Thanks-Birth-o-Ween

We are so glad that our two daughters are forming their adult lives, fully engaged in careers and
committed to their own social circles and of course, their husbands and extended families.

This is a great comfort.

But occasionally we need to consecrate time together.

I have seen that major holidays can be a point of contest in other families, so we avoid having any expectations. One day is the same as all the rest to us! We don't want a day of celebration to become a torment of guilt, or worse, a mad dash from one party to the next in an anxious attempt to please everyone.

So we have started making up our own traditions.

It started when our youngest went off to college in another state. Her favorite holiday is Halloween, and though she had fun with her new friends, it just was not the same for her as Halloween on the farm, with the darkening Oregon skies, the wind whipped birch tree casting amber leaves like enchantments, the rain soaked fields of pumpkins.

So when she came home on Thanksgiving break, we would often have a little Halloween as well. Why not?

A few years later, we found that including our new sons-in-law, five of us had birthdays in October and November.

And also with their marriages, Thanksgiving got complicated, as should be expected!

So we invented Thanks-Birth-o-Ween. This will be our third, and I am unreasonably excited about it.

This year we will celebrate the weekend before Thanksgiving. It will be a day of feasting and games and presents. There will be pumpkins, hot cider and walks in the rain.

For now, it's time to decorate! (To be continued)

Reliable Sedum "Autumn Joy"

If I had to choose just two plants for my garden forever, I would pick Lavender and Sedum "Autumn Joy".
Practically indestructible, this perennial is perfect for the haphazard attention I pay to my garden.

Here's a few reasons I love this plant:

Hardiness:

• Cold hardy 
• Deer Resistant 
• Highly drought tolerant
• Easy to grow
• Full to sun to part shade
• Easily propagated by rooting cuttings
• Bugs and slugs don't seem to bother it

Benefits: 

• Attractive green to blue green foliage 
• Slow to mature flower heads have interest even when immature, gradually deepening in color through the summer into fall.
• Good cut flower
• Attracts bees and butterflies
• Dried flower stalks may be of some interest in winter
• Combines well with other plants in the border.

Drawbacks:

• May get spindly if grown in deep shade
• Needs division every 2-3 years
• Large clumps may need some support. I often tuck a few large rocks around the edges, or use farm artifacts like the end of an old pitchfork.
• Spent stalks may become unsightly after a freeze and need removal. New growth will appear at the base soon.

Spring into fall photos below.

Spring into Early Summer

Flower Heads Form Mid Summer

First Blush of Color, August

September Color Varies from Pale Pink to Red

Sedum, Hydrangea, Purple Perennial Aster, Anemone, Bay Laurel

Sedum, Lavender, Thai Basil, Fennel (flowers and leaves) Bay Laurel

I put a few stems in one year and they rooted. It's been happy in this copper bowl for years.

"Whirling Butterflies" Gaura

I have been told that nicknames are often a sign of affection.
This playful meadow flower has several, including Wandflower, Bee Blossom or Whirling Butterflies.

Here are some reasons to plant this easy perennial in your garden:

Gaura with zinnias and Limelight Hydrangea

• Long lasting blooming season starting in spring or mid summer, going into fall (trimming may encourage longer blooming)
• Drought hardy once established
• Cold hardy 
• Self Sewing
• Many blossoms
• Attracts bees, butterflies and humming birds
• May be evergreen in some climates
• Lovely cut flower
• Deer Resistant
• Easy to grow

And here are a few cautions:

• A long taproot makes this very difficult to transplant. New seedlings should be moved while small. 
• May tend to take up much more room than you planned on, especially if you let the new seedlings spread out.
• Needs adequate drainage

 I bought one gallon of white Gaura two years ago, and was so enchanted I bought a pink variety the following year. 

The first two years my white Gaura kept its neat habit, sending sprays of dancing blossoms from its mound of foliage. The third year however, the original clump was overwhelmed by another plant and it was just kept too wet.

Gaura does not like to be soggy.

Fortunately the parent plant had put out at least a dozen volunteers.  By mid summer they more than doubled the space originally inhabited by the first plant,

and by late August they were a happy sprawl.

Just more pictures...

Pink variety with burgundy tipped foliage, second year plant, before blooming.

Containers, Landscape and Arrangements: Euonymus fortunei

It's ubiquitous, this shrub that I can never remember the name of. It's been in our front yard forever, and I had a love-hate relationship with it until I figured out how to keep it looking lovely. And then I discovered some magic.

I often see Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ or another variety pruned severely into hedges in formal landscapes, but that's not my style. My rambling garden resists artificial shapes.

This vining shrub seems to grow year round, and I have found by keeping it low to the ground it relaxes, putting up wonderful spires that just beg to be included in bouquets.

