tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300501512024-03-21T12:21:50.019-07:00Life on Tiger Mountain"Our life is leaves drifting slowly earthward, rain softly falling, children being born and growing up to their own lives, friends conversing before an open fire, good food and good sleep."
--Irving Petit, <i>Life on Tiger Mountain</i>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-80100504820633497402021-04-08T10:14:00.001-07:002021-04-08T10:14:25.469-07:00<p> testing</p><p>1</p><p>2</p><p>is this thing still on?</p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-38451309563398110412011-12-19T16:40:00.000-08:002011-12-19T16:45:11.769-08:00Christmas vegetablesI missed the deadline for <a href="http://veggies-only.blogspot.com/">Matron's Christmas Vegetables</a> post, but I hate to let these photos go to waste.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K0Ozd_aMN6iM8c6dvOBPT5moN6O-_OX-Tbw3dKtr4vhcUDGSNLH6UCMpepxowFZCojaOVCOt20wy7EB87ZAvhy6q1bKMVXTswPLdKChb7fD1DIeyneCXUD_6x1WsqefXSSbU/s1600/DecemberGarden.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K0Ozd_aMN6iM8c6dvOBPT5moN6O-_OX-Tbw3dKtr4vhcUDGSNLH6UCMpepxowFZCojaOVCOt20wy7EB87ZAvhy6q1bKMVXTswPLdKChb7fD1DIeyneCXUD_6x1WsqefXSSbU/s400/DecemberGarden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688004510082358594" border="0" /></a><br />The lettuce is growing in my greenhouse, but everything else is in beds outdoors. The kale, upper right, needs bird netting to keep the deer from eating it all. Smart deer. Now that we've had several hard frosts, the kale is so sweet you could almost make a dessert out of it.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-42480853248519758812011-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:002011-12-19T16:53:24.161-08:00Can this garden be saved?Update: Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better, right? A late, late killing frost took out the wisteria and several shrubs. It took me all summer to accept that they were dead, and I'm still trying to come to terms with the demise of the wisteria. I dug all of the buttercup out of two beds, divided perennials, moved and pruned shrubs. And when I went inside to get the camera, all of the buttercup grew back. Garden Rehab 2.0 is about to begin.<br /><br />When we moved to Tiger Mountain there was exactly one ornamental plant on the property--a stringy 9 foot tall lilac that sported maybe a half-dozen pathetic blooms at the very top. After the important business of making a falling-down house habitable we turned our attention to the outside. I hired an <a href="http://www.hendrikus.com/">award-winning landscape designer</a> to create a set of garden spaces on two sides of the house. He brought in a huge backhoe to dig out the glacial till and replace it with his own special fast-draining, root-enhancing soil. He brought in huge granite boulders and laid a patio and walkway of granite slabs. He added some full-size trees and shrubs. It was stunning.<br />Over the next few years I added more perennials and shrubs. I became a regular at the Heronswood open houses and at the Hort Society's annual plant sale. I shuffled things around, I weeded, I pruned, and I mulched. Some years I had homegrown flowers on my table all 12 months. Even the lilac began to bloom heavily every spring.<br />Mistakes were made. Some plants just weren't right for my cool summers and failed to thrive. Some (most?) shrubs quickly exceeded their purported 5-ft-at-maturity height. Invasive seed blew in and tried to take over. I changed jobs. My new job required a lot of travel. I expanded my vegetable garden to where it took most of my free time. In a single summer an untended garden can get a bit out of control. In two summers, it becomes overwhelming. It's been <span style="font-style: italic;">mumble</span> years since anyone could call my ornamental garden stunning. It's time to make things right again.<br />In four months garden bloggers from all over will come to town here. Although I haven't blogged regularly for some time, I tremble with fear at the prospect of, say, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.maydreamsgardens.com/">Carol</a> asking to come see my hand-forged hoes. Bad enough to be a garden-blogging dilettante; I fear being exposed as a garden dilettante. And perhaps if I can't be an inspiration to other bloggers, I can at least serve as a terrible warning to others. THIS is what happens when you ignore that buttercup creeping in from the fields. THIS is what happens when you choose plants unwisely and end up having to whack them back every year. This is what happens when you don't force your hydrangeas into dormancy before the first cold snap. Fellow gardeners, THIS is my garden at its worst. Don't let this happen to you.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_4Zn92D8WcRvXTd7w-HFB62z1aGQOtqZaAfr0ePy5Bci_Bu-B7Ew5sQJmkUbga2TdqQsa1C2_MFGOqo5FXrZxeE5hbTiZQ4_jCRQ8pACg870CQZpM_AxB6HAWkEL42MHUwno/s1600/Feb2011+026.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_4Zn92D8WcRvXTd7w-HFB62z1aGQOtqZaAfr0ePy5Bci_Bu-B7Ew5sQJmkUbga2TdqQsa1C2_MFGOqo5FXrZxeE5hbTiZQ4_jCRQ8pACg870CQZpM_AxB6HAWkEL42MHUwno/s400/Feb2011+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517262034499362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rx2W43B3gVhVsJqQBXCYBsyMGuGJtbACMJEUWcFaSTgHmGzTMWsu2g94bbkUAkxeT20cDfDQwzTiTY9fBYDH6IBcaA70vRBtPwXpX553Gs353EmlTn2X8cUIo4MnGtaGNG-3/s1600/Feb2011+025.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rx2W43B3gVhVsJqQBXCYBsyMGuGJtbACMJEUWcFaSTgHmGzTMWsu2g94bbkUAkxeT20cDfDQwzTiTY9fBYDH6IBcaA70vRBtPwXpX553Gs353EmlTn2X8cUIo4MnGtaGNG-3/s400/Feb2011+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517257502175986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTRi4iMkGYWo-HK_mHQx0w386mU1yIoswF0ZNnwdYFKP4AXHH0-cqFAaRTRqIO7HdIWTIURTYIJwcyOjJzzrKezwKqGIFejQ902mwtuC0O8vPqBiGMIdHtyRx8vwukr8q_M1v/s1600/Feb2011+013.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTRi4iMkGYWo-HK_mHQx0w386mU1yIoswF0ZNnwdYFKP4AXHH0-cqFAaRTRqIO7HdIWTIURTYIJwcyOjJzzrKezwKqGIFejQ902mwtuC0O8vPqBiGMIdHtyRx8vwukr8q_M1v/s400/Feb2011+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517245797703458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZZcl8n-ETmoRWDCtVwENMeY3No6WoJ6jprigrlJwXKspQ0XdL0-wi1mIet6FqrN5Aq3offrBUmWnY3T_JlNeu9eZpGaiPiA-G1XtXN6ip8x1oLDdVvBIQjqzNhyphenhyphen9vPvzD4sr/s1600/Feb2011+007.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZZcl8n-ETmoRWDCtVwENMeY3No6WoJ6jprigrlJwXKspQ0XdL0-wi1mIet6FqrN5Aq3offrBUmWnY3T_JlNeu9eZpGaiPiA-G1XtXN6ip8x1oLDdVvBIQjqzNhyphenhyphen9vPvzD4sr/s400/Feb2011+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517240744994130" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5pddJEvlV1A_0qiV9gCRQTlARRsQ82zTCYs7P8cQa8qQ2_ihxSAtmFZl3wOfP7PB8zh9JnB4eqLaanyv3EUCUuL4LmbyeVUMsFP1U32QzV-rXulmHVmoSVBOqPlzRo6Te7kL/s1600/Feb2011+014.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5pddJEvlV1A_0qiV9gCRQTlARRsQ82zTCYs7P8cQa8qQ2_ihxSAtmFZl3wOfP7PB8zh9JnB4eqLaanyv3EUCUuL4LmbyeVUMsFP1U32QzV-rXulmHVmoSVBOqPlzRo6Te7kL/s400/Feb2011+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517249832705858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So there's my hall of shame. However, I do believe in redemption. I know that with nothing more than some good hand tools, which I have, and hours of hard work, this garden can realize the potential it had 10 years ago. I can do this. My ground rules are few and really boil down to the single principle that I can't buy my way out of this one.<br /><ul><li>I made this mess, I have to clean it up myself. No fair hiring day laborers to do the dirty work. Besides, how will they know what treasures lie beneath the weeds and debris?</li><li>Covering up the weedy areas with a thick layer of mulch is not an option. Mulch there will be, and plenty of it, over clean ground.