Two Recipes and Around the Garden!

Dear Folks,

I've been playing with my food again, but first - LOOKY - my banana has fruit set!!

What started out as a healthy flower bud on the banana plant in Late November, took a hard hit with the freezes damaging most of the plant including the flower bud - but it hung on and we suddenly noticed his past week that fruit has set. Whooppeee!

We have not had fruit since 2017 because - well - timing is everything for these plants.  We had the most delicious harvest that year when we got bunches off of all the plants.  Then as nature will, the mother plant which can only fruit once, died. Pups came up, nice and robustly, but they take about 12-18 months to reach fruiting size, AND  because the fruit takes about (normally) 4 months from flower emerging and correct temperature range, this is the first viable bunch.

The flower bud stalled with the freezing temperatures but did not die back and hung on until the soil and air temps warmed.  Can't wait to make real banana pudding again!

During the rain and after while it was still cool, the little Inca Doves huddled on one of our peach tree branches.

Meanwhile our plum is blooming profusely - it looks like a wedding veil with this many flowers all over the tree.

Our other peach tree was in full bloom several weeks ago and because of the freeze we think stone fruit trees will give us a nice harvest this year. Last year's warm winter gave is next to nothing fruit wise. 

Nasturtiums - I use the flowers in one of the recipes below, and their enthusiastic growth each year makes us chuckle.   Here one of the vines is climbing our Limequat tree (I use the juice in a recipe below).

One more plant picture and this is so unique I wanted to show it to you.  FIRST - this is a very toxic plant (seriously poisonous!!!), but popular in the valley with its gorgeous grape-scented flowers.  I noticed this unusual growth on these trees at a Walgreens near us.  I have observed the tree over many years - appreciating the beauty of Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora).  Several weeks ago we noticed this unusual growth, at the time very dry looking.  Then in full bloom this past week, the "growths" had flower buds on them!!! So I got pictures, and  I asked on one of the garden forums for help in identifying it, because I could find no reference to it.  Several of the great folks ID'd as a "Fasciation" a type of fusion growth similar to the Crested Saguaros and just as rare.  Possibly caused by our strange winter weather this "staghorn" growth can occur in other plants.

Now to the food!

The first recipe uses eggs and I just have to show you how my sweet guy designates our hard boiled eggs.  His faces get more creative each time he makes them - BTW with all of my cooking expertise - I can't hard boil eggs right!  So my sweetie does it for us.  By the time we go through half of cooked vs non-cooked we just combine the eggs in one carton.

The inspiration for this recipe comes via my favorite Chicken Lady, Lisa Steele over at Fresh Eggs Daily.  She has teamed up with another blogger, Kate of Framed Cooks, who has been churning out egg recipes so fun to read for ideas.  My recipe today combines a couple of ideas I have used before - avocado in egg salad, and eggs over oatmeal - but in a unique way.  Kate made eggs over cheesy polenta and now makes a non-mayo avocado egg salad.  So I combined the two with my version.

Avocado Eggsalad Over Savory Oatmeal.

I use my own homemade garden herb and vegetable bouillon in the oatmeal and my limequat juice and I'ioti onion tops in the egg salad.

Serves 2

2 hard-boiled eggs roughly chopped, sprinkle of salt
1 small avocado, mashed with lime juice and ground black pepper
small bunch of I'ioti onion tops snipped

Let eggs and avocado sit out for 1/2 to 1 hour to come to room temperature (so they are not too cold to top oatmeal)

Gently combine eggs, onions and avocado, set aside

Oatmeal:
1 cup of old fashioned oats
1 3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of my homemade dried vegetable bouillon
salt to taste
1/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Nasturtium flower petals for garnish.

Prepare oatmeal - typically simmered 5-6 minutes while stirring, until thickened, remove from heat add cheese and stir to combine.

Pour into bowls, top with avocado egg salad and garnish with flower petals.

 

Next recipe is Making Bread in a Microwave!

Follow me on this one.  For a variety of reasons, time, economy of scale and that we do not like to either waste food or eat the same thing repeatedly (variety of menu), I decided to do some research on making "bread" in a microwave. Important I do not mean convection, I mean microwave.

There are many recipes now on mug cakes in a microwave and I have made them and we really enjoy them - perfect for us to share with no leftovers and not too much food.

Using that as a premise I took a whole bunch of different ideas and developed this first try at a Microwave Bread.  It comes out like a cross between a biscuit and a soda bread.  Of course there is no browning in a microwave (unless you use special accessories - another step I do not want) but I found the slices toast up really nice in the toaster.

Mix ingredients, cook for 3 and half minutes - total time from flour to eat is about 10 minutes.  Who wouldn't love that convenience?

A couple more notes.  I wanted more nutrition so the organic flour and eggs gives a nice amount of protein for the entire loaf - about 25 grams.  Next versions I want to try are 1) use a sourdough starter, OR 2) some yogurt to give a tang.  I will also try versions with cheese.  I could eat my weight in sourdough, but truthfully it is not the most nutritious of breads so I want to come up with something that combines most of those two elements.  I will keep you posted on how future versions turn out.

This makes a 4 x 4 inch 2 inch high loaf, perfect for us.

