Guarding the Garden

So far...

2012-02-09T08:53:00.001-06:00

...so good. Tried the granola this morning with some coconut milk. Pretty tasty. I'll have to try the milk out in my coffee. That will be the real test. Actually, using stevia will be the real test.

Date Change

2012-02-08T14:32:00.000-06:00

After looking at the calendar and what will be happening in the next month, I will now start my challenge on the 15th. After all, I have all that Valentine's chocolate to consider! Okay, not really, but it will work better with our snowboarding trip in March and it gives me a few more days to get things in order. This is not something that I plan to impose on the family. Elijah will still have his cheese sticks and oatmeal, and Jeff his protein bars, but when I cook dinner, it will be what I am eating for everyone. If they want to add to it, that will be fine.

Dairy is going to be the hard one to replace. I, as the doctor who took care of my broken arm reminded me, am at that age where I need to supplement calcium. I know I can get it in a pill, but there are also plenty of other non dairy sources. Most of which I like. (I'll get a list together and post it later.) Of course, I like food and that's what got me to this point in the first place.

So, time to put the groceries away. By-the-way, Sunflower Markets had great looking portobello mushrooms today. They make great replacements for burger buns!

No Grain Granola

2012-02-07T14:06:00.000-06:00

I posted this recipe a while back, but I am in the process of making some more. I am going to try (and it will not be easy) to do a 30-day Paleo challenge. No grains, dairy, (the hard part), legumes and a few other no-no's. I'm not a huge cereal eater, but here is my substitute for the next month. Well, I actually wont start until the 10th, but I need to get some things going.

No Grain Granola

2 cups raw pecans
2 cups raw almonds
8-10 pitted dates
1 tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 eggs (cage free or omega-3)

Process the nuts, dates, and cinnamon until they are a course meal. Stir in the coconut. Add the two eggs, slightly beaten. Stir. It will be thick and clumpy. Spread on a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring at 10 and 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. Serve with your favorite milk and add fruit, fresh or dried, if you like. I will be using almond or coconut milk for the challenge.

So, if you want to know how it goes you can keep up with my progress here. Hopefully you will get 30 days worth of updates.

Garden Clean-up

2012-01-11T14:44:00.002-06:00

With our horribly dry and hot summer in 2011, I was all to happy to neglect the garden. It seemed that the only things producing were the squash and the grasses and weeds. I was not about to pull weeds in 100 degree heat. I'm just not that young anymore. (Although I am sure I still look it!) When it did finally rain and cool off the veggies went nuts. Of course this was right before the frost killed them and most tings went to ruin. Now all those seeds are out there as well. I look for a lot of volunteer plants next summer. If there are any plants next summer. The weatherman says the jet stream pattern looks to stay the same. Great! Maybe I'll just manure and mulch it this year.

Tomato plants needed to come down.

Raked leaves and hay, too many weed and grass seeds to let it stay. We will burn it later.

Still had some Swiss chard that was good. Picked it for dinner!

Nice and clean

New Things

2011-12-15T20:11:00.001-06:00

I took the girl to Crest for groceries tonight and found some fresh herbs grown hydroponically. I am hoping to keep them alive until spring. I had rosemary make it through the horrible summer and so far it seems to be doing well in the house. I guess we'll see. Hopefully I can set them and my pineapple plants out on nicer days.

I also like to buy mangoes on occasion but rarely do because they are such a pain to cut. Not any more! I found a mango splitter at Williams-Sonoma. I didn't get it there, but this was the first time I had seen one. Later in Target I saw they had them (and for less) soI picked one up. It is awesome and I will be buying more mangoes from now on!!

Honey Marshmallows

2011-12-03T19:42:00.000-06:00

Someone asked for my recipe, so here is my foavorite. I like it because it doesn't require you to keep an eye on a candy thremometer (But you do have to wattch to make sure it doesn't boil over) or an extra step of whipping egg whites. It is a firm marshmallow, so it is good for roasting. You also don't have to use as much corn syrup because much of it is replaced with honey. But let's face it, we aren't makiing these for health reasons anyway ;-)

Enjoy! It's the bonfire time of year!

Honey Marshmallows

2 ½ tablespoons unflavored beef gelatin

½ cup+ 3 tablespoons water (divided)

½ cup light corn syrup

¾ cup honey

1/8 tsp salt

3 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Powdered sugar

Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with aluminum foil, slightly overlapping edges. Spray foil with nonstick coating or use shortening, butter, or coconut oil. Coat evenly.

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Stir and let stand.

In a heavy 3-4 quart saucepan over med-high heat, stir together sugar, corn syrup, water and salt until well blended. When the sugar dissolves, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring. Boil for 30 seconds then stir in the gelatin mixture and extracts. The mixture will boil up a bit when the alcohol evaporates from the extract. Cook and stir for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.

Pour mixture into a large bowl being very careful, this is HOT. Preferably with a wire whisk attachment on your mixer, begin beating mixture on low, slowly raising to high speed. Beat mixture until stiff, white and very fluffy. With a hand mixer this can take up to 10 minutes.

With an oiled silicone spatula, scrape mixture into baking dish. Allow to stand uncovered for at least 6 hour or overnight if possible. I put it in my microwave to keep the pests away or you could cover it with a dishtowel, but you want it to be able to get some air to it.

To cut the marshmallows, grease a pair of kitchen shears (or any scissors). Turn marshmallow onto a cutting board covered with powdered sugar. Sift more powdered sugar on the top of the marshmallow. Cut to desired size and roll in more powdered sugar. I like to have a zippered bag with some powdered sugar in it and just drop them in and shake them to coat. Then take them and shake off excess sugar. Store in air tight containers. These freeze very well and are great for roasting.

Fall is Here!

2011-11-16T18:11:00.000-06:00

I know it has been here for a while now, but the trees are really in rare form this year in Oklahoma. I don't know if it just my imagination, but the leaves seem to be so much more vivid this year. Maybe it's because of the drought, or maybe it really is just me.

Just a test picture, but it is a weird looking pumpkin!

Since it had gotten below freezing a few times, I have had to bring in my pineapple and rosemary. I trimmed the pieapple up a little both for looks and convienence. It was a little big to walk around in the laundry room. I'm glad I remembered to bring them in. Last year I managed to kill all my pineapples and rosemary. Hopefully this year I can keep them happy in the house. They'll appreciate it next spring.

Habanero Jelly

2011-11-09T14:02:00.001-06:00

Well,I finally have a moment to post something, and here it is. I got my first batch of habanero jelly made! I will make another this evening with apple cider vinegar. I made several batches of jalapeño jelly last week and I will get pics of that posted later.

I have not (and will not) try the habanero. Jeff says it's hot and sweet, like me! What a suck up! Anyway, the jalapeño strawberry jam is awesome, like him! Ugh, enough of that.

Hiatus Over

2011-11-07T16:46:00.001-06:00

Well, it's been awhile, and I have several things to post. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get some pics up while I get some work done.

In the past couple of weeks I have picked over 50 pounds of peppers. They have been frozen, smoked, and turned into jelly and jam. More to be made tomorrow along with some bison stock. I don't really need more bison stock, but I do need the freezer space!

Waiting All Summer for This!!

2011-09-21T15:39:00.002-05:00

What have I been awaiting? Why my first decent cantaloupe of the summer(only the third overall) of course!. Here is the picture and the cantaloupe is now sliced and chilling. There are about 20 more out there that will ripen over the next week. When it rains it pours. Unless it really is rain and the year is 2011 in Oklahoma. So, there is not a lot new to post today, but here is some of what I have done in the past week'

We mowed! It rained last week and so what little grass there is left decided to shoot up. I will say, there was a silver lining to the drought/heat wave. No grass burrs. They need water just like everything else. The problem now is that they are sprouting up in a fury. For two hours Monday night, Elijah and I dug up grass burrs. I saw them in my sleep.

I am usually so sick of harvesting by this time of year that I just start pulling plants. Instead, we have made it through the heatwave (probably not the drought, thanks for the encouragement local weathermen) and I am just now starting to get production from the garden. My peppers are still going crazy, but the tomatoes are just driving me crazy. I am going to go out and trim them up today and see what they do before the feast. After that, they will probably be pulled. i did make some salsa the other day. I had to use canned tomatoes from the store. Tastes fine and is a much richer color, but it is still just not the same.

Jalapenos, garlic and onions

Same thing after grilling

Sam's contribution to my salsa

Easy way to chop

Just need jars now

Something else I waited all summer for, my morning glories to bloom. I was a little surprised when they finally did I was expecting a purple and white striped flower instead they are solid white. That is at least the third thing I planted this year that is not what the labeling said it was. Just a little annoying. Well, they are still pretty.

I should have rotated this shot, but too late! Okay, really just too lazy.

Lots of Things

2011-09-13T15:19:00.002-05:00

With the heat and drought, there is not a lot going in the garden. And what is going, is going crazy! The jalapeno plants are loaded, but of course the tomatoes are not. The okra is rearing is prickly head as well. I picked a five gallon bucket of it today. Some of it I was cooking up for lunch when the power failed. I had to improvise at that point. Good thing we like to camp.
Tomorrow I will turn the jalapenos into salsa! Yes, it is supposed to be very cool over the next few days, so I can open the windows and turn on the canners. Hopefully it will have rained and cut down the dust. Last week I smoked a few for chipotles. Jeff likes them so, I guess they turned out well.

With all the busy of Elijah's school work and mine (finally taking an AC online class!), I made time to help out Mrs. T. by showing the sophomores how to make marshmallows. It was a lot of fun. The mess may be the best part of the fun.

Mini Chocolate Cakewiches

2011-08-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe in Self the other and decided to try it out. I seldom follow a recipe to exact specifications. This one is no exception. I will put the changes I made in bold, then you can decide for yourself. They turned out really yummy! (According to the article, they fight fat as well. It's the yogurt, but who cares!!)

Mini Chocolate Cakewiches
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 (3) tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/4 teaspoon each vanilla and coconut extract)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3/4 cup coconut flour)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 (1/4) cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg white (3 large eggs)
1/2 cup skim milk, divided (3/4 cup coconut milk, divided)

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add yogurt and flavorings and beat until well combined. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with a number 12 tip, or a zippered baggie that you have cut one of the corners off. Place in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 400 F. Whisk flour, cocoa, and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until well combined: add egg white (or eggs) and beat until thick and pale yellow. Add half of the flour mixture to butter mixture; beat until just combined. Add 1/4 cup milk and beat on low until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and 1/4 cup milk. (At this point you will add from the last 1/4 cup of the coconut milk if it is needed. Coconut flour soaks up a lot of liquid and you may need even a little more, the batter will be thick but smooth) Spoon this batter into another pastry bag or zippered baggie. Use a large tip or cut a larger hole. You will squeeze out between 48 and 30 lines of batter, 4-inches and 11-inch apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 5-8 minutes. Cool on wire racks. One half of the cakes, squeeze the filling and top with the other half of the cakes. Will store in the refrigerator for 3 days, or freeze to keep longer.

