Tag Archives: gardening

Finishing the Spring Clean Up …

Posted on March 17, 2013 by AnnieRie

… before the snow comes tomorrow. Or the slush, or whatever it is.

Twenty five cubic yards of mulch. A whole truck load. But, the place looks great again.

From a stormwater management standpoint we added river rock to prevent erosion on the side of the shed.

And we buried the downspouts to direct the water towards my evergreens and the pin oak.

They even cleaned out my garden for me. In the next two weeks we will be tilling the soil and I can start transplanting greens.

The greens will be split between the garden and the planters. I was out there looking today. The chives are coming back. The mint is peeking through and the garlic is fine.

The flowers have started blooming. I believe these are hellebores. We have two plants, different colors that bloom early in the spring.

The daffodils aren’t far behind. Spring is definitely getting here. Just have to make it through these last few cold slushy days.

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Spring Clean Up

Posted on March 16, 2013 by AnnieRie

Last year was the first year we didn’t do it all ourselves. Mainly because of my surgery. This year, though, no excuses. It is wonderful to have the yard cleaned up, edged and mulched without killing ourselves in the process. Again, we chose a local family owned West County business, Rhine, to come out for two days and ready the property for spring.

Yes, they filled the truck with old mulch, top soil and clipped materials before they finished today. Included this year was the burying of our downspouts that would direct water to areas we wanted to irrigate. Like the area around some young evergreens and a pin oak.

The trenching was done today. Tomorrow they bury all the pipe and clean it up. They also extended all our drip lines on our trees, created a new transition area, created a drainage area by the shed, and lots more, including pruning of huge shrubs.

What you can see here is my new transition from the deck and new edging. You can also see, if you look carefully, that they were very careful in not disturbing the dozen garlic plants I put in last October. They, along with the dozen in the pots on the stairs, will provide me with ample garlic scapes for pesto, as well as two dozen heads of garlic to cure.

Tomorrow, they will mulch, finish the drainage out front and around the shed, and clean out my garden. Two days to do what used to take us weeks, including trips to buy mulch, haul it and drag it all over the yard.

When you are in your sixties, it is good to have people half your age doing heavy lifting, at least my back thanks me for not stressing it.

The finished pics and results will go up tomorrow night. Now, for a related subject, the indoor seed starting has produced some great greens so far, and I just planted Thelma Sanders squash seeds, dried and saved after I received this heirloom winter squash from last year’s CSA.

The squash seeds were planted in the seed starting boxes. The greens have been in a few weeks. Waiting to take them outside soon. Here is the squash from last year’s haul. It is a cooking squash, somewhat reminiscent of a pumpkin. Great for my hummus recipe, and for “pumpkin” pie. Saving heirloom seeds is a first for me. I dried and stored these seeds. Hopefully, this is a successful way to carry my garden to a new level.

Besides these heirlooms, the garlic in the pots and the yard all are heirlooms from my CSA last year. I saved four heads of red and of white garlic to plant for my second foray into garlic growing. Last year I was too late planting and only harvested spring garlic, not mature heads of garlic.

Here’s to lots of homemade pestos and hummus, and of course, my tomatoes and cucumbers, plans for the summer garden. Don’t you just love springtime?

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CSA Inspiration

Posted on March 10, 2013 by AnnieRie

It’s always fun to get inspiration from something in the CSA delivery and make it a highlight of a meal. This week the inspiration so far is from the citrus. I love really fresh citrus. This week we got oranges and ruby red grapefruit. We scarfed down a grapefruit while I was attempting to segment one of them. It never made it to the salad bowl. Eventually one grapefruit and two oranges, supremed, became the base for this salad.

Well, let’s say most of the fruit made it into the bowl. When I didn’t cut it well, I ate it. What can I say? I really do love fresh juicy sweet citrus, and these do not disappoint.

The recipe:
two or three citrus fruits, navel oranges, juice oranges, sweet red grapefruit, what you have
about two or three ounces of fennel, pulled from the bulb
an ounce or so of red onion
salt, pepper
really good olive oil

Supreme the citrus, by cuting off the peel, save it, cut out wedges avoiding the pith and membrane. You will use the peel to make the vinaigrette. Julienne the fennel and the red onion. I make both really thin and usually an inch to two inches long. Mix it all together. Just before serving, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and squeeze as much juice as you can from the fruit left attached to the peels you reserved. I also squeeze all the juice out of that center of the fruit after you have cut out the wedges. Salt and pepper to taste. Refreshing and for us, the way to end the meal.

If we have a rich dish for dinner, this citrus salad really is a light finish to the meal.