My Microwave Bread
1 cup of organic all purpose flour
4 teaspoons of avocado oil (or choice of oil - I like the mild flavor for baking)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of my dried rosemary crushed
2 jumbo eggs*

Combine dry ingredients.  Add oil to dry.  Beat egg separately (I highly recommend this as opposed to adding, then beating the eggs in the dry ingredients.

*Adjust the eggs up or down - I will use only 1 egg next time but add cheese and/or yogurt and/or sourdough starter. REMEMBER baking is a balance of moist to dry.

This is a very thick batter almost dough.  Pour into a small microwave suitable container.   I wanted square to give me better control of slices.

Microwave on high for 3 and a half minutes.  The container will be VERY hot.  Remove and let cool before slicing.  The bread should easily slide out of the container.

The interior is dense but moist and toasted has a nice crust.

I have topped with butter (of course) and plain yogurt and made a mini sandwich with it.  I have not yet done avocado toast with it - that might be today!

I hope you give this a try and let me know what you think.

If you like my cooking and gardening ideas you can find my books and calendars for sale at your choice of retailers.

Lastly I am putting our corned beef to cook today, scheduling made this the only day that would work and I think we may wind up with a pretty enough day to eat outside.  I do my own "corning" (brining).  There is no reason to reserve it to St. Patrick's Day - if you want to give it a try here is my recipe and process.  I first did corning in 2012 and have posted several times about it.

Have a wonderful weekend, enjoying our warming weather.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Corning Beef & WHAT A Week In The Garden!!!

Dear Folks,

What a week!  We went from a record "low" high - meaning the high for the day on February 22nd broke a 122 year old record.  We were 45 degrees for the high that day- check out the picture of some of our beloved doves huddled on a rain dripping peach tree that day, wet, cold and miserable.

This coming Wednesday, March 6th we are supposed to top out at 80 degrees for the day!  We sent from winter to spring in 1 week!!  And, while that seems just too amazing, our desert climate is known for galloping from a balmy 70s at the beginning of March to close to 100 by the end of the month.  We just do not usually see the transition so quickly.  Granted we will be seeing the usually roller coaster temps as the soil warms and the plants respond.  AND do not put your frost covers away quite yet.  With rain possibilities continuing for the next several weeks, off and on, we can have hail.

Then there is our Johnny Jump-UP Lawn with what I refer to as mini "hold my beer" moment right after the last freeze!  Each year the re-seeded viola family member brings a gorgeous display to our backyard.

Not to be out done, our Katy Apricot is in full flower and literally the most we have seen in years on this 19 year old tree.  Our Gold Kist is just now getting into bud - amazing all this global weirding!

Our lovely Hyacinth is usually hidden in the foliage of our Fragrant Gladiolas.  So I snapped a picture and then cut the stem to bring inside so we can enjoy the lovely flowers and fragrance on our kitchen table.

Now that the flowering is finished on our Florida Prince peach tree (she is about 21 years old and hanging in there), we have baby peaches.  We need to consider if thinning is needed, were fruit closer than 6 inches to each other is removed to give more room to get larger fruit.  I have a short youtube video showing how to thin fruit.  Click here.

Finally from the garden, harvest of greens and edible flowers and, of course, sugar peas.

I have so many sugar pea blossoms and they are so lovely and tasty I sacrificed a future pod to add some to this greens mix, along with Nasturtium flowers and leaves.

I use greens, flowers and sugar peas not only in salads, but I also add them to soups and pastas.

Even with the frost and freezing temperatures these winter garden stalwarts produce and produce throughout the winter and into early spring. I expect to keep cutting these into April, then they quietly start showing their age.  I let many of them go to seed and capture to re-sow next year.

I also harvest the sugar peas as shelling types as they plump more and then for re-sowing as they dry in the pods.

If you need a better handle on when to plant all of our great tasting edibles, check out my calendar and book - you can have the monthly planting tips and more at your finger tips.

My Calendar and Books.

Now to Corning!

You need a container big enough to hold the meat with depth, and you also need a glass plate or similar to hold it under the liquid, when you put the cover on it. Spices rubbed in, cooled sugar/salt liquid poured around and over, weight applied, covered and put in the frig.

For the last, or 5 or so years, I have been Corning Beef for St. Patrick's Day dinner.  This has turned out to be a fun and great way to 1) control the ingredients (I choose NOT to use nitrates - it is not necessary, unless you want PINK meat), and 2) I get to choose the cut of beef - it does not have to be brisket.

This year I chose a choice chuck roast.  NOTE:  the less fatty the meat, the less time to cook ultimately.  If you are use to using really fatty/connective tissue brisket, and go with a leaner cut, you need to monitor cooking time.  I use a slower cooked and a couple of years ago, I checked at about the 3.5 - 4 hour point (in the past it took 6-7 hours) and it was a good thing I did as if I had let it go that much longer I would have shredded SOUP!

If you are not familiar with the origin of corning - it means 'grains' in Old English and referred to the spices. You are actually using a brine with spices to tenderize and flavor the meat.  I use organic sugar, kosher salt, mustard and coriander seed, black whole peppercorns, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.   You can find my recipe on my original post on it back in 2012.  You need between 10-14 days to brine fully.

That year I did a commercial version also to compare. We won't ever go back to the commercial, chemically-ladened version.

