Posts
Well, all of my hard work in the Spring paid off with another rewarding harvest. It's been a great year for Roma and cherry tomatoes and peppers of all kinds. I had no luck with corn and slicing cucumbers (again), but did finally win in the cuke category with pickling cukes. Oh - and I have 2 - count them 2! - pumpkins growing!! Woohoo! I shall have my own homegrown jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Awesome!
Yesterday I got out into the garden for a bit. I cut down the sunflowers. My dreams of lots of roasted sunflower seeds were dashed a couple of weeks ago when I squirrel darted down my largest sunflower one afternoon when I let the dogs out. I inspected the sunflowers to find that all of the seeds were basically gone! Darn squirrel! After I reported my finding Dave tells me about a day earlier in the week when he saw the squirrel just lounging on the fence, monorail style, with legs draped over the side as if in a stupor. I guess he gorged himself on sunflowers and was taking a rest. Sigh...I did find that my smallest sunflower still has seeds because it has grown in such a way that the squirrel cannot reach them. Yippee! That one will stay in the ground a bit longer to let the seeds mature some more.
My second task yesterday was to harvest more tomatoes. The Romas are STILL going crazy. I must have harvested 10 pounds of tomatoes yesterday. I really need to learn how to make some home made spaghetti sauce. :)
I think in another week or so I'll take the pepper plants down. They are still producing but the peppers are starting to grow deformed, which always seems to happen at the end of the plant's life. I guess we all get deformed as we get older. ;) Once I get the pumpkins harvested I'll be able to clean those beds out and get some new compost in them for the Fall/Winter.
Can't believe it's the middle of September already! The first day of Fall will be in a few days. Crazy how quickly another growing season passes.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
I'll Be Back Soon - I Promise!
As you are well aware, I haven't been blogging about the garden much lately. There are several things contributing to this: the discovery of Facebook (a major time suck), working too hard (another major time suck), being plain ole tired, and there's nothing really going on - just waiting for things to grow!
I harvested enough tomatoes to feed a small army today. My pepper plants are producing like crazy although the red ones never turn red so we just eat them green. Still great! Last week we made stuffed green peppers from our homegrown harvest. Yummy! I'll have to share the recipe in a future post. Today I also noticed that the corn I didn't think was going to produce has now formed ears. I harvested 2 ears that we are about to eat. Can't wait! I also harvested 3 cucumbers!! Yes - cucumbers!! The veggie I've never had any luck with. These are pickling cukes so I'm going to try to make some homemade dill pickles next weekend.
This week I'm off to a residential training program for work so I'll have to share photos, recipes and more when I return.
Happy growing!
I harvested enough tomatoes to feed a small army today. My pepper plants are producing like crazy although the red ones never turn red so we just eat them green. Still great! Last week we made stuffed green peppers from our homegrown harvest. Yummy! I'll have to share the recipe in a future post. Today I also noticed that the corn I didn't think was going to produce has now formed ears. I harvested 2 ears that we are about to eat. Can't wait! I also harvested 3 cucumbers!! Yes - cucumbers!! The veggie I've never had any luck with. These are pickling cukes so I'm going to try to make some homemade dill pickles next weekend.
This week I'm off to a residential training program for work so I'll have to share photos, recipes and more when I return.
Happy growing!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Attack of the Japanese Beetles
Wow - no posts for a while! Sorry about that. Between going to Vegas for The Amazing Meeting 7 (which was AWESOME!), working 12 hour days, and then getting sick on top of it all, I haven't been able to get in the garden much. I went out yesterday and noticed I have lost one green bean plant to Japanese beetles. The buggers have totally skeletonized all the leaves on one plant and are working on the others. They are all over the place! I've never had a problem with Japanese beetles before, so this is disappointing. Today I sent Dave out to pick off what he could and drop them in soapy water. This is the best organic approach but definitely not the most efficient. I'm not sure if any pesticide exists to destroy them and, even if there is something, I'd have to spray constantly. So, it's a battle of me against the bugs.
On the plus side, we're getting TONS of tomatoes and green peppers. I have at least 2 green peppers large enough to make stuffed peppers. Need to look up a recipe and give that a whirl. The corn and sunflowers appear to be doing well. It looks like I may have some success with cucumbers this year, too (but I'm not entirely convinced yet). I did see a bumblebee on my cucumber plant yesterday so that was exciting. Means I have some natural pollination occurring!
Well, I need to get myself outside. It's a beautiful day but nothing has been watered since the last thunderstorm came through. The plants in pots are looking pretty sad and, despite how I feel, I still need to get out there and at least get stuff watered.
Toodles!
On the plus side, we're getting TONS of tomatoes and green peppers. I have at least 2 green peppers large enough to make stuffed peppers. Need to look up a recipe and give that a whirl. The corn and sunflowers appear to be doing well. It looks like I may have some success with cucumbers this year, too (but I'm not entirely convinced yet). I did see a bumblebee on my cucumber plant yesterday so that was exciting. Means I have some natural pollination occurring!
Well, I need to get myself outside. It's a beautiful day but nothing has been watered since the last thunderstorm came through. The plants in pots are looking pretty sad and, despite how I feel, I still need to get out there and at least get stuff watered.
Toodles!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Triumph and Tragedy Gardening Style
I harvested the first tomato of the season the other day (did I already tell you this?). This is a first for me - first tomato BEFORE 4th of July. I got my tomato plants in the ground earlier this year and it seems to have paid off. In my excitement I forgot to take a photo commemorating this feat of gardening. Dave and I ate it in a salad the other night. It was quite tasty! Now there are lots of little red grape tomatoes on the vine. I'll have to point those out to Dave as he loves grape tomatoes (I have issues with biting into them...that discussion is for another blog).
So, what's the tragedy amongst this triumph? Dave pointed out to me that I forgot to put the nozzle back up on one of the rain barrels. Of course, it was the nozzle that leaks. The entire rain barrel drained overnight. :( So, I'm torn about the 4th of July weather forecast. The forecasters are predicting storms. Yay for filling the rain barrels but it will ruin the 4th of July fireworks and I do like a good fireworks display. Even if Mother Nature were to provide a nice one in terms of lightening and thunder, I'd still miss the man-made variety.
So, what's the tragedy amongst this triumph? Dave pointed out to me that I forgot to put the nozzle back up on one of the rain barrels. Of course, it was the nozzle that leaks. The entire rain barrel drained overnight. :( So, I'm torn about the 4th of July weather forecast. The forecasters are predicting storms. Yay for filling the rain barrels but it will ruin the 4th of July fireworks and I do like a good fireworks display. Even if Mother Nature were to provide a nice one in terms of lightening and thunder, I'd still miss the man-made variety.
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Break from the Heat
Finally! The way-too-early-in-the-season heatwave has broke and Dave and I are able to enjoy a nice evening outside on our expanded patio with a fire. Dave put the gazebo cover on over the weekend. I must say, the patio looks totally awesome and inviting now - hence the reason why we're enjoying a little break outside this evening. Too bad my goofy dogs hate to be outside. The pix above are the before-and-after shots of our patio. The before is from 2007 - yuck! But look at it now! We expanded the patio last year and this year added the planters for the hops. Sweet!
Yesterday I did a little work in the garden. I planted some petunias in the garden beds that had the early Spring plantings in order to spice them up a bit. Dave and I worked to cage the Roma tomato plant with some faux bamboo poles and some twine. We'll see how that works. I also trained the pickling cucumbers up faux bamboo poles (today they have blossoms!). Knock on wood, so far so good with the cucumbers this year. I guess they just need to be in a lot of soil. I also planted the regular cukes and I have pumpkin seeds soaking so I can give those a go. I hope I can attract enough pollinators to get some cukes & Jack-o-lanterns this year. Dave has discovered the frustrations of the Japanese beetle. Now that we have hops, we have them all over the place and they are eating the hop leaves. He picks them off and smushes them. I think it's weird that they eat the hops because the leaves are fuzzy and the vines are really "grabby." The vines will grab onto your clothing and stick!