The rest of our mostly local meal last night was a simple pasta with pesto, and steamed Brussels sprouts with butter. The pesto is my garlic scape pesto defrosted from the freezer.

The recipe for the pesto is here. What is really funny about looking for that post, I saw I made strawberry cubes. They must be in the very bottom of the freezer, so I need to go “freezer diving” and find them.

I boiled up some egg noodles, picked up at the market a while back. You can find these many places. Egg noodles with pesto.

Served with a 2007 Linden Hardscrabble Chardonnay. Big, rich, buttery. Cuts through the richness of the pesto. I took this picture while I was cooling it in the freezer. I didn’t have any chardonnay in the back fridge, so pulled this one up from the cellar.

Before this light dinner, we shared some spring rolls picked up at Roots, alongside one of our favorites, that Meyer lemon basil fizz, made with Aranciata, also from Roots. Lovely evening, sitting on the porch and watching the sunset before dinner.

Today I considered grilling something, but had nothing defrosted and a crock pot full of tomato, basil and Boarman’s sausage sauce. Tonight there will be pasta with sauce, some bread and greens with goat cheese. I made that sauce to serve a few times this week, once it will be served over steamed kale from the CSA. Looking forward to what we will get Wednesday, and eating mostly locally sourced items. Loving the coming of spring. In other words, running out of garlic scapes and wanting to make more pesto.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Gardening, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Weather, Wine, Winter Eat Local and tagged cooking, crock pot cooking, CSA, Food, gardening, Linden Vineyards, local businesses, Locavore, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

A Sunny Window

Posted on March 4, 2013 by AnnieRie

All that is needed to start seeds for spring greens. Thursday I blogged about planting arugula, kale and mesclun mix in a box in my kitchen. Nothing fancy just a shallow box picked up at Kendalls. Five days ago. Of course, I stupidly titled it Where Did Winter Go? just to make sure we get hit with snow this week. Winter hasn’t gone yet, but even the prospect of one messy day this Wednesday doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the coming of spring. Why?

I already have sprouts from the seeds. The middle row, I believe is the Tuscan kale, a very fast growing leafy green. The reason I say “I believe” is because I forgot to mark the kale and arugula rows. The mesclun on the left was the first row I planted. Senior moments like these are the frustration of the retired who get phone calls while planting seeds.

Last year I put in a large amount of mesclun mix, which took quite a bit of thinning before I moved it outside. It did do well though in the planter boxes that I kept raised above bunny reach on the deck.

The other location where I will transplant greens is a small rectangle right off the mudroom door next to the patio. Very close to the house. Mostly shady, so the leaves don’t burn up from the sun. This area will get the cover over it to keep the bunnies and deer from nibbling my greens. I can harvest lots of salad right before dinner every evening by using these small planters.

I once used this area to plant spearmint thinking it wouldn’t spread beyond this enclosed concrete area. Wrong. It also comes back every year with a vengeance. The bees love it though and they buzz all around and pollinate the flowers in my garden as they visit.

Those first few sprouts always brighten my day, knowing warm weather is coming and I can start putting out herbs in the garden and flowers in the pots. Just have to make it through this snow/sleet/rain mess in the next couple of days.

Time to go prepare another planting box, and put in the beans I want to grow in the garden this summer.

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged Food, gardening, nature, spring flowers, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Where Did Winter Go?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by AnnieRie

I must admit, typing this, that I may jinx us, and we will get a March snowstorm. But, that would be really interesting as we haven’t had one of those for quite a while. Today temps in the fifties lured me out to mix potting soil and top soil into a container to start my spring greens.

I buy a simple tray, punch some holes in the bottom. I put this tray in one of those fruit boxes from a visit to Costco, the box wrapped in plastic, and with some newspaper between it and the tray, to absorb excess water. I mix potting soil and top soil. Made three rows of indentations. One I filled with mesclun mix, one with arugula, and one with Tuscan kale. I am trying kale for the first time this year.

I will see how they do in the east window of the kitchen, and if they need more sun, I will take them up to that large south facing window in our bedroom. The largest and brightest winter spot in our house. Strange place for plantings, but it does work well. Last year I got great results with the mesclun.

As for other spring planting plans, I saw that Tractor Supply has a greenhouse for sale. A small one, build it yourself. Just enough for a few trays of plants. We may check it out and that is where I will start some of the herbs, and where I will harden the heirloom tomatoes. I have my plans in my head, now if it really is getting to be spring, the planting will begin.

Really, I don’t think we got much of a winter. A little cold. Really rainy. Snow that disappeared in a day. Not bad.

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At the Market in February?

