FullCircle Florals Gardening

As I cruised the aisles in Costco the other day, I found a happy surprise, FIGS! My grandmother had a huge fig tree in her yard way back in the day. I rememeber eating them fresh off their tree with their fascinating flavor. I was curious, with my adult palette, how I would like figs now. So, I bought them up. Summer is in full swing here so they were forced to sit in my fridge awaiting a day when I arose early enough to fire up the stove to make the following recipes. I'm so glad I did! I found a great way to use my homemade bread I had frozen and waiting for its chance to become Bruschetta. The recipe,  Bruschetta with blue cheese and roasted figs , is in both Polish and English. Scroll down for the english. (Hint: Bake at 400 degrees).  Fig and Blue Cheese Bruschetta Recipe number two was very similar save the addition of Prosciuttio and the omission of the bread. Here is the recipe I used, Prosciutto Roasted Figs Recipe .  I think would be great fall a...

Cherries make me happy! Seriously, I'm sure there's some science behind why Cherries give me a giddy feeling that is virtually unshakable but that's a whole other article, someday! Today, after a long hiatus (as usual) I am back to share a super yummy recipe I made today. Back story, after my awesome weight loss of 60+ pounds last year I have been on the steady climb back upwards due to not doing my exercises and not counting those calories. I've been back at it again the last few months trying to make it more of a lifestyle change to avoid back slide. So, as part of my new revamped healthy lifestyle, I have added in health smoothies to my diet. Last time it was tea, that was nice and no cal but I have gotten a bit bored with that and this has fit the bill nicely. I have been busy pinning recipe after recipe on Pinterest so it's no surprise this morning when I decided to make a smoothie for breakfast that I opened it up and cruised my board for a tasty healthy ...

Photo via my iPhone, E. Henderson This recipe is by far one of our new fans. My husband thought it was like quiche without the crust (and much MUCH lighter in calories than a traditional quiche). It all started when I spotted a butternut squash in the store and had to take it home. I do this. I commenced sitting on my counter for some time before I resigned my self to just steam it in the oven and force myself to make something out of it. Of course, I then went to Pinterest and got a hit on this recipe. http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/11/butternut-squash-mushroom-sausage-and.html Of course I can never just make a recipe, so I did tweak this a bit. I used Swiss Chard instead of Kale and used already cooked squash so I skipped that whole step. I also used Colby Jack as my cheese of choice because that what I had in the fridge. Servings: makes 6+ servings Prep Time:  10 minutes Cook Time:  50 minutes Total Time:   60 minutes Ingredients 1/2 pound Italian sausa...

Open forum! Got gardening questions? Fire away! We're headed into winter full bore here in Northern California with a series of whopper storms threatening to take out power, limbs, trees and flooding the rivers and streams all over the North state. But I'm thinking about SPRING! And of course spring planting! Can I sway you to think about it as well? If so, please let me know what your thinking of growing this year. If you are still holding out, tell me whats holding you back, maybe we can work out the kinks and get you growing up too! We have a Facebook page for Full Circle Organic Gardens too! Come ask there or message if you like! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Circle-Organic-Gardens/153242518077764

In the aftermath of a possible No vote from Californians on prop 37, the right to know prop, what shall we do? Well, FIGHT like mad! Thats what we do. No on Prop 37 spent $45 million on advertising that used lies and fallacy to confuse the issue surrounding the Prop. Here is a site with some interesting info regarding the prop. http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_37,_Mandatory_Labeling_of_Genetically_Engineered_Food_(2012) I'm going to try to keep the momentum going for labeling in California and the US both here and our Facebook page for Full Circle Organic Gardens Here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Circle-Organic-Gardens/153242518077764 Please go "Like" our page to stay informed and up to date with this critical issue.

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! (Repurpose!) Three words that speak volumes.   Around the farm, these concepts have been applied for decades. My husband, Eric, has an impressive local family history. According to the land deeds recovered while organizing paperwork from the other house on the property, his ancestors purchased this particular plot in the 1930’s.    The family was in the area for quite some time before that, however, and are rumored to have been numbered in the Stevens Party who came over via none other than the Stevens Trail. Frances Lenninger, a local Vina historian and author wrote in her book, Vina’s History in Photos and Stories, that Eric’s great-great-great-great grandmother, Matilda Foster, came over the trail from Iowa in 1848. This photo (Left) of Sam Henry Stephens, Eric’s great-great grandfather was taken in front of the Vina Hotel circa 1910. As locals during the time period prior to the great depression of the 1...

 Hello followers! Sorry I dropped off the face of the Earth there! The photography biz has really been booming! Just posted some more wedding favs so check them out if you like! http://www.facebook.com/E.HendersonPhotography  . Hopefully I am back on the wagon here! We are right in the heat of plant our winter garden. Yesterday we planted Spinach, carrots, beets, cilantro, and LOTS of lettuce! All from seed of course! Today was Brassica day; we planted Purple cauliflower, regular cauliflower, several different cabbage varieties, broccoli and two kinds of Pak Choy. Tomorrow we are hoping to get the beans and peas going so wish us luck! I will post pics in short order. For now, Since I have worked to get my pics organized (7 external hard drives full) I've posted some eye candy from the gardens of the past. Some plants are still here while some others have long since gone! Enjoy!

