Book Review and Giveaway!

 

"Wahoooo! I've hit the big time!" is exactly what I thought when I got a review copy of the lovely Ms. Ivette Soler's new book, The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden from the fine folks at Timber Press. 

It's no exaggeration to say that I wanted to eat this book up. It's full of beautiful photos by landscaping professionals that I've actually met. Yes, they actually let little ol' me come to their Tweetups and garden show gatherings. Don't tell 'em that I'm just a home gardener, OK? We'll keep that between us.

Photo credit: Rebecca Sweet (top); Ann Summa

You may recall that we've ripped out our entire front yard--this book arrived just in time to educate and inspire me. Unlike other veggie gardening books, it's not just a litany of plants and growing conditions. It covers everything in a very accessible way, from composting to how to espalier fruit trees and snail eradication and how to examine/analyze your yard.

 Photo credit: Ann Summa

Some important tips I learned that made me reconsider my original front yard garden plan:

• You need to make deliberate choices so your front yard looks beautiful all the time, in every season. It's OK to include some perennial grasses or plants (gasp!) in with your veggies.
• Some herbs and veggies should not be planted in the front yard. They're just too hard to keep looking nice all the time.
• You can't just "mow and go" like you would with a lawn. There is a bit of work and replanting involved so your front yard garden will look awesome all year.

Photo credit: Ivette Soler

One of the best parts of the book is the photos and planting diagrams of front yard gardens across the country. This is what inspired me to include some Mondograss and other perennials in the front, and to experiment with different ways of planting (not just in blocks or rows).

My front yard is still pretty bare and homely, so I'm not including any photos today. I can't compete with these beautiful images from The Edible Front Yard!

Are you as inspired as I am? It's your lucky day. The folks at Timber Press sent me an extra copy to give away. Here's how to enter:

•   Comment below. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win.

For bonus entries (leave a separate comment for each one):
•   “Like” BrownThumbMama on Facebook or Twitter. (Let me know if you already do.)
•   Subscribe to BrownThumbMama for free by email. (If you already subscribe, let me know.)
•   Post about this giveaway on your Facebook wall or blog.

U.S. entries only, please. Contest will be open until 7pm PST on Saturday, March 5 and I’ll announce the winner on Sunday. Good luck!

Menu Plan Monday: 2/21-2/25

This week, we're continuing our Pantry Challenge--using up what we already have and saving on our grocery bill.

The weekdays are craziest for us, so I’m planning meals around the following themes: Fast-n-Easy Monday • Mostly Meatless Tuesday • Try Something New Wednesday • Family Fave Thursday • Leftovers/Dinner Out Friday

Fast-n-Easy Monday

Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Mostly Meatless Tuesday

Veggie potstickers and loaded fried rice

Try Something New Wednesday

Dinner with Mom for her birthday--her choice of menu!

Family Fave Thursday

Turkey tacos with homemade seasoning mix

Leftovers/Dinner Out Friday
Dinner out--location TBD (but knowing the boys, it will be Mongolian BBQ)

The freezer is starting to get empty! Since a full freezer is more energy-efficient, I've put some clean milk jugs full of water in to keep it full. I need some help, though. Remember the green peppers I froze this summer? I still have half a bag left and have run out of ideas for them. Any suggestions?

Visit I’m an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday ideas.

I'm an Urban Homesteader

2/21/11 update: Deanna at Crunchy Chicken has compiled a list of urban homesteaders who are protesting this trademark. Check us out!

“Hi, I’m BrownThumbMama and I’m an urban homesteader.”

This is just one of the categories I place myself in, but at the moment it’s a dangerous place to be. A family in Southern California who grows their own food and lives a self-sufficient lifestyle has trademarked “Urban Homestead” and “Urban Homesteading.”

OK, so what’s the problem? They recently started sending cease and desist letters to bloggers, libraries, community groups and others, shutting down their Facebook pages and engaging in other bullying tactics.

