What do you do with a 'mess' (bunch) of fresh herbs and greens?

Dear Folks,

For all of my frustration with the under-performing gardens because of the up/down weather, I have been blessed with a lot of herbs and greens!  So what to do. Pictured, I gathered, rinse and chopped a big pile of kale, lettuces, celery, parsley, and chervil.  I froze half of this for later use and used half to make one of my 'Herb Soups'.

This is a picture of one I made last year.  Topped with Parmesan cheese crisps. 

My original recipe for Herb Soup in 2013 is here.  I have made many versions over the years because it is just so good.  You can imbellish/garnish with whatver you like.

I encourage you to use boiling water for your first try rather than a broth as the herbs etc. give it an amazing flavor.

Well, what else can one do with a whole 'mess' of greens and herbs?

In the past I have made pesto, green goddess dressing (unlike many recipes, I start with a base of a vinaigrette of oil and lemon, lime juice or vinegar) add any greens and herbs I have and whirl in the blender.  A wonderful dressing for salad or pasta.

I decided to do a little research and found a wonderful article on Epicurious website for 10 Green Sauces.

I am sure many of you have heard of some of them in addition to pesto, there is chimichurii, and Salsa Verde.  BTW if you make Salsa Verde I have used my fresh Epazote as part of the mix. Some of the recipes for Salsa Verde from Mexico stuff a fish with a mix of herbs, including Epazote.  Not quite a green "sauce" but same flavor enhancer. 

I hope you use your greens and herbs for some of these amazing sauces.

Have a best day,

Stay safe, be patient and be kind to yourself and one another,

My Original Herb Soup Recipe is from my book "101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady" where I highlight one or more herbs to create recipes focusing on them.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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My Sweet Peppers in the Garden in January

Dear Folks,

For all of the crazy up/down weather, my sweet peppers are loving the cooler temps and ramping up production. So, I decided to use them to make some meals.  I did not take a picture of the potato/egg/pepper salad I made with the Orange Hungarian Paradicsom Sweet Pepper.  But is was great.  This pepper is a thick-walled lobbed variety and very sweet.  The plant is going on 5+ years old

The Purple Beauty (really black) Sweet pepper is truly a remarkable color.  I was so excited to harvest them, I forgot they are actually in their "green" stage and would eventually be more purple.  No matter, they were going into one of my "creamy soups."  The plant is still putting out flowers.

I sowed the seeds for the Purple Beauty, mid-December-2019 and transplanted to its pot home mid February 2020.

Peppers struggle to produce well in the heat of our summer, but overall grow well.  Then when the temps start to fall back down in fall they ramp up production again.

My "creamy" soups are a main vegetable, in this case the purple peppers, potato (for the 'creamy'), onion, avocado oil, salt, pepper and an herb or herbs. I choose rosemary for this one.  I frequently stir in cheese to melt right after pureeing the soup.  This time I decided not to use cheese.

I created a long collage of the photo steps.  I always garnish the soup with things from the garden.  Sometimes flowers or chopped sugar pea pods.  I used a mix of greens, herbs and sprouts (I was gifted with seed sprout tray-which I love), sliced radishes and I had some leftover breakfast sausage, and finally I always squeeze some of our limequat juice over the soup just before service. It gives the soup and extra zip.

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 micowave for 90 seconds. I have also frozen leftover.

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.

Ingredients:
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.

The timing of preparation is to take advantage of cooking two different components at the same time, so the whole preparation takes about 20-30 minutes.

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!

I hope you try this type of soup with your favorite vegetable(s) from the garden.

Have a best day,

Be safe, be kind, be gentle with yourself and each other. 

You can find my gardening calendars and books on my website.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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February Planting Tips

Dear Folks,

Now that the holidays are behind us - and your potatoes are planted (you did get them in the ground, right?-- They should be planted now for optimal harvest in April -- I planted mine January 2nd).  It is time to think about when you transplant either purchased or indoor started plants like Tomatoes, Basil, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers etc.  The plants which can be perennial here, but need some frost protection.

They produce best is you can get them in ground by February 1st, or thereabouts. BUT you need to cover them during the nights until all frost danger is past. About mid-March in the Valley.  The picture about is a cool and cheap option for covering your tender plants.  Cheap umbrellas (like Dollar Tree) make adequate greenhouses.