Posted on February 25, 2013 by AnnieRie

Yesterday morning we headed out to Olney to check out the market and see what the vendors have in late February. It is nice to have a market near us. No need to drive to Silver Spring, Tacoma Park or Dupont Circle on the weekends.

This market is a farmers, artists, and artisan/food vendor market. In the winter it is located in and outside of the Sandy Spring Museum on Rte. 108 not far over the Montgomery County line. About ten miles from us.

Sunday was lovely. Lots of vendors were outside taking advantage of the sun.

Homestead Farms of Faulkner MD, and Orchard Breeze of Ortanna PA were two of the farms outside. I picked up greens from Homestead and grilling sausage from Orchard Breeze. I also got a few other items, butternut squash and greenhouse tomatoes out there. Went inside and found apples from Falcon Ridge. This is their last week until spring. I was looking for Our House for their organic micro greens but they only come biweekly.

Here is what I brought home.

The candied walnuts were from a vendor outside, whose name escapes me, and who isn’t on the web site. So were the spiced nuts and wasabi peas. They were the little treat for my cocktail hour last night.

As for the greens, I got some extra arugula to go with the winter mix. Filled up the salad spinner, and we are good for the week.

There is something about just picked greens. Makes me think of spring. I will be starting my indoor greens box, up in the south facing window of our bedroom. It gets the most sun to start the seeds. Last year I had a great early start.

Next week my CSA begins again. Can’t wait until my first visit to pick up at Breezy Willow. I am plowing through the freezer, using up last year’s bounty, and want those fresh veggies back in our diet.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Food, Gardening, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged CSA, farmer's markets, Food, gardening, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Tulips in January?

Posted on February 1, 2013 by AnnieRie

What is it with the weather here in Howard County? Yesterday my husband told me the tulips were coming up in the front yard.

Yeah, those little leaves poking up in front of the mums I cut back to the ground. Those same tulips that bloomed in March last year.

Those same tulips that bloomed in late April 2009. I wonder when they will bloom this year as they are really early.

2009 April tulips

This week has been one crazy roller coaster ride, with snow, ice, rain, tornado watches, thunderstorms, floods, and super high winds. All we need are plagues of locusts. As for the 2.5 inches of rain in a 24 hour period earlier this week, the stormwater management on the property did what it was supposed to do.

All of the water from our shared driveway and my neighbor’s field came down to the depression that allows it to run into our yard and around the back of the house.

From there,

it heads off past my herb garden on its way to the vegetable garden. That area is the final destination for most of the water, where it will perk back into the ground water and become part of the water table. So far, knock on wood, we have never had to redrill the well even during our worst droughts. Of course, our well is about 500 feet deep, but we are lucky to be in a good location.

Now, if it ever stops raining, I need to finish the garden clean up. I got all the cages and tomato plants out. I just need to clear out those morning glory vines from the fence, and pull up the black fabric barrier. This shaded garden is going to be the new home for many shade tolerant herbs, and I am going to experiment with some cooler weather varieties of plants. Just for the heck of it, I will be putting in pumpkin seeds in one section.

Just cross our fingers the weather doesn’t get nasty for Super Bowl Sunday. We all remember the blizzards of 2010 that weekend, don’t we? Not going to many parties in Howard County when most roads looked like this or worse and it took a week to clear out all the snow from back to back storms.

February 6, 2010

We had 25 inches of snow that Saturday. The equivalent amount of snow that 2.5 inches of rain could have been this year if the temperatures had been lower.

I think I am happier with all the rain. The 2010 blizzard was a real pain to shovel.

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Posted in Gardening, Howard County, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged gardening, hobbies, hoco loco, Howard County, nature, photography, spring flowers, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Eat Local on Game Day

Posted on January 21, 2013 by AnnieRie

Big game day! After a very successful Conservancy event, we came home to nibble during the game, and have pulled pork sandwiches at half time.

For my Eat Local Challenge, I had pulled pork I bought at Breezy Willow. I had the picture of it in yesterday’s blog. I did not waste time during dinner to take pics of the sandwiches, but that pulled pork is really good.

We nibbled on pumpkin hummus and ate some Bowling Green cheese during the game. I picked up the cheese at the mini market at the event today. Got some good veggies from Zahradka today to add to what I bought yesterday from Breezy Willow.

George Zahradka brought those wonderful romanescu cauliflower, and some sweet carrots. And Brussels sprouts. And, more but my husband went over and picked up these items.

Denise Sharp sold out all her kale before I could get some. She also had huge rosemary “bushes” just like the ones I bought from her last spring. She told me again in April will be our chance to come out and buy plugs and seedlings.

