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This time of year, gardeners are gearing up to grow, but it’s too early to start any garden plants. As daylight increases, so will your desire to eat more greens. Just like gardens are seasonal, so is your body.
When cold strikes, we hunker down and crave warm, thick soups and stews rich in carrots and potatoes. As the daylight increases and the seed catalogs come pouring in, we crave lighter foods. So, if you take the desire to grow and the desire to eat greens, it’s time to plant some microgreens. Unlike sprouts, microgreens are grown in soil. Then, we eat the leaves and stems, leaving the roots behind. Unlike sprouts, microgreens are harvested once the plant's first true leaves appear in 7-21 days after germination. Sprouts will produce in 2-7 days. There are many different varieties of microgreen seeds. You can use garden seeds or purchase large bags of seeds packaged specifically for microgreens. Any seed, from cabbage to cucumbers, can be grown and enjoyed on sandwiches or salads. Planting spicy varieties like radish, mustard greens, or spicy salad mix will boost the flavor of any salad or sandwich. My favorite microgreens are sunflower sprouts, but don’t stop there. Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, radish, lettuce, dill, carrot, fennel, and celery are just a few varieties you may want to try this month. PINTEREST FAIL: We all have them I planted two batches of greens in December or early January, and because we have had so many grey days, they did not produce satisfactorily. So I will try again. If you are ready to install your transplant grow lights, that would help turn those gray days into sunshine. Most of what you need to grow microgreens can already be found in your home.
Fill a tray, a plastic container from take-out works perfectly. It doesn't need to be very deep. Sprinkle the seeds generously on the soil and mist. Use a plastic lid to cover the soil to keep it moist. Check your trays daily and keep them moist. Once the seeds have germinated, remove the cover and get those seedlings under the light. Water and watch them grow greener every day. You should be harvesting in 7-10 days. Cut them with scissors at the soil line as you consume them. Enjoy.
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Every year, about the time we make our New Year’s Resolutions to eat healthier, less, or expand our taste buds, all the food sites list upcoming trends.
Being a foodie and agrarian contrarian, we eat whatever we like. It’s fun though to see what’s buzzing around the country. Speaking of buzzing, Specialty Food Magazine has listed natural honey at the top. By natural, they mean honey without added sugar. Well, according to the ND Department of Agriculture, “North Dakota is the No. 1 honey-producing state in the nation. In 2023, North Dakota bees produced 38.3 million pounds of honey valued at over $67.8 million.” I'm thinking, “If you aren’t eating North Dakota honey, read the label.” I was shocked to find that one of the local restaurant's packages of honey served with whatever we were eating had filler ingredients. Needless to say, buy your honey locally and keep eating it. SFM also mentions pistachio as the “it” flavor of the year and I’m like “Really.” Our family makes Watergate Salad religiously at every holiday dinner. You know the recipe.
Just for fun, the original recipe, and there are variations, came from General Foods and was called "Pistachio Pineapple Delight." According to the All Recipes website, some Chicago food editor renamed it Watergate Salad to capitalize on the scandal of the same name. The next trend tickling my fancy was “impulse treats.” Okay, since when is any treat NOT an impulse treat? There are also sustainable foods. Coming from ag land, we know that trend falls in line with organic and regenerative farming practices – something we have been focused on for a long time. There are more trends, too many to expound on at this time, but consider these trends: drinking more tea, less alcohol, eating more seaweed, and organ meats, spicy chicken nuggets, spicy granola, higher-quality meat (grassfed), international foods and pulse crops. On that note, we eat lots of international foods around here like knephla, kase knephla, strudles, Wishek sausage, and sauerkraut. Let’s not forget to add some fiber by supporting the pulse crop industry in North Dakota. Yes, you guessed it – back on the ag department’s website we find that “North Dakota is a top producer of most pulse crops, including dry beans, chickpeas, lentils, and dry peas.” In conclusion, I think with everything we do and the natural resources in this state, we could just become our own country. Hungry for more? Here are some websites to check out for food trends. Happy New Year. Whether you think about it or not, we all have circles. If you are of a certain age you may remember your mother belonging to a circle at your church. Those circles were often named after Biblical characters like Ruth or Mary. These gatherings served several purposes — social, mission-related projects and sewing, as in quilts or church banners.
