Seriously, Taste the Difference...

We practice what we preach.... which, as you can see, isn't too torturous.

Just an average lunch. Organic, homemade hummous; homegrown sprouts; garden veggies, and homemade bread... and perfect, organic heirloom tomatoes. Seriously. Best tomato ever.

...Until this:

Fresh basil from the garden, red and yellow heirloom 'maters, mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar (the good stuff, of course).

It's still a toss-up between the yellow and the red/green oddity above... but I know I'll probably never taste another like 'em!

Food Ain't Free...

Shop farmers first!


Ok, I'm not saying any decent person should get 100 percent of his produce from the market. It is possible, of course, if we re-learn the old skills of "putting things up." But that's for another day. For now....

What Lies Beneath

Well, a lot has been going on, so catching up may be tricky. How about I make the 4-hour epic into a miniseries.

Let's start with worms. There were a lot of them.

As invasive grasses like Johnson and Bermuda tend to stretch deep, much digging was in order to prepare the garden for winter (and hopefully for a more weed-resistant future). The deeper we dug... the bigger the bug.

This is a grub. Apparently, they live most of their life in this form and then become this:

A green june bug.

We love to hate em.

Chickens love them, too - but once they have wings, you gotta catch em!


This guy must have been in there a while. Gross? Maybe. But actually pretty fun. Deep weed roots and huge grubs may not be as familiar a sight for those who till mechanically. But, as you can see lots is going on about a foot under the surface. By hand-digging the soil, we not only can deal with those problem-causers but also can protect the beneficial creatures. Like earthworms! And spiders. And all the microorganisms that make "soil" much more than dirt.

Another fun one to catch? My friend the hornworm...