Blackberries

I just love this plant. It's a blackberry. It lives in my side yard  A friend gave me a start a few years ago.   

One of the great things about this plant is that it is thornless.  If you've picked many blackberries, you know the benefits of that. 

 Another benefit is that its berries are really big and plump and blackberry flavored.  And, well, Big.

Breakfast for Papa.  Summer is so short around here.  Find pleasure where you can.   

Growing Greens

I was pretty serious about growing greens, swiss chard and others.  They are cool weather crops.  Last time I checked, I lived in cool weather.  My attempts at cooking Kale purchased from Diane's Produce last fall and winter were not successful.  Husband didn't like it.  I think his exact words were "ick."  And I've got to admit it was a little bitter.  Not Diane's fault of course.  Congratulations to Diane for staying open year round and trying to provide all of the local goodness that she can.

I had a long talk with Melissa Rodewold with Century Farm and; Nursery out of La Center, WA, one of my first visits to the Farmers Market.  She suggested a variety of greens grown as cool weather crops, beet tops, collards and some I hadn't heard of.  Wait a second and let me catch up, please.  Her favorite Kale is Red Chidon, says it grows easily and is sweeter and better tasting.  Worth a try.  A start purchased from her has been living in the greenhouse since I bought it.  Today is it's big day. 

Red Currant

One of the funny things Husband said recently is that he looks forward to reading the blog so that he can see what's going on in his life.  (He's such a funny guy.)  We are busy and working hard at our business, but I have a busy mind and here is one of the things I'm thinking about.  (Also, that the upstairs guest bathroom needs to be painted.)

This poor pitiful thing is Red Currant.  I've had it a couple years, given to me by a plant swap friend from her yard.  I forget what I gave her in return.  Last year, the little kids stripped it and sucked it clean of every yummy bit.  I got nothing.

I didn't really mind.  Remembering days of my own childhood, picking crabapples and blackberries until I had a tummy ache.  Washing green beans and yellow corn with the hose and then eating them raw.  Then washing hands and feet with the hose so as to be allowed back into the house.  Last year the kids stripped my peas, parts of my beans, as well as my red currants and I was happy for it.  I bought what I wanted from the farmers stand.  

I have a new cookbook about home canning.  I grew up with home canning and got away from it, but something is drawing me back.  I'm picking out salsa and relish recipes, considering purchasing a pressure cooker, contemplating pickles.  

With the red currants, what should I make? Raspberry Red Current Jam on page 25 sounds appealing. Raspberries are readily available in season.  This is a combination my mother did not considered.  

Just plain Red Current Jelly on page 115 maybe.  I prefer the pouches of liquid pectin.  Do what you like.  I just feel comfortable with that.  

 

Then there is Rhubarb Red Current Preserve on page 67.  That sounds more like me.  I'm a rhubarb sort of girl. But you saw my currant plant.  

And here is my rhubarb plant.  So it will be a while. And it uses orange zest as natural pectin.  No added pection.  Not sure how I feel about that.  What do you think?

And there you are, Dear.  Did you know all that was going on?

Remember to work when you have to, but think and dream when you can. 

Farmer's Market and What's Happening in the Greenhouse

I served as a volunteer on opening day of Farmer's Market yesterday, in Vancouver, WA.   It is something I've been thinking of for a while now.  Last summer was so chaotic with the forced remodel.  This summer I'm hoping for a few things:  (1) Be happy, (2) Have a garden I'm proud of which means the time to spend on planning and maintenance.  I've already started, (3) Be happy, (4) Do some canning and get some food put by.  My mother and grandmother spent all summer canning.  I have the most happy memories of it, (5) Support local small businesses as I want my own small business supported, (6) Oh, and I already mentioned the happy part. 

I think the Farmer's Market might be part of my plans.  I don't always do well or feel comfortable in a crowd and I sometimes get tongue tied with people I don't know, but the market folks made me feel comfortable.  I'm looking forward to going back, soon.

Can't garden much with record rainfall, but here's what's going on in my greenhouse.  It's running between mid 30's F at night and mid 70's F during the day.  I enjoy observing and recording the temperature changes.  There are flats of various clippings which I am attempting to root using powdered rooting hormone.  Some are a huge successes.  Others, a "failure."  My experiments aren't real failures because I learn from each and there are not consequences.  My "failures" end up making compost. 

"Hens and chickens" that Step Daughter's uncle gave me last summer.  Not sure what I'll be doing with them.  They are an old fashioned plant which reminds me of my grandmother's rock garden and makes me happy. 

Strawberry start volunteers that sprouted from a previous experiment.  Again, not sure what I'll do with them, but something.  