All in all, one great day. A very successful event and a Ravens win.

hocofood@@@

Come Meet Your Local Farmers

Posted on January 16, 2013 by AnnieRie

This Sunday the 20th from 2-4:30 the Howard County Conservancy is presenting a program featuring our local farmers. Come and meet the faces behind the farms. Farms that participate in our markets, that have seed sales, pumpkin patches, mazes, fall festivals, farmstands and CSAs.

Particularly the CSAs. Many of the farms will be explaining how their CSAs work. Here is a shot of last year’s April delivery from Zahradka.

Typical April CSA items

If you are interested in learning more, come join the discussions. Besides having information available a few of the farms have items for sale. Like cheese. Honey. Eggs. You can also find out how and where to get local beef, lamb and pork from our farmers.

Farms include: Clarks, Sharp, Breezy Willow, Love Dove, Bowling Green, Zahradka, and Gorman. Maybe you have visited their stands. Maybe bought their items at the markets in Howard County.

Love Dove, at market, also has CSA

Do you know where they are located? How long the land has been farmed? What they now farm and any changes over the years?

There will be an informal panel discussion at 3 pm, with the participants. Ask what they grow, what they love most about farming, what are they planning in their futures?

Check out all the great products brought to us from our local farms. How about seedlings for your herb or vegetable garden?

heirloom tomato seedlings and plugs – Sharp’s farm

Did you know you can order meat to pick up at Clark’s on Saturdays? Or, stop out at Breezy Willow for eggs, meat, dairy and winter veggies? Find out what is available year round. It may be winter but there is quite a bit available to support our local farmers.

Breezy Willow in January

Join us Sunday!

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Community, CSA, Farmer's Markets, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, People, Real Food, West HoCo and tagged CSA, farmer's markets, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, real food, tomatoes, value of CSA, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Sixty @ Sixty

Posted on December 29, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yes, sixty years young, today. This is one of those significant birthdays. Worthy of doing something different to commemorate.

I recall one of my fellow volunteers talking about traveling to celebrate a milestone birthday. Something like 50 days for the 50th birthday. We traveled way too much when we worked. We are really enjoying our surroundings and doing things we never got to do while we were in the work force.

So, I decided. Sixty is, of course, six decades. Six times ten. Six things, ten times. Or, ten things six times. I settled on more experiences with less to accomplish in each. It looks simpler to do. We shall see. I have been doing research already to find things that interest me.

This year, no New Year’s Resolutions, just the pursuit of these stretch goals, for lack of a better descriptor. Some are fun, some may be difficult. If I enjoy this journey, I may make it into a page. A journal of sorts. Since I am an avowed locavore, locapour, and still a foodie, many involve cooking, eating, gardening, farming, the county and nearby places.

My list —

Visit six festivals and/or fairs that are new to me
Taste at six new wineries never visited before
Seek out six new farmstands or markets to expand my locavore network
Do something different or visit someplace new in six states other than MD
Eat at six small business restaurants and/or diners
Eat/drink or experience six childhood memories
Log six new birds not seen before
Cook and eat six new proteins, i.e., meat, seafood, beans or nuts
Grow and/or eat six exotic fruits, veggies or herbs
Tackle six rightsizing projects

Some are self explanatory but others will take some initiative. Rightsizing projects include things we inherited from our families and things we accumulated over our 60+ years. Things like pictures, CDs, books, tools, clothes, shoes, whatever lurks in closets and cabinets. Having the space here makes it one of those often avoided projects.

The childhood memories include things like — riding a ferris wheel again, or a merry go round, or eating cotton candy, or a root beer float. Things we did as kids.

For my first project, my husband bought a pomegranate at Wegmans yesterday. I have had pom juice, and pomegranate balsamic, but never tried getting the seeds out and using one in cooking. Tonight’s salad will have pom seeds on it. Maybe using my fennel we bought, and oranges. I am making my own birthday dinner, doing things I want to eat. Rockfish. Salad. Roasted cauliflower. None of it hard to make, and no worries about driving in the slush/snow/ice/whatever we have on the ground tonight.

It is still snowing out here. The red bellied woodpecker and one of the squirrels were out there chowing down this morning while I was prepping the fish in a marinade.

This is a new young red bellied woodpecker, who is more skittish than the older ones are. He bolts when he sees the reflection of my camera. As for the acrobatic squirrel, he is lucky today. I don’t have the two layer baffle system on the large suet holder, and he can defeat just one. Besting the squirrels is a major undertaking here. Or, at least keeping them under control.

Who knows what this year, 2013, will bring to us here. I do know I intend to make it somewhat memorable, and certainly don’t intend to be bored.

hocofood@@@

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