I have used gallon jugs, boxes and sometimes cages (to hold covers).  This is my tomato in a special cage we made from two pieces of hogwire.  I believe in letting tomatoes here in the valley, sprawl so they are not UP in the hot dry air, but I needed something to put the sheet over and not crush the plant.  This was a gift from our neighbor who bought too many plants.  You can't see it but I put a smaller column of chicken wire around the base (when it was smaller) and filled with dry leaves to add some additional frost protection.

Speaking of frost - the weather is truly a pick-a-factor/possibility.  After an protracted warmer fall and early winter, the plants have been as confused as I have ever seen them.  So, while I am not sure we will actually get much frost/freeze time this year.  "Arizona’s Weather Authority says La Niña typically means a drier than average winter for us. It will likely be a bit warmer, too." --AzFamily - September 2020.

With that said, we can actually get hail in March when the soil begins warming, the upper levels air remains cool and we get wind and rain.  So have whatever frost protection handy.

With the non-performance of one of my usual greens and herb bed, I decided to grow more of them in pots and I have a nice selection. 

Left to right: Parsley, Chervil, Celery, Cilantro.

Another plant I seeded into a pot in early October is this lovely Black Bell Pepper.  The fruit has been small, but I expect them to get bigger with the cooler weather.  Peppers do well here, but more so during not-hot times.

And one last picture.  About 2 years ago I planted several apple trees from seed.  Most of them are in pots, but I wanted to see how a seed-grown apple would do in the ground here.  I used the box to show you the original main trunk has lost its leaves.  The second trunk grew last year and only now are the leaves turning and I expect them to drop eventually.  The tree is healthy.  We shall see how it does.

 

 

 

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.
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)
 

Take care of yourselves and each other,

 -- Catherine, The Herb Lady

 You can find my gardening calendars and books on my website.

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12 Days of Celebrations

Dear Folks,

With many, many people needing the hope, distractions, and celebration of Christmas and the rest of the holiday season,  I am re-posting ideas for celebrations, history and food of the season, charity, and of course our gardens.

[Pictured: One of our navel orange ripening, which always makes me think of ornaments on a Christmas tree.]

In 2009 I created individual posts for the 12 days of Christmas.  While the commercial treatment of the 12 days has been all about "before" Christmas, the original 12 days did NOT lead up to Christmas, it started with Christmas.

The celebrations such as Kwanzaa and New Years are discussed.

Some of the 'internal' links to the posts may no longer work, however I hope you enjoy reading through these for ideas, and interesting facts.

There are no photos in these.  I had not yet figured out how to use the camera and take good pictures - so I hope that does not take away from enjoying the posts.

 
--Catherine

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-12-days-of-christmas-worth-re-posting.html

I wish for you peace, love and hope,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

 

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December Planting Tip

Dear Folks,

A little late with this tip post.  So the important points are these:

Prune deciduous trees, cut asparagus back to ground, and get beds ready for potato planting New Year's Day.  If your citrus needs some dead branch removal, get that done now.  The fruit trees will be bursting into flower in January and February.

Keep in mind, as you read through the tips, this is 2020 - all "norms" are off, so hopefully your garden will  "show" you what it needs.

Pictured is my celery in two different beds.  Most of this celery has been growing for about 10 months!!  Since I use a lot of celery I am delighted that, at least for this edible, some things worked out great.

My tip for having these plants last so long is to cut from the center.  I did that initially when I wanted the most tender stalks and leaves, but discovered it stopped the plant from trying to go to flower - even in the heat of the summer.  The older stalks served to feed the plant. So what I seem to have now is perennial celery. Great!!

I say that about my celery, because many of my seeded plants since the beginning of fall have struggled with the lingering heat, then cold then up/down.  My sugar peas took FOREVER to sprout even with repeated sowing.

Initially my radish seeds sprouted so quickly it was almost overnight, then, stopped sprouting quickly and slowed to growing really, really slow.  My first harvest of them was looking so good, then practically nothing as the weather went up/down on a roller coaster.

So far the citrus ripening seems to be actually ahead of schedule!!!

The Turmeric seems to be about where it should, starting to go down.   When it finally dies back I can dig up and separate roots, save some for me and replant the rest.

Turmeric likes a partially shaded area with morning sun. This one has been growing in this spot for several years. 

We have a lot of critter visitors mostly birds.  One of the ones we particularly enjoy are the Peach Faced Love Birds who we call the Cheepy Guys for their joyful sounding chatter.

