Little Things

Some updates on the little happenings in the garden.


This emerging African Lily. A new addition this Spring. I am told the flowers will be football sized.

First bud on our clove scented rose.

First bud on my David Austin beauty.

I love this sculpture. It is from my childhood home, and I have ideas to plant her with succulents that will overflow her bangs and under her chin.


Our new mini rose has put out a couple new blooms, a good sign.

The culinary Sage is just about to bloom, it will be the first time for this little guy that grew from seed.

Anticipating Peonies.

The Rush looks very dramatic in the morning sun.

The Native Salmon Berry is doing really well since joining us last fall.

Here is my fully 100% weed free pathway. Since not being able to walk all Winter and Spring, the weeds in my gardens have taken advantage. This is the first place I have "taken back" and boy do I have a ways to go.

Rhody Love

The Rhodadendrons are just about at their peak of bloom. Delicate pinks in the back yard, and hot pinks in the front yard.

Front Garden

Anticipating Irises

Nutty Granola

This Nutty Granola from Ellie Krieger's book "The Food You Crave" has become a regular, every two weeks you gotta make it, sort of thing around here. I have this with Silk for breakfast & it keeps me happy for hours.


* 3 cups old-fashioned oats
* 1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts
* 1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds
* 1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans
* 1/2 cup maple syrup
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup raisins, optional (I add these after the granola has cooled, it's less chewy this way.)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In a medium bowl combine the oats, nuts, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and the raisins, if using. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Potato Latkes

I first remember tasting potato latkes in the Oregon country side, visiting a friend's friend while going along our road trip. I remember hearing that this couple had moved out to the sticks to live off the land, get off the grid and raise their daughter. This was a new concept to me at the time. For their living, the woman made beautiful tie dye skirts and hand blown pipes to sell at country festivals and fairs, while her husband farmed a vegetable garden for them. They made an impression on me, they were living a certain way, choosing it consciously. The latkes we ate for dinner, also made a big impression. Served with sour cream and applesauce, I was hooked. Here is the recipe that I love.

Potato Latkes (serves 4)
2 cups shredded potatoes
2 tablespoon grated onion
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup peanut oil for frying

Directions

~Place the potatoes in a bowl of salted water for at least 20 minutes.
~Drain in a colander & press to extract as much moisture as possible.
~Combine all ingredients.
~In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form thin patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

If you can get your hands on some home made Apple Butter, you will die of delight at your breakfast table.

Growing Chitted Potatoes

I'm planting some chitted organic red potatoes today. They chitted themselves quite nicely and accidentally in the garage. The dark of the moon is the best time to plant underground plants while the moon draws the moisture deeper into the earth for the next couple weeks. I learned about chitting from Jamie Oliver, but it must be an art as old as potatoes themselves. Cut a one inch square around a growing eye in your potato.

Cut this section from the potato & plant in a well cultivated trench. Once the potato plant sprouts and starts to grow a stalk, mound soil up around it's neck, as the weeks pass, continue this process, as high as you can mound the dirt. (Hence starting in a trench.)

The underground potato stalk will grow potatoes all along the stalk as long as it keeps getting buried, producing a lot more potatoes from just one plant. This is great news for small spaces!

Happy May Day!

Here in the 2nd year, everything is growing well, the kitty used to sniff these little chicks, but soon they will be taller than her it seems.

A look through the Rose garden. This is really my heaven. Our black oil sunflower seed filled bird feeder gets visits from red & brown finches, chickadees. They descend on the yard together, especially after a rain.

We spent at least three back-breaking hours weeding our lawn last week, doesn't it look fine? Doing it naturally takes such work but it is so satisfying when the birds peck through it & I know they are safe.

Our new Hammock! The garden's in danger of being neglected by lazing book lovers now. This is a wedding gift from Seth & Melissa-thank you friends & come try it out soon! Our plants will need to be moved this fall to make a path here, the hammock ended up being much larger than expected once we got it home.

Coral Bells, these always shock me with their amazing color...I hope to divide them this fall & move some to the front yard to let them show off a bit.

Our new purple smoke bush is leafing out now. We bought this at a great sale at McLendon's this past fall. It had a lovely branching shape but this is the first we've seen of it's color. Nice!

Our street side plant sale had a homemade bird house on our last visit. It's reclaimed Cedar will blend well with our fence. We are past nesting season I believe, but hopefully next year we will have some boarders. In a few years it will be more protected by the Lilacs we've planted along the fence line.

One of the Lilacs, branching out well this year. This grew from a Lilac branch I stuck in the ground at our old house in preparation for our move. We hated to leave the beauties behind, and we're thrilled to see them starting to take off here. I wonder how many years until we have the luscious blooms?

Chives in bloom.

I'm having a little love affair with my compost bin. I am probably nuts but I just get so excited by this process. I have topped it off with a load of coffee grounds from a nearby coffee shop. Looks like I have to start a new pile.