Teach Your Children Well

In my opinion one of the biggest tragedies of urban living is the distance that is put between us and our food. If you do not garden or keep small animals all your food comes from the grocery store, not the the cow, chicken, pig, stream or earth. It is a separation that I feel has caused us to become callous and removed from the cycle of life and each other. The distance fosters little appreciation for the hard work of the farmer and laborer when in fact these are the very people who are at the heart of your dinner table. Municipalities often make it difficult to even sustain for yourself through strict covenants and city rules. I would challenge you that even if you don't have the room or will to raise your own food there are plenty of ways to foster this relationship. Take your kids fishing, visit the local farmers' market and check into many of the "agritainment" opportunities out there. You never know what you will find. And above all, be sure to foster this relationship for you children. They need to know where their food comes from and they need care about it!
Oh, and congratulations A, for bringing your first meal to the table!

Butterick 4842

I took a garden hiatus and made this dress for A last weekend. This is a Butterick 4842 dress and pant pattern for girls and boys. I have only made the dress shown. A few skulls seemed appropriate for fall! I found the pattern to be moderate on the clarity of instructions. Figuring out how to do the collar took a bit of thought but I think the dress turned out nicely. I will definitely make another one! I made the size 3 for a small 3 year old. Plenty of room to grow. It took me about 4 hours from pattern cut to finish product. I am sure second time around will get you there in 1-1.5 hrs.

Inspiration

Looking for some fun sewing ideas? Check out Dana of MADE! She has some of the cutest tutorials for both girls and boys!

Mum's the Word

Bargain Alert!!
Run, don't walk to the closest big box store and get your fill of cheap garden mums! They are a must have to make that transition into winter! I picked up several of the gallon size for $2.50 each since they are starting to clear them out of the stores!

Further Reading

Every once in a while I try to reward myself with something besides food and I have to say this was a great reward! The magazine is called Urban Farm and the "starter" edition is on the stands. I was trying of figure out how to order this magazine when I realized its not out yet! It seems to be an offshoot of the magazine Hobby Farm. Lots of terrific articles centered on urban sustainability. I think it is going to be something to watch for!

Bulbs: The follow up

Since a question was asked about which bulbs, I thought it appropriate to follow up on that topic. If you have nothing and want to get the biggest bang for your buck I would always go with the daffodil. There are tons of options ranging from yellow on yellow to peachy colors that don't even remind you of daffodils. Daffodils do a fabulous job of multiplying from year to year and make an excellent choice for cutting and bringing inside. Crocus and Grape Hyacinth together run a close second. They are typically the earliest arrivals in the spring but don't have quite the impact of a daffodil. As a result they are best planted where they can be noticed i.e. close to front door or walk. Third I would put the tulip. There are many splendid options. Some don't even look like what you would call a tulip. I run tulips as my third favorite as they have a habit of petering out after several years and are not quite as reliable. That said, pleas don't resist the urge to experiment! Sometimes the "lets wait and see" of it all can be the most exciting part!

Think Spring

BULBS! Its time to order your BULBS! I know its hard to think about spring, but unless you plan ahead you miss out on one of the delights that will most certainly keep you going in the dark of winter! I try to order and plant 100 bulbs each season. Up to this point I have had about zero luck with the bulbs you pick up in the big box stores. As a result, I always go with catalog ordering. One of the best benefits is that they ship when it is time for you to plant! I quite commonly use BRECKS and have been very satisfied with their product. NEW HOLLAND BULB COMPANY looks promising but a bit out of my price range. There are lots of companies to choose from! Just make sure you choose one and order right away!