Circles, especially women’s circles, have been around since the beginning of time. It seems when the men were running the country, women were gathering for the purpose of education, friendship, sharing their faith and support. During World War II, sewing circles in the United Kingdom helped to win the war. Women were called together to sew garments, gloves and socks for the war effort. It was a “make do and mend campaign” supported by Elizabeth II who hosted two circles a week inviting palace staff and other society ladies to join. For our purposes, Oxford languages define circles as groups of people with shared interests. Hence, the Sowin’ Circle idea came to mind when I decided to share this newsletter. So, no need to know how to “sew” to join this circle. We will be “sowing” seeds. Its sole purpose, of course, is to keep me focused on penning a book idea that has been burning in my brain for a long time. I’m currently working on documenting a year in the life of a market gardener, cumulating in the storied recipes I have come to love. I’m gathering all the tips and hints I have learned over the years into one document to share with my children first and foremost, but with anyone who enjoys similar interests. This circle is meant for sharing with everyone interest in gardening, cooking, canning, having fun or anything that comes my way. Conquering social media, email newsletters and videos as part of this endeavor will be as much a learning experience for me, with you by my side. I hope it will be fun for you, as well as educational. I’m counting on your feedback over the next year or so to keep me on target with my writing project. So, please, pull up a chair and join our circle of friends Don’t forget to leave your comments or suggestions below. Last Christmas I began what I have found out is called “Death Cleaning” in Sweden. It’s the time of life when you begin to let go of all the things you have spent your life collecting because your children do not want any of it.
I started in the root cellar with the many boxes of paper accumulated over the years. There were several storage tubes of neatly organized cards and letters dating back to the 1970s. Years and years of birthday cards, Christmas cards, hand written letters and photos documenting the birth and consecutive growing up years of everyone’s children. It was painful sorting through those memories which included thank you notes from my time as Sue B Weaves when I taught classes and visited my children’s school telling them about weaving as an art. The hardest part was the beautiful cards people used to send. You remember, the ones that only cost $1.95. I saved the letters. I sorted the cards. I threw the photos (please forgive me). Then, I Googled recycling old cards. That’s when I discovered Putz Houses. What’s a Putz House? One of many Christmas traditions was to build a village under the tree for the holidays. “Putz” is a German word (I am a German-Russian) meaning to put or putter, as in “quit putzing around with those houses.” I guess it stuck. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, about the time my family immigrated to American from Russia, these tiny houses were made from candy boxes and were filled with candy. When electricity heralded the advent of lights on Christmas trees, the Japanese made holes in the back of these tiny houses and the villages came to life with cellophane windows lit from behind. Eventually the Putz houses were decorated with cotton snow or a coconut coating and then glitter, becoming known as glitter houses. Being difficult to find, today’s collectors began designing and creating their own villages from churches to lighthouse and everything in between. The houses can be made from chip board, cardboard and card stock – yes, a use for those cards I couldn’t throw away. If you Google glitter houses or Putz houses, you will find many sites have templates or instructions on how to design your own little Christmas village. My background in printing required the use of X-acto knives and rulers before the computer replaced the way printers do their jobs these days. And, I love paper. I have always loved paper. So I’m addicted. HELPFUL HINTS
This is a great site with history going back to the old country: https://christmasloft.com/blog/all-about-putz-houses/. What is a glitter house: https://cardboardchristmas.com/html/what_is_a_glitterhouse.html. If you are on Pinterest or Etsy, there are many templates available for downloading or purchasing for use on the new cricut machine you got from Santa. https://www.etsy.com/market/putz_house_svg. Even Martha Stewart created a tutorial with patterns for glitter houses at https://www.marthastewart.com/264225/winter-village-how-to-build-a-house. If you are really bored, you can watch me make a glitter house at https://youtu.be/zxSBBS2qBII. Would it surprise you to find a pickle hanging on your Christmas tree? Another German tradition focuses on one German-Russian dinner staple – the dill pickle.
