find a sunny spot on your property that already has some dead wood in it.
add more dead wood and pile it up.
make sure to add some beach sand and seaweed - yes, i added the seaweed by hand- i love seaweed! also dump a bucket of seaweed water on it.
add some dirt and get jambaloney to jump up and down to pack it in all of the nooks and crannies of the wood.
and now you have a pretty quick and dirty alpine strawberry bed!
here's a closeup of the tiny little guys.
since it's the long weekend and everyone else is vacationing...find another sunny spot. in this case, we dug up a bit in order to get some extra dirt.
same process - add your rotten logs.
and your seaweed, beach sand and seaweed tea.
and now you have a quick and dirty asparagus bed!
since i introduced you all to our "guard dog" in the last post, i thought i should introduce you to "the project manager". it never fails - whenever jambaloney is out working on a project, then "the project manager" will be out there with him. managing the projects. like he is doing below.
his name is noodle, nudie and nudie-nu. it's because he doesn't wear pants.
there's some beautiful little flowers that grow all over the place - i just love them!
and here's the original hugel kultur. jambaloney is out there adding more dead logs to it. i am the one who gathered the clumps of moss.
after a long hard day's work, some seriously-satisfying comfort food is a must - hence - homemade cheesy macaroni.
as you can see - we don't skimp on the cheese - oh no!
add some red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and yer good to go! we ate the whole pan over the course of the day/night.
and now the long weekend is over so it's back to work for us. cheers!
I don't have land, but I do have a fairly nice size backyard. I am going to start getting serious again about growing some of our own food. I used to grow all knds of things in California,but when we moved to Virginia nothing grew easily and I gave up. You and that man of yours have me all worked up, so it's time to quit dreaming and start doing!
ReplyDeleteagirl - you can easily throw together some hugelkultures or even get some pots of stuff going - i am sure that you can grow at least some of your own food - like herbs or even a few potatoes. i am glad that you are worked up! that's awesome! jambaloney was thrilled by your coming back to comment on the last post. your a sweetie! xox
DeleteMac and cheese...the PERFECT comfort food! I like to toss in some tiny pieces of country ham before baking...yum!
ReplyDeleteoh ya - you know it Lamb! i also sometimes throw in bacon - yummeh! or tomatoes and hamburger - yummeh! mac and cheese is awesome!
DeleteBusy work - but satisfying :) Did you have enough sun to cook your macaroni cheese in your solar oven?
ReplyDeleteDani - should have known you'd call me on the solar oven!!! we haven't made one yet and although my friend North recommended that we cover the hillbilly suntanning windbreak with tinfoil in order to suntan and cook at the same time - we don't have enough tinfoil - bahahahah! we'll be getting on the solar oven project pronto!
Deleteyour solar oven cooking books are awesome and if anyone is interested in getting solar oven recipes - go to Dani's blog. i bought all of her recipe pdf's for $14 and it is money well spent! i encourage you all to do the same!
kymber - If you (or jambaloney) needs some help with the design, take a look at what John Wells (the field lab) reckon's might do the trick (http://www.omick.net/solar_ovens/current_solar_oven.htm). It's quite a fancy one, with plenty of bells and whistles like being able to be tilted and turned. They also go into detail about the double glazed glass - and I would HIGHLY recommend that TEMPERED (TOUGHENED) glass is used.
DeleteLove the hugelkulture thing...we have tons of dead wood around here, but no seaweed or sand. Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteLooks like things are coming along there--and the mac and cheese looks delish. I made a quinoa chili yesterday--seemed fitting since the weather has dropped a good 20 degrees. sheesh...we'll eat it for a couple of days...and himself will take it in his lunch.
Happy Tuesday, kymber and jambaloney!!
PS--The project manager looks alot like my Jinga (also known as Jingles, jingaboo, booboo, jingjing) And I thought we were the only ones who gave our animals a bout 20 names! lol
Akannie - you don't have to use seaweed and sand - it's just that we have it available. you can do the exact same thing minus the seaweed and sand - and the hugel kultures are pretty quick to throw together!
Deletei loooooove quinoa! i have not had quinoa chili - am gonna need your recipe!
happy tuesday right back at you my friend!
teehee - our friend 1st Man left a comment about his cats having several names like ours do. i am glad that you do the same thing! i love jingaboo!
thanks for your sweet comments - they always make me smile!xox
Will the salt of the seaweed and beach sand hurt the plants? Nice job.