We do not normally see them near the ground, they like the sunflower and other high-up seed options - we were lucky enough to catch this one on our bird block (we also throw loose seed).

Finally, before we get to the planting tips, I wanted to share a recipe I have been making for several years around the holidays.

No, not from the garden, but with lots of good things for you (dark chocolate, walnuts, dried berries and cheerios). Called "good for you candy" the original recipe was created by Jean Carper and appeared in a Parade Sunday Magazine.

My Good For You Candy

2 1/2 cups Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips

1 1/2 cups cheerios or other whole-grain cereal 

1 cup dried sweetened cranberries (original called for dried cherries)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, you can add more if you like.

Drop by spoon fulls on parchment or aluminum foil and put in frig for an hour or so to harden up.

I also will drop spoon fulls in small paper candy cups to make smaller portions.

I hope you try these. :-)

 

 December PLANTING:

Anise
Asparagus
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Cabbage
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chamomile
Chervil
Cilantro
Dill
Fennel, Leaf
Fruit, Bare Root
Fruit Trees
Greens
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lettuce
Marjoram
Mustard
Myrtle
Onions, Green
Oregano, Greek
Ornamental Cabbage/Kale (Brassica Oleracea)
Parsley
Peppers (seed)
Primrose (Primula Vulgaris)
Radishes
Sage
Savory
Spinach
Strawberry
Thyme
Turnips
Watermelon (by seed December 15 and after)

EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:

Carnation (Dianthus)
Chamomile
English Daisy
Jasmine Sambac (Arabian)
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Primrose
Scented Geraniums
Snapdragons                
Stocks (Matthiola)
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Sweet Alyssum

GARDEN TIPS for December
    Holiday time can be stressful. Your edible garden can be an oasis from stress.  With citrus fruit ripening like yellow and orange ornaments, pansies blooming, and dill waving in the breeze, winter is only a state of mind here in the Desert Southwest.
    November through January can be a ‘rainy’ season for the desert.  2020 had been VERY different.  IF the rains comes, you can usually hold off on regular watering if you have received a half inch or more of rain within 2 days of normal watering days (except for trees unless you receive 1 inch or more).  Make good use of your water meter to determine soil moisture.  
    If rains are heavy this month, in addition to foregoing some water days, you may need to put down Ironite or Green Sand to compensate for mineral bonding (which makes iron unavailable to the plants) due to both the excess water and the cold soil.  Ironite is not a fertilizer so it will not burn plants -- apply to the drip line (edge) of tree canopy.

Watering Guide:
As the temperatures rise or decrease, a guide (this is only a guide! make use of your moisture meter to check moisture content of soil) For mature gardens would be:
    70s water every 5-6 days for all but trees
    80s water every 4-5 days for all but trees
    90s water every 3-4 days for all but trees
    100s water every 2-3 days for all but trees

Garden Design tip - if you are considering laying out a new garden, use Ironite to 'draw' the garden layout on the soil, easy and safe.

FROST damage:  Do not prune until danger of frost is over - the damaged plant protects the lower growth.

PRUNING:

Prune citrus and deciduous fruit trees in December, or no later than early January before flowering starts.

Occasionally our crazy peach trees drive Deane nuts because they still have leaves on them when they start to flower in late December or early January.

The idea with pruning deciduous trees is to get it done before the 'sap starts running' in the warming spring weather.  Because we do not usually have extended cold spells some of the stone fruit trees may not actually go into full dormancy.

The commercial growers like Schnepf Farms have simply adopted the practice of prunning their peach etc. trees after December 15th. This ensures that flower buds will not be pruned off later on.

There is always the challenge of a cold spell coming in January or February while the stone fruit trees are coming into bloom, which in other areas of the country might mean the severe limiting of fruit production.  Here we have not generally found that a short cold period has killed off the flower bloom/fruit production.

If you feel you are in a colder area, you can cover the blooming peaches, apricots, plums and apples with cloth covers if you can reach high enough to make it worth the effort.

FRUIT TREE PESTS

Peach tree borers are a problem here in the valley as the special hybrid stone fruit trees are more vulnerable to borers because the pests are not killed off as readily as in very cold areas of the country.

