Companion Gardening Guide

Are you affected by the weather?  I know I am.  Today is Memorial Day and I am sitting in my dining room watching the rain come down.  I guess I could technically get in the garden but if I do I will sink down in the  mud and may cause more harm than good.  The rain along with the debilitating vertigo I have suffered from (though it is nearly gone) for the last 36 hours is preventing me from doing more than sit in my dining room and talk to myself and think....about the garden.  I welcome the rain today as I live in the South and I know that if this summer is like most, we may all be wishing for more rain all too soon.

When I sat down the idea of companion gardening came to mind.  Actually I was thinking of the 50 or so volunteer marigolds (volunteers are the plants which grew from last year's seeds) I transplanted before said vertigo hit.  I know about companion planting, have read about it, studied charts, made my own garden grid of where everything should go and then threw it all out the window.  Not that I don't think it is valid.  In fact, other than a totally organic (meaning not even one "organic" spray), it is my humble opinion that it is the only way to garden.  Unfortunately, if I were to have purely a garden blog it would be titled something like "My Messy Garden" or "My Disorganized Garden".  I tend to sort of plant everything by instinct and though part of me longs for nice neat rows like I see in books, I cannot bring  myself to plant that way.  As the garden progresses and after the sun comes out, I'll show you what I mean.  Back to companion gardening.

 
Last summer, several folks who came to my garden commented on the lack of bugs.  To be clear, there were bugs.  There were earthworms and bees and ants and the like, but as a general rule, there were no invasive bugs on a mission to eat my garden bounty.  Why?   Two words.  Companion Planting.  The primary insect deterrent in my garden was the very boring, we see them everywhere in the South, marigold plant.  Lots and lots of marigolds.  Below is a photo from last year's garden.  (I was a little heavy handed in the marigold seeding.)  I can see our garden outside of the kitchen window and it gave me no small pleasure, you can be sure, to look out at the sea of marigolds each day during most of the gardening season. 

This year I have added other companion plants such as chives to our little homestead garden.  Below are links to my favorite companion guides.  Hopefully they will successfully guide you as well as you move through this year's planting cycle.

 

 High Mowing Seeds

 

One Creative Mommy

 

Burpee

Almanac

 

Mother Earth News

My "go-to" source for all of my homestead needs.

 

Rodale's Organic Garden

 

Southern Seed Exposure

 This link to Southern Exposure does not actually give you a guide, but is a short explanation of the Three Sisters technique learned from Native American growing practices.  In addition, Southern Exposure is a seed company I recommend. 

Another mention I had not discovered until nearly the end of this article is Renee's Garden.  Renee has a fantastic gardening site and goes into further details regarding the Three Sisters method. This is our third year for growing our own food and each year we increase the garden both in size and in variety.  I cannot wait to see what the growing season holds for us.  If you cannot grow your own garden or cannot grow enough to meet your needs, consider purchasing a share in a CSA.  We have done this for many years and this year have finally found a CSA that fits our needs to supplement while our own harvest comes in.

***These gardening tips are recommendations only.  No paid endorsements are associated with this article.    

Easter Overkill

We were in the car and my son said to me (again), "Why doesn't the Easter bunny bring me Lego sets and iTunes cards like my friends?"  Before I could stop my self I responded, "Because they are spoiled."  (I may have given it away.)  Luckily, he is 13, so it was not a shock (though our motto is "those who do not believe do not receive").  This is not the first time this has come up.  He doesn't focus on it but he has asked a few times through the years.

When our children awaken on Easter morning they run into the kitchen like millions of children across the United States to see what the mystical bunny has brought for them.  Last year, due to a serious deficiency on said bunny's part, there was no chocolate bunny (apparently all of the high quality chocolate was given out before he arrived at our house) but there were ample chocolate eggs and chocolate covered sunflower seeds in a carrot shaped package.  "Why do my friends get so much candy and we get sunflower seeds?"  Really?  See above response.

Each of the children's baskets last year contained a little candy, seeds to be planted in the garden and something special that the big bunny thought they would each enjoy.  The Sun received husband and wife gnomes for the garden and the moon got a new garden flag for her fairy garden.  This year looks similar.  Healthy organic gummies and chocolate eggs on a stick.  They'll  receive some wonderful thing to take them through a summer of fun.   Based on their needs (not their wants) it will most likely be gardening tools and gloves and perhaps some other small item.  You see, Easter just does not scream Legos to me.  Or iTunes for that matter.

