Martha Stewart: Apparently Bloggers and Being Local Are NOT a GoodThing.

I was going to write about a roast chicken I recently made, but something or rather someone got in my way.  Today I was on Facebook and found this video waiting for me to view from a friend's Facebook page.  I'm sure this video won't be out for very long and I'm sure that bloggers from all over will have something to say about it.  I certainly do.  Have a good watch and listen.

Here's a few things I noticed about her commentary and some other things with which I take issue.  Specifically her criticism of bloggers.

First and foremost, lets talk about the companies she is praising.  According to this interview these are the companies she believes to be either good, have good taste, or are good business tools.  Here's her list.

• Home Depot:  Not "schlocky".  Because I am not a paid editor at Vogue magazine I had to look this up.  According to www.freedictionary.com schlocky means "something, such as merchandise or literature, that is inferior or shoddy."  Phew!  I'm glad that's not me.
• Ralph Lauren
• Macy's
• Amazon
• Calvin Klein
• Donna Karen
• Twitter

What did you notice about all these companies? 

First, I noticed that two of them (Home Depot and Macy's) sell a great deal of her products.  Hey there's nothing wrong with a little bit of shameless self promotion, but still it's worth mentioning.  She kind of went on and on about Home Depot and gave honorary mention to the others.  Hmmm.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.  This is probably one of the many reasons why she is so much more successful than I can ever hope to be.  One cannot deny that she is an intense and driven business person.  I don't have a problem with that.  I do have a problem with something else about her choice of companies. Which brings me to my next observation.  

Secondly, I noticed that none of these companies are local or even locally minded.  I think that since this blog is about local living it's worth noting that Martha did not mention a single local company that she considered good or of having good taste.  Really?  How many houses does she have now in the countryside?  She couldn't think of one local business that deserved mentioning? 

 

The irony here is that Ms. Stewart previously used to mention on her shows about the superiority of local markets, butchers, farmers etc.  It was one of the aspects that attracted me to her shows in the first place.  Now apparently a company can never get too big and I couldn't disagree more.  Aside from Twitter, the above bulleted list contains the majority of companies that have put local businesses out of business.  Remember what Bellingham hardware/home supply stores were like before Home Depot came in?  I do.  First of all there were a lot more of them and second of all the people who worked there knew what they were talking about.  Home Depot, in Bellingham, is the bane of my DIY existence.  Now granted the scope of my DIY skills is very limited, but I have rarely had a good experience there.  After ignoring me for what seems like an eternity, you finally get someone to help you (The Expert in All Departments person) and they inevitably are unhelpful.  Either the product is not in stock or they don't know what you need.  I won't even get started about their paint department.  That's a completely different disaster and I'm already getting off topic. 

When my husband or I need something for a home project we start at one of two places: 
Hardware Sales or Builders Alliance (My brother-in-law is the Operations Manager there).  Hardware Sales has a huge selection and Builder's Alliance is where we go for impeccable quality and good taste.  It's not that difficult to find what we need and 99% of the time we do.  On those rare occasions when we can't find what is required we drag ourselves to Home Depot and hope for the best.  Usually they don't have it either and we're forced to order on Amazon.  I never feel especially thrilled that we had to look beyond a local company, but we always think local first and that's the point. 

Me on Patos Island, WA I believe.  That was a very fun day.

Let's move on to the part of the conversation that's a little more personal shall we? 

Bloggers. 

Martha has a minor gripe about us.  It's not a minor gripe as much as a general disdain.  Here are some issues she has about bloggers or people like me.  Naturally I include my response to each one:

