Notes from a Northern Garden

Please welcome Jessica Ojala, our guest this Monday while Shari is away!

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Here in northern Vermont, I feel like I'm lagging far behind the rest of the country, and even the southern part of the state. The last frost date for my area is June 1, which means my garden is really just getting started. Because of our short season, growing things like tomatoes and melons can be a real challenge. It's always a race to see if you can get any red tomatoes before first frost. Watermelons are even more challenging, and yet this year I planted what is by all accounts a preposterous amount of watermelon. If I get melons and they ripen, I'll feel like I've won the jackpot! If not, there's always the rest of the garden to eat.

 

 One of this year's biggest highlights is that our young plum trees have finally produced plums! I am over the moon about this, and I'm already feeling fiercely protective of these little fruits. Our plum trees end up covered in Japanese beetles every year and we have to continually pick them off to keep the trees from being entirely devoured. In fact, the Japanese beetle problem is what prompted us to start raising hens, in hopes that the hens would eat the beetle grubs that live in the lawn. We've had our hens just about year so I've yet to discover if this will happen or if it's just a wild fantasy. 

Our asparagus is in its fourth year and doing well, but we've started noticing asparagus beetles. From what I've read, an effective way to combat the beetles is to let your hens range amongst the asparagus and do "cleanup". Since our asparagus is part of our larger vegetable garden, we need to fence it off so the hens will be contained and, with any luck, do some pest control. I can't wait to try it out! I'm also told they like to hang out in the shade the asparagus plants make when they feather out. Has anyone had success with having their hens do cleanup duty in the garden?

 Here's Phiona, aka Phonus Bonus, not quite understanding what it is I'd like her to do.

The strawberries are forming and should be ripe within a few weeks. We are thrilled! We planted 50 Sparkle strawberries last summer and it was hard to pinch off the flowers but this year it looks like we'll be rewarded. We need to put up netting very soon!

What do you do when your four-year-old picks all your prize peonies off the bush, each with only two inches of stem intact? Weep, and then float them in a bowl.

Other than asparagus, we don't have much we can actually eat yet except the perennial herbs. The chives are so pretty when they blossom, and though my kids are picky eaters they will inexplicably nibble on chives, mint, lemon thyme, and oregano right off the bush. I think they enjoy grazing in the garden, which makes me want to plant even more herbs!

Apple mint, new to us this year, is delicious tucked into a glass of sparkling white wine. I'm looking forward to many summer evenings with this drink in hand. Cheers!

garden happenings

these are the good days in the garden. when i've finally gotten everything planted (except for that failed radish patch i need to replace, and that last empty spot in my community garden to fill) and the bounty is starting to flow.

flowers are blooming (all that lavender, calendula, and volunteer chamomile that i've been snipping and drying), raspberries are ripening on the stalks, garlic has been de-scaped, kale leaves are growing larger by the day, and little green cherry tomatoes are bursting onto the plants.

it's a beautiful time in my garden these days. how about yours?

Blooming now : A few favorites

When I need a little quiet I walk through the garden and simply look around. Today I'm sharing three plants from our garden that are blooming.

 

This money plant (Lunaria annua) reseeds itself, and we find them popping up all over our garden. They are originally from heirloom seeds gathered from my Grandmother's garden years ago.

 

Sage

We bought this plant last year from the garden center at the end of our street and its lavender colored blooms are just beginning to open.

I like the drama of these black parrot tulips as they unfold.

In the garden : Observing

One morning recently I was particularly grumpy. Not sure why. So I stepped out into the garden with my camera and decided to look at things up close. Glass orbs of dew clung to the edges of fennel and grape leaves; nasturtium leaves cupped oceans. I watched a lady bug crawl around and held my breath. The radial pattern in the sturdy echinacea amazed me just as the sun shone through the delicate skin of the poppy petals. Underfoot the mulched ground was soft as I tip-toed about, looking, looking, looking. When I went back upstairs to the studio my outlook on the day had turned.

