April 13, 2011 - I Did It!

I made a goose egg omelet for breakfast! I know some of you are probably laughing at me, but I was tentative about tasting it, having never eaten a goose egg before. I'm happy to report that it was delicious, and I'll be eating the next one "naked".....the egg that is, not me. In other words, the flavor will not be masked by onions, peppers, bacon and cheese.


A third of the one egg omelet was almost more than I could eat, but my youngest son came over to share it with me. Mr. Granny wouldn't touch it, because I put sweet peppers in it!

April 12, 2011 - The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg

Or....The Egg Lady, who's worth her weight in gold, brought us goose eggs!


There were two extra eggs with my order today!


Just to give you an idea of how large these goose eggs are, they barely fit in my hand.



Yesterday I decided to take a chance on planting some of my morning glory plants out in the garden. The weather man hadn't predicted any freezing temperatures for the next ten days, and I had planted extra ones, so I figured I could take a chance and sacrifice four plants. The weather man lied. It got down to 26F last night, so I assumed the morning glories were goners. But they survived! Unfortunately, the other nine containers of them didn't. I had forgotten to move them inside for the night, and every one of them froze. They were tall and healthy and gorgeous plants yesterday. Today......compost material.

I've spent some long, busy days in the garden this past week. All of the lettuce transplants are now in the ground. The two planting dates were staggered, so there should be a steady supply of greens soon. The third planting was a mixture of several varieties, sprinkled from a shaker into a whiskey barrel. They should grow in time to be moved into empty spaces as the earlier plants are harvested.

The garlic and shallots are up, all of the broccoli and cabbage plants are in their permanent garden spots. Peas, carrots, beets, chard, radish and spinach seeds have been planted. Onion plants and bulbs are in. Parsley plants are all growing. Tomato buckets and cages have been set in place, smaller tomato cages have been set up for the pepper plants. I'm giving them much more room this time, as the plants grew huge and crowded last year. The bean gardens have been prepped and are ready to be planted in about two more weeks. I put a few flower seeds here and there in the kennel garden, hoping it will soon turn warm enough for them to grow. The strawberries are beginning to blossom, but the renewed bed looks awfully sparse! I'm glad I set several plants in two of the whiskey barrels last fall, as those are the better looking specimens. I have a few more to move from the flower bed, so I might add those to the main strawberry garden. I'm hoping to get a bale of straw for the paths. Thomas' newly straw mulched garden looked so nice!

I'm almost ready to take pictures of the mid-April garden.

April 10, 2011 - Hoop! Hoop! Hooray!

Well, I had to kind of Mickey Mouse it together because the brand of blue glue I bought wouldn't hold, even after setting up overnight. I ended up using the piece that was supposed to be the center hoop as the crossbar, and cut a single length for the middle hoop, just going right over the top of the crossbar and zip tying it in place. We'll just ignore that fitting in the middle, won't we?


The spinach/turnip/chard/beet bed is now, hopefully, protected from the dreaded leaf miner flies.

At least it's easily movable. The PVC hoops are pushed over pieces of rebar that have been pounded into the ground. It can be moved to any other three or four foot wide bed in the garden, for easy crop rotation, simply by relocating the rebar.


Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the mesh is small enough to keep the little flies out. I could have used a finer tulle, but it was only 52" wide, and I needed the 72" width of the nylon net. Speaking of fingers...it must be the camera angle, because I have long, skinny fingers, not short, fat sausages!


April 9, 2011 - It Just Didn't Work. Or........

If you happen to have a removable dental appliance, it is not wise to store both of these in the same bathroom drawer. Believe me, I know from experience. One of them just doesn't work.


If these three items are sitting on the counter, side by side, make sure you answer the one that says AT&T. Believe me, I know from experience. The other two will not work as a telephone device, no matter how long you hold them up to your ear and yell "Hello...hello...HELLO!"

Have you done anything really stupid this week?


I've been MIA the past few days, because it has been busy, busy, busy around here. First of all, we had a three day celebration for Mr. Granny's 76th. birthday. Thursday he and I ran away for a day of fun and food. Friday our daughters cooked him a birthday dinner. Tonight we took the family out for our April Birthdays Celebration Dinner. Every one of our family members (or their significant others) with a birthday in April, is invited, along with their families. We had nine in attendance tonight, with one birthday guy missing due to illness. The greatest thing about Mr. Granny's birthday is that I don't have to cook for three days in a row!


Happy birthday Mr. Granny!


The weather decided to turn nice the past two days, so I did manage to get some gardening done. Today I got all the rest of my broccoli and cabbages planted, seeded a row of kale, a row of turnips, a double row of spinach, and a double row of radishes. I pounded six lengths of rebar into the edges of the spinach/kale/beet/turnip bed and put up two hoops. I cut and glued the center fitting to the third (middle) hoop, let it set a while, then tried to bend it onto the rebar....the glue failed, and one piece popped out. I reglued (brand new blue glue for PVC) and I'm letting it set overnight before I try it again. I may have to give up trying to tie the three hoops together using PVC fittings, and just zip tie a top bar to the hoops for stability. I need to get them done and get the netting on before the leaf miner flies appear!

