Victory Gardening
There is a lot of talk on the news these days regarding the planting of Victory gardens. Victory gardens, as you may recall from life or history lessons, were planted in response to the increased need for food supplies during World War I and II. Today, they are being revived in response to our current economic crisis and if done properly can save money on the grocery bill.
The Amish’s religious beliefs keep them from participating in soldiering and they have not fallen victim to the credit and economic crisis to the extent that the average American has fallen. But, they are definitely master gardeners, planting huge gardens to provide a large bulk of their year round vegetable needs. Through their industrious practices we can all learn a little about how to plan and prepare our own gardens to supply us with fresh and nutritious vegetable needs.
Now is the time to take pencil, paper and seed catalog in hand and plot out your own garden. A well planned garden will save you time if you plan your beds so that weeding and watering will be minimized. Proper spacing is needed to prevent wastage of seedlings and seeds. The Amish avoid chemcial inputs like chemical fertilizers; instead they rely on their livestock to fertilize their gardens. Well rotted manure (preferably horse) will provide your plants with their nutrition so look for a supplier now.
Once the snow has melted and the mud has dried out, it will be time for you (and the Amish family) to move outside and clear the vegetable plot of dried plant debris. This debris should be discarded in the trash or burned to remove disease materials. It is preferable in vegetable gardening to avoid planting plants of the same family in the same spot the as they were the previous year. This will break some disease cycles and lessen the need for chemical pesticides. You probably won’t use real live horsepower to till your garden like the Amish do; a roto-tiller or hand-spading will do just fine. This step is vital to aerate and “lighten” up the soil in preparation to planting.
Some of the earliest and fastest to harvest vegetables in a spring garden are radishes, peas and lettuce. Since you’ll be busy with other garden chores I’ve chosen a few simple recipes you can put together fairly quickly. Here’s a tasty recipe for a salad using the three early producing vegetables.
Layered Salad:
4 cups shredded lettuce
1/3 c. chopped celery
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1 c. fresh or frozen peas
1 pound bacon, fried and in bits
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
6-8 thin sliced radishes
¾ c. mayonnaise
Starting with the lettuce and a medium sized casserole dish, layer the ingredients in the pan: lettuce, ½ of the bacon bits, celerypeas, egg slices, rest of bacon bits, then cover with mayonnaise or miracle whip and finish with grated cheese. Refrigerate for six to eight hours before serving. To serve: place a generous serving of the salad on a plate and gently mix ingredients until well mixed.
Here’s another delicious (and simple) Amish lettuce salad recipe:
1/3 c. sour cream
½ c. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar
6 cups shredded lettuce
1 small onion, thin sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Combine the sour cream, sugar, salt and vinegar. Whip this dressing well. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, onion slices, and one of the sliced eggs. Add the dressing mixture and toss lightly. Add remaining sliced egg on top of the salad.
For those days when you just want to enjoy your greens with a dressing, here’s a recipe for a tangy Amish salad dressing:
¾ c. oil (canola or olive is best for healthy hearts)
1 pasteurized egg
1 ½ tsp. bottle mustard, brand your choice
2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. sugar
½ c. flour, plus 2 ½ tbsp. flour
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar
1 c. water
In a medium sized bowl mix the oil, egg, mustard, salt and 1/3 c. sugar. Mix this well and set aside. In a heavy sauce pan heat flour, 1/3 c. sugar, vinegar and water over low heat. Turn heat up to medium and stir constantly until the mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and add to first mixture. Combine well and allow to cool. Place in a covered container and store in refrigerator, mixing slightly before use.