That is it for now folks. I hope you have a great time in your garden and kitchen!




-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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March Planting Tips - And 1 Major Reason Your Seeds Did Not Grow

Dear Folks,

Well, we have certainly had the ups and downs of temperatures.  More cold this month than we have had in a couple of years, some frost/freeze with rain. It took a toll on my seedlings so I have to start over with some of them.  The best news about the low temps is we may have seen a die-off of pest bugs.  We have the potential for more frost for another week or so and more rain (great!) then warmer temps both day and night.

[See at the end of the post for links to purchase my perpetual month-by-month calendar in print or PDF form.  Then you will always have monthly gardening information at your fingertips.]

The apple seed pictured is not one of the fails!  This winter I have had the most interesting luck sprouting apple seeds after I got special wild landrace seeds from Baker Creek, I noticed seeds sprouting in an apple I forgot in the crisper draw and planted those (post with pictures here).

The seed pictured (and another one that sprouted several days later) are from a Fuji organic apple that I just said to myself, let me see what happens.  Took about 10 days for the first one to sprout in water.  So I will see how they do now that they are in small pots.

If you enjoy trying to sprout seeds from fruit you have purchased, let the fruit stay in a cool place like your crisper - protected from bruising as best you can.  Aged fruit that has not molded can create a natural germination environment.  Some of you may have noticed tomatoes sprouting inside the fruit when you cut it open, and if you carefully remove the seeds (soak overnight in water) you can sow them.  Now. With Frost Protection.

March is our crazy temperature month.  We have had 50-60 degree day time temps, with nights in the 40s and up, AND hail and rain.  As a temperature transition month while the soil warms, but air flows from the north and south collide, if you add wind and moisture you can get hail.  So, just because we probably won't get snow or freezing temps does not mean put the frost protection away - yet!  Historic temperature runs in March can go from a nice 70 to over 90 and we have had the rare 100 degree day in late March.

So what does that mean?  It means get perennial plants in the ground NOW, so they have some time to adapt the above-ground foliage to the coming heat.

Sow seeds and DO NOT SKIP sprinkling the ground EACH day (or evening) until you see growth above ground, then you can start to back off, sprinkle every other day, then every 3rd day water more volume and adjust watering to maintain.

I can't tell you how many times I have answered reader and audience questions about why their seeds never sprouted after the sowing.  The typical response to my investigation questions about when, how much they watered, sun orientation etc. - was - "well I watered for a couple of days".

At the Seed Share I hosted last week, I talked about this challenge.  Just because you do not see above-ground growth when you "think" it should have happened, does not mean nothing is happening.  What does happen is the seed sprouts - under ground.  In the presence of CONSISTENT moisture it continues to grow and eventually break ground.  IF IT hits a dry time, even for a day, it dies underground never having finished the germination cycle. 

I took this still from this excellent video on youtube showing a bean sprouting over 25 days (please take the time to watch the video - just 3 minutes and 10 seconds long).  Many other seeds may take LONGER to break the surface.  Please keep that in mind and be patient.  If you have viable seeds they should sprout for you when the soil temperature, moisture and light are sync'd to optimal conditions.  Some seeds like cool soil and some like warm soil.  We are going into the "warming" trend now. While the initial under-ground phase does not require light, it behooves you to direct sow when you can - outside - in the ground - or a very large container - in full sun.  If your seed is going to produce a fruit or herb, then it needs full sun.

By The Way - notice in the video the seedling in a breeze.  A breeze and wind is why plants directly sown in the ground do better - they have the advantage of stronger roots and pest control created by breeze and wind.  In a cultured environment of a green house or similar you are providing superior support to seed germination, but it also means most seeds will grow - including "weak" ones.  Direct sowing in the ground pretty much ensures the ones which grow, are the strongest ones and the ones most likely to give you best results.  FOOD- For-Thought!

ALSO notice the expansion of the root system in the video.  Half way through it switches to the cycle of the root expansion clearly showing the roots going wherever they need to, not constrained by a small container.  Bigger roots = healthier plants.

Now, what to sow and/or transplant for March.

If transplanting and the temps begin to rise quickly when you get to it, harden indoor or greenhouse grown transplants over the course of a couple of days by exposing them to full sun, 1 hour the first day, then back in shade (NOT indoors - patio or under trees/big bushes), 2 hours second day, and 3 hours the third day, then transplant that evening watering in well.

Artichoke, Jerusalem
Artichoke, Globe
Basil, Plant or seed
Bay, Greek aka Sweet
Bean, Lima
Beans, Snap
Beans, Soy (March 15th)
Bee Balm
Beets
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Catnip, Plant or Seed
Chives, Garlic, Plant or seed
Chives, Onion, Plant or seed
Corn        
Cucumbers
Eggplant
English Daisy
Epazote, Plant or seed
Hollyhock
Jicama
Lavender
Lemon Grass
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Marigolds including ,Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii), Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii)
Marjoram
Melons, Winter
Melons, Musk
Mints
Myrtle   
Okra
Onions, Green
Oregano, Mexican
Oregano, Greek
Peppers
Perilla, Plant or Seed
Portulaca
Pumpkin
Radishes
Rosemary
Safflower
Sage
Savory
Scented Geraniums
Squash, Winter
Stevia
Summer Squash
Sunflower
Sweet Alyssum
Tarragon, Mexican
Tarragon, French
Thyme
Tomatillo
Tomatoes
Watermelon

