I got the email that my canner has been sent out, ETA is tomorrow, which is sooner than expected. But who's complaining?
I showed it to my hubby (the item listing) and he said it looked a lot like his grandmother's, only hers had a gasket.
Its going to be fun to see if i can get enough out of my garden at one time to use it to capacity and if i will have enough time to pick and prep enough to use it.
If not this year, there's next year.
I learned a lot so far this year. The most important things were regarding the sun direction and where shade is coming from.
I think i might run my rows in the opposite direction next year. My dad suggested this becuse the way the slope goes, having raised my raised beds against the flow of water will trap the water for the plants.
If we have a wet year, this might work against me though.
I could put the tall things all the way to the back and the shorter things will come forward.
The way i have things now, nothing in the garden really shades anything else in the garden, but that is not always such a good thing. I think my kales and collards should need shade.
Good thing is that hubby likes the garden well enough this year that he thinks we might add another row to it,
Corn is starting to tassel, i think Golden Bantam was the first (closest to the tomatoes) and next is Incredible, Stowell's Evergreen was the one that didn't germinate so well or as quickly- but that was seed from 2008 anyway. It is catching up though.
I picked a few carrots yesterday to have a sample. They were small, maybe a nickel size diameter, but they were longer than i expected them to be. You read about soft, sandy soil and how carrots need it, but i wasn't quite sure if my soil fit that definition having little to compare it to.
I have only gardened in my family's soil for the most part, and even now most of my soil came from the same 10-15 acres i grew up on, how many people get to say that? I get to stick my toes in the same dirt i grew up running around on as a kid.
Anyhow, the carrots were a little less tender than i hoped, but i wouldn't call them tough, they were a bit bland, i was hoping for a sweeter taste, but maybe that comes later. I'm sure my test sample of 4 were picked a bit early. But i at least saw enough to know that the soil is a good texture for them and they showed no sign of insect damage.
I'm sure i have some more cukes to pick, one of the slicers was getting about grocery store size and it rained last night. Cukes stop producing if their fruits mature too far and i didn't plant enough to make us happy as it is, so i can't let them stop producing too early!
One of the Carnival squashes are getting huge. When i grew them in my tiny garden they didn't get much bigger than normal acorn squash. They were about the size for one serving for two people when cut in half.
I did find out that Jerusalem Artichokes can be canned, its in the Ball "Complete Book of Home Preserving". Its a relish recipe that sounds nice. I should be able to get enough to try making some.
I do plan to grow less of them next year and give the extra space to the asparagus, but i had to start out with so many to be sure i'd have enough to try myself if something tried to eat them on me. I planted a few pounds in my parent's garden many years ago and chipmunks ate them all. So i overplanted my sample plot in case they attract chipmunks. Right now it looks as if they don't.
I thought it was interesting that USDA and Ball don't even recommend canning summer squash anymore. I guess its no big loss, even freezing it 'ruins' it. Its great to add to sauces like that, but after any type of processing its definitely best as a secondary ingredient. Its not "butter ready" from a can or freezer bag.
There is a bird that keeps spearing my unripe apples. I found one last week that had peck marks in it, so i pulled it off and tossed it. The other day i found another one with the same marks.... this time i left it. Maybe the bird will remember that he's already sampled from this tree... Where i missed a couple sprayings i have misshapen apples, but its not a big deal, i wasn't counting on much from this tree this year. I mainly wanted to see if it would survive to produce after being neglected so long and to get apples big enough to try and have the type ID'd. We are still going to go to the orchard this fall where we will end up picking three times as many apples as we need. But maybe this year i could can some pie filling and make sauce.
I need to get back in and catch up with weeding again. I have let it go a bit since the plants are big enough to not get smothered easily, but i can't let the weeds go to seed or it will be another uphill battle next year.
I also ordered some bare root Bocking Comfrey from a place called Horizon Herbs. They ship Priority Mail with about a $14 minimum so i looked around and they also have Clove plants for a decent price. This is guess is the first time they have had any to sell. Its a different name, but according to Wikipedia they are synonomous- Syzygium aromaticum and Eugenia aromatica- why they are different names i have no clue. But anyway i figured buying one was a better way to justify the price of shipping the Comfrey roots. If they do well for me i can share any future comfrey plants out.
My current clove tree is doing fine, it isn't really doing anything, but it does not appear to be dying at least! :o)
I also put in an order with Bountiful Gardens, some berry plant seeds and they have SeaKale which i think i can wintersow. I can wintersow all the seeds i just ordered, which is why i figure i should get them sooner than later. Either they sit in my fridge or theirs.
Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Radish picking
Lifted the end of the row cover
Looks ready
The average size was about the length of my thumb, but fatter
The Hailstones were starting to be ready too, just 3 of those:
Probably about 20 or more radishes out of maybe 3 feet of row. A few have hollow centers, which is annoying
But most of them were sound
They weren't as mild as i expected and i think that is because of the warm spring and the row covers making it especially warm. I will have to plan for that next year. I will be able to get radishes in earlier than i did this year and they will be out in time to plant things like green beans and such. But they will be put in a row that won't get a cover.
Plants are very much bug-free this year. I'm amazed. Even the melons and cucumbers are being left alone very much. I see a few flea beetle nibbles on some of the cuke leaves, but that is it and it stopped before any real damage happened. Here are the better growing plants in that row.
Bird house gourd:
I think this is Pony Yellow, i tried to remember the order i took the pictures in, but i just can't.
