Posted on 01/25/2013 11:53:34 AM PST by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!
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/johnny
Good to see another north west gardener join the forum. I’ve been growing veggies on the shores of Humboldt Bay for almost 60 years and tried Dill’s Atlantic Giant “Pumpkins” but we don’t get enough heat units for them. I think the biggest one was around 80 pounds. Can’t grow tomatoes here either without being a masochist of some sort.
I know all about FALSE SPRING and ours came in January this year. It is usually February...
Do either of you know anything about growing hibiscus for tea or bay leaf? I drink a hibiscus tea to help my blood pressure, and bay leaf is one of my favorites to use in soup.
Not much happening here. My job interview went really well, and the second interview went even better, but then the company’s client backed out, which meant the job I was applying for no longer existed. So, I’m back to planning out my 3-season gardening campout.
The person with the corn variety I want still hasn’t updated her list for this year, so I emailed her asking if she was going to offer it. There’s an alternate variety, but I’d need to order before February to get the free shipping deal, so I’d like to know soon.
Still the highest bidder on the freeze dryer I found. The auction site was down for several days, so the auction got extended. Otherwise I’d have it by now. When i go to pick it up, I might see what their glass labware is going for, and get enough to distill my own water.
Got one project brewing. Years ago, my dad was in France as part of his job, and really loved this raspberry drink he tried. He said it was raspberry cognac, but when I looked it up nothing like that existed, so I think he meant cordial. So, mom and I got a fancy glass bottle and some ingredients, and I’m making it using my own home-grown raspberries that we had in the freezer. There were several recipes, the simplest one being just equal parts fruit, sugar, and vodka.
/johnny
Wish we had a few degrees of your warm weather. Thanks for the pictures.
I bought a handful of about 18” stalks 12 days ago and put them in water. The ones in my aquarium, in front of the south window, have over a foot of new growth. Actually, make that the one in the aquarium, as the other one went in the ground an hour ago. Haven’t tried seeds, but rooting stalks in water seems to work pretty well.
We have several of the cheddar cauliflower plants this year. They taste just like regular cauliflower, but a little sweeter. Store got them by mistake, but I’ll take them any day.
http://www.millettephotomedia.com/imgs/gallery/big/BrassicaoleraceaCheddarMDQ2913MPMTw4513.jpg
That’s good to know. There’s an upscale grocery store not far from where hubby works. I’ll have him look for some of the stalks along with some gourmet sweet potatoes. We’re going to try growing our own sweet taters this year.
I got some hibiscus seeds from tmseeds.com this year but I have NO idea if they’re the tea/edible sort. Maybe one of the forums at gardenweb would know?
The cat thinks she owns the window sills so knocks my seedlings off. Mr.b has taken over the other bathroom so my windows are limited. I have two small flats in the kitchen window and potted up some onions in the bedroom window. The cat knows better than to come into the kitchen and I put up barriers for the onions. I wanted to get the onions set out this week but the garden still isn’t tilled. The old stuff needs pulling out and need to go into town for gas and oil for the tiller. It was 83 here today and looks like the nice weather will last through next week.
Most of the tomatoes have sprouted but it’s zero for the peppers. I don’t know what happened with the peppers since I used three different varieties but they were all in the same flat so will have to work on something different for them.
Nice to see the bee on your lemon blossom. In Maryland, I tucked up my beehive for the winter back in mid November. Will not be checking them until Feburary.
Appreciate if anyone can give advice for a lily pond. Need a small pond for bees to get water and would like to have a small-leafed lily plant that blooms in evening.
Thanks for the pictures. It does brighten the day. As for the lemon juice, I don’t have any unique ideas or anything, since we don’t get enough from our tree to have such a bountiful supply. We have to supplement with a bag from the store pretty often.
I just add it to lots of recipes. Especially stir frys,soups, and salad dressings, and marinades. I also add it to cola, if I don’t have any limes. Chicken marinated in lemon juice is far superior to vinegar in my opinion.
If I had lots of fresh lemon juice, I might try to make a lemon syrup. Try adding 1-2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of juice. Use it as a topping on desserts. You could also put a little syrup in a glass and add club soda or plain water for a refreshing drink of lemonade.
Make a lemon freeze using the lemon syrup and frozen yogurt(kinda like a lemon milk shake). Lots of lemon pie, cakes, and jello?
Sorry the job didn’t work out. The raspberry cordial sounds interesting.
Well, that’s been my problem too. I have been doing web searches, but so far nothing definite as to the exact scientific name of the hibiscus used for tea.
Ok, the cordial sounds yummy.
What site are you planning on getting your seed corn?
My shelf is where the catz can't reach it. Which is good, because I'm growing catnip up there, too. ;)
/johnny
Bhut Jolokia (regular and peach) sitting under the lights, along with the Yellow Devil’s Tongue, Naga Morich, Trinidad Scorpion and the TS Moruga strain...also have a couple of beautiful flats of Iditarod Red dwarf tomatoes going...prettiest tomato seedlings I’ve ever seen; short and stocky, very healthy appearance. Purple of Sicily and Cheddar Cauliflower also doing well. Planting sweet peppers earlier as well, since they need time at the end of the season to change to their designated colors...broccoli spouts, basil, cumin, catnip coming right along. The green is nice to keep you company when it’s 2 (that’s TWO) degrees with a howling wind. I’ll have my wife pull out my swim trunks and lawn chair for the greenhouse by next week, though...may break 40 by Tuesday.
There’s a variety called Roselle that Baker Creek sells for teas and juices.
Just grate the zest and let it air dry on a plate.
Here’s a quick and easy recipe for lemon curd:
5 egg yolks
1 C sugar
1/2 C margarine
1/3 C lemon juice
Stir together in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on High for about 3 minutes or until thickened. It is important to stir very well every 30 seconds so the egg doesn’t cook into clumps. If it does, strain it out.
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