Moving ahead

This warm weather is inspiring. Most of the beds are amended and ready for planting. Here is a wheelbarrow full of composted lamb manure (decorated with a buttercup). Each barrow full is delightfully rich and teeming with wriggling earthworms. Life as it should be.Two weekends ago I went to Brimfield, MA for their spring antiques extravaganza. It was there that I found this old shutter for the garden. I will plant nasturtiums at its feet for climbing.Things continue be about two weeks ahead of schedule out there as evidenced by the early appearance of garlic scapes. These are definitely a mid-June PHE-nom in these parts.

Artichoke update

This is one of my over-wintered artichokes. It looks like it usually looks in late JULY !!! Seeing these is a source of daily satisfaction this spring. I have been keeping them well watered and each week have given them a good dose of manure tea. With this much of a head start on the season, I want to milk these plants for all they are worth.

The shady back bed

I have a bed at the back of the garden that each year gets more and more shade. Last year it grew potatoes. This year I decided to do a combination of shallots and Brussels sprouts, Swiss Chard, Cippolini onions, carrots, parsnips and radishes. I find I get the best results with carrots if I sift the soil first and place it back in a trench ... not very wide nor terribly deep, but enough to give the little guys a fighting chance of pushing their way in to the ground. I also have found that one of my best spring planting tools is the reused dish soap container. Poke a hole in the ground, squirt in some water. Nest in the shallot, or the bean or the seedling. Very handy indeed.

Asparagus Soup Revisted

The asparagus rolls in at the rate of nearly a pound a day. During high season I keep a plastic bag in the fridge where I store the snapped off ends and use them to make soup.I found a new soup recipe in the spring issue of Edible Vineyard. Edible Communities, Inc. sponsors the publication of these local magazines on a quarterly basis. Do you have one in your area? Any good recipes to share? If you do have such a magazine in your area, make a point of supporting the local advertisers who help to make the publication possible. And here is the recipe which I tweaked a little bit.

Asparagus Soup with No Dairy Garlic Cream

1 lb asparagus stems

2 TBS EVO

1 cup yellow onion small dice

½ cup rolled oats

5 cups Vegetable stock

Garlic “Cream”

1 medium head separated into cloves and peeled

2 TBS EVO

1 cup water

4 sprigs thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley for garnish

During asparagus season I save the snapped off ends of all the asparagus I prepare and I use these ends to make soup. For this recipe use one pound of those ends which you have slit down the middle. In addition select maybe 6-8 thin spears and slice 4 one inch slices off each of them to add to the finished soup. Cook these tips for 4 minutes in boiling salted water and set aside.

Warm the oil in a soup pot and add the onion and sauté for 8-10 minutes until they soften. Add the oats, the slit stems and the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes.

Once this has cooled put in the blender, puree, and then run the mixture through a sieve using the bottom of a soup ladle to push through the juice. Discard the fibrous remains. Return to a saucepan.

In a smaller saucepan prepare the garlic “cream” by combining the garlic, oil water and thyme. Simmer uncovered until the garlic is soft, about 20 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and transfer to a blender. Puree and add back to the soup. Add the reserved cooked tips and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, freshen with lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

adapted from Hara Dretaki Edible Vineyard Spring 2010

Raw Milk

I invite you to read this Salute to Raw Milk on Jan Buhrman's blog. Jan is organizing a rally tomorrow morning 8 AM on Boston Common (complete with a cow) to protest proposed changes in the language of regulations concerning the sale of raw milk in Massachusetts.

I grew up on raw milk. My mother, a physician, believed that it would help us develop a better immune system. When I retired after a 30 year teaching career, I had 2 years of unused sick leave, a testament to the effectiveness of the raw milk of my childhood.

I guess I am a little cranky these days about a world in which people who want to feed their families from sustainable farms bump up against a highly tuned regulatory mechanism working for the benefit of the big milk producers, while Congress wrings its hands about how to (or even IF to) regulate a financial industry that took us to the brink of disaster and then took OUR money to cover their bad choices.

I am not a tea-paryter ... but I could become a milk-partyer.

Let the games begin !

I arrived on a breezy, sunny afternoon to find some nice gifts in the garden. I was able to harvest about 4 pounds of asparagus and set to work cooking it on the grill for dinner. I have been eating asparagus from the farmer's market for a few weeks now, but still it does not have the flavor of fresh from the garden. The next morning I found some random greens ... spinach and sorrel ... and I set it aside in the fridge. So the harvest has begun. Now I must set to work doing all the things that other gardeners have been doing since March ... pulling weeds ... cleaning beds ... working compost ...