Winter 'dormancy' of the trees is the time to consider treating the trees to an oil spray to discourage the darn pests

Generally called "dormant oil" or "horticulture oil" this is a heavy oil based control which is designed to smother the pests, and therefore can't be applied to the active growing parts of any plants.  It is sprayed on the trunks of stone fruit (not evergreen like citrus) from the soil-base line up.  Make sure you read the instructions carefully.

If peach and other stone fruit trees are new to you and your garden, look for swelling on the buds/edges of each branch which indicates the tree is going into active growth and DO NOT use the spray on those areas.

In future notes I will discuss thinning fruit and a nice spring bouquet option of "forced" branches.

Have a safe and peaceful Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's

Be kind, be patient and thoughtful.

 

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

 

 

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November Planting Tips

Dear Folks,

This is a bit later than usual because I am sure, like many of you, are trying to figure out 1) the weather going forward vis-a-vis the garden, and 2) how to "do" Thanksgiving without undue stress.

[Mums blooming and they took their time opening up because of the up/down.  Start off red and wind up red and gold.]

A BIG challenge to something that should be a comforting routine.

The weather is 'perhaps' going into what would be normal temperature ranges for the next 2 weeks.  With that said, pay attention to overnight temperature projects.  If the forecast is 40 or so - get your frost protection covers ready to protect tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.  Lettuces and the root vegetables do not "usually" need protection, however I have seen Kale bitten by frost after a particularly cold night.

"Spotted" a Spotted Towhee for the first time in the garden.  We saw a 'streak' a few days earlier and could only see the black head and thought it was one of the grey striped black birds.  Then s/he bounced around more.  The movement before we got a good look at it was definitely Towhee, but the blackbird detail did not fit.  Then we were able to get a good ID on it as it moved closer to the house.

There was a common Towhee in the garden that we watched with sadness.  It was blind in one eye and the other eye was not good either.  It seemed to find the seed okay, but we knew it would not fare will.  Did not see it after that.

One more critter.  I have propensity for spotting an insect when I am inches from it!  This praying mantis was no different, like close enough to get bitten. No problem here so I went and got the camera. :)

There is a collage of this gorgeous Moulin Rouge Sunflower further down this post. 

Okay. Now, to the Gardening for November.

Somewhat the same as October. Continue to successive sow root vegetables, loose leaf type greens and herbs like cilantro, dill, and chervil.

November PLANTING:

Anise
Asparagus
Bay, Greek (Sweet)
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cabbage, Ornamental
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chamomile
Chard
Chervil
Cilantro
Dill
Endive (and Chicory)
Fennel, Leaf
Fruit Trees
Garlic (only as green garlic)
Greens
Horseradish
Kale, Ornamental
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lemon Verbena
Lettuce
Marjoram
Mints
Mustard
Myrtle
Onions, Green
Onions
Oregano, Greek
Oregano, Mexican
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Radishes
Rosemary
Sage
Savory
Spinach
Tarragon, Mexican
Tarragon, French
Thyme
Turnips

EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:

Calendula
Carnation (Dianthus)
Chamomile
Cornflower (Bachelor Buttons)
English Daisy
Hollyhock
Jasmine Sambac (Arabian)
Johnny-Jump Up
Marigolds, including Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii), Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii)
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Primrose
Scented Geraniums
Shungiku Chrysanthemum
Snapdragons
Stocks (Matthiola)
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Violet

GARDEN TIPS for November
    First frost date average is around November 17th.
    Frost in the Valley at the 1100 or lower elevations is usually limited to ‘soft frost’ where simple cloth sheets or paper placed over sensitive plants (or moving potted plants beneath patios or trees) is sufficient to protect them.  Never use plastic covers as the plastic transmits the cold to the plant tips.
    For every 1000 feet over 1100 in elevation the first frost day is moved forward 10 days.  The possibility of hard (killing) frosts starts to occur, although at 2000 feet or lower this is still a rare occurrence.
    Frost pockets in the Valley can surprise gardeners.  As a matter of practice, if the weather forecasters predict an overnight temperature of 40 F, I prepare for frost by protecting my sensitive plants with cloth or paper covers This is because heat retention by buildings and walls dissipates by early morning (4 or 4:30 a.m. to dawn the temperature can drop 8 degrees plus or minus).
    Frost danger continues until about mid-February.
    Cool weather annuals and biennials can be sown every 2-4 weeks (beginning in August) through the end of November for a continuous crop through next spring.
    November through January can be a ‘rainy’ season for the desert. You can usually hold off on regular watering if you have received a half inch or more of rain within 2 days of normal watering days.  Make good use of your water meter to determine soil moisture. 
    If rains are heavy this month, in addition to foregoing some water days, you may need to put down Ironite or green sand to compensate for mineral bonding (which makes iron unavailable to the plants) due to both the excess water and the cold soil.

