Freshness In A Can!

I'm not a big fan of canned anything - it's soggy, salty, sugary, colorless. However, there is one thing that is VERY good when it comes in a can - TOMATOES!

I know, you're thinking, "how can someone who loves fresh food so much like canned tomatoes?" Here's the deal - canned tomatoes are even better than fresh. How can this be? Fresh tomatoes are bred for looks. Canned tomatoes are bred for taste. They might be ugly on the outside but they are oh so good on the inside. In addition, canned tomatoes have more of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh. I generally keep several cans in my pantry at any time - use them for spaghetti, soup, chicken, fish, chili, etc. Save the fresh tomatoes for salads and sandwiches.

Avoid the canned tomatoes that have other things thrown in such as garlic or herbs. It's always better to season them yourself to your liking once you decide on your recipe.

My favorite (as well as Cook's Illustrated) - Muir Glen. Stock up!

A Change of Scenery if not a Change in the Weather

My friend Allison has been bugging me to post more often which I'm all for - but lately gardening just doesn't have much to offer. Yes, it's 90 degrees in October, but the flowers are fading - the days are getting shorter as we enter autumn, even if it feels like summer.

So, to keep me posting (I joined NaBloPoMo at Allison's urging) I'm going to switch gears for the off-season. There are lots of topics I could explore - politics, my cat, marriage - but for the sake of preserving sanity on all fronts I'm going to refrain from those areas and focus on my other passion - food! And just to keep it interesting and slightly different from all the other food blogs out there I'm going to talk about bringing the outdoors in - the abundance of the farmers' market, eating organic and/or local, etc.

And I'll throw in the occasional Lucy story as warranted - for 23 hours of sleeping every day she does produce some interesting tales.

Lucy Y Sheryl Crow

Papers in my Paprikash?

The garden is in a transitional stage right now - we're somewhere between summer and fall (90 degrees today!) so there's not much to report on. Most of the flowers are doing well and I'm thinking about whether to plant mums or start sowing bulbs for spring.

But today's entry has nothing to do with that.

We have a wonderful sweet housekeeper, Consuelo. She is originally from Guatemala (don't worry INS, she has a green card!) and has been working for us for a few years. Her English is so-so on good days. My Spanish is non-existent. Somehow we manage to communicate. Today she was telling me about her big yard at her new house. The conversation went something like this:

C: I have big yard. Big big yard.

FC: Really, that's great. Do you have a garden?

C: I have big trees. Pine. One died. You need firewood?

FC: Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.

C: I also have papers. Growing in ground.

FC: Papers? Hmmm. (I'm thinking "Astroturf?"). That's nice.

C: I water them everyday. They grow so big (she demonstrates what looks like a foot tall).

FC: So they are short? Must be the drought. Very dry. No rain.

C: I water them all the time. Very good. In Spanish, called "chiles".

FC: AHA! Peppers! Excellent!

So now, in addition to my lovely herb collection and sorry tomato plant I will be receiving fresh chile peppers!

Perhaps I will have peppers in my paprikash.

Friend or Foe?

Recent news reports have discussed the decline of the honeybee. Normally, I'd be glad as I am allergic to bee stings. But as a gardener I have to be concerned with their decline. Aside from stinging people like me, they do have their purpose - *Spreading the Love*. Bees pollinate. And without bees no pollination. And without pollination, no flowers. So can't we all just get along?

king bee

Grow Your Vegetables

I read a disturbing story today about obesity in America. Obesity rates grew in 31 states, and most notably to me, "This year's report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage _ 22.8 percent." This is horrifying. And sadly, not surprising if you live here.

I could go into the myriad possible reasons for this - nutrition education (or lack thereof), parental influence (or lack thereof), opportunities for outdoor activities (or lack thereof), access to healthy food in supermarkets (or lack thereof)... you get my point.

Instead, I will take this opportunity to talk about the benefits of community gardens. Not only do you get to grow healthy foods, there are other benefits (as my sister would say "externalities") - fresh air, exercise (try pulling weeds and you'll know what I mean), friendships, a sense of community.

So check out a community garden near you or grow something in your backyard and share it with your neighbors - it's a great feeling!