I must say I feel that the season is at least two weeks ahead this year. The landscape looks like Memorial Day not May Day. I even got my first whiff of autumn olive this morning. Two extra weeks of growing season is fine with me.

Over Wintering Artichokes

Steve asked how I managed the successful over wintering of these Green Globe artichokes. Actually I thought readers were a little bored with this story which has been going on in here for nearly 5 years. Please begin by reading these past posts .

I used wall-o-waters the past two seasons. I did not succeed in 2008/2009. But this winter I did succeed. I suspect the success this time is linked to two factors: the way I prepared the plants and the kind of winter we had ... mostly the latter. This year I cut what remained of the plants to 6 inches above ground and covered them in grass clippings before putting on the wall-o-waters. But mostly I think it was the snow cover and the lack of extreme cold that led to success.

Our local garden columnist, Lynne Irons, also reported having successfully over wintered her artichokes this year. She uses different materials, but also gives lots of credit to what was overall a mild winter.

"Speaking of enjoyment — several of my globe artichokes made it through the winter. I had covered them with a double layer of Reemay and enclosed the bed with bales of hay. Keep in mind, however, we did have a mild winter. I do not believe we dipped into the single digits at all. Nobody believes me when I say such things because it was rainy, snowy and gloomy a great deal of the time, but all in all, the temperatures held steady."

One other thought to successful over wintering in northern climates is the variety of the artichoke. Imperial Star has not done well for me. I have experimented with and Northern Star and Emerald but have not had success over wintering them. The ones I had success with were Green Globe Improved from Reimer Seeds.

Halleluia

I made a quick dash north this weekend to feed and spray the apple trees and put some seedlings under grow lights until I return again in early May. It is a lousy weekend weather wise, but I was greeted with a great success.It may not look like much to you, but what you see in this photograph is something I have been waiting for for at least four maybe five seasons ... a successfully over-wintered artichoke. I am hoping these nice strong plants will produce early and often this year.

On a hunch I dropped by a stand of Japanese knotweed I know in a friend's backyard. I hit it at JUST the right time and was rewarded with a bountiful harvest. It is an invasive brought to the States by none other than the man who brought us Central Park, the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead. It tastes a lot like rhubarb and can be used in its place for many recipes. I will cut it up and freeze it and boil it down into a compote a little later in the season. The great thing about htis invasive is that it is a great source for RESVERATROLI also made time to harvest some parsnips for a spring dug parsnip chowder.

The Easter Parade

Let's hear it for the trees. This is their season. In my backyard the tulip magnolia is giving off an intoxicating fragrance. If only we had a scratch and sniff capability here.Then, of course, there is the princess of all the trees ... the cherry blossoms. I arrived a little before sunrise, but I was not alone. Here was a bride and her photographer setting up a sunrise photo shoot.The air was still enough to provide a crisp reflection in the tidal basinThen there is the classic shot with the Monument in the distanceand, of course the broad sweep with reflectionand the early sun on blossom and woodWhile Washington is most associated with cherry trees, I think the real stateliness of the city is in its find stand of American elms. These were planted by Governor Shepherd in the years after the Civil War. Why these trees escaped Dutch elm disease is a mystery to me. Anyone with information, please comment. So I wanted to give this elm tree its due. These dogs attracted lots of photographic attention. But already the cherry blossoms are falling like snowflakesbut this crab apple is not far behind ready to take its place in the Easter Parade of Trees

Be Counted

Just a few words about the Census. As I picked up my form today to fill it out I could not help but think about the census records I have immersed myself in while doing family research. I think of Harmon P. Marble, census enumerator, who, on the 20th of June, 1900 knocked on my great grandparents' door in Humboldt, NE where my 9 year old grandfather lived and made note of all the people living in that house.At its core the Census is an exercise in democracy. It is the way we have to apportion our representation in Congress. But underneath it are the stories of all of us who have lived here and been counted.Today ... for this the TWENTY-THIRD CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES ... I am the enumerator.

If you haven't already done so, please, send in your census today.

Return to Gardening Thoughts

After weeks of being in winter wonderlands in New England and Colorado, I returned home to all sorts of signs of spring. First there were the amaryllis that have been reluctantly making their way into the world since mid-December.
The next signs of spring could be found in the yardAnd then finally, right here on my kitchen counter ... the compost bucket has emerged from winter hibernation.Ever hopeful, I have started my artichoke seeds. This year I am growing Emerald and Green Globe. I scored the seed cases with a knife and then set them in wet paper towels on a heating mat for two days. I planted them yesterday in warmed starting mix. I planted a dozen of each variety and will consider myslef lucky if 6 of each make it into the garden.

