SHIFTING ROOTS

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Everything You Need To Know to Make Beautiful Natural Dyed Easter Eggs

February 19, 2020

Looking for a way to dye Easter eggs without food colouring or a kit? Look no further! There are lots of natural food dyes in your refrigerator and pantry. I’ll show you how the best ways to get pink, orange, yellow, blue and green eggs using vegetables and spices that you likely already have on hand.

Are you someone who likes a project with predictable results and simple directions?  This post is not for you.  Are you someone who likes surprises and is willing to experiment?  Carry on my friend.

Recently I went a little bit crazy and was determined to find the best natural Easter egg dyes.  Over 2 dozen tries later I bring to you this comprehensive, no-nonsense guide to natural Easter egg dyes.

[Read more…]
Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

26 Comments
Filed Under: DIY, Easter, Zero Waste Tagged: Beets, blackberries, cabbage, chokecherries, dye, Easter, easter eggs, food dye, Juice, Kale, natural dye, raspberries, saskatoon berries, spice dye, Spinach, turmeric, zero waste

Old Fashioned Beet Cake

August 22, 2019

I never realized baking cakes with vegetables wasn’t a thing everywhere, until I met my dear friend Nicky. Nicky is from South Africa, and kindly informed me that this practice was indeed odd, but how did I do it because she was interested in making a cake with vegetables for her son’s first birthday.

Any prairie person worth their salt (who enjoys baking) will have a standard recipe for zucchini cake or carrot cake. Beet cake is equally delicious and a great way to use up those larger beets you grew that weren’t as nice for canning.

Related: Beet Leaf Rolls and Red Velvet Cake with Beets

This old fashioned beet cake is very similar to carrot cake, and is delicious with cream cheese icing. I took it to a recent choir rehearsal, and it was devoured by my singers.

How do You Bake with Beets?

To use beets in your baking, start by boiling or roasting chopped beets until tender. Beets always take longer than I expect to roast them–often over an hour at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. However, you might be blessed with a higher quality oven that I am and it will go quicker for you.

Put your beets into a blender or food processor and puree them with a bit of water. There’s no exact science to this. Just blend the beets until your desired texture.

If you have extras, you can always save the pureed beets in a freezer bag and use at a later date. Beets keep well in the freezer and you should have no problems using them later in the year.

Old Fashioned Beet Cake

Old Fashioned Beet Cake

Similar to carrot cake, but with pureed beets.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • Beet Cake:
  • 3 cups pureed beets
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • Icing:
  • 1 cup cream cheese (a block)
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Cook and puree beets if you have not already done so.
  2. Beat eggs, sugars, and oil in a large bowl.
  3. Next, add in the pureed beets and milk.
  4. Finally, Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and beat until smooth.
  5. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let cake cool completely.
  8. In the mean time, beat cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla in a mixer until smooth.
  9. Frost the beet cake with cream cheese icing
  10. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

The additional time is the hour or so it will take to roast or boil the beets if you don't have cooked beets on hand already.

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

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Filed Under: Baking Tagged: Baking, Beets, Cake, cream cheese icing, fall baking

Beet Leaf Rolls with Creamy Dill Sauce

August 1, 2019

You might have heard of beatniks (dough rolled up in a beet leaf) but have you heard of beet leaf rolls?  They’re a riff off of cabbage rolls, way better tasting, and a great way to use up some of your beet leaves.

By the way, did you know you can eat beet leaves?  Now you do.  They’re delicious in these rolls, used as salad greens, or fried up as part of a stir fry.

Or maybe you haven’t heard of any of these things.  Read on and you’ll be glad you did.

Ukrainian beet leaf rolls with creamy dill sauce will be your new vegetarian comfort food. It's an easy cabbage roll recipe stuffed with rice and baked into a delicious casserole--just like Mom used to make. #casserole #beetleafrolls #cabbagerolls #Ukrainiandishes #Ukrainiancuisine #vegetariancasserole #vegetarian #casserole
[Read more…]
Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

22 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: beet leaf, Beets, Casserole, garden recipes

This Is What Your Urban Garden Can Grow in One Year

October 17, 2017

Think you have too little space in your city backyard to garden?  I’m here to tell you that as long as you have decent light, you don’t.

This year I planted a small garden in my backyard in a designated garden area, amongst my flowers wherever there was space, in pots, and in three raised beds.  That sounds like a lot of space, but it really isn’t.

Here are my results.