1. "Who are these bloggers?  They're not trained editors at Vogue Magazine." 
   Well, she's got a point.  I'm no trained editor at Vogue.  Heck I'm not an editor at all.  I'm a stay-at-home mother who has a passion for lactose-free cooking and living locally.  But guess what?  Neither is she.  Ms. Stewart is very successful, but she is not a trained editor at Vogue and she's not a blogger.  I got her beat on at least one thing.  No wonder she doesn't understand who we are.  Blogging came WAY after she was already firmly established in her current career.  Ironically, my description of myself sounds a lot like Martha back before she started catering. 
   I'm a blogger.  I write about me and I'm an expert on that. I have two blogs.  I'm very proud of them.  Both of them have nothing to do with Martha but are about me and how I choose to live my life.  They both revolve heavily around eating because I like good food.  By the way, here's a link to the other one in case you are curious.  www.deconstructingdairy.weebly.com
2. She claims that blogger's recipes are either "not tested or are not very good."
   That's quite a claim and one that I think most bloggers are going to be upset about.  However I can only really speak for myself.  All of my recipes are tested.  I don't just make them once.  I make them many times over.  My potato leek soup took me over a year to perfect but she's right it's not good.  It's frickin' awesome.  It's so good that my kids and husband get excited every time potatoes come in our CSA box.  I take personal exception to her above comment.  What I make is good and I have excellent taste in food.  I may not have the knowledge or have the time to blog about what she makes, but I know good food when I taste it.
   I also want to know how she knows these things.  How does she know that blogger recipes aren't tested or that they aren't good?  Does she have people spying on all our blogs, testing our recipes and then finding out that they are awful?  The idea of that is a bit humorous to me though.  I chuckle at the image of Martha scouring the web for blogs of poor taste with inefficient recipes. 
3. Blogger recipes are just "copies of things really good editors have created."
   There's a little bit of truth in what she is saying here.  Unfortunately, there are bloggers who  plagiarize other peoples recipes and display them as if they are their own.  I will speak for myself on this issue.  I have blogged before about when I believe you can call a recipe your own.   It is also important to credit the source of your recipe.  Bloggers who don't do this make us all look bad and therefore we all must endure Martha's wrath and disdain.  Thanks a lot.
   Also, editors don't create recipes.  Chefs and cooks do. 
4. Bloggers create a "popularity..."  I'm not sure what this is referring to exactly, but basically it sounds like she feels as though she is loosing a popularity contest.  Martha Stewart is popular.  Some blogs are popular.  Mine aren't, but I don't blog to be popular.  I blog for myself.  Period.
5. Bloggers are "not the experts."  I'm not an expert in cooking and I don't have formal training in that area. I say so in both my blogs. Both of them revolve heavily around cooking and living in a way that suits me. A small amount of people read my blogs and share my preferences.  
   Martha Stewart has a lot to offer, but she doesn't know beans about how to live locally in my community (www.livinglavitalocal.blogspot.com) and she definitely doesn't know how to cook for the lactose intolerant while still using real dairy (www.deconstructingdairy.weebly.com).
   I don't write my blogs so that I can become famous one day, even though that was clearly Ms. Stewart's goal all along. That's fine and was her choice.  I write for a creative outlet and for personal enjoyment.   

My husband Matt and my boys in Tofino, BC. 

 

In conclusion here's my final point. I have a husband and family that love me and I prefer to spend time with them. That is my choice. I don't want to spend my life in the quest for popularity and fame.  My blogs may not ever hit the big time, but they are an essential creative outlet and are very important to me. I am saddened that Martha Stewart doesn't seem to understand the blogosphere and it's place in our culture.  Social media isn't going away and I'm sorry that she feels threatened by it.  She shouldn't trash all bloggers just because she doesn't get it.  She has her outlet, now leave us alone and let us have ours.

Making your own very large hoop house.

Here's the very first hoop house I made a few years ago.  Notice the clothespins.  Haha!  Those didn't last very long. 

The summer season is coming to an end and its time for me to start preparing my garden for cooler temperatures.  Doing this involves two very important things.

1. Planting seeds or starts that will be ready for harvest in the Fall.  The only seeds I will be planting are lettuces/greens because they grow so quickly.  I got a late start this year so I will be planting mostly starts from Joe's Gardens. 
2. Making a hoop house. 

Now you might be asking what a hoop house is and what it's used for. 