You see, I believe we are not serving our children by gifting them with toys at every turn.  The greatest gifts we give our children are the tools to live an authentic life, humility, compassion, love and the understanding that hard work is the foundation to success.  So, do yourself a favor.  Do your kids a favor and dial it back a notch this year.

Regardless of your reason for the season, Happy Easter and may your spring be full of abundance.

Elimination

No.  It's not what you think.  Okay.  Maybe it is.  After-all, when you eliminate foods from your diet eventually it does leave your body in the form of, well, elimination.  7 foods for 21 days.  That's what I am doing and it's not gonna be easy.  Scratch that.  I am saying it will be easy.  Actually, it already is.

It's The Virgin Diet by J.J. Virgin.  Corn, eggs, soy, gluten, dairy, sugar, and peanuts.  Gluten, check.  Soy, no problem as I buy very little in the way of processed foods which means no hidden soy in our home .  Corn, easy but makes me sad as we eat lots of non-gmo organic tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa - and like with soy, there are no hidden corns for us, though it is an issue if prepackaged foods are part of your diet.  Peanuts-yeah, I don't eat them.  I eat lots of other nuts but this one is easy.  Now it gets a little dicey.  

It really comes down to breakfast.  Let's talk about eggs.  Eggs.  I have eaten an egg pretty much every day of my life for 42 years.  Not kidding.  Luckily, I eat fresh veggie omelettes and have already found it easy to eliminate the egg from said omelette and just have a fresh veggie and sausage or bacon bowl each morning this week.  And, there are enough options for substituting eggs in baking that I have it covered.  Dairy, ah, dairy.  I am a coffee drinker. That means half and half in my coffee.  I have tried any non-dairy alternatives and have yet to find one I like.  And no, I do not like coconut milk.  Don't even suggest it.  I sit here this morning at Whole Foods writing this as I continue my quest for cream for my coffee.  Otherwise, dairy is not an issue for me.  My kids only drink almond milk.  We are not big on cheese and yogurt for the sake of cheese and yogurt, so I am good.  Finally, the sugar.  Ok.  Again, it comes back to breakfast and coffee...and if I am honest, sweet tea.  You know, the housewine of the South.  (Having an identity crisis here folks.) I know I can give up the tea for

3 weeks.  It's the sugar in my coffee that's the issue. 

I make no claims that I can overcome this  ever so small glitch in my health plan.

In fact, I am sure you will be reading more about this as this journey goes on.  With all of that said, what I really want to tell you about is the mayo I found.  Seriously.  Other than my coffee and sweet teas woes, I was stressing over this small thing.  I have poured over blogs and recipes and looked at alternatives and was nearly in tears as I shopped this week for our dinner of turkey burgers and sweet potato fries when I contemplated a lettuce wrapped burger with mayo.  That, my friends is when God stepped in and told me to look one more time and this is what I found.  Just Mayo.

It is canola based which has always been questionable for me.  But, as my mayo consumption is actually fairly low (it's not like we go through a jar a week) I am good with this.  I am not gonna lie.  I broke down in tears in the organic aisle at Kroger.  It happened.  So, there it is.  7 foods for 21 days and a mayo that makes it all okay.  Here is another shot of the mayo just for fun.

 

The Moon's Big Bedroom Redo

I'm a little embarrassed to have folks over sometimes.  Our house is in desperate need of some love.  I know.  First world problems.  Truly.   I have a room that I LOVE, which is our dining room and several rooms that I hate.  The Sun's room is also pretty fantastic even if I do say so myself.  That's where the Moon's room redo comes in.

Both children had decent rooms that fit their styles and needs.  But, neither was sleeping well.  After much consideration, we I decided to flip the rooms.  Once the rooms were flipped I quickly moved into action and made a couple of simple changes - primarily touching up picture holes and painting one wall the color of his choice and now we have his Hobbit room.  Perfect for any tween/teen boy.

That left the Moon in a sad brown room with brown furniture.  It couldn't be more drab and inappropriate for a girl whose personality knows no bounds like Arwyn.  After a year I have finally begun her room redo.  It's going to take a good month to pull this thing off.  Not gonna lie.  Right now I'm working diligently on the bedding, namely the 100 Good Wishes Quilt that I started collecting the squares, well, let's just say it was sometime ago.

Here's a little sneak peak at the Moon's room redo with the fabric we picked out yesterday for the quilt binding, pillow shams and valances.