Return to Chaos-Sorta

2011-08-16T09:22:00.001-05:00

Last week we were enjoying some wonderfully cooler weather in Colorado and New Mexico. Highs in the mid 80's and lows cool enough for frost to form. We were backpacking in the mountains and had no idea that Oklahoma was also experiencing some cooler weather as well. It's just that in Oklahoma the cooler weather was brought on by some very dramatic wind storms. While we lost a tree and a few large limbs, we lost relatively little when compared what some of our friends ended up losing. One nearly losing a home in a wildfire (whole nother topic, but at the same time). We were blessed to have only a cover to an attic vent come off the house. There was no other damage to our house, shop, or tree house!

The sunflowers caught a little wind, as did the peppers. The strawberries were narrowly missed by several branches that fell into a neat pile. We had a friend who was going to water for us and I thought she had piled them there. That's how she found them. And she had to do very little watering, along with wind, we got rain!

Our trees, for the most part will be fine. Elijah's very favorite tree to climb was untouched, but another came down. It grew at an angle and was very easy to climb. It was in my iris bed, so I guess they'll be getting a little more sun this next year.

In the Kitchen

2011-08-03T11:53:00.000-05:00

There's not been a lot to bring into the kitchen from the garden, but my Swiss chard is managing to stay alive. i found a great recipe for a Swiss chard Crostata and thought i would share it with you.
Courtesy- http://www.foodnetwork.com/
Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup mascarpone

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 stick cold butter, cut into pea-sized pieces

2 eggs

Filling:

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 bunch white Swiss Chard, stems removed cut into 1/4-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1-inch lengths

2 leeks, tough green tops removed, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch lengths

2 to 3 tablespoons water

Kosher salt

2 cups fresh ricotta

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs

Pinch cayenne pepper

Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Crust:

Combine the flour, Parmesan, mascarpone, salt, cayenne and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse, pulse, pulse, until it looks very dry and crumbly--what I like to call the Parmesan stage. Add the eggs and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Remove the dough from the food processor, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling:

Coat a large saute pan generously with olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and is very aromatic remove it and discard, it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the Swiss chard stems, leeks and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and season with salt. When the water has evaporated and the stems and leeks are soft, add the leaves. Season the leaves with salt and saute until they are very soft and wilted. Remove from the heat and allow the Swiss chard to cool.

In a large bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, cayenne and the Swiss chard mixture. Mix to thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (it will). Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To assemble:

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let warm up for about 10 to 15 minutes, this will make it really much easier to roll out.

Dust a large clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a large circle about 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a large sheet try lined with parchment paper. Lay the dough out flat, don't worry about the overhang on the sides. Put the filling in a large circle in the center of the rolled out dough leaving a 3 to 4-inch border of dough along the outside edge. Fold the dough up around the filling to make a "free-form pie". Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until the crust is firm, golden brown and shiny, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing, this will allow it to up for easier slicing.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

We had it with baked chicken and then again the next morning with fresh fruit and cheese,

This was better than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be really good.

I also wanted to make some chewy granola bars but had trouble finding a recipe that you didn't have to bake. I am trying not to cook as much as possible. Here is what I came up with.

Chococonut Granola Bars

1/2 cup cashew butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup each shredded coconut and semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat in a heavy saucepan the cashew butter, honey, and oil together just until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Line an 8x8 cake pan with plastic wrap and pour mixture in, leveling it out. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then chill until firm and cut into desired size. Wrap and store in refrigerator.

Ingredients-I make my own cashew butter

heating, still pretty lumpy

add vanilla

Oats-I had quick oats but I think old fashioned would be better

chocolate chips and coconut

Line your pan

That's a wrap

The Last Straw

2011-08-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

Here it is...

Okay, there is actually one more bale, but I don't imagine that there will be much to buy this next spring, so I will be stingy with it. I went ahead and added this bale of hay to the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and strawberries. It won't help with the heat but maybe it will help keep the soil from drying out.

It is 10:45 a.m. and already 100 degrees. YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!! I've been back in the house for 15 minutes and can still feel the sweat going down my back. For all those that complained about May/June 2010 being too wet and this winter being too cold, I sure hope your are happy now!

Flower Beds

2011-08-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

Along with everything else, the flower beds are just not what they should be. They aren't dying, but they aren't thriving either. I considered fertilizing them more, but then that would mean more watering. The one in the front looks the best. Most of my potted plants have died. Just seems I couldn't water them enough. I lost my last lime tree too. I guess if I want to grow citrus I will need to move to Florida or some tropical isle. Right now, that doesn't sound half bad. It would be cooler at least.

Dried and dead

trying to stay alive

The rosemary looks good and what little basil the grasshoppers haven't eaten

Front flower bed

One of my many, dead potted plants

Heat-Drought-Bugs-Hackers!

2011-08-01T12:26:00.002-05:00

When it rains it pours. Unfortunately that is not a literal statement. As I type this, it is 10:45 a.m. and it is already 100 degrees. It isn't even noon and I've already brought Elijah in the house for the day. Also I had hackers in my gmail account so starting Aug 12, this blog will go private :-{ If you are interested, just leave your email in comments. They don't go on the blog until moderated, so I will just email you and delete the comment.

Our well seems to be holding just fine, but we have cut way back on our watering. The grass seed we put out earlier in June is now just brown and dead grass. We may try again this fall, but if we don't get some decent rain, that will not be done. we put soaker hoses on everything we want to try to save for the fall, but even that won't keep the blister bugs from decimating what is left. I lost one tomato plant to a horn worm, This worm is as long as my ring finger and almost as big around. YUCK!!! They will be having a date with Sevin this evening! I don't like to use it, but I will not lose my garden to these creepy little bugs. FYI, a blister bug won't bite or sting you but if you crush it and get the fluids on you it will cause blisters and if these break, they will spread. Death to blister bugs!

One of the biggest I've seen

Cicada in my dead grass

black blister bugs and all their mess

So, right now the garden is looking okay. Here are some pics. I have lots of yellow squash and acorn squash if any one would like some.

Well, we have squash.

Sweet potatoes

Morning glory

still looks fine

Sun flower

they aren't a big as they should be

dead yard

They're hanging on

We Need it Bad!

2011-07-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

I'm talking about rain and cooler weather. Just how bad do we need it? Well, here is what our water from the faucet looks like right now. I am glad we have a water filter that we can keep in the fridge for drinking water. It's called a ZeroWater and it is amazing.

<-Before filtering/After filtering->

Filtering

At this point, we may have to just let the garden go. It's not producing much anyway because of the extreme heat. Hopefully more people will listen to our governor!

Just Stuff

2011-07-04T09:26:00.001-05:00

Despite the heat, the garden seems to be doing okay. It is having an adverse affect however. Tomatoes and peppers don't bloom as much and if the nighttime temps are too warm, they don't set what does bloom. There are several peppers and tomatoes that were there before the heat really set in, and they are doing well. My sweet potatoes arrived while we were camping. Out of twenty-four, only 9 lived, and 5 of those I had given to my brother-in-law. My four are doing fine and I have a sweet potato in the house that is starting to sprout. Next week I will divide it up and put the slips in the garden. Like I said, it is hot, especially for this early in the summer. Lots of water, that's what it takes to keep a garden going in Oklahoma.

Beautiful Morning

Squash Bloom

Some of our bounty. The green squash is an acorn squash I think. Not sure because the seed packet was for a white, scalloped squash.

Two of four

The lambs quarter is starting to get big enough that I now consider it a weed. Tomorrow I will strip the plants of their leaves and freeze them for future use. Then I will pull them up or chop them down. They tend to have a very strong root system, so I imagine it will be chop them down. I definitely don't want them to go to seed.

Now it's a weed

My flowers are looking pretty good in the bed by our front porch. The others, they look okay. I think the ones by the little house are just too shaded. Even the hostas don't seem to like it over there very much. The sunflowers in the garden have started blooming. It won't be long until I'm fight with the squirrels for control over them. Real squirrels, not Jeff and Elijah.

They are taller than me now...

...and they are blooming!

Morning Glory

Looking good

We are doing most of our work in the morning, including the mowing.

Look Mom, one hand!

Glorious Rain!!

2011-06-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

We got some rain and even more importantly, a relief from the 100 degree temperatures! They will be back tomorrow though and for the next week at least. Although you can't tell from the picture, it was as dark as if it we 9 p.m. and not 7 in the morning.

The garden is looking good and starting to produce. I'll get some pictures of that tomorrow.

This Week in the Garden

2011-06-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

Really not a lot going on except for watering. With 100+ degree weather forecast for all of next week, that's what my main focus will be on. I have gotten a few yellow squash and chard, but not much else. I do have two tomatoes teasing with a tinge of orange. It looks pretty good out there. we also trimmed several trees and burned the limbs along with some we had cut earlier in the year. It had rained the night before and was as still as could be when we burned. Figured we had better beat any burn ban that might be imposed. Not greatly productive, but in this heat, who wants to be?

Lookin' good

Not even a 1/3 of what we burned.

Now that's a fire, too bad I didn't have any marshmallows :-(

My little pyro...

...who is also a monkey.

Swiss Chard and Whole Wheat Linguine

2011-06-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

My Swiss chard was calling to be picked, so this afternoon, I answered. I have never grown or even eaten chard before, but I decided it would be my experiment this year. So far, so good. Here is the recipe I used for my first meal with chard. I sort of combined two recipes and then added my own flair.

Swiss Chard with Whole Wheat Linguine

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion-any color
1 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 cup (187 mL bottle) dry white wine
2 bunches (17 cups, yes 17) chard, stemmed and rough chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Cook linguine according to directions. Drain

While water for linguine is coming to a boil, begin your sauce. Melt butter and oil together in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add the wine and cook for 5 minutes. Add chard in two bunches and cook until wilted. Remove from heat. Add lemon, cream, and cheese. Season to taste. Pour over prepared linguine.