</li><li>No shopping for distractions, whether garden art or perfect plants already in bloom. New plants have to be propagated from existing ones, or started from seed.</li></ul>Watch this space. Things are going to get better.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-44963272192780152732010-11-08T16:22:00.001-08:002010-11-08T16:34:09.723-08:00Gifts from the November GardenHere are a few of my favorite things from the garden these days.<br /><br />Escarole frittata:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoKvS6orm_9vVzy2GXlp6uRTVeNmtJuHHkoliCCdgS9ExyCtQqpzUer1BEYUGfKuQM6Qj4JIhMbC69HSh3RbRv9THV8uYYUNOeBlAOP9AoCHC3V_aQW-6aaKw5ViMgvwhWeTo/s1600/November2010+013.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoKvS6orm_9vVzy2GXlp6uRTVeNmtJuHHkoliCCdgS9ExyCtQqpzUer1BEYUGfKuQM6Qj4JIhMbC69HSh3RbRv9THV8uYYUNOeBlAOP9AoCHC3V_aQW-6aaKw5ViMgvwhWeTo/s400/November2010+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537339725349648210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Beets for roasting and making ravioli:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpHSagQn23CEXBQVGFgn3lct_QAWUPfdMM4uN_cdgIhFPg_WdEBwefEKW_i0i0_98L0R_klgX7EFnbCjHJDl4Qw58qDNK5LIru4J2Xw7z1AKW9DKGXtFHUtkJq15RBtziUE4S/s1600/November2010+005.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpHSagQn23CEXBQVGFgn3lct_QAWUPfdMM4uN_cdgIhFPg_WdEBwefEKW_i0i0_98L0R_klgX7EFnbCjHJDl4Qw58qDNK5LIru4J2Xw7z1AKW9DKGXtFHUtkJq15RBtziUE4S/s400/November2010+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537339748187349922" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLmQqkipadIxoZe6IgB6-DvgpxUqF0NWwDHdZqnJAfyVRbAAp2KI6yUt_Qt7gm9VMyMnmg7HrbiLxjK-fnDp79zGozqsNr5-W6xHeZJ2hQpQewBttsmjLW66LLLtA7M2_8417/s1600/November2010+006.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLmQqkipadIxoZe6IgB6-DvgpxUqF0NWwDHdZqnJAfyVRbAAp2KI6yUt_Qt7gm9VMyMnmg7HrbiLxjK-fnDp79zGozqsNr5-W6xHeZJ2hQpQewBttsmjLW66LLLtA7M2_8417/s400/November2010+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537341213740887282" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm-ZvvI5_0qMeK8pXDeo2tt_BoB4ZxIyG3A0ixbIJxGcxfQh8CtWsTLOWjqsaRgQn6sHXAMZenN2VPafnDfqzo8ZSfzyL1X05iZsRS7ZdUxq4UMIMt3SOSNU-is_JoEpbJWpr/s1600/November2010+007.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm-ZvvI5_0qMeK8pXDeo2tt_BoB4ZxIyG3A0ixbIJxGcxfQh8CtWsTLOWjqsaRgQn6sHXAMZenN2VPafnDfqzo8ZSfzyL1X05iZsRS7ZdUxq4UMIMt3SOSNU-is_JoEpbJWpr/s400/November2010+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537341222935394130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Pumpkins to <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130704456">stuff with everything good</a>:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fV6OlDCD_7pvD0EGzD-Vy_uAjuMHtXjSBybzhkpve0zP_xd6GL8RRjrsPcNY-FxYmQD0nChILeaprNONIyWi-rMBsayVHqilJZqi3gUxf7G-BXLCK450JaPezSoDd2ZdXivf/s1600/November2010+008.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fV6OlDCD_7pvD0EGzD-Vy_uAjuMHtXjSBybzhkpve0zP_xd6GL8RRjrsPcNY-FxYmQD0nChILeaprNONIyWi-rMBsayVHqilJZqi3gUxf7G-BXLCK450JaPezSoDd2ZdXivf/s400/November2010+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537339760580717682" border="0" /></a>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-53659434649832230622010-08-05T11:59:00.001-07:002010-08-05T12:08:19.456-07:00A Dozen Daylilies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfO6PbPIlKuukRbR20ebPzPd09_IHl2BkeeLO-QTDwaIABO5PEP6pQ7C3L38kv14zHdv9A8IBYDkuNNG89YjCOXS3e-L3tIHhXwIy60MIED89HZrPX0RGGe2xW7BH2YZckm1lO/s1600/July2010+018.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; 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width: 400px; height: 378px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmoUBrfzsYreyuvC7iiJs1pP23ZWzHCgk0NjFEkAyTKJcdprMQO9ndQBipQaUYZrN_bAO2TXiHsDKUgiIydFd12hRnRb7PxzgGl8eS05kD73m8a6aSS0OL2faaHwMGqtQdpJz/s400/July2010+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003655669105666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45MqqXpljQZJHitSGd6tDlOun3eGbzGpY9jWwZTGeRtqQyZ7bwixyjh5wNi62ovLQ55smyWM93h8qTxjWGQ1VM8xIdQGOmYpDRkN-fDT01pkLIRyM3Tb_RzSVmUNNy_w8CJHF/s1600/July2010+013.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45MqqXpljQZJHitSGd6tDlOun3eGbzGpY9jWwZTGeRtqQyZ7bwixyjh5wNi62ovLQ55smyWM93h8qTxjWGQ1VM8xIdQGOmYpDRkN-fDT01pkLIRyM3Tb_RzSVmUNNy_w8CJHF/s400/July2010+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003043188562994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHt-fKqPpVJXVxeFsf8sTirlH3-CVVO351ULdh2DPxRg4v34HTgPszHl5iCvg5Eg2FI3QsF3gdW1Y9SIknLgPShIKlUENGzrmZfq52gjKK9WjkOqBDbOejmerQ0c87koMIUccz/s1600/July2010+015.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 378px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHt-fKqPpVJXVxeFsf8sTirlH3-CVVO351ULdh2DPxRg4v34HTgPszHl5iCvg5Eg2FI3QsF3gdW1Y9SIknLgPShIKlUENGzrmZfq52gjKK9WjkOqBDbOejmerQ0c87koMIUccz/s400/July2010+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003645004267986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkZoGYJUa1SaHXHf38Ag1w3Qr3NNDAw3IlvECgci0mymz5JNb7ywJddX7kIx46AjSnNUh7w_Dui1sxcPNGlqEp6rnwxd5EhmqNSihmhyphenhyphenqj1IFfWEDslce9FACoczOx-CgwOe3/s1600/July2010+011.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 372px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkZoGYJUa1SaHXHf38Ag1w3Qr3NNDAw3IlvECgci0mymz5JNb7ywJddX7kIx46AjSnNUh7w_Dui1sxcPNGlqEp6rnwxd5EhmqNSihmhyphenhyphenqj1IFfWEDslce9FACoczOx-CgwOe3/s400/July2010+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003031652227826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3QhMeu61ba1nOjnF5wuILsv9yWBp-dRqmPp56qQw0T_ibyX0A0SHqWknJ_j0hxbR0PTxpqWp-N2A1aasoOelZk7q-oz8h75suqwfaVRhqBdYZfq4cDbU6-32Gc5ykla5ekzH/s1600/July2010+014.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3QhMeu61ba1nOjnF5wuILsv9yWBp-dRqmPp56qQw0T_ibyX0A0SHqWknJ_j0hxbR0PTxpqWp-N2A1aasoOelZk7q-oz8h75suqwfaVRhqBdYZfq4cDbU6-32Gc5ykla5ekzH/s400/July2010+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003642684900786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxKW8JQtQvcc70Gi0iGI4vwgRuH4VHwafk6n8KgfQ4YetKZNN5BIknftlQxkmJ06j9qRMwmLB4SqgUK4a1edusqSuJodmKJoGFp42BYS3jVQIhFi6f4R_zjaP-FlgMe-6-1vf/s1600/July2010+012.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxKW8JQtQvcc70Gi0iGI4vwgRuH4VHwafk6n8KgfQ4YetKZNN5BIknftlQxkmJ06j9qRMwmLB4SqgUK4a1edusqSuJodmKJoGFp42BYS3jVQIhFi6f4R_zjaP-FlgMe-6-1vf/s400/July2010+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003042033909922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNWtoXSRg_iJUZ-EjhnQpTYl3w7h8fUsVYcUcfQYxnaVLIqmdSaXOe0u3I_NJKZGOm-JDki9BEW3Uo-jVIrbuQPm21c-LNPG3RYTPlr7CU8fzUqL7RLbR6uIYRgWK3F6hsiyJ/s1600/July2010+020.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNWtoXSRg_iJUZ-EjhnQpTYl3w7h8fUsVYcUcfQYxnaVLIqmdSaXOe0u3I_NJKZGOm-JDki9BEW3Uo-jVIrbuQPm21c-LNPG3RYTPlr7CU8fzUqL7RLbR6uIYRgWK3F6hsiyJ/s400/July2010+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502004289237711298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J-Ar8zm3BaQFWaJeKOv8cFbCodBLh_QKXs62QtESyBo3f2EdzHRPVzOizwlULLGCQUpsLMSde-tM48MNaxJXRe-5ZmtHnU2Q7GNbigFNDgVJCpVK-E-Hht8RwDkxxFQ7XTG6/s1600/July2010+010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 367px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J-Ar8zm3BaQFWaJeKOv8cFbCodBLh_QKXs62QtESyBo3f2EdzHRPVzOizwlULLGCQUpsLMSde-tM48MNaxJXRe-5ZmtHnU2Q7GNbigFNDgVJCpVK-E-Hht8RwDkxxFQ7XTG6/s400/July2010+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003026507315778" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLP6VuusmH2y4gD5pvc6-VpWnIvdryL-8PdQAFKZTxiLWbR7RLBvfXiKWuIVhTPLxTguBbgAfcYT8JiHeXOjZg_q8BIXSpOVmiy4IERZRxNLB7zy26_ViDtzbNIj1ECgepzQp/s1600/July2010+021.