Ahhhh...the Corinthian Bells windchimes are hung...we have a slight breeze...a fire and citronella candles going...now all I need is a Tequila Sunrise or Long Island Iced Tea and I'm set!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
In Memoriam: MJ and FF
I know he was a weirdo and stuff, but how odd is it that Michael Jackson is dead? No matter what you thought about him since his Thriller days, you can't deny that Thriller, and MJ himself, had an incredible impact on pop culture. I mean, how many Thriller references do you still see in these days in times, nearly 30 years - yes 30 years! - since its release? Prison inmates in the Philippines recreated the Thriller dance as a form of entertainment and recreation!! When I heard he was going to be touring I thought to myself "I'm buying tickets if he comes to St. Louis because I want to see MJ live." Man, it's really weird that he's dead. I know this is going to sound strange, but this may be one of those events I will always remember where I was when I heard (had just turned the car on for my commute home and NPR announced it at the 1/2 hr news mark). Other events I remember: Challenger disaster, announcement about Kurt Cobain's death, and 9-11.
Another sad note today - Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer. Again, another icon that I grew up with...Charlie's Angels and everyone wanting their hair feathered like Farrah's...I remember wearing giant rollers in my hair while I slept to try to straighten it enough so I could feather it. I was always so jealous of my sisters with their straight hair! :)
Sigh...
Add to all of this we are in our 6th or 7th day of near 100-degree weather with 105+ heat indices. Calgon, take me away!
Another sad note today - Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer. Again, another icon that I grew up with...Charlie's Angels and everyone wanting their hair feathered like Farrah's...I remember wearing giant rollers in my hair while I slept to try to straighten it enough so I could feather it. I was always so jealous of my sisters with their straight hair! :)
Sigh...
Add to all of this we are in our 6th or 7th day of near 100-degree weather with 105+ heat indices. Calgon, take me away!
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Last of the Peas and Carrots
I harvested the last of the peas and carrots today. Sad event but the good news is: I get to make another awesome Indian recipe using fresh veggies from my garden! Tonight's dinner is an angus beef burger, some potatoes and the peas & carrots. Mmmmmmm...
The peas & carrots recipe is another courtesy Madhur Jaffrey. This is from her "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" cookbook.
Carrots & Peas with Ginger and Chinese Parsley
Ingredients
A fresh piece of ginger, 2 inches by 1 inch, peeled and coarsely chopped
1.5 pounds young, slim carrots
6 tablespoons vegetable oil [Missy's note: I use canola and I used about 1/2 that amount]
1/4 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
5 whole fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 packed cup coarsely chopped Chinese parsley (aka cilantro)
1 fresh hot green chili, washed and finely sliced [Missy's note: I substituted about 1/8 teaspoon red pepper]
1 pound fresh peas, shelled
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt [Missy's note: I usually withhold the salt]
Put the ginger in blender with 3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth (about 1 minute). Peel the carrots and slice them into rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Heat the oil in a 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat. When very hot, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop (10-20 seconds), put in the ginger paste and turmeric, keeping your face averted [Missy's note: That safety point is VERY important! The ginger paste will sizzle something fierce when you add it to that heat. I use a splatter guard, raising it the end opposite my face to add the ginger paste.] Fry for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped parsley and green chili or cayenne, and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes [Missy's note: I'll add about 1/4 cup water if things seem a bit dry]. Add carrots and peas and cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
Now put in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt and 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir for a minute, cover, lower heat, and cook slowly 30 minutes [Missy's note: I have found 15 minutes works just fine]. Stir gently every 10 minutes or so.
Serves 4-6.
Madhur recommends this: "To serve: Lift gently out of skillet and place on serving dish. Serve with hot pooris or parathas. This dish goes well with any sauced meat dish - Lamb with Onions and Mushrooms, Kheema, etc. It is also good with Shrimp with Dill and Ginger, plain Moong Dal, and Rice with Potatoes and Cumin Seed.
The peas & carrots recipe is another courtesy Madhur Jaffrey. This is from her "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" cookbook.
Carrots & Peas with Ginger and Chinese Parsley
Ingredients
A fresh piece of ginger, 2 inches by 1 inch, peeled and coarsely chopped
1.5 pounds young, slim carrots
6 tablespoons vegetable oil [Missy's note: I use canola and I used about 1/2 that amount]
1/4 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
5 whole fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 packed cup coarsely chopped Chinese parsley (aka cilantro)
1 fresh hot green chili, washed and finely sliced [Missy's note: I substituted about 1/8 teaspoon red pepper]
1 pound fresh peas, shelled
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt [Missy's note: I usually withhold the salt]
Put the ginger in blender with 3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth (about 1 minute). Peel the carrots and slice them into rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Heat the oil in a 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat. When very hot, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop (10-20 seconds), put in the ginger paste and turmeric, keeping your face averted [Missy's note: That safety point is VERY important! The ginger paste will sizzle something fierce when you add it to that heat. I use a splatter guard, raising it the end opposite my face to add the ginger paste.] Fry for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped parsley and green chili or cayenne, and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes [Missy's note: I'll add about 1/4 cup water if things seem a bit dry]. Add carrots and peas and cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
Now put in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt and 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir for a minute, cover, lower heat, and cook slowly 30 minutes [Missy's note: I have found 15 minutes works just fine]. Stir gently every 10 minutes or so.
Serves 4-6.
Madhur recommends this: "To serve: Lift gently out of skillet and place on serving dish. Serve with hot pooris or parathas. This dish goes well with any sauced meat dish - Lamb with Onions and Mushrooms, Kheema, etc. It is also good with Shrimp with Dill and Ginger, plain Moong Dal, and Rice with Potatoes and Cumin Seed.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Well, At Least I Have Some Onions
The friendly people on the forums of Organic Gardening magazine have informed me that the large, hollow stalks on my onions means that they have bolted. :( That's part of the bad news. The other part is that I won't be able to dry & store these onions as "keepers" (the gardening term for being able to store them for months) because I didn't let the leaves dry on them in the garden. So, I have to eat them all RIGHT AWAY! My friends and family are going to l-o-v-e me! There is no way I'll get through them all in a timely manner so I've already given some away and will give more away over the next few days. I've also been told that I can either dehydrate them or I can slice or chop them up and freeze them (no blanching required - woohoo!) for use later. I haven't tried one yet. I need to get some lettuce so I can make a nice salad. :) Tonight the rest of them are drying on the hood of my car, sans leaves, with a fan blowing on them.
Oh - my Organic Gardening friends also shared with me some tips for next year: 1) buy sets from a catalog, not from a local vegetable stand (like what I've been doing); 2) plant with enough space in between to allow air flow; 3) fold the leaves over at the base of the leaf, where the leaf meets the bulb; 4) the bulb should be partially above ground; 5) wet weather is bad for onions which is why lots of sun and no/minimal mulch is a must. I probably also need to fold the leaves over earlier in the season. Everything says when they first start to droop. I know I waited too long this year.
Oh - my Organic Gardening friends also shared with me some tips for next year: 1) buy sets from a catalog, not from a local vegetable stand (like what I've been doing); 2) plant with enough space in between to allow air flow; 3) fold the leaves over at the base of the leaf, where the leaf meets the bulb; 4) the bulb should be partially above ground; 5) wet weather is bad for onions which is why lots of sun and no/minimal mulch is a must. I probably also need to fold the leaves over earlier in the season. Everything says when they first start to droop. I know I waited too long this year.
Friday, June 19, 2009
H-O-T!!
Ugh! Summer has arrived in St. Louis! We have had over 100 degree heat indices the last 2 days. I think it's supposed to stay this way all weekend. We will be attending a wedding tomorrow so I'm going to have to go out early and give everything a good soaking. I didn't get a chance to water tonight but when I walked around the beds, nothing looked wilted and in need of water. I suspect that the good dousing we got earlier in the week means I still have enough water in the beds to make it through tonight - but I'm not going to risk making it through tomorrow! :)
I now have 2 green bean plants growing up a stake! Here I thought I would grow them up my corn stalks but the corn is a much slower grower than the green beans. For the future I will have to plant corn first and then green beans maybe 2-3 weeks later. I'm disappointed with my corn. Only 5 seeds sprouted out of 8. I'm a bit concerned they may not pollinate properly as they are a bit spread out because of the poor sprouting. All of my sunflowers are coming in nicely except some rabbit got into the garden again and ate the top off of one of them! We'll see if that one survives. I'll be surprised if it does. Needless to say, I whipped out the Bobex again tonight and sprayed around the perimeter of each bed.
