Posts from — October 2010

Gardening season may be winding down, but composting season never ends. As a kitchen gardener, I’ve come to enjoy composting almost as much as I enjoy gardening. Making compost is a completely satisfying activity. Kitchen scraps and garden waste are magically transformed into compost that feeds our plants. The trips to the compost bin – even through snow—add up to nutrient rich compost.

When I was doing web research on composting resources a couple of years ago, I came across this great list: 163 Things You Can Compost. Marion Owen’s list includes some things have I haven’t composted (so far), and it also inspired me to make an exhaustive list of the things we have composed. Here’s our updated list for 2010:

Freezer-burned vegetables
Freezer-burned fruit
Wood chips
Hay
Popcorn (unpopped, “Old Maids” too)
Freezer-burned fish
Old spices
Pine needles
Leaves
Matches (paper or wood)
Hops
Old, dried up and faded herbs
Spent grains from brewing beer
Spent yeast from brewing beer
Grass clippings
Potato peelings
Weeds
Hair clippings from the barber
Stale bread
Coffee grounds
Wood ashes
Sawdust
Tea bags and grounds
Egg shells
Grapefruit rinds
Pea vines
Houseplant trimmings
Old pasta
Grape wastes
Garden soil
Powdered/ground phosphate rock
Corncobs (takes a long time to decompose)
Blood meal
Beet wastes
Tree bark
Flower petals
Pumpkin seeds
Expired flower arrangements
Bone meal
Citrus wastes
Stale potato chips
Rhubarb stems
Wheat bran
Nut shells
Clover
Straw
Cover crops
Fish scraps
Tea bags (black and herbal)
Apple cores
Electric razor trimmings
Kitchen wastes
Shrimp shells
Crab shells
Lobster shells
Pie crust
Onion skins
Watermelon rinds
Date pits
Olive pits
Peanut shells
Burned oatmeal
Bread crusts
Cooked rice
Tofu
Banana peels
Wooden toothpicks
Stale breakfast cereal
Pickles
Pencil shavings
Fruit salad
Tossed salad
Soggy Cheerios
Burned toast
Old or outdated seeds
Liquid from canned vegetables
Liquid from canned fruit
Old beer
Snow
Fish bones
Spoiled canned fruits and vegetables
Produce trimmings from grocery store

and here are some other items we compost that are not on that list:
• SunChips bags
• old ruined straw hat
• ash from hardwood charcoal (NOT from charcoal briquets!)
• leftover oatmeal
• sad old rice
• the lost items from the bottom of the fruit and vegetable drawers
• flour that’s gotten too old
• jack o’lanterns (and other pumpkin shells)
• spent sunflower heads (after Jim has saved the seeds for next year)
• avocado peel (we’ve had less luck with the seeds- too hard)

Marion Owen’s list also included several categories of things we don’t compost, the most prominent being paper products including napkins, Post-it notes, and theater tickets. We have always lived in places where curbside recycling collects paper; we’ve put our paper there, rather than composting it ourselves. The exception to that is newspapers, which we’ve used successfully several times to take down weed patches. To do that, we spread newspaper layers over the area, like behind a garage say, and then put a layer of yard waste like leaves and trimmings to hold the newspapers down. Over the course of a season or a winter, the weeds underneath are thoroughly smothered.

We have no pets, so we don’t compost pet hair or feathers. We don’t have a supply of manure either so again we don’t put that in our compost.

Marion Owen’s list also includes leather items, such as old gardening gloves and worn-out wallets. I haven’t tried composting leather yet, but there is an old worn-out leather wallet on my list of next summer’s science experiments.

Are you:

• running low on gardening space?
• looking for an excuse to postpone the initial mow in the spring?
• in need of a pick-me-up in the gray days of April?

Naturalizing daffodils in the lawn can be a unique solution to a variety of gardening situations. “Naturalizing” refers to establishing bulbs in places where they do not grow natively and where they successfully maintain themselves in competition with other plants, in our case, with our front lawn. We have also gone for a “natural appearance,” with drifts of plants dotting the yard, rather than straight lines.

Most of our garden beds are devoted for growing edibles rather than flowers. A couple years ago, we decided to try planting two dozen bulbs in our yard, and we’ve enjoyed their cheery early arrival in spring. The daffodils give our front yard the feeling of a field or a woodland, albeit on a small scale. This year, we decided to increase the daffodil presence with an addition of 100 more daffodil bulbs.

To plant the bulbs in bunches or drifts, I used a spade to cut threes side of a square into the grass and folded back the top. Bulbs should be planted 6 – 8 inches deep so I had to remove a bit more dirt in the bottom of the holes. I added a tablespoon of bone meal to each hole and settled 5 or 6 bulbs with roots pointing down. Then I covered the bulbs with the loose dirt and folded the top back over. A couple of steps on top of each hole closes the dirt and levels the grass.

