The Kitchen Garden in Spring

I've gotten several requests to see my kitchen garden, so here it is...

As you see, I generally plant in raised beds, using untreated lumber (these beds generally last about 10 years).  I have strawberries, blackberries, asparagus, rhubarb, lavender, and herbs as perennials.  Currently, you see spring greens (chard, lettuce, spinach), peas, beets, over-wintered carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, basil and a few peppers that doesn't appear likely to survive.

The small patio area was a good idea that just didn't work out (too hot without an umbrella, but the umbrella shaded the beds too much) so that is on the "to-do" list to turn into another raised bed.

I have 3 bins for compost (1 contained and 2 open), and a small cold frame as well (currently planted with potatoes).  Elsewhere in various parts of our yard, we have 2 sour cherry trees (last year, the birds got all the cherries), 2 apple trees (the squirrels have taken all the apples every year so far), blueberries that have never produced, and raspberries, which do.   At our church, I have a small plot in our community garden with  tomatoes, basil and peppers.

There you go!

In the Garden: Peppers, Galore!

Gardening is always a funny experience...and by that I mean you need a good sense of humor.  You might think you've bought enough tomato plants and basil for a year's worth of canning/freezing....but it turns out that the only crop you really get LOTS of is banana peppers and you didn't even mean to buy banana peppers (I'm still trying to figure out how that happened!).

But, I've learned to can banana pepper rings. Lots and lots of them!  Incidentally, the pepper season is doing so well here in Northern Virginia that a farmer at the market asked me how to can them... at least, I'm not the only one!

Picking Cherries

Last week, the boys and I picked cherries.  We have frozen most of them, so we can make preserves and fruit leather, and pie., etc... as time permits.  We often try to put up our fruit in the summer for the entire year...now, it's blueberry season!

Welcome, Summer!

Black-eyed Susans make me happy.   Somehow, these seeds overwintered in a garden box.  I'm not sure why we would have planted Black-eyed Susans in such a small place, but we definitely enjoying them now.    

The Roses

By the end of the afternoon, I've worked at two jobs and am more than a bit tired.   I rush out to visit a sick child just home from the hospital, only to find out upon my return that the dog has chewed up my drop spindle that I just had outfitted with brand-new yarn that afternoon at Mount Vernon.  At these moments, it's good to take a moment in the garden... with the roses......

Seed Starting (and Garden Planning) Has Begun!

It's time for late-winter/early-spring gardening!  At times, I wonder what role gardening has on this blog, except that it is a huge part of our creative lives.  Long ago, it was more a matter of simply growing vegetables to can or freeze for the next year, and it certainly is still that.  But, it's also become much more creative and much more of a community-minded activity.  We live in the suburbs, after all -- a long ways away from when we gardened surrounded by 180 acres of farmland (and I had space for 54 tomato plants and could put up more than enough food!!)

Indeed, my main goals for the garden this year have more to do with dear friends who passed away this year, who always checked out the garden and watched whatever we were up to, chuckling often when we asked for their bagged leaves from their curbs, but always willing to provide.  And then, a few years ago, I noticed that one of the men had started growing red and white impatiens in flower boxes all along the front of his house.  And, he got some pin wheels.  And, I started enjoying watching his gardening adventures, just as he got a kick out of ours.

He passed away from cancer this year.  His pin wheel and flower boxes are still in front of his house.  So, this year, I might not have too many plans for the garden in terms of where I'm planting what, but I do know that I'll be planting some red and white impatiens and I need to find some pin wheels in honor of friends who we miss dearly.

And, meanwhile, we just started a flat of tomato seeds that have joined an earlier flat of leeks and flowers.  I am bound and determined to actually grow leeks one year -- so far, it hasn't happened, but that's the fun of gardening.  This year might be the year!  Last year was a good one in terms of new things -- we grew broom corn, green cabbages, and cauliflower successfully for the first time.