Dirty

Floral Porn - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

credit to my sister

Being There

Way back when, when I was a mere toddler (or something close to that) I saw the movie, "Being There" starring Peter Sellers. This movie stuck with me for several reasons:

1) A simple man mistaken for being profound in Washington

2) Peter Sellers' acting - playing a quiet man who really only utters a few lines and moves very slowly and deliberately is hard

3) It's about a gardener

Mind you, I wasn't a gardener back then but I like to think I had this latent talent (interest?).

In the garden, growth has its seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.

Deep stuff.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore Because We're Tripping

Remember that scene from the Wizard of Oz - the one where Dorothy and her friends come upon the field of flowers and find themselves falling asleep?

They now came upon more and more of the big scarlet poppies, and fewer and fewer of the other flowers; and soon they found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies. Now it is well known that when there are many of these flowers together their odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. But Dorothy did not know this, nor could she get away from the bright red flowers that were everywhere about; so presently her eyes grew heavy and she felt she must sit down to rest and to sleep.

Well guess what? Poppy production is at an all time high! In Afghanistan. Where they are responsible for 93% of the world's production. That's agricultural development for you. When the US government gets involved.

*Per SMID's request - not sure if this is like a market in Indiana - widely available drugs but not sure about weapons. And no solicitation for sex, so I suppose it's also not like a men's room at the Minneapolis airport.

I went to a wedding in a garden...

Reading my friend's blog today I was reminded of a trip I took several years ago to New Orleans for a friend's wedding. I had never been there before (and sadly, since) and really had no idea where I was going. Our soon-to-be-married friend had planned his wedding to coincide with Jazz Fest as he is a talented musician - talk about making sure your guests are happy!

The wedding was held in a park whose name I've since forgotten with a beautiful fountain and flowerbeds for decoration. The ceremony was a little informal - no chairs or aisles - but then out of a corner, the bride appeared and a wedding was upon us! In addition to the invited guests, anyone walking by was welcome to share in the moment.

While our short visit was mainly confined to the French Quarter (beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde everyday was just fine by me!), I did manage to avoid the Bourbon St. image and enjoy some of the legendary food, friendship, music, and yes, the gardens of New Orleans.

Happy

A big bouquet of flowers just smiling up at you

part of the weekly Photo Hunters

My First Tomato

It finally happened! Over the weekend my tomato ripened. Technically speaking, a different tomato ripened and then exploded first - but we'll just ignore that and revel in the beauty of my first tomato (that I picked). It's small. Imperfect skin. A little hard. But I love it unconditionally.

I love it so much I was inspired to write a haiku:

You are my first one
Sun and water made you real
Apple of my eye

Okay, that was a bit hokey and dramatic. Here's something a little more lighthearted:

Three months of water
Like watching a pot boiling
Tell your friends, Ripen!

"I can't stand dirt under my nails.... "

Something a friend said on my blog kept nagging me. Sure, she doesn't like dirt under her fingernails, but surely she likes flowers. And then I finally remembered!

That's us in the White House flower shop. As in where they keep the flowers at THE White House. If you know her, you might be surprised to learn she was inside the bowels of the White House. Not to worry, it was during a previous adminstration.

Toronto

We went to Toronto this weekend and in addition to the many museums we saw and restaurants we dined in, we visited some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. Partly due to the time of year and the absence of a drought, the flowers were in abundance everywhere you looked.

Here are some of my favorites:

Can you identify these?

There was even a floral touch to my cappucino...

Two

Two Javana Ducks - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

credit to my sister

Phil Rizzuto 1917-2007

Not flower related...

A Giant Orange Golf Ball

Yay! It looks like something might actually turn into an edible tomato! Not a very big tomato (I thought Better Boy was normal size) but at least it is MY tomato...

Row

Trees planted in a row(s) to stem erosion in Bordeaux, France -

part of the weekly PhotoHunt

What Not to Grow in a Scorcher

Hot time, summer in the city... yet again, we've got another record-breaking heat wave. Alas, I tried to grow some more herbs this summer - dill and cilantro - both of which I love to cook with. Unfortunately these plants prefer cooler climates. Odd, considering cilantro is such a popular herb in Mexican cooking.

Dill

Cilantro

Funky

Hotel Room in Kiev, Ukraine - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

In case you're looking to book this funky room it's at the President Hotel in downtown Kiev. The lobby has been remodeled and looks quite sleek (and the bar serves a generous beer!). Alas, it appears that the rooms haven't been touched since the Soviet era. Good thing I had my eyes closed most of the time.

