Typically summer is when I make potato salad since salads and summer kinda go hand in hand. But, this recipe is scrumptious any time of year. It’s especially handy after Easter when I’m trying to make use of the dozens of eggs we dyed.

Since we always have plenty of fresh eggs, this recipe calls for a few more than an ordinary potato salad. It reminds of a potato salad and egg salad mash up.

INGREDIENTS

• 20 red potatoes
• 1 cup dill pickles, diced
• 7 hard boiled eggs, or steam ’em like I do
• 2 tablespoons yellow or white onion, diced
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise, store bought or homemade
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 3 tablespoons pickle juice
• 2 teaspoons parsley, minced
• sea salt or kosher salt
• pepper
• paprika

THE POTATOES

Scrub potatoes.

Peel them, if you feel like it. Some days I give them a rough peel, some times I don’t peel them at all.

Slice potatoes in half.

Boil until fork tender. For me, that’s usually right around 22 minutes.

Drain.

Smash the potatoes – ideally with a potato masher. Mine, however, has ran away never to return apparently, so I use a fork. You are not making mashed potatoes, so a rough smashing will do.

If you opted not to peel your potatoes, you might want to pick out some of the larger skin pieces. That’s what I do.

ADDING THE OTHER STUFF

While the potatoes are boiling, I prepare the other ingredients.

I mince parsley, preferably the fresh stuff from our garden.

I dice the onion and pickles. I prefer little pieces, so I dice them fairly fine.

I use an egg slicer to chop the eggs.

When the smashed potatoes are cooled slightly, I stir in the mayo, mustard, pickle juice, salt, pepper and paprika.

Next I fold in the eggs, pickles and onion.

The final step is mixing in the parsley.

This recipe makes about 7.5 cups of smashed potato salad.

ENJOY!

Find a fork and dig in. It’s delicious!

Save

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At this time, our products are only offered locally. Each week we have two meeting locations for pick up.

Ordering
Locally Produced Products

• Using our online shop, place your order by Sunday evening for Tuesday or Wednesday pick up.
• In the notes section on the checkout page, list which day you would like to pick up your product(s).

Meeting Times & Places

Tuesday nights in North Plains, OR at 6pm
Wednesday mornings in Banks, OR at 10am

* More detailed information available when order is placed. This will be sent to the email address submitted with your order.
* summer hours will differ

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On my quest to find ways to use all the feed sacks, I came up with bags to grow herbs and greens.

Making them is very similar to sewing the tote bag. The differences are size and no handles.

This is a fairly easy sewing project. My biggest problem, as always, is using the feed sack as fabric. It is slippery and sometimes jams the needle in my sewing machine. Going slow seems to help.

CUTTING THE BAG FOR HEIGHT

Trim the top and bottom of the bag to 12″ high.

CUTTING THE WIDTH OF THE BAG

Using scissors, cut the back of the bag down the middle.

Fold the bag in half(ish), centering the front.

From the center line, measure over 14″ & cut.

ADDING EMBELLISHMENTS

These bags were meant to be placed in my kitchen window and/or front porch, so I wanted to add just a little something for a homey feel. I have quite the lace and ribbon stash, so I chose to use them for the added decor.

It is easiest to add the lace and ribbon while the bag is one flat piece of fabric. I prefer to sew on the pretty stuff prior to sewing the bag back together.

To hold the lace in place while sewing, I first used a bit of fabric glue. It wasn’t totally necessary, but, it did help.

I chose a medium width ribbon, so there was enough to fold over the top of the bag. This created a nice, finished look to the bag.

SEWING THE BAG BACK TOGETHER

Fold the bag in half, inside facing out. Sew along the open edge about 1/2″ in. I sew a double line for extra durability.

Arrange the bag, inside out, so the seam is in the middle of the back. This ensures that the design on the front of your bag is centered.

Sew along the bottom edge.

BOXED CORNERS

The boxed corners are tricky to figure out at first. But, once you figure out how to fold the bag, they’re a cinch.

First, fold/push the bottom of the bag at each side to create a corner. The corner you make lays flat, but don’t expect the rest of the bag to.

I prefer these herb bags to have a wide bottom, so I create a fairly large boxed corner. On each side of the pointy corner, measure and place a mark at 3.5″.

Draw a line connecting the marks.

Sew along the line. Again, I do a double stitch.

Trim off excess fabric.

Repeat on the other side.

Turn the bag so the pretty side is out.

A PEEK INSIDE THE BAG

When done, the inside of the bag should look similar to this:

THE BAG IS COMPLETE

FILLING THE BAG

I put about 2″ of gravel at the bottom of the bag to help with drainage.

Next, I added dirt & compost.

Finally, I added plants. I started plants from seed earlier in the season, so I used those in the bags. Some bags had herbs, some had lettuce & kale.