This is Long Island Cheese, an heirloom winter squash. Its a very pretty and classic looking fruit:
I need to find out what these are. Some sort of rose? They smell incredible and bloom just beyond our fence every year. They are in the scrubby wasted areas. I used to smell them in the years before we added this lot to ours, but i was never close enough to see what was making that smell.
I meant to photograph it last year but the blooms were gone before i could.
The apples are starting to get larger, some are already being bothered by pests. I need to spray again, but where things have been going on it hasn't happened and the rain has narrowed my chances a little more. Today would have been a good day to get it done, but the radar has shown rain close by for hours, its not getting here fast, but it will.
We are going to take out that big tree. I can't remember if i already logged that decision, but we will. Whenever hubby gets to it. There is no room for 2 trees only 4 feet apart and since the big tree is doing poorly, its the one to go. The little tree is doing well despite crowding. Hubby wants me to replace the big tree with something like it, so i will eventually. But it will be planted farther than 4 feet away!
I really want to take those row covers off! They are doing an awesome job keeping the bugs at bay and warming the soil and slowing evaporation of rain... but it makes going out to weed a bit of a hassle. The covers have to be removed or pinned up first and putting them back is an added step. It really is worth having them on, but i have to balance my annoyance with its effectiveness.
Here are some pics of the rows under cover for comparison
Brassica Row:
Roots and Beans Row:
Tomato Row
But see what i mean about the weeds?
Parsnip seedlings- so i remember next year:
And carrots.... you can see how the seed tape made pretty decent spacing
But they germinated so odd, some are already 3"-5" high and others are just sprouting. Same with the parsnips. I wonder if i got seeds that weren't so fresh or if i wasn't as thorough with watering as i tried to be.
I just got the Topsy Turvy planted.
Pain. In. The. Butt.
The issues are that they are very heavy when filled with soil. They need to be hung someplace where sun will reach the plant- which means that they can't be under the overhang on the side of the house because there will only be full sun maybe 3 hours a day to reach it. The shed is out because the trim is not sturdy enough. So i decided the basketball hoop was my best bet, this will put the plant at eye level. But the planter will be too high to fill with dirt when it is up there, so it needs to be filled on the ground, then lifted.
I don't know what hubby (or myself for that matter) did with my rope so i couldn't pulley it up.
Its really hard to fill a container with a plant on its bottom without squishing the plant. The tomato plant had to be inserted before the dirt goes in. I tried hooking it onto a table, but my "S" hook wouldn't catch the edge, the wheelbarrow handles were too low, the saw horses were too low, any other items were too light and would have been dragged over
I finally set it on a cinder block with the tomato dangling inside the hole, then i filled the thing with dirt.
I used the same cinder block to boost me up to hook the planter to the basketball hoop.
Scrawny tomato... But it should catch up. We'll see if it was worth the effort.
Looks ready
The average size was about the length of my thumb, but fatter
The Hailstones were starting to be ready too, just 3 of those:
Probably about 20 or more radishes out of maybe 3 feet of row. A few have hollow centers, which is annoying
But most of them were sound
Plants are very much bug-free this year. I'm amazed. Even the melons and cucumbers are being left alone very much. I see a few flea beetle nibbles on some of the cuke leaves, but that is it and it stopped before any real damage happened. Here are the better growing plants in that row.
Bird house gourd:
I think this is Pony Yellow, i tried to remember the order i took the pictures in, but i just can't.
I need to find out what these are. Some sort of rose? They smell incredible and bloom just beyond our fence every year. They are in the scrubby wasted areas. I used to smell them in the years before we added this lot to ours, but i was never close enough to see what was making that smell.
The apples are starting to get larger, some are already being bothered by pests. I need to spray again, but where things have been going on it hasn't happened and the rain has narrowed my chances a little more. Today would have been a good day to get it done, but the radar has shown rain close by for hours, its not getting here fast, but it will.
We are going to take out that big tree. I can't remember if i already logged that decision, but we will. Whenever hubby gets to it. There is no room for 2 trees only 4 feet apart and since the big tree is doing poorly, its the one to go. The little tree is doing well despite crowding. Hubby wants me to replace the big tree with something like it, so i will eventually. But it will be planted farther than 4 feet away!
I really want to take those row covers off! They are doing an awesome job keeping the bugs at bay and warming the soil and slowing evaporation of rain... but it makes going out to weed a bit of a hassle. The covers have to be removed or pinned up first and putting them back is an added step. It really is worth having them on, but i have to balance my annoyance with its effectiveness.
Here are some pics of the rows under cover for comparison
Brassica Row:
But see what i mean about the weeds?
Parsnip seedlings- so i remember next year:
I just got the Topsy Turvy planted.
Pain. In. The. Butt.
The issues are that they are very heavy when filled with soil. They need to be hung someplace where sun will reach the plant- which means that they can't be under the overhang on the side of the house because there will only be full sun maybe 3 hours a day to reach it. The shed is out because the trim is not sturdy enough. So i decided the basketball hoop was my best bet, this will put the plant at eye level. But the planter will be too high to fill with dirt when it is up there, so it needs to be filled on the ground, then lifted.
I don't know what hubby (or myself for that matter) did with my rope so i couldn't pulley it up.
Its really hard to fill a container with a plant on its bottom without squishing the plant. The tomato plant had to be inserted before the dirt goes in. I tried hooking it onto a table, but my "S" hook wouldn't catch the edge, the wheelbarrow handles were too low, the saw horses were too low, any other items were too light and would have been dragged over
I finally set it on a cinder block with the tomato dangling inside the hole, then i filled the thing with dirt.