GARDEN TIPS for March
    If you are just now thinking about planting, see Flower Mulching technique. And run, do not walk, to purchase a water meter from your favorite garden nursery.  The gallop into high heat can occur this month with such rapidity that we can go 70 to 95 in 30 days. (In a rare occurrence, we hit a 100 one year on March 29th.)
    Get a jump on spring with weed cleanup.  Some pests breed on the winter weeds and can launch an incredible attack (a type of gnat can assume locus swarm proportions), which may cover everything light or white in color, plants, flowers, buildings, even clothes drying on the line.
    Perennial herbs will be starting to flower by end of March / beginning of April.  If you use thyme, marjoram, oregano or any of the trailing herbs as ground covers, enjoy the blooms, then give them a hair cut.  Remember the flowers are edible!
    HAIL!!!  Is a possibility in spring as the soil warms, and weather highs and lows bring alternating warm and cool air mass.  If you add winds to the mix HAIL is a strong possibility.  Keep your frost protection covers/poor man’s cloches handy.
    The pest bugs like our mild weather too with aphids a particular pest.  SAFE Soap Spray for aphids: 1 tsp each vegetable oil and Dawn to 1 quart of water.  Spray every 5 days at sunset at least 3 times.  DO NOT MISS a follow up spraying - spraying once will not take care of the aphid problem.  The 1st gets the active adults, the 2nd one picks up the just hatched and missed ones and 3rd one gets the stragglers.


FLOWER MULCHING TECHNIQUE
    Some years ago I tripped across this idea when I wanted to grow a lot of basil fast, and I was planting late into the heat (late spring, early summer).
    First, what is going on that a special technique needs to be used?
    As the spring and summer day time temperatures climb into the high 90s and 100s, the surface of ANYTHING heats up and stays hot -- remember burning your feet on the pool surrounds?  By July and August the surface afternoon mean temperature of soil, the sides of pots, asphalt and concrete can be as high as 180 degrees F!  That includes the top 3-4 inches of soil.  Without a protective canopy or surround the soil heats up to root killing levels.
    So back to the basil.  It was June and as I say I wanted a lot of basil fast, and so I planted about 8 young starter basil plants out of 3-4 inch containers, planting them about 6 inches apart.  As I watched them over the course of a couple of weeks, the outer plants one by one died off.  But the 1 or 2 plants in the center not only lasted, they thrived.
    So what was going on?  The outer plantings shaded the sides of the center plants, but still allowed the very necessary direct sunlight from above to feed (photosynthesis) the center plants.  The outer plants leaves, while canopying the soil around the center plants also keep the soil surface cooler and moister until the center plants grew big enough to be their own canopies.
    My "Flower Mulching" technique was born.  Not wanting to sacrifice primary edibles, I turned to seasonal edible flowers to provide the initial protection.
    THE TECHNIQUE:  Imagine a 12 inch diameter circle.  Place your primary herb, vegetable or fruit plant in the middle and using 3-5 flowers from a six pack or 3-5 4 inch flowers plant very close to the primary plant staying within the imaginary 12 inches.  You can also plant the flowers first and then the primary plant, or you can use existing plantings to perform the same service.  Many of the flowers will survive to be used in salads etc. (which is why I choose seasonal edible flowers).  If the flower plants were not grown organically or without chemicals, wait 90 days before harvesting the flowers for food use.

My Month-By-Month Calendar
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Have a great time in the garden and kitchen with your bounty!


 

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Around The Garden, Seed Share Tomorrow.

Dear Folks,

Evidence of spring is when I see the fallen petals of our peach tree decorating the area under it - signaling that fruit will be following.

This "old lady" peach (Florida Prince) is almost 21 years old and has survived bug etc attacks with resulting drastic pruning and keeps coming back.  The fruit - when we can beat the birds to it, is small but delicious.

I let the Nasturtiums go wherever they want to re-seed each year and I am happy to see more of the Variegated Leaf variety popping up.

I still need to find time to make Dolma (stuffed leaves - usually grape but the nasturtium leaves make a delicious alternative) with some of my giant leaves.

My Limequat has fruit on the tree pretty much year round.  It is going into another major fruit cycle with a lovely good-use-size and baby ones right next to it.

Reminder - SEED SHARE!


My Free Seed Share is tomorrow.
Thursday, February 7th
5:30 pm
Mesa Public Library
Downtown

Another picture of one of our feathered visitors.  While we do not appreciate this one hunting the other birds, it is impossible not to admire the beauty and majesty of them.

. . .

I will be away for a long weekend with family and back blogging next week.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Sweet Pepper, Onion, Potato "Creamy" Soup

Dear Folks,

Yep, another of my "Creamy" soups.  I and my dear guy are in love with these soups. The variations are limited only to the vegetables you love and have (hopefully from your garden).

So far in the last year I have done versions using, broccoli, asparagus, celery/onion combo, cucumber and celery (it was lovely and delicate) and I "think" I did an artichoke heart one also, but can't find the reference so that is on my next soup agenda!