This year, I don't have many goals, except that I'd love to see my asparagus really provide a decent crop, I'd like to see my strawberries perform, and I need to figure out a way to get a larger tomato harvest.  I'd thought I had put up enough tomatoes, but we ran out of canned tomatoes and sauce a few weeks ago -- way too early!  I also need more basil because we ran out of frozen pesto long ago, too.   My other goal is to avoid planting things that my family just won't eat.  There's no need to plant a bunch of lettuce or pac choi because the guys will only eat so many salads and even fewer stir fries....

We were just blessed with some used wood from a house that is being remodeled, so we spent an hour or so today pulling nails from it and getting it ready for more garden boxes (not that I have any idea where to actually place them in our small yard!).  We also want/need to build another compost bin.

The fun begins!

"Autumn Reflections" - 1st Place Garden Views

Recently, we had the pleasure of attending the awards ceremony for the Washington Gardener Magazine Photo Contest and finding out that one of my photos had been awarded 1st place in the Garden Views category.  This photo was taken at Westmoreland State Park.  The photo will be on display this summer at a local gallery and will also be printed in the spring issue of the magazine.

A Mailing from the AHS -- That's MY Photo!

We lead very busy lives.  The other day, I came home from my job as an assistant teacher at my kids' school, raced into the house to let the dog out, went to a short refresher lesson on the drop spindle because I only had 1 hour before the kids were done with school, came back home and saw that I needed to work in my role as a lawyer because one of the primary laws involving my client had been amended, but I didn't have time to sit down and study the law because I needed to walk the dog and then pick the boys up from school..... It's not so easy to juggle all the various roles we play!  At least, we do enjoy all the things we do.

But, as I was involved in all the above, I also grabbed the mail and started to shuffle it into the Shred/Save piles.  As I came upon the piece of mail pictured above, I paused.  I know that child......I know that picture......I TOOK that picture!.....

The delay was hilarious.

And, yes, it was my photo.  I'd given the American Horticultural Society permission to use my photo in their mailing.  But, I'd forgotten and had never seen the final product.  It was only because I renewed my membership that I'd received their mailing....and seen my photo.

An October Afternoon in the Garden and at AHS

 

Once I returned home from another fun-filled work session at Mount Vernon (I'm having so much fun with this job!), the boys and I took advantage of a day off of school to head out to the garden.  With colder temperatures in the forecast, we cleaned up a few tomato plants and brought the green ones inside to ripen. We left about half of the plants in the garden, though, since I don't think the frost is actually going to reach our area.  Check out the size of the cushaw squash -- great pies are on the fall and winter menu.  My younger son is totally puzzled as to why cushaw squash make great "pumpkin" pies when they aren't a pumpkin!

We then went went to visit our friend, Miss Jane, at the American Horticultural Society.   Jane (who is in charge of volunteer opportunities and the gift shop) and her husband Tom (director of AHS) are some of the best things about AHS.  It's a great place.  You've got to love a place so welcoming to everyone -- we really enjoy volunteering there as a family.  

 

It was a wonderful afternoon.

Tabling the Broom Corn

In these unsettled economic times, I have taken on more and more part-time jobs (as has Jeff). It's a running joke in our household about how many jobs we are currently holding. Some jobs, though, have immediate pay-backs....in the living history arena.

I've taken on a "on-call, part-time" interpreter position at the Mount Vernon Estate, which is wonderful and a lot of fun. It's great to work with people who share so many of the same interests.  One day, when I stopped in to meet someone, I happened to notice the broom near where she was working.....and then noticed that it to be made out of broom corn, which I am currently growing but did not know how to get from the garden bed into a broom.   And so I asked.

Before many minutes had passed, we'd had a great conversation that included the information that I should "table" my broom corn. Turns our, tabling is fine and easy when you have plenty, but we don't, so we tabled as best as we could. We're already dreaming about making our first home-made broom....after, of course, we research those next steps!  We might not have enough broom corn to actually make a broom, but we'll give it a good try.  If you, by any chance, know what we should do, please feel free to let us know.

Weeekend Visit to Monticello

 

Wanting to take advantage of a weekend without soccer (the boys are sitting out this season) and no blacksmithing demos, we took a road trip to Monticello this past Saturday. About an hour and a half into the drive, I was ready to turn around....what we were thinking sitting in the car for 5+ hours with a to-do list like nobody's business??? But, we hadn't been there in a few years and wanted a day of inspiration and renewal. Of course, I'm speaking for Jeff and myself and we hadn't asked the boys --- they had different goals.