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLP6VuusmH2y4gD5pvc6-VpWnIvdryL-8PdQAFKZTxiLWbR7RLBvfXiKWuIVhTPLxTguBbgAfcYT8JiHeXOjZg_q8BIXSpOVmiy4IERZRxNLB7zy26_ViDtzbNIj1ECgepzQp/s400/July2010+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502004295017332386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6B4kI6qNld829VlIVCkT_L3HNBAiLFjmjZ_nTwce2mYLxRhZQ_X_mlHas48iX4QzdGtNr2v7ZcYl0LV4MjWLuUSHcSiN4fIZD1SV2WIdiFMzT_il9gwqwG_SmMG4jW99Xg_7/s1600/July2010+009.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6B4kI6qNld829VlIVCkT_L3HNBAiLFjmjZ_nTwce2mYLxRhZQ_X_mlHas48iX4QzdGtNr2v7ZcYl0LV4MjWLuUSHcSiN4fIZD1SV2WIdiFMzT_il9gwqwG_SmMG4jW99Xg_7/s400/July2010+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502003025337960114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-23836656775356205502010-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:002010-04-19T18:36:21.991-07:00I tell myself I'm just thinning them<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9FkIfQnHlWP_Ex13-Y-ypRMFDUqHiDq2SRJ1z8h86gDn8PKYeWUwy1DMgYeFe_1bte65AtBI6i2l1cTUesGWq35VUWKnSfC1wPZQCQqxDCHlHGq109Q1Hoz3GAxiS2S7n05J/s1600/April2010+018.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9FkIfQnHlWP_Ex13-Y-ypRMFDUqHiDq2SRJ1z8h86gDn8PKYeWUwy1DMgYeFe_1bte65AtBI6i2l1cTUesGWq35VUWKnSfC1wPZQCQqxDCHlHGq109Q1Hoz3GAxiS2S7n05J/s400/April2010+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462027286235339490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Cherry Belle Radish<br /></span></div><br /><br />But really it's that I can't wait for them to get big before I eat them.<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-9074304471654441952010-03-27T09:00:00.000-07:002010-03-27T09:00:00.475-07:00Plum Lovely<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrUs_81_DD8-QKkcpp7-_hK9sTYR82vdrWP6mcn3JW3JCRtc4Mzj4G6pgaGvxq6dWm38ZHrocN-DtVSUGgRZ2jXIooLjHJdou4AlF8sprlL1d2b4I2PnVLG8MRONGPM6S2tyl/s1600/March2010+014.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrUs_81_DD8-QKkcpp7-_hK9sTYR82vdrWP6mcn3JW3JCRtc4Mzj4G6pgaGvxq6dWm38ZHrocN-DtVSUGgRZ2jXIooLjHJdou4AlF8sprlL1d2b4I2PnVLG8MRONGPM6S2tyl/s400/March2010+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453074798224187874" border="0" /></a><br />I pruned the plum tree today. It's nice to have flowers in this vase again, even if they aren't the most graceful-looking stems.<br /><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-52013342365362148782010-03-26T14:07:00.000-07:002010-03-26T15:13:31.765-07:00LycopersicomaniaI hope that when the fifth edition of the <a href="http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Research/DSMIV.aspx">DSM</a> is released it will include recognition of my condition--the compulsion to grow more tomatoes than I can possibly use. I'm positive it's a disease. There's no other explanation why an otherwise <span style="font-size:78%;">[relatively]</span> sane gardener would start 12 different varieties of tomatoes (and about 5 seeds of each variety) under lights when she can use maybe 8 plants total.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZgDsM3pOlh_qqGcltNOMMiNli1L4cBvLmDIiRbq8wZ_j2RKm8isIKSVR0d_JDwIC7-u8EtjxJsjng_Ii2WAO9bFtMmHnnDHVanl370lZn5DvN8qFKHJ96Peqj2o-C9cE9x0j/s1600/March2010.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZgDsM3pOlh_qqGcltNOMMiNli1L4cBvLmDIiRbq8wZ_j2RKm8isIKSVR0d_JDwIC7-u8EtjxJsjng_Ii2WAO9bFtMmHnnDHVanl370lZn5DvN8qFKHJ96Peqj2o-C9cE9x0j/s400/March2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453053659779130642" border="0" /></a>Did I mention the cupboard still brimming with jars of marinara and puttanesca sauces, pureed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes? The blobs of tomato paste in the freezer? Apparently I've forgotten how I complained about "the tyranny of the tomato patch" as I picked <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienzw2Oi7gR4o3pZj79ljE8vhYUtkrzQ5mHKeRwohgK4sf0Syd9v8poUQ38gtRq5mhCYOTHRdDQBvdKB0Iob7pDA6RZumCdd2P0J1ZbG9zXVmi7_tYwMrqVI5MnHTTygtdbbc4/s1600/tyranny.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienzw2Oi7gR4o3pZj79ljE8vhYUtkrzQ5mHKeRwohgK4sf0Syd9v8poUQ38gtRq5mhCYOTHRdDQBvdKB0Iob7pDA6RZumCdd2P0J1ZbG9zXVmi7_tYwMrqVI5MnHTTygtdbbc4/s400/tyranny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453063167606370882" border="0" /></a>and pureed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnjih1qJKkyBRDa1fHv9_UxY7E0oKWC7ZUuEzRMXcSO8js8UJb18y5NmnlwztynNesufnDynETNDRAGQCwZKFJA7DPbeRm72XBmWFeQq0jxCrZDocF3b-1O1ueZjewHcNGBoW/s1600/puree.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnjih1qJKkyBRDa1fHv9_UxY7E0oKWC7ZUuEzRMXcSO8js8UJb18y5NmnlwztynNesufnDynETNDRAGQCwZKFJA7DPbeRm72XBmWFeQq0jxCrZDocF3b-1O1ueZjewHcNGBoW/s400/puree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453058707076232178" border="0" /></a> and simmered <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtltPvQ7h1Fol1ThuaeFjbiH-595YbFiXVY7wDy0vYazixgLJYvalYCAv2f5bKRvVfjFMa2brcQia0K2YInmBoyyleTgLUo89hLEskewNm_y-jDlAPSJKqkz9CCgUB2Bkt12Yj/s1600/marinara.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 388px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtltPvQ7h1Fol1ThuaeFjbiH-595YbFiXVY7wDy0vYazixgLJYvalYCAv2f5bKRvVfjFMa2brcQia0K2YInmBoyyleTgLUo89hLEskewNm_y-jDlAPSJKqkz9CCgUB2Bkt12Yj/s400/marinara.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453064480232157842" border="0" /></a><br />and dried <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTc1GG_WdqOck5Fuwe0kXhKh06fQLjbSWVmcwDG3CVZUpKAZzr2TwOM-zFPFC8tpJQHkXro8DqDW1CnS_mw043D0D_xsHr3bVvNIrHGulgxcZXu8cObc3IwTsiYi407fGUt3j0/s1600/cherrytoms.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTc1GG_WdqOck5Fuwe0kXhKh06fQLjbSWVmcwDG3CVZUpKAZzr2TwOM-zFPFC8tpJQHkXro8DqDW1CnS_mw043D0D_xsHr3bVvNIrHGulgxcZXu8cObc3IwTsiYi407fGUt3j0/s400/cherrytoms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453063156753072546" border="0" /></a><br />my way through August. September. October. (It was a long season.)<br /><br />I rationalize. I had such great luck with the heirloom varieties (Goliath, Anna Russian, Costoluto, and Marmande) last summer that I can't resist trying them again. I even grew this beauty!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8zb8R2o6o3NBfsFHFueJ8BJh1ynavEkJL-y7KadnHOEURD0_zZ7vr8h6RRhxvLEYekJjoVtbzyuJf0vm7wdcIlWXilFaITT3z3GtCt2sMD3CTidZDgt99AZoRwP6FrDpBxS2/s1600/19.2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8zb8R2o6o3NBfsFHFueJ8BJh1ynavEkJL-y7KadnHOEURD0_zZ7vr8h6RRhxvLEYekJjoVtbzyuJf0vm7wdcIlWXilFaITT3z3GtCt2sMD3CTidZDgt99AZoRwP6FrDpBxS2/s400/19.2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453063150228623074" border="0" /></a>How can I not try for a 20-ouncer this year?<br /><br />But if this year turns out to be a "cabbage summer" the big beautiful heirloom varieties won't ripen so I need a couple of San Marzanos for sauce, even though I prefer the Costolutos. And if it's a really chilly damp summer, I know I can rely on Ferline and Legend to fight the blight, and for Sungella to ripen no matter what. The obligatory new variety, Mr. Stripey aka Tigerella, promises great yields and wonderful flavor in only 57 days.<br /><br />I thought I was done with cherry tomatoes but last fall I discovered a method for oven-drying tomatoes and I've been enjoying them all winter in salads, scattered over roasted vegetables, pureed to flavor stews, and just for snacking on.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaL2GX803bLHM3zVg4GOsYoUPEy_Civ2evHJffAUU40uegCcLohk5_Ef5kZIHW9V5RzJegJR9IjX701DojyoAIGZ8EBFwlVB0TR_YoJG8LXPawNsG65C1886TkYpBdSVAIT5b/s1600/driedcherrytoms.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaL2GX803bLHM3zVg4GOsYoUPEy_Civ2evHJffAUU40uegCcLohk5_Ef5kZIHW9V5RzJegJR9IjX701DojyoAIGZ8EBFwlVB0TR_YoJG8LXPawNsG65C1886TkYpBdSVAIT5b/s400/driedcherrytoms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453063161302330386" border="0" /></a><br />Finally there are the seeds for a variety from the Azores, Coracao de bois, <strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em></em></strong> a gift from a fellow gardener. I can't wait to see how it performs in the Pacific Northwest, but no matter what, it will be a reminder of a lovely afternoon with <a href="http://veggies-only.blogspot.com/">one of my favorite garden bloggers</a>.