I have to do something different with the lights in the mini greenhouse. Some of the tomatoes are so tall they are touching the lights now, so the upper shelf needs to be removed to make room for them. There's still 3-4 weeks left until they can be planted outside, and they are really large, sturdy plants right now.

I'll be ready with the egg shells when it comes time to plant the tomatoes. I've been rinsing them out and tossing them into a little bucket to dry, and yesterday I got them all out and ground them to a powder in the food processor. I'm planning on 12-14 plants this year, so I tossed in 14 aspirin tablets and a handful of outdated calcium tablets as well.



I'll give each plant a heaping spoonful at planting time. Will they help the tomato plants? Who knows....I did the same thing last year and grew great tomatoes, so I know it won't hurt!

April 6, 2011 - Comfort Food

Update: OK, I'm eating the meatballs now, and the sauce really isn't as good as I remember it to be! Evidently my tastes have changed, because now I find it way to vinegary. The original cookbook is in AZ, so I can't check to see if I mistyped the amount of vinegar, I'm just going to assume I did and change it from 3 Tbsp. to 1 Tbsp. right now!

Every now and then, a cold, windy day brings on the urge to make some comfort food. Normally I'm into the lower fat, higher fiber, less meat, more veggies type of meals, but every now and then I throw caution to the wind and we pig out on something that might be less healthy for us, but sure does taste good. This morning I was reading the blogs to which I subscribe, and noticed that Kris, from Simply Living, had started a new cooking blog, Kris Simply Cooking. She will basically feature recipes for cooking on a budget, which is how I pretty much cook every day. Anyway, just reading her first (and as of yet, only) recipe made me hungry for comfort food, namely one of my old standbys, Barbecued Meatballs, made with Baked Meatballs.

First I made a double batch of the Baked Meatballs, as I always like to freeze some for future meals.......
Baked Meatballs
(serves 4)

1 pound ground beef, extra lean

¼ cup diced onion

2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg)

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder


Preheat oven to 400°F
Combine all ingredients, mix well. Form into 1-inch meatballs. Place on a Pam sprayed baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes (I bake mine 15 minutes, 'cause I like them browned a bit).






I put half of the baked meatballs into a small crockpot, and the other half onto a rack to cool. Today my meatballs weren't exactly round. That's what happens when you don't weigh your ground beef, and get too much liquid in the recipe! That's OK though, flat bottoms don't make them taste any different.


Barbecued Meatballs

1 recipe Baked Meatballs (above)

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


Combine all sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs in crockpot. Cook on low, covered, for 6-8 hours. If the sauce is too thin, and it always is, I thicken it with a cornstarch mixed with a small amount of water.

We love this served with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.


The other half of the meatball recipe is quick frozen, and will then be bagged and kept in the freezer for another meal.


Here is the original Barbecued Meatball recipe, as done in the oven. I think this was from an old Crisco cookbook. It's even better than the crockpot recipe I normally use (for convenience).

Barbecued Meatballs - original recipe

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup milk

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 lb. lean ground beef

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup Crisco (substitute vegetable or canola oil
)

3/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce and ground beef. Mix well and shape into 18 meatballs. Roll the meatballs in the flour and, in a large skillet, brown the meatballs on all sides in hot vegetable or canola oil. Transfer the meatballs to a 2-quart casserole.

Pour off the excess fat from the skillet, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour over meatballs in casserole. Cover and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Skim off excess fat and serve with mashed potatoes or parsley buttered noodles. Serves 6.






April 5, 2011 - Cookie's Day Out

I had a coil of garden fencing in the shed, so today I made Cookie a temporary playpen with it while his cage was being cleaned. It looks like he's doing double duty in the back yard, mowing and fertilizing! Annie and Otto have been locked inside, as they tried to separate fencing from rabbit.





April 4, 2011 - My OCD

I like things lined up neatly in a row. I want everything in my world to be plumb and even, and properly spaced. I walk around with a level and a yardstick in my hand when I'm putting up any garden structures or planting rows of veggies. That is, if I have a spare hand.

So how did this happen?

My first 8-foot 1x2 didn't quite make the span from one end to the other, so I drilled a hole in each end and fastened them to the cross bars with cable ties. I couldn't hold everything in place while zipping the ties, and this is what I ended up with. I know it's not going to show once the tomatoes grow that tall, but in the meantime it's driving me crazy. You know I'll have to go out there, cut the ties and make an adjustment, don't you? And while I'm out there, I'll have to find something to prop up one side of that planter....the one that is listing to the left. I also will not rest easy until the raspberry trellis posts are set straight, although I'm not yet sure what I'll do about them. They can't be buried, due to the old tree roots underneath. They are already strapped and screwed to the bed, but that just makes the entire bed move when the wind blows. I think my only remedy might be either (a) pound a T-post into each corner and lash the trellis crossbars to them or (b) install large screw eyes to the bottom of the bed boards at each corner, then run guy wires from the post to the screw eyes.