These actions just disgust me. My experience with blogging, gardening, self-sufficient living, and general green/crunchy-ness has been overwhelmingly positive. There is a camaraderie among folks who are bucking the capitalist life to help the Earth and each other.

There are so many things I want to try, and good examples that I’m trying to follow. I learn from these and other bloggers every day, with every post.

• Track my harvest, like Kate
• Keep bees in my backyard, like Bill
• Make my own personal care items
• Cloth diapers and wipes for the new baby
• Jumping in with both feet and doin’ it all (their book is fantastic)

I used to be impressed by this family because they supported themselves and made a living from their homestead. I used to stop by their blog and be amazed at the amount of food they grow their yard. Now I’m sickened by the fact that they’re trying to monopolize a phrase and a popular movement for their own gain.

"Take Back Urban Homesteading" on Facebook

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"


It's cold and rainy here in "sunny California", but the rest of the country is still battling with ice and snow. It's always colder at night, and there truly is a finite number of blankets you can pile on without suffocating. To stay nice and warm on cold nights, buy a large piece of fleece from the fabric store and put it under your bottom sheet. An old blanket works well too. This extra bit of insulation will help keep you nice and cozy!

Menu Plan Monday: 2/14-2/18

MPM is back! The worst of the morning sickness is gone and I finally feel like thinking about food again. I missed FishMama’s Pantry Challenge last month, but am going to give it a try now. This month, we’ll try to use up what we have and reduce our grocery bill at the same time.

The weekdays are craziest for us, so I’m planning meals around the following themes: Fast-n-Easy Monday • Mostly Meatless Tuesday • Try Something New Wednesday • Family Fave Thursday • Leftovers/Dinner Out Friday

Fast-n-Easy Monday

Cheesy chicken quesadillas, sauteed sweet potatoes from Real Food Menu Planning (a “Try Something New Wednesday” recipe that was a big hit) and salad

Dinner Out Tuesday (switching with Friday)

Pizza at Mom and Dad’s

Try Something New Wednesday

Lasagna with vegan caesar salad (no raw eggs for Mama!) from 101 Cookbooks 

Family Fave Thursday

Turkey tacos with homemade seasoning mix

Mostly Meatless Friday (switched with Tuesday)
Omelettes, hash browns and fruit

Menu Plan Monday was created by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie to link bloggers who share recipes and meal ideas, and keep us all on track with menu planning.

Dry Herbs Without a Dehydrator

Drying herbs takes a little longer without a dehydrator, but the cost savings is worth it! Parsley is all I have left in the garden these days, but you can use the same technique with basil, sage, rosemary, or many other herbs.

1. Realize you're darn lucky that there's any parsley left after the recent freezes.

2. Clip off a large bunch, leaving the stems long, and rinse and spin thoroughly.

3. Gather all the ends together and secure with a twistee.

4. Realize that you don't have a brown paper lunchbag to dry them in, and use the end of a french bread bag instead. Hang to dry in a warm place for at least a week.

5. After the parsley is thoroughly dry, remove it from the bag and chop. I like to leave it in large chunks--you can crumble it with your fingers to make it smaller, but you can't make it bigger again once it's cut.

6.  Store your herbs in a recycled spice jar and laugh the next time you see the price tag at the store!

That's Why it's Called Gardeners' Porn

I just got my seed order from the wonderful folks at Renee's Garden. Check out the beautiful artwork on each packet! The bright colors and clear, detailed planting instructions make it easy to choose the right seeds for your yard. When I filed these away in my seed box, I realized that 90% of my seeds come from Renee's. It won't be warm enough to plant for at least a month or two...I can't wait to see these beauties in the garden!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" 

Unexplained absence from your blog? ;o) No posts for more than a week? Reassure your readers with a big announcement.



(drum roll please)



We're having a baby! The newest BrownThumb will join our family in August.

I'll add in some green-mama tips as I learn along the way, and Menu Plan Monday will be back as soon as the nausea stops. I don't want to think about food most days, let alone plan menus for a week or month!

Any green or thrifty-mama tips you'd like me to investigate? Leave your requests in the comments.