Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative

My second favorite day of the week is Saturday because the Los Angeles Times delivers the Home section with the daily paper.  (Incidentally, my favorite day is Wednesday, when we get the--you guessed it--Food section.)  The last couple of years, reflecting the broader trend, have brought a lot of articles on victory gardening.  As many of you know, Anson and I got on board with a home garden three years ago, and each year our garden and knowledge have both expanded exponentially.  We love growing our food, and though it hasn't really replaced buying produce at the stores, for a few glorious months each summer we have basked in the glow of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and other vegetables that we grew with our own hands.

The University of California has jumped on too, and they are offering classes taught by graduates of their Master Gardening program on home gardening as part of a Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative.  You can actually get a certification in victory gardening.  How funny--a certification?  Isn't that like getting a license to cook like your grandma?

Anyway, I think it's great.  Everyone should be using every bit of extra lawn to grow food.  Yesterday's update on the program in the L.A. Times announced that they would be blogging on the lessons from these classes in case you can't carve out the time to take them.  First up: how to grow plants from seedlings.  To inspire you, here are some very adorable seedlings from last year.

Summer Garden Debut

Last weekend Anson and neighbor Chris planted the new and improved summer garden.  It's hard to believe it's almost summer here what with the cold nights and even some rain this month, but we are not letting that stop us.  We've got heirloom and regular tomatoes, butternut squash, pattypan squash, mini watermelons and we're carrying over Brussels sprouts, broccoli and chard from the winter.  The broccoli has just begun to produce fruit. Here you see the head which is about the size of a nickel.

Our timing for planting the garden was fortuitous, we came home from work one day to find the gardeners tearing out the rest of the overgrown rosebushes and large elephant ear tree that we had been sharing the garden plot with.  Anson brokered a deal to increase our garden by about 30% and we left the part closest to the street for the gardeners to do whatever they planned.

Last summer we doubled our space over the year before...

Look at all the space we have now!

Fibonnaci in my Fridge: The Mathematics of Bok Choy

There's not much I can remember from my 8th grade algebra class. I'm pretty sure my brain has blocked out much of that year in order to preserve my mental health, but one thing that I think about all the time is the Fibonnaci sequence.  Before you roll your eyes, it's not as bad as you think--the Fibonnaci sequence is basically the mathematical explanation of why plants and other living things grow in spirals. Once you learn about it, you begin to see it everywhere and those of us who love plants, fruit and vegetables are used to it's appearance. (By the way, it seems like we should have been studying this in geometry...)

I was reminded of it again when I picked up these baby bok choy and sliced them through the center.  Each elegant leaf winds it's way around the next, overlapping in a perfectly organized fashion, dictated by natural law.

I usually cook them up very simply, with some minced garlic and a little oil in a hot wok, finished with a splash of soy sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.  It's quick and it lets the bok choy's fresh mild flavor come through. However, if you want to get a little fancy for company, try this recipe or this one.

I love the new compostable vegetable trays that Trader Joe's has begun using.  I feel a little better about picking up my vegetables at some place other than a farmer's market (gasp!) when the packaging is a little more environmentally friendly.