FROST DAMAGE
The best way to think of frost damage on your edibles is the damaged plant material is now a partial protective cover to the underlying growth.

As mentioned in prior notes, frost damage in the lower desert gardens is usually limited to 'soft' frost which is controlled by simply putting cloth or paper covers over the plants at night, or if containers, moving them under evergreen trees or onto the patio.

IF, however we get hard or killing frosts, of extended periods or days, die-back will occur even on protected plants.  The reason is the radiant heat retained by structures and even the soil dissipates completely, leaving the plants exposed to too-cold air.

Whether the frost damage is from soft or hard frosts if the plant is still alive DO-NOT-REMOVE-THE-DAMAGE.  Doing so risks damaging the growth still alive under the top die-back.  I don't remove even dead plants until spring.  I have found basil seedlings coming up under a large dead basil plant killed off by a hard frost.

Obviously we like our gardens to look pretty most of the time, but selectively resisting the urge to pull something a little bedraggled gives you, the gardener, access to earlier production of the warm weather plants because of their larger root systems.

Herb Soup
From the book : “101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady” - by Catherine Crowley

    A wonderful blend of herbs, lettuces, croutons and cheese. The beauty of this soup, besides its fabulous flavor, is the ability to vary the herbs, lettuces, croutons and cheeses for different flavors. I developed this recipe from Provencal soups.

1    shallot, finely chopped
2    tablespoons butter, unsalted
4    cups mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used Thai basil, cilantro, parsley, see note below*)
1    package spring lettuce mix (or your own grown greens)
1    teaspoon coarse salt
1/8    teaspoon black pepper
6    cups boiling water (can use broth - but try the water the first time)
6    cups croutons (any stale bread diced will work too - some day-old nice artisinal breads would be great for this)
3/4    cups Parmesan cheese

    Set aside 1/2 cup each of herbs and lettuces for garnish. Divide croutons and cheese into 6 soup bowls.
    Saute shallot in butter for 1 minute. Add herbs, salt, and lettuces all at once and cook—stirring for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes—stirring occasionally. Ladle greens and broth into soup bowls. Add garnish of herbs and lettuces to each bowl. Serve and enjoy. Serves 6.
    *Traditional recipes call for sorrel and chervil or any combination you like - the Thai Basil has a tarragon aspect to it which mimic the chervil with a kick and cilantro's citrus back-note mimic the sorrel.

 

Here is the collage of my Moulin Rouge Sunflower. The seeds are not always easy to come by and as this is a hybrid the seeds from these flowers would likely not give the stunning color.

The left image is before the sun gets on it and the right is when the sun is starting to back-light the flower. The pictures were taken 5 days apart and you can see the flower opened more and the tips just starting to get a bit of a gold caste to them.  That is continuing through today (November 22nd) with more of the flowers on the planting starting to open.

I hope you have a wonderful, safe and comforting Thanksgiving.

Be kind, be patient, take care of yourself and each other.

Catherine

If you need some gifts for gardening friends in Arizona or USDA 9b my books are available through the links on my website.

 

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Blue and Red from the Garden, a bit of white.

Dear Folks,

I posted on FB a day or 2 ago. "I don't know if I am alone in my perception of what is going to go for the next 48 hours, but I decided a ping-pong facts fest is not what would bring me any satisfaction."

SO, I decided to occupy myself with garden and cooking. (I made a squash, apple, onion, saute last night. Oh was that good!)

The blue and white Blue Butterfly Flower harvest the other day was one of the biggest I've had, now drying in the frig. The plant is frost sensitive so I think it knows we may be dropping temps in the next couple of days.  When we had the cool nights a week or so ago, it produced almost no flowers. Here is the link to the November planting where I also wrote about this amazing antioxidant flower.

On to the red. Time to harvest my Roselle (hibiscus sabdariffa).  This high antioxidant "fruit" is the swollen calyx of the flower.  I got my seeds in late, but the hot summer (it LOVES the heat as long as it has enough water) pushed maturity to the normal times.

