“Food is not just eating energy. It’s an experience”- Guy Fieri

My childhood was filled with the sight of garden tomatoes, their vibrant red hues contrasting with their whimsical stems, as they ripened on my grandma’s kitchen windowsill. The taste of those tomatoes, especially when sandwiched between two slices of bread, was unparalleled. No other sandwich could match the burst of flavor from that fat, juicy slice of a homegrown tomato, nurtured by Grandma’s magic touch!

From One Foodie to Another!

In this blog, I’ll delve into the delectable world of garden food, the sheer joy of tending to a backyard garden, and the art of cultivating and nurturing good soil to sustain it. But for now, let’s return to the heart of it all-Grandma.

Let’s ‘lettuce Be Friends’ because ‘Tomato is the New Day’ (A medley my grandma used to sing to me). Join me on this journey of gardening and food, where every day is a new adventure!

My grandma Inez, aka Grandma Sassy, would make me a ham sandwich for lunch every Saturday. She would cook up a ham fresh pulled from the oven and slice up thin sheets of that sweet and savory goodness with her long meat knife. The ham piled high on soft Mrs. Baird’s fresh bread with Miracle Whip Salad Dressing, cold and crisp iceberg lettuce, that thick cut of the juicy fat garden tomato with a pinch of salt and pepper, yummy yum!  There isn’t anything more country and better tasting than that handmade sandwich on a hot summer’s day! I learned early on the difference in taste and quality of sandwiches at an early age. As kids, we had peanut butter and jelly or bologna with American cheese at my house. But at Grandma Sassy’s, we had the works! This sandwich and all her home cooking created a foodie!

“I Call It Like I See It”. -Dave Portnoy

If I were the one-bite pizza review guy Dave Portnoy, and my show was about reviewing sandwiches in one bite, I’d have significant comparisons. Dave raves about Pizza and says things like its Neapolitan style and the flop and undercarriage, and he eats that Pizza crust like it’s nobody’s business. I’ve had not-so-good sandwiches outside my grandma’s house. However, I seldom order sandwiches at a restaurant because I make amazing ones at home. After all, if you know, you know, but when you’re on the go, my go-to is preferably a sandwich. From grocery stores to little sandwich shops, fast food, and fast-casual chains. The good ones always have the freshest (garden fresh), whole ingredients and the best ones are made with love, like at Grandma’s House!

“There’s No Place Like Home, Except Grandma’s House.” -Unknown

Because food is fantastic and has good, better, and best levels, the best of us talk about the deliciousness of a great food experience. Delicious food has the best ingredients, freshness, preparation from experience, and presentation. The folks that make it simply love great-tasting food usually deriving from a backyard garden of goodness. Hence, I will always want a backyard garden. This way, I continue my grandma’s greatness, savor, and deliciousness legacy! However, that is just the food side; there is much more to a garden story!

Let’s Have a Garden Party, Lettuce Turn Up the Beets! -Anonymous

Growing your own isn’t easy, but it is worth it! We have a vegetable garden in our backyard. It’s not perfect by any means, and we are always working on getting the seeds or seedlings planted in time, working on the soil and the watering system, chasing the hens out, and staking the climbing vegetables. There is much more to this list, narrowed down its constant work, but farm-to-table food is rated a Ten in my book.

God Made Rainy Days So Gardeners Could Get Housework Done!

We bought our home a year ago but could not build a garden then as we were super busy moving, unpacking, and renovating rooms. We are still renovating but have caught up enough to get to work in our backyard. I want a beautiful, well-rounded yard, and we shall get there. However, this summer, we succeeded in maximizing its potential by planting, sowing, reaping the harvest, and finding joy in the work.

It was by the sweat of our brow, putting our shoulder to the wheel, pushing along the grind, creating it. We made several trips to the East end of the Island at the lagoon, hauling off large pieces of driftwood. We would tie them around our waist, drag them behind us, carry them on our shoulders and under our arms, and even bring a furniture dolly to haul other pieces; a furniture dolly is rugged to push in the sand. But we utilized nature and cleaned the beach while gleaning debris for a whimsical garden border. We faced cold days, brisk winds, sweltering heat, sore feet, shoulders, arms, and back while saving money as we upcycled the land. We borrowed trucks to drive to get the least expensive bang for our buck-rich soil to mix in with other soil and equipment to churn up the large rectangle of land plotted out where we were to plant.  With all the challenges one can face building a backyard garden, we made it happen. Despite putting household renovations off for a time, we persevered and completed, making our garden a reality.

