Tag Archives: garden

>The Gated Community – er, garden

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Last summer we tried. We had good intentions. But I was sick, Chuck had craziness at work, and we never got around to fencing in the newest garden plot. As a result, the neighborhood wild bunnies ate my broccoli.
Yesterday I came home from a baseball game with Amigo and found the wire fence had been tightened up, a gate installed, and my garden safe from bunnies! And when I say gate, I’m not kidding. I don’t know where Chuck found this one, but it’s very sturdy. Cute, too.

He was a little concerned about one of the tomato plants that had been squashed during the building process and the stem broken. I trimmed it, cut it back, and I think it’ll be okay. If not, I have at least one other plant of the same kind.
The back view, behind the new gate, looks pretty good. It’s no-till, so it’s not gorgeous, but everything is growing nicely. If we don’t get rain today, I’ll use the rain barrel supply to water everything tonight.
By the way, I harvested spinach today, too. Anyone want some?

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>Friday, Friday updates

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>Let’s see:

  • The rain barrels are full.
  • Lake Okaybyme has reappeared in the backyard.
  • I squished across a grassy swamp to get to the compost bin last night. My shoes are still damp.
  • Sun mixed with clouds today – I hope the scattered showers scatter far away from here.
  • I’m on my third cup of coffee.
  • A chipmunk is running across the deck again and again, almost like doing laps.
  • Amigo and I might go to Cars 2 this afternoon.
  • Birds are hopping in and out of my garden enjoying the worm feast. The old CDs as scarecrows turned out to be a failed experiment. Darn.
  • Hey – how did that chipmunk get in by the tomatoes? Did it float? Build a small ark?
  • Young wild bunny definitely lives under or near our deck. That’s fine with me, but I wish the small furry creature would stop eating my mums.
  • Someone in the neighborhood is mowing their lawn. I can’t imagine the grass is dry enough. Ours certainly isn’t. By the time it’s dry, the grass may be a foot tall!
All in all, it’s a typical day in the neighborhood. I’ll take it. Life is wet, but life is good.

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>Spinach Pasta Toss

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>It’s that time again – time to look for seasonal recipes. Right now I’ve got spinach coming up like a weed. It matures so quickly I almost can’t keep up with the harvest. I served this as a side dish. With a source of protein like broccoli, it could be a vegetarian main dish. Anything canned or commercially packaged can, of course, be replaced with ingredients from the garden or the home-canned pantry.

Spinach Pasta Toss
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 cups pasta, uncooked – penne pasta or rotini or similar
1 cup water
1 package (9 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Italian blends are good, and so is feta)
Bring tomatoes, pasta, and water to a boil in a large saucepan; stir. Cover; simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or just until pasta is tender.
add 1/2 of spinach; simmer, covered, for 2 minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Stir. Repeat with remaining spinach.
Serve topped with shredded cheese.
I wonder what this would be like with a little jalapeno pepper? It would change the whole flavor. Jalapeno pepper and Mexican style cheese, perhaps. Yum.

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>Mom’s playing in the dirt again! Weeding, reprise

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>Finally, the plants are maturing enough that I can see what belongs and what doesn’t. That means it’s time to start weeding!

Readers, did you notice I didn’t complain? Weeding is productive and therapeutic and even enjoyable. I searched through old posts and found out that I’ve discussed the positives of weeding in the past.
Here’s one from June, 2007.

I enjoy weeding because I can see progress. My garden is divided into small sections, set apart by my stepping “stones” made from old deck and fence pieces. I set a goal of weeding one section at a time. When that’s done, I can quit weeding or choose to finish another section. This is a managable goal; I feel productive when I can see the results in one part of the plot. It spares me the frustration of not “finishing” the whole thing, which is of course an impossible goal. Today I chose one triangular section of the garden and weeded out the many mini maples that flew in from the lot behind ours. If I ever abandon this small plot of ground behind my garage, I predict the mini maples will take over, leaving room for a blanket of clover underneath. But for now, look out maples! I have garden gloves and I know how to use them.