Harvesting has to be done by hand (in my opinion) because of the very tiny, tiny fly with burrows really tiny holes in the "petals" and can damage the interior.  The other problem is potential for mold. So the whole fruit must be opened and inspected.  I am showing the juice on the scissors from cutting the fruit off.  I use them so I don't damage the other buds near by.

If you look at the picture at the top of this collage, you can see the dimple of where the insect bored in.  The next picture shows the mold I need to watch out for. Sometimes the whole fruit is damaged, sometimes just a few petals.  The whole "seed head" has to be removed.  Later on I will let many of these completely dry on the plant and havest the seed for re-sowing next late spring.

The last picture shows all the discard, bad petals and the immature seed heads.  It amount to about 40-45% of the harvested fruit.

Finally the real harvest.

The petals are rinsed and ready set out to dry in the sun. It will take several days as our temps are going down. I bring the trays in every night to keep the petals from re-absorbing moisture.

The whole harvest from cut to on the trays took about an hour.  Time well spent. Once completely dried I will store them for teas and baking.  I love using this tangy cranberry flavored fruit for making sweet nut and fruit quick breads (aka cake).  Later on if I have room in the freezer, I will harvest more fresh and freeze them.  I lay foods like this on a tray in the freezer to individually freeze, so I can put it in ziplock or container and just pour out what I want to use without them freezing together.

BTW the petals will stain you hands red, but the red rinses off with soap and water.

Both the Blue Butterfly Flower and the Roselle impart gorgeous color to beverages and food (yes they can be used to color food), BUT the Blue Butterfly Flower color is impacted by acid.  So one of the fun things that people do when they make the beautiful blue tea is to squeeze a bit of lemon or lime into it and watch it change to pink or purple!!!!!

One of the things I am going to try, when I have some of both dried, is to combine them and see if I get a different color. :)  Since they are so good for you with all the antioxidants it will be a fun experiment and won't be wasted whatever color it becomes.

Be kind, be patient and be nice to yourselves and each other,

- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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November Planting Tips and a new-to-me flower I am over the top on.

Dear Folks,

Not of lot of exciting or good stuff to discuss, except for this flower -- Blue Butterfly.  See at the bottom, after this month's sowing/planting tips. This are so blue it is tempting to dismiss them as artificial.

November PLANTING:

Do yourselves a favor and harvest tender herbs --before first frost -- typically November 17th, but who knows this year!! Along with other greens to make the "Herb Soup" recipe at the end of the planting tips.  You will love it!

Anise
Asparagus
Bay, Greek (Sweet)
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cabbage, Ornamental
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chamomile
Chard
Chervil
Cilantro
Dill
Endive (and Chicory)
Fennel, Leaf
Fruit Trees
Garlic (only as green garlic)
Greens
Horseradish
Kale, Ornamental
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lemon Verbena
Lettuce
Marjoram
Mints
Mustard
Myrtle
Onions, Green
Onions
Oregano, Greek
Oregano, Mexican
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Radishes
Rosemary
Sage
Savory
Spinach
Tarragon, Mexican
Tarragon, French
Thyme
Turnips

EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:

Calendula
Carnation (Dianthus)
Chamomile
Cornflower (Bachelor Buttons)
English Daisy
Hollyhock
Jasmine Sambac (Arabian)
Johnny-Jump Up
Marigolds, including Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii), Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii)
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Primrose
Scented Geraniums
Shungiku Chrysanthemum
Snapdragons
Stocks (Matthiola)
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Violet

GARDEN TIPS for November
    First frost date average is around November 17th.
    Frost in the Valley at the 1100 or lower elevations is usually limited to ‘soft frost’ where simple cloth sheets or paper placed over sensitive plants (or moving potted plants beneath patios or trees) is sufficient to protect them.  Never use plastic covers as the plastic transmits the cold to the plant tips.
    For every 1000 feet over 1100 in elevation the first frost day is moved forward 10 days.  The possibility of hard (killing) frosts starts to occur, although at 2000 feet or lower this is still a rare occurrence.
    Frost pockets in the Valley can surprise gardeners.  As a matter of practice, if the weather forecasters predict an overnight temperature of 40 F, I prepare for frost by protecting my sensitive plants with cloth or paper covers This is because heat retention by buildings and walls dissipates by early morning (4 or 4:30 a.m. to dawn the temperature can drop 8 degrees plus or minus).
    Frost danger continues until about mid-February.
    Cool weather annuals and biennials can be sown every 2-4 weeks (beginning in August) through the end of November for a continuous crop through next spring.
    November through January can be a ‘rainy’ season for the desert. You can usually hold off on regular watering if you have received a half inch or more of rain within 2 days of normal watering days.  Make good use of your water meter to determine soil moisture. 
    If rains are heavy this month, in addition to foregoing some water days, you may need to put down Ironite or green sand to compensate for mineral bonding (which makes iron unavailable to the plants) due to both the excess water and the cold soil.

