Success, Failure, and Unfinished Business

by Gibsey Beckett

It would be nice to conclude this One-Block Feast Competition laden with a bountiful harvest, unmarred by gardening failures, and boasting vibrant green thumbs all around!  But, alas, our neighborhood is one in which the fruits of our labor are harder to come by than in other climates, and because of this each rare fruit and vegetable is savored ever so much more in the face of adversity.  I mentioned last month I would introduce you to a few key characters in our plot and I intend to do so while sprinkling in a few details of our other gardening adventures, successes, failures and the rest.

The meat hens at The Burton Farm are gathering bulk beyond our expectations, and astounding us with their mortality rate.  Of the nine hens, two were guaranteed to die off based on mathematical calculations and data, but lo and behold, success is ours as we are merely days away from slaughtering and still feeding and cleaning up after nine fat, lazy birds.  Meat hens are rumored to be fragile and if not carefully tended, can keel over at a moment's notice.  The Burton family has tended their flock diligently, wiping crusted tail feathers, feeding, watering, cleaning, and observing the hens' girth broaden before their very eyes!  The rate at which these hens expand is truly astounding.

Mmm, yummy chicken!

The Diodati family was most ambitious in offering to host a mother and baby goat—aptly named "Mama" and "Baby."  They welcomed these Nigerian Pygmy Goats into their yard, laid hay in their outdoor playhouse, installed reinforced fencing,  fed, and even WALKED the goats around the neighborhood. Some of you may have spotted them featured in last month's Tribune article. Their purpose?  Goat milk and the eventual process of making and enjoying goat cheese.  Sadly, the Mama wouldn't milk, and after two months the Diodatis bid them (and the flies they attracted) farewell.  But not without a few memorable moments, including the day Mama and Baby were out for a walk and were suddenly spooked.  They made an unbridled 400 yard dash towards the freeway, Mr. Diodati and son trailing in a panic far behind.  Thankfully, and by some miracle or unknown goat IQ, the goats banked right just before reaching five o'clock traffic on Highway 1 and made a beeline for their pen as if knowing exactly where home was.  Our mascots, Mama and Baby, have returned to their home in Santa Barbara County where they'll graze in more expansive pastures, farther from Highway 1.

On a less carnivorous note, various greenhouses in an array of shapes and sizes have sprouted up around our neighborhood, housing all manner of fog-defying vegetables.  The Burtons have a narrow backyard installation, where white plastic serves as a wind and temperature shield for peppers and tomatoes.  The Smiths and Muffs have similar structures in their yards, also playing host to tomatoes and peppers.  I have to personally thank Sunset Magazine for this particular eyesore around our neighborhood—all that white plastic and duct tape is a lovely addition to our landscapes.

Other successes include the beginnings of some promising watermelon in the children's garden, brilliant displays of beens and greens everywhere, and some tasty broccoli, beets, herbs, and squash.

I wanted to show off the Chard-fabulous garden of our team members, The Hale Family, who have reveled in rainbows of Swiss chard since the beginning of the competition. 

Having neighbors with gardens does have its advantages.  My family and I have enjoyed visiting the children's garden for weekly watering and watching the progress of each plant.  In just a few months the progress is truly apparent, even for Morro Bay!

As I was saying, having gardens around the neighborhood has proven to benefit more than just its owners.  I was gifted an armload of beet tops from the Diodatis whose beer garden beets were ready for sugaring.  Say what?  The beer requires sugar beets, and when these golf ball-sized beets are ripe, the beet tops are grossly disproportioned and all that lush green vegetation begs using.  I toted the motherload of greenery home and rinsed and chopped, then Googled some beet top recipes and found a wonderful vegetarian crustless quiche with chopped and sautéed beet tops.  The result looked and tasted much like a spinach quiche only slightly sweeter, which may be from the sugar beets.  Then there was a beet-top soup and a round of chicken quinoa salad with sautéed (you guessed it) beet tops.  I have an entire grocery bag packed full of those beet tops renting space in my refrigerator and I suppose I'll be back in the kitchen chopping and sautéing something interesting again tomorrow.

Back at my own ranch (giggle giggle) we have watched the corn grow, the arugula sprout, and the sunflowers bloom and have grown to realize that timing a vegetable garden is darned near impossible!  The giant sunflowers we planted in hopes of adorning the feast tables are already blooming and sure to be all spent before we the August 28th date.  Our corn stalks are tall and strong but not an ear in sight.  A few months ago we noticed a volunteer vine growing from our garden bed and decided to let it prosper.  It has encompassed half our driveway and continues to sprout tiny yellow squash looking fruit. 

Last month I harvested a few golden looking squash and prepared them for dinner.  Blaugh!  Acid, bitter, unpalatable, gross!  I stopped hunting for ripe squash for so long that I failed to notice this humongous ball of squash hiding its mass beneath all the greenery.

Not sure if it's edible or if it's going to split open and birth a tiny green alien. 

Stay tuned next month when the Sunset Editor, Margo True, will be joining our feast on Morro Bay's own Papagallo II cruise yacht for a sunset feast featuring everything our neighborhood can muster! 

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Miniature Nubian Goat Image on Banner by Tricia Hulse