The catalogues I requested have arrived. I only requested two: Burpee and Jung. I'm not sure where I learned of Jung, but it's in Wisconsin and I try to stick with companies located in areas with similar growing conditions to mine.
My other garden shopping is done locally. Many local stores carry seed packets. I also go to Patchwork Farm in Aaronsburg, PA. From April until June I buy most of my seedlings at their temporary stand by the Nittany Mall. They're very helpful, they sell a variety of plants, and the plants are reasonably priced and healthy. Last summer when I was taking the scenic route home from visiting family, I spied a sign for Patchwork Farms and went there (their home location). So many plants. So little time.
Burpee is in southeastern Pennsylvania. I've never visited it, although I've been in nearby areas. For example, Longwood Gardens, not a vendor but a display garden, is beautiful.
I'm hoping to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show, and visit a college friend in Lincoln University, Pa., while there. I've never been to that show, but have wanted to go since I started gardening and since P Allen Smith has been giving presentations. I'm hoping that P Allen Smith will appear there again.
According to the flower show website, Legends of Ireland is the theme, which really appeals to me, not to mention how timely it is with St. Patrick's Day following it. This page of the website gives more details. I've been to Irish festivals before, but this one will probably outdo them all.
There's a phrase the luck of the Irish, which I gather to be bad, knowing their history, and their sometimes sardonic and/or dark humor.
Most people have heard the legend that (St.) Patrick used the three lobes of the shamrock to explain the trinity. An equally interesting legend is that of (St.) Brigid. She is said to have woven a cross from straw she picked up off the floor.
So much is ancient history with Ireland that it can be difficult to distinguish myth from truth. Plus, it's a large geographical area so legends may be subject to regional variations. It's still interesting to learn. Some of this, such as the "Black Irish", I heard of growing up. From my own reading, I know that the ideal Irish person was a poet and a warrior, something that many other cultures view as a dichotomy.
Some links to help infuse Irish lore into one's mind if one desires:
Iris Legends
Brigid's Cross
Map of Irish Immigration in US
Claddagh (pronounced clah-dah + soft "g")
And a book I own, which is slightly laborious in writing style but I find it covers many areas of Irish life and history is The Story of the Irish Race by Seamus Macmanus. There is plenty about pre-Christian and contemporary Ireland's spirituality, government, and the place of women in Ireland. It has helped me understand more about the British government's treatment -- genocide -- of the native Irish that resulted in oppression, extreme poverty and religious division, and that resulted in terrorism; some of these problems are shared by Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada due to government's treatment of them.
1/03/2007
12/11/2006
Some Warm And Furry Thoughts
A few posts ago, I wrote about white and red squirrels. I included a link to an article about protecting in-ground bulbs from hungry squirrels, which includes the idea of leaving a few to them free for the taking. Now it's cold and the bouncing furry creatures await the worst of winter.
A researcher in Chicago is studying them to determine how the rodents survive in an urban setting. The article is where the picture is taken from. His/her tail is curled against the body and front paws are tucked inward to stay warm. I'd love to provide some little mittens. And a warm place to stay.
11/01/2006
Community Closing
Last week was the first snow. It didn't lay (stick).
The community gardens had official clean-up this weekend and it was chilly. Saturday rained, and I had to work; however, I went on Sunday. Most of the work was done, so I harvested a few herbs from my plot, removed the Sun Gold vines and tried to remove strings from the wooden posts supporting vines. The latter was quite difficult; usually I keep scissors in my car for gardening, but I had removed them. The high wind from a passing storm drained every bit of heat from me and all of the moisture from my hands. The skin was cracking between some of my fingers. Euh.
The now mostly barren fenced-in area looks nothing like it did during summer. Such a contrast. One could look at it as a time of rest. Yet, underneath earthworms and microorganisms are working hard. At home, most of the gardeners are probably preparing for the holidays, soon to be dreaming of next year. I know I am!
One of my back porch containers still has some persistant and pretty purple pansies. I am pleased every morning when I see them.
The community gardens had official clean-up this weekend and it was chilly. Saturday rained, and I had to work; however, I went on Sunday. Most of the work was done, so I harvested a few herbs from my plot, removed the Sun Gold vines and tried to remove strings from the wooden posts supporting vines. The latter was quite difficult; usually I keep scissors in my car for gardening, but I had removed them. The high wind from a passing storm drained every bit of heat from me and all of the moisture from my hands. The skin was cracking between some of my fingers. Euh.
