Popping Perennials and a Lovely Lawn

Taking today to simply wander the gardens, water a few germinating seeds and fertilize the yard (I use LadyBug Brand 8-2-4).

 From upper left to bottom right: Lemon tree, bolting cilantro and salad greens, fava beans, bolting sorrel, huge parsley.

I used to not take care of my lawn in the least, other than mowing it. But last fall i spread elbon rye seed and fertilizer and am now proud to show off one of the prettiest lawns on the block. I do not irrigate other than the veggie beds, so my lawn will wither in the hot summer sun. But i feel a yard is a luxury, to be enjoyed in its season but not to have limited resources spent on it. Fertilize the yard in fall and early spring, rake in, and enjoy the benefits of softness under foot. You may also wish to spread corn gluten in the spring before the weeds germinate: corn gluten prevents any seeds from germinating (so don't put it where you planted wildflowers!) and thus prevents weeds. It is also a great natural fertilizer high in nitrogen: the weed and feed of organic gardening.

Multiplying onions working on their upper bulbs. I'll harvest those in late Summer, eat some, share some, and plant some in a new bed in the back yard. May pull most of these out and eat them, making way for pepper plants next spring.

 

I planted some borage, marigolds and malabar spinach in the back by the hubby's gourd patch yesterday, fenced off from the chickens who really want to 'help' mommy plant: a game they call "hide the seed." I Plan on putting in the second planting of corn tomorrow and maybe start the pole beans and cover it all with my homegrown mulchy compost.

 Corn baby getting bigger!

The salvias are coming back with a vengeance, but i'm still waiting to see if the lantanas and lavender make it. I pruned all my woody perennials back in February, fertilized them and added some compost around their roots, and am now being greeted with lovely blooms. My large culinary sage is just about to bloom as well. I found it quite interesting when looking back through last year's photo set on flickr: the sage and daffodils are blooming at exactly the same time this year as last, despite the very different spring weather. How interesting that the plants seem to know when they're due to blossom.


Loving this gorgeous spring weather. So are the starlings and squirrels: i keep running them off the beds out my studio window. Poor little kales never stood a chance.

What are you planting (if anything) this week?

Herbed Oil and Vinegar

Ah, Christmas. Sometimes my favorite time of year. At the very least it's a great time to find excuses to craft, bake, and create things you might otherwise not find time to do. This post is tardy as i obviously didn't want to spoil any surprises!

Herbed oils and vinegars are easy to do, and especially special when they're made entirely with homegrown herbs and veggies.  This year I'm giving each set of parents (i have three) their own oil and vinegar sets. I have to ship the ones to my Dads and Moms in Oregon, so i am rigorously crossing my fingers that they don't explode on the way there.
Flavors and herb choices are entirely up to you or up to what your garden is providing. If it was summer i would have put in a lot more fresh basil, and if my lemon thyme plant hadn't died in this summer's drought i would have been able to put a lot more of that in there: same goes for my lemongrass. You simply want to choose "a theme" and try to stick to it. I put together what i had on hand:

Herbed Oil - Italian Herbs with Garlic

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• fresh and roasted garlic - mashed + whole for garnish
• fresh rosemary and sage - diced + whole sprigs for garnish
• fresh oregano - diced
• peppercorns and dried hot peppers for garnish

Flavored oils are so easy: Simply dice up all the herbs and garlic and put in a mortar and pestle with a drizzle of oil. Mash until you can't stand it then scoop it all into a mixing bowl. Pour the rest of your oil into the bowl and mix well - be sure to get all the goodness off the pestle.  Once well mixed pour the oil mixture into some well sealed jars and be sure to shake them up daily. Marinate the mixture for at least 2 weeks. (i had to skimp the Rommels due to time i'm afraid, theirs only got marinated for about a week, sorry!) When you are ready to bottle simply stuff the fresh herbs and peppercorns/garlic into some pretty bottles: feel free to recycle old oil bottles for this. Using a strainer and funnel one over the other carefully pour the oil into your bottles. The strainer will catch the gook and the funnel will direct the oil into the bottle instead of all over your counter. Be sure to leave some room on the top.
Try and store the oil in a dark, coolish place. The fresh herbs contribute to ease of going rancid so you want to use this oil within 6 months and keep it from getting too warm and friendly to bacteria.

Herbed Vinegar with Citrus

• White Wine Vinegar
• Fresh Meyer Lemon Zest for marinating and garnish
• Garlic - diced + whole for garnish
• Fresh Dill - diced + whole sprig for garnish
  
• Fresh Parsley - diced + whole for garnish
• Garlic Chives - diced
• Lemon Thyme - diced
• Peppercorns and Dried Hot Pepper for garnish
• (wanted to include fresh lemongrass, but it died in the first frost)
  

Pour vinegar into a non reactive pot and heat to just boiling. Meanwhile dice all the herbs and mash in a mortar and pestle. Place herbs in a mixing bowl and pour hot vinegar over them when it is ready. Cover and let cool. Once cooled off a bit pour the vinegar mixture into well sealable jars and store in a dark place, shaking daily, for at least 2 weeks.  When you're ready repeat the same process as with the oils and pour through a sieve and funnel into pretty bottles - i reused the original vinegar bottles.

Presentation:

Is totally up to you, of course. But i wanted these to look pretty and special and "me." I scraped off the original labels with a flat exacto blade, any sticky residue can be removed with WD40. If i had had labels, i may have stuck something to the side of the bottles, but since i didn't i used black hemp twine and recycled Artagain Paper (the same that i use with my illustrations). I hand wrote (redoing several times as my handwriting is NOT good) the ingredients and suggested uses and storage instructions on the paper and strung it to the bottles with the twine. I think the black hemp looks nice on the naked bottles filled with pretty and scrumptios stuff.