I harvested the last cabbage head this evening. It's a doozy! Can't wait to cook it up! I should try a different cabbage recipe. As much as I love Madhur Jaffrey's cabbage and fennel seed recipe, they say variety is the spice of life. And, it's not like I won't be without that tasty recipe because I made it with the first head I harvested. I will put the recipe below.
I think my snow peas are done. There are definitely no more flowers and I harvested only a handful of distorted ones this evening. Still tasty but the distortion usually means the end. I'll try to get those plants pulled out of the bed before I leave for the wedding because they are smothering a perennial I had planted but thought died. I think it's a nice Bachelor's Button plant. They get a really pretty eery white formation where the flower will pop out. Very cool!
Tonight I also pulled all of the onions out of the ground. My fear is that they would rot if I left them in the ground even though the leaves are still quite green. I have not had any luck with onions (them and cucumbers will be the death of me!). The first year I got all green and some pretty flowers but no bulbs. I discovered I gave them too much nitrogen. The past 2 years I got nice bulbs but they always rotted near the neck or, when I'd leave them out to dry, they would get sunscald. This year I had several that had big, thick, hollow stalks on them so when I bent the leaves over, these broke. I don't know what that means! When I cut one down, I discovered that the onion part was growing on the inside of the stalk! So, I pulled everything out - I have some really nice bulbs! - and spread them out on the hood of my car. Haha! I have a fan blowing on them now to help dry things out and I've posted for help on the Organic Gardening forum. Hopefully someone will be able to tell me if I can dry these and store them or if I'll have to eat them right away...and, if I can dry them, how to do it properly so the neck doesn't rot before they are completely dry! I know I'll be leaving these in the garage all weekend with the fan blowing on them. I'll either have to hang them in the morning or come up with a quick drying rack.
OK, here's Madhur Jaffrey's Stir Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds. It's my favorite way to cook cabbage. The recipe comes from her Quick and Easy Indian Cooking cookbook (I highly recommend this for your cookbook collection). I love the taste of all the spices along with the sweet taste of the carmelized onions. Yum!! The comments before the ingredients list are hers. Oh! One hint about cooking Indian - lots of spices are added to the mix in quick succession. What I do is stage my spices. So, I read the recipe instructions and see which spices are being added to the mix together. Then, I pre-measure everything and put in a small bowl. That way when I need to add them, all I have to do is dump them into the mix. If you don't do that, you'll end up burning the spices.
Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds (Bhuni bandh gobi)
The cabbage and onions get nicely browned here and taste gloriously of fennel. You could easily serve this with Western-style sausages, ham, pork chops, or any kind of roast pork meat, or with roast lamb or even duck or venison. [Missy's note - I like serving this with grilled tilapia]
Ingredients
1.5 pounds green cabbage (half a large head)
1/4 cup vegetable oil [Missy's note - I usually cut this in half or less; I use canola]
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 medium-large onion (7 ounces), peeled and cut, lengthwise, into fine half rings
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper [Missy's note - I usually omit. Even 1/8 tsp is too spicy for me]
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon store-bought garam masala [Missy's note - For the St. Louis metro area I have only found this at Dierberg's (expensive!) or at Indian food specialty shops (cheap!). I buy all of my spices at Indian specialty shops because the prices are much more reasonable.]
Remove the course outer leaves of the cabbage. If you have a cabbage half, cut it in half again, lengthwise, and then core the sections. Now cut each section, lengthwise, into very fine, long shreds. A bread knife is ideal for this. (You could also use a food processor.)
Put the oil in a wide, preferably nonstick pan, and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin, fennel, and sesame seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, put in the onion. Stir and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion has browned a bit. Put in the cabbage. Stir and fry for about 6 minutes or until the cabbage too has browned somewhat. Now put in the salt and cayenne. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear carmelized and soft. Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Stir to mix. Serves 4.
I now have 2 green bean plants growing up a stake! Here I thought I would grow them up my corn stalks but the corn is a much slower grower than the green beans. For the future I will have to plant corn first and then green beans maybe 2-3 weeks later. I'm disappointed with my corn. Only 5 seeds sprouted out of 8. I'm a bit concerned they may not pollinate properly as they are a bit spread out because of the poor sprouting. All of my sunflowers are coming in nicely except some rabbit got into the garden again and ate the top off of one of them! We'll see if that one survives. I'll be surprised if it does. Needless to say, I whipped out the Bobex again tonight and sprayed around the perimeter of each bed.
I harvested the last cabbage head this evening. It's a doozy! Can't wait to cook it up! I should try a different cabbage recipe. As much as I love Madhur Jaffrey's cabbage and fennel seed recipe, they say variety is the spice of life. And, it's not like I won't be without that tasty recipe because I made it with the first head I harvested. I will put the recipe below.
I think my snow peas are done. There are definitely no more flowers and I harvested only a handful of distorted ones this evening. Still tasty but the distortion usually means the end. I'll try to get those plants pulled out of the bed before I leave for the wedding because they are smothering a perennial I had planted but thought died. I think it's a nice Bachelor's Button plant. They get a really pretty eery white formation where the flower will pop out. Very cool!
Tonight I also pulled all of the onions out of the ground. My fear is that they would rot if I left them in the ground even though the leaves are still quite green. I have not had any luck with onions (them and cucumbers will be the death of me!). The first year I got all green and some pretty flowers but no bulbs. I discovered I gave them too much nitrogen. The past 2 years I got nice bulbs but they always rotted near the neck or, when I'd leave them out to dry, they would get sunscald. This year I had several that had big, thick, hollow stalks on them so when I bent the leaves over, these broke. I don't know what that means! When I cut one down, I discovered that the onion part was growing on the inside of the stalk! So, I pulled everything out - I have some really nice bulbs! - and spread them out on the hood of my car. Haha! I have a fan blowing on them now to help dry things out and I've posted for help on the Organic Gardening forum. Hopefully someone will be able to tell me if I can dry these and store them or if I'll have to eat them right away...and, if I can dry them, how to do it properly so the neck doesn't rot before they are completely dry! I know I'll be leaving these in the garage all weekend with the fan blowing on them. I'll either have to hang them in the morning or come up with a quick drying rack.
OK, here's Madhur Jaffrey's Stir Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds. It's my favorite way to cook cabbage. The recipe comes from her Quick and Easy Indian Cooking cookbook (I highly recommend this for your cookbook collection). I love the taste of all the spices along with the sweet taste of the carmelized onions. Yum!! The comments before the ingredients list are hers. Oh! One hint about cooking Indian - lots of spices are added to the mix in quick succession. What I do is stage my spices. So, I read the recipe instructions and see which spices are being added to the mix together. Then, I pre-measure everything and put in a small bowl. That way when I need to add them, all I have to do is dump them into the mix. If you don't do that, you'll end up burning the spices.
Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds (Bhuni bandh gobi)
The cabbage and onions get nicely browned here and taste gloriously of fennel. You could easily serve this with Western-style sausages, ham, pork chops, or any kind of roast pork meat, or with roast lamb or even duck or venison. [Missy's note - I like serving this with grilled tilapia]
Ingredients
1.5 pounds green cabbage (half a large head)
1/4 cup vegetable oil [Missy's note - I usually cut this in half or less; I use canola]
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 medium-large onion (7 ounces), peeled and cut, lengthwise, into fine half rings
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper [Missy's note - I usually omit. Even 1/8 tsp is too spicy for me]
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon store-bought garam masala [Missy's note - For the St. Louis metro area I have only found this at Dierberg's (expensive!) or at Indian food specialty shops (cheap!). I buy all of my spices at Indian specialty shops because the prices are much more reasonable.]
Remove the course outer leaves of the cabbage. If you have a cabbage half, cut it in half again, lengthwise, and then core the sections. Now cut each section, lengthwise, into very fine, long shreds. A bread knife is ideal for this. (You could also use a food processor.)