The season for fresh veggies is definitely upon us! So much so that I can’t even keep up in my garden! I have an entire counter full of Zucchini. This summer favorite is almost surely in abundance in home gardens as well as a popular favorite at farmers markets. Tasty, nutritious and versatile, this summer Grand Slam has got it all. I have been hard at work trying to preserve some of its summer savvy as well. I done everything from blanching and freeing for soups, to dehydrating as chips, shredding for bread and grilling and freezing for a quick steam in the cold of winter. It this part two of this series I hope you too will be inspired to preserve some of this seasons abundance as well as try some of these tasty recipes I have found and or created this year. Enjoy! For a little healthy sweet tooth action, try these! Zucchini and Blueberry Muffins ·       1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1/2 of one large zucchini) ·       1/...

Blueberries! As 6AM rolled around I was excited to hop out of bed this morning! I jumped in my car and drove the 11 miles to the town of Corning, CA, my hometown, to do something totally new to me…pick Blueberries! A few days ago a sign appeared on the corner of Houghton and South Avenue that boldly announced, “u-pick Blueberries”.   I was elated to see such a novel proposition in Corning. When my sister called last night to invite me to go with her this AM I was thrilled! We arrived at the site not having any idea what was in store for us except for a few helpful hints from some relatives who had been going daily to pick there. One, go EARLY! Less people and the berries are firmer as is the case with most harvesting. Two, pick from underneath the plants where the berries are bigger, juicier and firmer. We grabbed ourselves a bucket, which we informed we should fill up for $5. They are easy to pick with no thorns unlike our other summer favorite, Blackberries! My sister and I ...

A friend of mine just submitted a post to her blog http://mealsandsteals.blogspot.com   that made me think. actually, it made me listen and think. So in response to her prose, I write this….LISTEN. It really does go a long way. My husband tells me I don’t listen sometimes and he is SO right. There are so many beautiful sounds in this world that get muffled with the high paced life we live. I many have, from time to time, given the impression that living it the country on this farm is all peaches and cream. Which would be wonderful, but, it is incorrect. However, if I listen to Lindsey, the above mentioned blog author, I could change some of that chaos in to calm if I practiced listening in the moment. In my garden I have found that there is a peace that exists. I get a sense of calm and relaxation from simply visiting it. I find a bed and observe what is happening there whether it be the tips of potato vines just peeking through the soil, or new baby plants and flowers emergin...

Part 3: The Aftermath The bee keeper was very careful to assure the bees were moved safely from their happy home to a new nice white box, their new happy home. He commented that they were the most docile he had ever encountered. This may not have been such a good thing, as during subsequent check ups they weren’t found up to much of anything productive. They had let their brood (baby bees) die, weren’t doing much comb building and he didn’t see sign of the queen at all! In attempts to rectify the situation he brought out another hive to do a combine. He attempted to combine them together so that the bees from the house would have a queen and get to stepping! Another week pasted as we watched and waited to see if the combine took. When he examined them he found that there was in a queen in the box from the house bees after all and separated them again.   They have been sucking down the sugar water that I have been filling up for them every few days and one hive seems to be muc...

Since I was unable to attend the extraction, I have posted this slide show to detail thr process. A picture is better than a thousand words, right?

I have long wanted to join the ranks of the beekeepers. With all the gardens, flowers, blossoming trees and garden veggies that need the little flyers for pollination out here, I knew they would be happy out here on the ranch.  I have done a little research about them but haven’t taken the leap to start me an apiary. However, as I often find is the case out here, they choose us! Early this Spring I was weed eating on the North side of our house, a pretty low traffic area, and discovered to my surprise bees were frequenting a hole in the side of the house where my husbands grandpa had installed the hot water line for the bath tub many years ago. At the time I thought, “this weed eater is going to make them mad, I should steer clear” and did so.  Later that evening, suddenly realized the ramifications of what I had witnessed and I nearly shouted at Eric, “there are bees in the side of the house!”  My son’s wall is directly on the other side of this area so our first thought...

My Easy Quiche I made one of my favorite recipes last night for a dear friend's visit. Years ago she and I spent many a night in the Kitchen cooking up a quiche on a whim and have thus, established a strange tradition between up. I have been making this version of my own design for many years and find it easy and satisfying. I have tried a million flavor combinations and all have been pretty tasty so be creative and find out what is your favorite. Here are the basics: Erin's Easy Quiche 1-cup Veggies-Steamed broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, are my favorites. or mix it up! Just make sure its cooked because it only warms in the quiche. 1 cup diced meat-Ham, bacon, sausage work well. Again make sure it cooked. 1 pie crust (your preferred recipe, box or mix. I use Krustez pie crust in the box you just add water to and roll out). 1 Dozen Eggs 1/2-3/4 cup milk 1/2 block cream cheese-Softened 1/2 cube softened butter 2 cup cheese mix. I use swiss, chedder, mozzerella, jack, whate...

When I first started gardening organically I was armed only with books and magazines that swore it was not only possible but beneficial to garden with out chemicals and pesticides. As a gardener for many years using what it thought were the conveniences of chemicals it was hard to convince even myself that this was even remotely possible. However, now that I have been hard at it for the last 6 years I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what I believe to be the 3 keys to organic gardening. Attracting beneficials: I have found this to be my favorite thing about organic gardening because it give me a perfectly legitimate excuse to justify buying flowers that don't produce veggies that we can consume. The right ones, however, do attract the "good" bugs that an organic garden SO needs. It is common knowledge that lady bugs are good for the garden but the why of it is not always clear to everyone. Lady bugs are very effective "bad" bug predators. Aphids are th...