Here’s an older post from July, 2006.

Weeding feels good because:
  • I can’t hear the telephone.
  • Digging in the dirt is fun.
  • It doesn’t matter if I’m all sweaty and grimy.
  • I can appreciate the growth of my vegetables by comparing them to the weeds I’m pulling out.
  • I see the little flowers that mean the plants will bear fruit — some time.
  • I can laugh at the tiny “stray” tomato plants that grew where the rotten fruit dropped last fall.
  • The science teacher in me looks at all the clover and thinks, “Wow! There’s a lot of nitrogen in this soil! Who needs fertilizer?”
  • I notice the little grubs and worms that aerate the rich soil; and they’re not, I said NOT, yucky.
  • I notice how dark and rich the soil is, thanks to our home-grown compost.
  • The weeds (well, most of them) will become part of the cycle of life by decomposing in the compost bin.
  • Progress is noticeable. Every little bit of weeding shows results.

I heard a garden expert on the radio recommend that serious gardeners spend about 30 minutes a day weeding and maintaining. I don’t come near that, so I guess I’m not “serious” by his standards. I do keep it up, though, and get my hands dirty and produce good things to eat. My garden makes me happy. Isn’t that enough?

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>Shrimp and Mushrooms over Spaghetti

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>I usually plan and pre-post Tuesday’s recipe. I’m running a little behind; I blame the nice weather. Yesterday I finally got around to testing this dish (it was a hit), and then after supper I was weeding and mulching and enjoying the evening birdsong. Oops, no post. Better late than never, though, and this is an easy dish for busy cooks.

Shrimp & Mushrooms over Spaghetti
4 oz. spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup white wine
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Cook spaghetti and drain.
Combine garlic, shrimp, and mushrooms and cook slowly for 5 minutes in a saute pan, tossing lightly. Add the spaghetti to the shrimp mixture. Add cheese, salt, white wine, and lemon juice. Stir until done. Serve immediately.
Ah, readers, you know me well. You know for certain that I made changes when I served this for supper last night. I did follow the basic recipe, but I added/ changed a little here and there. Here’s my list of modifications.
Add:
small amount of diced red bell pepper
1/4 diced onion
1/2 pound scallops (add with shrimp)
1 cup spinach (don’t laugh; in August it’ll be grated zucchini)
Replace spaghetti with egg noodles
I did not use the white wine. Instead, I boiled up the shrimp peelings and used 1/4 cup shrimp stock.
Next time, I’ll add herbs. I wonder how basil will work in this combination of flavors? Maybe in August I can serve it with a side of disappearing zucchini orzo instead of over pasta.

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>My yard – it rocks.

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First it looked like this. Mint, mint, everywhere, as far as one could see.

Then the mint was gone (Hah! Take that, invasive weed) and covered by a handy home made biodegradable barrier.
Next step: gather supplies. On the right, gravel. Basic, commercial gravel, previously located under a lilac tree. On the left, random rocks, most of which were scraps of concrete salvaged when we replaced our driveway.
Then I brought it the family member with the best sense of aesthetics: La Petite. She helped me put it all together. It looks much better now. The concrete planter needs a plant, and the pine trees really need a new unbroken home, but that will come later. For now, we have a rock garden where the mint used to be, and that’s exactly what we wanted.

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>Home gardening – how do you rate?

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>Mother Nature Network continues to be one of my favorite sites. Today their newsletter led me to this graphic describing home gardeners in the U.S. According to their statistics, I fit the mold pretty darn well.