Flats and flats of lettuce sprouted from seed.  The only thing currently in my raised beds is radishes and carrots.  I suppose I'll be planting lettuce soon, if it every stops raining.

Other plants just waiting for their chance.  The greenhouse is a handy place to keep things. 

These logs have had holes drilled in them.  Plugs with spores of Shitake mushrooms have been hammered into the drilled out holes. 

I mist them daily.  They need to stay below 70 Degrees. 

As soon as there are sunny warm days, they'll need to go into the garage or a closet.  My greenhouse hovers in the 80 to 90 degree range on a warm sunny day.  Will I grow Shitake mushrooms?

If this seems foolhardy, Remember to have hope.

 

Bush Beans in Raised Bed 2

Gardening was not really successful for me this year.  June in Washington was wet and cool.  My summer was taken up by the forced remodel.  A few things were awesome - blueberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, the herbs.   All now packed carefully in my freezer.  Others just didn't do much - peppers, strawberries, tomatoes.  I've got tomatoes now, but considering that there are 6 bushes, not much.

The beans are just now ready, in mid September.  Really late.  I planted these guys from seed one warm afternoon when I was on my own. 

Now, I have help. She's six and my favorite helper.  Her mom will marry Step Son in about a week.  She will be my step, step grand daughter.  I can't wait.  She calls me Meemaw.

I show her what size I want her to pick and turn her loose.  Look at her go!  She wants to cook with me every time I see her.  After the wedding, I hope to get a day with her to cook what she wants. 

Until then, we pick beans with our other favorite helper.  I remember similar activities with my own grandmother, now more than 40 years ago.  How is that possible? 

.

Not too bad of a mess of beans, do you think?

We've been looking through my cookbooks together, so I can see what she wants to make.  Anything with chocolate looks like the deal.  She likes the whole cupcake thing.

I talked to her mom about arranging our next play date, but she's a little busy planning a wedding.  Patience. 

Remember to pass along what you know.  

Berry Season

I was raised by gardeners.  My mother and grandmother had many things planted and we regularly ate strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in season.  Black berries grow wild in the Pacific NW, so it is easy to go out into fields and empty spaces to pick in late August. 

Within just the last couple of years, I got back into gardening and I have the following observations:

1.  Thank goodness for drip irrigation on a timer.  How the heck did my mother and grandmother raise so much food while watering manual?  They drug around a sprinkler and hose.  Remember to be thankful.

2.  The grandkids pick a lot of the best stuff.  Little miss Hailey regularly strips the raspberries, and strawberries.  She apparently has enough blueberries at her house that she leaves them alone.  Wait a second - I remember picking and eating in the garden as a kid.  Actually, it is an important memory.  This is part of what she will remember about me.  Well, okay, it's a good thing then.

3.  What is better than going out in the morning and picking a few berries for your cereal or yogurt?  Can't think of much.  The forced remodel has been a good reminder that the simpler things are what's important. 

4.  Ready and off to work.

Remember to be happy for worthwhile work. 

A gardener can only dream

My green house is starting to work again.  I should explain.  In December and January, the best I hope for is keeping everything alive.  In addition, I can usually continue to harvest thyme, mint and oregano for part of that time.

Other than that, I go into maintenance mode.  Actually, I ignore it. 

But it has been a mild winter for us.  Well, mild in temperature.  Where I live it starts to rain about November and quits sometime around May.   This picture was from last year.  No snow this year. 

But at some point I get to start to think of seed starting.  I can get to 60 or 70 some days and stay above 40 at night.  I've got a little heat in it.  If it isn't completely overcast and raining, I can get a little solar gain happening.

So it is this time of year, I start to think about what my garden will look like.  I don't have a big one mind you.  Perennials, shade and sun, and roses.  Blue berries and strawberries.  Fresh herbs and tomatoes.  I planted a raspberry plant and a blackberry plant last year.  They are just sticks now.  I suppost it is obvious this picture is early May, not now.

I use fresh herbs when I have them.  I use basil, tarragon, oregano, parsley, chives, mint, thyme.  I don't plant a zucchini usually or a cucumber.  I have access to farm fresh local produce at a modest price in season.  Although, last year I longed to play around with zucchini blosoms, battered and fried, or stuffed.  That would have been fun.  I wanted to make my grandmother's zucchini relish, but I didn't get it done.

I've planted bush beans the last couple years and that was fun.  I started some soy beans last spring, but went on vacation in June and killed some of them and gave the rest to my daughter in law. 

I've always wanted some dwarf fruit trees, but I don't have the room.  And let's be serious.  I wouldn't take care of them well enough.  Darn it.  That unfortunate need for gainful employment.  It gets in my way.

Oh well.  A girl can dream.