<br /><br />Did I mention the hereditary nature of this disease? I remember my mother used to start literally hundreds of tomatoes in the house every spring. They covered every window sill and the dining room table. I have reason to suspect at least one of my siblings is similarly afflicted.<br /><br />I guess until they find a cure for Lycopersicomania I'll be grateful for fellow gardeners who seem happy to take my extra plants off my hands. And I guess we'll be having pasta with tomato sauce for dinner tonight. Gotta' use it up in the next 4 months!<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-66635368248321181772010-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:002010-03-05T14:18:14.104-08:00A touch of the tropicsUnless I stand up and move around, the view from my office is mostly that of grey skies, rain, other office buildings, plus <a href="http://www.arcspace.com/architects/koolhaas/Seattle/">one architectural delight</a>. But, on my windowsill. . .<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFRrLKK1nnGZkNhXq5godev3dozNvzLpmifgdhyphenhyphenBqWngc6Y1cEtT80KPDyaMSzEH7Qdns3TXVl3dNihSPMkcIaQcEp_lWboC0AJOJoTbnh4uI3yitNOFrj9a65ZjGlUBKh8_i/s1600-h/cymbidium2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFRrLKK1nnGZkNhXq5godev3dozNvzLpmifgdhyphenhyphenBqWngc6Y1cEtT80KPDyaMSzEH7Qdns3TXVl3dNihSPMkcIaQcEp_lWboC0AJOJoTbnh4uI3yitNOFrj9a65ZjGlUBKh8_i/s400/cymbidium2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445276873834828450" border="0" /></a>it's a tropical paradise.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-1697617036520559642010-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:002010-03-04T13:58:46.195-08:00Objects in winter may be tougher than they appear.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UK_Jv2r0of46b5zBVOEP-879BiBwgJePP_M9SldAyonVpQj0Bq0Nzdzq0nRbhhzrSoTxqwiWB-qz7k9nqgkWnD7AXkyrKW-UtbwGtjO2jAPL5yEM2VhJG67LA82dry6ZuGh7/s1600-h/rhodie3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UK_Jv2r0of46b5zBVOEP-879BiBwgJePP_M9SldAyonVpQj0Bq0Nzdzq0nRbhhzrSoTxqwiWB-qz7k9nqgkWnD7AXkyrKW-UtbwGtjO2jAPL5yEM2VhJG67LA82dry6ZuGh7/s400/rhodie3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444530322838667698" border="0" /></a>This deciduous azalea, <span style="font-style: italic;">rhododendron mucronulatum</span>, starts blooming in February even when there is snow on the ground. The flowers are the most delicate in appearance of anything in the garden. It always amazes me that something so fragile-looking could be so tough.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmdAx83mdSwM4wHt5tywIfb1gu5VfM7-OA7d52qGdqoRa0PEi6jrmP3t1GzQHWNepZapEOSBIU9vmDaXYgeH2YJP2Ruw-5XEXUi-IgPue4mJVjPhoIydhLC6eH8qjD8QUmtx5/s1600-h/rhodie2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 368px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmdAx83mdSwM4wHt5tywIfb1gu5VfM7-OA7d52qGdqoRa0PEi6jrmP3t1GzQHWNepZapEOSBIU9vmDaXYgeH2YJP2Ruw-5XEXUi-IgPue4mJVjPhoIydhLC6eH8qjD8QUmtx5/s400/rhodie2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444530314018190290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-24533442604777014772010-03-03T07:54:00.000-08:002010-03-04T10:13:59.404-08:00Worth the wait<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fDqYzn_wCIwFm2YtXJY5AaUNuzo3CI5EzVPrFbOiLgbXSz2U4qJRS4YUtVdYmoJgce5WLA5VaIrhjwx1qEXZ8CjcRT7fOb4MuG2pXdSeHCP1b8aPeuABo62Dg9nBylJjdLm4/s1600-h/hazel2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fDqYzn_wCIwFm2YtXJY5AaUNuzo3CI5EzVPrFbOiLgbXSz2U4qJRS4YUtVdYmoJgce5WLA5VaIrhjwx1qEXZ8CjcRT7fOb4MuG2pXdSeHCP1b8aPeuABo62Dg9nBylJjdLm4/s400/hazel2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444437819252669298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I planted a winter hazel in my front bed so many years ago I no longer remember the name of the cultivar, although I probably have it written down somewhere. This winter it is blooming for the first time. I've been enjoying it for about a month now, when I pruned it and noticed the buds. This week the shrub itself burst into bloom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijg_38HrfBjnAt0fMu20KICJKDqpkm0vn8fap1Hn47P3Hf5nxIL7rWbubk22fhgUXbpsenE-T09aFB9_NNJpuxqzQwUId3XkeVT5zUgcUKxXr8Z9X0MudBtOkqj9jr5BgW0dns/s1600-h/hazel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijg_38HrfBjnAt0fMu20KICJKDqpkm0vn8fap1Hn47P3Hf5nxIL7rWbubk22fhgUXbpsenE-T09aFB9_NNJpuxqzQwUId3XkeVT5zUgcUKxXr8Z9X0MudBtOkqj9jr5BgW0dns/s400/hazel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444437810095292370" border="0" /></a><br />I love it when the branch that most needs to be removed from the plant is also the perfect one to display in a vase.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-45242437133159357092010-03-02T13:45:00.000-08:002010-03-02T13:55:49.728-08:00Winter SaladMache, aka corn salad, aka lamb's lettuce, or if we want to be precise, <i>Valerianella locusta</i>, self-sows (enthusiastically so) along the south side of my garden shed. It's usually the first harvest of the growing season. A handful of sweet violets makes a perfect garnish for this soft, almost buttery-tasting green.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyHAseBJ_ZwNYDZkSQk2EL2GmnTuX2RA5IDaK53BLsLwr2Sd9aufUtZmminTCEEQsl7xHY81K0ZjNsRucOkrcsNQHWuDGYo7RwbeuKAMloXCiT_R6wg_nwqYzYzYX6O1h_U7K/s1600-h/february+salad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyHAseBJ_ZwNYDZkSQk2EL2GmnTuX2RA5IDaK53BLsLwr2Sd9aufUtZmminTCEEQsl7xHY81K0ZjNsRucOkrcsNQHWuDGYo7RwbeuKAMloXCiT_R6wg_nwqYzYzYX6O1h_U7K/s400/february+salad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444157197467021138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">At the risk of damaging my locavore cred. I will admit to adding a chopped up orange or two to the salad bowl.</span> <span style="font-size:78%;">It's a perfect combination.<br /></span><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-29245102161052612842009-06-26T17:40:00.000-07:002009-06-26T18:12:18.471-07:00June harvestGoodness, it's been a long time since I've visited my blog. Chalk it up to the project that ate my brain at work, lots of visiting family, and the demands of my garden. At this rate I hardly dare show my face tomorrow at our SAGBUTT gathering (Kruckeberg Botanic Garden; check our Facebook group for details).<br /><br />Last year I wanted to see if I could harvest fresh vegetables 12 months a year and I surprised even myself by doing so, easily. I continued to harvest carrots planted last year right up until May, when some carrots that were part of a salad mixture sown in the greenhouse this winter, were ready to pull. I ran out of leeks and turnips and parsnips by the end of March but I'm sure if I had planned better I'd have been able to harvest them for a couple more months. I'm still cutting kale from that same winter sowing. The other salad greens are just a memory.<br /><br />This month it's lots of long green things--fava beans, anaheim chilis, shelling peas, spring onions, baby garlic, garlic scapes:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN-wjBSFAHNqHgScx_qP6Bli2iq22wYfGUOodIja9-5DNhjuIvSV2Ji9OxDAvJij7KW8l-Ez0Afwn8GgJch-1rGcRoajQ4ODC2f91_wFi4cfoL8HDvQ6Bnuj98Qtj4D1GV4N2/s1600-h/juneharvest+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkN-wjBSFAHNqHgScx_qP6Bli2iq22wYfGUOodIja9-5DNhjuIvSV2Ji9OxDAvJij7KW8l-Ez0Afwn8GgJch-1rGcRoajQ4ODC2f91_wFi4cfoL8HDvQ6Bnuj98Qtj4D1GV4N2/s400/juneharvest+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351801205416165346" border="0" /></a>The fava beans are a new variety (for me), <a href="http://www.tmseeds.com/product/146.