Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rein in the Urge

Uncategorized

The weather around here has been very, very Spring-like. This past Thursday, we had a high of 60 degrees. That’s a heat wave here in Michigan at this time of year. Combined with the St. Patrick’s holiday, the weather lured many out of their winter caves and into the downtown area of our little city. Everyone was out enjoying the sunshine on their skin after another Michigan winter. People were being pretty crazy which made me smile. The excitement over the arrival of Spring seems quite contagious.

I checked last year’s posts around this time and saw there was a warm spell similar to this year. That means there is still a chance of getting snow. The forecast calls for a dip in temperatures next Wednesday. This year, I am going to keep the artfully placed leaf mulch (read: leaves I was sick of raking out of the beds and finally left there) untouched until that last winter snap. All the new shoots will be protected from any remaining frosts. This is very hard for me to do since as soon as the snow melts I always have the urge to clean the beds. I must remain strong.

On the Lot, activity has already begun. Bulbs are shooting out of the soil wherever I look. The first, yellow crocus was open yesterday on the East side of the house. The perennials are also beginning to stir. Here are the details:

Just sprouting through the ground:

  • Jacob’s Ladder
  • Jupiter’s Beard
  • Loosestrife
  • Columbine
  • Tickseed
  • Larkspur
  • Brass Buttons
  • Flox
  • Aster
  • Burnett
  • Chocolate Mint
  • Bleeding Heart
  • Lenten Rose
  • Labrador Violet
  • Lady’s Mantle

These wintered over but are not showing new growth yet:

  • Cat Nip
  • Rose Campion
  • Black-eyed Susan
  • Pansy
  • Oregano
  • Lamb’s Ear
  • Thrift, Sea Pink
  • Foam Flower
  • Archangel
  • Coral Bells (Autumn Bride & Snow Angel)
  • Bugleweed
  • Japanese Holly Fern

 

Garden to Table – Kale

Uncategorized, vegetables

Kale is a cool weather crop. We planted our kale plants behind the snow peas in the northwest corner of one of our two 4’x4′ raised beds. By the time the snow peas faded from the summer heat, the tomatoes (on the southeast side of the snowpeas) were tall enough to offer the Kale the same protection from the intense afternoon sun. The Kale receives dappled morning sun, a brief hit of noon sun, is then in light shade because of the neighbor’s tree and finally in full shade from our fence on the west side of the Lot. We are up to our ears in kale right now. Next year we will be planting two kale plants instead of four.

Like romaine lettuce, kale can be harvested througout the season without removing the whole plant from the garden. Simply remove the outer leaves as they develop, taking care not to disturb the budding center/top of the plant. Leave at least 4 to 6 leaves so the plant can nourish itself as it continues to grow. Larger leaves are great in soups, while the smaller (younger) leaves can be used in salads. I read that kale tastes even better after the first frost because it has a sweeter, more intense flavor.

Anyway, I consulted all-recipes.com to find dishes with kale in the ingredients list. Tonight we tried one of the two recipes I found, using kale, peppers and thai basil from our garden. We tweaked the recipe a bit. The original recipe can be found here. This is the way we prepared the dish.

Sweet Pepper Pasta Toss with Kale

Ingredients:

  • 1 (8 ounce) package orzo
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups roughly chopped kale
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh thai basil
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in red pepper, yellow pepper, and garlic. Cook 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add kale and basil. Cook until kale is wilted.
  4. Season with crushed red pepper and salt.
  5. In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta with skillet mixture and feta cheese to serve.

ADD and Gardening

Uncategorized

I just installed the updated version of the default WordPress theme. Things will appear a bit more simplified around here while I begin tinkering with the theme to customize it. CSS is almost as fun as gardening.

Tonight from 7:00-9:30 was spent outside weeding, deadheading and ripping out plants. At one point I awoke, dazed and confused, in a pile of recently uprooted snapdragons, dirt under my nails and frothing at the mouth. No, it wasn’t that extreme, but I did loose my patience with the garden tonight.

The snapdragons I had planted last year managed to winter over. So did a lot of violas. Both are annuals in our zone. Both grew back this spring and summer because they had self seeded, but the plants did not seem as healthy and full as the first year they were planted. I pulled all of the snapdragons and most of the violas out tonight.

There were tons of weeds growing into the beds. The main offender was ground ivy. I have a love/hate relationship with this plant. It fills in shady and damp areas of the Lot that challenges more finicky plants, which can be nice. But it also snakes swiftly across the ground in vine form, sprouting roots at every joint of the plant. Every time I weed I’m ripping up some Creepy Charlie.

Tomorrow night I’ll use the recently cleared beds to rearrange some perennials. Those measurements printed on the nursery tags should really be referenced when planting. Last year I was impatient and dropped the plants into the ground closer together than recommended. This year the plants have matured and are fighting for space. Not only can this cause disease, but many of the plants grew leggy and taller than normal because they were reaching for the sun. I have a feeling the Lot will be a constantly evolving canvas.