I love sweet peppers and you may recall I shared a photo of a harvest from the gardens in early January.  Among the harvest was a LOT of sweet peppers. What to do, what to do?

I finally decided I needed to make a sweet pepper soup and rather than cook the onions separately as noted in the basic recipe (see below), I decided roasting the peppers and onions together made more sense and added more flavor.

Just roasting the peppers and onions together with some Syrian Oregano (aka Za'atar)  produced the most wonderful aromas in the kitchen.  I used about 1 tsp each of non-cured bacon fat and avocado oil to toss the veggies with, spread then sprinkled with the herb and salt and pepper.

Next I brought chicken broth to boil (water is an option) and cooked up the potatoes for about 12 minutes.  Added the roasted vegetables, and simmered for another 12-15 minutes.  Pureed and stir in parmesan cheese.  Ladled into the bowls and chopped up fresh sugar pea pods (from the garden) and did the "low-carb de-fat salami slices on paper towels in the microwave", chopped and garnished each bowl with them.

Another keeper recipe for sure.

Here is the basic recipe.  Change out the vegetables, herbs, cheese and water/broth as you like.

Basic "Creamy" Potato Vegetable Soup
This makes about 3+ cups of finished soup (can easily be doubled)
The "Creamy" is from the potato - cheese optional, so this can be vegetarian, vegan, and dairy-allergic friendly

These soups reheat beautifully the next day - if there are leftovers.  Warm on the stove or microwave for 90 seconds.

THE KEY to the flavor and quality of this soup is:

1)  roasting the focus vegetable(s)
2)  using potato, don't rinse you need the starch and I strongly recommend leaving the peels on.


2 tablespoons of avocado, olive or oil or fat of of choice
2 - 4 tablespoons of diced onion, leek, garlic, chive etc of your choice
1 medium size potato (small chunks equal to about 1 1/2 cups) - I do NOT peel my potatoes.
2 cups of vegetable of choice, diced
2 cups of water or broth
salt and cracked black pepper
limequat, lime or lemon
Optional:  complimentary herbs/spices to the vegetable
Optional;:  4 ounces of shredded or grated cheese of choice which compliments the vegetables and herbs: White cheddar, parmesan etc.  You could float a small cube of Brie on each bowl of soup as a garnish

Garnish of choice:  minced vegetables, slivered greens, capers or minced olives, edible flowers - pretty much any topping you think goes with the vegetable you chose.

An immersion blender works great for this.

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 and prepare a pan with aluminum foil for roasting the focus vegetable

Prepare the vegetable.
Wash potato, remove any blemishes, do not peel, cut into chunks and add to water, set aside.
Prepare onion (garlic etc.) of choice
Prepare or have ready the complimentary herb or spice mix you are using
Have your choice of garnishes ready and set aside
Shred cheese if using, set aside

In the pot you will cook the soup in, warm 1 tablespoon of fat/oil of choice and toss the focus vegetable with the oil - in the pot.  Spread the vegetable out on the prepared pan and season with salt and pepper. Do not wipe out the pot.

Add the last tablespoon of fat to the pot, and cook the onion of choice on low.  Put the pan of vegetables into the oven and set the time for 5 minutes.

Stir the onion and do not let it burn.

When the timer goes off, add the potatoes and water (or broth) to the pot, bring to a boil, covered.

Stir the pan of vegetables and reset the timer for 5 minutes.

Lower the pot to a gentle low boil.

When the timer goes off, add the roasted vegetable to the pot, add any herbs or spices you are going to use, cover and boil on low for 7 minutes or until the potato is tender.

Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup - I like to leave some chunks in for texture.

At this point if you are adding cheese, do so and stir to fully melt the cheese.  Ladle into bowls, top with garnish of choice, squeeze some lime or lemon juice over and serve and enjoy!


Watch the overnight temps and keep the frost covers handy.

Have a great day in the garden and kitchen.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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February Planting/Sowing Tips.

Dear Folks,

My harvest 1 day in early January.  I am showing this to make a point.  Those peppers are from plants which have been growing ALL year long.  If you get your pepper plants going in February (with some frost protection) you get a crop in late spring, early summer - they may take a rest in the summer heat and start producing again in the fall and winter.  They like afternoon shade AND even though we had a freeze and they are freeze-sensitive, these plants are under tree canopy for protection.

The other goodies are sugar pea pods and the gorgeous blooms of Magnolia Sugar Snap Peas, mixed greens (sown in September and I've been harvesting since late October as cut and come again) and of course our citrus.

The point is, you will harvest what you sow or transplant.  Simple :-)

The Herb of the Year for 2019 is Anise hyssop, Agastache Foeniculum, a lovely and fragrant herb which will grow in our desert gardens in the cooler time of the year.  Read more on this herb here.

Be Frost Aware!
Have your frost protection covers handy through at least the middle of March.  Not just because of frost but because of the possibility of hail as the seasons transition.  I like my poor man's cloches for seedlings and young transplants.

For a variety of reasons I chose not to put up my greenhouse this year, and opted for a smaller version.  It is working nicely.  I chose this particular garden table because of the slats allowing some air circulation to avoid issues of too much condensation or worse, mold.