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Imperial Green Longpod</span></a>. They weren't kidding about the long part.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfY2vlD_2lH9krUn_tbfC_RSC6b8yRRsypMX0tU3dGQnfWOO8oU1CjV7yWb4L6w73KX6X8JBcMDHVNfZNLS_NrM-COr5Wki7LUgtBwvWzj1-99sqbdYov8Jrtj5g6tTclVV-Z/s1600-h/juneharvest+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfY2vlD_2lH9krUn_tbfC_RSC6b8yRRsypMX0tU3dGQnfWOO8oU1CjV7yWb4L6w73KX6X8JBcMDHVNfZNLS_NrM-COr5Wki7LUgtBwvWzj1-99sqbdYov8Jrtj5g6tTclVV-Z/s400/juneharvest+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351801212262012210" border="0" /></a>I planted my favas last November, covering them with a lightweight row cover so they wouldn't get washed out by rain or eaten by mice. I really think I need to start planting more things in the fall and early winter. Parsnips planted in early spring are a disaster for me. The one year I planted them in January I had a great crop.<br /><br />I'm going to try to keep a tally of my harvest this year just to get an idea of the economic value of my "puttering in the garden" as the undergardener puts it. I've arbitrarily declared the gardening year to begin in June. So far this gardening year I've harvested 4# shelling peas, 4# fava beans, 6 anaheim chilis, a couple of green bell peppers, 12 carrots, 10 heads of garlic, 3# of kale, sorrel, and basil.<br /><br />Ready in a week or two: <a href="http://www.tmseeds.com/product/355.html">Cucino cucumbers</a>, and <a href="http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/322/2/">Parthenon zucchini</a>.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-9145739350205136742009-02-26T21:48:00.000-08:002009-02-26T22:37:19.877-08:00Starting TomatoesI planted my tomato seeds this evening. It seemed like the right thing to do on a raw, snowy day.<br /><br />Tiger Mountain is not a good location for growing tomatoes. The nights are cool (rarely above 50 degrees), the ground stays even colder on account of the numerous springs and seeps just below the topsoil . Still, I wouldn't be much of a gardener if I weren't willing to rise to the challenge.<br /><br />Over the last 10 years I've learned a few tricks to keeping the tomato patch a little warmer than the rest of the garden. And this will be the fourth year that I've hedged my bets by planting a few tomatoes in the greenhouse where I can really coddle them. Every once in awhile we have a warmer than usual summer, and I'm blessed with all the tomatoes I can possibly eat and preserve. And every year around this time, hope trumps experience and I start seeds of varieties that, if it's a warm summer, will maybe give me a few really nice slicing tomatoes, probably in September.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHryWIkuDYxUTBDuBUm2Di7kSDPjCqQ_pPc1ddBQhWUjfjWakTA0chMq6_QaAJfxJxnQgyXxBy9uFS1KvAPQvWheQ2nl52_Pg7dv4u61TDtR48lOLBFfJCZPr34vAqx-EXQ9g/s1600-h/sanmarzanos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHryWIkuDYxUTBDuBUm2Di7kSDPjCqQ_pPc1ddBQhWUjfjWakTA0chMq6_QaAJfxJxnQgyXxBy9uFS1KvAPQvWheQ2nl52_Pg7dv4u61TDtR48lOLBFfJCZPr34vAqx-EXQ9g/s400/sanmarzanos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307353615562257730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">San Marzano</span> is my standby for cooking and canning. It's loaded with pectin, and not very juicy at all so it makes wonderful thick sauce. This one is most reliable in the greenhouse, but I get bigger harvests from the ones I plant outside.Fortunately the green ones ripen well indoors.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stupice</span> isn't the tastiest tomato by any means but I know that no matter how cold a summer we have, I will get some ripe tomatoes from this plant. They'll be small and misshapen, but by god, I will have my tomatoes!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Ferline</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Legend</span> are my hedge against early blight if we have a wet summer with cool nights. I can't tell the two apart, but I continue to plant both, and marvel that a disease-resistant tomato of such perfect appearance could also taste so good.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Loveheart</span>, because one must have a cherry tomato.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sungella</span> is like the popular Sungold cultivar, but a little bigger, about the size of a hen's egg. It produces reliably no matter what kind of a summer we're having, and it's so good I don't know why I bother with Stupice, except that the undergardener is deeply suspicious of tomatoes that are not red.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Early Goliath</span> is the only beefsteak-type tomato I have ever gotten to ripen outdoors here. It's worth battling the slugs for these. They're that good.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Marmande</span> is getting a second try. I've tasted this one and know how wonderful it is, but I didn't get a single ripe one last summer.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Anna Russia</span>n is another "stretch" tomato. Last year I didn't get any ripe ones. Two summers ago I got a few, and they were so good I just have to try again and hope for a hot summer.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Early Girl</span>, only because the seeds were free and I remember growing this one in Utah, where just a couple plants bore well enough to give me a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes every few days.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Costeluto Genovese</span> is a new one for me. It's an old Italian cooking variety and I don't know what I was thinking. The climate here is nothing like Genoa.<br /><br />Last year I surrounded my plants with gallon jugs of water. The idea was that the water would heat up during the day and keep the plants a little warmer at night. It seemed to help. This year I'm going to paint the jugs black so the water will get even warmer during the day. And I'm going to erect a cloche over the bed to keep the plants covered at night and on cool days.<br /><br />This is going to be the year for abundant ripe tomatoes. I can feel it. I have hope.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-63484706875545604372009-02-15T23:59:00.000-08:002009-02-16T10:16:29.670-08:00GBBD February 2009Not much to write because this behemoth is working its way through a couple acres of neglected pasture right now and it's fun to watch it chew up years of overgrown brambles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsLX2BvZoylZ8XFe9nwy9I0i5QvGIUmAyQyjCONb2rrAuNHypev71Egp3JOxbE71E_YC_SHLYHNinNg_YyZVsdntwZDIDFPzOcAeWXQcZ9KddxMKujvnXRJwjcWvqKVw0667w/s1600-h/feb09+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsLX2BvZoylZ8XFe9nwy9I0i5QvGIUmAyQyjCONb2rrAuNHypev71Egp3JOxbE71E_YC_SHLYHNinNg_YyZVsdntwZDIDFPzOcAeWXQcZ9KddxMKujvnXRJwjcWvqKVw0667w/s400/feb09+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303459101171455986" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the garden: snowdrops (almost), cyclamen coum, hellebore, and black pussy willow<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhng7Sl4_eFBhHDSmLEmLsAiDpW6Tw8DwHPodaTuTAE8bBNQn7MkjSn4nMbegqJBEB_U4Stn652n-ZuaJe93DN6VjH2V58ufDS__X-JTvPW6qJAP0h851yfIektE6x2uKKm-80Y/s1600-h/snowdrops.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhng7Sl4_eFBhHDSmLEmLsAiDpW6Tw8DwHPodaTuTAE8bBNQn7MkjSn4nMbegqJBEB_U4Stn652n-ZuaJe93DN6VjH2V58ufDS__X-JTvPW6qJAP0h851yfIektE6x2uKKm-80Y/s400/snowdrops.