More on the garden...

From other gardeners, I've often read that their garden is constantly changing. You try one thing one year and next year you move it around and see what works better. I completely understand what they mean now. The exciting yet frustrating thing about it is that you have to wait A YEAR to see if it works before waiting ANOTHER YEAR to see it it's better!

It's been two summers since I first tried my hand at gardener and here are some thoughts on improvement:

1. Grow Bell Peppers in Pots - Bell peppers require very fertile soil and it's even recommended to fertilize them WEEKLY. The last two years, my bps have been rather sad. My friend K grew some in pots that turned out to be 3 feet tall with bps dangling from it like candy! I was so jealous! So this year, I'll try them in pots. In general, plants grow better in pots because they are shielded from the elements and don't lose their nutrients to the surrounding soil.
   
2. 
   
3. Make Raised Beds - Using some untreated wood or masonry blocks, make your garden a little area of it's own a few inches above ground. This allows the soil to warm quickly. It also just helps in organizing your garden beds.
4. Use Row Covers - Put plastic covers over the soil around your plant to suppress weeds. The weeding was out of control last year and as the garden expands, I just can't keep up with it. I'll try the plastic covers at least through the spring to keep weeds away.
   
5. Plant Edible Flowers - Edible flowers like Dianthus and Nasturtiums look delightful in a veggie garden. I'm going to plant tons more this year. They were so pretty last year. Nasturtiums also act as good ground cover and reach high above the ground providing shade.
   
6. 
   
7. Plant Sunflowers - Our yard is so big that small flowers don't make an impact. Along the back, I'm going to sow some sunflowers to add visual interest.
   
8. 
   
9. Build a lattice wall on the deck - For privacy, I was thinking of building a lattice wall that will sit on the railing of our deck. My mother-in-law has something similar and I love it. Suddenly, your deck is transformed into a private space. We can trellis plants to grow up the lattice. It's very inexpensive as well.
   
10. Replace the fence at the front of the house - I saw a house/garden which I just loved. A white picket fence with an arbor in the middle. I can grow a vine over the arbor and plant lots of sun loving perenniels in front. I like this one that scallops concave. There's something charming about it as though you're entering a cottage.
    
11. 
    
12. Pave patio area - This has been on our to-do list. We'd like an area where we can have a fire pit and stand around the grill when we BBQ during the summer. We will probably do this very early in the spring before the weeds and grass set in.
    

What are you planning for the summer?

I need more land!

Yeah, you heard me. I need to make more space for my veggie garden this year. It's been expanding like crazy! Can you believe it?! This year, the hubs is going to build me an outdoor green house because I need the space and light. He says the house smells like poop when I start my seedlings indoors!

NEW this year:

1. Sweet potatoes - My husband loves them and they seem easy. They are shipped as plants in the spring and take 3-4 months to mature. I've never been a fan of sweet potatoes. How do you like to eat them?
2. 
   
3. Baby carrots - Round, 3-4" in length. I'm going to grow these in pots this year. The ground seems too hard for the carrots to stretch out.
   
4. 
   
5. Banana peppers - Red and orange, long peppers.
   
6. Butter lettuce - I had butter lettuce the first time in Paris. It really is buttery and so soft. It's heaven! Lettuce is really easy to grow too.
7. 
   
8. Radishes - Another veggie that my husband and his mom like. I'm not a fan, but it's an easy container plant. I'll see what the fuss is all about.
   
9. Armenian cucumbers - Based on their picture and description, it seems similar to an English cucumber, so I'd like to try it. They can get up to a yard long!
10. 
    
11. Bok choi
12. Lemon basil -
    
13. Thai basil
14. Filet beans
    
15. Fairytale eggplants - These are by far the best little eggplants ever! They are the perfect size to grill or sautee with a little olive oil. Pop them right into your mouth! Buttery, fleshy and not seedy or bitter.
    
16. 
17. Herbs - This year, I'm going to buy plants (with the exception of basil) such as thyme, rosemary, and sage. I just have too much going on to bother with the herbs. I'm going to make an area just for herbs.
    