Gardening in Haiku

Okay, I'm hooked - had to enter the Haiku Buckaroo contest. And keeping with the theme of my blog here you go:

Water you daily
Ever faithful, vigilant
Give me tomatoes!

*************************

Brilliant purple stars
You bloom for me so rarely
Lucy, stop chomping!

*************************

Basil, sage and thyme
Growing more than I can use

Herbs make good neighbors

Creative

Dutch Apple Cake - part of the weekly Photo Hunters

********

I found this in my grandmother’s recipe box after she died. I don’t ever recall her having made it. My grandfather said it was a recipe from the neighbor – something like Mrs. Hufnagel – and that anything that came from the neighbor was DELICIOUS. So I made it for him and every time he swore it was the best Dutch Apple Cake he’d ever eaten.

******************

Dutch Apple Cake

2 ½ cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 medium cooking apples (I use Granny Smith)

1 ½ cups sugar
2 ½ tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Sift flour, baking powder and sugar together. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly; add vanilla to egg, blend with flour mixture. Press evenly into bottom and sides of 15x10 pan. Arrange peeled slice apples in overlapping layers to cover dough. Combine remaining ingredients. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in moderate oven – 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Cut into squares. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. MAKES 18 SERVINGS.

The Size of A Golf Ball

I read somewhere that you're supposed to fertilize a tomato plant at various stages - careful not to overdo it! One of these stages is "when the first tomatoes are the size of golf balls". Yes, every day I'm out there checking. And today was the day!



Apparently, the two are connected in ways I didn't imagine



thanks to Aparna for the video!

After...

It occurred to me today that I'd posted some "before" photos but no "after" ones. A few things didn't do too well so you won't see them again. However, with the help of a little Miracle-Gro (why does it feel so wrong?), I have some lovely flowers on my deck.

My sister asked for a larger view of the urban oasis - to the far right is a box with Nemesia and Mexican Evening Primrose which both aren't really flowering right now. Behind me are the herbs and Clematis.

It's a Tomato!

Wow! I can't believe it! After a horribly failed attempt last year, we may actually see tomatoes this year. There are lots of flowers on the plant just waiting for their turn to become full-fledged fruits. And now we have one little guy who has busted out. I couldn't be more proud!

Gardening for Dummies

Before you think I'm calling you a dummy, know that I count myself as pretty clueless - watering was a big lesson for me.

If you want something pretty and vibrant to grow, go with Wave Petunias. Buy some plants, put them in dirt, remember to water and then just watch them multiply. Easy.

Begonia

I got bored with geraniums (and had trouble growing them) so this year I got a begonia. I vaguely remember my mom having these in her garden when I was younger. Or maybe it was on the window sill in the kitchen? Either way, it seemed like a nice plant for the pot so I went with it. It's been doing very well on our deck - doubling in size in just a few weeks! Not sure what the brutal summer sun will do to it but for now it's blooming.

Holy Clematis!

Wow! It is in full bloom now! Just gorgeous!




Alas, shortly after I took this photo a certain cat ate the flower on the bottom. Everything else in the garden is doing well. A couple of petunias bloomed yesterday and the other flowers are slowly coming along - nothing quite as dramatic as the clematis but warmer days are just around the corner and I expect we'll have a very lush garden soon!

Bustin' Out!

Despite the rainy gray day the clematis is bursting with color! And there are still many more buds just waiting to pop. So pretty!

Clematis

I have a beautiful clematis that I got last year - and lucky for me, it survived the winter. There are bunch of buds on it just waiting to burst open. Today, one of them finally did! I'm not sure exactly which type of clematis I have but judging from pictures I think it might be Star of India.

It's GORGEOUS! I hope the others open soon. Alas, we're expecting rain and I'm afraid if they all bloom the rain will wash them away. Fingers crossed they make it through the rain...

Before...

Yeah! Finally, some warm weather! I spent the weekend getting the garden going. This year I opted for lots of flowing flowers that will spill over the edge of the boxes. Nothing too complicated.

(clockwise from top left: wave petunias, nemesia (and something else I can't remember), verbena, lobelia)






Still growing lots of herbs - the chives, tarragon, thyme, and oregano all came back. The basil survived indoors all winter but was a bit leggy - I pruned it which may hasten its demise - or I could be pleasantly surprised and eating more pesto than ever!

The clematis also survived and now has numerous buds on it - should be gorgeous!