If you want to do something like this, you can keep the greenhouse up until sometime in March to boost your seedling growth.  Plan on something to raise the tub up with air space for circulation.

FEBRUARY PLANTING:

VEGETABLES, FRUITS & HERBS TO PLANT

Artichoke; Asparagus; Basil; Bay; Bean, Lima; Beets; Bok Choy; Cantaloupe; Carrots; Chard; Citrus Scented Marigold (Tagetes Nelsonii); Collards; Corn; Cucumbers; Epazote; Fruit Trees; Jerusalem Artichoke; Lavender; Lettuce & Greens; Marigold; Marjoram; Melon, Musk Melon; Melon, Winter; Mint; Mustard; Onion, Sets; Onions, Green; Oregano; Peas; Peppers; Potatoes; Purslane; Radishes; Sage; Savory; Spinach; Squash, Summer; Strawberry; Thyme; Tomatoes; Turnips; Watermelon

EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:

Bee Balm (Monarda Didyma); English Daisy ; Hollyhock; Jasmine Sambac (Arabian); Pansies; Primrose; Purslane; Safflower; Scented Geraniums; Snapdragons; Sunflower; Sweet Alyssum; Tangerine Scented Marigold (Tagetes Lemonii)

Frost/Freeze:  Average last frost day is approximately February 15th, however frost and hail has been seen as late as the second week in March.  It is best to have your frost covers handy.

GARDEN TIPS for February

February is the transition time for the garden from Winter to Spring sowing, transplanting and harvesting.

There is still time to get a last batch of carrots, sugarpeas, lettuces and similar in the ground. Choosing short maturity varieties, particularly of the root veggies, will give you more harvesting success as the weather jumps to heat in a couple of months.

February is also the time to start your warm season plants like tomatoes, basil and peppers, to name a few.  But they may need some initial frost protection.  Keep in mind that they may actually stop growing if there is a cold day or several, which chills the soil.  Then they resume when the soil heats back up (an interesting phenomenon I finally caught on to several years ago).

The weird weather of the last couple of years in February/March with high temps followed by overnight chill/freeze (Global Weirding as Karis over at the Valley Permaculture Alliance put it so well), makes for some required diligence in the garden in February and March.  It pays to remain more mindful of what the weather will be rather than just sow and try to grow.

February is the end of the primary perennial best planting time in the valley (October - February).  What this means is that to ensure the best success for your perennials like rosemary, oregano and fruit trees, it is best to have them in the ground before the end of February and the beginning of our temperature increases.

New to-the-valley residents can be surprised by the common spring joke of "when is spring here?" and the answer is "do you remember that period in early March when it was about 78-83 or so degrees for about 2 weeks? - that was it!"

This of course is due to the sudden rise of temperatures from balmy mid 70s in late February / early March to the 90s by April 1st (or higher - we have had the rare 100+ degree days in late March or early April).

The plants just can't take the stress of dealing with putting down roots while the temperatures soar into the 90+ range in just a few short weeks.

Fertilize fruit trees now -- Use Valentine's day as the target -- (and again in late May (Memorial Day) and early September (Labor Day).
    Pecan trees need zinc sulfate, applied at the rate of 1 pound per trunk inch width.


ABOUT FROST
    The last frost date averages around February 15th, although we have had frost as late as March 1st or 2nd (usually the result of a late winter storm with hail).
    Frost in the Valley at the 1100 or lower elevations is usually limited to ‘soft frost’ where simple sheets or paper placed over sensitive plants (or moving potted plants beneath patios or trees) is sufficient to protect them. Hard/Killing frosts are rare particularly in February/March.
    For every 1000 feet over 1100 in elevation the last frost day is moved back 10 days and the possibility of hard (killing) frosts starts to occur.  At 2000 feet or lower, this is still a rare occurrence.
    Getting your edible seedlings in the ground as early as possible provides longer-produce seasons - especially with plants like tomatoes.
    Use homemade 'cloche' covers to protect seedlings -- cut the bottom of gallon milk containers or 2 liter soda bottles - clean very well to avoid mold -- place over plants each night until frost danger is past, remove during the day, or if you need to be gone for several days remove the cap to allow excess heat and humidity to escape.
    How do you know if we are finished with frost?  There are some examples in nature, but you still need to be prepared to cover sensitive plants through the 2nd week in March.
        a. Ant activity in the garden indicates the soil has warmed up sufficiently for them to start gathering food again.
        b. If the mesquite trees have started to bud out, it is unlikely to frost after that
        c. Be aware that a warm storm can contain some hail through March.

HAIL
    Here in the Valley we can have Hail on an expected basis in Spring, early Summer and Fall.
    The perfect conditions for Hail are warm OR WARMING soil, cool air mass coming in AND wind.

    February and March have the perfect combination of warming soil and a cool system moving in.  If you add wind you will generally get hail.
    So, while actual frost may not happen keep your frost protection covers and jugs handy in the event of hail to safeguard your new seedlings and transplants.

My Apple Tree Seedlings Update.

I had posted I purchased some "landrace" wild Montana apple tree seeds and they sprouted in October 2018.  Then in December I discovered a green apple (purchased) had sprouted seeds when I opened - so, I sowed them too!

Fast forward and I needed to transplant into bigger pots.

