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blueandyellowmakes

Author • Speaker • Homesteader
Executive director of the utopianseedproject
The Whole Okra, 2020 James Beard Awardee

Look what I grew! A solid block of oyster mushroom

Look what I grew! A solid block of oyster mushroom colonized substrate.

#mushroomsinabucket #mushrooms #oystermushrooms #dontsettleforbeingmediokra

Looks at these animals I call my own. Also, they

Looks at these animals I call my own.

Also, they decorated the cake with a mixture of edible flowers!
#happyfathersday #skooliecelebration

8 week female ducklings for sale. I have three duc

8 week female ducklings for sale. I have three ducklings who are the children of this pair (Roen mother and Roen/Khaki-campbell cross father). Organically fed, free range. $20 each or $50 for the three.
#ducks #ducklings #roen #khakicampbell

I want to introduce you to an okra-friend, @loveso

I want to introduce you to an okra-friend, @lovesomegreen, doing some awesome okra research out in Arizona. I've very inspired by his work AND he has a dog who loves to eat okra 😍

#Repost @lovesomegreen (@get_repost)
・・・
The garden defender gets his share of today's harvest.

#okra #TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra #OkraLoversUnite #okraresearcher

The beautiful echinacea. A celebration of diversit

The beautiful echinacea. A celebration of diversity.

Check out this beautiful piece of artwork that arr

Check out this beautiful piece of artwork that arrived in the mail from @southern_seed_queen! Thank you so much ❤️ #okra #OkraLoversUnite #TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra

My book sprouted a fancy badge! #TheWholeOkra #In

My book sprouted a fancy badge!

#TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra #okra #jbfa2020 #mediaawards #jamesbeardaward

@beardfoundation

1. "Long live the mucilaginous pod." Enough said!

1. "Long live the mucilaginous pod." Enough said!
2. Jessica Harris (@africooks) has many incredible books. I love this one.
3. Friendly reminder that Africa is a large continent of many splendid complexities and diversities.
#okra

False negatives... For anyone who's not been follo

False negatives... For anyone who's not been following along: submerging okra seed prior to planting separates seeds into floaters and sinkers. Sinkers have consistently given me 100% germination. I had thought that floaters gave 0% based on a couple of germination tests, but here are the floaters from about 20 varieties, which I decided to throw in some soil to see what happened. So there are two reasons for floating seeds. One is bad seed. The other...?! @lovesomegreen any thoughts?
#okra #okragermination #TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra

At least this garden pest is cute, and sometimes h

At least this garden pest is cute, and sometimes helpful. In the moment I am joyful. All parents should be allowed this joy.
I read yesterday that if you're a black man living in America then there is a 1 in 1000 chance of you being killed by a policeman.
That statistic is one of many horrifying statistics that clearly show systemic racism in America.
I look at my daughter and think how lucky it is that I won't need to fear for her life at the hands of police, and how wrong it is that anyone should feel that fear, let alone a large population of American citizens.
#blacklivesmatter

I'm not silent, I'm dumbfounded. So, just wanted t

I'm not silent, I'm dumbfounded. So, just wanted to say I'm listening and learning, and trying to understand how I can best be an ally. But know I am an ally and this country needs to change, which means we need to change. Going to start by sharing some of the incredible contributions of black farmers and chefs.

I'm so excited, I wet my plants... This is a rare

I'm so excited, I wet my plants... This is a rare okra gifted to me by the wonderful Kris Hubbard of @wildwood_farms_ky.
The packet reads: A nearly extinct okra variety from the Catawba Nation, but is also a rare African heirloom that was preserved from runaway slaves hiding, absorbed into Catawba.

These seeds will grow plants that will be closely cared for, and we'll save pure seed to rematriate to the Catawba Nation.
#seedsaving #okra #OkraLoversUnite #TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra #africanokra #catawbanation

I've actually been having some okra germination is

I've actually been having some okra germination issues this year, mainly with seed I don't know much about. Embarrassingly, I've shared seeds without testing, which have turned out to be duds.
So, I've developed what seems to be a fool proof model. Here's what I know:

1. Soaking seeds speeds up germination.
2. When seeds are first soaked, the ones that float will have 0% germination (see a previous post. Experiment since replicated twice with same results).
3. After 12 hours of soaking, some seeds that first sank will now float, but they still have great germination (left side of the photo).
4. The seeds that sink show great (near perfect) germination, right side (seeds still emerging).
5. If not sowing soaked seeds immediately, or if sharing seeds, then seeds can be briefly float tested and then sinking seeds can be rapidly dried (I use the fan only setting, no heat, of my dehydrator). No more embarrassing okra seed sharing and 100% sow to germination rate.
#TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra #seedsaving #germinationhacks #okraloversunite

I am OKRA happy, not just OK(ra)... Today the @bea

I am OKRA happy, not just OK(ra)... Today the @beardfoundation announced that The Whole Okra won a James Beard Award. CRAZY. I can't believe my okra journey has brought me here, but it's pretty exciting.
As always, many thanks to @chelseagreenbooks and my editor, Fern Bradley. I'm sure there are not that many publishers who would take on a first time author writing an entire book on okra, let alone one that includes author-okra conversations throughout... I have a few boxes of books under my bed that I'm happy to sign and ship out if you want to buy a copy!
#TheWholeOkra #OkraLoversUnite #InDefenseOfOkra #okra #jamesbeardaward #jbfa2020 #jbfa

Walk in the woods. Found some slug-reishi. Got wet

Walk in the woods. Found some slug-reishi. Got wet feet.