The now mostly barren fenced-in area looks nothing like it did during summer. Such a contrast. One could look at it as a time of rest. Yet, underneath earthworms and microorganisms are working hard. At home, most of the gardeners are probably preparing for the holidays, soon to be dreaming of next year. I know I am!
One of my back porch containers still has some persistant and pretty purple pansies. I am pleased every morning when I see them.
10/31/2006
Bonjour
On on MSN page, I took several quizes. They're fun, although perhaps the only gardening-related one would be the "Creepy Crawly Quiz".
I did ok on that one; it was a learning experience. The French and germ quizes proved to be much more ego-boosters. The French quiz triggered my search in the blogger pages for gardening pages in French. So, if this is of interest, here are two sites I found when looking up jardin, the word for garden.
Le Calendrier du Jardin
Le jardin de Sophie
Sophie has beautiful photos of her flowers. Whether one can read French or not (I need my French dictionary), the photos are worth viewing!
This site has both English and French in a lot of it. Beautiful photos from a location in the south of Portugal.
Lugar de Olhar Feliz
So, enjoy.
I did ok on that one; it was a learning experience. The French and germ quizes proved to be much more ego-boosters. The French quiz triggered my search in the blogger pages for gardening pages in French. So, if this is of interest, here are two sites I found when looking up jardin, the word for garden.
Le Calendrier du Jardin
Le jardin de Sophie
Sophie has beautiful photos of her flowers. Whether one can read French or not (I need my French dictionary), the photos are worth viewing!
This site has both English and French in a lot of it. Beautiful photos from a location in the south of Portugal.
Lugar de Olhar Feliz
So, enjoy.
10/24/2006
Just a Short Update
The Lipizzaners were wonderful, as they were the last time I saw them. There are now a number of female equestrians. Excellent! There seems to at one time have been a notion that women couldn't handle stallions (male horses). The women in the show proved that idea wrong.
I have no photos; the arena was quite dark. The photos at their site do them more justice than I could with my disposable camera: Lipizzaners
The horticulture show was interesting, too. I bought some spring bulbs to use in planters, so if they work, I'll be quite happy in spring!
I have no photos; the arena was quite dark. The photos at their site do them more justice than I could with my disposable camera: Lipizzaners
The horticulture show was interesting, too. I bought some spring bulbs to use in planters, so if they work, I'll be quite happy in spring!
10/10/2006
Showing Sunday
On Sunday, I plan to go to "From Backyard to Back Woods", a horticultural show put together by the Penn State Horticultural Club. I may take photos. There are photos from previous shows at the link above.
After that, I'm going to see the "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallions. I saw them the last time they were here. I sat close enough I could have touched them. When I was a child, I read a book about a boy who dreamed of going to the famous Spanish riding school in Vienna, Austria, where riders are trained to work with these beautiful animals. The boy succeeded. I don't remember the name of the book.
If you go to their site using the highlighted link, you'll find plenty of history and photos.
After that, I'm going to see the "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallions. I saw them the last time they were here. I sat close enough I could have touched them. When I was a child, I read a book about a boy who dreamed of going to the famous Spanish riding school in Vienna, Austria, where riders are trained to work with these beautiful animals. The boy succeeded. I don't remember the name of the book.
If you go to their site using the highlighted link, you'll find plenty of history and photos.
10/06/2006
'Never Tried Her Dandelion Wine
More information on composting can be found at this website link to P Allen Smith's site.
One of the first serious gardeners I knew was my great aunt Mary Moore. She grew up on a farm. One of the things she grew that I don't see too much of is rhubarb. It has an awful name and looks like red celery, but tastes so wonderful when cooked. Strawberries cooked with it make it even better.
Her pies, and cooking in general, were really good. Rhubarb pie and cooked rhubarb, for example. Yum. Maybe her cooking wouldn't have the American Heart Association's approval, but it was probably more nutritious than a lot of fast food considering the variety of veggies she served. I am glad to be blessed with a fast metabolism. Of course, I'm active, too.
She made dandelion wine. Even as an adult, I don't think I'd want to try it. I do like wine, especially red. The bitterness I don't like in dandelions. I pick dandelion greens from my garden (I work organically) for my appreciative guinea pigs.