Have you ever wondered how much you can really grow in your urban garden? It might be more than you think! I'm sharing the results of growing vegetables in a tiny garden plot, on my patio in pots, and in a few garden boxes. #urbangardening #gardening #growingvegetables #smallspacegardening #citygardening

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

8 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: Beans, Beets, beginner gardener, best plants for beginners, canadian gardening, Carrots, Garden, garden harvest, Gardening, harvest 2017, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Peas, planting, plants, Potatoes, pumpkins, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, summer squash, Tomatoes, urban gardening, Zucchini

Triumphs & Failures in my Garden

August 2, 2016

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The harvest is underway and I’m already thinking about what worked and didn’t work this year.  There were lots of surprises this year: volunteer potatoes (that did really well despite much neglect), barely there greens and beets, peas that didn’t perform, and the wonder that is cylindrical beets.  Here’s my thoughts on what I planted.

Potatoes

Volunteer potatoes cropped up among my squash and pumpkins.  I left them until July, then took them out for an early harvest and to give my other plants the space they now needed.  I would do this again on purpose.  It’s nice to have some dedicated early potatoes you can harvest without guilt.

Beans

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So far I have picked 60 litres of beans.  I probably don’t need quite so many beans next year.  I prefer the yellow to the green, and missed having purple ones.  Even though I purchased bush beans, they still seemed to fall over. . . is that normal?  Should I put up a trellis next year?

Peas

This years crop was small for how much I planted.  I was also late to put up supports.  Some of my peas adjusted and others didn’t.  There was also definitely some creature that got to my late variety peas.  In summary, plant more peas and maybe try some different varieties than this year.

Spinach

Why oh why can I never grow spinach?  Maybe I’ll try to in my smaller garden in the city next year.

Lettuce & Kale

image

My new favourite lettuce to grow is butter crunch!  It did the best out of all the varieties we tried.  We learned that we are just not fans of red lettuce.  The kale plants I grew in the city did very well and didn’t get eaten up by bugs this year.  Might be worth it to buy the plants like I did this year.

Onions

The variety I grew tasted wonderful, but had some huge greens for a very small bulb.  Maybe try a different kind next year.

Swiss Chard

I didn’t get a lot of swiss chard, but I used old seed so I wasn’t that surprised.  What I did get was lovely.  I’ll definitely plant this next year.

image

Beets

None of my circular beets came up.  I have no idea what I did wrong.  A few of the cylindrical beets came up and they were good.  I will plant these again because they are much easier to harvest.

Carrots & Parsnips

My carrot crop was quite sparse this year, but on the bright side, I didn’t have to thin out anything.  None of my parsnips came up.

Herbs

Only my dill came up strong.  The basil came up much later, but ended up doing quite well.  I will try growing some indoors over the winter and hopefully do better.

Peppers

Small but mighty!!  Only 4 out of 12 plants survived,  but each of them have 3 little peppers

Tomatoes

The tomatoes had a rough start, but are looking much better now.  Hopefully I’ll get enough to make spaghetti sauce.

Cucumbers

So far the cucumbers are beyond disappointing.  I collected 5 so far and they are half yellow.  Maybe they aren’t getting enough water?

Zucchini

image

Good old zucchini, you can always depend on it to produce.  Both my yellow and green varieties did very well.

Pumpkins

Not really sure if these are going to produce.  The plant looks okay, but I don’t see any pumpkins beginning.  Maybe its too early in the season?  Maybe I was supposed to pollinate them?  I tried, but I had 4 male flowers and no females.

Spaghetti Squash

image
Just look at the beautiful spaghetti squash! Please ignore my weeds.

I’m very excited about my squash!  So far there are 3 nice sized ones on the vine and it looks like more to come.  However, I’m not really sure when to pick them.  Do I wait until they turn yellow, or do I pick them now and they’ll turn yellow as they cure?  Tell me if you know!

How is your garden growing?  If you have any solutions to my gardening problems, please let me know!!

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

1 Comment
Filed Under: Gardening, Outdoor Life Tagged: Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Gardening, Herbs, Onions, Parsnips, Peppers, Potatoes, pumpkins, squash, Tomatoes, Zucchini

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

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  • 17 Perennial Flowers That Love Shade
  • How to Design a Cut Flower Garden in Raised Beds
  • How to Start a Cut Flower Garden
  • How to Make Watercolour Decorated Sugar Cookies