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Years ago we acquired a 3 barrel garden fountain. I liked it, but we didn’t have a place for it. We finally have a patio and a nice place for a fountain. However, I wanted to try herb gardens on the patio and these unused barrels seemed perfect.

Two of the barrels just wasting space in the yard.

GETTING THE BARRELS READY FOR HERBS

The main purpose of the barrels was to grow herbs. But, I envisioned our new patio with lights, so the barrel install included posts for hanging lights.
Top Left: Metal posted cemented into an old plant container. The container is placed in the barrel.
Top Right: Gravel spread at the bottom of barrel for drainage.
Bottom Left: Barrel filled with dirt & compost.
Bottom Right: Tomato cage placed over the post and into the dirt to support climbing or vining plants.

THE HERBS

I started many of the herbs from seed. I also bought a few from a local nursery.

HERB BARREL

The herb barrel and surrounding pots include:
Basil – Siam Queen
Lemon Balm – Melissa officialnis
Marjoram – Golden
Oregano – Sicilian
Parsley – Italian Flat Leaf
Rosemary – Simplyherbs & Tuscan Blue
Sage – Salvia officinalis & Dwarf Green
Tarragon – French
Thyme – Dot Wells French

extras:
Morning Glory – just for a tall, pretty element
Cucumber – that I didn’t plant (on purpose anyway)

the label:
black paint on brick

My original plan was to create three herb barrels. Somewhere along the way I altered the plan. One barrel is primarily herbs. One of the others is a pizza themed barrel. And the third barrel has a taco theme.

PIZZA GARDEN

Basil – Dolce Fresca, Sweet (Ocimum basilicum),
Chives
Oregano – Sicilian
Tomato – Costoluto Genovese, Aunt Ruby’s, & Black Plum
Thyme – Dot Wells French

the label:
sharpie on broken terra cotta pot
Next to the label I added a love rock. I put the rock here mainly because it makes me happy. Plus, I love pizza. And Italy.

TACO GARDEN

Coriander – Santo (Coriandrum sativum)
Peppers – Ancho Tiburon, Jalepeno Conchos, Cayenne Ring of Fire, & Anaheim
Tarragon – MexicanTomato  – Black Plum

the label:
black paint on a rock
There is also a rock with a tomato label painted by a child in Farm Kid2’s class.

PATIO LIGHTS

Each of the barrels has a cemented post with lights hanging from it. I wanted lights that could withstand our windy, rainy weather. I ended up getting the ones from Costco. They’re quite heavy duty and weigh more than I imagined. This put more strain on the posts than I was anticipating.

Two of the posts handle the pull from the lights well enough to be left alone. But, one of the posts leaned more than we were comfortable with. The temporary solution for this summer was running a guy wire from the top of the post to a chunk of wood. It’s not fancy, but it’s working.

The lights. The herb/pizza/taco barrels. They all turned out awesome. I love it!

This set up really has worked perfectly. I’m using fresh herbs more than in previous years since they are right out the kitchen door. Also, for some unknown reason the deer are leaving the plants alone. Score!

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• Still picking typical green zucchini and less typical golden zucchini. They’re lookin’ pretty good.
• Pepper in the taco garden.
• Herb Barrel going strong.
• Using up the many eggs we are getting: Breakfast Burrito’s, Egg Muffins, Egg Wraps
• Wee little black copper marans
• Gettin’ the stink eye
• Apples on our tree! Still so excited to see this!

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The summer harvest season is here. All the time and effort is paying off in delicious ways.

MAIN GARDEN AREA

Squash. That pretty much sums up what we’re getting from the main garden right now.

In a separate bed, but still in the main garden, are more squash & pumpkins. I planted these later than the first batch, but I think we’ll still get to harvest them before the first frost.

There is a handful of other things in varying stages in the garden, as well.

Raspberries! At the beginning of July, the raspberries were quite plentiful. A couple times I went to the garden for other tasks and came back with a shirt full of raspberries because I just couldn’t resist. By the end of July, the raspberries are mostly gone, but we are still getting a few.

FRUIT TREES

The plums were green at the beginning of July. But, now almost a month later they are ripe and delicious.

We have one apple tree that is so full of apples the tree can’t support them. I will happily take this problem. Our fruit trees, in general, have not done well over the years. I’m thrilled we will have more than one or two apples to munch on.

AQUAPONICS & GREENHOUSE

The tomatoes, Mexican sour gherkins, and Asian eggplants have gone bonkers in the greenhouse.

HERBS

Much of last year’s sage in the main garden has already grown, flowered, and gone to seed. Farm Kid2 collected some of the seed.

The herb barrels are doing well. The parsley, especially, is growing almost faster than I can harvest and use or preserve. I didn’t tend to the cilantro well enough and much of it has flowered and gone to seed. So, I planted more and will hopefully stay more on top of harvesting it. I also planted more basil, since much of the basil didn’t transplant well.

