics) containers
  • scrap 2 x 4’s
  • drill
  • utility knife
  • screws and washers
  • screen

how to make it

  1. attach 2′x4’s to sides of 2 of the plastic containers with screws. the purpose here is to create some space between each container when you place them together.
  2. drill holes in the bottom of 2 of the 3 containers with a drill bit (about 1/4″). this allows the worms to travel from one bin to another.
  3. cut out part of the top of one of the bins and replace with mesh screen to allow airflow
  4. place the bins together, 1 inside the other
  5. place soaked shredded paper or leaves inside the bin and add a handful of dirt and your worms (red wigglers)
  6. continue to add veggie/organic scraps to the bin and cover with the wet paper
  7. the holes in the first bin allow compost tea to drop into the base container
  8. as the 2nd container fills with scraps, add soaked paper to the 3rd (top) bin and begin adding your organic wastes to the top bin. the holes in the bottom allow the worms to travel up to where the food is making collection of worm castings easier

see pictures for a better idea of how we made our bin…..

Worm bin upgrade
 

strawberries! May 7, 2009

Filed under: at the homestead, in the dirt — jojobickle @ 9:35 pm

this year we are planting strawberries! since we didn’t have any topsoil, we used a mixture of compost and sand, neither of which hold water very well…..so only half of the plants seem to be doing okay. will post first strawberry when we get there!

mixing compost for the strawberry bed

mixing compost for the strawberry bed

filling the pyramid

filling the pyramid

a young strawberry plant

a young strawberry plant

 

best waffles …. ever May 2, 2009

Filed under: in the kitchen — Spink Bickle @ 8:24 am

it’s kind of a saturday / sunday morning tradition around the bickle house to make waffles or pancakes. we have been honing this recipe for a few years now, so here it is:

Best Waffles Ever (serves 2 people … maybe like 2 1/2, if that’s possible as your house)

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 2 eggs (separated)
  1. melt the butter and set aside to cool.
  2. in the mixer bowl sift the flour baking soda, salt and sugar
  3. on the lowest mixer speed, stir in the yogurt, milk and egg yolks
  4. add the melted butter
  5. with the mixer at medium speed beat until just combined
  6. in another bowl whip the egg whites until super fluffy
  7. fold in the egg whites
  8. to make pancakes heat griddle, butter griddle for each pancake, spoon batter on griddle, when pancake has bubble all over the top, flip and brown the other side.
  9. waffles … each iron is different, so consult the manufacturer recommended procedures. (personally we have a Krups waffle iron, and it kind of stinks, difficult to clean, completely unintuitive lights, no indicator the waffle is done, but it’s what we have and it does work, we use a 1 cup measure to fill 2 waffles and cook for 2:45 minutes)

we suggest maple syrup from vermont as a topping, but you can get creative and use maple syrup from some place like ohio or even new york.

totally enjoy the rest of your day because you have started it right with a good solid breakfast.