Recent garden notes:

' A pair of goldfinches visit the bachelor buttons in the mornings now. They're so tiny!

' A thumb-sized mouse darted out from the chocolate mint to the chamomile and back. zip zip.

' White butterflies flutter all across the garden, like white confetti caught in a breeze, weaving with untraceable threads.
' I realized this afternoon, while watching a honey bee perch in a pillow of purple petals, that I could sit here all day, observing the activity in the garden.

What is to be gained from this observing?
Much, I say.

Garden thoughts

Today I find my gaze drifting out the window, and am thankful my eyes can rest upon the garden. Last night we said farewell to really good friends who are moving and this transition along with some decisions I'm making with a new business venture have me in a bewildered state. So for now I listen to the rain and thunder through open windows. Smile as the busy wrens find insects for their new brood in our little birdhouse. Will cherish the tender, golden raspberries I picked this morning. Wonder at the red of the cardinal as he rests upon the wood pile. Laugh (and fuss) at the squirrel stashing green plums in the empty robin's nest. And I am thankful for all this that God has made and will do what I can to take care of these gifts.


But seriously, how do you keep squirrels out of the fruit trees?!!

A moment

Taking a moment to walk around the garden in the rain, to smell the roses and peonies, and observe water droplets on the daisies and irises.

Baby robin update: the three babies are getting their grey fluff, and as I type this, both parents are perched nest-side with food in beak.

A juice recipe

Last week while talking with a couple friends about gardening I asked them if they knew any juice recipes using spinach. They suggested carrot, apple, ginger, spinach, and lemon. The other night I got out the juicer and tried it. I knew I liked carrot, apple, and ginger together, but wasn't sure what the addition of spinach would bring.

The following amount yielded about 2 1/2 cups of juice:

6 carrots, washed

2 gala apples

slice of ginger

juice of part of a lemon, to taste

lots of spinach, probably a gallon size ziploc full

First I blended the carrots, apples, and ginger, and it made the most beautiful orange. Then the spinach produced a thin, green slurry to which I just squeezed the lemon in by hand. Stirring it all together certainly makes it a dense green so I was surprised by the sweet taste. The spinach itself is subtle, and kind of just deepens the carrot and apple flavors. My husband was surprised how much he liked it. I added a cube or two of ice to my glass and also tried a sprinkle of fresh pepper on top.

Do you have a juice machine? If so, what recipes do you like?

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garden notes:

5/12/11 Thurs.

`The robin eggs in our plum tree hatched! Mama and Papa robin take turns feeding the three babies.

garden happenings this week

like heather, i like to keep a gardening journal.  it's a practice i started when i first began gardening five years ago (i think i got the idea from you grow girl, which is coincidentally by the same author as grow great grub, which natalie wrote about yesterday).  i'm so glad i got into this habit right away and have stuck with it through the years.  to be honest, i've noticed that my note-taking gets steadily less detailed and more infrequent as the season progresses, but that's okay (for example, last year i noted when the lilac first bloomed in the spring, but neglected to note how many garlic cloves i planted and what types were planted where in the fall, oops!)

anyways, it's been a busy week, so i thought i'd just share some of the happenings from my garden this week:

may 2: radishes are sprouting, and a little bit of the arugula too.  still no carrots though.  the bees came yesterday and the hiving was very successful-can't wait!  must sprout potatoes.

may 8: planted onions-2 containers and some in the ground in between the garlic and arugula.  about 30 yellow onions, i think.  thinned out the radishes.  arugula, lettuce and peas are sprouting, and i think the carrots are finally coming up too.  first farmers market!  i bought some herbs-thyme, rosemary, and sage.  started hardening off seedlings and repotted the tomatoes into bigger pots.  all potatoes were sprouting even though i never took them out of the box.  bought supplies to build potato towers. 

may 11: seedlings have been outside for 3 nights now-still on the porch.  i need to move them into the sun.  thinned arugula and added string to the pea trellises so they can climb.  cut up potatoes this morning, so hopefully i can plant the towers tomorrow.  it's been really hot yesterday and today (almost 90!) and humid and rainy.  bees are doing well- chris came by monday, the queens are alive (with eggs) in both hives.

what's happening in your garden these days?