Winter

Being pulled in opposite directions

I am sure it is built into the species, but when snow starts falling, I start scanning for things to put on the stove ... beef stews, pots of soup.  BUT I am leaving town soon so I have to curb my urge to cook through the storm.  I need to use up what will go bad while I am away.   

First candidate is the box of honeybells in the guest bedroom.  I extracted as much juice as I could hold in the freezer, and went hunting for a recipe ...  VOILA  Citrus Scented Quinoa.  I will give you the recipe as I found it, however I left lots of things out of it.  I did not make the balsamic syrup. Also, I did not add the white wine and lime juice.  But I did use the three cups orange juice with pulp and I tossed in the raisins while it was still warm. And I added a chopped red pepper that would have gone bad.  I also did not add the tomatoes and greens and cukes.  Another day ... another storm

Citrus-Scented Quinoa and Raisin Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
***Balsamic Syrup***
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
***Salad***
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
8 ounces quinoa
3 cups fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup natural raisins
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup toasted almonds
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
Salt and pepper
1 cup seeded and diced cucumber
1 cup diced ripe plum tomatoes
1 1/2 cup mixed baby greens

Directions:

For balsamic syrup, combine vinegar and sugar in heavy saucepan and simmer on low until reduced by half. Cool and pour into a plastic squeeze bottle; chill.

For salad, saute garlic and onion in half the olive oil over low heat in a hot skillet for 1 minute. Add quinoa and saute 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Stir in orange juice, lime juice, thyme and wine; simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes; then, chill thoroughly.

Then, combine chilled quinoa mixture, raisins, almonds, basil and remaining olive oil in large mixing bowl; season lightly with salt and pepper and mix well.

For each serving, set a ring mold 4-inches in diameter by 6-inches high on serving plate. Layer ingredients into the mold starting with quinoa salad, then diced cucumber, follow with diced tomatoes, and top off with mixed greens.

Remove mold and drizzle plate with balsamic syrup. Repeat until all plates are prepared.

Things that go POP in the night

Around 1:00 am I heard a big popping sound in the backyard accompanied by a bright flash of light ... and then the electricity went out. Tree limbs crashing into transformers was my first thought. So I called the power company. I awoke to a 50 degree house and still no electricity, but God Bless Dominion Power, by 9:00 am while buried beneath comforters, I heard the heat come on. Somehow I had not imagined the need to "shelter in place" without electricity.

Then I read Fernando's blog this morning and realized that maybe what I saw and heard was Thundersnow. 

"shelter in place"

I have just returned from the grocery store where I snagged THE LAST PACKAGE of ground beef. "Oh am I taking too many?" she asked as she loaded 10 packages into her cart. "It is for my Superbowl Party that probably won't happen."

What is this mania that has taken over Harris Teeter before 7:30 AM on a Friday morning? It is THE WASHINGTON SNOWSTORM. And when you pair that with Superbowl weekend, the only worse scenario I can imagine is if the Redskins were playing in it.

I have been eying this storm for nearly a week as it gathers moisture from as far away as Hawaii. Having been raised in New England, I am pretty low key when it comes to snowstorms, but the absence of sufficient snow removal equipment in the DC area makes this upcoming storm a problem for us, for we were planning to drive north for a ski vacation in Maine tomorrow.

But with email alerts from our local jurisdiction that use the admonition "be prepared to shelter in place for 3-5 days" or the AccuWeather overlay on DC describing accumulation as EXCESSIVE, there is little chance we will get out of here before late Saturday night.I suppose we COULD get out of Dodge this morning, but then we wouldn't be here to shovel the roof off and we need to do that in a snow like this to avoid ice jams and leaking.

So in anticipation of an unplowed street, we are toying with the idea of packing the car this morning and moving it to a street that is more regularly plowed.

Let me end this entry with a little shameless plug for my new favorite DC Area weather blogger, Fernando. Check out his blog Potential Vorticity for the latest meteorological updates.

Not much happening

Well here it is the last day of January. I feel I cannot let an entire month pass without a post. Only thing close to being garden worthy are these paperwhites
and this sad picture of snow and sleet in my sister-in-law Anne's tropical garden.

Merry Christmas to all ...

The December DC Dump

Let it snow ...

Let it snow

Let it snow !!!!

The Christmas Cactus

Every Christmas I marvel at this cactus. It came to me a as a gift from a friend and colleague at least a decade ago. I have re potted it twice. When it starts to bloom I give it cactus food. But the rest of the year ... well, neglect would be a kind word to describe how I treat it. In May I put it on a shaded back deck to face the trials of a Washington summer with nothing but the rain God chooses to bestow upon it. In November, when I return, I rescue it just before the frosts and without the least bit of prompting from me, it starts its Christmas show.