#reishi #adventuring

Going for a five kale kimchi-ish kraut, but one of

Going for a five kale kimchi-ish kraut, but one of the kales is a collard, and five Brassica oleracea kraut just doesn't roll off the tongue.... #kraut #kimchi #kalekimchi #fermenting #kale #collards #growyourownfood

Ducklings seem to like the outdoor shower! #duckl

Ducklings seem to like the outdoor shower!

#ducklings

I think I made vinegar... #vinegar #meadfail #that

I think I made vinegar... #vinegar #meadfail #thatsok

Green garlic is the best bonus crop from garlic th

Green garlic is the best bonus crop from garlic that's a little too tightly spaced, or double stalks, or just small plants that don't look like they'll get all that big. Early, tasty harvest.

#garlic #greengarlic #earlygarlic

I'm panicked by the rapidly disappearing @thechefs

I'm panicked by the rapidly disappearing @thechefsfarmer fermented hot sauce (absolutely delicious), but inspired by a freezer full of jalapenos.
Defrost. Salt. Blend. Ferment. Wait. Strain. Enjoy.

I added some old powdered fatali peppers for kick, and some green garlic for spring flavor. Excited.

#fermentation
#fermentedjalapenos #feedthebiome #hotsauce #jalapenos

Zoe loved @fermenti.foods sauerkraut, so I added t

Zoe loved @fermenti.foods sauerkraut, so I added the left over juice to a fresh batch to try and infuse some Fermenti magic ❤️ #saurkraut #fermenting #fermentation #feedthebiome

Love Emmy ❤️

Garlic scapes in olive oil in an old @burlapandbar

Garlic scapes in olive oil in an old @burlapandbarrel cumin jar, where the aromatics still linger. Yum.
#garlicscapes #eatseasonally

Erm, why are my oyster mushrooms full of small whi

Erm, why are my oyster mushrooms full of small white, black-headed larvae?! #mushroomissues

After almost two months at home, we feel very luck

After almost two months at home, we feel very lucky to have a cousin with an empty beach house!
With all the qualifiers that Covid-19 has devastated many people's lives, I have to admit that I am actually enjoying the forced slow down, the extra time with my children and my garden.

But being on the beach with my feet in the cool water, running the shoreline, digging in the sand, felt like freedom. It was uplifting in a way I didn't expect. Maybe because I grew up on the coast.

Would I trade this freedom for people's lives? No, obviously. But I guess I understand the desire to be free, and the struggle as we redefine what that means.

Being a parent is hard, but being a parent with tw

Being a parent is hard, but being a parent with two young children crashing off chocolate overload is really hard.
Happy Mother's Day.

#chocolatefondue #mothersareamazing

Take Number 57... Sometimes you're just #mediokra.

Take Number 57... Sometimes you're just #mediokra... But don't settle for it! Edit is complete and going live at @utopianseedproject soon.

@frannysfarm

Today, a bow and arrow. Tomorrow, we eat squirrel.

Today, a bow and arrow. Tomorrow, we eat squirrel.

#archer #squirrelfordinner #youthinkimjoking

From left to right we have dandelion-violet flower

From left to right we have dandelion-violet flower vinegar, straight apple cider vinegar (the base for the other infusions), and 'spring vinegar' which is a wide mix of spring garden forage by Zoe and Emmy (under supervision, but they're pretty good!). #vinegar #vinegarinfusions #applecidervinegar #springtonic

Duckling snuggles. #ducklings

Duckling snuggles.
#ducklings

When you discover you're a James Beard Award final

When you discover you're a James Beard Award finalist for writing a book on okra, it's definitely time to crack out the okra flower vodka bloody Mary with okra pickle garnish and an okra petiole straw. Maybe they'll let me on @splendidtable now 😉

Winners announced May 27.

Massive thanks to my publisher @chelseagreenbooks and @ptpix for most of the incredible photography, as well as a huge amount of other people!
#TheWholeOkra #InDefenseOfOkra #okra #OkraLoversUnite
#pickledokra #okravodka #okrastraw

@beardfoundation

Zoe feeds chicks. Dad admires oyster mushrooms. Be

Zoe feeds chicks. Dad admires oyster mushrooms. Beautiful morning.

#chicks #toddlers #mushrooms

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