I often think of her garden and remember checking it out. I probably stepped a few places I shouldn't have, not knowing any better. I also remember the first time my great aunt Mary used a Japanese Beetle trap; she learned the hard way that if you don't know where to place it, every beetle in the area will flock to your trap and your garden. I wonder if her neighbors appreciated it.
She and my uncle lived in Benton. It was a lovely rural area. (When I first wrote this blog, I thought Benton shared its name with the headquarters of Wal-Mart in Arkansas, but that's Bentonville. Oops!)
A creek ran past their house. My younger sister and I were advised not to go into the field too much on the other side of the creek. The farmer who owned the land apparently had a bull, so, you can guess what might happen.
Sometimes I'd look across the field backward through my Kodak pocket instamatic, which turned it into a telephoto lens. I don't recall that I ever spotted the animal, so he remains almost mythical today.
Cows I do like. In highschool, I did an internship with a vet clinic and cows were some of the gentlest creatures. It was fun, except for my allergies (which ruined my career hopes of working with animals full time). I also saw a lamb. She was pure white, very sweet and adorable.
I had a little help with my plot.
One of the first serious gardeners I knew was my great aunt Mary Moore. She grew up on a farm. One of the things she grew that I don't see too much of is rhubarb. It has an awful name and looks like red celery, but tastes so wonderful when cooked. Strawberries cooked with it make it even better.
Her pies, and cooking in general, were really good. Rhubarb pie and cooked rhubarb, for example. Yum. Maybe her cooking wouldn't have the American Heart Association's approval, but it was probably more nutritious than a lot of fast food considering the variety of veggies she served. I am glad to be blessed with a fast metabolism. Of course, I'm active, too.
She made dandelion wine. Even as an adult, I don't think I'd want to try it. I do like wine, especially red. The bitterness I don't like in dandelions. I pick dandelion greens from my garden (I work organically) for my appreciative guinea pigs.
I often think of her garden and remember checking it out. I probably stepped a few places I shouldn't have, not knowing any better. I also remember the first time my great aunt Mary used a Japanese Beetle trap; she learned the hard way that if you don't know where to place it, every beetle in the area will flock to your trap and your garden. I wonder if her neighbors appreciated it.
She and my uncle lived in Benton. It was a lovely rural area. (When I first wrote this blog, I thought Benton shared its name with the headquarters of Wal-Mart in Arkansas, but that's Bentonville. Oops!)
A creek ran past their house. My younger sister and I were advised not to go into the field too much on the other side of the creek. The farmer who owned the land apparently had a bull, so, you can guess what might happen.
Sometimes I'd look across the field backward through my Kodak pocket instamatic, which turned it into a telephoto lens. I don't recall that I ever spotted the animal, so he remains almost mythical today.
Cows I do like. In highschool, I did an internship with a vet clinic and cows were some of the gentlest creatures. It was fun, except for my allergies (which ruined my career hopes of working with animals full time). I also saw a lamb. She was pure white, very sweet and adorable.
I had a little help with my plot.
9/26/2006
Completing the Cycle
Here's a site with information on composting. It's the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's page.
composting
I'm still learning. I got a bin, free, from a free worshop at Penn State a couple of years ago. It's not an ideal bin, but there is that old saying, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." It looks much more appropriate in my plot than on my back porch (which is where it was for at least one year).
I did not, technically, compost this summer since I'm unsure if I'll have the same plot next year. I hope I do. I did compost casually by piling some plant material in the back of my plot. In addition, getting the soil in my plot ready (which is twice the square footage of my previous garden) took a lot of time. (on top of a full-time job and all.) Some of my garden plot neighbors were impressed by how well I managed a plot of the size that they thought required two people.
composting
I'm still learning. I got a bin, free, from a free worshop at Penn State a couple of years ago. It's not an ideal bin, but there is that old saying, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." It looks much more appropriate in my plot than on my back porch (which is where it was for at least one year).
I did not, technically, compost this summer since I'm unsure if I'll have the same plot next year. I hope I do. I did compost casually by piling some plant material in the back of my plot. In addition, getting the soil in my plot ready (which is twice the square footage of my previous garden) took a lot of time. (on top of a full-time job and all.) Some of my garden plot neighbors were impressed by how well I managed a plot of the size that they thought required two people.