ReplyDeleteStephen - most plants love the salt and don't get enough of it - especially tomatoes and heavy feeders like asparagus and potatoes. the seaweed will decompose and turn into beautiful dirt along with the rotting wood. thanks buddy!
DeleteAdd some lobster to that M&C.
ReplyDeleteWith all that salt just planting your potatoes in that will they taste like potato chips?? How about plating chives and maybe toss in some ranch dressing mix and some sour cream too. Maybe BBQ sauce?? I wounder what seaweed chips tastes like?? How about some trout too??
Yes I am a SA but hey someone has to to it, besides I don't charge for my comedy.
holy moly Rob - i never thought of adding lobster to the mac and cheese - that is an awesome idea!!!! oh that will take mac and cheese to a whole new level!
Deleteyes - yer a SA but at least your cheap - bahahahaha! seaweed chips taste awesome btw!
Hey Kymber - Noodle does what all project managers do best - don't you think ?!?! You guys are doing great with the hugel kulture beds ... I think you should have tons of strawberries and asparagus - and whatever you else you plant.
ReplyDeleteSave me a little spot to make my own hugel hill - looks like a rewarding way to spend some time in the great outdoors ! I would have eaten all that yummy mac and cheese too !
Love Always my Sweet Sis - Helga xoxoxoxo
sweet sis - you nailed it! noodle is one of the best project managers and i have known many who do exactly what he does - roll around on their backs waiting for someone to scratch their bellies - bahahahahah! and yes - we planted the strawberries and asparagus on the little hill at the top of the driveway - it is always sunny there and it is an area that is naturally protected during the winter. we planted them far enough apart that they can spread over the years - i can't wait until we are eating our own asparagus!!! we have wild strawberries all over our land to eat until the alpines produce fruit.
Deletewe have a ton of land and i will go and mark a spot for you. watch for an upcoming post on it, k? love always back to my sweet sis - xoxoxox!
Kymber, Hey there girl!!! Looks like all is well with you and Jambaloney. Hard at work making those garden underground boxes I see. They look great and you've already planted the strawberries and asparagus. Watch out and make sure the little critters don't go after your strawberries, they loved mine :-)
ReplyDeleteDoes the Office Manager, Noodle always lay back and relax on the job? LOL!!!!!
The last time you posted your home made lasagna, I had to make some because it looked so good. Now you post mac and cheese, omg....your making me hungry again. Have you ever tried mac and cheese with green chiles? If not, your missing out.
hey Sandy - all is well with us and we have been busy-busy - but we love it! we don't really get many critters around here - we have 2 snowshoe hares who show up daily to get their fill of peanuts and clover - plus all of our tires, raised beds and hugelkultures have chicken wire around them! sorry that the critters are going after your strawberries! and yes, Noodle always lays back and relaxed on the job - just like all of the project/office managers i have met in my life - bahahahahah! i have not tried mac and cheese with green chiles - but jambaloney loves hot and spicey stuff and he said he would love it! next time i'll have to add the chiles for him! xox
DeleteDo you have bears in the area????
ReplyDeleteAround here, the wretched nasty devils are always tearing up dead and down wood looking for tasty little disgusting things to eat, which means they will dig up everything you bury, especially with wood in it.
I even buried a bear only to have another one dig it up and eat it. Now THAT's disgusting.
Winston
Winston buddy - there are black bears in the area but because this area is so lightly populated - they stick to their area of the woods. i think that you have many more bears in your area than ours - yer in a real bear area. we saw bear tracks on our road near the river a year ago - but we think that guy was just crossing the river. our black bears are shy and because they have so much area not populated by people - they tend to stay away. sorry you have so many problems with bears. and ya - that is disgusting!
DeleteYup, here is WAAAYYYYY worse. Next door a mile away is a commercial pear orchard. When fruit starts ripening the vermin come arunning from 20 miles downwind. Takes 'em 10 minutes to reduce my trees to stovewood, then they go down to Uncle Milt's place and grow fat on Asian Pears, in the process of devastating his orchard.
DeleteAnd Uncle Milt passed on two years ago so the bears are just running wild now.
