I will be doing a series of Thursday evening gardening classes for the Wellness Center. Located at 3035 Wooster Rd., in Rocky River, the Wellness Center is operated by Fairview Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic hospital.For more information, or to register for classes, visit fairviewhospital.org/wellnesscenter or call 440-356-0670.

 

Here are the topics and dates.

Feb. 27: Seed Starting: There are advantages to starting your own seedlings. You can save money, especially if you normally buy a lot of plants. The real benefit, though, may be growing unusual varieties not found at the local greenhouse. Exotic and heirloom varieties, when available, go for premium prices.  In class you’ll learn the basics of starting seeds indoors, using grow lights, hardening off and much more. Handouts provided.

Mar. 6: Organic Gardening: If you are among the growing number of people who want fresh vegetables and fruits grown without pesticides check out this class. You’ll learn about organic controls from physical barriers to Eco-friendly sprays. Topics discussed will include integrated pest management, resistant cultivars and how timing of planting can help control pests. Handouts available in class.

Mar. 20: Herb Gardening: Have you ever thought about growing your own herbs? Fresh herbs are easy to grow and most require little maintenance. In class you’ll learn how to plant and maintain an herb garden and we will discuss many specific herbs and their uses. Harvest and storage will also be discussed. Optional text will be available in class.

Apr. 3: Vegetable Gardening: In this class you will learn the basics of starting a vegetable garden. Among the topics discussed will be site selection, planning, soil preparation and improvement, recommended varieties, mulching and space saving techniques. Handouts will be available.

Apr. 17: Composting:  Leaves, grass clippings and some kitchen waste can be converted into “black gold” through composting. In class we’ll cover the basics of starting and maintaining a compost pile, the role carbon and nitrogen play and composting no-nos. Composting saves money, improves your garden soil and helps the environment, too. Handouts.

 

If you are in need of seeds, or have some to share please stop by at the 4th Annual Food Not Lawns Seed Swap this Saturday, February 22.  The event runs from 11-3 at Grace Lutheran Church at 13001 Cedar Rd. in Cleveland Heights. This is the event that had to be rescheduled because of snow on the original date.

I will be there along with City Rising Farm and other groups. Mari Keating has put together a fun day- with Chris McClellan, of Natural Cottage Project, doing a demo on rocket stoves.  Seriously, there are a lot of seeds available- even if you don’t have any seeds to share you can pick up some for your garden. They are non GMO and Mari really out does herself with the selection. Note- nothing is for sale- seeds are free. There is also a potluck you are welcome to participate in and a Freecycle table, too.

I will have my books and herbs for sale and will be answering gardening questions. I had a lot of fun at last year’s seed swap. Hope you can stop by to join us. Let’s all start thinking about Spring and gardens!!!!

Also let me know if you are in need of pots. I have a pretty good supply of pots in the 2-4 gallon range and I will happily bring them along.

Due to weather conditions that would require a dog sled to get around, the Food Not Lawns Seed Swap, scheduled for today, January 25, 2014 has been postponed. I’ll post the new date once I get it. Stay safe and warm my friends.

If you are in need of seeds, or have some to share please stop by at the 4th Annual Food Not Lawns Seed Swap this Saturday. The event runs from 11-3 at Grace Lutheran Church at 13001 Cedar Rd. in Cleveland Heights.

I will be there along with City Rising Farm and other groups. Mari Keating has put together a fun day- with Chris McClellan, of Natural Cottage Project, doing a demo on rocket stoves.  Seriously, there are a lot of seeds available- even if you don’t have any seeds to share you can pick up some for your garden. They are non GMO and Mari really out does herself with the selection. Note- nothing is for sale- seeds are free. There is also a potluck you are welcome to participate in and a Freecycle table, too.

I will have my books and herbs for sale and will be answering gardening questions, too. I had a lot of fun at last year’s seed swap. Hope you can stop by to join us. Let’s all start thinking about Spring and gardens!!!!

I will confess to having a lot of cooking tools and gadgets. I’m not talking about the basics all kitchens need like good knives and pots and pans. I am talking about an assortment of tools for very specific tasks. While I have not succumbed to buying the banana slicer yet I do have a few of the “as seen on TV” items. Some were worth the money but most end up in a cabinet somewhere almost never used or slated for donation or garage sale status. Still, there are some gadgets I could not be without. Pictured is one of them. It’s a clever device called a Mouli Julienne. Originally from France they are no longer made. My mother had one – hers was metal. By the time I was in the market for one they were made of plastic. Before food processors were around this simple device, with an assortment of different blades, made it easy to shred and grate all sorts of foods. I love it when I have a lot of hard cheeses to grate. Great for shredding veggies, too.

Why do I still use it? I have several food processors. Certainly easier to use one of them. Maybe it’s out of habit or a certain sentiment because I remember using one as a kid. But I think because, as with any good tool, it is a pleasure to use. It may have gone by the wayside and fallen victim to newer and better devices but for me it is a good tool. Simple and easy to use and I am saddened that they aren’t made anymore.  Maybe I am a dinosaur- I still prefer a non-electric can opener, too.

So what tools are your favorites? What gadget could you not be without?

I bought quite a few bags of cranberries right after Thanksgiving and popped them in the freezer for later use. Decided to make cranberry juice last night. The juice came out great. Nothing like store-bought. It was really easy, too. I started with 5  (12oz.) bags of cranberries. I measured them out and added the same amount of water- each bag was just under 4 cups of berries so I added 3 1/2 cups of water for each bag. I brought this mixture to a boil and let it cook until the berries starting popping. I strained the juice twice. First time through a fine strainer and second time through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. I returned the juice to the pot and brought it up barely to a simmer. To sweeten it I added 6 oz. of frozen apple juice concentrate and less than a cup of sugar. Once the juice was up to a simmer I let it cook 5 minutes and then ladled it into clean, hot quart canning jars. I filled them to about 1/4 inch from the top, wiped the rims and closed the jars. I also used the last of it to fill a pint jar. Processed in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Ended up with 4 quarts and 1 pint for my efforts.  Don’t discard the pulp- you can make fruit roll ups with it.

This is one of the dishes we made in class last night. Fresh and colorful it was a big hit. It uses both green and yellow split peas in something other than soup. You can scale back the amounts- it does make a lot. The dish was inspired by my nephew  Danny’s love of sand art.

  Layered Bean Salad

 1 c. each green split peas, yellow split peas and red lentils

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained

1 c. diced sweet onion

1 c. diced sweet pepper

1 c. grated carrot

Cook split peas and lentils separately just until tender. Split peas, both green and yellow will take 20 minutes. Red lentils will take about 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse each under cold water when done and set aside until ready to use, or you can cook them a day ahead and keep chilled. Each will yield about 2 1/2 c. cooked.

In large glass bowl, place the following ingredients in this order.

Black beans, butter beans, green split peas. yellow split peas. onion, red lentils. carrots and peppers. Pour over dressing and chill several hours or overnight. Serve on a bed of greens.

Dressing *

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. vinegar

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2-3 T. sugar

1/2 c. parsley or cilantro

1 t. each chili powder, cumin and salt

dash hot sauce

 Combine in a blender or food processor until smooth.

*Note: Any bottled dressing you like can be used. Italian works very well. In class I served it with a balsamic dressing.