Put the oil in a wide, preferably nonstick pan, and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin, fennel, and sesame seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, put in the onion. Stir and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion has browned a bit. Put in the cabbage. Stir and fry for about 6 minutes or until the cabbage too has browned somewhat. Now put in the salt and cayenne. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear carmelized and soft. Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Stir to mix. Serves 4.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Building an Ark
By the time I got home this evening around 6:30pm (yes, too many long days at work!) the rain gauge had recorded 3.25". Downtown a record rainfall of 1.86" was set today. They are talking about more thunderstorms and heavy rains tonight. Many rivers and streams are flooding with flash floods likely this evening. Sigh...I looked at the yard and some of the pea gravel had been washed down the yard with large ruts formed in the soil. A LOT of soil got moved to the lower right portion of the yard next to the storm drain. Looks like I'll be moving dirt this weekend!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Lazy Days
Oh I have been soooo lazy with the garden lately! It rained enough this past week that I didn't need to go out and do any watering. That was kinda nice. I have had 2 nice snow pea harvests. Both I lightly sauteed with a little olive oil some garlic and then a couple of twists of sea salt and ground peppers. Mmmmm....We took 1 of the harvests to Dave's parents' house last night for dinner. Had that with some fresh fried fish that his father caught. Nothing like living off the land! :) The peas are also developing more quickly now. I think I have enough, along with the 4 carrots that I pulled out of the ground today, to make some fresh carrots and peas for dinner this week as a small side. But first we must eat the leftover Indian cabbage I made (did I tell you about that? If not let me know. It was sooo delicious. I'll have to post the recipe).
Other than a little harvesting of peas and snow peas I haven't done much else. Which is a shame because my tomato plants are HUGE and in need of the 2nd tier of their cages. It's going to be harder to get those on now. I might still have enough daylight to get them done tonight. I did pull the broccoli plant out of the garden. Its flowers were spent - not very good to look at any longer. I need to fill in the empty spots with some flowers. I'm thinking begonias and petunias to brighten everything up!
Oh - before I go. Dave confirmed a sighting of a rabbit in my garden with the corn and green bean sprouts. I knew it!! Grrrrrr...wascally wabbits! So, I whipped the Bob-Ex out and sprayed around the base of each raised bed. The stuff is stinky but it's supposed to smell like bobcat pee and keep the bunnies away. So far it seems to be working. :)
Other than a little harvesting of peas and snow peas I haven't done much else. Which is a shame because my tomato plants are HUGE and in need of the 2nd tier of their cages. It's going to be harder to get those on now. I might still have enough daylight to get them done tonight. I did pull the broccoli plant out of the garden. Its flowers were spent - not very good to look at any longer. I need to fill in the empty spots with some flowers. I'm thinking begonias and petunias to brighten everything up!
Oh - before I go. Dave confirmed a sighting of a rabbit in my garden with the corn and green bean sprouts. I knew it!! Grrrrrr...wascally wabbits! So, I whipped the Bob-Ex out and sprayed around the base of each raised bed. The stuff is stinky but it's supposed to smell like bobcat pee and keep the bunnies away. So far it seems to be working. :)
Friday, June 5, 2009
What is Eating My Corn?
I got home from work today to find many of the plants in dire need of water. While we had a nice, cool day yesterday, today was an 80-something degree, hot sun "scorcher" for the plants. The Black-Eyed Susans in the pot were the saddest looking with their leaves all curled up and flower stalks drooped over. Hopefully she'll perk up by the time the sun goes down.
I'm disappointed by the sprouting performance of the corn, sunflower and green bean seeds I bought. Granted, the green bean seeds are from last year but I never opened the packet and I've had seeds 3 seasons old sprout. But the corn and sunflowers are new this year. Maybe 1/2 sprouted. Even more maddening is the mystery of what is eating my corn plants! At least 3 have been chewed off to the top of the straw. Can't be cutworms because the plant is gone. I fear that my concern over the height of the last planter has turned out to be valid. One corner of the planter is completely buried in order to bring everything level. That means that the planter in that spot is only 18" off the ground. Methinks I have a bunny getting in there are eating my corn sprouts.
Damn you you wascally wabbits!! You may be all cute and furry and innocent looking but I know that each and every one of you harbors an evil appetite for the things I love best. Like the mums I planted in back. How come you leave them alone in the front yard but you've eaten them all in the backyard? Curse you all! I hope that owl is still hunting around here.
Time to break out the Bob-ex.
I'm disappointed by the sprouting performance of the corn, sunflower and green bean seeds I bought. Granted, the green bean seeds are from last year but I never opened the packet and I've had seeds 3 seasons old sprout. But the corn and sunflowers are new this year. Maybe 1/2 sprouted. Even more maddening is the mystery of what is eating my corn plants! At least 3 have been chewed off to the top of the straw. Can't be cutworms because the plant is gone. I fear that my concern over the height of the last planter has turned out to be valid. One corner of the planter is completely buried in order to bring everything level. That means that the planter in that spot is only 18" off the ground. Methinks I have a bunny getting in there are eating my corn sprouts.
Damn you you wascally wabbits!! You may be all cute and furry and innocent looking but I know that each and every one of you harbors an evil appetite for the things I love best. Like the mums I planted in back. How come you leave them alone in the front yard but you've eaten them all in the backyard? Curse you all! I hope that owl is still hunting around here.
Time to break out the Bob-ex.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Curried Cauliflower & Peas
Today I harvested the cauliflower. The heads were nice except that my lazy gardening habits showed up in the form of deformed side shoots and lots of brown on the one head either from sun scorch or maybe too much moisture. See, to keep your cauliflower heads white you need to tie the leaves from the plant around the head. However, apparently you need to LOOSEN the twine periodically to allow for growth and air circulation (imagine that!). It was still a decent harvest just not as nice as last year - and not as much. Next year I resolve to do better by my cauliflower!
I used my cauliflower to make some yummy curried cauliflower. This recipe is courtesy of a former co-worker, Donna Thouvenin. Donna and I were talking about our love of Indian food one day and she mentioned how she likes to make this recipe because it is quick and easy. Enjoy!
Curried Cauliflower
Serves 4-6
20 minutes
2 Tablespoon oil
1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds cut into 3/4 inch pieces)
2 medium shallots, minced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar (I often omit since I usually don't have brown sugar on hand)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I get the "lite")
1 Tablespoon fresh basil or cilantro, minced
Salt
Black pepper
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat until almost smoking. Add cauliflower and saute until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic and curry. Cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Stir in brown sugar, peas and coconut milk. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tender about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in basil or cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
I usually use cilantro as I'm a cilantro freak. Can't get enough of that stuff! But I have fresh basil growing in my garden so next time I will have to try that (I forgot for tonight's batch - even forgetting the cilantro!!). I have also made this with frozen cauliflower. Takes longer to cook but still good.
Tonight's batch wasn't as good as I've made in the past. The coconut milk didn't thicken like I expected. And I forgot the cilantro. Still yummy but I've made better. Anyway, enjoy the recipe! I think it's super tasty...and it will make your house smell so yummy (when done with dinner, walk outside and then walk back in - tasty!).
Monday, June 1, 2009
Homegrown Lettuce + Ginger Salad Dressing = YUM!
On Saturday I was able to make a salad out of all 3 kinds of lettuce in my garden - Romaine, Red Leaf and Bibb. This salad was large enough to feed 13 people at a birthday party with PLENTY of harvest remaining to share. I have to say the salad turned out especially tasty because I had Jong's homemade ginger salad dressing to add to the flavor. Jong is the sushi chef at Little Tokyo, our favorite sushi bar that just reopened after a too long hiatus. I love ginger dressing in the summertime because it is so light and refreshing and Jong's is especially tasty. I bought a large container from him on Friday night and have been using it on salad and as a marinade for tonight's salmon. Yum! I'll have to sweet talk him into sharing his recipe so I can make my own.
I gave a head of Romaine to my mom and dad for their dinner table. Mom and Dad love Romaine so they were thrilled. Too bad the first salad Mom made with it Dad dropped it on the floor. Oy! I'm able to share some of the lettuce harvest with our friends Jim and Sarah and tomorrow I take in a salad for my boss. Yeah...I know...sucking up to the boss. Hey, he's on business travel for the next 12 days. I know what it's like to eat out at restaurants for that long. It is not fun. He said he would relish the fresh greenery.
Anyway, all of the lettuce is now harvested, washed and in the fridge. Only a few days worth left and then we'll be out for the season. :( Yesterday I noticed I have corn, sunflower and green bean sprouts. Yippee!! I don't have as many as I planted, not even 1/2 of each crop, so I hope more pop up soon. I've lost more cucumber plants waiting to be planted. I don't know why I'm doomed to not have cukes!