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303459093709056594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGldkY7J0lbPngPrDR8BuPJ5WCsxpYtXlTdGlwNXGpCYZWOJ30kY4yWSzJ0KaPVmwalqdaCP6AR5t8hQr41vjQ3IVwJXbq3zhDAsHS8yvncFnQCFQfVrWIlBcRgRBE2dk7QaAa/s1600-h/cyclamen+coum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGldkY7J0lbPngPrDR8BuPJ5WCsxpYtXlTdGlwNXGpCYZWOJ30kY4yWSzJ0KaPVmwalqdaCP6AR5t8hQr41vjQ3IVwJXbq3zhDAsHS8yvncFnQCFQfVrWIlBcRgRBE2dk7QaAa/s400/cyclamen+coum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303459097394040306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FZt0J9hauFEkhQZiAmbjOssOqgzo4f3fZxH-Bj_e3TvyYTPl_FrwnJ1eqYyQB7HKXA0dv5QYTGY-TXUzg9wKx9zDjKBTVg3gAqD2HtHkMNaIvhpEMnwK17mf6QUdgbyxxljN/s1600-h/hellebore.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0FZt0J9hauFEkhQZiAmbjOssOqgzo4f3fZxH-Bj_e3TvyYTPl_FrwnJ1eqYyQB7HKXA0dv5QYTGY-TXUzg9wKx9zDjKBTVg3gAqD2HtHkMNaIvhpEMnwK17mf6QUdgbyxxljN/s400/hellebore.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303459226279902498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUcg9br4nIfnMQ2Ypr0M9hKa1i9WBDekpyKXUVBGmit0KzdZQ9novNIJT71YB557zFw75uu90Z5yQR-zWVoVtCf4VIZo7a60_K0mf9rRXUVKVpR6Ht1U6gmlsqaXAAILCGqaR/s1600-h/pussy+willow2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUcg9br4nIfnMQ2Ypr0M9hKa1i9WBDekpyKXUVBGmit0KzdZQ9novNIJT71YB557zFw75uu90Z5yQR-zWVoVtCf4VIZo7a60_K0mf9rRXUVKVpR6Ht1U6gmlsqaXAAILCGqaR/s400/pussy+willow2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303459100415100642" border="0" /></a><br />In the woods: hazel (so why won't my garden hazels bloom for me? They have far better growing conditions than these nut trees!), and skunk cabbage.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDxHTKC_BPBGrrA9vGiJpH09Jw7eg1RSbxbbVsjL3Bm6knz9vTFRaUN4fOlHFtjVmw7WVgzAUcoob3sp3XqXM6IKHRirruiHpfTE67Oc9EKZ9e5k4Qx8VeNMiNE4Cl16n8xZr/s1600-h/hazel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDxHTKC_BPBGrrA9vGiJpH09Jw7eg1RSbxbbVsjL3Bm6knz9vTFRaUN4fOlHFtjVmw7WVgzAUcoob3sp3XqXM6IKHRirruiHpfTE67Oc9EKZ9e5k4Qx8VeNMiNE4Cl16n8xZr/s400/hazel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303459109815699394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XrJOZ-dXCOZU8jSJ3fh9YPfZcuSuWuVX6yicRioo0H_1mIg7znGzBoHmmEGteJxaaRz2V_5sHQ3c3oZy8fDOHI6JLq6QWGrGznrXL9cjzKT-9CAKnBo-NbU-W1HwsPmHpgdJ/s1600-h/skunk+cabbage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2XrJOZ-dXCOZU8jSJ3fh9YPfZcuSuWuVX6yicRioo0H_1mIg7znGzBoHmmEGteJxaaRz2V_5sHQ3c3oZy8fDOHI6JLq6QWGrGznrXL9cjzKT-9CAKnBo-NbU-W1HwsPmHpgdJ/s400/skunk+cabbage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303460343747482610" border="0" /></a>To see more pictures of what's in bloom around the world, head on over to <a href="http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com">Carol's place</a>.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-62733105317618456402009-02-14T09:35:00.000-08:002009-02-16T10:06:22.623-08:00February Harvest<span style="font-style: italic;">Updated to edit photo of garden bloggers.</span> ;)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZfXtC2VoI8Es9D_Hs_h8b-6kDRYvUWYcworHegzHF2u-AdASyoQG7tZ3okYqvub21xvaPnlctLUvNKzu5Q_SVqTqqKulKepz7K0BGrPj0B3q-VeyqAACqUbqS2oYAsx4_cMl/s1600-h/february+harvest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZfXtC2VoI8Es9D_Hs_h8b-6kDRYvUWYcworHegzHF2u-AdASyoQG7tZ3okYqvub21xvaPnlctLUvNKzu5Q_SVqTqqKulKepz7K0BGrPj0B3q-VeyqAACqUbqS2oYAsx4_cMl/s400/february+harvest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302719500744090498" border="0" /></a><br />Looking a little weatherbeaten but still very edible, brussel sprouts and kale (winterbor, red russian, and tuscan black). I used to regard brussel sprouts that didn't form nice tight buds as a failure until I discovered <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/shredded-brussels-sprouts-apples-recipe.html">this recipe</a>, which is actually easier to prepare when the sprouts are loose and leafy than when they are firm and rolling around on the cutting board.<br /><br />From the ground: scallions, turnips, carrots, rutabaga, jerusalem artichokes, one beet (the rest were too small to bother with), and one potato that I missed when I dug last fall. I dug around in vain to find some more parsnips but I must have gotten them all last month. The potato, which grew from one I missed the previous year, is in better shape than the ones I have in storage, making me think that some varieties, at least, might be better off left in the bed and dug as needed.<br /><br />Celery, garlic chives, and miner's lettuce are still going strong in the (unheated) greenhouse.<br /><br />The jute coffee bean bag on the ground represents a harvest of a different kind---a wonderful crop of new acquaintances, courtesy of the first Seattle Area Garden Bloggers Meetup, which some of still cannot resist calling SAGBUTT. We're a diverse bunch, ranging from professional to amateur gardeners, from talented artists and designers to the aesthetically-challenged (that would be me), from people who love to write to those for whom writing is like passing a kidney stone (that would be me, again). We all left the get-together looking forward to the next one, our heads full of shared ideas, and our arms full of shared produce, flowers, and the wonderful jute bags that <a href="http://petunias-garden.blogspot.com/">Paula</a> brought, some of which are now keeping the grass down on some of my more challenging garden paths. Thanks, <a href="http://greenwalks.wordpress.com/">Karen</a> and <a href="http://www.gardeness.com/">Melanthia</a>, for helping to bring us together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTTDbwavv7oz-fYMG0xTZYzXtzQC7oU8ywWr5flyZqyiN11NUVqbVPTyI_30eIUJa8s9ra4kyyPEf1_jpB_SZ9o0PgeBScZ-OmkgxozTheVhYJikG4BZbvaJqwPBza-682vng/s1600-h/new_sagbutts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTTDbwavv7oz-fYMG0xTZYzXtzQC7oU8ywWr5flyZqyiN11NUVqbVPTyI_30eIUJa8s9ra4kyyPEf1_jpB_SZ9o0PgeBScZ-OmkgxozTheVhYJikG4BZbvaJqwPBza-682vng/s400/new_sagbutts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303457901274053330" border="0" /></a>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-84767748696792090102009-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:002009-01-14T20:23:14.901-08:00I got Nuthin'For this month's <a href="http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a>, I mean. <a href="http://lifeontigermountain.blogspot.com/2008/01/first-bloom-day-of-2008.html">Last year</a> I had quite a few things--<span style="font-style: italic;">sarcococca ruscifolia</span>, a hellebore, and a hardy cyclamen, but this year even the flowering houseplants are dormant. (Or they are dead from neglect. I'm not good with plants that I can't water with a garden hose.) So all I can offer is my Christmas wreath, festooned with dried hydrangea and sedum flowers (the brown stuff that doesn't look like pine cones):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWgebkr6bdWhiu2O0Gbdz3WOlzODOIS8_XAtaZ5AyecOG2YpTw7Q8XBhDXcvyMqekBvcmlOtMlJGhARTC1vpHb75j89RuzPFp895zcmqWqG2_HHRodVh_m-VcmTeaByXX-93b/s1600-h/january08+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWgebkr6bdWhiu2O0Gbdz3WOlzODOIS8_XAtaZ5AyecOG2YpTw7Q8XBhDXcvyMqekBvcmlOtMlJGhARTC1vpHb75j89RuzPFp895zcmqWqG2_HHRodVh_m-VcmTeaByXX-93b/s400/january08+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291367910162375698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />and this cabbage 'Pyramid' that refused to form a proper head, and looks kind of like a flower.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoMQTozg9WuEeFBwMu0uyrBSwPPfpGbx-H3K6aELTXixjCk9CP9w2FS_hnIw7PfvI5d6kCTd5yJBFCM-U5fxKC90dysROMs6sTnHIHYn7G_nrUmthk5IXwpi63tySG94qYCDi/s1600-h/january08+032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 379px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoMQTozg9WuEeFBwMu0uyrBSwPPfpGbx-H3K6aELTXixjCk9CP9w2FS_hnIw7PfvI5d6kCTd5yJBFCM-U5fxKC90dysROMs6sTnHIHYn7G_nrUmthk5IXwpi63tySG94qYCDi/s400/january08+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291367263815155202" border="0" /></a><br />However, I do have something really fine--salad greens, and I didn't even have to plant them. They just self-seeded in a bed in my greenhouse. Turns out that miner's lettuce (claytonia) is pretty frost-tolerant.