FROST DAMAGE
The best way to think of frost damage on your edibles is the damaged plant material is now a partial protective cover to the underlying growth.

As mentioned in prior notes, frost damage in the lower desert gardens is usually limited to 'soft' frost which is controlled by simply putting cloth or paper covers over the plants at night, or if containers, moving them under evergreen trees or onto the patio.

IF, however we get hard or killing frosts, of extended periods or days, die-back will occur even on protected plants.  The reason is the radiant heat retained by structures and even the soil dissipates completely, leaving the plants exposed to too-cold air.

Whether the frost damage is from soft or hard frosts if the plant is still alive DO-NOT-REMOVE-THE-DAMAGE.  Doing so risks damaging the growth still alive under the top die-back.  I don't remove even dead plants until spring.  I have found basil seedlings coming up under a large dead basil plant killed off by a hard frost.

Obviously we like our gardens to look pretty most of the time, but selectively resisting the urge to pull something a little bedraggled gives you, the gardener, access to earlier production of the warm weather plants because of their larger root systems.

Herb Soup
From the book : “101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady” - by Catherine Crowley

    A wonderful blend of herbs, lettuces, croutons and cheese. The beauty of this soup, besides its fabulous flavor, is the ability to vary the herbs, lettuces, croutons and cheeses for different flavors. I developed this recipe from Provencal soups.

1    shallot, finely chopped
2    tablespoons butter, unsalted
4    cups mixed fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used Thai basil, cilantro, parsley, see note below*)
1    package spring lettuce mix
1    teaspoon coarse salt
1/8    teaspoon black pepper
6    cups boiling water (can use broth - but try the water the first time)
6    cups croutons (any stale bread diced will work too - some day-old nice artisinal breads would be great for this)
3/4    cups Parmesan cheese

    Set aside 1/2 cup each of herbs and lettuces for garnish. Divide croutons and cheese into 6 soup bowls.
    Saute shallot in butter for 1 minute. Add herbs, salt, and lettuces all at once and cook—stirring for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes—stirring occasionally. Ladle greens and broth into soup bowls. Add garnish of herbs and lettuces to each bowl. Serve and enjoy. Serves 6.
    *Traditional recipes call for sorrel and chervil or any combination you like - the Thai Basil has a tarragon aspect to it which mimic the chervil with a kick and cilantro's citrus back-note mimic the sorrel.

Blue Butterfly flower/vine

Amazing blue color!

The flowers, leaves, young shoots and tender pods are all edible and commonly consumed, and the leaves can also be used as a green colorant.  "It also contains Delphinidin an anthocyanidin, a primary plant pigment, and also an antioxidant.  Delphinidin gives blue hues to flowers in the genera Viola and Delphinium. It also gives the blue-red color of the grape that produces Cabernet Sauvignon, and can be found in cranberries and Concord grapes as well as pomegranates, and bilberries." -- wikipedia

It is a member of the legume, Fabaceae family, with the unusual name of Clitoria ternatea.

It is subtropical, so wait until last frost to sow. I would recommend direct sowing in the ground rather than pots first.  Direct sown seeds do not germinate with the high percentage of pot-sown, but the ones that do are usually quite a bit stronger and healthier.

I direct sowed the seeds March 21, 2020 and it started to sprout on March 31st.  I started harvesting the flowers on September 23rd and the plant is still pushing out flowers each morning.  I realized too, I need to leave some flowers on to produce seeds! :)  The vine is in a mix shade and sun location, with dappled sun and afternoon sun..  I have a friend who is growing in the sun.

This plant is native to

equatorial Asia, including locations in South Asia and Southeast Asia but has also been introduced to Africa, Australia and the Americas.