  • College Graduate
  • Age 45 or (ahem) older
  • Average amount spent per household: $70 (seeds, seedlings, supports, etc.)
  • Average return on investment: $530 ($600 dollar return – $70 investment = $530)
  • Most common foods grown: tomatoes, beans, summer squash, lettuce, peas, peppers.
If I’m honest, my cost is a bit closer to $100. I invested in starter soil for seeds, a mini-greenhouse, and organic heirloom seedlings, all of which cost a bit more than the average. I believe it will pay off in quality, if not quantity. It’s not the $64 tomato, but it’s a sizable investment.
Time spent: their average is 5 hours a week. I’ll say it varies. Between watering, weeding, and making compost and chasing away the critters, I spent at least that. The time spent is an investment in the garden and its food output. This time is also an investment in my own peace of mind. While I’m weeding and watering, my mind is wandering. I’m thinking and processing all kinds of random thoughts, sometimes working through problems or writing whole blog posts in my head. There’s no dollar amount to attach to the mental health benefits of caring for a garden. I call it priceless.

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>From mint to a rock garden

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This is the “before” picture. Mint, mint, and more mint. A few tulip and daffodil bulbs, but other than that, the area is almost entirely occupied by mint. Sure, it smells good. I could use it to make mint syrup or garnish a refreshing beverage. But this plant is aggressive. A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E. It takes over. I’ve tried pulling it; it comes back. I’ve tried moving it; it spread. I placed layers over the mint last fall, hoping I could start a new raised garden over the top. Nope; mint was determined to find the sun.

I started again by removing the mint. I moved the bulbs (see the daffodil remains on the right?) to a better place. I set the mint on a drying table in the backyard. I might compost it. Maybe. Does mint seed get destroyed in compost or does it flourish? I’ll find out.
Next step: cover the soil, again. This time I’m going one more step. The area will become a rock garden. This concept worked around my rose bushes, intimidating the clover and other weeds into submission so the roses could thrive by themselves.
For now, it’s just a batch of packaging held down by large stones and heavy planters. I have extra gravel; but do I have enough? Maybe, just maybe, I can build this rock garden without spending money on the materials. I’ll find out, and I’ll let you know on the next episode, when I hope to have a picture of all rock, no visible packaging, and certainly no more mint.

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>Rain! Spinach! And more!

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>Rain! We finally had a little rain! My rain barrels were empty, and I actually watered the garden with the hose two nights in a row. It felt so wasteful, yet was so necessary. My poor plants were drying up in the cracked soil.

Spinach! We have spinach! I harvested a big batch of spinach to cook up with chicken in my slow cooker. The produce drawer looked like Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard (with the exception of bunny food), so I stopped at our neighborhood market and picked up 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, and one small onion. I found out that the best cheese is located at the meat counter. Feta will be perfect on this dish!
I’ve also discovered two relatively new thrift stores. I picked up a pot and two tiny cute buckets, sized perfectly for giving away two jars of jam each. Total purchase: $1.97.
Next door was Starbucks. I don’t get out much, so I used a gift card and got myself a treat. After that, I mailed a few books and picked up prescriptions.
Now back to the neighborhood market. I used my own bag at the thrift store and for the prescriptions, so when I got to the market, I had to take their plastic bag. Famous last words: “Oh, I don’t need to keep all three bags in my purse. Two will be plenty.” Uh-huh. The clerk even teased a little because I never, ever need a bag at this little store.
Now the crock pot is simmering, the medicines hiding in their designated cupboard, the new buckets and I’m debating what to grow now that I have another pot. Meanwhile, time to make lunch and relax with the mid-day news.
So, readers, I’m curious. Do you bring your own bags? How many do you carry with you on a regular basis?

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>What to bake?

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>Kitchen sink muffins!

Darn, no zucchini. I thought I had some in the freezer; zucchini just doesn’t freeze well. Tips, anyone?
Make home made ice cream!
Ah, ice cream maker bowl isn’t chilled. Put it in freezer, wait a day.
Blueberry muffins! Now this I can do. Get 2 cups of blueberries out of freezer, let them thaw for a while, then make muffins. We can eat them tomorrow during the parade.
Meanwhile, I’ll go work in the garden before the rain arrives.

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