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgQQkl2krVQD7QDXVU1RcSpuYGC2cNNwuxt1pUDqAXEGTzyVVsEi04dO1EjEqg8jPe5BlxABtzdRd__bU75VXEA_k__6lEUFbvMFNoIgcyDPToAFP9kr8hPO-9rm0zGV4x0gE/s1600-h/january08+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgQQkl2krVQD7QDXVU1RcSpuYGC2cNNwuxt1pUDqAXEGTzyVVsEi04dO1EjEqg8jPe5BlxABtzdRd__bU75VXEA_k__6lEUFbvMFNoIgcyDPToAFP9kr8hPO-9rm0zGV4x0gE/s400/january08+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291367911067716898" border="0" /></a>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-65930664592658222332009-01-11T19:49:00.004-08:002009-01-11T20:03:55.798-08:00So I got this mini-bottle of <a href="http://www.stgermain.fr/">St. Germain Elderflower liqueur</a> in my Christmas stocking and the tag on the bottle suggested mixing it with champagne. It just happens that there was a bottle of<a href="http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com/2006/12/german-sparkling-wine-nv-schloss.html"> very inexpensive sparkling wine</a> in my pantry and I was in the mood for something spritzy tonight.<br /><br />Oh. My. God. Talk about your elixer of the gods, this is it. I'm a bit of a nut for elderflower anything. When I can find it there's usually a bottle of elderflower syrup in the frig, ready to mix with sparkling water, on those rare hot summer days and on those dark drizzly days when you think summer, hot or otherwise, will never come again.<br /><br />When I googled for an image of the bottle, itself a cool object, I discovered that<a href="http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2007/12/flowers-booze-a.html"> one of the Garden Ranters had discovered St. Germain</a>. I'm tempted to start a garden club just so I can serve elderflower cocktails at the first meeting.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-27391776776826143772009-01-05T13:58:00.001-08:002009-01-05T14:00:53.086-08:00Meet-up!Karen over at <a href="http://greenwalks.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/were-on/">Greenwalks</a> has organized a meetup for Seattle-area garden bloggers. It's Saturday February 7, at the Center for Urban Horticulture, and I bet lurkers would be welcome, too. Thanks, Karen, for making this happen.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-1323453301136519432009-01-04T16:09:00.004-08:002009-01-04T19:23:58.260-08:00January HarvestSure there's a freezer full of summer vegetables, and there are still plenty of potatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, garlic, and shallots stored in the pantry and the garage. But those are for the nights when I come home long after dark, or those weekends when it's too miserable to want to do anything outside. On a raw but otherwise decent Sunday in early January, it's fun to push aside the mulch* and dig up leeks, parsnips, yellow carrots, and a beautiful red cabbage.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKRuzL5dSxz9UzChZFn8DSDREW0sV0hFuovcpgohWR2kh_9a9Gs0iaHJvFSEOE_x9aGltqd7-Q5GNRP5IA07NNmf1g9gmzH396kBt2U2EKdE_0I9YNYXwVxfz7tilYVbMcvBK/s1600-h/12009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKRuzL5dSxz9UzChZFn8DSDREW0sV0hFuovcpgohWR2kh_9a9Gs0iaHJvFSEOE_x9aGltqd7-Q5GNRP5IA07NNmf1g9gmzH396kBt2U2EKdE_0I9YNYXwVxfz7tilYVbMcvBK/s400/12009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287597128517888098" border="0" /></a><br /><br />*This year I wanted to see which crops would winter over, given enough protection. I buried a couple of beds ~two feet deep in big-leaf maple leaves, kept in place with wire-mesh panels forming hoops over the beds. So far I've successfully protected all of my root vegetables from temperatures in the low teens. The kale, brussel sprouts, and cabbages seem to be doing okay without any protection.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-83678154551607878412009-01-01T11:03:00.002-08:002009-01-01T11:48:41.263-08:00Essentials SchmessentialsHat tip to <a href="http://pandagon.net">Pandagon</a> for this one. According to the <a href="http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/323/luxury-or-necessity">Pew Research Center</a> the list of things Americans (meaning people living in the USA) consider essential is growing. Their list in order of necessity, and my $.02:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Car.</span> Unfortunately yes. I have nothing against bicycles, but I live 8 miles from town, 10 miles from the transit hub. Via a busy 2-lane road with little to no shoulder. And it rains here. Hard. A lot.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clothes Washer.</span> Yes. It's a quality of life thing.Nearly every item of clothing I own is washable, including most things that say "dry clean only". And again, it's about10 miles to the nearest coin laundry.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clothes Dryer.</span> I have one and use it but I could get along without it. I already dry quite a bit of my clothing on racks.<br /></li><li style="font-weight: bold;">Home Air Conditioning. <span style="font-weight: normal;">Don't have it, don't miss it.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">That says more about the Tiger Mountain microclimate than it does about my stoicism in the face of a heatwave.</span><br /></li><li style="font-weight: bold;">Microwave. <span style="font-weight: normal;">Have one but I consider it a convenience more than an essential.</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">TV set</span>. Does it count if there's no antenna so it can only be used for watching movies? My next computer monitor will be both larger and more clear, so the TV set can get the boot.<br /></li><li style="font-weight: bold;">Car Air Conditioning. <span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm glad I have it, but I grew up with the "Model 460 A/C" (all four windows rolled down and 60 mph) and it wasn't so bad. See local microclimate above.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span> <br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Home Computer</span>. Oh yes. It lets me work from home, thus saving me a lot of commute time and driving in general.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cell Phone</span>. My employer says yes, so I guess it's a necessity. Most of the people who work for or with me are a couple of time zones away, so the phone gets used a lot. Also I wouldn't know what's going on in younger daughter's life if she couldn't text me.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dishwasher</span>. I love it but I could live without it.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cable or Satellite TV</span>. Don't have it, don't want it.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">High Speed Internet</span>. See home computer, above.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flat Screen TV</span>. Don't have it don't want it. Love my flat screen computer monitor, though.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">iPod</span>. Seriously? Okay, I admit it, I deeply covet YD's iPod Touch, which came free with her laptop. But not enough to go out and buy one of my own. I do have an inexpensive MP3 player with FM radio, and it's the radio part that I consider essential. During last year's lengthy power outage it was our only source of information about road conditions, school closings, etc.