Director's Thought for the Week

Ministries Unlimited Thought For The Week (#17)

Spring Is Here!

Today as I sit looking out my window, I am longing to dig my hands into the soil and plant my vegetable garden. I come from a long line of gardeners and florists. The Ihle family immigrated from Germany in the early 1900s and planted themselves in Murphysboro, IL. Ihle Florist & Greenhouses was in the family for 5 generations from 1919 - 2012 before closing after 93 years. I have fond memories as a child running through the rows of plants while Mom & Dad picked out ones to bring home and plant in our yard. All of the family weddings, funerals, and special events had flower arrangements from Ihle Florist. It didn't matter if we were in Murphysboro or up here in the Metro East, flowers were provided by family.

My family loves to plant gardens large enough to have enough produce for home canning or flower cutting. Although, last year was a bit difficult due to the weather conditions for vegetables. I grew more weeds than vegetables! I am hopeful that this year will be different.

Vegetable gardens are a great way to introduce fresh produce into your meal plan that can last all season long and even into the cold winter months. Start by planting vegetables you already enjoy eating, and include your young children in the endeavor. They will get a kick out of watching their plants grow and may actually try a new vegetable.

Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, peas, beets, and green beans are always in my crop rotation. I have also experimented with radishes, lettuce, carrots, tomatillos, potatoes, and squash. If you want easy high volume producers, start with tomatoes, peppers, and bush variety green beans. I'm an avid heirloom plant gardener, and my favorite tomato varieties are Old German & Black Krim. They are colorful, flavorful, and great for making a BLT! Grow a San Marzano tomato for sauces, and pick a nice cherry tomato plant to snack on while you are out in the garden weeding and harvesting.

Peppers are easy and prefer full sun. Depending on what you want to do with them, options abound. I use banana peppers for pickling, but have also used Bishop's Crown for their unique shape and high production. Poblano, jalapeno, and Chervena Chushka are my other favorites. Pick your favorites and experiment with what works best for you. All of these can easily be grown in pots, if you don't have room for a traditional garden.

Home canning is a lost art, but is regaining some popularity. Small batch canning is an easy way to start. The easiest recipes to start with are salsa or pasta sauce. A single Dutch oven yield is usually 6 pints or 3 quarts. Then you have homemade salsa and enough sauce to make a special dish for family gatherings. The best thing about homemade is the seasoning is to your liking and there are no preservatives.

My son has finally started asking for the pasta sauce in pint jars for his toasted ravioli. I so enjoy giving him these gifts from my kitchen. Surprisingly, this year he has actually asked how to do a garden. Home canning practices can easily be inserted into your everyday life to help lower your grocery costs. The library has a wide variety of books on gardening and canning, check one out and start planning your garden adventure!

If you don't want to bother with vegetables, then plant a flower bed. There are all kinds of native plants that will provide you with fresh flower arrangements throughout the growing season. I have slowly worked in enough perennials to have a wide selection of colors to cut for arrangements. Flowers are so beautiful and provide a picturesque landscape for viewing. I like to use plants that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. This way I don't have to remember to fill the hummingbird feeders! It's so easy to forget and they rely on them. The wide variety of butterflies attracted is also a bonus. Being allergic to bees can be a downside to these types of flower beds, but I have learned not to worry about them. Start small, experiment, and plant to your heart's content!