Another way to break up sod in your garden

What do you do if you don't have a rototiller but still want to break up heavy sod?  Call your strong friends to break it up?  One of the best ways I have heard to break up sod is to just plainly lay cardboard down on the grass.  You can then lay grass clippings, compost or other composting materials down to make a lasagna garden.  Or, just plainly throw a couple rocks down to keep the cardboard in place.  Some people put a tarp down instead, but this blocks out the rain that encourages worms to squirm around and fluff up the soil.  My Mom did this on her soon to be Old English garden.  It was amazing how the tough sod just turned into nice soil ready to be planted in.  I borrowed my Grandpa's rototiller this past spring for my garden, but it couldn't cut through the tough sod.  So I ended up having to dig it up by hand.  You don't want to have to do that!  I could have thrown some cardboard down, but it takes quite awhile for the grass below to die.  I just put some more cardboard down today to expand my garden.  It will be ready next spring to plant in.  I should mention, that since my Dad teaches cooking, they go through lots of vegetable boxes and that is were I got my cardboard.  I am sure many businesses would be happy to get some off their hands.  Hope this helps!


Hannah M.

Dry it- You'll like it!

(A big thank you to Hannah M. for sending this post in for this blog! If any of you have some great tips and ideas please send it to our email: krissyandsusi@gmail.com)

Drying foods when they are in season is nothing new.  Drying, using techniques passed from generation to generation, is probably the oldest method of food preservation.

Drying as a way of preserving foods is more economical than canning or freezing, saves space, and provides more nutrition.  You don't need canning jars, and there aren't utility bills all winter for running a freezer.  Compared to canned and frozen foods, dried foods are lightweight and condensed, so they take up a fraction of the space.  The loss of nutritive value during drying is small in comparison to the loss during cooking because precious digestive enzymes remain intact and the lower heat destroys fewer vitamins.

If you buy the right dehydrator, it will easily pay for itself during the first season.  And since dried foods become naturally sweeter as they dry, they serve as a good "sweet tooth" replacement for sugary, unhealthy foods.

Will your own dried foods be as good as those dried commercially? Emphatically, yes!  You have the advantage of using tree-ripened fruit and just-picked fresh vegetables from your own garden, roadside stands, or local farmers' markets.  Even if you don't plant a garden, you can realize a savings in your food budget by avoiding waste.  Most leftovers can be chopped and then tossed into a handy kitchen- counter dryer and enjoyed another time.  Bananas flecked with brown can be peeled and placed whole on a rack for a chewy, long-lasting banana "candy bar" high in potassium.  If you have gourmet friends who love to cook, fill small jars with dried herbs or flower blossoms from your garden for a potpourri.  Create a label, tied on with ribbon or raffia, for gift giving.


"MaryJane's idea book, cookbook and lifebook: for the farmgirl in all of us"

Hannah M.