Today was the first scorcher we've had for the season. Hate to see it this early but I'm sure there are more around the corner. It was 91 degrees today and the sun was I-N-T-E-N-S-E. Lugged the watering can around quite a bit tonight. I'll be doing more of the same tomorrow as the weather is forecast to repeat itself. Sounds like we'll get a breather on Wednesday with cooler temps and maybe some rain.
I gave a head of Romaine to my mom and dad for their dinner table. Mom and Dad love Romaine so they were thrilled. Too bad the first salad Mom made with it Dad dropped it on the floor. Oy! I'm able to share some of the lettuce harvest with our friends Jim and Sarah and tomorrow I take in a salad for my boss. Yeah...I know...sucking up to the boss. Hey, he's on business travel for the next 12 days. I know what it's like to eat out at restaurants for that long. It is not fun. He said he would relish the fresh greenery.
Anyway, all of the lettuce is now harvested, washed and in the fridge. Only a few days worth left and then we'll be out for the season. :( Yesterday I noticed I have corn, sunflower and green bean sprouts. Yippee!! I don't have as many as I planted, not even 1/2 of each crop, so I hope more pop up soon. I've lost more cucumber plants waiting to be planted. I don't know why I'm doomed to not have cukes!
Today was the first scorcher we've had for the season. Hate to see it this early but I'm sure there are more around the corner. It was 91 degrees today and the sun was I-N-T-E-N-S-E. Lugged the watering can around quite a bit tonight. I'll be doing more of the same tomorrow as the weather is forecast to repeat itself. Sounds like we'll get a breather on Wednesday with cooler temps and maybe some rain.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Most Curious Observation
I have just come to notice that I have gone nearly an entire cauliflower/broccoli/cabbage growing season without a sign of cabbage worms. Usually by now those little buggers are wreaking havoc on my cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage plants by eating big holes in the leaves. And, usually by now I am closely inspecting the topside and underside of each leaf looking for the little buggers, cursing because they are making me search for them and then laughing triumphantly when I find one. "Bwaahahaha! I shall name you 'Mushy' and you 'Squooshy' and you 'Clyde'."
I wonder where they are this year?
I wonder where they are this year?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Last of the Sowing
Sowed my last set of seed on Sunday, 5/24. I got my corn, green beans and sunflower seeds into the new raised bed. As soon as I see sprouting I will plant the 2 new cucumber plants I purchased over the weekend. My original purchase died because I missed watering it for 1 day. The newbies are staying in the garage where they will be protected from the intense sun.
The peas and snow peas are finally getting tall and producing flowers. I hope to have something to harvest off of them soon. I need to harvest my cauliflower. Both heads are huge! I bought more coconut milk today in anticipation of making some yummy curried cauliflower. The tomato plants are already larger than their cages. I need to get the 2nd tier added this week.
I tried to divide and transplant some hostas today but after all the rain yesterday it was just too mucky. I succeeded with one. Will have to wait on the rest. The plus side to all of the rain was that it was "easier" to get the dead/dying Andorra junipers out of the front landscape bed. These have been dying because they are not getting enough sunlight now that the maples in front are large and casting a lot of shade. It was still a lot of work. I got all 6 dug out in an hour or so but that was all the work I could handle for one day! Not sure what I will replace them with...if anything.
Dave and I trimmed up the weeping cherry tree in front. It looks so much better now! I had let it get a little too overgrown. Now I need to figure out how to prune back the viburnum that are as tall as the house! :)
The peas and snow peas are finally getting tall and producing flowers. I hope to have something to harvest off of them soon. I need to harvest my cauliflower. Both heads are huge! I bought more coconut milk today in anticipation of making some yummy curried cauliflower. The tomato plants are already larger than their cages. I need to get the 2nd tier added this week.
I tried to divide and transplant some hostas today but after all the rain yesterday it was just too mucky. I succeeded with one. Will have to wait on the rest. The plus side to all of the rain was that it was "easier" to get the dead/dying Andorra junipers out of the front landscape bed. These have been dying because they are not getting enough sunlight now that the maples in front are large and casting a lot of shade. It was still a lot of work. I got all 6 dug out in an hour or so but that was all the work I could handle for one day! Not sure what I will replace them with...if anything.
Dave and I trimmed up the weeping cherry tree in front. It looks so much better now! I had let it get a little too overgrown. Now I need to figure out how to prune back the viburnum that are as tall as the house! :)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Today's Harvest - Broccoli!
Had some yummy homegrown broccoli for dinner tonight. It and the french fries were good. Too bad the burgers were pretty icky. :(
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Almost Done
Dave and I build the last 4'x4' raised bed this weekend. This evening I finished filling it with dirt and humus/manure. I'm going to let the manure air out a bit and work it into the soil tomorrow after work. Then it should be ready for corn, sunflowers, cucumbers and green beans. That will mean the end of all of my hard work planting. Now it's just waiting to reap the rewards!
I did lose 2 more lettuce plants - 1 red leaf and 1 romaine. I need to do some research and find out what's going on. It's like the plant rots from the base. It's all mushy and white. Yuck!!
The broccoli needs to be harvested and I have at least 1 head of cauliflower big enough to harvest. One cabbage plant is coming along nicely but the other seems stuck in "beginning to form a head" mode. I had this happen with a plant last year. Very strange. Eventually it produces but it will be a while. I noticed that one of the pea plants flowered today. Odd because both the pea and snow pea plants are only about 12" tall right now. From past experience they need to at least double in size to produce. All of the tomato plants love their new home - they have all at least tripled in size. I really need to harvest more lettuce! It will be too hot soon to keep it much longer. Dave's hops plants grow like 3" per day. It's crazy!
Today was the first of some hot, sunny, dry days to come. I watered everything well and that took 5 or 6 trips to the rain barrel. I suspect the next several days will see me making 7-10 trips to the rain barrel. I need to get something that will allow me to lug around more water. Hmmmm....
I did lose 2 more lettuce plants - 1 red leaf and 1 romaine. I need to do some research and find out what's going on. It's like the plant rots from the base. It's all mushy and white. Yuck!!
The broccoli needs to be harvested and I have at least 1 head of cauliflower big enough to harvest. One cabbage plant is coming along nicely but the other seems stuck in "beginning to form a head" mode. I had this happen with a plant last year. Very strange. Eventually it produces but it will be a while. I noticed that one of the pea plants flowered today. Odd because both the pea and snow pea plants are only about 12" tall right now. From past experience they need to at least double in size to produce. All of the tomato plants love their new home - they have all at least tripled in size. I really need to harvest more lettuce! It will be too hot soon to keep it much longer. Dave's hops plants grow like 3" per day. It's crazy!
Today was the first of some hot, sunny, dry days to come. I watered everything well and that took 5 or 6 trips to the rain barrel. I suspect the next several days will see me making 7-10 trips to the rain barrel. I need to get something that will allow me to lug around more water. Hmmmm....
Monday, May 11, 2009
Who Needs Gardening When There's the Final Frontier?
New...Star...Trek...totally...awesome!!!!
Uh, garden? What garden? Oh yeah...that thing in the back yard. I'll tend to it tomorrow (do think I lost my cucumber plant because I failed to water it before I left for work this morning. Wah!).
Uh, garden? What garden? Oh yeah...that thing in the back yard. I'll tend to it tomorrow (do think I lost my cucumber plant because I failed to water it before I left for work this morning. Wah!).
Sunday, May 10, 2009
More Surprises
Not much gardening activity going on this past week. I did replace the Juliet Roma tomato I inadvertently killed with a new one on Monday. She is now in the ground and appears very happy. We had a lot of rain Thursday & Friday so everything's doubled in size. I checked my cauliflower and broccoli and the heads have tripled! I'm going to have to tie off the cauliflower leaves to keep the heads from getting sun scorched.
Today was a day of unpleasant surprises in the garden. I discovered that one of my healthy, large red leaf lettuce plants just totally collapsed at some point this week. The thing was soggy and mushy when I pulled it out of the soil. I don't know if it got too much water or what. Too much water would be odd for lettuce as the plants like to be moist. When I got back from a day of adventure with my mom I discovered half of another plant had collapsed. Same mushy, soggy mess. I threw everything away too afraid to put it into the compost bin in case the plant collapse was caused by disease.
