Connie Q. from Bremerton, WA

Hi, my name is Connie, otherwise known as “Farmer Jim’s wife”! We both enjoy gardening as organically as possible… better for us and the environment! Jim typically plants and waters our garden, I do the weeding and harvesting. Every place we have lived, we have had a garden, some large, some small. It’s so satisfying and convenient to make a meal from fresh, tasty food you have grown yourself, not to mention how it can stretch the food budget!

Gardening in the Pacific Northwest with our shorter growing season is sometimes challenging. This year we were blessed with a month of record-breaking warm weather. While this meant more watering, the garden appreciated all the sun and grew very well.

Besides the packet of Earthbound Farm Organic Heirloom Lettuce Seeds, our salad garden consisted of beets, radishes, carrots, green onions, leeks, peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes. At the time of our first lettuce harvest, only radishes and tomatoes were also ready. The rest of the crops are catching up, and soon we will have a greater variety for our organic salad garden meals!

Speaking of variety… Farmer Jim and I LOVE the variety of lettuces in the Earthbound Farm Organic Heirloom Lettuce Seeds packet! It’s like growing our own bag of Earthbound Farm organic lettuce in our own backyard! It’s been fun to learn and identify the different types of lettuce.

We’ve also enjoyed making wonderful fresh salads with our organic greens and my own Spicy Omega-3/Humus salad dressing.  The dressing is my own creation that I had made in the past but never written down.  After eating a bowl of salad with this dressing for lunch the other day, I did 6 straight hours of yard work!  I guess the metabolism boosting spices combined with the nutrients of the other ingredients really do help!

Participating in Earthbound Farm’s “How Did Your Garden Grow?” Contest has been a lot of fun! I felt a special connection with our garden this year as I watched the daily progress of the lettuce seeds growing into lush lettuce of contrasting colors and textures. Documenting our garden project was also very rewarding. Farmer Jim was entertained by my creativity… the addition of my mini totem poles and straw horse made to honor the Earthbound Farm Farm Stand in Carmel Valley, CA.

Carmel Valley and Earthbound Farm hold a special place in my heart. I fondly remember stopping at the Farm Stand in Carmel Valley to pick up a quick organic snack to munch on while I drove for a commercial delivery company. Other times I might be driving over in San Benito County and see the beautiful fields of red and green Earthbound Farm organic lettuce. While I have enjoyed my retirement since 2007, I do miss Carmel Valley like missing a dear friend.

See Connie’s photos on Flickr.