All in all, though, it was a good trip. Monticello has expanded its offerings with a new Visitor's Center (which we had seen before) and a kids' Discovery Center (which we hadn't). The Discovery Center was great -- it was wonderful to actually try out Jefferson's cipher and his polygraph. I think Jeff and I enjoyed those things as much as the kids! The polygraph was certainly the highlight of the boys' trip.

I also made sure to visit the garden, albeit briefly, because I hadn't had much of a chance to take any nature photographs all summer and fall....and I needed to get my hands on a camera and take more than a snapshot of the kiddos, as much as I love the boys. Plus, my poor cookbook that I am slowly putting together needed some photos!

 

Jefferson was a remarkable person and it is something special to spend a few hours around his home...even with excited kids, a long list of things that need to be done, and a very long drive home.

Garden Curiousities

I was at the pool today with the boys and a neighbor came up and asked, "What kind of amazing corn are you growing?!  It's higher than your roof line!" 

And, it is.

We grew broom corn for the first year as an experiment because we've become fascinated by the artistry of handmade brooms.  We first discovered such brooms when we met the owners of Justamere Tree Farm at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival many years ago.  Since then, we always buy our year's supply of maple syrup from them and admire their brooms.  In addition, we absolutely love and regularly read the children's book, Ox-Cart Man by poet Donald Hall which discusses the cycle of a small, family farm.  In that book, the boy makes birch brooms.

So, when we found some seed for broom corn at Colonial Williamsburg, we bought it and tried it out for fun.  We don't know enough (and honestly, probably didn't plant enough) to make our own broom (nor do we probably have the equipment).  But, we were curious and wanted to see what would happen. 

The answer is, simply, it grew well.

If you know how to turn broom corn into a broom, please fill us in on the process.  Or, if you know of other uses, that'd be great, too!  Otherwise, we are just enjoying the corn. 

And, while we are asking for advice, here's another question:  Does anyone know what kind of squash we are growing?

Thanks so much!

Designing the Side Garden

The side garden in 2012:

The side garden in 2010:

Our side garden has been a struggle ever since we moved here 12 years ago.  It's wet and filled with roots.  In 2010, I declared it a "garden" after grass refused to grow in the space, and then spent a fair amount of time reading garden design books and setting out a plan for the space.  I purchased a fern and hosta garden for the shady area, along with some other plants......and nothing grew.  Then, I just decided to move things from other parts of the yard.  That worked.  So much for the official plan! 

I then decided to plant blueberries long with the hostas, lirope, and other plans in the space.  When the new bushes arrived and I told Jeff where I needed holes dug, he politely refused, with a decent reason since the roots in the area make it just too difficult to dig proper holes.

So, this side area remains as it is...a hodgepodge of plants that like the space.   It's so much better than it was two years ago when I decided to tackle the area and turn it into a garden.  The blueberries, though, necessitated a move of our entire front picket fence to place them within our fenced in yard.  It might have been easier to dig in the side garden with all the roots! 

Pretty in Pink

The other day, I was placing burlap bags on various parts of the garden as a weed-management technique.....there's nothing glamorous or beautiful about the job, but it certainly works well to control weeds.....when I suddenly glimpsed a vibrant pink color I'd never noticed before in the garden.  Some plant (if you know its name, please let me know!) from a flower arrangement years ago decided to bloom this year.   The color and lines just stopped me in my tracks -- they were so amazing and beautiful and I felt blessed to have noticed them.  I dropped the burlap and grabbed the camera:

Edited to add:  Many thanks to Mimi, my mother-in-law, who thinks that this is a Calla Lilly.  I'm not surprised she was able to identify the flower.  In fact, I think she probably gave us the flower arrangement that had the lilly in it, in the first place many years ago!  Thanks again!

The Garden in Early Summer

A snapshot of our kitchen garden from the kids' tree house.