Elderberries to the Rescue

I guess it had to happen.  The crud.  You know the one.  The one my son gets each February and then is passed on to me as the primary cleaner of snot, maker of hot tea, in other words - Mom.  For the first time in MANY years he was not hit as hard as usual.  I believe it is because we have slowed our lives down by homeschooling which has allowed us to rest when we are ill without the stress of knowing we should be "somewhere".  Also, the focus on essential oil use with near constant diffusing and applications, the use of rich homemade broths and staying hydrated has also helped.  Just to add a little something extra in the healing department I ordered a large quantity of Frontier dried elderberries last week from Vitacost.  After a few days of not being delivered due to the ice storm hitting our area, it finally arrived!

Happy Happy, Joy, Joy!

Pinterest has been, of course, a great resource, but if I am discussing healing the body, I want to be very sure that what I am saying is correct or at least has some basis in science.   And, recipes vary slightly depending on which source you are using.  Many sources use cinnamon to enhance flavor, some list ginger as optional and some bloggers suggest adding essential oils. Below is my recipe to add to the many sources you will find on the web. 

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

1/2 cup dried elderberries 

3 cups water

1 cup local raw honey

1 tbs freshly grated ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

If sick take one spoonful in the morning and one at night.

Bring elderberries and water to a boil on medium high heat.  Reduce, cover and simmer for 

30 minutes.  Remove lid, add ginger and cinnamon and cook for an additional 15 minutes on

 low (no lid).  Remove pot from stove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Stir in honey until completed mixed.  Pour into 2 mason jars.  Add lid and store one in fridge and if desired, place

 the second jar in the freezer (or preferred freezer container) to be used as needed.   If you are freezing a jar of syrup, it must be completely cooled without the lid for one hour.  Also, you must leave at least one inch between the syrup and lid for expansion.  I find that placing jars on a wire rack is safer than placing on hard freezer surface to prevent cracking.  

You'll notice that I have NO GINGER in my photo though I do have it in the recipe.  As I pulled out all of my ingredients, as luck would have it, I had no ginger.  Not only did I have no ginger, but after being stuck at home for four days due to an ice storm, I also had no car keys.  My wonderful good samaritan husband dug my car out of the ice and accidentally pocketed not only his keys - but mine.  That's okay!  Many recipes do not call for ginger, so we forged ahead using the resources we had.  Let's talk about the ingredients and let's begin with the elderberry.  There are many sources available explaining on elderberries and their health benefits.  This one from the University of Maryland Medical Center tells us, 

"Elderberry, or elder, has been used for centuries to treat wounds, when applied to the skin. It is also taken by mouth to treat respiratory illnesses such as cold and flu. In many countries, including Germany, elder flower is used to treat colds and flu. Elder may have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties."

A study from Purdue tells us that elderberries are filled with vitamins A and C as well as powerful antioxidants.  It also tells us that elderberries have been used for generations as folk medicine to treat sore throat, cold and flu.  Now we know a little bit about elderberry.  Why raw local honey and why ginger?   Many health experts such as Dr. Oz, Dr. Mercola and Dr. Axe sing the praises of honey. 

The two most important things honey does in this

 recipe  is helps boost your immune system and soothes

 coughs and sore throats. 

(We know honey has lots of other great uses as well!)  And, as the elderberries are slightly tart, it's nice to have something sweet to help it go down.  Finally, let's talk about the ginger.  Ginger is another immune booster and induces sweating which we all know if healthy.    It has,

"broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic properties, to name just several of its more than 40 pharmacological actions.¹ " (Dr. Mercola)

  

Now that you know the secrects of elderberries, honey and ginger and have reliable sources to support this centuries old folk remedy you are on your way to keeping yourself and your family happy and healthy as we wrap up these long winter days.  As for me, I have armed myself with as many wellness tools as I can while we wait out this winter storm and am dreaming of the return of the sun as I mark the pages of my newly arrived seed catalogs. 

"Everyone should be his own physician. We ought to assist and not force nature. Eat with moderation what agrees with your constitution. Nothing is good for the body but what we can digest. What medicine can produce digestion? Exercise. What will recruit strength? Sleep. What will alleviate incurable ills? Patience." ~Voltaire

Homeschooling with The Hobbit

In case you don't know, we are (by we I mean the Sun and I) huge fans of good fantasy fiction.  That's why I was so excited to see The Hobbit as one of the language arts offering from Memoria Press. As this is our first year homeschooling, I wanted to have some fun while giving him quality curriculum and I needed to see where he was academically on things such as writing.

With our love of all things Tolkien, this was a 

great starting point for the 7th grade year.  

 Now we are coming to an end and this week Noah has been working on a final project to present the study to us.  The project is primarily artistic in nature, though there is more to it such as copywork, as the academic portion of this work was completed within The Hobbit Student Guide.

