Grow All You Can Eat In 3 Square Feet ~ DK Canada Book Review ~ Mother's Day Gift Idea

With the beautiful weather we have been getting the last couple weeks I have been busy out in the yard. I have trimmed up the vines that enclose the patio, trimmed the trees and cleaned the flower bed. I am also in the midst of cleaning out the kids HUGE sandbox to turn it into a vegetable garden. It is a hand made box that is 4 feet by 4 feet. It will be great!

Does your Mother have a green thumb? Do you enjoy to garden? Maybe you are just starting out like myself (I have done a lil garden but nothing big as of yet). Here is a fabulous book that everyone should get if you are thinking of gardening but only have a small space. You can grow tons of things in 3 square feet with this book.

Book Summary:

Want to grow your own vegetables and food, but don't have enough space for a garden? Don't let lack of space get in the way of growing healthy, organic foods at home. Apartment dwellers, schoolteachers, and anyone else who wants to grow a lot of food in a little space will find a great small garden resource in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet.

Small-space gardeners, find your start in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet, packed with information on window boxes, potted plants, patio gardening, raised beds, small square-foot gardening, container gardening, and everything else related to growing your own small garden. Whether you want to grow a full garden, grow tomatoes, grow an herb garden, or just pick up great tips for small gardens, Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet is the resource you need.

Review:

This is a great book for anyone looking to garden in small spaces or even for the beginner gardener like myself. It breaks down so much I didn't know or even thought of. Some of the things I have learned are when to plant certain veggies, flowers, fruits, how far apart to plant them, if they need a small pot or big, how to make a homemade trellis, which grows best in shady or sunny spots, which to grow for what season. This book is a huge resource for any gardener. Learn about planting an herb garden and also a huge section on Plant know-how which includes common pests and disease. I have learned so much with this book and I am so excited to have my own garden this summer! I highly recommend this book to everyone! The book is laid out nicely that it isn't crowed or too busy with beautiful pictures of plants etc.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars!


~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Genuine Jenn. I received the above book for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Strawberry Picking Fun + Recipes

My family loves picking fruit. Each year we try very hard to get out and do some strawberry and apple picking. This activity started out to be a fun family outing which then turned into an expected family outing. The kids usually start asking way too early about getting out to pick strawberries. We missed out last year as the season was early and we were very busy but this summer I was very determined to make it out with the kids at least once.

Last Saturday we headed out before lunch to a local farm that has a wide variety of fruits and veggies and also offers pick your own strawberries. The kids had a lot of fun finding the nice big juicy red strawberries and my son decided he wants a summer job at the strawberry farm. The owner told him in a few years to come back and he could have a job. He is stoked, haha.

This year I decided I would make Strawberry freezer jam and also found a recipe for Strawberry-Banana freezer jam. They are both very easy recipes as they do not need to be cooked and the jams don't need to go through the hot sterilization process either.

The following recipes can be found in the Certo Liquid Pectin insert in the box.

Strawberry no cook jam

makes 5 cups

1 3/4 cups crushed strawberries
4 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Hull and thoroughly crush strawberries one layer at a time. 
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together fruit and sugar. 
3. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Add Certo liquid Pectin and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes. 
5. Put into clean containers filling up to 1/4 inch from rim. Cover with lids. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours or till set.  

Strawberry-Banana no cook jam
makes 7 cups

2 1/2 cups crushed strawberries
1 cup mashed banana
1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Hull and thoroughly crush strawberries one layer at a time. 
2. Mash bananas.
3. In a large mixing bowl stir together fruit and sugar. 
4. Let stand 10 minutes.
5. Add Certo liquid Pectin and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes. 
6. Put into clean containers filling up to 1/4 inch from rim. Cover with lids. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours or till set. 

Both jams turned out very tasty and everyone is loving them. We have 13 jars in total, for some reason I ended up with an extra Strawberry-Banana. I look forward to making more no-cook freezer jams in the near future as it was very easy to make and this was a great project for the kids to help with.

~*Jennifer 

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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Wordless Wednesday - Strawberries!

~*Jennifer

~*Disclaimer: This post was written by Marvelous Mommy Meals. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are honest and my own.*~

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