Not too many years ago, if a bear was bad in Yosemite Park he got a yellow ear tag. Second offense he got another ear tag. Third offense, they took out his ear tags, and released him in OUR area. We know this by all the bears with perforated ears that got caught one time or another. Bears that wear earrings suck. Can you guess now how I got my last name?
Winston
oh my goodness - THAT is bad! and there are a lot of them eh? i never wondered where you got your last name from - i always knew buddy!
DeleteYum on the mac and cheese. I guess you didn't call it Kraft dinner since it is homemade, lol. If jambaloney is required to jump on the pile to make it work, you'll have to lease him out.
ReplyDeleteno way! when it's homemade you call it mac and cheese! as for jambaloney - leasing him out can be arranged. and for pretty cheap, too - bahahahahahahah!
DeleteI think we have paternal twin cats. They look alot alike.
ReplyDeleteis yours as lazy and demanding as ours? if so, i feel for ya buddy!
DeleteWe must address ours as THE QUEEN at all times and never let the bottom of her food bowl show. She insists on having a bed right next to my son's computer so that she can be stroked at all times unless she wishes to go out (or in) in which case we should be there before she wants either and waiting.
Deleteoh yes. they are paternal twin cats for sure! noodle comes to the doorway of the bedroom several times a night and screeches until one of us wakes and feeds him. or lets him out. or gives him snackdy-mows. thank goodness it's usually poor jambaloney who wakes first. not last night tho. crap!
DeleteThanks for this posting. I hope to get some huggie kultures put in at the country house this summer and want to plant asparagus in them next spring. We have a lot of dead wood available near there, mostly pecan & pine limbs.
ReplyDeleteSince we aren't there to water regularly I am banking on this method to keep everything moist. Anyone I mention this to just looks at me like I've lost my mind. I believe in it though will be watching how yours are doing.
DFW
DFW - you are sooo welcome! this method of farming/gardening has been practiced in central and eastern europe for forever - once you hugel kultur is built - no more tilling! this method is a good one if you aren't going to be out watering regularly! i will keep you updated on ours! and don't worry about anyone else - when you have a garden that is the envy of gardener's everywhere - you can very adroitly say "i told you so" - bahaahahahah!
DeleteI love your ideas about garden beds, that is a good idea in a area where it is not practical to plow. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDear Duke, buddy - that's exactly it! and we have tons of areas on our property that just aren't practical to plow. we plan on having jambaloney go out and run the atv across a few places, add some dirt, plant and be done! your very welcome, my friend!
Deletegood idea..god knows I have enough dead wood to do something like this too..we really wanted to do your tire potatoes but ran out of time and energy..and then there was the booze during the long weekend..ah well..looks interesting..can't wait to see how it turns out!
ReplyDeletebahahahahahah! the booze can't be helped during the long weekend egb! but ya - if you've got dead wood laying around - this is a great use for it. or if you just can't get to certain areas to plow or till...you can use this method! and it's not too late to start the potatoes!
DeleteI have a cat like that, he needs to be beside us everywhere and if he is not with me he is with a cow! Love these raised beds but mostly I love the lack of preciousness about them (if that makes any sense) they are just so organic.. you grab some stuff, dump it in and voila! excellent! i look forward to seeing the plants grow.. you have a fantastic property.. celi
ReplyDeleteceli...i pity you if you have a cat like ours - he's a little monster! and i love the way that you described the hugel kultures....lack of preciousness and organic....yes that is exactly what it is! we have a very beautiful piece of land that we love and enjoy - thank you! xox
DeleteI understand. This is a great way of utilizing land sometimes that is not suited to tilling. I have lots of places where I would like to grow something other than natural scrub, but where the rocks make tilling impractical. A few of these might enable some foodstuffs to grow. I love your place.
ReplyDeleteyes Jane - you do understand! and this is a great way to utilize land that is not suited to tilling/plowing...or is packed and full of rocks. and you just let the hills slowly collapse into themselves and as they do...the rotting wood aerates and creates delicious earth. i love this method. i hope that you can give it a try. thanks so much for always stopping in. it means the world to both of us. xoxoxo
DeleteCool
ReplyDeleteDear Folks,
ReplyDeleteI have become hooked on your blog of daily adventures at Framboise Manor. I even like the name you gave to your home and property. Congratulations on choosing this life style. You have an amazing way of telling a story and I love your enthusiasm. Looking forward to see how and where your life journey takes the two of you. By the way, where is the island that you call home?