Granted, naturalizing bulbs is not for everyone. People who like the suburban standard of a neatly manicured lawn will likely find that the chaos of bulbs popping up randomly clashes with their style. Those who use commercial or home applications of chemicals may experience little or no success with bulbs, depending on the formulas being applied. Our approach to lawn care is as organic as our gardening; we don’t add any chemicals so we don’t worry about that. We also have some grand old trees along our street, resulting in our front yard being partly shady, so the lawn does not grow vigorously in early spring. The foliage of the bulbs must be left alone and un-mowed until it dies down so that it can continue to feed the bulb even after the flowers have faded. We also don’t mind postponing our initial spring trim a bit and even mowing around the foliage for a time or two if necessary. Our lawn is on the smallish side, however.

There’s still time to plant bulbs in garden beds or even scattered among the grass. One suggestion I read was to plant stands or drifts of bulbs in the spots in the yard where the earliest melting occurs in the spring since those places get the most sun and warmth. A few bulbs could be planted in spots places now. One could also make a point of being more mindful in the spring and making a point to study the ‘hot spots’ in the yard when the great thaw arrives, with the intention of planting bulbs in the future. Planting bulbs is a nice surprise to give yourself: just when it seems spring will never come, early flowering bulbs provide some hope and cheer.

A certain criminal practice exists within the kitchen garden movement, one that runs rampant this time of year. The crime? Leaf Thievery. We at the 20 Minute Garden have located a self-confessed “leaf thief” who agreed to answer a few questions under the promise of strict confidentiality.

Q: How did you start your life of crime?

A: I’ve always raked up the leaves from my own lawn and used them as a very effective mulch on my garden.

Q: But it didn’t stop there.

A: I saw the piles of leaves my neighbors had raked up. They were just sitting there. Unattended. Doing no one any good.

Q: So you took them.

A: I was weak. And greedy. Sometimes I asked my neighbors first. Sometimes, I just took. But where’s the harm? Who really misses a few leaves when they could do so much good in my garden beds?

Q: Can you describe the modus operandi of a leaf thief.

A: Simple tools: a leaf rake and a large tarp. Sometimes I wore a black leotard and a mask to conceal my identity.

The technique also is simple enough. Rake the leaves into a big pile and spread the tarp next to them. It helps if the leaves are on slightly higher ground. rake them into the center of the tarp. Then make a burrito.

Q: A burrito?

A: A friend of mine who had a summer job at a taco joint let me in on the secrets of burrito construction. Fold one of the long sides over the filling about 1/3 of the way. Then fold the bottom up about a 1/4. Fold the other long side over to seal in the leaves. The same primary rule for burrito construction applies: Don’t try to stuff in too much filling. Grab it by the top — the unfolded end — and drag it to your garden bed. The best way I’ve found to get the leaves out of the burrito is to pick up the bottom, the folded end, and to empty out the leaves from the top.

Yeah, the leaf burrito makes it a one-person operation. No accomplices. Fewer risks.

Q: So simple. So diabolically simple. You’re a self-confessed “Petty Thief.” Don’t you feel any remorse?

A: I’m unrepentant. But this year it’ll be even trickier to steal leaves since the city isn’t collecting them from the streets. But I’m prepared to take them right off the yards.

Q: What is the best way for people to protect themselves against thieves like you?

It’s obvious. Use the the leaves yourself. They’re free, high-carbon mulch. Learn to view the trees on your property as mulch-makers.

And don’t wait until all the leaves are down to attempt some grand larceny. Stunts like that never work out. A little every day, maybe 20 minutes worth. It won’t break your back. And you’ll be surprised how quickly the mulch adds up.

We grew pie pumpkins this year. We started them from seeds indoors, with 3 seeds in each of the grow cubes that have been around for years. (Amazingly enough, 2010 will mark the year we used up all the stockpiled grow cubes!) The homegrown seedlings were a little behind the Farmers’ Market purchased ones, so when it came time for planting, they didn’t get the pick of the yard. We were running short on space at that point actually, so, at Jim’s suggestion, the pumpkins got the newly cleared spot over by the fence.

And by the fence turned out to be a great place to grow pumpkins. Our pumpkin vines got a lot of leaves, and the foliage liked to spread out… and then up.

I wasn’t completely positive that the pumpkin vines would love growing along the fence, but they did.

We were prepared to support the pumpkins themselves with slings if necessary, but the vines were mighty strong.

Pumpkins on the fence had two other positive points. One was that the pumpkins didn’t develop a flat spot like they sometimes do when sitting on the ground.

The other was that the squirrels didn’t seem to notice the pumpkins under the foliage on the fence and so were not tempted to nibble and sample them.