Other than the lettuce disappointments, everything else seems to be doing fine. I wish the peas and snow peas were growing faster. They seem to be stuck around the 5" mark. Not sure if it's because they haven't grabbed onto the trellis or what. Dave's hops are growing crazy. One is particularly happy growing about 4"/day.
Took a prowl around the Americorps website yesterday in between rounds of migraine headaches. I found the PERFECT opportunity for me! A farm manager at Gateway Greening's City Seeds project. City Seeds is a 2 acre farm in the heart of the city used to help rehabilitate the homeless and sell good produce in farmers markets in low income areas. Too bad they are not currently taking applications. I'm going to keep my eye on this...may even inquire. The experience would be truly amazing and would actually make me feel as if I'm DOING something with my life...leaving a small imprint on this big planet. Yes, I could always just volunteer my time but with a more than full time job and a household, finding a few hours is difficult. Listen to me whine...If I want it badly enough, I will find a way to make time.
I took some pix of the garden last week. I'll get them posted soon!
Today was a day of unpleasant surprises in the garden. I discovered that one of my healthy, large red leaf lettuce plants just totally collapsed at some point this week. The thing was soggy and mushy when I pulled it out of the soil. I don't know if it got too much water or what. Too much water would be odd for lettuce as the plants like to be moist. When I got back from a day of adventure with my mom I discovered half of another plant had collapsed. Same mushy, soggy mess. I threw everything away too afraid to put it into the compost bin in case the plant collapse was caused by disease.
Other than the lettuce disappointments, everything else seems to be doing fine. I wish the peas and snow peas were growing faster. They seem to be stuck around the 5" mark. Not sure if it's because they haven't grabbed onto the trellis or what. Dave's hops are growing crazy. One is particularly happy growing about 4"/day.
Took a prowl around the Americorps website yesterday in between rounds of migraine headaches. I found the PERFECT opportunity for me! A farm manager at Gateway Greening's City Seeds project. City Seeds is a 2 acre farm in the heart of the city used to help rehabilitate the homeless and sell good produce in farmers markets in low income areas. Too bad they are not currently taking applications. I'm going to keep my eye on this...may even inquire. The experience would be truly amazing and would actually make me feel as if I'm DOING something with my life...leaving a small imprint on this big planet. Yes, I could always just volunteer my time but with a more than full time job and a household, finding a few hours is difficult. Listen to me whine...If I want it badly enough, I will find a way to make time.
I took some pix of the garden last week. I'll get them posted soon!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Surprises
Sometimes garden surprises are good. Like yesterday when I discovered that I had planted carrots in the middle of the upper bed. Given the fact that I have only 2 carrot sprouts in the lower bed because the lettuce is CRAZY happy and choking off all sunlight to the carrot sprouts, I was thrilled to discover the nearly dozen sprouts in the upper bed. Yay - I WILL have carrots this year!
On April 25th Dave and I built another 4' square x 2' tall raised bed. I've been filling it with dirt and compost since (40-ish bags to fill one of these puppies up!). Yesterday I planted a grape tomato and Early Girl tomato into the new raised bed. I would have planted a Juliet Roma had I not accidentally snapped its main stem during transplanting. :( The replacement Juliet Roma is sitting on my back patio awaiting its transfer to lots of soil. Maybe if I get up early enough tomorrow morning I can get it in the ground before work.
Oh, and to carry the surprises into another day, I discovered that the Cupid's Dart that I thought had died is resurrecting itself. It's a miracle! ;) Unfortunately it's right by the snow pea sprouts and someone's going to lose the battle if I don't intervene. Even if I do, the surgery is going to be quite tricky to extract said Cupid's Dart without killing off a few snow pea sprouts. Then there's the matter of finding a spot for the Cupid's Dart since all spots are taken. But, let's get through the tricky surgery first.
I still need to find a spot for the cucumber and basil I purchased yesterday. The idea is to plant the basil in with the tomato plants because they make good companion plants - or so I read. The cucumber...I'm not sure. I may try potting it again this year and hope for the best. Last year I had cukes growing until the plant collapsed after a long weekend in Indianapolis. Maybe this year I can get ONE cucumber!
On April 25th Dave and I built another 4' square x 2' tall raised bed. I've been filling it with dirt and compost since (40-ish bags to fill one of these puppies up!). Yesterday I planted a grape tomato and Early Girl tomato into the new raised bed. I would have planted a Juliet Roma had I not accidentally snapped its main stem during transplanting. :( The replacement Juliet Roma is sitting on my back patio awaiting its transfer to lots of soil. Maybe if I get up early enough tomorrow morning I can get it in the ground before work.
Oh, and to carry the surprises into another day, I discovered that the Cupid's Dart that I thought had died is resurrecting itself. It's a miracle! ;) Unfortunately it's right by the snow pea sprouts and someone's going to lose the battle if I don't intervene. Even if I do, the surgery is going to be quite tricky to extract said Cupid's Dart without killing off a few snow pea sprouts. Then there's the matter of finding a spot for the Cupid's Dart since all spots are taken. But, let's get through the tricky surgery first.
I still need to find a spot for the cucumber and basil I purchased yesterday. The idea is to plant the basil in with the tomato plants because they make good companion plants - or so I read. The cucumber...I'm not sure. I may try potting it again this year and hope for the best. Last year I had cukes growing until the plant collapsed after a long weekend in Indianapolis. Maybe this year I can get ONE cucumber!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Catching Up - April 23, 2009 - Bee Speaking
Tonight I went to the Missouri Botanical Garden to see Dr. May Berenbaum discuss Colony Collapse Disorder as part of The Global Garden Speaker Series. Colony Collapse Disorder is the mysterious disappearance of honeybees. It was first reported in 2006 by a beekeeper who checked on his bees that were wintering in Florida. Inexplicably several of his colonies were gone with no evidence of what occurred. The worker bees simply vanished leaving behind the nurses and the queens to starve. The interesting part is that there are no dead bees found outside of the colony which is usually the case in a pesticide kill or disease. Since I first heard about Colony Collapse Disorder on NPR a year or so ago I've been very interested in the latest and greatest research. See, honeybees pollinate over 100 of our agricultural crops that we rely on for food. Their work is estimated to be worth about $15B (yes, billion) a year. Without honeybees we will not have any fruits or nuts and many vegetables to eat. Honeybees also indirectly benefit the dairy and beef industries by pollinating the alfalfa those animals eat. So, without honeybees, we humans are in a world of hurt.
Of course I've noticed the lack of honeybees in my garden. Seems like honeybees were much more prevalent when I was a kid. Turns out that honeybee colonies have been on the decline since mid-to-late century. According to Dr. Berenbaum, much of the decline started occuring in the late 1980's to early 1990's. At this time the government allowed honeybees to be imported into the States. With those imports came a new set of diseases, mainly viral, that have led to colony deaths. Also making matters worse are the African Killer Bees. Dr. Berenbaum said that all of the Killer Bees found in this hemisphere originated from one farmer in South America who wanted a more tropical bee to pollinate his fields. Unfortunately he chose a very aggressive bee that has spread rapidly. Our Western Honeybees cannot compete.
Of particular interest were several things: 1) We have not diversified our portfolio when it comes to pollinators. We basically rely on the Western Honeybee. Natural pollinators do play some role but not the $15B role honeybees play in crop pollination. 2) We know remarkably very little about these little guys. Very little research has been conducted. The honeybee genome was sequenced in 2007. 3) Of the research conducted so far on CCD, the results do not conclusively point to one single factor. Pesticides seem to be playing a part, but do not provide the entire answer. We know the newest set of pesticides in the neonicotinoid family do cause memory loss in honeybees but we had been using these pesticides for a while before CCD was diagnosed. Also, France outlawed this class of pesticides to prevent further decline but they have still experienced colony loss. Interestingly enough, honeybees have a very small set of genes (~45) that contribute to toxin removal. Humans have over 400! So, it seems that pesticides accumulate and exacerbate each other but it's not the entire answer. 4) A new virus has been discovered that is impacting bee populations - Israel Acute Paralysis Virus. As you can guess from the description, it causes paralysis in bees who then die outside of the hive. While research has found evidence of IAPV in many tested CCD hives, it also does not entirely explain the cause of CCD. 5) Since the honeybee genome has been sequenced, Dr. Berenbaum stated there has been research into the immune system and toxin cleansing genes. They are trying to figure out the switches for these genes and also to see if there is some genetic marker for CCD. Unfortunately those studies are also inconclusive at this time because the results came back indicating that the most significant variance was found not in the immune or toxin-cleansing genes but in a whole slew of genes that "we don't know what they do." Sigh...The presentation was absolutely fascinating and well-attended.