9/25/2006
Bits and Pieces
I'm learning about storing veggies, or in some cases refreshing my memory. Freezing is easy. Clean the veggies, chop them, blanche and cool them, put in clean containers. Label with name and date. Use within a year. The difficulty is my small freezer.
I have tomatoes on my kitchen and livingroom windowsills, livingroom table, in my fridge. A month ago, it was yellow squash. Some of the tomatoes I'll cook with basil and other seasoning then freeze to use in soup. Some I hope to can.
I dry dill and oregano. That works really well. I couldn't find oregano at any nurseries this year, but I grew and dried enough in 2005 to carry some over.
I won't dry the chives this year; they end up being tasteless with a texture like toothpicks. I'll freeze them in icecubes. Maybe I'll use dill, chives, basil and garlic to make flavored oil and/or vinegar using a canning recipe I found in a book from the library.
Most of the basil will go into pesto. The recipe I use can be found here:
http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_recipes&Itemid=113&func=detail&id=296
In case you're wondering, blanching is dropping a measured amount of the fresh vegetable into boiling water and leaving it boil for a prescribed amount of time, often it is four minutes. In the "wild", enzymes cause the fruit to slowly decay, drop to the ground and dry, releasing seeds for the next generation of plants. Boiling (heat) denatures the enzymes (and maybe other substances) that cause the vegetable's gradual degradation even when frozen. It doesn't cook them, unless you blanche too long. This turns them to mush (cooking), and you obviously don't want that. A site I use for information on growing, cooking and storing each vegetable is:
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/
I didn't get photos of my lily or dahlia in time. Some of my other flowers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/happydancer4
I have tomatoes on my kitchen and livingroom windowsills, livingroom table, in my fridge. A month ago, it was yellow squash. Some of the tomatoes I'll cook with basil and other seasoning then freeze to use in soup. Some I hope to can.
I dry dill and oregano. That works really well. I couldn't find oregano at any nurseries this year, but I grew and dried enough in 2005 to carry some over.
I won't dry the chives this year; they end up being tasteless with a texture like toothpicks. I'll freeze them in icecubes. Maybe I'll use dill, chives, basil and garlic to make flavored oil and/or vinegar using a canning recipe I found in a book from the library.
Most of the basil will go into pesto. The recipe I use can be found here:
http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_recipes&Itemid=113&func=detail&id=296
In case you're wondering, blanching is dropping a measured amount of the fresh vegetable into boiling water and leaving it boil for a prescribed amount of time, often it is four minutes. In the "wild", enzymes cause the fruit to slowly decay, drop to the ground and dry, releasing seeds for the next generation of plants. Boiling (heat) denatures the enzymes (and maybe other substances) that cause the vegetable's gradual degradation even when frozen. It doesn't cook them, unless you blanche too long. This turns them to mush (cooking), and you obviously don't want that. A site I use for information on growing, cooking and storing each vegetable is:
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/
I didn't get photos of my lily or dahlia in time. Some of my other flowers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/happydancer4
9/22/2006
White + Red = Pink?
Planting bulbs right now? If so, these guys might be very happy about it. I think the one on the left is saying, "Hmm. Nummy."
But ...
aren't they cute?
Why squirrels in my blog today?
Friends and family know of my affection for furry rodents. Plus a forecaster at work blogged about folklore involving squirrels and the upcoming winter (more below if you care).
This is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs, which squirrels love.
'Must be all the anti-oxidants.
One source of advice:
http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=965
He's not paying me for this and doesn't have to. P Allen Smith has a lot of interesting and useful stuff on his site. He's cute -- in a different way from the squirrels. Even if he wasn't, he knows his stuff.
(chitter, chitter, cheeeeep) They always sound like they're scolding a "young 'un". Or maybe their anger's directed at me. A pelting of acorns sometimes accompanies the noise. Ouch.
The site for the White Squirrel Festival, which I know you are all going to flock to, is: http://www.brevardnc.org/whitesquirrel.php
So, what does a white squirrel who mates a red squirrel give birth to?
They aren't cute, yet.
Happy autumn eve. Or if you're in a central, mountain or western time zone, happy autumn today!
******************** **************************
Today's one of the days I edit the website at work. In his blog, one of the forecasters asked for reader observations about the squirrels in their respective regions so he can decide whether observing them can actually predict how much snow we'll get. I suspect it is toungue in cheek (or nuts in cheek).
Should I send him the photo above and suggest a link between white squirrels and a snowy winter?
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