Simple as that. It was really good and I will definitely make it again. Now I just need to find some more ideas for chard!

**I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even use it the food!

Calling to me, "It's hot out here!"

"Ahhh. much better!"

If you don't use much wine other than what a recipe calls for, get the four packs. Each bottle is about 3/4 cup.

Stems removed

Finished product!

Lambs Quarter

2011-06-23T19:22:00.000-05:00

Do you know what lambs quarter is? It is not a cut of meat. Far from it. It is a weed. It is not a noxious weed, although it can grow very prolifically. As a matter of fact it is quite a nice weed. Not only can it help you tell the health of your garden soil, although now I can't seem to find where I got that info, but it is really tasty and healthy. Just google it and you'll find tons of info. Here is what I recently did with some from my yard

Lambs Quarter in My Garden

Lambs Quarter Enchiladas (Emeril Lagasse's Spinach enchilada recipe)

4 Poblano chile peppers, about 1 pound
4 pounds fresh lambs quarter, stems removed and well rinsed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup cubed queso fresco or queso blanco
1 cup cubed Pepper Jack, plus 1 cup grated
1 cup grated cotija (believe it or not, I found it at Walmart) or Parmesan
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler, or on top of a gas or charcoal grill.) Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In 3 batches, add the spinach and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in an ice bath. Remove and squeeze out the excess. Chop and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until very soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and cook, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon, to make a light roux, 2 minutes. Gradually add the half-and-half, and cook, stirring, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to incorporate. Remove from the heat and fold in half of the chopped chiles. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Fold in the cubed queso fresco and both Pepper Jacks, and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the grated Pepper Jack and cotija. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium temperature. One at a time, add the tortillas to the hot oil and cook, turning, until soft and pliable, 15 seconds per side, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and place on a work surface. Place about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up into a cylinder. Place, seam side down, in a single layer across the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, to make a light roux. Slowly add the chicken stock and cook, stirring, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining poblano peppers and cook for 1 minute. Pour over the filled enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover evenly with the grated cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are completely warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

These were really good, if a little spicier than I like. They are well worth the time and if you don't want to use lamb's quarter, use the spinach.

Only Been a Month!

2011-06-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

What a month it has been. Things are growing and growing. The garden has been weeded, gladiolas are blooming, peppers are poppin' and the sunflowers are getting tall.

We have several tomato plants that have come up volunteer from last year and a bean plant as well. I will just let them go for now. We also found we had squash plants growing in the chicken pen (maybe some cantaloupe as well. They aren't messing with the plants but they do seem to be free of squash bugs. Can't say the same for the plants in the garden. If this works out well, I may just plant squash in the chicken pen on purpose next time! Of course then they would probably tear it to shreds.

Here are a few pics.

By the way, it's hot!!!

Everything's Coming up Roses

2011-05-19T14:56:00.000-05:00

Except that I don't actually have any roses!

There's more than this out there, and it's all coming up nicely.

Monday we (my Nice friend and I) planted a few more things in the garden. My spaghetti squash seeds had arrived in the mail, along with some free cucumber seeds. In the top end of the garden we made a few hills against the fence and planted the seeds. They should be up in a few days. I also planted some morning glory along the arch we made in the gateway to the garden.

There are hills there, promise.

I was tired of waiting for more dill to sprout up as well as my parsley, so I bought some plants and added them to the planters. I also put in some cinnamon basil. My strawberries came in the mail yesterday, so I filled the bed with them.. For now all I really have to do is water and feed everything.

Top pic-basil (and mushrooms I can't eat)
Middle pic-Italian parsley and dill (a few chives too)

Strawberry plants

Now that the guineas are no longer a problem, the broccoli and peppers are doing much better! We are still waiting on the grass to sprout.

All those little specks-Bermuda seed.

More Pics to Come

2011-05-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

We spent last Thursday and Friday cleaning up in the yard and planting some new flowers. My veggies are rebounding from the guinea infestation. Now, just to clear things up, most of my guinea info came from books and magazines. They all tout the great benefits of them for the garden. Well, I have solid proof that they aren't always beneficial. Anyway, it was an experiment that will not be repeated.

We moved our brooding house (now the garden shed) a few feet and then we sprigged the area and spread some Bermuda seed. Since we down-sized the garden, we put the fence back up and made an arch of sorts in the gate opening. I'll grow some morning glory on it. I'm still waiting for my sweet potatoes and strawberries to come in. As soon as they do, 'll get them planted and then the garden planting will be finished!

I'll get new pictures posted soon.

Oh yeah, I spelled broccoli wrong in my last post. Just letting you know that I do know how to spell.

Promised Pictures....A Few Days Late

2011-05-14T22:34:00.001-05:00

Busy

2011-05-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

Today I hope to get most of the rest of the garden planted. I also hope to keep the guineas out of the garden. Don't let anyone tell you that guineas are good for your garden. They are lying! They have stripped my brocolli to nothing and they are now working on the peppers. They are going to have to go. Oh, and they are eating my strawberries as they ripen. Not real happy. I will get some pictures posted tomorrow.

Guinea Eggs and More!

2011-04-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

Our guineas are finally laying. We've been getting 2-3 eggs from them a day. I'm really not sure how many hens we have because they won't let us get close enough to be able to tell them apart. We do have 9 total guineas.

Guinea eggs compared to a chicken egg

There are also other signs of life and renewal around. My irises are starting to bud. Last year I only got 2 flowers on them, but this year there are already about 3 times that many buds. My strawberries are blooming and I already have a few strawberries. My basil is poking through, finally. I also have what I hope are cosmos starting to sprout. It could be weeds or even dill (there was dill there last year), we'll wait and see. My pansies and violas are looking good, although it is windy so you cant really tell from the pictures. My broccoli is also looking pretty good. My lime tree is starting to leaf out, so I guess I didn't kill it after all. A Nice friend came to help plant that last week. A couple have died, but it should still be early enough to plant some more to replace it.

Irises

A tiny strawberry

A cosmo? Can you see it?

Violas

Pansy

Lime

2 rows of broccoli

Basil. No, really.

This is the Good Stuff

2011-03-29T14:55:00.000-05:00

It's not oregano...

...it is basil seeds. What? You were thinking something different? Shame on you! Before I cleaned out the whiskey barrel yesterday, I cut of the seed heads off of the basil. It is lemon-lime basil mostly. I have three bags of it and one bag of a mix that I am not sure of the varieties (lemon-lime, sweet, and Genovese is what I grew last year). If you want some drop me oa note in the comments, I've used all I plan on this year.

Busy Day

2011-03-28T21:22:00.032-05:00

After a trip to town for some herbicide and whiskey barrels, I returned home to get a little gardening done today. It was a cold day, especially since we had temps in the 80-90's last week. The first thing was some clean up on the back deck. This is where I like to grow my herbs. After a few years of annually buying plastic planters, I decided it was time to go ahead and invest in the whiskey barrels. I might get a couple of years out of $15 plastic pots, but the one whiskey barrel that I have is about 7 years old and still holding strong. So out with the plastic and in with burned out oak. They smell really good too!

So I filled the barrels, first with the old potting soil from the plastic pots and them with some sand. On top of that I put potting soil and and garden soil. Then I mixed up the soil and sowed some herbs: Genovese and sweet basil, chives, flat-leaf parsley, and dill.

We had more clean up to do in the yard. We once again had leaves to rake. By we, I mean Elijah. Now I will be able to spray the weeds and mow.

One thing that I hadn't planned on needing to clean was the inside of the car. Next time I need soil and whiskey barrels, I'll use the truck.

We also have a few new critters around. Our neighbors have a new nanny and kid. baby goats are so cute! We found the snakes, by we I of course mean Jeff, while raking leaves. They were so cold they could barely move. Now they are in the house in our old lizard tank. I think they like the warming rock.

After cleaning out the old whiskey barrel, I sowed the lemon-lime basil seeds from what had been growing last year. The plants in the green pots are my lemons and lime trees. I tried my best to freeze them out last fall, but they are budding back out. Unfortunately, they did take a step back.

Here are some of the plants that didn't make it into the ground today. The broccoli will go in Thursday, hopefully and the rosemary I will pot then as well. The strawberries will go in as soon as we rework the strawberry patch.

Laziness

2011-03-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

You can garden many different ways. You can put hours of work into weeding, tilling, watering, etc. With this your garden will probably look great and your back will probably hurt. You can put a little work into it but have weeds, fewer fruits of labor, and not a great looking garden but your back may feel better. You can throw some seeds in the ground and let nature take its course. Then you have more weeds than veggies and an overgrown plot of land that the neighbors call the city to complain about. But there is still another way. Lazy gardening. It is not really lazy, just more effecient ways to take care of everything from soil prep and weeding to wateringand harvesting. You can find 100's of websites about it and one of my favorite books is Tips for the Lazy Gardener. I have checked it out at the library a couple of times and today i finally just ordered it from Amazon. Once I get it, I plan to put it to good use. I will have a great garden that looks awesome, produces loads, and I will not spend hours a day in it.

I was able to employ a little laziness in the this morning. First off, Jeff put 6 bales of straw on it, iIstill have trouble carrying heavy things that require both hands. I was going to go out later and spread it around. That many bales of straw usually takes about 3 hours to spread out evenly. Instead, we let the chickens out and 2 hours later, I have not set foot in the garden (by-the-way, March is going out like a lamb with a heavy wool coat) and my hay is spread out almost perfectly. A bonus, they will eat many of the wheat seeds that are still on the straw!

Ladies at Work

Vanilla Extract Update

2011-03-25T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been 3 months and a change in vanilla beans, but I think the vanilla is as good as it is going to get. It smells just like my store bought vanilla extract, but it is not nearly as dark. I wonder how they do that. I thought maybe they allowed it to evaporate down a little, but reading the ingredients on my 100% vanilla extract bottle (vanilla bean extractives in water, alcohol [35%]) I kinda doubt it.

<--Mine Theirs-->

Here is the original post with the how to.

Now, what to do with the vodka soaked vanilla beans? i am thinking home made ice cream will do the trick!

