Winter has descended, but...

Winter has descended, bitter and cold, but I'm already paging through seed catalogs.  I'm curled up in blankets, true, but I'm thinking about spring.  I know I'm supposed to embrace winter.  People advise getting outside and enjoying it, but with this bitter cold and icy walkways, I'm stuck inside until we get more snow for my snowshoes and the weather warms up enough so skin doesn't freeze in ten minutes. I'm not the only who thinks about spring, right?  So I'm going to do a weekly countdown to spring on this blog. I'll focus on some of my favorite flowers, the ones that grow well in my neck of the woods here in Minnesota. Look for new entries on Fridays. For a preview, the photo is a frog on purple basil. Not a flower.  But I love basil! #countdowntospring 

Winter Begins

The snow has arrived, a record for Minnesota.  Twelve inches or so cover the ground here. On the left side of the photo is my lettuce if you look carefully (under the twelve inches of snow). Alas, my growing season is over. 

Questions for You

I'm considering a new creative project (gardening/writing). I need your help with two questions. The answer may be the same for both, but maybe not. What's your favorite veggie? Which veggie appears in your meals the most?

Last Carrots and Signature Veggie

I harvested the last of my carrots for the season. Today is a beautiful day, sunny and warm. As a Minnesotan, I know the snow could come any time, so I'm taking advantage of today's good weather. The carrot varieties are Atomic Red and Rainbow.  Today's entry will end with a unique signature--a carrot in the shape of an L.  

Garden Review

Looking back that this gardening season, I can recommend Indigo Rose tomatoes.  Those I shared with fresh tomato eaters liked them tremendously, and since I tend to eat my tomatoes cooked, they did well in a sauce, which had a purple tint to it.  It was a bad year for my pea pods, since disease took over partway through the season.  I'm not too worried since I'll rotate my crops, as I do every year.  Slenderette green beans were amazing once again.  Overall, my garden reflected what the weather conditions gave it--and sometimes the weather wasn't so good.  But I got plenty of delicious veggies for my family.  The cool weather herbs are still looking good as is my second crop of lettuce and greens.  The photo above is a native maple tree footsteps away from my front door. Below is a photo of Haralson apples, which were prolific this year ( and yummy!). 

My Morning Walk

I'm one lucky gal because this is the view on my morning walk as I leave our driveway. The leaves are beginning to turn colors now, and the mornings are crisp and cool, perfect for walking. This walk is good for my body and even better for my soul.  

And here's the lettuce that I planted mid-summer.  This fall crop is so good because it doesn't have the bitterness that happens when that summer crop gets too hot.  Delicious! I recommend planting a second crop for anyone who loves lettuce. 

Plums With No Puns

The last entry probably had too much wordplay for some. (Not for me.)  I'll have some straightforward information here (though the branches in the photo may be crooked).  These are wild plums, and they're almost ripe.  I took the photo because once they are ripe, they fall off the branch easily, and wildlife usually wins the race to see who gets the most plums. Someone surmised that wild fruit must be sweeter, but to be honest it seems that cultivated fruit wins that award. But wild fruit is an interesting taste adventure. These plums are tiny with a thick, tart skin and a juicy, sweet interior. Honestly, there's more pit than fruit, and the appearance won't be featured on a magazine cover.  But I'm proud to say that we have wild plums growing a few steps from our garden.  That's pretty amazing.

Delicious Puns

No, this is not a plum.  It's an Indigo Rose tomato. It could be a plum tomato. Not really.  Plum, or paste tomatoes, are oval and more meaty. This is smaller than a slicer but bigger than a cherry. The color is so amazing.  The almost black color is immediate and the bottom begins green and ripens to a pinkish red.  I guess you could say it's plum delicious. 

Bonus Potatoes

You know how sometimes you forget about those last few potatoes in a bag?  Once they sprout and shrivel, they're inedible. This spring I was heading to the "hot" compost pile and was ready to dump a handful of sprouted potatoes into it, but I changed my mind.  I buried them in a mostly finished compost heap (no room in the garden). I have no idea what variety they are because the package said "yellow potatoes."  Also good to note, they're organic potatoes.  Conventional potatoes are sometimes treated with a chemical the prevents sprouting (which means they won't grow if you plant them). This is a delicious bonus!

Second Crop Planted

Last week I planted some lettuce seeds after harvesting the garlic. I could show you a picture of the dirt, but instead here are a Persian carpet zinnias.  With the nice bit of rain we had, the lettuce seeds have sprouted, so we should have a nice fall crop of lettuce (depending on the weather and critters and ...). Below is one single blossom from a delphinium.  The rain that was so good for the lettuce seeds was not so good for the delphiniums.  Thankfully I got a photo first. August can be an excellent month with clear days and cooler nights.  And beautiful flowers.

The Culprit!

For the monarch butterflies, I decided to plant two varieties of Asclepias or milkweed.  I had two packets of seeds that I cold-treated.  I planted them when they were ready, and eight seedlings emerged.  Those eight turned to six small but healthy plants. Here's what they looked like.  There's a hint in this picture of what is about to happen.

After a few days, I noted that my milkweed plants had disappeared. I took the picture below when the mosquitoes were out in full force, so I didn't stick around to work on the outwitting the auto-focus of my camera.  That blur is a stem.

All that work refrigerating the seeds and weeding and babying the plants--gone to waste!  Well, actually not to waste.  Here's the culprit in the photo below.

Those plants fed a very healthy monarch caterpillar.  I don't know if the plants will recover, but I'm glad I did it.  