I used the same cinder block to boost me up to hook the planter to the basketball hoop.
Scrawny tomato... But it should catch up. We'll see if it was worth the effort.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Lots to do....
Since i didn't feel like writing for a couple days, i have some stuff to catch up on.
I need to start taking some pictures too. I took the cover off all the hoops to do some work under them the other day. I left off the cover that was over the melon row since the plants have grown quite a bit.
It rained all weekend so the ground is now nicley moist. We even had some tornado warnings yestrerday. The system that had what was reported to have a funnel cloud actually passed within 5 miles of where we live. So it was a bit surreal for a while watching radar loops and the news station. We did get some pretty hefty winds and some huge rain drops. I didn't look under the hoops yet, but the wind only pulled one hoop out of one socket but everything stayed put.
I have a few mail order items to expect in the next week or so. Henry Field's does not have an estimated arrival date with their UPS tracking feature.
My grapes, blueberries and lingonberries are on their way from Stark's, that should b here by Wednesday
Burpee has shipped my weed barrier, but not my grapes yet. But the weed barrier is expected to arrive tomorrow.
My Big Hip roses came in on Friday and they look good. The ebay auction was for 5 plants but it looks like i got 7. Yay!
I did get the corn planted on Friday as planned. Three types.
Incredible,
Stowell's Evergreen
and
Golden Bantam
I planted them in the last half of my Tomato row and it rained shortly after they were planted, so i should see them come up fairly soon.
I need to try and get my stakes in the ground soon, for the grapes. I don't know if i should dig up the Suffolk Red. I need to take down the little trellis i made for it to put up my new stuff.... its not going to survive a winter up here. I think even if i go to heroic lengths to shelter it, it won't ever recover enough to fruit. I might try to keep it in a pot if i can't find a home for it.
I tried to Round up the grass and stuff under the electric fence, but it rained less than 3 hours after i sprayed it. So i might have to do it all over again today.
I think i'll put the cardboard down too. I think i will lay that out, plug in the posts and then put the weed barrier right over the cardboard and then plant the grapes. I hope the cardboard will attract the worms as it breaks down. The area that i plan to put the grapes in looks pretty barren right now so it needs some compost too. I don't know if i can get the Mantis into it, but i'd like to.
I spent some time trying to decide what trelising method i want to use on the grapes. I'd kind of like to be systematic about it. Make a real plan instead of just plant them and watch them take over everything. My first thought was to do what turns out to be similar to what is called Four Arm Kniffen. It looked like the simplest plan, but i guess it is better for some grape types and not so much for others. I'm having a hard time finding the info on which method is best for which of the grapes i have. Its been a bit confusing trying to research this.
I have gotten a lot of use out of the charts at Double A Vineyard's site. The chart recommends Top Wire Cordon for 3 of the four grapes that i am getting. The last wants a Modified Munson. After much research, i know what those are and in finding that i also read that those styles may not be the greatest for cold areas like mine. These training methods carry the cordons on the topmost wires- and in the winter they are very exposed to cold. I do not have any desire to lay down these plants each fall, which is why i chose Zone 3-4 hardy vines. Except for Reliance. Hopefully the extra padding of a lower zone will make up for lack of extensive winter protection. The most i would intend to do is wrap them in burlap or sandwich them with straw bales.
ANyway, the most asthetically pleasing trellis method i have seen is the Low or Mid Wire Cordon. The main part of the vines take on a candelabra shape. I have read that it is an acceptable method for cold regions since the snow cover will help protect the cordons and in the summer the heat radiating back from the ground is helpful for ripening.
Good thing is that it will take a few years to establish this shape and as long as i don't lose the vines to a harsh winter, i have plenty of time to decide before i am committed to one method.
You Tube has actually been quite helpful in picking up the vocabulary of the world of grapes and also lets me get an idea of what to look for as the plants grow.
I think we have decided to let the big apple tree go. It looks pretty sad this year. The leaves are small, it has no apples, and its such a mess. I was advised that i could just lop it off at the point where it bends over and it might re-branch itself. I'd like to try that, but it dosen't solve the issue of the trees being within 4' of eachother. If the big tree wasn't so thin this year, the little tree wouldn't be getting half the light it is getting now. If we get the big tree healthy, the little tree will decline. The little tree is in decent shape so far, so it would be a real shame to let a declining tree ruin a good one.
I think there is a chance if we cut the big one down to a tall stub, i could send it to my parents. They have an apple tree there that is about to go, this might make a fair replacement once it recovers. At the very least, this tree can be stripped of bark and chipped up for smoking meats. It won't go to waste.
I don't know for certain, but with all the wild apples around here, i might not need a second apple as a polinator. I'm not 100% sure- but i did learn a bit from a Chuck Ingals video i came across that if you don't have a polinator tree, the next best thing is to find another apple tree that is in bloom, pick a few stems and bring them home to your own tree. It was kind of funny because in the example picture he used (it was a filmed power-point lecture) he had used a vase to hold the bunch of blossoms and had to carefully balance the vase in the branches of the tree. He had laughed at himself because he was asked at a previous lecture why he didn't use a bag of water and just tie it to a branch.... it was amusing. I'm not exactly sure where someone might get fresh apple blossoms from a distant place, but i could get them from my parents' and maybe a nearby orchard won't object if i ask to carefully pick a few small twigs. Anyway, it is an option at least until i could get another apple to blooming size if i discover next year that the wild apples weren't enough.
After a few days of rain, its nice to see the sun out. We are getting some stiff breezes but the air is warm.
I'm also going to try and get the Grapefruit tree outside. I usually get its summer vacation started a few days earlier than this and the rainy days would have been perfect, but i kept putting it off. The plant is upstairs in a window and though its not really heavy, the pot and stand is awkward and Grapefruit trees have thorns!
Oh, did i mention that on Friday i also got all my little marigold seedlings planted out in the garden, most of the basil, all the rosemary, the sage, nasturtiums, and all those little odd herb and veggie seedlings from the re-sown onion flat (the ones that had blown over in the greenhouse). I put out the chives too and most of the Welsh onions. They are perennials like chives, but thicker, white-flowered and more like garlic in flavor. I'm giving some to my parents as well.
I'm also giving my mom most of the perennial seedlings i sowed. I hadn't decided for sure what i was going to do with the front and side flowerbeds at the time i planted the seeds, but by the time we dig out the flowerbeds this fall, it will be too late for the seedlings to get a good grip before winter. So i hope to plant some at my mom's within the next handful of weeks. They are gaillardia and ornamental rudbeckia and a couple of the rose root plants. I might keep the pleurisy root since its more of a wildflower and though i love the half-wild look in most plants, my mom prefers the more refined looking things, so it might not be as welcome in her garden. The rudbeckia would be pushing it if she didn't like the wild ones as much as she does.
I really want to just start ripping the messy flower beds out right now, but i need a more reliable babysitter and stronger pain medicine for that.
My niece, who is now expecting her first baby, helped me dig it out the first time. I sure wish she was here to play in he dirt with me right now. lol
I have to coordinate prepping the fenceline for the blueberries. I don't think my soil is quite acidic enough. It seems to be close to neutral, so i want to try and take a few large Rubbermaid type totes to my parents' and load up on fallen pine needles. I could till them in before planting or i could mulch the plants with it. It shouldn't take much i imagine. I'll have to watch for ticks though!
I still haven't harvested castings from the worm bin yet.
...and i think it might be too late to plant annual seeds and expect much.
I can't say i don't have enough things to do!
****
i just checked my email and i got a note from Stark's. I won't be getting my Lingonberry this year, they ran out. *sniffle*
They are going to refund me the difference. I hope i don't get another email telling me they are out of something else i ordered. I can accept the lingonberry, but i can't accept the grapes or blueberries not being available. I may be downright angry if anything else is out of stock, especially after they already told me everything was sent. I'm bracing myself for more frustration. Grapes take 4 years to bear, i don't need any setbacks.
Of course, the refund of about $10 will allow me to buy a book on grapes through Amazon for Kindle for PC.
I may order lingonberries again next year if i have enough room, i tend to fill up spaces quickly. Nature abhors a vacuum, and i have a lot of goji seedlings....and 2 beach plums...
I need to start taking some pictures too. I took the cover off all the hoops to do some work under them the other day. I left off the cover that was over the melon row since the plants have grown quite a bit.
It rained all weekend so the ground is now nicley moist. We even had some tornado warnings yestrerday. The system that had what was reported to have a funnel cloud actually passed within 5 miles of where we live. So it was a bit surreal for a while watching radar loops and the news station. We did get some pretty hefty winds and some huge rain drops. I didn't look under the hoops yet, but the wind only pulled one hoop out of one socket but everything stayed put.
I have a few mail order items to expect in the next week or so. Henry Field's does not have an estimated arrival date with their UPS tracking feature.
My grapes, blueberries and lingonberries are on their way from Stark's, that should b here by Wednesday
Burpee has shipped my weed barrier, but not my grapes yet. But the weed barrier is expected to arrive tomorrow.
My Big Hip roses came in on Friday and they look good. The ebay auction was for 5 plants but it looks like i got 7. Yay!
I did get the corn planted on Friday as planned. Three types.
Incredible,
Stowell's Evergreen
and
Golden Bantam
I planted them in the last half of my Tomato row and it rained shortly after they were planted, so i should see them come up fairly soon.
I need to try and get my stakes in the ground soon, for the grapes. I don't know if i should dig up the Suffolk Red. I need to take down the little trellis i made for it to put up my new stuff.... its not going to survive a winter up here. I think even if i go to heroic lengths to shelter it, it won't ever recover enough to fruit. I might try to keep it in a pot if i can't find a home for it.
I tried to Round up the grass and stuff under the electric fence, but it rained less than 3 hours after i sprayed it. So i might have to do it all over again today.
I think i'll put the cardboard down too. I think i will lay that out, plug in the posts and then put the weed barrier right over the cardboard and then plant the grapes. I hope the cardboard will attract the worms as it breaks down. The area that i plan to put the grapes in looks pretty barren right now so it needs some compost too. I don't know if i can get the Mantis into it, but i'd like to.
I spent some time trying to decide what trelising method i want to use on the grapes. I'd kind of like to be systematic about it. Make a real plan instead of just plant them and watch them take over everything. My first thought was to do what turns out to be similar to what is called Four Arm Kniffen. It looked like the simplest plan, but i guess it is better for some grape types and not so much for others. I'm having a hard time finding the info on which method is best for which of the grapes i have. Its been a bit confusing trying to research this.
