Sunday Letter: 03.07.2021

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Another week has come and gone. Just like Steve Miller said, time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’ into the future. Crazy fast in my opinion.

Only 13 days until spring. I’m counting down, that’s for sure.

Knock knock… lettuce in, spring. 😊

Free Seed Project

I heard about The Free Seed Project and thought it was a fabulous endeavor worth sharing. Maybe you’ll pass this information along too.

The Free Seed Project, started in 2018 as a partnership between Rob Greenfield and Live Like Ally Foundation, is committed to mailing out 10,000 free seed packets each year to people in the U.S. who:
a) are not able to afford or access seeds,
b) grow food for others with low access to healthy home-grown food, or,
c) are first-time gardeners.
The recipient must also be committed to sharing a portion of their food with others.

You’ve heard the old proverb, give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will have food for a lifetime.

That’s the idea here.

Each free packet mailed includes an amazing variety of greens, herbs, veggies, and flowers for pollinators. Click HERE to read more about this great cause.

Like Steve Miller sang, Feed the babies who don’t have enough to eat. Shoe the children with no shoes on their feet…♬♪

There are so many in our country who don’t have enough to eat and/or they don’t have access to healthy options. The Free Seed Project not only provides the seeds, but also information on successful gardening.

There’s a GoFundMe Account for those who would like to support this endeavor. A $7 donation provides seeds to 10 people.

The world needs more humanitarians like Rob Greenfield. Spend a few minutes on his website and see if you don’t agree.

Last Chance Roses

I finally cut back my roses this week. I have eight knocks-out rose bushes that have grown quite large. It takes me some time to tackle all of them. And let me tell you, this is an example of when having the right tool for the job is essential.

If we were forced to evacuate our home, I would take my Stihl loppers.

If I could only take three things to a deserted island, one of the things would be my Stihl loppers.

But back to these roses. I have a love-hate relationship with them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them in April and May and even into June. Their spring blooms are show-stopping gorgeous.

This picture was taken May 17 when the roses were practically singing.

But in early July, the Japanese beetles rise from the ground to devour the buds and leaves leaving an Old Testament-like devastation. I spend much of my summer hand-picking the nasty things from the bushes and drowning them in soapy water, a process that does nothing more than make me feel a smidgen better, revengeful sinner that I am.

2021 is the year I will either make strides in controlling the beetles, or I will replace the roses. I almost did it this year but decided to try one more thing. After all, I can’t blame the roses.

Here’s the thing—the small amount of sunny real estate is our yard is PRIME growing space for us. In the space occupied by these knock-outs, we could be growing native plants for the pollinators or re-blooming David Austin roses, varieties without thorns, varieties free from disease.

I have a plan. When the weather further warms, I’ll be treating the ground with milky spore. Milky spore attacks the Japanese beetle larvae (without hurting any other organisms). From what I understand, it’s my last best hope in controlling the beetles. Although it may take several seasons to fully eliminate them, if there is no improvement this summer, my knockout roses will be looking for a new home.

Tough love is oh so tough. But sometimes the harder thing is for the greater good.

Easter Tree

Do you decorate a tree for Easter? Maybe not an entire tree, but a few branches for a table centerpiece?

When we were kids, Momma always made an Easter tree for us to decorate. She would gather branches from the yard, spray paint them white or pink, and secure them in a flower pot. We hung little Easter ornaments and plastic eggs from the branches.

I did this a time or two with my kids too. But it has been decades since I created an Easter tree.

This year may be the year I resurrect the Easter tree at our home. This year seems like the perfect time to have one.

How about you? What sort of spring / Easter decorations grace your home?

Lettuce Wraps

If you love the lettuce wraps at PF Chang’s and Pei Wei, you will be excited to know you can make them at home.

Thanks to a knockoff recipe from Damn Delicious, I can now enjoy them any time I want. Seriously, these lettuce wraps are absolutely delicious and exactly like the PF Chang’s version.

I substituted ground turkey instead of chicken, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.

Low calorie + low carb + high in taste = the best marks in my cookbook.

Now, about the wrap itself. I used butter lettuce from local farmer Ozark All Seasons. With its hydroponic system and geothermal/solar greenhouse, Ozark All Seasons grows the most earth-friendly produce available.

The most beautiful too.

No kidding, a locally grown head of Ozark All Seasons butter lettuce is as stunning as a bouquet of spring flowers.

In my opinion, these beauties could be used as decorations for a garden wedding. They come with roots attached so it’s easy to keep them fresh at home too.

Things Momma Says:

Sorry friends, I’m drawing a blank this morning. I’m sure Momma said lots of witty things last week, but apparently I wasn’t paying attention.

Momma—what say you?

🌸🌸🌸

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Letter. It seems a little skimpy and scattered, but some letters are like that. My official quarterly Grace Grits Newsletter will be delivered on the first day of spring. I have lots of fun things planned, so be sure you are an email subscriber.

Subscribe to Newsletter HERE

Lettuce all try to be extra nice this week to make up for those who seem to have forgotten how. 😉

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.