</li></ul>Because I consider so few things on that list essential, I believe I'm entitled to add a few essentials of my own:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Land of my own (without restrictive covenants)</span>. Land that I can use for planting a garden, raising chickens, hanging clothes out to dry, and just providing an escape from the unnatural world.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">A wood-burning stove</span>. Not just for power outages, either. There's just no heat like the heat that comes from a wood fire.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Endless running water</span>. When the power goes out so does our well. It's nice to be able to fetch buckets from the creek to flush the toilet, and wash ourselves.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">A cat or two</span>. I've had a cat or two or more for all but a few years in my life, and those were not the best years.</li></ul>How about you? What's essential to your everyday life?Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-84364686729539975682008-12-31T09:40:00.001-08:002009-01-02T18:11:57.388-08:00Good Riddance<a href="http://www.imagechef.com/ic/make.jsp?tid=Beach" target="_blank"> <img src="http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/081231/samp71cb4a536ab767c6.jpg" alt="Beach custom comment codes for MySpace, Hi5, Friendster and more - ImageChef.com" /> </a><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTIzMDc*NTIxODYwOSZwdD*xMjMwNzQ1MjU*OTg*JnA9MTE5MzEmZD1zdGFuZGFyZCZuPWJsb2dnZXImZz*xJnQ9Jm89NGUwOTE3ZTA*MWFkNGU*ZWJlMDJmZjIwYTRmNTE3NWY=.gif" border="0" width="0" height="0" />Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-25301583617691425532008-04-19T10:38:00.004-07:002008-04-19T10:45:14.063-07:00Cruel, even by April standards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uvgud8YjZvUELj6X-9oQ0la72DyaedeYLfq6PjDJ9iX6t_Q9KewIVzeSupswJV_RfdreYrkqUeftdC7CCyracgL4IVs0fZMo0j9A9t4YlncNgbOJ0ywNshV9PHhEkEeZkG9f/s1600-h/april+show+showers+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uvgud8YjZvUELj6X-9oQ0la72DyaedeYLfq6PjDJ9iX6t_Q9KewIVzeSupswJV_RfdreYrkqUeftdC7CCyracgL4IVs0fZMo0j9A9t4YlncNgbOJ0ywNshV9PHhEkEeZkG9f/s400/april+show+showers+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191012783866217842" border="0" /></a><br />It's snowing on the lower flanks of Tiger Mountain. And doing its best to stick. That little 'Frost' Peach in the foreground? In a typical year every single blossom sets fruit and I have to thin hundreds, if not thousands of tiny green peaches so that I can get a crop of good-sized peaches that don't break the branches. I'm thinking that won't be necessary this year, unless there are some very determined and cold-tolerant bees out there.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-61240942672078023922008-04-15T16:26:00.005-07:002008-04-15T17:09:01.113-07:00The usual suspectsFor <a href="http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/2008/04/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-april-2008.html">garden bloggers' bloom day</a> I was going to point you to <a href="http://lifeontigermountain.blogspot.com/2007/04/late-to-party-again.html">last April's entry</a> and say "same old, same old" but it's not the same old at all. It's more like <a href="http://lifeontigermountain.blogspot.com/2007/03/now-appearing.html">last March</a>. This year the bleeding hearts are barely poking their leaves above the ground, no buds on the maples, no trillium in the woods, no elderberry, salmonberry, or camas lily, no rhodies, no cherry blossoms, no apple blossoms, and no tulips, although blame there can probably be placed on two naughty goats who figured out that the fence charger was on the fritz and wriggled under the mesh to browse amongst the perennials.<br /><br />What's blooming, or about to break into bloom:<br /><ul><li>anemone nemerosa</li><li>azalea (but only the one in the very warmest spot)</li><li>camellia japonica (one, with a single bud)</li><li>daffodils</li><li>daphne odora</li><li>forsythia (late!)</li><li>hepatica</li><li>hellebores</li><li>hyacinth</li><li>spireathunbergii</li></ul><br />In the orchard:<br /><ul><li>peach tree</li></ul><br />In the woods:<br /><ul><li>Indian plum</li><li>wild cherry,</li><li>skunk cabbage</li></ul><br />In the lawn:<br /><ul><li>dandelions</li></ul><br />And, in two hanging baskets on my porch, inadvertently ignored on every bloom day post since they were planted back in September, frozen countless times, watered only by the snow and rain, these incredibly stalwart violas.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0qaiF-P8jHw5ASLHEQqiMuh7SqM2-IvDGiK8u629vWe-0ndpWnSlS6SkxGMNcTvja7EcsngstlJ-8qMi-2XFRWf5UbC9r8aa0V1VBuuaXZShe9q9PgyAjwWnrDPrFbfeVtye/s1600-h/Saba+et+fluers+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0qaiF-P8jHw5ASLHEQqiMuh7SqM2-IvDGiK8u629vWe-0ndpWnSlS6SkxGMNcTvja7EcsngstlJ-8qMi-2XFRWf5UbC9r8aa0V1VBuuaXZShe9q9PgyAjwWnrDPrFbfeVtye/s400/Saba+et+fluers+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189621519577969170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzKN-I35fRBr0DYzi-_mXCFrXD0ddfZfNAmufpyQBVeUStPO3GkqJk95BImvvvd-1f8_lqWg91TcFOJUqKKnW-jj46SVi9aqJsyvuSncSGYh2xRJ3F4aFN5ODTJvXR9LFfI0M/s1600-h/Saba+et+fluers+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzKN-I35fRBr0DYzi-_mXCFrXD0ddfZfNAmufpyQBVeUStPO3GkqJk95BImvvvd-1f8_lqWg91TcFOJUqKKnW-jj46SVi9aqJsyvuSncSGYh2xRJ3F4aFN5ODTJvXR9LFfI0M/s400/Saba+et+fluers+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189621515283001858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzDk2mbs2_LTiDtxREVReVWgDVsiPzkbpsHTTBOOK8tOGWaVqys5cWpXbNVBsNcPWfKF5D4Q48SOqlUjg6ZR3yQe8nqfboEcSfjt4aIjxhVm-zkadj0SjQjICs_a1JbAUf_1S/s1600-h/Saba+et+fluers+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzDk2mbs2_LTiDtxREVReVWgDVsiPzkbpsHTTBOOK8tOGWaVqys5cWpXbNVBsNcPWfKF5D4Q48SOqlUjg6ZR3yQe8nqfboEcSfjt4aIjxhVm-zkadj0SjQjICs_a1JbAUf_1S/s400/Saba+et+fluers+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189621510988034546" border="0" /></a>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30050151.post-31321482112067621462008-04-11T11:27:00.003-07:002008-04-11T14:12:07.571-07:00Friday Five and a Puppy PicturePosting has been extremely light for, um, the last six months or so. Blame it on too much travel for the high-tech career that funds my low-tech gardening, baking, and livestock-raising lifestyle. Or the weather. Or an unshakable ennui that seems to be lifting, finally, with a return to longer days.<br /><br />In an attempt to return to regular posting I'm going to fall back two blogger standbys--a silly list and a cute animal picture. My cats are both notoriously private creatures and so old as to not be particularly cute. So it falls to the puppy, who is 14 weeks old today, to be my muse:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZxTeJAcgcypNGgJB5Y15zNiYSPLT69MsCOV_p8VDKpggDrIHYv8QJL7CZnVfdgjFI2_oxllE-hpijvkWcM5wI2YlexJLcTBEzZzwKvCXB0S9Z4_7OoH65YIHT-K2-8lxcXy/s1600-h/snoozingsaba.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZxTeJAcgcypNGgJB5Y15zNiYSPLT69MsCOV_p8VDKpggDrIHYv8QJL7CZnVfdgjFI2_oxllE-hpijvkWcM5wI2YlexJLcTBEzZzwKvCXB0S9Z4_7OoH65YIHT-K2-8lxcXy/s400/snoozingsaba.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188056212822043554" border="0" /></a>Now for the list. Dang, my muse is napping. Okay, how about five online comics I read religiously:<br /><a href="http://indexed.blogspot.com/">Indexed</a><br /><a href="http://xkcd.com">xkcd</a><br /><a href="http://marriedtothesea.com">Married to the Sea</a><br /><a href="http://wondermark.com">Wondermark</a><br /><a href="http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war.html">Get Your War On</a> (Warning: contains strong language and political themes)<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948862014804530232noreply@blogger.com4