I have gotten a lot of use out of the charts at Double A Vineyard's site. The chart recommends Top Wire Cordon for 3 of the four grapes that i am getting. The last wants a Modified Munson. After much research, i know what those are and in finding that i also read that those styles may not be the greatest for cold areas like mine. These training methods carry the cordons on the topmost wires- and in the winter they are very exposed to cold. I do not have any desire to lay down these plants each fall, which is why i chose Zone 3-4 hardy vines. Except for Reliance. Hopefully the extra padding of a lower zone will make up for lack of extensive winter protection. The most i would intend to do is wrap them in burlap or sandwich them with straw bales.
ANyway, the most asthetically pleasing trellis method i have seen is the Low or Mid Wire Cordon. The main part of the vines take on a candelabra shape. I have read that it is an acceptable method for cold regions since the snow cover will help protect the cordons and in the summer the heat radiating back from the ground is helpful for ripening.
Good thing is that it will take a few years to establish this shape and as long as i don't lose the vines to a harsh winter, i have plenty of time to decide before i am committed to one method.
You Tube has actually been quite helpful in picking up the vocabulary of the world of grapes and also lets me get an idea of what to look for as the plants grow.
I think we have decided to let the big apple tree go. It looks pretty sad this year. The leaves are small, it has no apples, and its such a mess. I was advised that i could just lop it off at the point where it bends over and it might re-branch itself. I'd like to try that, but it dosen't solve the issue of the trees being within 4' of eachother. If the big tree wasn't so thin this year, the little tree wouldn't be getting half the light it is getting now. If we get the big tree healthy, the little tree will decline. The little tree is in decent shape so far, so it would be a real shame to let a declining tree ruin a good one.
I think there is a chance if we cut the big one down to a tall stub, i could send it to my parents. They have an apple tree there that is about to go, this might make a fair replacement once it recovers. At the very least, this tree can be stripped of bark and chipped up for smoking meats. It won't go to waste.
I don't know for certain, but with all the wild apples around here, i might not need a second apple as a polinator. I'm not 100% sure- but i did learn a bit from a Chuck Ingals video i came across that if you don't have a polinator tree, the next best thing is to find another apple tree that is in bloom, pick a few stems and bring them home to your own tree. It was kind of funny because in the example picture he used (it was a filmed power-point lecture) he had used a vase to hold the bunch of blossoms and had to carefully balance the vase in the branches of the tree. He had laughed at himself because he was asked at a previous lecture why he didn't use a bag of water and just tie it to a branch.... it was amusing. I'm not exactly sure where someone might get fresh apple blossoms from a distant place, but i could get them from my parents' and maybe a nearby orchard won't object if i ask to carefully pick a few small twigs. Anyway, it is an option at least until i could get another apple to blooming size if i discover next year that the wild apples weren't enough.
After a few days of rain, its nice to see the sun out. We are getting some stiff breezes but the air is warm.
I'm also going to try and get the Grapefruit tree outside. I usually get its summer vacation started a few days earlier than this and the rainy days would have been perfect, but i kept putting it off. The plant is upstairs in a window and though its not really heavy, the pot and stand is awkward and Grapefruit trees have thorns!
Oh, did i mention that on Friday i also got all my little marigold seedlings planted out in the garden, most of the basil, all the rosemary, the sage, nasturtiums, and all those little odd herb and veggie seedlings from the re-sown onion flat (the ones that had blown over in the greenhouse). I put out the chives too and most of the Welsh onions. They are perennials like chives, but thicker, white-flowered and more like garlic in flavor. I'm giving some to my parents as well.
I'm also giving my mom most of the perennial seedlings i sowed. I hadn't decided for sure what i was going to do with the front and side flowerbeds at the time i planted the seeds, but by the time we dig out the flowerbeds this fall, it will be too late for the seedlings to get a good grip before winter. So i hope to plant some at my mom's within the next handful of weeks. They are gaillardia and ornamental rudbeckia and a couple of the rose root plants. I might keep the pleurisy root since its more of a wildflower and though i love the half-wild look in most plants, my mom prefers the more refined looking things, so it might not be as welcome in her garden. The rudbeckia would be pushing it if she didn't like the wild ones as much as she does.
I really want to just start ripping the messy flower beds out right now, but i need a more reliable babysitter and stronger pain medicine for that.
My niece, who is now expecting her first baby, helped me dig it out the first time. I sure wish she was here to play in he dirt with me right now. lol
I have to coordinate prepping the fenceline for the blueberries. I don't think my soil is quite acidic enough. It seems to be close to neutral, so i want to try and take a few large Rubbermaid type totes to my parents' and load up on fallen pine needles. I could till them in before planting or i could mulch the plants with it. It shouldn't take much i imagine. I'll have to watch for ticks though!
I still haven't harvested castings from the worm bin yet.
...and i think it might be too late to plant annual seeds and expect much.
I can't say i don't have enough things to do!
****
i just checked my email and i got a note from Stark's. I won't be getting my Lingonberry this year, they ran out. *sniffle*
They are going to refund me the difference. I hope i don't get another email telling me they are out of something else i ordered. I can accept the lingonberry, but i can't accept the grapes or blueberries not being available. I may be downright angry if anything else is out of stock, especially after they already told me everything was sent. I'm bracing myself for more frustration. Grapes take 4 years to bear, i don't need any setbacks.
Of course, the refund of about $10 will allow me to buy a book on grapes through Amazon for Kindle for PC.
I may order lingonberries again next year if i have enough room, i tend to fill up spaces quickly. Nature abhors a vacuum, and i have a lot of goji seedlings....and 2 beach plums...
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The glory of the Lobster
This was a fun day. Especially where i don't get out much, but even for someone who does get out quite often, this would be ranked pretty high on the scale of fun. (especially for a wannabe foodie such as myself!)
Today was the day that my sister-in-law got to compete as one of the three finalists in a state wide cooking contest. The cooking contest was to find Maine's Lobster Chef of the Year.
This is not a small deal.
The 3 finalists were chosen from recipe submissions that came in from all over the state. All three of the finalists were Maine born-and-raised which wasn't a requirement, but it was a nice fact.
Another interesting fact is that my sister-in-law, aside from being the only female finalist, was also the only finalist without any formal training as a chef, the guys she was competing against were graduates of either Le Cordon Bleu North America or the Culinary Institute of America. Now if that doesn't sound impressive, i don't know what is.
Now, i had intended to take a photo of each sample dish as the tasting was going on, but i was trying my best to be objective and discussing it with hubby and listening to and watching the demonstration- as each chef prepared the dishes while we were tasting.
I did however photograph my SIL' tasting sample:
Today was the day that my sister-in-law got to compete as one of the three finalists in a state wide cooking contest. The cooking contest was to find Maine's Lobster Chef of the Year.
This is not a small deal.
The 3 finalists were chosen from recipe submissions that came in from all over the state. All three of the finalists were Maine born-and-raised which wasn't a requirement, but it was a nice fact.
Another interesting fact is that my sister-in-law, aside from being the only female finalist, was also the only finalist without any formal training as a chef, the guys she was competing against were graduates of either Le Cordon Bleu North America or the Culinary Institute of America. Now if that doesn't sound impressive, i don't know what is.
Now, i had intended to take a photo of each sample dish as the tasting was going on, but i was trying my best to be objective and discussing it with hubby and listening to and watching the demonstration- as each chef prepared the dishes while we were tasting.
I did however photograph my SIL' tasting sample:
Maple Butter Poached Lobster Tail with Sweet Potato and Fuji Apple Bisque and Fizzles of Green Onion
That is quite a mouthful of a name for what is known as an "amuse bouche" . It looks like a nice piece of lobster tail on in a small pool of clarified butter, but looks are deceiving. The butter-like substance is the Bisque of Fuji apple and sweet potato, it has a nice creamy texture with a good balance of sweet and just a touch of tartness. The recipe also contains orange zest and i noticed it as a pleasant extra touch that kept the bisque from tasting flat.
There is a lot of butter in the recipe, but since the lobster is simply poached in the butter, you don't actually eat very much of it. The maple syrup as it is properly used in this dish, brought out the sweetness of the lobster without being cloying. This is an important thing to note since i think many people might think that real maple syrup is similar to pancake syrup. They are totally different entities.
There is a reason why you can get 32 ounces of pancake syrup for $2.50 but 8oz of real maple syrup costs at least $5.00.
I think my favorite quote from my SIL's demonstration was when asked about why she uses unsalted butter...
the reply was "Because salt is one of those things you should watch your intake of." as she deftly began a pound and a half of butter melting in a pot.
Now you know why i like her so much!
i might write more on this later. i started it Friday night and finally got enough written for it to make sense this Saturday morning! Or i may leave it at this :-)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Teething and boring weather
The youngest is teething. Four are coming in at once. She already had two, soon the grand total will be 6. Its pretty rough on her...and me. But infant tylenol and oragel will help.
The weather, frankly, has been lame. Its making me lame, and i am tired of gray skies. It was chilly yesterday and i'm seriously expecting a long, snowy and cold winter. We did get a bit of snow, mixed wet with rain late last night, but nothing that stuck.
The winter rye that hubby sowed in the yard has not sprouted, i think its too cold even for that.
I neatened up the string around the JA plot, cause thats about the only thing i can do.
Here it is in all its anticlimactic glory:
I have been looking up info on what to do about the apple trees, pruning suggestions and the like. I haven't come to a decision on if i will try it at this time of year or not. I did learn something new though. If you prune apple trees too heavily in the spring it can make them flower early and that can be bad if you get another frost. So i think spring is out. I do have to find out if it is wise to remove all the beginning apples next spring so the trees can concentrate on strengthening roots and trunk. i noticed the trunk on the bigger tree is actually narrower toward the ground than it is about 4 feet up. It just does not look right.
They had been planted in a bad spot that may have been good at one time until the trees behind the yard that belong to the other neighbors grew too high and shaded them out. (Box Elders, rant to follow)
This is the bigger apple tree. It has a "knee"... we had to prop it up with a portion of tree trunk we cut to move the neighbors fence OFF our yard. I used the cotton strap the hospital sent me home with after my car accident that left me with a fairly messed-up leg. The belt was so hubby could wrap it around me to pick me up if i fell over. Luckily it never had to be used! Now it has a great purpose!
It has a LOT of shape issues. The only reason it is still standing is because it was hooked over the pickets of the fence the neighbors put up. That fence was placed about 3 feet into what is now our yard. The trees are now about 5 feet away from the fence as it is properly placed about 4 inches inside our property line.
Now, for the Box Elder rant. They are part of the reason why it took so much of the summer to get work done around the new yard. They were everywhere, fallen over, broken, growing up through what used to be the basement of the burned-down house. At best,hey are basically overgrown weeds.