18. Pumpkins
    

Again this year:

1. Plum & Grape tomatoes
2. Arugula
3. Basil & mini basil bushes
4. English cucumbers - I'm going to plant as many of these as possible! They were so delicious and prolific last year. Quick, crisp, great for salads and pickling. Needs lots of consistent watering.
   
5. 
   
6. Lemon cucumbers - Small, sweet and eaten like an apple! I threw these into my lunch bag last summer and they were such a nice treat to munch on.
7. 
   
8. Dill, Cilantro, Parsley,
   
9. Bianco (white) eggplants
10. Asparagus
11. Sweet corn - Mmmm. So easy and delicious!
    
12. Watermelon & Cantelope
    

I miss my garden. Can you just taste it now!?

Tulips

Peony-like Tulip "Mount Tacoma" - A fully double, glistening white, this 1924 award-winner has subtle green markings on its petals. Fragrant. Bulb size: 12 cm/up. Late April. 20". HZ: 3-7.


Tulip "Swinging World" - New! With similar coloration as Aristocrat, a beloved old variety, this Konijnenburg & Mark hybrid is violet-pink with pale pink to ivory-white petal edges. Bulb size: 12 cm/up. Bloom time: April/May. 24”. HZ: 3-7.


Photo and descriptions by Van Engelen

Happy Halloween

Dao Miew

"Dao Miew" in Cantonese are snow pea leaf tips. The top part of the plant is harvested and used in cuisine. Often, it's more costly than other Chinese green vegetables because the plants are harvested young and then won't bare any peas. They are also only in season during the early summer and fall when conditions are cool.

I couldn't help myself and started some in a pot indoors. This way we have some tender greens to eat over the winter. My grandmother cooks dao miew sauteed with garlic and oil which is so simply, yet so delicious.

Today...


4 days ago...


Less than 58 more days to go and it's yummy in my tummy.

Pollinating Bell Peppers

This bell pepper plant had lots of little flower buds on it. Since there was the danger of frost last week, I couldn't bare to see it die and potted it. I brought it inside, but since they like the cold I kept it on my porch. When the flowers open, I took my finger and swooshed the pollen around hoping to pollinate them. Without the help of Bees to naturally pollinate them, I had to take matters into my own hands.

Bell pepper flowers


The flower to the left is beginning to swell already, so I hope that's a sign that I was successful. If we're successful, we'll have peppers for the winter!

Apple Dumplings

Simply DIVINE! My friends Mary and Steve are from the Central Pennsylvania area and were talking about how their grandmothers make the best apple dumplings. What's an apple dumplings I asked? They looked at me like I had 10, no 50 heads! And began describing something that sounded so utterly amazing that I had to try it.



Ingredients:

• 5-10 medium apples
• 2 packages (4 pieces) of pie dough
  
• 1 stick of butter
• 3 cups of water
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• Cinnamon

First, I started by coring and peeling the apples. I cut them in half again because I actually didn't have enough apples. For me, that was the perfect size dumpling. I think 1 whole apple is too big. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, 1 cup of white sugar and cinnamon.


Roll the dough out to 1/8" thick. Lay an apple in the middle with a sliver of butter on top or in the center of the apple.


Then fold the dough over the apple and pinch it with a little bit of water to wet your fingers.


Place them in a baking pan. Give them a little room, but if you don't have room, it's ok. They don't puff up that much. In a sauce pan, heat 1/2 stick of butter, water, and the remaining sugar together. Pour over the dumplings any which way. Sprinkle extra cinnamon on top of the dumplings.


Bake for 1 hour. Notice the syrup is brown and bubbly. Mmm


When they are nearly done, ladle the syrup over the dumplings and put them back into the oven. The dumplings will get all brown and crispy.


Remove from oven and eat while warm. My friend Steve told me to put one in a bowl and pour milk over it and eat it like cereal. I loved it this way!!! It was the perfect amount of sweetness! I can't wait to get more apples to do this again.

Have you ever had apple dumplings? Do you eat them with ice cream or milk?