The Curl of the Scape

The title sounds like a Gothic novel, but the garlic scapes--that tall, curly stem containing a potential garlic flower--are ready to be trimmed.  The scapes can be used to add garlic flavor to recipes.  In fact, Martha Stewart cans them. However, they are a valuable source of strong-smelling deterent.  I place them around my tomatoes and other plants I want to rescue from the appetites of critters. Sometimes the flowers still bloom and self-seed, which means that I get a patch of mini-garlic that I can use like chives next spring. Who knew garlic could be so amazing?

July Update

Ah, basil.  The leaves are small (this is a close-up), but summer has truly arrived with the first taste of fresh basil.  Everything is slower than usual due to our wet weather, but the beans should be ready soon. (See below--Can mini vegetables be cute?!?). I've had excellent luck with lettuce this year (due to the weather,of course), and the pak choi has been so kind as to not bolt yet. It's so amazing when it's straight from the garden, but I suppose you can say that about any vegetable. This is the first of two posts to make up for my lack of recent posts.

Too Much Rain

The wild raspberries are looking good this year. With their pretty white flowers, they do double duty--beauty and food.  Alas, the clouds have dumped rain on us, and parts of the lawn are submerged (see below).  I haven't been able to mow parts of the lawn yet this year.  Clay soil holds water, that's for sure.  I'm extra glad I have raised beds for my garden.  And even with the raised beds, some plants are struggling.  Too bad we can't share our extra water with drought-stricken areas.

Bees on Trees

Before the heavy weekend rains, I stood under my apple trees and listened...to the hum of bees.  As they pollinated the trees, I watched, wondering how many there were to make such a buzzing sound.  For the nervous bee-watcher, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. Below is a photo of my lovely lilacs from last Wednesday.  I wish they bloomed all summer.

Proof That Spring Exists

With all of our wet. cool weather with only the occasional warm and sunny day, I thought this is the perfect opportunity to show that spring has indeed arrived. Here's proof--The mourning dove sits on a nest filled with eggs (photo above). These photos were taken over several days, and compared to other years, this is a late spring. The photos are crocuses, a daffodil (middle) and rhubarb (below).  

A Study of Squill

Okay, this isn't my first post about this. I love to brag about  my Scilla, or Siberian squill because people think I'm a genuis gardener since not even the crocuses are blooming yet.  Here's the secret-- I planted the bulbs in the fall. (See the October 2010 previous post for how.) Though they look delicate, these bulbs are extremely hardy, having survived a heavy snow fall already.  The flowers are one of a few kinds that are considered a true blue.  

The above photo is a close-up of the nodding flower.  The photo below is an attempt to see the underside of the flower, where the pollen attracts insects.  

Compared to the oak leaves in the photo below, the squill are small.  I've planted them in clusters in the lawn, off to the side, where they won't get trampled.  Once the grass-like leaves turn yellow, I'll mow over them. In July, I'll forget their location...until next spring. 

It's Spring, Darn It

Blue sky?  Check.  Chucking the winter coat?  Check.  Hubby grilling?  Check.  Then it's spring.  I don't care that just a few days ago we had heavy, wet snow.  (See below.)  It's spring, darn it.  

Spring and Upcoming Talk

It's officially spring.  Hmmm.  What the calendar says and what the weather does here in Minnesota are two separate things.  If you live nearby and want a taste of spring, please visit me Saturday, March 29, at St.  Michael Library at 10:30 am.  I'll give organic gardening tips and show photos of my garden.  Hope to see you there! 

I'd invite you to my house...

This photo says it all.  (How many more days until spring?)

Free Mystery

Just in time for Valentine's Day, download my mystery novella, Hidden Maples. It's available for free through the 15th. Thanks for your support!

Snowblowing

For those of you who live in states with little snow, the snowblower is an invention that has changed lives. See all that open space?  In the old days, we shoveled by hand. People sprained backs, twisted knees, and lost toes to the cold. Now we start the machine and off we go.  Yes, it's still bitterly cold, but at least now we can clear out in less than an hour.  We have enough work that we could use a small tractor, but we'd need more storage ... and more money. Maybe I should have named this post "Ode to a Snowblower." 

Ups and Downs of Minnesota Weather

Let's start with the down.  On Sunday, January 5, 2014, I took this photo.

The photo below is the view from my window during the polar vortex.  Yes, that is ice (and a pirate of the feminine persuasion).

Here's the up.  On Sunday the 12th I took this photo. I didn't use photoshop on any of these photos. Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction.

In the interest of full disclosure, the below zero photo is on the north side of the house, which may give it a little cooler reading.  The above zero reading is on the south side of the house, which warms up in the sun. But you get the idea.  It was really cold.  And then we were embarrassed to be seen in our parkas.  This is the craziness of living in Minnesota. 

Hidden Maples

A Minnesota blizzard strands murder suspects in a bed and breakfast. Deputy Sheriff Emmett and Magnolia (a friend and maybe something more) work to solve the mystery as tensions rise. When the power goes out, who will be the next victim?  This mystery novella is available on amazon.com as an e-book for 99 cents.  I had a lot of fun writing this book because I love mysteries.  This story is not gross or especially violent and might even be rated G if not for a murder.  For some people, that's not a big selling point, but for a squeamish me (I can't watch the body scenes on the television show Bones), it's the kind of thing I enjoy. I hope you enjoy it, too.  

P. S.  Sorry for the interruption of the normal gardening topics...I will resume when the weather cooperates.  Perhaps June?  That's a joke (I hope).