The Christmas Pickle Naturally, you wouldn't hang a real pickle on your tree for obvious reasons. And, because of its color, the glass pickle disappeared within the branches of a pine tree. It was hung very last. On Christmas morning, the children would rush to the tree, looking for the ornament. The child who finds the ornament receives a special gift. The silver pinecone tradition was carried to this country by German immigrants until after the 1920s. It then became a pleasant Christmas memory. The Silver Pinecone Pinecones are one of those intriguing, gotta-pick-a-few-up natural decorations at Christmas time. Pinecones are abundant and come in all sizes, from tiny to giant high-mountain cones, depending on where they grow. Sometimes noted as a symbol of eternity on a tree, pinecones remind us of God’s love for us and the offer of eternal life. Pinecone ornaments, like pickles for your tree, were made of blown glass by German artisans. I prefer the real ones. Here is one German legend about the pinecone. As with the pickle, the story begins with a mother who in this story is picking up pinecones for her fireplace. While filling her basket, an elf asked, “Why are you stealing my pinecones?” The mother explained her situation and the need for fuel for the fireplace. “Put my pinecones back,” the elf said, pointing to an older section of the forest. “Pinecones are more abundant over there." So the mother emptied her basket and made her way even farther from her home, hoping to return before dark. Stopping to rest at the foot of a tree, the woman had to shield herself from the pinecones falling to the ground. The elf was right, the pinecones were larger and more abundant. She quickly filled her basket and headed home. Tired from the long walk, she placed the basket of pinecones next to the fireplace and fell asleep in her rocking chair. In the morning, she found the pinecones were shining with a bright silver light. Upon further inspection, she discovered the pinecones had turned to real silver. She will always be able to provide anything for her children from this Christmas forward. Because of this legend, placing a silver pinecone on your mantel or hanging from a tree is supposed to bring good luck in the coming year. It’s Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. From Thanksgiving to New Year, our lives are filled with traditions, new and old.
Once my children married, had children and began their traditions, I cut back on mine. We live in the country and any holiday decorations are shared with our UPS and Fed-Ex drivers delivering gifts to wrap. I willed all my German glass ornaments, crystal icicles and various antique ornaments with my children and my favorite sister-in-law who appreciates vintage. Instead of decorating a live tree in our limited space, I fondly prepare my Grinch tree. My small tree is the color of the Grinch. It is wound with orange and purple Halloween lights that flash and blink, and drive my husband crazy. The branches have Martha Stewart's shiny round ornaments. In between those bulbs, my Christmas spiders weave the season's magic. Most folks are surprised about the carefully crafted bead and wire spiders, but there’s a good reason I chose spiders. First, I am by trade a hand weaver. I have a spider tattoo named Deloris on my shoulder. Spiders are also good for the environment. We live in the cold Northern Plains so we have very few run-ins with poisonous varieties. One year, I enlisted the help of the grandchildren to make a few spiders for me under the guise of a craft project after Thanksgiving Dinner. They are on to me now and make faces when I bring up “making” things at my house. Have you heard the legend of the Christmas Spider? On Christmas Eve, a mother began to clean so her house would be ready to be blessed by the Christ Child's birth. Vacuuming sent those spiders in a frenzy of legs to the basement to find new corners to weave webs. While the family slept peacefully in anticipation of Christmas morning, during the night, the spiders returned to find the main house clean and adorned with decorations. In the center of the room, a Christmas tree. In their excitement, the spiders danced through the tree branches to admire each ornament spinning strands of dull spider silk behind. Naturally, when the Christ Child arrived on Christmas Day, He loved that His creatures created such beautiful webs, however, wasn’t convinced the mother who worked so hard the day before would feel the same way. So, the child touched the webs, and behold, they took on gold and silver shimmers. In the morning, the family discovered a true Christmas miracle. The tree was glowing with beautiful silver and gold threads and the tradition of hanging tinsel and shiny garland on a Christmas tree was born. To honor the spiders' weaving, the mother hangs a spider ornament on the tree every Christmas. I happen to have a few more. Being of German-Russian descent, some legends have Weihnachtsmann, German for Father Christmas performing the miracle of the spider webs. So that’s why my tree has spiders. |
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