Our garden is going quite well this year, although I have seen recent evidence of mildew on the tomatoes which is rather concerning.  We've also gotten a LOT of volunteer plants, so we have a tomato jungle in various beds (the mildew is probably due to the crowded conditions where the volunteers popped up and I didn't remove them quickly enough), squash among the broccoli, and potatoes everywhere we missed them in last year's harvest. 

The potatoes are flowering and we're watching the garlic carefully as it seems to be getting ready to harvest earlier than usual. 

We've made our first batch of pesto from the basil, enjoyed early harvests of broccoli, chard, lettuce and spinach, and frozen all the peas for use this winter.  Oh, and the boys have already eaten the few strawberries that ripened on the new plants.

Space is an issue like always, so we need to find places for cucumbers, squash and beans.  I'd love to plant some broom corn for fun, but I need to find a spot for it -- maybe it is time for the garlic to clear out a space!  

Bottle Tree

One of the earliest pieces Jeff made was a bottle tree.  Jeff was taking a welding class and we'd just had the pleasure of meeting Felder Rushing at a gardening conference.  We really appreciate Felder's approach to slow gardening and his sense of humor.  Felder also has a love of bottle trees, which we'd never heard of before meeting him.  When Jeff needed a project to try out his newly-learned welding skills on, I asked for a bottle tree.

Jeff made what we lovingly call a "bottle bush" because it's rather short.  I emailed Felder a picture of it, and he responded that "hubby did good!"   I agree. 

Since we installed our bottle tree/bush in our garden a few years ago, we've noticed a few more bottle trees pop up in the neighborhood.  Currently, our bottle tree is in a garden bed surrounded by apple trees, blueberries and cranberries; just yesterday, someone walked by and admired it.   Maybe Jeff should make an even bigger one this summer for the side yard!

Scape Season!

It's the season for garlic scapes, a delicacy we'd never heard of until we started growing our own garlic.  Now, we eagerly await their arrival because it means some lovely meals!

This year, we've had a wonderful garlic scape soup as well as some great pastas.  Our favorite recipe for scapes during this busy time of year, though, is an easy dip based on a New York Times recipe. 

Here's our basic recipe:

1/3 cup or more sliced garlic scapes (3 to 5) (we use more because we love garlic)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon or more of ground cumin (we like a LOT of cumin!)

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 (or a bit more) good olive oil

Salt & Pepper

In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add  beans and process to a rough purée.  With motor running, slowly add olive oil and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more oil, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper, cumin, and/or lemon juice, as desired.

Strawberry Jam Workshop

The other day, I helped 40 children ages 9-12 make their own strawberry jam.  They had grown the berries all year, tending a small plot at their school.  After carefully freezing the berries as they ripened, they had enough to make jam for each student. 

Most of the children had never made jam before and it was really fun to guide them through the process.   To keep it simple, or as simple as it can be with 40 kids and only 2 hours, we worked with a freezer jam recipe rather than the usual cooked jam recipe I make at home.  We probably made about 8 batches of jam, in all.  The children made their own labels and used ribbon to decorate their jars. 

Many of the kids were amazed at how simple the process was -- one boy joked, "Smuckers, watch out!"

Edible Landscaping on the Patio

We tried a new form of edible landscaping this spring and planted lettuce in between some annuals in the planters on the deck.  It worked out really well -- not only do I like the look, but it's very convenient for making salad!   I think I'll do more of this type of gardening with the fall planting of various salad greens, spinach and chard. 

Inspiration in the Garden

Inspiration for photography is much easier for me to "find" in the spring, as soon as the first iris appear.

I have more difficulty in the colder months, although I'm trying to see the beauty in all the seasons.  Still, though, spring is a magical time for me, especially as the garden starts to perform.

Sometimes, the performance is unplanned (actually, a lot of my gardening is unplanned, or doesn't quite follow the plan I think I've made!).  I believe these flower seeds were planted last year & didn't germinate.  Our winter was quite mild and they popped up this year; unfortuantly, I don't know what they are, although I love the color, especially interpresed with the eggplant's leaves.  Any ideas?

Beauty in a carrot, gone to seed:

Raindrops on the garlic: