Summer Flowers

Many summer flowers are still on the way, while some are in bloom already.

I have added one or two hydrangeas to the patch each year. One blue among all the pink--no idea why!

A mix of perennials and annuals in the hummingbird garden. The butterfly bush seems to be doing well there. I really hope I've found the right location for it this time, after two earlier failed attempts to have one in my yard. Cosmos and zinnias are up and getting ready to bloom, if they can hold their ground against the morning glories that are trying their best to take over the entire planet.

 

 

I do love cranesbills. They seem to survive no matter what tries to eat them down to the ground time after time.

And, of course, my namesake :)

Mediterranean Pasta

I started with this recipe from Kraft, but I made several substitutions based on what I had on hand. Instead of spinach, I had fresh Swiss chard from my CSA share from Gravel Knolls Farm. [Did you know that if you cut out the main rib and slice it up, you can saute it until tender and it is yummy?] Along with the chopped chard ribs, I sauteed chopped garlic scapes (from the Farm), a diced red bell pepper, a couple of sliced carrots (from the Farm), and a diced onion. Once everything was tender, I added a small can of diced tomatoes and the chopped chard leaves. I prepared the pasta according to the recipe with the light version of the cooking creme. Crumbled feta sprinkled liberally on top. I think it came out great! I've been eating it warm, but I guess it would be okay chilled, too.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with Bacon

Yes, bacon. You can see the picture and recipe here. Mine looked much like that, except that the crust sagged a bit. From the stars, I think. I can fix that next time.

I have tried chocolate-covered bacon. It was okay, but not something I would seek out again. But, for some reason, this sounded good.

It was. Yummy, yummy. There was general agreement that the bananas were an unnecessary distraction. Next time, no bananas (apologies to Elvis), more bacon, and I'm thinking some mini chocolate chips in the peanut-butter filling.

I am going to win the office bake-off this year :)

Herb Spiral - My Next Project

The idea of an herb spiral is to lay out an herb garden in a relatively compact space that includes microclimates adapted to each herb. The spiral shape also decreases in height from center to edge, impacting the exposure to water, sun, and wind. I saw some of these on a trip to Cleveland a while back and have been thinking about adding one to my yard ever since.

There are plenty of how-to guides on the web:

Center for Alternative Technology - lots of good info in this tipsheet
Neutral Existence - video, too
Garden Organic - pdf with nice pictures
Hip Chick Digs - review of how the author's has worked out over time
Permaculture Visions - details of which herbs to plant where
TipNut - lots of herb-growing options -scroll to bottom of page for herb spiral info

Now I just need to pick a location and get to work!

Braised Radishes

Looking for a way to use a bounty of radishes from the Farm, I came upon a Cooking Light recipe for Chardonnay-Braised Radishes. The description promised the radishes would mellow and take on a sweetness when braised. I don't have any chardonnay, since it is not one of my favorite wines, so I used vermouth--my go-to white wine for cooking.

The dish looked pretty:

But... I am not sure if it was the substitution of the wine--it has never posed a problem before--but I just did not find the flavors appetizing. Kind of sour. Just generally not pleasing to my palate.

So, I tried to morph some of the leftovers into the next recipe, Radish Vichyssoise. It was worse. A gray, lumpy paste-like soup, with the flavor only minimally improved. I will spare you the sight of it. There is no photo in the cookbook, either.

Lesson learned: Radishes are yummy fresh, chilled, plain or chopped up in a variety of cold salads, but cooking them is not for me.

Next up, a chocolate-peanut butter-bacon pie. I kid you not. I know it has no seasonal produce in it, but I am so intrigued...

Where Did May Go?

Yes, I've been neglecting the blog. But not the gardens! The hummingbird zone has been filled in, the vegetable garden is sprouting, and I have planted a redwood tree.

Hummingbird garden -- red salvia, butterfly bush, snapdragons, weigela, columbine, yellow primroses, morning glories galore, and bee balm plants. Cosmos, zinnias, and delphiniums just sprouting from seed.

Bee balm!

The new vegetable bed.

Assorted beans, summer squash, and zucchini. I think there is one watermelon coming up. Got the special slanted trellis this spring. I am determined to get a watermelon this year! Everything was planted from seed (except one tomato plant) on May 21st, in accord with the direction of the Farmer's Almanac (to plant during the waxing phases of the moon). Tomatoes, chard, carrots, bell peppers, and basil sprouting off to the left of the picture.

For the fencing, I bought several 2' wide trellises and zip-tied pieces of plastic hex-netting to them. My intent is to be able to remove just one or two pieces to weed and harvest. Much more manageable than trying to stake the wire roll fencing around the garden with no good way to get in without taking out have the stakes.

My new dawn redwood. "Tolerates deer," whatever that means! (Fence bit and mulch ring to fend off the lawnmower!)