Butterfly Pea Vine Seeds Names: Rich Royal Blue, Clitoria ternatea, Bunga telang -- Uses:  Edible/Tea and Decorative, Butterfly Garden/Host Plant

Fun Fact:  "The flowers have more recently been used in a color-changing gin Blue in the bottle, it turns pink when mixed with a carbonated mixer such as tonic water due to the change in pH. As organic colours are not permanent, this type of gin is recommended to be stored in a dark place to maintain the effect." - wikipedia

Go to Youtube and search for blue butterfly flower and up comes a host of drink, tea and even cocktail ideas.  Anything like lemon or lime will turn the blue color pink or purple.  I am providing some steep liquid for a family member to make blue ice cubes for folks to add to lemonade.  I suggested she slip a cube into someones ligh beer in a glass :)

1 to 1.5 teaspoons per cup to make tea.  Steep at least 5 minutes or longer for a darker color.

In the collage, I started the steep, took a picture at 5 minutes and again at 10 minutes.  The color was not deeper.  I used 5 fresh flowers as a baseline to see what kind of color I could get.  I will be using dried flowers for the ice cube event.

If you are looking for a fun, beautiful and unique flower to grow, give this a try. 


Be nice to yourselves and each other, be kind and patient (sometimes hard to do with everything going on), share what you have, and don't forget to garden!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

 

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Celery, in the desert garden. Yes please! And Nature Helps.

Dear Folks,

This summer.  In some ways there are no words to fully describe all of the things that were different, troubling, and in one case a surprise, a good one.

Two of my wild apple trees grown from seed (germinated December 2018) appear to have succumbed to the intense and prolonged heat. Other plants as well. I will write up some of that in another post.The picture is of my celery bed (aka greens bed - more on that below) taken September 10th.  I little crinkly around the edges on some of them. 

However, by harvesting from the center area, I can get these lovely additions to salad etc., while the outer stalks and leaves of the plants shelter the interior growing area.

AND, that is the key to why my celery has been growing lushly since mid-winter (sown and re-seed volunteers last fall).

Here is the greens, herbs and celery bed in March.  I outlined (forgive my awful drawing skills) the celery in some ,so you can easily see them among the various lettuces and herbs. I treat this bed as a cut and come again, harvesting what I need as I need it.  Sometimes I just go out with my scissors and cut 2 inches or so off the top straight across the bed. Sometimes I just go out and cut what stalks and leaves of celery I need.

By June most of the lettuce type greens had blasted or died back.  The celery then took over the bed (top picture).

I have long written about density of planting/sowing for the warm/hot weather.  The density shields the soil surface from direct sun, minimizes evaporation, keeping the root area cooler. The density also creates a shield to the "sides" of the interior plants.

Because the celery began to take over the greens bed in earnest in late spring/early summer, I let it.  The reward was an amazing bed of celery that was about 4 feet wide and 2.5 feed deep.

I have been growing celery for a number of years, letting it self-sow and adding some seeds here and there. Up until this year I usually only had harvestable celery until about late May.

I intentionally sow celery and other greens Sept/Oct.  Usually the self-sown plants are showing up about this time (late September).

Now it was time to do some clearing out so I can sow the new greens bed.

I removed all of the celery plants except for a row towards the front of the bed.  I composted or cut and dropped in another bed nearby.  I do dry some of my celery, but this is too much.

I placed the pruners so you could see the size of the plants and the roots.  I do need to do some experimenting with using celery root in recipes.

This was September 12.  I leveled the bed readying for the seeds.

Normally I scatter the seeds, but this sowing time I decided I wanted a more colorful array of the greens so I decided

to sow in rows.  As the season(s) go forward I may add more in between.   This picture was taken September 15.

On September 23rd the bed looked like this. You can see parts of the row of celery in the front there (bottom of the picture).

So, some helpful information.  I actually have a couple of areas where the celery flourishes.  This one is north of a couple of trees, which keeps the plants early growing time more in the shade with some morning sun and a bit of filtered western sun.

Once the sun moves to summer south, there is more direct sun.  As this bed is the largest, the density was the most helpful.  Go back up and look at the opening picture.  You can see the crispy leaves are on the outside for the most part and that is point about density. Think of it as the plant being its own "nurse" plant protecting the inter growth from the heat intensity.

By keeping the plants generally pruned back, not letting the flowers and seed heads form, they continue to push out new growth.

I hope you give celery a place in your garden, so you too, can enjoy an almost constant access to this flavorful addition to many, many dishes.

Have a best day.

Be patient, be kind to yourself and each other, and share,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

 

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