A Little Work Done

2011-03-24T21:18:00.000-05:00

Not that you can really tell, but I did a little work in the flower beds. I planted some gladiolus bulbs in two of my beds and still have one more to go. In one I spread some zinnia seeds. I am hoping to have some flowers for arrangements during the summer. I will also sow a few cosmos seeds in the other bed. In the bed closest to the house I moved a few things. The daffodils were fading and so I bunched them together. It is probably better to wait, but I am terribly impatient. Then I moved the one surviving coral bell and added two more. I then planted several pansies as a border and two clumps of them in the center. (On a side note, that anything survived this dry winter is amazing, but that coral bell, about a dozen strawberry plants, and the irises all remained green (purple in the case of the coral bells) throughout the winter.) Two of my hostas are peeking through. It shouldn't be long for the others to make their appearance. The only thing is that it may freeze again in a few days. I will have to bring in my lemon and lime trees again, especially since I almost killed them in the first frost of last fall.

Soil tests: pH is good, everything else, not so much

Flat of pansies

Doesn't look like much, yet!

Irises are doing well, now waiting for the rest to pop up.

We picked up some straw and fertilizer for the veggie garden. I think we may have to wait until Sunday to get that put down, but then i can get my broccoli, lettuce, and spinach in. It would have been better to get it in a month ago, but it will still produce enough for our needs.

It's getting busy around here. Most of that is on the other blog!

Happy Layers

2011-03-22T17:40:00.000-05:00

I told you I thought the chickens liked their new straw bedding.

The top egg is from yesterday, it is a large-sized egg. The bottom one is from today, probably a double yolker!

I also tested the soil for the garden. I bought an electronic soil tester which shows the pH and overall N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) concentration. Unfortunately it doesn't show each individual mineral's concentration. It is low overall, but I think I will get a kit that tests each one individually. The pH was perfect! So more testing then we will begin adding. Finally we will plant and cover.

I'm also thinking of changing the name of this blog. It is more than just gardening I seem to blog about. What do you think?

First Things First!

2011-03-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

It's tilled! Jeff got out in the garden yesterday and got it tilled for me! We are just planting in the south half of the garden this year, last year it was the north. The ducks ran on the south end last year and there was not a weed or sprig of Bermuda to be found. Hallelujah!

This morning we got out there and spread around some soil amendment, cleaned up the tomato plants from last year, and let the chickens and ducks back on it. They do a great job of scratching and digging the stuff around. They also eat lots of grubs while they are at it. We found a little snake and moved him to safer ground.

Doing what they do best!

No, we will not keep it as a pet!

Next we will test the soil and add anything it needs. We have lots of chicken poo to use should we need to add it. Then we will get it covered with straw to hold what little moisture in that there is. That's not much since we are in a "severe" draught here in central Oklahoma. Since last July I think we have had less that 3 inches of moisture. That's including the two blizzards we when we had 6+ and 12+ inches of snow.

It's getting deep in here

Another thing we did this morning was put fresh straw in the laying boxes. The chickens had scratched most of it out and we were getting broken eggs. Now we should be okay and they seem to love it. They are finally laying again.

Happy ladies

NOW WE JUST NEED SOME RAIN!

Ricotta Is Good Too

2011-03-16T08:56:00.000-05:00

So the mozzarella was a bust, but it did turn out to be very ricotta-like. I think I just need to order some new rennet or it could be that the milk it too pasteurized. I may check around some of the health food stores first, because I was really wanting it for Friday. I could buy some fresh mozzarella, but it's so much more fun (and better tasting) when you make your own. I did get quite a bit a whey from the process. I will use that to make bread and pizza crust this week!

Here's my, we'll call it ricotta, after hanging in cheesecloth to drain the whey off. I see lasagna in our future.

No whey! Yes way, lots of whey, this is only about 1/3 of it. Just no curds to go along with it. Sorry Miss Muffet.

The turkey is on the grill/smoker right now! It will take all day, but it should be well worth the wait. I also have a duck breast that I'm going to stick out there a little later. I think that should be pretty tasty too!

More pics later!

I finally decided that I just can't make, or haven't found a good recipe for, breakfast sausage. It all tastes fine, but just like a spiced up burger. I want that Jimmy Dean taste. I broke down and bought some seasoning for wild game. Last night I made up some more bison sausage. This time it was much closer to that taste I am looking for. It may have to do.

Two, Too Fun Things

2011-03-15T16:24:00.000-05:00

I am going to make some cheese today, mozzarella! it will be great for the caprese salad i am making for guests on Friday evening. I am also brining a turkey that I plan to smoke tomorrow. Both of these projects are pretty easy. I'll have pictures of both endeavors up tomorrow.

I also found this great blog/site:
http://chickensintheroad.com/

Waiting to Till

2011-03-10T14:13:00.001-06:00

While I'm waiting on my garden to be tilled, Jeff is swamped with cabinet jobs and my wrist is still in a brace, I've been grilling out. We just bought this great new pellet grill/smoker. Bison burgers and steaks, chicken, asparagus, potatoes, squash, sweet potato fries. Wow! This stuff is great. It gets a great smoky flavor to it and it smells soooooo good. I've got a turkey thawing as I type. This should be good.

Bison Stock

2011-02-07T12:04:00.000-06:00

Last Friday we received some grass-fed bison that we had purchased. Along with all the steaks, roasts, ground bison, etc., we got 35 pounds of soup bones. That takes up a lot of freezer space, and while we had room enough (barely) to fit all 35 pound of them, I decided to go ahead and make use of them. There was a total of 15 packages, so I used 7 of the biggest.

The Lovely Bones

I looked for a few recipes and finally decided to make up my own by combining several ideas from the recipes I had found. Here is basically what I did:

About 1/3 of the bones,which had quite a bit of meat left on them, I put straight into my pot. The other 2/3 I cooked in the oven until nicely browned. Then I added these to the pot. Next went the veggies and spices: carrots, onions, celery, garlic, pepper corns, bay leaves (theses were huge-from a friend in Trinidad), and salt. All this is then covered with water. Then I brought it to a boil, reduced to a simmer and let it go all night.

Raw

Cooked

Veggies and spices

Cooking

The next morning I awoke to a wonderful smell, broth not coffee. I removed all of the veggies, bones, and meat from the liquid. I needed to let it cool enough to solidify the fat. There was a lot of fat. I was able to skim off 1 1/2 soup cans of fat before I chilled it. There was a problem here. I couldn't fit my pot into the fridge. Not a big problem though, we still had quite a lot of snow on the back deck, so I just buried the pot in it.

Nature's Fridge-very green

Some of the skimmed fat

Gelatinous goo

After it chilled, I took the rest of the fat off and had a gelatinous glob left. I reheated it until it was liquid and strained it three times, twice through several layers of cheese cloth. Then I brought to a near boil and pressure canned it. At this point I could have frozen it, but freezer space is now at a premium and since I ended up with 15 pints, it made more sense to can it. We also tend to loses electricity several times a year. We have never lost food due to extended outage, but just in case.

Finished product!

I still have 8 packages of bones to do. The next batch I may cook down much more to have a concentrated stock. It will take up less space and with garden season coming up, I'll need it!

still growing

2011-01-23T12:05:00.000-06:00

Broccoli and tomatoes 5 days in.

The tomatoes. No signs of life. Yet!

The broccoli. growing!

Baby it's Cold Outside

2011-01-20T18:37:00.000-06:00

Well, it wasn't exactly the winter storm they forecast for our area, but it was icy enough to cause several car accidents. With the snow and ice, you might think it is a bad time to start gardening. Wrong! Now i a great time to begin your seedlings indoors. Elijah and I got our broccoli and tomatoes started 2 days ago and the broccoli is already sprouting. In just a few weeks it will be ready to plant out in the garden!

Seed starter kit

soak in water

loosen and plant seeds

Just a few things to plant

BRRRRR!

Sprouting

Vanilla Extract Update

2011-01-20T10:07:00.000-06:00

It has been a month since I started making my vanilla extract. While it doesn't look much different, still a pale brown, it is smelling more like what you expect it to smell like. At least one more month to go. Since I had just bought some at Thanksgiving, I may just test it in a month and let it sit even longer.

Making vanilla extract at home

2010-12-21T16:41:00.000-06:00

Well, there's so little to do in the garden, I am trying out some new things indoors. Here is my latest venture, making vanilla extract. It seems like it is going to be super easy to do.

What you need:
1 cup good vodka
3 vanilla beans
jar with tight lid
scissors
~~patience~~ (4 out of 5 ain't bad)

Okay now, pay close attention. Make sure your jar is clean first of all. Take three, good quality vanilla beans and cut them in half to with in a centimeter or so of one end. This will keep them together. I don't know why that makes a difference, but I didn't argue (much). Place beans in jar, glass is best, cover with 1 cup of vodka. I used Absolut, but the better the vodka, the better the extract, once again I didn't argue. Make sure beans are completely covered and then place lid securely on jar. Store in a cool, dark place for the next two months. I guess that is where the patience comes in. Once a week or so you can gently shake the jar. Even after just a couple of days you can smell how great this is going to be. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. I started mine two nights ago. I'll keep you posted.

I ws down to just over a cup of vodka so I used the bottle it was already in.

This is after 2 days. They look a little like giant leeches. Hopefully it will taste better!

Comments working

2010-12-03T12:02:00.000-06:00

Someone emailed me that they couldn't post comments. The template I was using didn't work right. It was the same on my other blog. I know there are thousands of you out there who are dying to comment on my blog, now you can!

Umm, I Got Nothin'

2010-12-02T21:51:00.000-06:00

Well, it is definitely a slow time of year for the garden. About the only thing I have to do right now is to go out and water the strawberries and my flower beds. I think I may have killed my beautiful pineapple. I forgot to bring it in when it got cold. I guess we'll see.

In a few weeks I will start planning and maybe even start some plants indoors. It has been a while since I have done that. Right now I am just focusing on clearing out the guest room to make it a craft room. That and making sure I can keep Elijah interested in school. He is blowing through everything right now.

Have a great winter!

More cleanup

2010-11-28T22:37:00.000-06:00

Last week, before Thanksgiving, we got out and raked the yard. We have about 3/4 of an acre that we have to rake. The other 1/2 acre is cover by chicken and duck pens, a guest house , and a cabinet door shop. This took us about 4 hours to do. "Us" would be Elijah and myself mostly. Jeff helped to haul it to the chicken pen. They are the best leaf shredders around. It was tiring work and my shoulder sockets ached for a couple of days, but the main raking is finished for the year.

Just the beginning

My big helper

All work and no play makes Elijah a dull boy

Where'd he go?

Homemade Grenadine

2010-11-12T18:50:00.000-06:00

I made some grenedine all on my own today. If you like Tequila Sunrise, but not HFCS, then homemade grenedine is the way to go. Originally it was made from pomegranates and sugar, boiled until slightly thick. Now mostly what you find in the store is a blend of HFCS, coloring, and citric acid. It gets its name from the French word for pamegranate, grenade. The artilley is named for so because of its resemblance to the fruit.