Farmer Noun: A Person who is outstanding in their field.

There was an order to it all. First, we custom-designed and built our hen house and chicken run, purchased our hens, then built our garden (aforementioned), and finally, built a compost bin, which has doubled in size.

 I appreciate a well-planned garden to pick from, one that is clean, colorful, and naturally shaped with organic materials, growing hearty, juicy, ripe whole foods, herbs, and fruits.

Besides a water source and sun exposure, a garden needs rich soil filled with nutrients from properly fed compost. Everything in our household gets used and reused, saving money and maximizing time.  Our compost is filled with grass clippings, leaves, natural food scraps, expired but healthy produce from markets that toss out food, spent coffee grounds, and more. We fill our bins layer by layer, allowing them to break down to help our garden gain all the resources it can.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Initially, God set forth a spiritual plan for us about herbs, seeds, grass, trees, etc. I find it no surprise that the message was clear right out the gate in the KJV of the Bible, sharing with us the goodness of the earth that God himself created. So, it says in Genesis 1:11-12, And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb-yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, herb-yielding seed after his kind, and the tree-yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The Ground’s Generosity Takes in Our Compost and Grows Beauty! Try to be More Like the Ground. -Rumi

Therefore, we mix it all, so why do I need compost in my life? God would not have put me on this Earth without giving me the resources I need to sustain me fully. Therefore, I am going to soak these resources up!

“Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years.” ~Unknown

As much as I can help, I like to create or organize what I consume. I am not a cookie cutter of everyday meals; my palate desires the spices in this world. After all, Spices invigorate the nervous system, which controls your immune system. Spices come from herbs, dried vegetables, and roots. When you add them to your palette perfectly, enhancing all their glory meant to maintain, sustain, and be a staple unto you, you will create a Geno Harmonic experience, which is lovely!

Just like this morning, I felt my body and brain needed Dark Chocolate (extremely good for stem cells), so I made a concoction of 2 heaping tablespoons of Organic Dark cocoa powder, a pinch of Celtic salt, two packets of Splenda, a heaping teaspoon of turmeric powder, a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper and whisked that together with Lactose-free milk, brought it to an appropriate steam, turned off the heat and added a two drops of homemade Madagascar Vanilla. I am happy and satisfied, and I want not to dismiss the added immune boost I embedded into my Hot Chocolate: Divine!

All that man needs for health and healing has been provided by God in nature, the Challenge of science is to find it.” -Paracelus

As a conscious grower, I select the garden seeds or seedlings with what I know I will cook, prep, and enjoy. I also plant herbs and marigolds to ward off the insects that will devour our food. I recently purchased a fishing license to catch seafood, which I am excited about. Also, the fish that fellow fishermen don’t want and gift to us we use for composting, making it extra nutritious for plant growth, adding another healthy element to this all-important soil.  Our homestead has hens, a vegetable garden, flowers, and more.

“Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates

Because of my years of eating clean, I am food- and chemical-sensitive, and I want the things that I eat and touch and am surrounded by to be naturally breathable and as organic as possible.

“If you don’t recognize an ingredient, your body won’t either.”– Unknown

Chemicals and pesticides are all around us and have side effects that impact the brain, body, air, and environment. I don’t want harmful things around me if I can help it, so I consciously make healthy choices for the things I can control.  For example, I don’t buy commercial cleaners; the smell makes me ill, and they are full of parabens. I do not use harmful soaps, OTC skin care, or air fresheners. For air purifiers and mood enhancers, I use diffusers filled with Organic oils that are wonderful for your orifice.

 I wear mostly 100% cotton or 100% linen, so my skin breathes, and my shoes are leather, cork, or wood, or I am barefoot.  The light makeup I use is organic, and the perfumes I create are from therapeutic-grade essential Oils and natural oils like coconut or castor. I drink from a copper cup once daily, followed by glass vs metal, rarely plastics if I can help it, and filter my water.

My toothpaste, laundry detergent, and dishwashing detergent are handmade weekly with natural ingredients. I do not take OTC meds; instead, if ever needed, I follow old-time medicine recipes using herbs and essential oils.