As we worked through The Hobbit, I found some really fantastic resources through a Google search as well as on Pinterest.  It's funny, my bright 13-year old has enjoyed the study guide and the art and all that we have done with this book, but he still loves to color (don't we all?), so I have found some great coloring pages suitable for any age that we included in his book.

One of the things I love about the Memoria Press work is it is a full language arts study.  Comprehension questions, independent writing, vocabulary words, artistic instructions - you get the idea.  If you are not familiar with Memoria Press, I highly encourage you to take a look at it.  It is a classical Christian curriculum - for us the emphasis is on classical.   And, you can purchase Memoria Press in pieces.  You do not have to order an entire curriculum.  The student guide for The Hobbit is approximately $9 and the teacher guide is similar, though if you are a fairly well read homeschool parent, I don't know that you neccessarily need the teacher guide.  You can always order it later if needed.  If you are lean toward purchasing study materials that are not from curriculum companies, there are several available including:

• A guide from 7 Sisters Homeschool (geared toward high schoolers, though I definitely think some middle schoolers could tackle it)
• Teachers Pay Teachers.  If you have not been to this website, it's a great resource.  There are some free items and many from $1.99 to $5.00 which are worth that and more.  When we first began homeschooling, I thought I would make most of my own curriculum and found that while I am suited to teaching, there are many others who have created some great resources that I can take advantage of.
• This unit study is from a teacher that has been so kind as to put his/her own study guide online.  It's really a true literature study that not only studies the work itself but discusses literary terms such as foreshadowing.  Very well-rounded!  (This unit is far too in-depth for elementary school.  It is suitable for middle to high schoolers with great comprehension and writing skills.)

In addition to a study guide, we added self-directed art and copywork to our endeavor.  Why copywork?  There are many reasons that copywork is used in curriculums that rely heavily on Charlotte Mason or Rudolf Steiner's teachings.  For us,

copywork reinforces spelling and improves handwriting.   

I have found that with my son, he tends to get sloppy when free-handing his independent work but reigns it all back in when doing copywork.  We found this great series of Hobbit copy pages from Walking by the Way and my son has really enjoyed reading through the quotes and copying them!

So, we have academics and copywork.  What about the art?  We have approached this several ways.  One is an art project for my son's room.  We found a map of Middle Earth that he loved, printed it and it is now adorning the wall in his Hobbit hole.  (It really is a room fit for a Hobbit!)  I do a lot of decoupaging and art myself, but stumbled across this at Milk and Cookies and knew he would love it as well. 

Finally is the book.  Ah....the book.  We have taken different art pieces that created while working with the Memoria Press Student Guide, the copywork, his coloring pages and a beautiful cover that he created and bound them together in this book as his final project.

Noah is a VERY well read child and has fantastic comprehension.  Working with The Hobbit was really more of an exercise of an academic study of a work of fiction.  By adding in the other components we created a well-rounded lesson that was also quite enjoyable for him.  And with that, I'll leave you with this:

"'Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.'"

I Vaccinated My Children But I Did It On My Terms

The year was 2001 and we were new parents anxious to everything right and natural for our precious new baby.  Midwife?  Check.  Birthing Plan?  Check.  Breastpump?  Well, we had to rent that one.  Some things didn't go according to plan.  After 8 months of being quite ill, I delivered 5.5 weeks early due to the onset of eclampsia and our son spent nearly two weeks in the NICU after birth by cesarean.  So, my birth didn't go as planned, but one thing we did plan on and stuck to was an alternative vaccination schedule.  I remember like it was yesterday the day we walked into the NICU to see the newly born Sun and ran into the ped who said, "We are about to give him a Hep B vaccine."  I don't think so.  Did any of you read our very instructions that clearly stated, "NO vaccinations?"  Obviously not.  In fact, it was not until our son turned seven and we were planning a trip to China that we decided to vaccinate him for Hep B.


Once home from the hospital we worked out an alternate vaccination plan with our pediatrician.  She was NOT thrilled.  In fact, after two years of being in disagreement about all of our parenting choices (extended breastfeeding, co-sleeping, removal of dairy due to our son's projectile vomiting and the alternate vaccination schedule) we decided to go our separate ways.  Our son by that time was nearly fully vaccinated - on our terms - with the exception of Hep B and Varicella (chicken pox).  Upon finding a new doctor, he agreed that we did not fall into any categories to necessitate the aforementioned Hep B and he believed that the chicken pox vaccine was/is completely bunk (since that time, they have realized that the Varicella only gives 4 to 6 years of immunity and have now added a second dose).  However, we decided to give our son that vaccination as well due to our trip to China.