I have never grown tarragon until now. I’ve decided I’m not a huge fan of the flavor. But, I do love its flowers.

In the herb barrels are also a couple non-herbs – tomatoes and peppers. At this time, the best growing pepper is called Ancho Tiburon.

BOUNTY

Bounty in these pics:
Lavender – Harvested. Hung to dry. And now placed in a jar waiting to become sachets or soap.
Red Tomatoes – Turned into marinara with onions from the garden and herbs from the patio herb barrels.
Yellow Cherry Tomatoes – Just for snacking
Mexican Sour Gherkins – Also, for snacking
Kale – Let’s be honest. I’m not a fan of kale. I fed it to the chickens. In exchange I collected their beautiful, scrumptious eggs.
Raspberries – Devoured
Parsley – This batch was used in potato salad and the rest was frozen in oil to use at another time.
Squash/Zucchini – The majority of the squash has been blanched and frozen. The larger one were given to the chickens. And, some were made into zoodles.
Calendula – Picked. Dried. Now sitting in grape seed oil. Later I will transform the calendula/grape seed oil into a salve.

What fresh items are you harvesting?

The post How Our Garden Grows – July 2016 appeared first on .

Thankfully, we had a mild spring. So, planting the garden early worked out perfectly. Everything has gotten off to a fabulous start. Some things are even ready to enjoy.

MAIN GARDEN AREA

Well, it’s not our most beautiful garden. Parts of it are horribly overgrown. It needs weeded. But, the majority of the produce is growing well.

Zucchini

In a separate bed, I recently planted rows of squash, pumpkins, and gourds.

Since I started the herbs early in the greenhouse, the cilantro has already flowered… oops. It will need to plant more seed. I love cilantro.

The raspberries are starting to ripen. Yay!

Some of the lettuce and kale could already be cut.

The tomatoes have lovely, yellow flowers. This is the beginning of my impatient waiting for the onset of glorious, red tomatoes.

This was fun to watch. One cedar waxwing shared its red berry with its friend.

FRUIT TREES

Apples and plums are doin’ their growing thing.

AQUAPONICS & GREENHOUSE

In the greenhouse we have tomatoes at varying stages, an Asian eggplant is flowering, lettuce and kale are ready, Mexican sour gherkins are ready to be picked, and a few beans are making an appearance.

The post How Our Garden Grows – June 2016 appeared first on .

We took a risk last month and planted our summer garden. So far so good. The weather has cooperated and everything is growing well… including the weeds.

THE MAIN GARDEN AREA

Lots of greens, beets, radishes, onions, tomatoes and herbs growing.

HERBS

Over grown sage in the garden.

A variety of herbs growing nicely in the greenhouse.

I put together three herb gardens in old barrels and set them on our patio. Most items transplanted well, but the basil was not impressed with the move. I have intentions of blogging about them later.

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This is about a month earlier than our normal, but we planted the garden. At least, part of it. I had many plants started and ready to be moved outside and the weather seems to be cooperating, so we gave it a whirl. So far, so good.

Even with the pigs being in part of the garden for awhile, it is still a weedy mess.

Farmer John tilled a small section in the garden for our first phase of planting.

Many of my tomato, kale, and herb starts were planted. The kids also planted a few things like radishes, beets, and watermelon.

The good news – 2 weeks in the garden and all my plants are doing well. The bad news – the weeds are doing well, too.

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September is nearly over and our garden is coming to a close for the year. This wasn’t our most prolific gardening season, but we managed to enjoy a bit of home grown goodies.

OUR GARDEN

WEEDS
Let’s just be honest. The garden has far more weeds growing in it than edible produce.

However, there are still a few goodies growing between the weeds.

EGGPLANT & KALE

POTATOES & ONIONS
We dug up the potatoes and onions and set them out to dry for a few days.

PUMPKINS
I picked all the little pumpkins. Eventually I’ll get around to setting up something pretty for the fall holidays.

I left the Cinderella & Atlantic Giant pumpkins in the garden.

What’ s up with this scrawy, thing? Too little, too late there fella.

GARDEN VISITORS
A whole flock of Golden-crowned sparrows spend most of their day in the garden. I don’t blame them. There’s a ton for them to snack on.

AQUAPONICS & GREENHOUSE

Eggplant, Mexican sour gherkins, swiss chard, okra, tomatoes and peppers are growing in the greenhouse.

FRUIT TREES & GRAPES

We have a couple wimpy apple trees that we’ve gotten a few apples from this year. They’re delicious.

Our 2 grape vines are doing well. The kids have picked quite a few grape clusters. I don’t love this variety, but the rest of the family eats them.

I think that’s about it for the garden this year. We missed the time to plant for a fall garden. Darn it. That works out ok, though. We’re going to move a combination of pigs, goats, chickens and/or ducks to the garden to clean up our mess. They’ll love it. And, we won’t have quite as much to do come spring. Win, win for all of us.

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