Self-Reliance Factor

With life in our yard, we feed our hens, feed our produce, gather eggs, harvest our produce, and eat sustainably.  

I can water bath each week or can something, be it salsa, jellies, sauces, and soups. I also make salves, sprays, and cleaners.

I design homemade crafts for our décor, shop at local thrift stores to upcycle or accompany a trinket in our home, and cook every day. All these things take time; it’s full-time work, but I find them joyful, rewarding, and very good for all.

“Be Industrious and frugal, and you will be rich.” -Benjamin Franklin

The waste, not want, not adage from lyricist Richard Edwardes is a good one. We waste nothing around here. Consumables get used up, and what is left gets recycled, fed to the chickens, or decomposed in compost. Each week, we make a trip to the local recycling center and are constantly cleaning up the beaches as we gather branches, shells, wood remnants, and unique finds for our gardens, pots, chicken run, hen house, and compost.  

It takes time to make the rounds each week or daily, but it is part of my routine, just like washing dishes or clothes. It fits into my schedule, and I prioritize it as a homemaker, among many other rewarding titles and duties.

I collaborate with local grocers and coffee shops who contribute to the productivity of our little homestead; we are indeed thankful for their assistance. We plan to expand our organic space to welcome pollinators to source honey and add more hens for egg production and composting. Plus, we will be renovating a detached small apartment kitchen into a garden house for microgreens to eat and sell in local markets and restaurants. Our upcoming garden house will also be home to trays of seedlings that sprout for our garden, as well as selling to other growers.

The island also has many resources for helpmates in your garden, from west to east. I have developed many friendships and found more support for local growers than I imagined. Homesteading Life is fun work, and people in this community are kind and resourceful, and we are all interdependent on one another. It takes a village to make this all happen. Thank you to our local villagers for your support and love!

Our Compost Bin

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I look left, right, and left again when I drive down the street; what people tend to go on the curbside may be a source for our homestead. I find good treasures from time to time, like our bin. I noticed a tall pile of pallets someone threw out to the curb and had them hauled to our property, where we custom-built a compost bin around a tree. The aerodynamics of the pallets help the contents breathe. However, I keep asking my husband to paint the bin; that’s the decorator in me, wanting all things aesthetically pleasing, even our compost bin!

Compost is based on The Principle of Return. It’s a way of using up what we have in abundance.

Gathering spent coffee grounds also helps divert organic waste from our landfills. This action of gathering and using coffee grounds improves your garden’s soil by providing nutrients to your plants and improving the soil’s water-holding capacity. Coffee grounds are best used in a compost rather than directly placed on top of your garden. The ideal portion of coffee grounds in your compost is about 10-20% of your total compost volume. Several times a week, you will see us making these layers as they break down quickly.

My local sources from retailers are both large and small. Sometimes, I gather small grocery sacks full, and in other places, I walk out with buckets full, and each place is happy to help. I take it home, unload it, and we get to work!

So why, again, is compost great? It adds a very dense nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, and iron source, keeping slugs and snails away yet inviting and attracting earthworms. Earthworms aerate the soil, which is most beneficial for a thriving garden.  The presence of earthworms in either compost or soil is a healthy indicator of microbial activity. To gain this nutrient-rich compost for our garden, we mix all organic materials such as mushroom compost, chicken manure, sawdust, organic garden waste, tiny seashells, lawn clippings, leaves, and even beer from time to time.

Adding expired fruits and vegetables also helps with rich soil health, waste reduction, and keeping excess trash out of landfills and waterways, as previously mentioned.

It takes a village to turn our garden and develop happy hens and soil. I occasionally make farm-to-table goodies for the market, gift-giving, and, naturally, personal consumption.

A recent book I picked up at a local thrift store for $0.50 called LET IT ROT: The Home Gardener’s Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell contains many valuable bits of information. You don’t need to know it all to get started. Sometimes, you must put the horse in front of the cart first, and soon, you shall be on your way to a slush pile of happiness!

I’d love your comments and feedback about this piece, compost tips, and anything relevant you’d like to tell me about your garden. Feel free to share this article, subscribe to this blog, and return for more reading fun. Thank you, and see you soon! -Renee

Open Invitation: Locals may join me in a weekly live Self Reliant class I teach on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. The class is free for all adults and the topics range from A-Z. Message me for a monthly class agenda and schedule.