Other than pumpkin pies, which are coming soon, what does one do with pie pumpkins? Some years ago, we picked up a vintage recipe at Greenfield Village for Stuffed Pumpkin, which calls for hollowing out a pumpkin, filling it with meat and vegetables, and baking. Jim had also sent me this pumpkin oatmeal recipe to ponder. Jim is not really a “sweets” person, and he likes savory oatmeal made with broth. He wondered if a pumpkin filled with sausage and oatmeal would be good, so we decided to find out.

Note that, for this recipe, I used steel-cut oats, which are heartier and more grain-like than rolled oats. Steel-cut oats also take longer to cook. I would not recommend using rolled oats. If oats don’t appeal to you, substitute another grain such as rice or couscous that will add body to the stuffing and not get too mushy.

Stuffed Pumpkin with Sausage

Ingredients:
One medium sized pie pumpkin, about 3 lbs
1/2 pound bulk sausage, mild or spicy, your choice
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 pine nuts
1/2 cup of steel-cut oats
1 cup of broth
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Thoroughly wash the pumpkin and dry it off. Use a sharp knife to cut a circular “top”—cut on an angle so the top will not fall in. Scoop out all the seeds and pulp with a spoon. I like to use our stainless steel medium scoop or an ice cream scoop. Put the seeds and pulp in a bowl of water and set aside for making roasted pumpkin seeds. Aim for a smooth cavity without the stringy stuff inside the pumpkin.

2. With a fork, prick the inside of the pumpkin and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Brown sausage and drain. Set aside.

4. Sauté onions and garlic in a little butter or olive oil until tender. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Add browned sausage, pine nuts, steel-cut oats, and broth. Stir to combine.

5. Stuff pumpkin with sausage mixture and replace the top.

6. Place in a baking dish with 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. Bake uncovered in a 350F degree oven for 30 minutes, then loosely cover with foil and bake 40 minutes or until tender.

7. Cut pumpkin into wedges to serve.

While you are at it, take the time to prepare roasted pumpkin seeds. A tip from my daughter-in-law to soak the seeds in salt water guarantees that they are salty enough.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Method:
1. Put the seeds and pulp from a pumpkin into a big bowl of water. Rub the seeds between your hands to clean them. Pick off the orange and stringy bits.

2. Add a teaspoon of salt to 2 cups of water. Soak your pumpkin seeds in water for at least 30 minutes.

3. Then put the seeds in a strainer to drain them. Blot them with paper towels.

4. Dump the seeds on a baking sheet lined with foil and add a little oil to the pile. Stir to coat them.

5. Add 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/2 of salt, if desired. Mix with seeds and then spread out in a single layer on the sheet.

6. Roast the seeds in a 275F degree oven for 10 – 20 minutes. Check them every 3 or 4 minutes and stir them. Pay close attention because seeds can easily burn!

7. Cool completely and store in jars, if they don’t get eaten up immediately.

We haven’t even had a real pumpkin pie yet, but one will be on the menu very soon. Pumpkins will definitely be part of next year’s garden too. We’ll save the spot by the fence especially for them.

Last week, Frito-Lay announced rather quietly that the company is discontinuing the use of their compostable packaging on all but one of their SunChips flavors. Frito-Lay had launched the biodegradable bag about a year and a half ago, with a lot of fanfare and promotion. The fully-compostable material in the bag was said to break down in about 14 weeks.

I first assumed that the reason Frito-Lay would stop using the bags might have something to do with the failure to decompose in a timely manner. It turns out, however, that consumers complained about the noise. The unusual material of the bags makes them very rigid and pretty loud. In addition, SunChips sales have declined by 11% in the last 52 weeks. Our household’s increased interest in SunChips wasn’t enough to counter that trend.

As gardeners, we’re big fan of composting so I watched for the compostable bags to appear in the grocery store. After we took care of the chips inside, we put the bag in our compost bin around March 24. In late June after about 12 weeks, the compostable bag had definitely changed, but it was still there. In October, which would be close to 26 weeks, I moved the bag from that compost bin to the compost tumbler, which tends to be hotter and break materials down more quickly. I’ll continue to monitor the decomposition process.

Although I’m not giving up on the SunChips compostable bag yet, I’ve had better luck with other compost experiments. I’ve successfully composted an old straw hat, an old hemp shower curtain, and an old denim shirt (without the buttons, of course). I have a very worn out leather wallet of Jim’s that will be part of my next wave of compost experiments.

I’m disappointed that consumers didn’t embrace the SunChip compostable bag more enthusiastically. A little noise with a compostable bag seems a small sacrifice when compared to a quieter plastic bag that will linger in a landfill for generations. Much of what we buy – both the products and the packaging—moves through our lives with little thought, but those items or packages don’t disappear when they are no longer in our homes. The noise served as a little reminder of the convenience we take for granted.