Garden notes

"I can't wait until we have fresh strawberries", "Mmm, those will be so good!", "I'm looking forward to when our cosmos are blooming"... These are things I find myself saying. When I was eating lunch outside today, which consisted of a salad using our spinach, radishes, and alfalfa sprouts, I thought, you know, this is pretty great. I love spinach! And while out of the corner of my eye I could see tiny green strawberries and my taste buds were watering at the thought of when they'll be ripe, I need to remember to really be thankful for what we have right now. So I'm devoting a notebook to garden notes, for tracking what/when we plant, what/when we harvest, general noticings, etc. Writing garden notes is a practice I don't normally keep. Usually I jot down when seeds go in the ground on the fridge calendar and that's it. So I'm giving this note taking a go.

notebook made by Jen Causey

garden notes:

4/22/11 Fri.

`it really rained

4/23/11 Sat.

`picked a bunch of spinach, handful of radishes

4/24/11 Sun. Easter

`a beautiful morning, I took film photos in the garden after chuch & brunch

`planted cosmos & bachelor's buttons

4/25/11 Mon.

`rain

`blackbirds bathing in the alley puddles

4/26/11 Tues.

`while printing & looking out the window, I thought how different the garden will look in a month's time.

`robins greeted me atop the grape posts

`spinach galette

`picked spinach & radishes

4/28/11 Thurs.

`ate lunch on the strawberry step

`spotted the baby bunny hopping from under the woodpile, eating dandelions

`pulled nearly all the radishes

`alfalfa sprouts
`sun

Collards

Don't let these photos fool you into thinking our garden is in full on spring/summer mode. The collards we planted this spring are currently mere leaflings, towering only about two or three inches above the soil. Meanwhile the above two collard plants somehow managed to survive through the winter without a hint of bitterness.

First, a memory. I've been a vegetarian now for thirteen or so years but when I was a kid, apparently it was a struggle to get me to eat my vegetables. Because I remember one particular occasion when my dad drew a picture of me sitting in front of a plate of peas, with a fork and spoon beside the plate. Clearly he knew I was a visual learner. I don't remember what happened after that but I suspect I ate my peas.

Well lately I have discovered I have a real fondness for collards and kale, since my husband and I have been growing them in our garden over the past couple years. And I would like to share with you one of my favorite quick ways to prepare collards. It is tasty and simple, which is just the kind of food I like.

Collards over Polenta

Prepare the polenta. When cooking various grains, I always consult the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home for the correct water/grain ratio. For polenta, use three parts water to one part cornmeal. Then I add in a little Better Than Bouillon vegetarian broth to the cooking water for the polenta. When the water boils add the corn meal in a steady stream, stirring. Put a lid on it and let cook on low until done, about ten to twenty minutes.

Prepare the collards. Wash a bunch of fresh collard leaves and cut away any large stems. Then roll the leaves and cut into large pieces. In a medium saucepan saute a clove or two of garlic in a little butter then add the collards. Stir briefly then put the lid on the pan to let them begin to steam. After a couple minutes check and stir. Add fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, sea salt, and a few drops of sriracha sauce and stir. Cover again and let cook about eight more minutes. I don't let the greens cook too long, just till they are softened and still nice and green. Serve over the polenta and add a little fresh parmesan and cracked pepper.  This summer when we start getting tomatoes, I'll probably chop up some tomatoes to add to the top.

This is so satisfying you won't need anyone to draw a picture of you eating them to convince you they're good.

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4/21/11 garden notes:
`picked first two radishes
`harvested first batch of spinach
`planted more lettuce
`the strawberry flowers are starting to close
`it never really rained