Basically, a hoop house is a little house that you make for your plants/seeds. The structure is made from plastic flexible pipes and is hoop-like in shape. The "roof" of the hoop house is either plastic sheeting or yards of frost blanket.  

There are many benefits to putting one in your garden. Some of these are:

1. Heat!
   A hoop house traps heat inside.  This accelerates plant/seed growth and it allows you to grow things that would not otherwise grow in your climate.  I am wanting the heat for this middle bed to help my peppers continue to grow.
2. Bug damage prevention. 
   If your hoop house is closed and tight it will keep most bugs out.  It's like a nice protective house that keeps those predators away.  However, always put down an organically certified slug bait.  You don't want to trap those suckers in and if you garden in the Northwest you know what problems they cause. 
3. Animal damage prevention.
   Nothing is worse than waking up to find damage from animals to your garden.  Animals are naturally drawn to home gardens and a hoop house is a nice environmentally friendly way of keeping them in their place.  I have lots of animals in my yard and it keeps them out.  Deer, rabbits, squirrels, cats, and other dogs just find it too much of a bother. 
4. Extends your growing season. 
   If you gardened and harvested only when the seasons naturally allowed you wouldn't harvest very much.  Our really active growing season in my area is really only 4-5 months long.  My cucumbers are not going to make it another month and cold weather, rain, and frost can damage plants that need extra time.  I have children who keep me busy and I often get distracted from my garden.  Hence often I plant veggies too late and I need my hoop house to add another month or so it's not a total loss.
5. Protects plants from wind, snow and hail storms.
   The weather in the Northwest is fickle.  It will be scorching one day and then a storm will roll in and if you're not prepared will ruin your new starts.  Sometimes I leave my hoop house up during the winter and harvest lettuce/greens when it is really cold.  Traipsing through the snow to pick some fresh arugula or kale is pretty cool.  And we all know how fresh veggies from your garden are WAY better for you than anything bought from a grocery store.  

Now that you know some of the benefits of a hoop house here are a few not-so-great things to be ready for when having a hoop house. 

1. They NOT winning any beauty contests.
   Now I love a lush looking garden as much as the next girl and hoop houses are a bit unsightly.  People might complain especially if your garden is in front of your house.  However, a hoop houses benefits far outweigh its lack of beauty.  Don't worry, once you start harvesting some great looking produce your hoop house will look a lot prettier.  It's a good idea to share a bit of that produce with a cranky complaining neighbor.  Free food makes everyone happier.
2. Sometimes they get too hot.
   This is usually a problem in climates that are really hot and for people who use plastic sheeting.  I prefer frost blankets because they breathe and allow air to circulate.  They rarely get too hot here in the northwest.
3. They can get too damp in the early Spring and late Fall
   This also doesn't tend to be a problem with frost blankets but if you overwater it can cause problems.
4. You will need to set up a watering system inside.
   Once a hoop house is up you are not going to want to disturb it unless you are harvesting, weeding or planting something new.  A watering system for your garden is a good idea anyway.  I use soaker hoses that are laid down on the dirt and held in place with metal ground staples.  Then I attach a regular garden hose to the soaker hose and then connect the garden hose to a spigot with a timer.  These are really cheap and take the energy out of watering. 
5. Once your plants sprout flowers you will need to open them up to allow bees to pollinate. 
   This never takes very long and be sure to close it up during the night.  The bees go to bed and the nasty bugs are on the prowl.  Remember prevention is the key to keeping chemicals out of your organic garden.

These are the soaker hoses I was talking about.  Always plant around the hoses.

 

Now, let's stop beating around the bush and get started.  Remember hoop houses are not hard but they require a bit of planning and preparation.  Just like with cooking get all your "ingredients" ready before you begin.  Here's what you will need to make a replica of my hoop house. 

