Short Attention Span Challenge | The Seedling Starter

From Escalon to Thornton, Tracy to Linden, the Central Valley knows how to do many things well, but one thing in particular stands out to me: farming.  It cracks me up when driving down country roads I see tourists stop to take pictures near a grapevine or an almond orchard.  I guess because I grew up here I didn't really think a grape vine or an almond tree was a big deal.  The funny thing, as I have said in previous posts, is that I in no way have a green thumb.  Starting a plant from seed has been fairly impossible for me, but the farmers around here do it every year!  It really is a miracle, and maybe one I take a little bit for granted.  Whether my children decide to stay here in the Valley or move on to - dare I say it - greener pastures (though I doubt they will find any), I want my kids to understand and appreciate that they come from a region that supplies food to the entire world. We really are a small miracle!  According to this 2011 report, two-thirds of the landscape in the Delta Region consists of agriculture.  In our county's Delta region, there are nearly 215,000 acres of farmland, producing a farm gate value of approximately $558 million!  That's a lot of food!

We don't usually keep library books on the grass!

The Challenge

Show my kid how to plant a seedling the right way.  Hopefully it will be successful this time!

The Process

I will be up front with you here.  This challenge was not difficult.  However, it is a skill (and it let me spend some much needed quality time with my little one).  So, I hope you will forgive me that this blog isn't as exciting as usual (Assuming you think my blogs are interesting.  If you think they are hum-drum, and still reading them every week, then you are probably related to me---Hi Mom!).

As I mentioned in this post, part of my trouble had been that I didn't have a cold frame.  Since that issue is solved, I needed to figure out my other challenge, getting the seeds to grow.  According to both books I checked out (this one and this one), in order to germinate seeds, you can start with a plastic tray, milk containers, foam cups, a small pot, or a cardboard container and fill it with compost, peat pellets or seed starting mix.  I went to my local nursery and asked them if they ever gave away extra plastic trays that the plants are sold in.  They said yes!  So my seed starting container was free (this might be the most excited I have ever been over plastic containers).  Even though I am not supposed to get advice, the nurseryman told me to wash out the containers with a little bleach to sanitize them, since I would be using them for seeds.

Next, I purchased the seeds at our local hardware store.  There are a few ways to figure out what seeds to start with.  On the back of the seed container, there is usually a planting schedule for each particular zone.  There are two zone maps, the USDA Plant Hardiness Map, or the American Horticulture Society Plant Heat Zone Map.

AHS Heat Zone Map - Zone 8 or 9

The seeds I purchased and planted:

• Tomatoes

• Basil

• Beets (which are out of season, even though the package said otherwise-oops!)

• Carrots

• Cucumbers

• Yellow Squash

• Jalapeno Peppers

One of the books suggested I mix the planting mix with water in a bucket before planting, which I had never done before.  I used a large bucket.  I poured the water and my daughter mixed.  It was quite fun for her, I think!  One thing to note is that the soil should not be soggy, but just moist.  It would have helped if I had noticed that part before I turned on the hose.

Look at those fancy gardening shoes!

MUD!!!!

After that, we put the mix into the plastic containers.  Then, we stuck our fingers or shovel in to make a little hole, and placed in the seeds. We covered the hole with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil/compost.  After that, we put the seed tray in the cold frame we made a few weeks ago.

The Result

I don't know yet!  I will update this post when I see some or a lack of seedlings, start to sprout.  In the meantime, check out one of SSJCPL's gardening books and plant something!  
P.S. Did you notice my blog has moved to Fridays at 2 p.m.?

Short Attention Span Challenge | Baby Food Chef

The "ugly carrot"! He helped me out with the challenge.

My poor kids!
Here I am at work, eating pizza and hamburgers at lunch, running off to get cookies and cupcakes on my breaks, but when I get home...it's healthy food time. Someday, I know they are going to figure out this little secret of mine, but right now (and forever, actually) I want my kids to eat healthy. It's my job to give them a healthy start.

That starts right at the beginning.

So, I decided to start making homemade baby food. Now, don't get me wrong, there is no judgement passed here. I know all parents make the best decisions for their particular family situations. This is just a decision I made for my family, but it doesn't mean it's the only way to go. There are many reasons I chose to make my own baby food, but I will list a few...

• I can see how the food was processed, or not.  There are no strangers or random machines mushing up my kid's food.  Plus, many of the baby food used to package commercial baby food still contains BPA.

• I can use organic or home grown veggies and fruits.  Even though recent research (which you can find for free on ssjcpl's online databases) suggests that organic food might not be any more nutritious than regular, there really hasn't been much research on the long term effects of pesticides and hormones on young children.

• The more the food is processed, the more nutrients escape.  Also, by making my own food, I can control the way it is cooked.  For example, steaming removes less vitamins and nutrients than boiling or microwaving.

•  Organic baby food is available for purchase at the supermarket and online.  It is also healthy and minimally processed, but it is expensive!  And that, my friends, is probably one of the biggest reasons I decided to make my own baby food.  It is so much cheaper!  And healthy to boot!

The Challenge
Master the skill of making and storing homemade baby food.  For this illustration, I will use fresh carrots and I will be making food for a beginning eater (approximately 6 months).  I will make a large batch of food to save time (I am a working mom, after all.  I don't have time to do this every night!).

The Process
As I said in the introduction, steaming is generally the healthiest way to cook veggies.  According to my book, the steam allows more of the nutrients to remain in the vegetable.  To steam veggies, use a steamer in a pot, with very little water in the bottom.  Put the veggies into the steamer, boil the water, and remove the veggies once they are very soft.  Easy peasy!

The veggies can be mashed up several ways.  You could use a manual potato masher, a fork, an immersion blender, a regular blender, or a food processor.  The type of tool used depends on how mushed up you want the food, what type of food it is, and the age and skill of your child.   You may want to make the food thicker for a baby that has been eating awhile, thinner and more watery for a baby just started on solids.

These specific carrots are meant for a child just beginning to eat solids, so I want them pretty smooth and thin.  After debating for awhile about whether to use a Magic Bullet or a Food Processor, I chose the latter. It worked quite well. To thin out baby food, just add liquid such as mommy milk, formula, or water. To thicken, add baby cereal, potatoes, or bananas.

After blending or mashing, the baby food should be given to the baby, and any excess can be stored.  If it is a small batch, put it in the fridge for a few days.  If it needs to be stored longer, put it in the freezer right away.  It can be stored frozen for about a month.  Food that has already been defrosted after cooking should never be refrozen.  Also, according to the book I checked out, do not store the food in the same container you used to feed baby, because the spoon dipped in deposits bacteria.

There are lots of ways to store baby food.  You can place drops of food on wax paper and freeze or store in glass or plastic freezer-safe containers.  I chose to freeze the baby food in ice cube trays, then, once frozen pop them out and stick them in a bag.  For me, it takes up less room.  However, I often break the ice cube trays when trying to remove the food. 

The Result
Success!  My baby food is safely stored in my freezer and my baby loves her healthy, colorful, tasty carrots!  I spent $4 on two bags of organic baby carrots and created 24 cubes, and it took me less than an hour.

How about you, readers (if you are still there)?  Have any of you ever tried to make baby food?  I would love some tips!

Also, if you have any fun challenge ideas, please post!     

P.S. This week is a double challenge...stay tuned for my next one.