Grenadine
3 large pomagranates
water to cover
sugar

Remove the seeds from the fruit. This will be a messy job. I cut them in half and then took the seeds out by hand. You can use a spoon, but that tends to break many of the juice sacks, making it even messier. Just be sure to were some food prep gloves or rubber gloves.

Put the seeds in a heavy sauce pan and add enough water to almost cover the seeds. Bring to a boil and then simmer about 5-10 minutes. Pour into a screen sieve. Using a large spoon, mash the seeds to be sure to relase all juices. Restrain back into pan and add half as much sugar as you have juice. 3 cups juice = 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a simmer and continue for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and pour into glass container. Keep in fridge.

Mornings in the Fall

2010-11-10T08:44:00.000-06:00

I think fall mornings are my favorite. Some people don't like fall because everything is dormant or getting there. The leaves change colors and while that is a beautiful sight, they do eventually dry up, turn brown, and fall to the earth below. Here in Oklahoma, unless you have planted some rye or fescue, your lawn of Bermuda is now a crunchy brown. If you have had a hard freeze the flowers are gone for the year and so is the veggie garden. So far we haven't, so I have a few flowers hanging on and so are my tomatoes, still waiting for them to get ripe. I brought my lemons, limes, and pineapples in for one night last week, but they are back outside. I hoping we will get some much promised and much needed rain in the next couple of days. (That can also mean snow where we are going to be snowboarding in a couple of months!)

Back to fall mornings. They are crisp and clean. The air just smells cleaner. You can be pretty sure when you step out into the cool air, that you are not going to have to deal with temperatures above 80, although this is Oklahoma and the upper 90's are not unheard of in October and November. I've seen plenty of Thanksgivings at 80+. That is another thing, you know Thanksgiving is near! It is one of the few holidays I spend with my family and it has always been a favorite.

Here is what I will be doing in the yard for the next few weeks. Raking! If I have it my way, and since I am likely to be the one taking care of the job, I will actually wait another week or two so that more leave will fall and there will be fewer days of raking. If others seem to think we need to get it done, then I imagine I will have several days throughout the next few weeks of raking and re-raking. Right now it is way to windy to even try, but if we do get rain, then you have to let it all dry out again. It won't happen today, I can tell you that!

Cleaning up

2010-10-24T19:24:00.000-05:00

We got some of the garden cleaned out today. I had a little help from Jeff and Elijah. We pulled up dead sunflowers and waning okra. All of the of garden soil we had used to plant in were emptied into a pile to be put on the garden next spring. We have decided to move it to the other half that we did not plant on this year so instead of spreading the soil on this year's plot we will add compost and chicken litter to it over the winter. It should be nice and fertile by the spring!

Good dirt

Can you say, "Roasted marshmallows!"?

With all of the dead vegetation we pulled up, we started a base for our bonfire we will have next weekend. The ash will make another nice addition to the garden. The ducks are also running on it. They will keep the soil loosened up and they will add their own bit of fertilizer too.

They make great diggers!

All was not just getting rid of the dead stuff. I harvested the last of the okra and a few bell peppers that were left along with a couple of tomatoes. There are still a lot of green tomatoes on the vines and they are still blooming. There is no sign of a frost in the next week at least so we will see how many more will ripen. Then I'll see what can be done with all the green ones.

Fruits of Neglect

2010-10-12T14:19:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed (maybe not, I'm not sure anyone but myself sees this), there has been a lack of posting on here as of late. There has also been a lack of gardening going on as well. As a matter of fact, we were gone for three weeks and absolutely noting was accomplished in the garden. The basil has gone completely to seed, the rosemary died for lack of water, the okra is hanging on and I have quite a few red jalapenos to pick. The tomatoes seem to have new life, but I don't think I will get any ripe before it frosts, but maybe. The garden is in dire need of cleaning out and the yard need to be mowed for what I hope will be one last time this year. Then the leaves will begin to fall and need to be raked and hopefully we can burn the yard off this year. Tomorrow begins the garden clean-up.

Here are some before pics.

Clockwise from top left: Okra, tomatoes, basil, romas. The okra nd tomatoes are still producing!

Clockwise from top left:Strawberries, ready to clean, ready to clean again, sweet potatoes.

The sweet potatoes are just awaiting the first hard frost!

Primal Challenge

2010-09-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

Okay, there is a contest going on and I plan to take part. I have not checked all details, but it involves quite a change in my eating habits. Now the challenge is going get really difficult over the next few weeks. As if it wouldn't be difficult enough, we will be out of the country for a few weeks. Don't worry, I have "house sitters" and a brother-in-law who will be around while we're gone. Anyway, it would be hard enough to do this at home, but I'm doing it anyways!

Here is a link to the challenge and what it is all about:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-blueprint-30-day-challenge/

If you see me, ask how it's going! Encourage me to keep it up, or to get with it and quit making excuses. For the next 30 days I will be posting on my blogs what I am eating and doing. I will try to throw in some regular posts as well!

Nothing but HOT!

2010-08-26T15:42:00.000-05:00

That's really all there has been to blog about in the last several weeks. We had 42 days straight of 90 degrees or above and at our house, just under 1/2 inch of rain during that time. Our yard is brown as can be, except over the lateral lines for the septic tank, there it is still lovely and green. The garden is okay, a few things have died, but it's been too hot to get out and do anything but water. Finally, on Tuesday we got a break in the weather. We got 1.6 inches of rain and it hasn't been above 85 since then Monday it was 105. What a difference 20 degrees makes. It was chilly enough this morning that Jessica wore a jacket to work. The landscapers have not been able to do that for a while.

The final verdict on the Topsy Turvy is in. Don't bother!

Guineas ar Great!

2010-08-06T11:29:00.000-05:00

We let our 8-week old guineas out of their house earlier this week. What a difference a week has made. I have no more squash bugs, they were beginning to take over, and the grasshoppers are disappearing like mad. Before my basil was starting to be eaten to the nub, you couldn't walk through the yard with out a barrage of them flying at you and away from you, and they were crawling all over the place No so much any more! The little keets have been eating so many bugs that today was the first day in several that they ate any of their feed. I will have to watch my tomatoes as they ripen, but it will be worth it!

First time back in the house this week

Jammin'

2010-08-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, actually it is preserves. Cherry jalapeno, to be exact. It is really good. I will have to make sure to not keep cream cheese and crackers around the house or I will eat all of this nectar of the gods. Okay, maybe not quite nectar of the gods, but it is yummy! Not that I tried it before it even had a chance to cool down, ummm. Anyway, I think I have made all the jelly and preserves I am going to for this summer. If I find a good deal on fruit I will just freeze it and wait until fall or winter to make those things. It just heats up the house too much right now.

Guineas, Squirrels, and did I mention it is HOT!?

2010-08-01T18:15:00.000-05:00

Our Guineas are now 8 weeks old. We decided to let them out of their little house to roam the yard. They fly well enough to get over the fence, so we clipped their wings first. Man, they are every bit as loud as I had heard they would be. But I guess I would be too if someone were trying to cut off my arms. Well, they seem to really love it outside. At least there are plenty of grasshoppers for them to dine on.

Shade is at a premium right now!

For the last several years I have planted sunflowers. Giant gray stripe are my favorites. Usually in the fall the birds eat them bare. I don't really plant them for us to eat the seeds, but more for aesthetics. This year the birds however will not get to them. The squirrels already have. The flower and seed head were at least 9 inches across and they have taken all all of them to an undisclosed location and eaten them. Oh well. I would have like to have seen them dragging them off though.

Sorry little birdies

Oh yeah, it's hot. Not just a little hot. It's 102 at 6 p.m. Yes, I know this is Oklahoma and that I should expect that. I do, I just don't have to like it. Looks like my pineapple does though!

It's sad to think that you look forward to 99 being a cool down

Lookin' good

Corn/Black Bean Salsa and Sand Plum Jelly

2010-07-30T17:57:00.000-05:00

It's that great time of year for the garden. Harvesting and preserving! My brother-in-law had picked a bunch of corn at his cousin's house and gave me some. We don't eat a lot of corn but I thought I would try making some salsa with it. Mmm, Mmm, good!

Just need chips!

There are also so many things to harvest that you don't grow yourself. You should really take the time to learn about the things that grow in your area that are not only safe to eat, but wonderful as well. Around here, one of those things is sand plums! Thanks again to my brother-in-law! He had gone fishing back west this weekend and pick a couple of 5-gallon buckets full. He brought me about 3 gallons worth. A sand plum is small, about the size of a cherry, but let me tell you, they make some of the best jelly you will ever eat. After sorting them out and getting rid of the bad ones (they grow wild so they would be perfectly organic and therefor a little wormy) they were washed thoroughly and then put in the pan to make juice. No need to pit or cut and peel. Just add water and cook until the skins pop then drain off and keep the water, then smash through the colander. Take the smashed pulp and drain through a cheese cloth. Add this back to the cooking water. Measure out the juice according to your recipe and proceed. (I strained it a second time for really clear jelly). Now I may have to break down and make some homemade bread!

Before

During

After

I still have enough juice to make another 8-half pints!

Fruits of Labor

2010-07-23T14:33:00.000-05:00

No, this is not a post about childbirth. It is about canning! Some may think it is as hard and time consuming as childbirth. For some it may be, but it almost just as rewarding. After our peach and berry picking venture yesterday, I decided to get on the ball and get my fruits put away. I froze my blackberries and I canned the peaches.

The blackberries are easy enough to do. Wash them by putting them in a tub full of cool water. swirl them around a bit. Drain, rinse and repeat if you need to. Let them drain just a bit and then lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Be sure to cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap or a silicone baking sheet. Let them freeze over night and then put into your freezer containers. That simple!

Blackberries

For the peaches, they involved a little more work. First they were blanched and then peeled. Then you halve them and cut them into your desired sizes. Keep them in water with lemon juice (1 tbsp lemon /gallon water) or ascorbic acid and water (1 tsp/gallon). Boil your liquid, either a simple syrup or a fruit juice, I use apple juice. Fill your jars with peaches being sure to pack them tight, I forgot to, so my jars ended up being only about 1/2 full of peaches after processing. Then you can water bath can or pressure can. I chose pressure canning because it takes less time, therefor less heat in the house for the A/C to have have to cool and less cook time means less energy used by the stove and the A/C! I ended up making one batch with cinnamon sticks in them and one regular batch! I may have to go back and get more peaches to can some more!