I should note that several theories about CCD were also very briefly discussed. Bees disappearing because of cellphone use - disproven. Bees disappearing because of genetically modified corn - disproven (corn relies on wind to pollinate, not bees; also, if GM corn were the cause, then Illinois should have reported CCD because 80% of the corn planted in IL is GM but, to date, IL has reported no loss of bee colonies to CCD). Bee rapture, that is, the disappearance of bees because this is the start of the Rapture - well, I suppose it cannot be disproven but how would you scientifically prove it? Sorry - no science = no proof = not a conclusion.
So, what do I think? Well, I kinda like the idea that Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis vanEngelsdorp presented in the April 2009 edition of Scientific American ("Saving the Honeybee"). Their research supports the information Dr. Berenbaum presented in her speech - that is, that pesticides and new viral infections alone do not completely explain the phenomenon. However, they also mentioned that our agricultural practices may be contributing to the honeybee's demise. Our vast expanses of single crop fields may not be providing the variety of food sources for honeybees (Dr. Berenbaum did mention our farming practices in relation to native pollinators). So, perhaps we are starving the honeybees with our monocultural agricultural practices and our neatly manicured suburban lawns with uninteresting flowers for bees. That stress may be triggering decreased immune resistance, or maybe decreased ability to cleanse toxins from the body, which are then leading to CCD. The article also mentions that studies need to be performed on honeybees and their reaction to travelling around the country to pollinate crops (did you know that every portable honeybee colony in the USA needs to go to California every year to pollinate the almond crop??!!). More work needs to be done and we need to find an answer soon.
So, what can you do? Stop using pesticides on your lawn! Start planting native flowers attractive to honeybees and native pollinators! Read up on CCD and understand the current research! Be skeptical when others try to convince you it's bee rapture or cellphone use or whatever! Write to your congressperson about funding research for CCD! Especially if your congressperson is a Republican. The Republicans pointed to a $1M allocation for CCD research in the latest stimulus package as evidence of pork! Dear Mr. or Ms. Republican Congressperson - Without honeybees we may have no pork...or veggies...or fruits...or beef...to eat. Bet you won't think it's PORK then! Support the Xerces Society!
SAVE THE BEES - SAVE THE CHEERLEADER - SAVE US HUMANS!!
Of course I've noticed the lack of honeybees in my garden. Seems like honeybees were much more prevalent when I was a kid. Turns out that honeybee colonies have been on the decline since mid-to-late century. According to Dr. Berenbaum, much of the decline started occuring in the late 1980's to early 1990's. At this time the government allowed honeybees to be imported into the States. With those imports came a new set of diseases, mainly viral, that have led to colony deaths. Also making matters worse are the African Killer Bees. Dr. Berenbaum said that all of the Killer Bees found in this hemisphere originated from one farmer in South America who wanted a more tropical bee to pollinate his fields. Unfortunately he chose a very aggressive bee that has spread rapidly. Our Western Honeybees cannot compete.
Of particular interest were several things: 1) We have not diversified our portfolio when it comes to pollinators. We basically rely on the Western Honeybee. Natural pollinators do play some role but not the $15B role honeybees play in crop pollination. 2) We know remarkably very little about these little guys. Very little research has been conducted. The honeybee genome was sequenced in 2007. 3) Of the research conducted so far on CCD, the results do not conclusively point to one single factor. Pesticides seem to be playing a part, but do not provide the entire answer. We know the newest set of pesticides in the neonicotinoid family do cause memory loss in honeybees but we had been using these pesticides for a while before CCD was diagnosed. Also, France outlawed this class of pesticides to prevent further decline but they have still experienced colony loss. Interestingly enough, honeybees have a very small set of genes (~45) that contribute to toxin removal. Humans have over 400! So, it seems that pesticides accumulate and exacerbate each other but it's not the entire answer. 4) A new virus has been discovered that is impacting bee populations - Israel Acute Paralysis Virus. As you can guess from the description, it causes paralysis in bees who then die outside of the hive. While research has found evidence of IAPV in many tested CCD hives, it also does not entirely explain the cause of CCD. 5) Since the honeybee genome has been sequenced, Dr. Berenbaum stated there has been research into the immune system and toxin cleansing genes. They are trying to figure out the switches for these genes and also to see if there is some genetic marker for CCD. Unfortunately those studies are also inconclusive at this time because the results came back indicating that the most significant variance was found not in the immune or toxin-cleansing genes but in a whole slew of genes that "we don't know what they do." Sigh...The presentation was absolutely fascinating and well-attended.
I should note that several theories about CCD were also very briefly discussed. Bees disappearing because of cellphone use - disproven. Bees disappearing because of genetically modified corn - disproven (corn relies on wind to pollinate, not bees; also, if GM corn were the cause, then Illinois should have reported CCD because 80% of the corn planted in IL is GM but, to date, IL has reported no loss of bee colonies to CCD). Bee rapture, that is, the disappearance of bees because this is the start of the Rapture - well, I suppose it cannot be disproven but how would you scientifically prove it? Sorry - no science = no proof = not a conclusion.
So, what do I think? Well, I kinda like the idea that Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis vanEngelsdorp presented in the April 2009 edition of Scientific American ("Saving the Honeybee"). Their research supports the information Dr. Berenbaum presented in her speech - that is, that pesticides and new viral infections alone do not completely explain the phenomenon. However, they also mentioned that our agricultural practices may be contributing to the honeybee's demise. Our vast expanses of single crop fields may not be providing the variety of food sources for honeybees (Dr. Berenbaum did mention our farming practices in relation to native pollinators). So, perhaps we are starving the honeybees with our monocultural agricultural practices and our neatly manicured suburban lawns with uninteresting flowers for bees. That stress may be triggering decreased immune resistance, or maybe decreased ability to cleanse toxins from the body, which are then leading to CCD. The article also mentions that studies need to be performed on honeybees and their reaction to travelling around the country to pollinate crops (did you know that every portable honeybee colony in the USA needs to go to California every year to pollinate the almond crop??!!). More work needs to be done and we need to find an answer soon.
So, what can you do? Stop using pesticides on your lawn! Start planting native flowers attractive to honeybees and native pollinators! Read up on CCD and understand the current research! Be skeptical when others try to convince you it's bee rapture or cellphone use or whatever! Write to your congressperson about funding research for CCD! Especially if your congressperson is a Republican. The Republicans pointed to a $1M allocation for CCD research in the latest stimulus package as evidence of pork! Dear Mr. or Ms. Republican Congressperson - Without honeybees we may have no pork...or veggies...or fruits...or beef...to eat. Bet you won't think it's PORK then! Support the Xerces Society!
SAVE THE BEES - SAVE THE CHEERLEADER - SAVE US HUMANS!!
Catching Up - April 19, 2009
Lots of rain! Both rain barrels are full although the new one is leaking around the dispensing hose. I don't think it's a matter of tightening the clamp either. Not sure how I will repair without draining the water. :( Luckily it's not a significant leak so I'll just take a wait and see approach. All of the rain has kept me from dividing and transplanting daylilies and hostas. I need to get this done before the weather gets too hot for me! I also still need to build my 2 new raised beds. The lettuce is looking good. So are the cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. Haven't seen any pea, snowpea or carrot sprouts. Why are carrots so hard to grow!!
Catching Up - April 5, 2009
Today I dug up the pea and snow pea seedlings because I couldn't remember what I had planted where and I had forgotten to mark them in the garden! I reseeded and this time remembered to make garden markers AND document here (they are in the upper bed--peas on the left and snow peas on the right!). Last night I divided and transplanted a few more daylilies in anticipation of rain all day today. We also got 2 of Dave's hops rhizomes planted in a new raised bed (funny how the raised beds for the hops were done quickly with no whining...haha!). At least without the rain I was able to get carrot seeds planted and my 2nd rain barrel set up. Now I have 140 gallon rainwater storage capacity. Woohoo! I've started watering my houseplants with rainwater again. They'll be happy! Now, if it would only rain so I can get the 2nd rain barrel filled up I'll be happy.