Our irrigation water came on last week, earlier than usual. I gave the entire garden a good sprinkling. Good thing I did, as the water went back off yesterday, just as everything was drying out again and new seeds had been planted. It wasn't exactly off, but was running at just a trickle, so I ended up spending about an hour out there this morning, giving all the new plants and seeds a good drink from the hose. Then, just as I'd finished, it started raining.



While it was still just a light drizzle, I took two of the 2"x12" boards that had been saved from the west garden destruction, and (with level in hand this time) installed them at the ends of the small shed garden. I had planned on buying more cherry timbers to finish that off, but it never happened. I think this will work just fine, and after everything gets a coat of matching paint it should look OK. This is my "pot garden", where I put pots of stuff, like flowers or herbs or peppers. A tomato plant will go on each end, outside of the bed. Leona the Meyer Lemon tree (in front of the open shed doors) is spending her days outside now, and her nights inside the shed. When the night temperatures stay up around 50F, I'll be leaving her outside, probably in the pot garden, under the window.

April 2, 2011: East Garden Tour

If you don't like to see photos of plain dirt, go no farther.

I finally finished forming all the new beds in the east garden, have rethought my original planting plans, and have begun planting.

To refresh your memories, or if you haven't seen the old east garden area, this is what it looked like a year ago:

East garden March 2010. All the raised beds were boxed in, and were either 4'x4' or 2'x4' and 12" deep. I found it rather restrictive as to what I could plant and where, and the boxes dried out very quickly. The entire bed was 22' long, which is quite a ways to have to walk around while gardening or harvesting.


The new beds 2011, view from the north end (kennel garden): With new neighbors next door, I couldn't plan on using their fence for growing my vining crops or tomatoes, so I am utilizing that area for my walkway. The new beds run east and west, and range from 7' long to 8' long, with widths of 3' or 4'. There is a smaller bed at each end. The boards, which were showing signs of rotting, are all gone.


The view from the south end of the east garden. Here you can see the kennel garden at the end, where a left turn leads into the north garden. The black pots, along the fence at the end of each garden path, will be joined by one more and hold my jalapeno peppers.


East bed #1 is 5' long x 2' deep. I had originally planned on using this bed for cucumbers, having forgotten I bought a packet of Chinese Red Noodle beans. This would be the perfect spot for them, where they can climb the side of the kennel. Some of the many basil plants I have growing could be planted along the front edge.


East bed #2 is 4' wide x 8' long. It will contain spinach, turnips, chard and beets. A dozen spinach transplants were put in today, hopefully not too early. The little plants have an uphill battle ahead of them to survive the strong winds that are blowing again today. I'm going to cover this bed with some net to try to foil the leaf miner flies that always wreak havoc on these crops.


East bed #3 is also 4' wide x 8' long. It will hold three determinate tomatoes down the center. Heavy 5' metal T-posts are pounded in firmly to hold the oversized tomato cages (2 are in, one to go). Carrots will be planted down both sides of this bed. I have transplanted two parsley plants at the end of the bed, and there will also be some marigolds added later.


East bed #4 is 3' wide x 8' long. It will have bush beans on one side and sweet peppers on the other side. Parsley has been planted at the end of the bed, and marigolds will follow later. I don't know if you can see the bit of green at the bases of a few of the fence posts, but they are lavender clematis.


East bed #5 is 3' wide x 8' long. It has carrots (planted yesterday) under the boards, and will have sweet peppers on the other side. Parsley has been planted at the end of the bed, and marigolds will follow later. Chives are growing next to the fence, and will be left where they are.


East bed #6 is 3' wide x 7' long. It holds all of the Walla Walla sweet onions, planted last month. There are hollyhocks, tulips, Shasta daisies and narcissus back by the fence, that's why the beds are shorter at this end of the garden.


East bed #7 is 3' wide x 7' long. This is where I grow my sticks. LOL, just kidding.....the sticks are marking where the next planting of cabbages and broccoli will go. Today I marked circles where those plants will grow, and planted onion bulbs in between the circles. Room was left at the end for marigolds and a final planting of parsley. The lilac tree in the background has to go. I hate to lose it, but my hardest garden job is trying to keep the suckers out of the vegetable beds. Taking it out will also give the garden a bit more sunlight.


East bed #8, measuring 2' wide x 7' long, is the last bed in the east garden, and holds the peas I planted today. I wasn't going to plant peas this year. I caved. These are sugar snaps, and I'll be building a string trellis for them to climb. There is room for something in the corner, but I haven't yet decided what. Possibly a bush squash, but I'm not sure it will get enough sun. Maybe I'll just move some flowers in there.


Total planting area in the east garden is 178 square feet, plus the pots.....182 sq. ft. total. I'm planning on covering the pathways with wood chips. Eventually. Maybe.


I finished hauling compost, digging, leveling and planting just in time to make a home made pizza for dinner, using sauce and peppers from last year's garden.