Peaches in apple juice

Cinnamon peaches in applejuice. Shrinkage, Jerry!

I also decided to make a blackberry/peach crisp. MMMMMM!

Hot from the oven! Now we just need some ice cream!!

Pick of the Crop

2010-07-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Elijah and I went with some friends to pick blackberries and peaches. We figured on a couple of hours worth of work in order to get what we wanted. It ended up being about 45 minutes, if that. The blackberries were big and shiny. They were not priced any better than at the store, maybe even more, but they are so much better when fresh like that. I go them home and wash them and immediately put them in the freezer. Later this fall they will make a great cobbler!

Okay, I had to make him pose for this one, but he really did pick quite a few!

The peaches were big and juicy. They were plenty firm and the kids had a great time helping to pick them. We could have filled our 1/2 bushel box from just one tree! Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with all of them. I think I'll try a recipe I have for peaches canned in apple juice. No sugar required!

Sweet as a peach!

Such a ham!

Afterwards we went to Pops in Arcadia and got some cold drinks! It was a fun time. I think we will have to do it again next year. Maybe this year if the peaches can well!

AAHH, refreshed!

There, They're, and Their-My Little Grammar Lesson of the Day!

2010-07-20T22:49:00.001-05:00

It is a huge pet peeve of mine, but I hate it when people don't know how to use the three words in the title of this post. Therefor, please forgive my misuse in my previous post. If you can't find it, I'm not going to point it out. If you, just don't rub it in too much.

There-refers to where an object is.
They're-conjunction for "they are"
Their-shows possession

I also hate it when people misspell "y'all". It is a conjunction for the words "you all" and the apostrophe is taking the place of the "ou".

Oh, oh, oh! One last one. If someone asks how you are, you are not good, you are well (unless you are not well). Guilty!!!

Have fun gardening today, y'all!

HeAT doMe!!

2010-07-19T14:35:00.000-05:00

Yuck! It is that time of year again. The heat dome has arrived. What is a heat dome? Fairly simply, it is this, high temperatures (95+), little wind, medium to high humidity, no rain in sight, and several days of it. We get them every year. It's 99 as I type this.

This week's forecast ;-{

After whining about all the cool temps rain in late June and early July, we are now paying for it with a lack of both. This makes gardening even more of a chore. After going for several weeks with just a quick watering here and there, now I must soak it every morning. Most of what I have left are hot weather veggies. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant. (Yeah, I know, that is not a sentence.) They still need water. Even my okra looked a little wilty this afternoon.

You know it's hot when okra looks like it needs to be watered, and you already have

Their not wilted, just getting heavy with seeds!

Nice shady spot

The grass is still green and lack of rain will keep it from growing so much, so less mowing for me. I guess that would be the silver lining, if there were any clouds. It could last another couple of weeks, so I'll just grin and bear it and wait for snowboarding in January!

The grass is always greener...in June!

Pesto Chango!

2010-07-15T18:36:00.000-05:00

My basil was getting a little out of control so...

...pesto and tomato-basil sauce!

Birds and flowers

2010-07-09T08:32:00.001-05:00

I did a little rearranging in my front flower bed. My calla lilies were getting very tall so I moved them to the back corner of the bed and moved around some of the caladiums. It looks a little fuller but I'm not sure how the caladiums are going to fare.

<--Before<--After

Sunny side out

My Topsy Turvy birds are spreading their wings. As of yesterday, we only hade three of the six left. Hopefully they will all be gone soon. My tomato really could use some good fertilizer.

The last three

This one tried to fly the coop and hit the window. It was fine.

Topsy Turvy

2010-07-02T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well it seems that tomatoes are not what grows best in my Topsy Turvy. We have only had two and all of the other blooms have died. The plant itself doesn't seem to be getting any bigger. But look at what I can grow!

June 25, 2010

July 2, 2010

Rewards

2010-07-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

We are finally getting a little something form the garden. I shouldn't complain since I got it put in about three weeks late, but I'm going to anyway.

Typical Oklahoma garden fare. Tomato, peppers, beans (black), and okra!

Of course since it is just the first fruits of our harvest, there are not many yet, but I do see tomatoes on the vine that are just about ready and the eggplant is producing well, along with the okra. Soon I will have more of everything than I know what to do with.

Two of my tomatoes, both are heirloom, but now I forget what kind. Guess I'll have to find the tags!

Okra-Clemson spineless

I finally pulled up the mustard, lettuce, and spinach. They were all on their last leg. The chickens and ducks really enjoyed it though.

<--Mustard before Mustard after-->
As with most people, I hate to weed. Enter young slave labor. Well, he's not quite slave labor. I did tell him if he would do a good job, I would pay him. Probably more than I should, but it's worth it to me. Saves my back and teaches him that hard work does pay off! Besides all of that, I got a flower!

A job well done. Eccl 9:10

I just get rewarded all around!

Cobbler and No Grain Granola

2010-06-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

No Grain Granola

2 cups raw pecans
2 cups raw almonds
8-10 pitted dates
1 tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup shredded coconut
2 eggs (I used duck eggs)
Process the nuts, dates, and cinnamon until they are a course meal. Stir in the coconut. Add the two eggs, slightly beaten. Stir. It will be thick and clumpy. Spread on a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring at 10 and 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. Serve with your favorite milk and add fruit, fresh or dried, if you like. We used almond milk.

Granola-Jeff says it looks like hamburger. I have to agree, just don't tell him that.

Blackberry Cobbler (Thanks to Everyday Paleo!)

3 cups of fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 omega 3 enriched egg
2 tbsp coconut oil
A drizzle of raw organic honey
Cinnamon to taste
“So Delicious” coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350. Pour the blackberries into a pie pan. In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond meal, and coconut oil, and shake in a bunch of cinnamon. Stir well. The mixture will be really thick and clumpy. If you wish, drizzle a bit of raw organic honey on top of the blackberries. By hand (or if you have a 2 year old to help you, that works just as well…) crumble the almond meal mixture on top of the blackberries and bake in your pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Serve in bowls with cold “So Delicious” brand coconut milk poured over the top. Yes, it’s addicting, but life’s too short to not eat cobbler now and then…

This was some good stuff! Notice that is past tense.

The Grass is Always Greener...

2010-06-24T10:04:00.000-05:00

...before July. That can be soooo true here in Oklahoma. It has already been hot and we are just now officially two days into summer. We have had above normal temperatures for the last three weeks at least. Not just one or two degrees, more like 7-12. That translates into the mid 90's for this area. There is little relief in sight. Last night we watched huge thunder storms with crazy amounts of lightning move our way, only to get with in 10 miles and fizzle out. The grass this morning wasn't even as wet as a heavy dew would make it. It can get very hot and dry this time of year. With our wonderful Oklahoma winds it can feel like a convection oven. That's what the grass will begin to look like it has been in. Now, an upside to that is I don't have to mow as often. We don't water our yard since we have a shallow well. There is plenty of water, but it starts to pull up a lot of mud if we use very much. It is also about an acre of grass. No, we just let it turn brown. I enjoy it while I can.

Still green!

The garden so far is doing fine in the heat. I have several peppers and eggplants. The tomatoes are putting on quite a few, just waiting for them to get ripe. The cantaloupe is about the only thing isn't doing much. They are still very small. The tomatoes in the Topsy Turvy are not producing. I still have the same two tomatoes on there and no new blooms. The same for the one in the bucket. I will fertilize them today and see if that helps. I have okra starting to come on and my sunflowers are looking good. The mustard greens got away from me a little and the spinach has made its last bit for the summer. My spaghetti squash vines are doing quite well, now if they would just produce some squash!

Checking in on the guineas

Squash bloom

Mustard gone wild!

Spahetti Squash

Sunflowers and okra

I don't think we will get anywhere near 30 pounds

A Little Rain Never Hurt Anything

2010-06-14T21:34:00.000-05:00

That statement is for the most part true. However, 10+ inches can damage quite a bit. At least I won't have to water for a few days, but I also can't mow for a few days. By then, it will be a jungle. I'm also pretty sure that any grass seed we put out last week has made its way to Texas.

Our Road

A normally dry field

The pond across the road from the field

Normally dry road-a Dodge 4x4 crossed after this was taken. It came up to the hood of the truck! Dumb!!

Our road after the water receded. What's left of it at least.

OOOPS!!!

2010-06-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

Just a quick hint. Don't leave the soaker hose on all night. Especially if you have a well. It will burn out. Don't ask how I know, I just do.

Flower beds

2010-06-11T10:31:00.026-05:00

The flower beds are looking fine. I got around to weeding yesterday. There is really not much to say about them. The herbs are doing well also. My basil never came up in the whiskey barrel, so I reseeded it yesterday. Normally I don't have any issues with the basil so we will see what happens.

Look closely-basil seed!

Basil

He Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

Before

After, Hyacinth beans are a nice surprise.

Guineas for the Garden

2010-06-10T17:41:00.001-05:00

We got some guinea chicks yesterday. We had actually tried to hatch 2 dozen under one of our broody hens, but we only got two from that. Not that she didn't sit well or that the eggs were bad, but when you have three snakes taking turns lunching on the eggs and then the chicks as they hatch, you tend to not get very many. We were lucky to find the two we saved. We found the snakes later that afternoon when we (meaning Jeff) cleaned out the brooder. Nice and fat on little chicks. Our friend who had given us the eggs had chicks hatching out at the same time so we went and got a few more, so now we have twenty. They are the cutest little things and very friendly. We can pick them up and mess with them all we want. We hope that will translate into them staying around the house and not running all over the neighborhood. I just can't believe that they will grow up to be so ugly!

The garden is looking great. We got the tomatoes caged today. No wimpy little store bought cages for us! We have tomatoes on the vine. We also have some squash and peppers. The okra is doing nicely as are the sunflowers. We have blooms on the potatoes. My granny always said, "When there are blooms on top, there are potatoes on bottom. All-in-all, things are looking great! I think my granny would be proud!

Foraging

2010-06-03T12:33:00.001-05:00

In this area of Oklahoma, there are three great things to forage for. Maybe four. We have morel mushrooms for a very short period, sand plums, wild blackberries, and lambs quarter. Morel season has come and gone, the plums have about another month before they are ready, and lambs quarter is found all summer long. Right now it is blackberry time.