They are prolific, fast growing, weak, spindly, ugly looking things. The female trees attract tons of Box Elder Bugs, which are mainly annoying but they freak out my hubby who insisted that they were ticks when we first moved in. The trees also drop their leaves slowly all summer and make a huge number of seeds that are similar to maple helicopters. These leaves and seeds make a mess on any paved areas, stick to windshields, get into car vents and roof gutters, coat the lawn and the seeds start sprouting in flower beds and veggie gardens and of course attract the bugs which drink the sap from the seed pods.
The trees grow at least a foot in all directions each spring, they sucker and water sprout all over if you lop off branches. The trees are so useless, you can't even use them to burn as firewood since they gum up the chimney and can create conditions that can cause chimney fires. They are also very brittle and can come down on houses and buildings, they crack under snow and ice and end up hollow or half deadwood. Very dangerous trees!
There is one on the other side of our house that belong to the neighbors that i will call "the nice ones" . This tree is the only issue we have with them. The tree leaned over our roof on the shady side of the house and it rubbed our ridge, dropped leaves on the roof and basically took a few years off the life of our shingles. We offered to have the tree cut down entirely (we are lucky enough to know a professional tree-chopper-downer so the cost would be minimal) and i even suggested that i'd replace it with something ornamental for them, but for some reason the Mrs is attached to the tree.
The best we could do was convince them to a friendly agreement that we would have the big branch that was dangling over our roof (and causing the trunk to list to our side) removed as well as the branches that were shading out what little yard we have on that side of the house. At least now the tree does not look as though it will come through my living room if we get an ice storm or a hurricane. That's a relief!
This is what is left after we removed the parts that were causing damage and after the neighbor hubby did some trimming of his own:
At least today is sunny, according to the weather forecasters we should be having "seasonable" weather for the next week or so. This means not so many threats of snow and temps more around the 50-60 degree mark- this is great, maybe the ground will warm up just enough for things to move a bit before the snow really falls.
poor critter.
The weather, frankly, has been lame. Its making me lame, and i am tired of gray skies. It was chilly yesterday and i'm seriously expecting a long, snowy and cold winter. We did get a bit of snow, mixed wet with rain late last night, but nothing that stuck.
The winter rye that hubby sowed in the yard has not sprouted, i think its too cold even for that.
I neatened up the string around the JA plot, cause thats about the only thing i can do.
Here it is in all its anticlimactic glory:
looking West
&
looking East:
I have been looking up info on what to do about the apple trees, pruning suggestions and the like. I haven't come to a decision on if i will try it at this time of year or not. I did learn something new though. If you prune apple trees too heavily in the spring it can make them flower early and that can be bad if you get another frost. So i think spring is out. I do have to find out if it is wise to remove all the beginning apples next spring so the trees can concentrate on strengthening roots and trunk. i noticed the trunk on the bigger tree is actually narrower toward the ground than it is about 4 feet up. It just does not look right.
They had been planted in a bad spot that may have been good at one time until the trees behind the yard that belong to the other neighbors grew too high and shaded them out. (Box Elders, rant to follow)
This is the bigger apple tree. It has a "knee"... we had to prop it up with a portion of tree trunk we cut to move the neighbors fence OFF our yard. I used the cotton strap the hospital sent me home with after my car accident that left me with a fairly messed-up leg. The belt was so hubby could wrap it around me to pick me up if i fell over. Luckily it never had to be used! Now it has a great purpose!
Then, the littler one. They look like they have not had enough light for a number of years, i can only guess that the big one must be 6 years old at least, the little one at least 3. But with inadequate sunlight, they could be much older.
The big one is very fruitful, but after doing a bit of research, i found out what is bugging the fruit. Apple Maggot is one thing i positively ID'd.
Now, for the Box Elder rant. They are part of the reason why it took so much of the summer to get work done around the new yard. They were everywhere, fallen over, broken, growing up through what used to be the basement of the burned-down house. At best,hey are basically overgrown weeds.
They are prolific, fast growing, weak, spindly, ugly looking things. The female trees attract tons of Box Elder Bugs, which are mainly annoying but they freak out my hubby who insisted that they were ticks when we first moved in. The trees also drop their leaves slowly all summer and make a huge number of seeds that are similar to maple helicopters. These leaves and seeds make a mess on any paved areas, stick to windshields, get into car vents and roof gutters, coat the lawn and the seeds start sprouting in flower beds and veggie gardens and of course attract the bugs which drink the sap from the seed pods.
The trees grow at least a foot in all directions each spring, they sucker and water sprout all over if you lop off branches. The trees are so useless, you can't even use them to burn as firewood since they gum up the chimney and can create conditions that can cause chimney fires. They are also very brittle and can come down on houses and buildings, they crack under snow and ice and end up hollow or half deadwood. Very dangerous trees!
There is one on the other side of our house that belong to the neighbors that i will call "the nice ones" . This tree is the only issue we have with them. The tree leaned over our roof on the shady side of the house and it rubbed our ridge, dropped leaves on the roof and basically took a few years off the life of our shingles. We offered to have the tree cut down entirely (we are lucky enough to know a professional tree-chopper-downer so the cost would be minimal) and i even suggested that i'd replace it with something ornamental for them, but for some reason the Mrs is attached to the tree.
The best we could do was convince them to a friendly agreement that we would have the big branch that was dangling over our roof (and causing the trunk to list to our side) removed as well as the branches that were shading out what little yard we have on that side of the house. At least now the tree does not look as though it will come through my living room if we get an ice storm or a hurricane. That's a relief!