The two landrace apples are at the top of the collage.  The green apple volunteers (2 sprouted, weeks apart) are in the bottom two pictures one close up and the other showing its "pot-mate" a citrus tree.  (The plant peeking out in the middle of the collage is a mint in a nearby pot, "wanting" to make friends with the apple tree pot - I said no!)

Here is hoping they all do well with the transplant.  One of the green apple root balls broke apart when I transplanted it.  The two landrace apples had incredible roots formed.  I got them transplanted just in time - a head of any potential root binding.

FREE Seed Share, February 7th, Mesa Public Library.

 

Two Recipes to share - one using my caper berries and another using mixed greens.

I was musing a couple of weeks ago about an appetizer (really a whole meal!) I used to get at the old Fish Market Restaurant on Camelback. The recipe is simple:  Brie cubes softened in oil of choice and spread on the toast (in the picture for our tasting comparison I had olive oil and avocado oil -- we did not find any difference in taste)  Cured salmon (smoked and brined), sourdough bread, red onion and my Caper Berries whole and sliced.  AWESOME!  Totally indulgent and can't have this too often but oh my - what a fun meal.  Oranges from our trees to round it off.

A fun recipe shared by Lisa Steele over at Fresh Eggs Daily from her blogging bud Framed Cooks.

Bacon and Egg Drop Soup!

I did write about this on facebook.  I love egg drop soup but do not think of nearly enough.

This was wonderful.  I asked my meat and potatoes guy if I could change it up next time, add something?  He had the cutest response - "this is a wedding gown soup, not a blue jeans soup" and more flavor like spinach (which is what the recipe originally calls for) would take away the "delicate" flavor and texture.   My wonderful guy!

I used mixed greens because I am slightly allergic to spinach, beets and chard.

Here is the original recipe and I will give you the ingredients below - easily adjusted for number of servings.

Fresh Egg and Bacon Soup (Framed Cooks)
6 slices bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten well
Salt and pepper

I hope you have a wonderful time in the garden and kitchen!

You can find my gardening help book and calendar and cookbooks on Amazon.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Happy New Year! Around the Garden & Kitchen.

Dear Folks,

Let me say I'm starting off this post by saying my life has been challenged for the last several months.

BUT, I harvested peanuts!!! earlier in December -- then let them dry in the shade.  More on the peanuts later in the blog and more about me -- but let me share this positive cartoon from last year - it fits this year too!

No matter what is going on in my life, when I can turn to sowing or planting something, harvesting even a few things from the garden, and creating something new and fun in the kitchen, I feel better. I will bet you do to if you can grow and nurture something.

So - SOW!

I have had close loved ones challenged with injuries the last 3-4 months and I help out - I have been able to act as a caregiver to family off and on for many years.  I am reminded of one of the songs from the Muppet Christmas Carol - "with a grateful heart" and I thought of that the other day, while realizing I am stressed!!, But I am one of the most healthy ones of my aging family and have a grateful heart that I can help, but it can be a challenge.

Then, right before Christmas I came down with a cold and them my dear guy did too and he tends to be sicker - so we have been muddling through two colds and a dear one dealing with restricted arm movement.

So my general healthy-foods focus goes out the window when I am stressed.  I decided to remedy it with a good-for-us-breakfast "cookie" -- flourless, high fiber, high protein and quick to make.  You can make this as sweet as you like and there are so many ways to make this you can choose the easiest one for you.

Basic two ingredients are equal amounts of fruit puree/mash and oatmeal - I prefer old fashioned oats.

Then make a decision on whether you would like a lot of texture by leaving ALL of the oats whole, or a mix of ground and whole (some internet recipes grind ALL of the oats -- we like some texture) - the ground helps bind the cookies together better.  You may recognize this basic idea from "banana - oatmeal" recipes found on the internet and in fact I was musing about how to make something better for us (without a lot of time and effort) when I remember my cousin telling me about the banana/oat cookie a year or two ago.

So follow my logic here.  ANY fruit puree will work.  How sweet the fruit is or is not, means you may want to add more sweetener of choice - or not.  It also means you could use a pureed whole fruit jam or preserve, which will UP the sugar content.  It is a choice.

Then to make it high protein and more high fiber, ground nuts or seeds which combine with the grain (oats) to form a complete protein.

More fiber comes from an optional addition of ground flax seed.

And more good-for-you antioxidants come from dried cranberries or cherries or dried fruit of choice.  (My next batch I will chop the dried fruit a bit to bring the size down closer to the rest of the ingredients.)

My Fruit/Oatmeal Flourless Breakfast/Snack Cookies

Can be doubled - the basic mix of fruit and oatmeal should be equal, but all other ingredients are flexible in quantity.

1 cup mashed fruit
1 cup oats
dash of salt
1/2 cup nuts or seeds ground
1 heaping tablespoon flax seed (I prefer Golden as it has less bitter qualities)
1/4-1/2 cup of dried fruit like cranberries or cherries
Optional - 1 tablespoon+ of complimentary jam

Grind flax seed with about 2 - 3 tablespoons of oats -leave rest of oats whole (you can grind up to half of oats and still have both binding and texture)
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil sprayed with baking spray
Heat oven to 350.

