Things Grow Big in My Garden

I have had this pink grapefruit tree for about 30 years. It is so dependable. We just have to remember to harvest which is most of the year. I think the down time between crops is about 2 months. I can live with that!

That is an iphone next to the grapefruit.

This photo shows that it is about 6 inches in diameter
and also 6 inches tall.
Every year we get a few of these huge fruits.
The lemons are really large too.

I believe Spring is finally here!

This month we have had a lot of rain and thunderstorms, (much needed after such a dry winter with no snow to speak of in the mountains) and even had hail one day. A very cold and dramatic April it has been. A true 'April Showers for May Flowers' event!! 

As a consequence of all this cold weather, our usual spring plant date of March 23rd has been put off. I do believe that it may now be warm enough to plant my peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. They have (well some of them) been hanging out in our greenhouse and the others I will have to purchase still. 

Another reason to NOT get right out in the garden, is that everything around my raised beds is all disrupted with some hardscaping construction. My sweet husband pulled out the old redwood walkways that were starting to be a hazard to us due to their age and he is replacing them with concrete cobblestone on one part and we are working on another section to blend in with the brick walkways. 

I do have leeks, garlic, green onions and carrots that are doing well. I just pulled out my Kale last week that I had planted in early spring last year. Of course there are perennial plants and herbs that are always doing their thing too. 

The big job ahead of me is completely cleaning out the greenhouse and rearranging some of the furniture and staging (shelves). I couldn't do it before now because I couldn't leave the plants out over an extended time in the cold. 

I believe next week will be clean and plant time. It should be energizing, since working with the soil helps generate/stimulate the serotonin in our brains which makes us feel good (happy) and takes any blues away. The other part of it that makes me feel good is just being close to nature. It is always so satisfying. I will have pictures to share next blog post.

I do have to say that lots of baking has been going on in this extended winter season.  Each loaf is an experiment with different grains and seeds, and some with sourdough and some not. We have several favorites, but all were wonderful. Here are a few of the loaves.

This first loaf is made with whole wheat/unbleached, sourdough starter and two-seeds (sunflower and sesame seed).

This loaf is another sourdough whole wheat loaf with molasses and three-seeds (sunflower, sesame, poppy seeds).

This is called Indian Bread. This is a three-grain (whole wheat, unbleached, cornmeal) with sesame seeds.

This is a three-seed (sunflower, sesame, poppy seed), whole wheat/unbleached loaf.

This is a a three-seed (sunflower, pumpkin, poppy seed), whole wheat/unbleached loaf. I added the seeds after the first kneed, which leaves more on the top. Yumm!

This is another whole wheat/unbleached loaf with sunflower and sesame seeds.






This last loaf is a three-seed (sunflower, sesame, poppy seed) whole wheat/unbleached loaf. It had about 1/2 tablespoon of liquid too much, so the center is just a little sunken. It sure was wonderful though!!! I think this last loaf was our favorite so far. We eat a slice for desert. It is that good!

Tomorrow I will make another loaf, but don't know what yet. It will probably be sourdough, since my starter is bubbling really well tonight after being used for sourdough buckwheat pancakes this morn. 

But soon my energies will be focused more on the garden! It is all part of creating our own environment. So, I will soon post garden pics.

Is Spring really here?

The Vernal Equinox

Ah, it is spring! The Vernal Equinox, which is the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere was on March 20, 2012, at 1:14 A.M. (EDT).

The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” The spring and fall equinoxes are the only dates with equal daylight and dark as the Sun crosses the celestial equator.

It is this season that brings increasing daylight, warming temperatures, and the rebirth of our flora and fauna.
Spring is all about "new" - new life and growth!

According to folklore, you can stand a raw egg on its end on the equinox. Is this true?

One spring, at the minute of the vernal equinox, (Pacific Time) I tried this. For about 1/2 the day my egg stood on its own end, then I took it down. Try this yourself and let me know what happens!


  
We can all envision what we think of when spring arrives. Maybe it is the tender new light green growth we see, or the smell of warming soil or a flower in bloom, the feel of warm rain or a light breeze. 

Spring is also the time when green buds appear and blooms cover many trees, birds are active and insects buzz by, and flowers begin to bloom. Daffodils, Lily of the Valley,  and other spring flowers provide a sight for sore eyes after a long cold gray winter.

The vernal, or spring, equinox signals the beginning of nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere.

Gardeners have been waiting for this day to arrive. Winter provides lots of time to dream, to look through garden catalogs and decide what new things to grow this year. This is spring, the beginning of a new growing season and a time to again be in harmony with Mother Nature.

A beautiful garden shed

All the siding is on and our garden shed is ready for its first bit of paint. It will be painted to coordinate with the studio building next to it. We need to get the paint on to protect the wood now that we are heading into winter soon. I really do like the natural wood, but we are trying to protect it as well as have it blend into its space with the potting bench, greenhouse and studio next to it.

This is the front side our new garden shed.  Nice!

So, it is almost time to clean out the greenhouse so I can set up for intensive propagation of winter veggies and then spring crops.

The vegetables still think it is summer and are producing just fine. The peppers are ripening the way I like them best - red!!  We are growing hot, medium and mild (bell types) and they are all finally maturing.

The zucchini plants are sending out lots of babies and some giants that hide from me. The three different types of zucchini are all small here in this picture. That is a very small berry basket. I am not sure how much longer the plants will last though because the heavy dew in the mornings is helping to weaken them.
 
This is a nice time of the year for growing plants in general though. The ones that don't "love" the heat of summer are just reviving themselves with a good rain and nice temperatures. Asters are blooming and roses are blooming again as well and native iris's are popping their heads out of the ground. It is a new season as we see these changes occurring in the nature around us. To garden is a wonderful occupation.

Planting Onions, Leeks and Garlic

A week or so ago I planted a few of my onion starts along with a bunch of carrots I started from seed. So yesterday I bought 6 packs of onion and leek starts,  as well as seed garlic.

I keep records of when I start seeds for "starts" but don't seem to record when I plant all the time. Especially with something like alliums which get planted several times a year. But it is the time of the year for onions, leeks, shallots and garlic. Or rather, it is a good time to plant them.

The onions starts are bunching onions.  I like bunching onions because they last forever.  They divide at ground level and remain scallions (green onions) forever. They're also perennial. Yeah! I like bunching onions!

Of course I got leeks. I bought American Flag and King Richard leeks. They really are my favorite allium! I love leeks for so many things - part of steamed veg. dishes, soups, sauteed in olive oil, and especially a thick layer of leeks on my homemade pizzas.  They are the best!!!

Here is a little video about planting onions, leeks and garlic from Peaceful Valley Farms in Grass Valley CA.