This is what is left after we removed the parts that were causing damage and after the neighbor hubby did some trimming of his own:
As gorgeous as this tree is now, i still think they should have taken me up on that ornamental offer. LOL
At least today is sunny, according to the weather forecasters we should be having "seasonable" weather for the next week or so. This means not so many threats of snow and temps more around the 50-60 degree mark- this is great, maybe the ground will warm up just enough for things to move a bit before the snow really falls.
Monday, October 12, 2009
First planting in new ground and preliminary babble
There is a plant thats called a Jerusalem Artichoke. And if you look them up online one of the first things you will learn is that they are not artichokes and they are not from Jerusalem. They are in fact a plant that is native to America. They are also called Sunchokes and even Passamaquoddy Potatoes, although my Passamaquoddy husband and his mother have both never heard of them. But we won't hold that against anyone, because out of the three names, that is probably the most logical one.
But i think i'll just call them JA's cause that is the shortest route.
They are actually a type of sunflower.
Anyway, i planted about 15# of them today.
Edit to add:
i planted 4 varieties
From an eBay seller, i got "Stampede" and "Red Fuseau".
From Oikos Tree Crops i got "Red Rover" and "White Fuseau" incidentally that is where i got my beach plum seedlings as well. They have great prices on some rugged plants.
Well, my mom and husband did much of the real labor. They dug, spaded and used the Mantis Tiller (i love that thing) to prepare the new ground, i just dropped the tubers into the trenches and tied the fluorescent string to the sticks so i wouldn't forget where they were.
I planted that many because i always expect about half of everything i plant to be eaten by something furry.
I also took out a sort of insurance policy by sending my mom a few pounds to put in her garden as well. If something eats all mine i could recover some from hers.... thats if nothing eats hers.
We live pretty rural out here in Maine. The banes of my existence are woodchucks and voles and don't forget snails and slugs. My parents have to contend with deer, wild turkeys and even the occasional moose. They have some red tailed hawks that hang out on their property that keep the squirrels and chipmunks in check
I don't have any red tailed hawks, so i have to just hope the woodchucks spontaneously combust. Unfortunately woodchucks don't do this. So the next idea is to use Havahart traps.
Anyway, talk of woodchucks leaves me in a bad mood, so i'll get back to what i like yammering about.
Garden.
So, mom and i were outside doing the planting and hubby was getting the snowblower ready, i almost joked that he was going to cause it to snow.... and i come in and see exactly that in our forecast. But it looks to be a rain snow mix with temps in the 40's. But its still early to see even faux sneaux.
So it looks like we got the roots in just in time.
Hubby had sown some winter rye out in the yard to try and prevent any more washouts, but unless it warms up for a few days in a few days we won't get any benefit out of that effort.
So that sums up today's garden adventure.
Apples
After helping me by digging up my protogarden, my mom has taken my oldest daughter out apple picking today. I was considering trying to go (take lots of tylenol and try to suck it up), but after slipping on a wet spot in the yard and landing on my bad knee/leg, it was out of the question, tylenol won't even touch that kinda ouch.
But i should be getting a large paper shopping bag full of apples, so i can make a few pies and such.
i guess that will be it for now...
But i think i'll just call them JA's cause that is the shortest route.
They are actually a type of sunflower.
Anyway, i planted about 15# of them today.
Edit to add:
i planted 4 varieties
From an eBay seller, i got "Stampede" and "Red Fuseau".
From Oikos Tree Crops i got "Red Rover" and "White Fuseau" incidentally that is where i got my beach plum seedlings as well. They have great prices on some rugged plants.
Well, my mom and husband did much of the real labor. They dug, spaded and used the Mantis Tiller (i love that thing) to prepare the new ground, i just dropped the tubers into the trenches and tied the fluorescent string to the sticks so i wouldn't forget where they were.
I planted that many because i always expect about half of everything i plant to be eaten by something furry.
I also took out a sort of insurance policy by sending my mom a few pounds to put in her garden as well. If something eats all mine i could recover some from hers.... thats if nothing eats hers.
We live pretty rural out here in Maine. The banes of my existence are woodchucks and voles and don't forget snails and slugs. My parents have to contend with deer, wild turkeys and even the occasional moose. They have some red tailed hawks that hang out on their property that keep the squirrels and chipmunks in check
I don't have any red tailed hawks, so i have to just hope the woodchucks spontaneously combust. Unfortunately woodchucks don't do this. So the next idea is to use Havahart traps.
Anyway, talk of woodchucks leaves me in a bad mood, so i'll get back to what i like yammering about.
Garden.
So, mom and i were outside doing the planting and hubby was getting the snowblower ready, i almost joked that he was going to cause it to snow.... and i come in and see exactly that in our forecast. But it looks to be a rain snow mix with temps in the 40's. But its still early to see even faux sneaux.
So it looks like we got the roots in just in time.
Hubby had sown some winter rye out in the yard to try and prevent any more washouts, but unless it warms up for a few days in a few days we won't get any benefit out of that effort.
So that sums up today's garden adventure.
Apples
After helping me by digging up my protogarden, my mom has taken my oldest daughter out apple picking today. I was considering trying to go (take lots of tylenol and try to suck it up), but after slipping on a wet spot in the yard and landing on my bad knee/leg, it was out of the question, tylenol won't even touch that kinda ouch.
But i should be getting a large paper shopping bag full of apples, so i can make a few pies and such.
i guess that will be it for now...
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