Planting gardens, videos for Coverin the bases

Good morning everyone and welcome back once more to the Coverin’ the Bases section of Ridin’ Out the Recession, in Miz Judi’s Kitchen! Thanks for stopping in to visit with us today!

We have started doing some video finally and we really hope you all enjoy them. The first few videos are of our place here in Florida. We wanted to show you some of the place so you could see we do in fact live a pretty simple lifestyle, and the type of terrain we have here in our home state. This is for those of you who haven’t been to the “Sunshine State” before.

Deb and I have been really blessed in our lives in many, many different ways, and our home place is one of them. In the big picture though, good friends, family, our health, the freedoms our Country provide, and love for our Lord are the most important!

Today we’ll be tilling in our garden area, and if you’ve watched our videos you’ve seen the cow manure we’d spread in the garden area over the winter. We scoop it up outta’ the pastures, put in on our gator, then dump it, and spread it out over the garden.

We then let it lay a couple weeks, till it in, then start the process over. We do this three times over the course of the winter. Today, as I said earlier, we’re doing our pre-plant till, but will probably till it once more tomorrow for good measure, then we plant.

Tomorrow also we’ll build a couple of raised bed gardens right here beside the house. There’s a couple reasons we’ll be doing this. The first is to show people you don’t have to have a big garden area to grow your own vegetables and herbs to help feed your family.

By doing this you’ll be able to help offset your family’s food costs. You’ll also be growing vegetables that you’ve produced that as far as the taste factor goes, will be off the charts, especially if you’ve been buying your tomatoes from your local supermarket!

Honestly, that’s one of the biggest things I miss after our garden is done for the year. This is a big ole’, juicy, vine-ripe tomato! After eating tomatoes from your garden, after that last one’s gone…what a letdown a store bought one is! Zero taste factor. I honestly don’t eat many store bought tomatoes anymore.

I’m sure most of you know, but if you want a GOOD sandwich, slice a big ole’ tomato you’ve just picked from the garden. Then lay that sucker between two slices of bread, I personally like Miracle Whip spread on my bread, salt and pepper that dude…man, fit for a king!

Another reason, a really good reason as a matter of fact, is the time you can spend with your children. Good quality time, and quite frankly, the younger the better! Make it fun for them. Explain what you’re doing, and the importance of your garden. Let them be involved, and move a little dirt, water the plants in for you, and let them in on what takes place as your plants start growing.

Many parents simply think their kids won’t “take to,” something like this, and there are some who probably won’t. But Deb and I find that once you let them be involved in things such as this, you may be pleasantly surprised. They’re naturally inquisitive anyway, so use that against them, OUCH!

Sorry, but Deb just punched me in the ribs…so what I meant to say, was use their natural inquisitiveness in positive ways and by doing so, you’ll see many, many children get drawn into projects such as this! How’s that Deb, better?

Then, when your vegetables start bearing, you gotta watch them little critters close, if not, they’ll strip those “baby” vegetables off so quick it’ll make your head swim, so you’ve been fair warned! Once again, spend time to educate the little ones on why you wait for the vegetables to ripen prior to pickin’ em!

Now, the second reason for us building a couple raised bed gardens is simply, I’ve become curious myself. I want to see how many tomatoes, or squash, or peppers we can get off a 4’x8’, or even an 8’x8’ raised bed garden. By doing this, I’ll know for sure down the road what kind of production to expect from gardens of this size, and be able to answer more questions in this regard. To be honest, we’re looking forward to it!
Any ideas you guys have, or anything you’d like to request we try for ourselves…don’t be shy, just throw em out there!

I see a lot of the Country is still getting slammed by cold weather. As a matter of fact I spoke with Brian, my trusty computer fixer upper, yesterday and he told me it was zero there outside in Toronto. I then was trying to get zero to register in my mind as to how cold that actually is? Zero! I can’t even fathom that kind of cold.

I then informed Brian that Deb and I were headed back home and the thermometer on our truck was reading…86 degrees. Here Deb and I were out in short-sleeved shirts and short britches, and the man was in Canada probably shoveling snow! I sure hated breaking the weather news to that poor guy…kinda!

Let me stop here a minute and say once again how much we appreciate you, our readers! You guys have come into Miz Judi’s Kitchen, and I swear you’ve welcomed us with open arms! You just would not believe the appreciation Deb and I feel in regards to such a great bunch of people, and that’s exactly what each and every one of you are!

Thank you all so much for taking time out of your day to spend a few minutes with us, all you guys are just super! We are simply overwhelmed by your response, and the fact so many of you keep coming back, really we are!

This has become such a joy for Deb and I both! We look forward to each and every day we can spend with you. It has become literally a blessing. Once more thanks again!

In the same breath, I want to thank Judi and Brian both, of Canada Free Press. First, what a great conservative news source the CFP really is. I have wondered many times why our administration and its agendas, are not “pounded” by more of our own media here in the U.S., like being done through the CFP!

I’ve said this before, and I’m sure you’ll hear me say it again, but when I saw on the CFP’s banner, “Without America There is No Free World,” I was sold, right then and there! On top of the outstanding service they do for “OUR COUNTRY,” they both are just wonderful people as well!
I’m sure most of you know, but for the benefit of the ones who don’t, “Ridin’ Out the Recession in Miz Judi’s Kitchen,” was in fact Judi’s idea. It is her baby. Deb and I both are merely “cogs in the wheel,” if you may, because without a doubt, without Miz Judi’s brainstorm, this would never have happened.

I believe though, my being born in “France,” just as Brian was, may have given me an in! Evidently Judi has a weakness for Frenchmen…especially those born in “Southern France,” right Miz Judi! So upon learnin’ this, I immediately went “into trainin’,” and she approached me in regards to this project! Actually, what I’m talking about is kinda an inside joke between Judi and Brian, and Deb and myself. So if you “get it, you get it, but if you don’t you never will!” Right, Judes?? Ya’ll are the best, mon Ami’s!

Well, I sure hope you guys enjoy the videos. Cause if you didn’t, I’m fair warning you…more are on the way! Seriously, I believe they will be a great help to be able to literally see some of the things we’re trying to pass along. Especially in regards to some of the gardening topics and especially learning how to home can!

So until next time, keep your eyes open, and your nose in the wind!

God Bless you and yours, God Bless America, and God Bless, all of our fine neighbors to the North!

Dub and Deb

Videos