Mash fruit along with optional jam.  Add dash of salt and stir.  Add oats and mix well, then add nuts and dried fruit, fold in well.  Let the mixture sit for 5-15 minutes while the oven heats to allow the oats to absorb the moisture.

Drop with scoop or tablespoon on parchment lined tray and flatten slightly.
Bake for 9-12 minutes.

Peanuts! 

I decided last April to try growing peanuts.  I purchased an Heirloom "Tennessee Red" from Baker Creek - they reminded me of the peanuts we used to get when I was a kid. Now a days you can find many different varieties to grow.

They LOVE the heat.

I sowed 12 shelled peanuts on April 24th and by May 9th, the seedlings looked like this.  Peanuts have a unique growing habit.  The plant grows up and then when it flowers the flower head dips down and buries itself into the soil and this is the future source of the "ground nuts" which grow at the roots much like sunchokes. 

Flowers were showing up by the end of May.

On December 11th,  almost 8 months after sowing I harvested the peanuts.  I had been waiting for the plants to die back.  I then fixed up a chicken wire basket in the shade of one of my citrus trees to aid in the shells completely drying to the stage shown in my opening picture.  I did not count the number of whole shells I harvested but I think the ratio is probably close to 1 seed = 3 whole shells.  Not bad for a trial run.  I am saving all but 1 for re-sowing next April and probably in a larger area.  This was a fun trial and observation of a unique plant.

I have been drying my herbs for years and decided it was time to have a stock pile of dried flower petals to adorn whatever trips my fancy.  Working at the moment with pink rose petals from my native wild rose and nasturtium flowers.  As my garden grows through the seasons here in Arizona I will continue to harvest and add to my supply.
 
For baking or any dessert or creative recipes, flower petal garnish is something easy to create - it just takes a bit of planning, catching the edible flowers in your garden at the right time for harvesting and drying in the refrigerator to maintain color.

I lay out on paper towels on stacked trays on the sde shelf in the refrigerator. - Takes from 3-7 days depending on how big the petals are. 

Another plant is potatoes.  My New Year's Day tradition is to plant potatoes.  I am working on re-arranging my large cinder block bed and large pots and decided to clear the cinder block bed of the enormous sweet potato patch I let take over - and believe you me - they take over.  Mostly to the good as I get to harvest their leaves for 3/4 of a year for salads etc. and then get the roots in the fall and winter, but I needed to re-think what and where.  So I relegated sweet potatoes to 2 large pots and just planted the Irish potatoes in the pot I had the peanuts in.

I may start another pot of 'taters, but I still have to transplant my wild Apple Tree and Volunteer apple seedlings, e.g., trying to rethink location, location.

Because I am using only a large pot I decided on a different strategy this time.  I buried the outer ring of spuds 4 inches deep, and the inner ring I left on the surface, as I traditionally do, and covered over with 3 inches of leaves.  I will add to the leaf mulch as the plants grow up and the mulch compresses to always ensure the growing potatoes are not exposed to sunlight (toxic element found in the green areas of the skin and flesh and CANNOT be cooked out).

Challenges aside, I LOVE living in Arizona.  I love the heat and do not "do" cold well, but this is offset by the gorgeous facts of living here in the Valley of the Sun.

Our stunning sunrise on December 21, 2018 the shortest day of the year.  Now we can "spring forward" into longer days, planning on getting the heat-loving plants ready for transplanting and continuing to, still, sow sugar peas, left lettuces and radishes.

Make the New Year, your Year - plant something new to you or a method, location you have not tried.  I know I talk about "best" time and variety to grow, however you may find "pushing the envelope" leads you to new found plant, location or method success - just for you!

Have a great day,



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady If you enjoyed this post, please share and subscribe below by entering your email, to get all my posts!

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Last Minute Cookie Idea

Dear Folks,

I have been challenged by time and creativity - I've been helping out with two loved ones with injured arms and I NEEDED to get more cookies made for an exchange.

Sooooo - I remember a good friend turning a basic brownie batter into cookies and voila! I decided my Jam Bread recipe would be perfect for this AND I had all the ingredients on hand.

If you have a favorite quick bread/fruit bread recipe you can make the cookies too.

I used some of my homemade fig and apricot jams (mixed) for this and I threw in some chopped up Roselle Petals and Pumpkin Seeds for a Christmasy look.

I love the way they turned out and I did not have to change the batter recipe at all - win/win/YUM!

Just used scoop - they "dome" and do not spread, so you can put as many as you want on the cookie sheet

Oven 350, parchment lined cookie sheet, bake for 15 minutes, cool on tray for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

My Jam Bread Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar (may need less or more depending on sweetness of jams)
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups jam
1 cup chopped walnuts  (or nut / seed of choice)
Optional: Chopped fruit

Pre-heat oven to 350
Prepare cookie sheet(s) lined with parchment paper
Have cooling racks handy

In one bowl sift flour salt and baking powder.

In another bowl whip eggs to frothy, add sugar and oil and mix very well. Add jam and mix well.

Mix in flour until batter is well mixed, stir in nuts and optional fruit.

Using scoop or two spoons place mounds on sheets (can be close together batter does not spread).

Bake 15 minutes.  Cool on trays for 5 minutes then move to cooling racks.
 


Wishing you a Wonderful, Safe and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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