Now you can't text or surf the web with these blackberries, but you can make the other one into an amazing cobbler or jam! I love blackberry cobbler and jam, so we have been out picking them for the past few days. They are ripening slowly this year, but the temps are supposed to stay in the 90's for the next several days, so the ones that are just pink will be getting ripe very quickly. I can't believe people used to treat them as a nuisance plant. They are quite invasive and I would never try to cultivate them, but I would love to have a very thickets of them on about 5 acres.

Not quite ready

Found one!

This is all we found today, but a lot more are ripening!

Wild Blackberry article

Sand plums are tiny little things, but they are tasty! They also make a great jelly. I hope to find some good thickets of them this year.

Sand plums-courtesy arbucklequ.com

Sand plum info

The morels are really good. We usually mix them in stir fry or coat them with flour and fry them. I just wish they had a longer growing season. You need to be sure you know what a morel looks like as well as the false morel. The latter is not to be eaten!

Morels

Morel FAQs

You may be less familiar with lamb's quarter. It is an edible weed. It makes a great spinach substitute! I have made creamed lamb's quarter, lamb's quarter enchiladas, and mixed it in my stir fry. It grows wild just about anywhere. The young leaves are best, as with most greens. They are also very nutritious.

Lambs quarter in our yard!

Lambs quarter info
Lambsquarter kid's page

Taking Off

2010-06-02T14:02:00.000-05:00

With the weather getting, and staying warmer, the garden is finally starting to look like it's growing. I will need to stake the tomatoes this week, pull some wheat that is coming up in the straw, and probably keep it watered a little more frequently.

I haven't harvested much yet. Only a few mustard greens and spinach. All of my cool weather crops were put in late, so I don't really expect much from them. The tomatoes are all blooming and I have several with fruit. We have picked a few strawberries, but nothing to write home about. I think these plants are June-bearing, so I don't expect much more this season. I will find some ever-bearing to get put in soon. Next summer we should have a good crop.

My purple bell peppers and jalapenos are doing well. The potatoes look fine as well as the sunflowers and okra. The black beans should bloom any time now.

My other project is growing well also. My kiddos. They are even getting along better these past few weeks. I think they are both starting to realize that Sissy will be going off to college next year and we won't be seeing nearly as much of here as we used to. We'll still see her every weekend, but it's just not going to be the same.

Decorating cupcakes together

Plodding Along

2010-05-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well, there still isn't a lot going on in the garden. Things are growing steadily, but not quickly. The temperatures have been up and down so the cool weather plants aren't sure what to do and the hot weather plants are just wishing it would get hat and stay that way. The only thing that seems to be unaffected is the grass. We got the yard mowed this morning since the next two days are supposed to be stormy. Notice the "we"? Elijah helped me today. The first time he's ever mowed! He did a pretty fine job too.

I did have on place to weed, or maybe I should say grass. The marigolds along the outside of the garden were starting to have company. Not too bad yet, but Bermuda grass doesn't wait around too long before it becomes that guest that just won't leave! I think I did as well as the ducks.

Good link

2010-05-14T19:09:00.003-05:00

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/gardening/top-gardening-mistakes-00000000034632/index.html?xid=yahoobuzz-rs-051410&xid=yahoo

More Strawberries

2010-05-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

I decided to go ahead with more strawberries. This time in the ground. I have a spot at the garden entrance that grows pretty much just weeds. It gets enough sun for grass, but it just never really has grown there. There were several decent sprigs of Bermuda there, so I dug them up and will sprig them in few bare spots we have in the yard. I added some organic garden soil to the area and dug it in. Then put in may new plants. I also put the roots from the ones in the Topsy Turvy. If they grow great, if not it only cost me 5 minutes of work.

Maybe these will grow!

I got the rest of the garden covered with hay (strawberries too). At least the ground. The potting soil bags that we planted in I will leave uncovered until it gets a little warmer and the plants are bigger. This way the soil will get warmer and encourage growth. After the days are staying warmer I will cover them to keep them moist and cooler. Seems a bit odd, huh? Trust me, it's Oklahoma.

Finally covered!

We got the laying box that was in the yard moved into the duck pen and filled with hay. Maybe they will start using it. We have to hunt for eggs every morning because they don't seem to want to lay in the same spot for more than a couple of days.

Laying box gone

Got a lot accomplished this week. Got a lot of rain too. So far about 1.5" and it is supposed to rain off and on all weekend. So much for Senior pictures!

Panoramic view

More Storms to Come

2010-05-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

At least that is what we were expecting. Since this was the case, I got out in the yard and garden and got some extra work done. The garden is still taking care of itself for the most part. I helped it along a little bit by fertilizing it and I dug up a few Bermuda sprigs. As you may remember, they are a great evil in the garden! That will be a summer-long battle for years to come. The garden is doing okay, I have a small eggplant and a bell pepper. There is one tomato plant in the garden that has blooms, but it is still small. All of them are. The plant in the Topsy Turvy is doing really well, as is the one in the bucket. Since they are not in the ground, their roots are able to get warmer. They are both blooming. The strawberries are finished. If you are in Oklahoma, i would get the strawberry Topsy Turvy. I may get some more and plant them near the garden. We'll see.

Oh, it would figure, but my rotten potatoes from under the sink and the clearance marigolds that were almost dead are doing better than almost everything else.

I did a little work in the flower beds to. I split my hosta. It was so pretty before, but is was crowding out another plant. Now it is three, not-so-pretty plants, but they should do fine. I also planted some "Black Dragon" coleus.

Right now is the nice time in the gardens. The weeds aren't trying to take over yet, it is still fairly cool out, so even in the middle of the afternoon, it is still pleasant to get out and do what little work there is. Where there is a lot to do in the yard. Well, not a lot, but it does have to be mowed at least once a week. That takes about 2 hours. I was very happy to get it done yesterday before the rains came last night. We got 1/2 inch and could get quite a bit more in the next few days.

After the Storm

2010-05-13T09:06:00.001-05:00

After Monday's storm, it turned out to be a beautiful evening. At least here. There was a lot of damage and two deaths south of us in the Choctaw area. Anywhere else there would have probably been many more but we have great weather men and storm trackers.

Weather

2010-05-10T17:46:00.001-05:00

Well, right now we are under a tornado watch. Nothing unusual about that in Oklahoma, in May. Hopefully we will not see any hail or tornadoes. It is raining pretty good right now. I think my rain gauge is up so I should be able to get a reading. Oh, and my kids are jumping on the trampoline. Trust me, I could be a much worse mother.

When you live in Oklahoma, you need to have a healthy fear of thunderstorms. There was no lightning near us at the time, I would never actually let them jump if there was.

The garden is in a pretty slow stage right now. My bib lettuce finally came up, but other than that, and the potatoes, nothing much seems to be going on. I'm glad I didn't fertilize earlier in the day or it would be washing away right now. There are some tornadoes on the ground in the area, but they are still a ways from us so I am not too worried.

Now they are in the house and even though you can't see it, there is some very light, pea-sized hail in this.

As I finish writing this, it has passed us and there is a tornado in Norman. Now we are hearing that a truck stop in that area has been hit. We hope there are no serious injuries. We hope all in the area were listening to the weather.

Failure

2010-05-04T19:46:00.000-05:00

Well, the strawberries are probably a complete loss. The Topsy Turvy and Oklahoma wind do not go well with the strawberry plants. I may plant some more, but I hate to waste the time and money.

The tomato plant seems to love the Topsy Turvy. It has blooms already. The peppers we are waiting to see. Some are pretty wind-whipped and others seem fine.

I go most of the rest of the garden covered with hay. I will have to get more to put where the okra and sunflowers are, but they are just coming up so Ill wait a little while. All the rest of the garden has sprouted except for two of my lettuce varieties. I'll give them another week to 10 days, then I'll plant something else in their place.

The rest of the yard and flower beds are doing fine. I will need to respray with weed killer because the last round didn't do anything. In a few weeks I will have to start spraying for grass burrs. That will be an all summer battle that is wel worth winning!

Just Pics

2010-04-30T18:43:00.000-05:00

What started out as a soggy day...

...ended beautifully!

Rain=House Cleaning

2010-04-30T10:22:00.000-05:00

Refreshing April Shower

Yea! Someone needs to make it easier to get sarcasm across in a post. Well, since I can't do much outside today, I'll just clean house. Friday is my usual day to clean a little more thoroughly anyway, but I would rather pull weeds in 100 degree heat than clean and fold laundry. I do this on Fridays because Saturday is our church day. So, each week we take that day to rest. After all, God did. Tonight my sister will also be here, so it will be nice ancd clean when she gets here too.. So I guess I had better get off of Blogger and get to work!

Flowers and Greenery

2010-04-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

The garden is basically in a stage of not needing much more than watering. Everything has been planted, the weeds are at bay for now, and things are just starting to come up. Yesterday there was some okra and potatoes poking their heads out of the ground. I have said before that I will do whatever I can organically. This includes pest control. To help with that I planted some marigolds by the tomatoes and nasturtium in with the squash. A great book to find out what kinds of thing there are for organic pest control is, Carrots Love Tomatoes. It is also great for the Oklahoma gardener because its author is from Oklahoma and knows what special problems we face around this area.

Marigolds and Nasturtium

Since the veggie garden is taking care of itself (I still need to put some straw down), yesterday I focused on my flower beds. All of my beds are in the shade, I naturally (no pun intended) chose shade flowers. One thing about them is finding enough variety to make a bed interesting. I see so many that are just green hostas. I love hostas, but I like a little color as well. I chose some caladium with different shades of red and pink. I found some coral bells that look good with those colors. The foliage is purple and the flowers will be white. They will not bloom until next year. I planted some 2 years ago but the ducks ate them last year so they never bloomed. UGH! Right now I just have two flower beds planted. We are making plans to put in a small pond next to the deck. Then I will plant more around and in it. I also have a few pots on the front porch.

Just so you know, I am a Longhorn, not a Cheater, I mean Sooner.

One of our Oklahoma problem is the wind. Yesterday we had gust up to 45 mph. My strawberries in the Topsy Turvy aren't faring too well. They are really taking a beating. The peppers and tomato look alright though.

You cant really capture the wind in a photo, but trust me, it was windy!

In Elijah's climbing tree we have a little nest of wrens holed up. Why they chose that tree with him constantly in it is beyond me, but every year we have a pair of wrens make their home there.

Easiest bird house I'll ever make!

Our other birds (chickens and ducks) are laying a bounty of eggs. I have a fridge full of eggs right now. I do mean full. There are about 30 dozen chicken eggs and 10 dozen duck. Just now a friend brought me a bowl of guinea eggs. They are really cute, if an egg can be cute.