So, why the alternative schedule?  It was around the time our son was born that the autism - vaccination correlation began to take hold.  Since then, the science behind that has been proven as incorrect but it is difficult to undue what was once done.  Why the foothold on this idea?  Why do smart, educated, well-read folks, people like my husband and I, continue to be distrustful of vaccinations?  I suspect the evidence is mostly anecdotal.  How many times have we seen friends and relatives with a crying baby who was running a fever due to that day's round of vaccinations?  I can tell you that our first pediatrician told us in no uncertain terms that vaccinations and fevers are entirely coincidental (yes, she's still practicing) and that babies who run fevers after being vaccinated surely were already sick (every one of them).    Our own son cried and ran fevers when receiving ONE vaccination.  I cannot imagine giving him a full round in one day!

What about adults?  How many people get sick after receiving a flu shot?  How many have aches and pains after receiving their own vaccinations?  I know I did.  I remember being vaccinating with the MMR before heading to college and receiving other vaccinations, like Hep B before our last trip abroad.  Knot in arm, headache, general malaise.  If this is how WE feel, what are multiple vaccinations doing to our children, our very small children, often as young as 9 months?  Going even further, do you know that the CDC has given nearly $2 BILLION in vaccine payouts?  These were the folks who reported, fought, and had the means to go to court.  How many cases are unreported?  I have friends whose children went into febrile fevers causing seizures the day of their vaccinations.  The peds response?  Not vaccination related, coincidental, etc.  In other words...not reported to the CDC.

I'm not telling you to not vaccinate your children.  In fact, just the opposite.  Vaccinate.  Do it for me.  Do it for you.  But, know the risks.  Ask for an alternate schedule.

  And, know that right now as many cry for stricter laws on vaccinations, that you are not getting the whole story. 

Below are links to a few websites that offer more information on the issues with vaccinations, such as the newest kid on the block - the HPV (Gardasil) vaccination. 

Huffington Post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/post2468343_b_2468343.html
Breit Bart:  http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2013/03/05/obama-hhs-sued-for-records-detailing-payouts-made-to-victims-of-hpv-vaccines/
CBS:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/family-to-receive-15m-plus-in-first-ever-vaccine-autism-court-award/
Judicial Watch:  http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/jw-seeks-answers-to-payouts-made-to-victims-of-hpv-vaccines/

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Times: Imbolc

Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and misletoe ;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall :
That so the superstitious find
No one least branch there left behind :
For look, how many leaves there be
Neglected, there (maids, trust to me)
So many goblins you shall see.

(mid-17^th century English poet Robert Herrick 1591-1674)

Today is Candlemas, or, as many recognize it and I have long known it - Imbolc.  It is associated with the Celtic goddess Brigid and the Christian saint - Brigit.  (Long story, but here's a link to the best online explanation if you want to know more: Wiki.)   If you have not done so, it is time to take down any remaining greenery leftover from Yule or Christmas.  Spring cleaning is a must between now and the equinox!  And, it's time to plant your seeds of intention to be harvested throughout the year.  

My journey of authenticity has long had me celebrating these ancient days associated with the sun, with planting, with the seasons - celebrations of the turning of the Earth and its profound effect on how we live our lives.  Today, in the US, the groundhog saw his shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter.  I always find it quite funny as we have 7 weeks of winter remaining before we are officially into spring.  Living in Tennesse, I sometimes feel we have an unfair advantage to many other parts of the Western world as we truly have four glorious seasons.  And, though I really detest winter - in that I can never be quite warm enough - I love the opportunity for introspection, the chance to slow down and hibernate, and that the Earth has time to do what it needs to do to prepare for the next season of growth.

The children and I discussed the significance of the day and after preparing a traditional feast of Shepherd's Pie (yes, I know I'm obsessed) and shortbread cookies, we lit beeswax candles and all went round the table sharing what we were grateful for.  Part of my gratitude is the garden space we created last summer which I began planning once again today.  I spent the time between putting the potatoes on to boil and taking them off to mash circling items from my seed catalog which happened to arrive today (there are no coincidences).  The notion of fresh swiss chard, ripe tomatoes and yellow squash will take me through the next few weeks until the sun begins to warm our days.  

 There are many ways to think about this time of the year.  Many faiths and traditions that recognize this time in February when we look to the light to sustain us through the cold winter months.  Regardless of how you honor it, how you utilize it, relish in the darkness while looking toward the light, plan for the planting and then the harvest, go inward and reflect while you can for soon spring will arrive and your days will once again be filled.