Tomorrow I'll be putting plastic over all of the beds because of predicted below freezing weather with a chance of snow. I hope the weather people are lying.
Oh-Something got into the lower bed today and burrowed under my lettuce. I suspect a rabbit although none of the plants showed signs of "nom-ing." I have no idea how a rabbit would get into the bed because of the height we built them (4' square x 2' tall). Need to keep an eye on things! Maybe I can catch that wascally wabbit!
Tomorrow I'll be putting plastic over all of the beds because of predicted below freezing weather with a chance of snow. I hope the weather people are lying.
Oh-Something got into the lower bed today and burrowed under my lettuce. I suspect a rabbit although none of the plants showed signs of "nom-ing." I have no idea how a rabbit would get into the bed because of the height we built them (4' square x 2' tall). Need to keep an eye on things! Maybe I can catch that wascally wabbit!
Catching Up - March 29, 2009
Who would have guessed snow?! Not me! Yesterday morning I was quickly rigging up supports so I could put plastic cover over the gardens. Luckily I found the right supplies at Home Depot - some 2 foot rebar and some plastic tubing that was already looped in a way that created a nice looped support. I was quite cold as I hack-sawed the tubing outside. I can't believe this because we got at least an inch of rain earlier. Anyway, I woke up this morning to find heavy, wet snow weighing down the plastic. My plan had only worked 1/2 way. Hopefully everything will recover. The yard is a mess from all of the precipitation (remember the erosion problem?) and they are talking about more rain all week! I need to get daylilies divided and moved, and the compost bin moved, and 2 more raised beds to make, and...and...and...How will I get it all done with all this rain? Guess I shouldn't complain. It will be dry soon enough. At least the lettuce is happy!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Catching Up - March 26, 2009
Yesterday I transplanted 1 mum, the Gallardia (I think) and a divided daylily to the mailbox planting bed. I mowed 1/2 of the backyard for the first time this season (Dave will take over from here). It will have to be mowed again in a few days if we get all of the rain they are forecasting. My rain barrel is full! Yay! Now I need to move a hosta or 2 so I can get the 2nd rain barrel set up. Unfortunately the rain came down heavy enough to create new ruts in the backyard. :( The battle against erosion continues. I'm still not getting any birds at the feeder. Just a robin and a few doves.
Catching Up - March 23, 2009
Transplanted 3 Russian Sage from the front yard to the back. I am hoping that they will help with erosion control. I also divided 2 daylilies in back and moved them to some barren spots by the Sugar Maple also with hopes of helping control erosion. Gotta fix this erosion problem I caused by killing off all of the grass to build my garden! :)
It is super windy today and we are supposed to get thunderstorms tonight so I'm hoping all of my hard work doesn't get washed away!
I mapped out my 2 garden beds today. This is very important to reference for next year so I remember what was planted where for proper crop rotation. The upper bed has Cupid's Dart flower, a coneflower, snow peas, red onions and peas. The lower bed has carrots, red lettuce, Bibb lettuce, Romaine lettuce, a coneflower, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
It is super windy today and we are supposed to get thunderstorms tonight so I'm hoping all of my hard work doesn't get washed away!
I mapped out my 2 garden beds today. This is very important to reference for next year so I remember what was planted where for proper crop rotation. The upper bed has Cupid's Dart flower, a coneflower, snow peas, red onions and peas. The lower bed has carrots, red lettuce, Bibb lettuce, Romaine lettuce, a coneflower, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
Catching Up - March 21-22, 2009
The rain barrel is set up and ready to go! Would like to get it on the cinder blocks before it fills up with rain. Hopefully I can do that on Monday [Editor's Note: I did. Or, more correctly, Dave did.] I ordered a 2nd rain barrel. It arrived last week. Can't WAIT to get get it set up! 140 gallons of water capacity baby!
Today (the 22nd) I planted lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and red onion sets. I hope the unfinished compost doesn't cause problems for the plants. Guess I'll know soon! I was able to plant only one broccoli plant - not enough room. I really need to get 2 more beds built so I have plenty of room for Spring and Summer crops w/o having to leave something out. I have pea & snow pea seeds soaking overnight. Am hoping to get in the ground before I leave for work tomorrow morning.
Began transplanting daylilies from under the front yard trees to the enlarged bed around the mailbox. They should be much happier with more sun. Some of them can be divided so I will put those in the backyard on the hill to help control erosion.
I'm afraid that the hostas under the Sugar Maple have died [EN: They didn't!]. Probably "drowned" in too much soil since they are at the bottom of the hill w/the erosion problem. I really hope I didn't lose those hostas!
Set the rain gauge out. Time to start tracking!
Watched the squirrel get only my feeder. This has been a mystery. He's figured out how to jump over the squirrel guard. Little butthead! I have few birds this year. Not sure why. Am very sad about this.
Today (the 22nd) I planted lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and red onion sets. I hope the unfinished compost doesn't cause problems for the plants. Guess I'll know soon! I was able to plant only one broccoli plant - not enough room. I really need to get 2 more beds built so I have plenty of room for Spring and Summer crops w/o having to leave something out. I have pea & snow pea seeds soaking overnight. Am hoping to get in the ground before I leave for work tomorrow morning.
Began transplanting daylilies from under the front yard trees to the enlarged bed around the mailbox. They should be much happier with more sun. Some of them can be divided so I will put those in the backyard on the hill to help control erosion.
I'm afraid that the hostas under the Sugar Maple have died [EN: They didn't!]. Probably "drowned" in too much soil since they are at the bottom of the hill w/the erosion problem. I really hope I didn't lose those hostas!
Set the rain gauge out. Time to start tracking!
Watched the squirrel get only my feeder. This has been a mystery. He's figured out how to jump over the squirrel guard. Little butthead! I have few birds this year. Not sure why. Am very sad about this.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Catching Up - March 14, 2009
The next several posts are transferred from my garden notebook. Enjoy the history! :)
March 14, 2009 - Got all of the yard Spring Cleaning done! We had at least 6 piles of Maindenhair grass alone! Also had 3-4 more piles of Crepe Myrtle, Red Twig Dogwood and Butterfly Bush along with 5 bags of shredded leaves!
Put some compost in the veggie beds. Not as finished as it should be - and this is stuff that's been in there for at least 18 months! I've decided I don't like the Gardener's Supply compost bin. It keeps the compost too moist and you can't get in there and turn the compost well. I think the reason why I'm not getting compost is because it stays too wet in the location I have it and I cannot turn it...and because the bin is plastic. I'm thinking about tearing out my Korean Lilacs and Yews by the back door and building a compost bin there.
[Editor's Note 4/29/2009 - Ohhh...but the Korean Lilacs smell soooo lovely this year. I'd hate to lose them. They are probably too big for me to dig out and transplant - but a girl can try!]
March 14, 2009 - Got all of the yard Spring Cleaning done! We had at least 6 piles of Maindenhair grass alone! Also had 3-4 more piles of Crepe Myrtle, Red Twig Dogwood and Butterfly Bush along with 5 bags of shredded leaves!
Put some compost in the veggie beds. Not as finished as it should be - and this is stuff that's been in there for at least 18 months! I've decided I don't like the Gardener's Supply compost bin. It keeps the compost too moist and you can't get in there and turn the compost well. I think the reason why I'm not getting compost is because it stays too wet in the location I have it and I cannot turn it...and because the bin is plastic. I'm thinking about tearing out my Korean Lilacs and Yews by the back door and building a compost bin there.
[Editor's Note 4/29/2009 - Ohhh...but the Korean Lilacs smell soooo lovely this year. I'd hate to lose them. They are probably too big for me to dig out and transplant - but a girl can try!]
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
1st Post - Nothing Thrilling
Well, I'm going to try this blogging thing again. This one will be about my garden. Since I can type much faster...and neater...without the hand cramps...than I can write, I will track all of my gardening escapades in this blog.
Tomorrow I will try to get caught up to the current date. Right now it's time for bed and sleepy time is ALWAYS more important than blogging! :)
Tomorrow I will try to get caught up to the current date. Right now it's time for bed and sleepy time is ALWAYS more important than blogging! :)
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