Chickens-brown

Ducks-white

Guinea-Thanks, Deborah!

Same Old, Same Old

2010-04-28T18:22:00.002-05:00

Well, we are just sitting around and waiting for something to happen. The mustard is still the only thing that has come up. I take that back, there was some spinach poking through too. Today I just mowed the yard and then watered and fertilized the garden and flower beds.

A couple of days ago we put some strawberries and peppers in Topsy Turvys. I don't normally plant strawberries because they seem to take up too much time and space and we get very little in return. They don't seem to be faring too well in the planters. They are really getting whipped by the wind. Elijah wanted to plant some fruit (besides tomatoes he said), so we are giving them a go. I'm tyring to be optimistic about them.

The strawberry fiend, Elijah. Actually fiend is rather appropriate!

In my flower beds, I added some caladiums. I will probably get some more later to fill in a little better. All of my flower beds are in the shade, so it is hostas and caladiums that I use for the most part. I do have some calla lilies as well.

That's really all that has gone on this week.

Something New

2010-04-25T21:29:00.000-05:00

It's a cool April morning. A bit windy out, but this is Oklahoma. Yesterday we had a few showers so everything is nice and fresh. I was able to get all the hay put on the garden, but I will need a few more to finish it. It usually takes 6-7 to do it when we have it fill size (64x33.5'), so we figured 3 would easily do it. This year the garden is 32x33.5' Well, normally packed bales would do it. These were very loosely packed so they don't go nearly as far.

I found my mustard greens are sprouting, but so far nothing else. I have never grown mustard greens, but Jeff likes them so I thought we'd give them a try. Each year I try to grow something new. It may just be a different variety of something I always grow, like tomatoes, or something completely new to me. This year it is the greens, a Russian heirloom tomato called "Black Prince", and some white scallop squash.

This is probably the only way you should ever eat a black tomato.

Resting Up

2010-04-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

Well, the garden is, for the most part, finished. I still need to find some spaghetti squash seed or plants and put hay on the rest of the garden, but for the most part it is ready to just be pampered. Today, I took the day off from the garden. I did go out and take some covers off of my bell peppers. It was stormy last night, so I wanted to be sure the hail didn't get them. No hail anyway. We moved three more hay bales to the garden. Sunday I hope to get them strung out. I also bought some strawberries. Elijah wants a Topsy Turvy for strawberries, so I we decided we would get one of those and see how we fair. The tomato in the Topsy Turvy didn't fair to well in the wind last night. We think it got to twirling in the wind and snapped off. I put a more mature one in today. I'm hoping this one does well.

HAY THERE!

I had hoped to keep track of the rain this year. Elijah had our rain gauge turned upside down. They don't catch much water that way. Go figure.

I guess we'll never know!

The 7th is about to begin with a beautiful sunset. Not my 7th day in the garden, someone else's 7th day. Besides, His garden was much more impressive! Now it's really time to rest!

I'm sure it is more spectacular without the tree in the way!

Always A Day Behind...

2010-04-22T15:49:00.001-05:00

...Not in what I have to do in my garden, but in what I thought today was. I thought that today was the 21st instead of the 22nd. No big deal. What is a little weird is that while today is Earth Day and I don't normally focus too much on it. Don't get me wrong. I do what I can to reduce, reuse, recycle. I try to be energy efficient (mostly to save money). We plant a garden, raise chickens and ducks, and do as much of that as we can reasonably do in an organic method. We are, however, far from being tree huggers. I guess the weird thing is some of the things I did today as far as the 3 "R's" go.

First, as I am planting my garden today, I remembered that we have an old laundry sink out in the chicken pen. For several years we have toyed with the idea of using it to wash up veggies and duck eggs. (Ducks don't lay in a box like the chickens will, so they are always covered in dirt and poo.) I went and got it and brought it up to the garden, now all we have to do is hook a hose up to and it will be great! I also put it on an old table saw base that was just junking up the yard. It was headed to the landfill.

Two other things I did are for the garden. That involves what I planted. I found some very nicely sprouted potatoes under my sink. We don't eat a lot of potatoes, so it seems we always have several go bad. So I just threw them in the ground. It's a little late to plant potatoes, but they were free and close to rotting. I also planted some onions. These were green onions that had gotten very wilted and so I threw them to the chickens. Guess what, I found something that the chickens won't eat. After a couple of days I decided to stick them in the garden as well. They still had the roots, so we'll see.

I also found a basket in the yard and planted some flowers in it. It sits nicely in the shade and I should get some nice wildflowers pretty soon.

So, as you see, I am not a tree hugger by any stretch of the imagination, but I do what I can, when I can.

A New Appraoch

2010-04-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

Finally, it is going in! This year we are trying a new approach to planting. If you have ever gardened, you know that there is a lot of prep work before you can even begin to put in a plant or seed. Several years ago, the spot we chose for our garden was a lawn. Around these parts, lawns are generally Bermuda grass. This grass is a very tolerant grass. It tolerates heat, drought, and traffic. Unlike fescue and rye, in the winter it does not remain green , but turns brown and goes dormant. It is not dead, just resting for the next season of longer days and warmer temperatures. It can grow thick and lush and just about anywhere that isn't full shade. It spreads through runners as well as seed. These runners can be a great thing for filling in bare spots, or they can be the bane of your existence when they get into a flower bed or garden. Bermuda is in fact not just tolerant, it is hard to kill!

Anyway, back to the garden spot. Having been a lawn of Bermuda, we knew we would struggle with keeping it under control in our garden. If you just till it under, all you have done is make it stronger. It sends it's roots deeper into the soil and the runners that are now underground become like anchors. I have pulled these out of our garden that are over two feet long. Our solution? Roundup! It seemed to work like a dream. The summer before we move the garden we would spray the area about once a week. Roundup only works on the green plants, so we would have to repeatedly spray to get the grass that was still dormant or that hadn't made it through the ground up to the sunlight. The next spring we fertilized with chicken poo, tilled it in and planted away. Things looked great until about June. That's when it happened. The Bermuda that had made it through our genocide on grass and a thick layer of straw, came back with a vengeance. Now rooted deeper than before and angry, it was not nearly as willing to give up the fight as we were. By mid July it just became a job of keeping it somewhat controlled while we harvested what it hadn't taken over-tomatoes!

After a couple of years of this battle, we tried a new tactic last spring. Cardboard. Yep, cardboard. We had read about a lady who uses newspaper to cover her garden and then she covers that with straw. Granted, she lives up north where Bermuda and other runner grasses are not used much, but we thought we'd give it a shot. After covering the garden with composted horse manure, we loaded up on cardboard boxes and laid those over the garden. The next thing we did was put wood chips over the whole thing. After the ice storm the year before the electric companies were trimming all the trees around power lines to lessen the damage and wood chips were free for the taking. They even delivered them. I was skeptical. After all we were battling Bermuda, but to my amazement, it worked! We had a few stays come in here and there but they were easily eradicated. We had pretty much a grass fee garden for the first time ever!!

So why a new approach this year? Well, decomposing wood chips drain your garden of nitrogen. Therefore, we have a grass free garden, but also a nitrogen poor garden. Half of it we have turned over to the ducks. They will turn the wood chips over and they will continue to decompose. The ducks will keep the grass rooted out (check out how well they have kept the grass and weeds away from the garden's edge) as well as any grubs or other undesirable pests. This fall we will plant a nitrogen producing ground cover and then till it in the next spring. For the half of the garden we are planting, we are using another no till method. Planting in bags of potting soil. Mother Earth News says you can do it, so we are trying it out. We'll see how it goes!

On the First Day

2010-04-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am definitely not trying to take the place of the Creator of the universe. I am just a gardener who is getting started for the 2010 growing season. So on this, "National Weed Day", I have gotten started on my garden. Now the kind of weed I am concerned with is far different than the "weed" those who are supporting this day want recognition for, but I will fight just as had against my garden weeds as I will against what this day stands for in the eyes of some.

Now to gardening. Last night we got our bags of garden soil arranged in the garden. We will need 7 more to finish it off, but for the most part that is done. How can I be so sure I will need 7 more? Do I have some complicated formula to figure the yardage I needed? No. We are planting right in the bags. It's just a form of no till gardening. We have never used this method before, so we aren't sure how it is going to work. That is one thing I will be keeping track of in this blog. Another new thing we are doing is using a Topsy Turvy. That is part of an experiment for our little boy, Elijah. We planted one tomato in it and one in a 5 gallon bucket. We will keep track of all kinds of things for that. First bloom, first tomato, first ripe tomato, how many pounds we get, and maybe other things as well.

What's wrong with this picture?

No tilling required

Today we got the tomatoes and some of our peppers planted. Then I put seeds out for the other things. Here is a list of what we have so far:
Tomatoes
Bell (red and yellow) and banana peppers
Onions
Spinach
Romaine, leaf, and Bibb lettuce
Green and black beans
Yellow squash-crook and straight neck
Cantaloupe

Better Boy Tomatoes

Still to be planted:
Okra
jalapenos
spaghetti squash
bell peppers (orange and purple)
2 undetermined veggies

I have asparagus waiting to push through for the first time this season and lots of basil in pots on the deck along with chives that are blooming their round purple flower heads. I will add to the herbs some rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Maybe some parsley and a few other things.

Herbs

Chives

We have several days forecast for thunderstorms so I may not be able to get back into the garden for a while, but the ard is mowed, the flowers have been fertilized, and at least some og the garden is in.

Patiently waiting their turn

Life Began in a Garden

2010-04-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

I love to garden! I like to plant flowers and work in the yard, but what I really love is my veggie garden! I'm not sure why I prefer it over the flowers. Flowers add beauty and calm. Some add fragrance that is breathtaking. A beautiful green lawn is so relaxing. To be able to walk through a freshly mowed green carpet in your bare feet is blissful. But a beautiful, well-maintained vegetable garden is something to behold. It will feed your family (I suppose you could eat your grass or pansies if you like), the smell of freshly tilled dirt. The satisfaction of seeing a weed-free space that earlier in the day was not. Whatever the reason, there is just nothing like having a successful veggie garden.

I am hoping to help myself to keep better track of what I do in my garden that works, the things that don't. So I can remember the things that I planted and what varieties worked best. I may even keep track of how much I harvest. We'll see.

I'll keep up with my veggies, flowers, and lawn.

So let's get started with guarding the garden.

In the beginning.