• A huge roll of black polyvinyl  tubing. 
  I got mine at Hardware Sales and it was only about $30.  That was more than enough tubing for two large raised beds.
• 8 pieces of 12" rebar.
  They sell in in packs of 16 at Hardware Sales.  I can't remember how much it was, but it wasn't expensive.
• A very large package of frost blankets (aka Crop Blanket). 
  My hoops measured about 9ft long for each one so I needed something that wasn't carried in our local stores.  I also needed a frost blanket to be hanging over the edges of my hoop house.  Always error on the side of having extra material.  Because I wanted to purchase my supplies as locally as possible, I found that I could order most of my supplies from Charley's Greenhouse and Garden.  They have a local store in Skagit Valley, WA ,but their online store is incredible and has a much larger selection.  The blanket I got was 12 X 25 and I cut it to fit the house the way I wanted. 
• A couple of packages of metal ground staples.  You will need these to hold the blanket into the ground.
• A hammer
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• A hacksaw
• About 16 snap clamps.
  These clamps are brilliant and snap on to connect the frost blanket to the hoops.  Always get more than you think you will need.  Snap clamps will disappear when you want to use them and are the missing socks of the garden world. They are also easily removed when you need to get back into your hoop house and they are very durable. 

Before I tell you how to make this hoop house let me tell you that I had a bit of help.  Rather I had some muscle working with me on this project.  My husband helped me finish some of the manual labor when I either got sore or tired.  What a nice guy huh? 

Measure and lay the rebar out first before you hammer them into the earth.

 

Once you have all your supplies pick up your hammer and rebar and place them where you want them to go into the ground.  I used four rebar on each side and kept them about 4" outside of my raised bed.  Do the same for the opposite side of the bed.  Once you are satisfied with their placement hammer those puppies halfway into the ground.  You want them sticking up about 6" off the ground.

You need to leave some space.  The tubing is going over these.

Try to line them up.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

 

Next you will need to figure out how tall you want your hoop house to be.  I wanted mine about 3 feet tall because most veggies get pretty huge.   Then take the tubing and cut off the size that you want with the hacksaw.  Use that tubing you just cut as a template to measure and cut 3 more hoops.  Then slide the polyvinyl tubing over the rebar.  You should have one tube for each end and two in the middle.

This is a good time to take a break. 

The next big aspect of making a hoop house is putting on your "roof."  My hillside gets very windy so I need to make sure it will withstand high winds.  Frost blankets are better for my needs than plastic sheeting because the air doesn't get too trapped and it is less likely to blow away. 

To connect your blanket to the hoops first drape the blanket over the hoops.  Use a few snap clamps to keep the blanket from blowing or sliding away.  Then cut the blanket to size.  Error on the side of leaving extra material.  Remember you want it to be hanging WAY over all the edges.

Snap more snap clamps over the blanket and connect to the tubing.  I use about three per tube.  One in the middle and two almost halfway down the sides. 

Finally gather the extra frost blanket in bunches, slip through the metal ground staples, and hammer into the ground.  Do your best to keep the frost blanket bound tightly around the base of the raised bed.  The more secure it is the better it will do it's job. 

This is the closed hoop house.  This is what they are supposed to look like. 

Please notice the difference between the two hoop houses that I created.  One is closed at both ends while the other is open.  I would like to tell you that one of them is open because I chose for it to be that way, but the reality is that I just ran out of material.  I will be ordering more in the next few weeks.  Mistakes happen.  Don't get too discouraged.  Just go with the flow and keep trying.
 

Well, that's pretty much it.  This type of a hoop house is very flexible and very inexpensive.  You don't need to buy an pricey kit and yours can be as small or as large as you want it.  You can put one around a raised bed or right into the ground around a small vegetable bed.  I have even seen people put them over a single plant!  Once you have more practice you can put one of them up in about 15 minutes.  Keep working at it and make it work for you and your garden.

Here are some more close-ups of materials that I ordered from Charley's Greenhouse and Garden. 
 

Anchoring pins.  They are also known as metal ground staples. 

Hint:  Get a big Ziploc bag to hold the snap clamps.  The frost blanket (aka crop cover blanket) starts out neatly folded but it can turn into a mess if your not careful. 

Anyone of you out there thinking you might try this soon?  What other ways do you protect your plants from upcoming frost?