TN is so beautiful in the Spring. The past couple of weeks of gorgeous weather have reminded me just how very grateful I am to live here!
We have started our first attempts at a garden. It has been haphazard at best but thus far the little plantlings look happy. We have in the ground 18 tomato plants. Yes, you read that right. 18. And yes, we are aware just how much even ONE plant produces. We arrived at the conclusion that we need to be growing our own tomatoes fairly recently. Our goal has been to eliminate as many store canned/processed items as possible from our diet. Over the past year or so I have been tackling one thing at a time and quietly changing our diets. The most recent change was the discovery that we can make delicious and super healthy salsa right here at home. Unfortunately the cost of said homemade salsa, especially when consumed in such large quantities and using organic ingredients very quickly adds up! So our solution to the bank breaking salsa problem has been to grow several of the main ingredients ourselves and can our own salsa like crazy when our hopefully bumper crop comes in. 
There are also 9 cabbages that really took off just this past week. Beside them is a row of Cucumbers. Down by the newly planted peach tree is a water melon. There are also a couple of pepper plants as well. Yes it is a strange start for a garden and if you saw it you would probably think it even more strange. We have not done any of the tilling or mulching traditional gardening calls for. Actually we have hardly done anything at all. Thus far we have literally dug holes in the ground just big enough for the seedlings, mixed in some black forest dirt in with the sandy clay and watered well. Along the sides of the plants and inbetween we are layering cardboard. It kills the weeds, keeps the sun off the roots and holds moisture well. I anticipate over time the cardboard breaking down and becoming a layer of mulch.
We are now dreaming of what it would take to have a truly fantastic, organic garden complete with green house etc. Will probably only ever stay in the pipe dream stage but that is something we have always loved to do as a couple. Dream of possibilities. Figure out how we would make something work and how much would have to be invested vs. possible return. Being able to dream with Steve and figure out practical ways to make some of our dreams/goals/desires come true is one of the many reasons I so passionately love that man. Our lives are consumed to over flowing with work and ministry but we are so very blessed to be able to do it together.
I want to start posting some of our favorite recipes soon. Have been having so much fun converting old favorites into healthy new favorites without compromising too much taste and texture. In most cases we actually prefer the taste of the healthier versions now! I just found a recipe for homemade tortillas so will be adding that to our list of items to make at home now vs. buying pre-made. My only complaint with this “new” way of life is that it is SOOooo much more time consuming than simply running to the store and buying something when we are out. We are slowly adjusting though and are starting to see benefits in our health.
Here is what I would do from the beginning if I had it to do over again, and what I plan on doing if something like this happens in the future.