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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Oh friends, if any of my nice, curated photos sums Oh friends, if any of my nice, curated photos sums up how this last week went, I think it's this one.  Babies crying, trying to stay calm, outwardly looking like it's all under control, but feeling very overwhelmed.⁠
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This post isn't gardening related, so feel free to scroll by if you're here only for the gardening content.⁠
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Thankfully it's January, and I keep reminding myself that the Internet will not break if I don't keep to my self-imposed posting schedule.  But it doesn't make a week full of teething-and-not-sleeping baby any easier. ⁠
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Felicity slept through the night for the first time ever last Monday, then proceeded to punish us with frequent wakings and terrible sleep until Saturday.  And as tough as this is in regular times, in Covid times its extra frustrating because I don't have my village.⁠
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I can't just call up another Mama friend and go for coffee at her house.  I can't take my son out for a Mommy-and-Dominic date because everything he'd want to do isn't really much of an option.  There's no playgroup or play place to just drop in on.  And forget just taking everybody out to get groceries just for a change of scenery.⁠
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I know people have way more serious problems than this, and I hope I don't sound whiny and entitled, it's not my intention.  Please know that I'm very grateful for my family and job and that so far we've been healthy. ⁠
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A lot of you who follow me do so in part because you are also juggling life with very little people through this strange time.  I hope that in occasionally sharing my struggles, it makes you feel better about your struggles. (You're struggling too sometimes. . . right?)
Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth deg Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth degree, do you just wing it, or are you somewhere in-between?⁠
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I tend to plan it all out, and then when I actually get out in the field, so to speak, the plan changes a little bit. ⁠
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If you need a garden planner that's both pretty & practical, my garden planner is available in the ebooks section.  It's only $9 and has lots of upgrades from the previous planner.  Use code CANADA if you're Canadian to account for the exchange.⁠
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P.S. You can see exactly what you're getting in the video--no surprises. ⁠
P.P.S  I get my planner bound and printed at a printing place.  Lots of people just print their own and put the sheets in a binder.
Are you gardening in containers this year? When y Are you gardening in containers this year?  When you're shopping for vegetable seeds, look for varieties that have names with words like patio, tiny, small, etc.  While lots of vegetable varieties will do fine in a container, you'll have an easier time with ones that are specifically bred for that situation.⁠
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📸 by @blushbrandphotography
I'm living the pepper dream in this photo. While I'm living the pepper dream in this photo.  While these ones are a bit on the small side, who doesn't want ripe peppers in July in zone 3?!?! ⁠
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Over the years I've gotten better at growing peppers, and I promise I'll spill my secrets in February when it's actually time to start them.  Until then, get yourself all or one of my four favourite varieties: ⁠
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🌶️Carmen⁠
🌶️Escamillo⁠
🌶️Candy Stripe⁠
🌶️Hungarian Hot Wax⁠
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Do you have a favourite pepper variety?⁠
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Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately? It Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately?  It's so easy to get completely overwhelmed, especially if you're new to gardening.  Why are there so many varieties of everything and which ones do I choose?⁠
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Here's how I try to narrow it down.⁠
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🌤️ Short growing season like me?  Try and prioritize varieties that have short dates to maturity.⁠
🥗 What do you or your family actually eat?  While I think you should always try a couple of new things, there's no sense in planting a giant garden filled with vegetables that you're not going to cook with. ⁠
🥒 Do you care whether your vegetables are heirlooms or hybrids?  Heirlooms are the kind that have been around for 50+ years and you can save seeds from.  Believe it or not, this year we're prioritizing hybrids for some of our garden.  The Hermit @mgsraney is obsessed with production this year, so anything that's going in "his" greenhouse better be able to produce a lot.  I'm using more heirlooms in my "glamour garden" as we call it, because I want things that are pretty and I can save seeds from.⁠
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What do you prioritize when you're picking out seeds?⁠
Last week we started thinking about our plans for Last week we started thinking about our plans for cut flower gardening, now this week we start thinking about plans for our vegetable gardens.  Unlike cut flowers, there's not as many vegetables that need to be started ridiculously early.  However, it's still fun to plan and dream and get your thoughts sorted.⁠
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I'm curious--what size of garden do you have to work with?  Are you on an acreage or farm, city backyard, or do you have a couple of pots on an apartment patio?⁠
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As for me, I have quite a mix.  I have my container garden on my backyard deck, the small cut flower garden in my yard, then vegetables in raised beds.  We also garden at my Mother-in-law's acreage, so there's a giant garden over there where we're figuring out how to grow food on a larger scale.  Then finally, sometimes my Mom grows things for me in her garden if I'm nervous that I'll ruin them in my own garden--call it a backup garden if you will.⁠
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📸 by @blushbrandphotography
I hope you've enjoyed this week of chatting about I hope you've enjoyed this week of chatting about the best flowers to plant in a cut flower garden.  There's so many options, these 5 that I talked about all week don't even come close.  If you need more help creating a small cut flower garden, I created this plan intended for a raised bed (but you can plant it in-ground too.⁠
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Head over to my insta links page on my profile, and you'll see the button to click on that will take you directly to it.⁠
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#cutflowergarden #cutflowers #raisedbedgarden #raisedbedgardening  #growyourown #greenthumb #raisedbeds #urbangarden #urbanfarm #squarefootgardening #slowflowers
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