Replay of 8: Pattiann Bennet | St. Michael’s Episcopal Church | Eureka, MT

Originally published Feb 11, 2015

Pattiann Bennett brings us decades of gardening experience from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains. Learn about growing perennial flowers, Sailor Sauerkraut’s probiotic benefits, and the best Kale Chip Recipe anywhere.

Tell me about your first gardening experience?

Playing in her mothers garden as an 8yr old in Maine.

What does organic gardening/earth friendly mean to you?

My husband Bruce and I don’t use chemicals. We always have compost pile going. When we first moved here we were looking for ways to make a living in Montana so we ordered red wigglers worms  from Texas to sell as bait that now nourish the soil, use cow n horse manure, and  mulch with hay or straw.

Who or what inspired u to start using organic techniques?

Parents never used chemical fertizliers but used compost from kitchen and dad would get manure. First adult garden in Florida where soil was very different.

Story of Stuff link.

How did you learn how to garden organically?

Always been sort of organic people. Bruce’s grandfather was always a great gardener.

Tell us about something that grew well this year.

Cabbages and Kale (See Kale Chip recipe below)

Is there something you would do different next year?

Two gardens – vegetable gardens

Tell me about something that didn’t work so well this season.

SkyeNMason

Mason’s Sunflower JungleMasonInJungle

Grandson Mason’s Sunflower Jungle provided beautiful sunflowers but too much shade for many plants.

Do you have any secrets for preserving food-making it last? 

Kale chips best recipe
Dehydrate
Don’t wash the Kale because the garden is so clean so just break off and fill a bucket, cut spines off of each piece and put in separate bucket
Coat with olive oil, mix in with hands for an hour or two so all parts are absorbed
Then coat with salt – uses either a Himalayan or Hawaiian salt
Sprinkle liberally and mix everything with hands
Put in dehydrator for about 4-5 hours that come out crispy like chips
Take out and cool and put in ziplock bags

Eating or harvesting vegetables or fruit on time? CanningJars

Need to harvest when ready and get processed.

Do you have any special techniques for cooking weird or unusual foods?

Final parting inspiration 4 listeners: make
Sailor Sauerkraut 
A probiotic that is really good for digestion.
Use whey from Greek yogurt –
Uses simple ingredients
Cabbage
Carroway seeds
Sea salt
Whey

A favorite recipe you like to cook?

Cream of Kale soup made with Cream of Broccoli recipe

A favorite tool that you like to use? If you had to move and could only take one tool with you what would it be.

Shovel – small headed shovel.CherryTomatoes

A favorite reading material-book, mag, blog/website etc you can 

Rodale’s How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method by JI Rodale

The New Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour

Small Space, Big Harvest Dwayne Newcomb

Sunset Western Garden Book

PattiannCoveringGarden

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
the song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
than anywhere else on earth…
Dorothy Frances Gurney

 

If you have any comments, questions, guests you’d like to see, or topics you’d like us to cover please send us any feedback positive or negative. We’re here to serve our audience and we can only improve with your help!!! Thanks for visiting Mike’s Green Garden changing the world one garden at a time.

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Audio Book from Audible.com

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About the author, Jackie Marie

I'm an artist and educator. I live at the "Organic Oasis" with my husband Mike where we practice earth friendly techniques in our garden nestled in the mountains of Montana.

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