Trimming it back twice a year is all I ever do for it, and it never complains. When all my annuals die in early winter, I pull rooted stems from the Euonymus to fill in some of the empty places, and gradually many of my deep shade containers are filling up with these starts.

I love how it combines with other brilliantly colored foliage plants, or sets off flowers in a vase.

Just more pictures...

 "Profusion" Zinnia from Park Seed (2 colors), Russian Sage, Smoke Tree and Euonymus fortunei

Zucchini Smoothie

I drank a zucchini and it was delicious.

It stands to reason; Raw zucchini has practically no flavor of its own, so why wouldn't it work in fruit smoothies?

I've long been a fan of putting large portions of baby spinach or deep green kale in my smoothies, and have won over many skeptics.

The zucchini actually added a thick and creamy element that I enjoyed.

Here is my basic template for smoothies:

• About 2-3 cups fresh fruit (or partially thawed frozen) cut into chunks if needed (see list below)
• About 1-3 cups zucchini, remove core and seeds, cut in chunks, leave peel on if tender -- OR About 1-3 cups baby spinach or other favorite raw greens that have a mild flavor

Puree this in the blender, then add:

• About 1-3 cups frozen fruit (I partially thaw it if I'm using mostly frozen fruit)

I often add:

• A scoop of plain yogurt, preferably Greek (about 1/3 cup)
• TB wheat germ



One medium zucchini + fruit
= 6 1/2 cups

• TB ground flax seed 

If the blender is struggling because it is too thick, I add:

• fruit juice or water

Do a taste test. Not sweet enough? I add a little orange juice concentrate or fruit preserves. Too bland? Try just a little frozen lemonade or lime juice or something else with a citric acid kick!

In this batch I used:

• One medium zucchini (about 1 pound) some peel removed, core and seeds removed
• One peach, peeled and pit removed
• One apricot with skin, pit removed
• Fresh blueberries 1-2 cups
• One frozen banana (no peel of course!)
• 12 whole frozen strawberries
• 1 TB apricot preserves

Zucchini Soup with Coconut Milk, Curry and Lemon Grass

I over-planted the zucchini again. Want some? This beautiful soup can use up one large zucchini. Joy joy.
And you can make this recipe vegetarian/vegan

Zucchini Soup with Coconut Milk, Curry and Lemon Grass
For Printable Version Click Here

• 1 medium onion (I used a sweet yellow onion) chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
• Olive oil or coconut oil -- just enough to saute the onion & garlic, about 1 TB
• 1 large (2 pounds at least, more is fine) zucchini chopped in 1" pieces -- I peeled off some of the skin, but it all cooked down. I also removed the pithy core & seeds, but this zucchini was not overripe so very little was removed.
• 1 can chicken broth or vegetable broth 
• 1 can coconut milk (I used regular, but you may use light)
• 1 TB mild yellow curry
• 1TB fresh lemongrass or 1 Kaffir Lime Leaf, or try some Lemon Thyme? *see notes
• Optional: Mild Cheese: Shredded Mozzarella or Feta or mild Goat Cheese
• Optional: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds *see notes

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil over medium heat until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, lemon grass and about half the broth. Simmer until tender, at least 10-15 minutes. (I covered the pot)
3. When the zucchini is tender, remove the lemon grass if you prefer (see notes), then blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a standing blender and blend until smooth.
4. Return to pot (if using standing blender) and add remaining broth, coconut milk, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir while heating to serving temperature.
5. I served this with a little shredded mozzarella cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds, along with some crusty sourdough bread. 

NOTES: The original recipe did not call for the lemongrass, but I have a bounty growing in my herb garden, so -- why not? I picked several thick stems with the blades, which are sharp as razors. I chopped it very fine and tossed it in. The fragrance was amazing and it did so much for this soup! The texture after blending was a little fibrous though, and I ended up running my husband's serving through a sieve so he would not complain. I did not mind it. Solution: leave whole and remove before blending. I think a Kaffir Lime leaf or  a little Lemon Thyme would be nice alternatives. Maybe fresh Tarragon?
Here's an excellent tutorial on using lemongrass.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: I had some unsalted pumpkin seeds, and just laid them on a baking sheet, sprinkled with seasoning salt and put them under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes until a few were just turning brown. This was so good with this soup!

Year of the Beetle

Eggplant Leaf destroyed by flea beetles

I had beautiful plans for the best vegetable garden ever this year.

And row after row, nothing came up -- or something would sprout, but be gone in a day. I blamed the weather or old seeds.
I replanted.

Flea Beetle on Nasturtium

Then I noticed the eggplants.

And not just the eggplants. The tomatoes were drooping, the peppers were stunted, and the kale, arugula, beets, swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, spinach and bok choy were non-existent in spite of several plantings.

The internet diagnosed Flea Beetles. I had never heard of them. This has never been a problem! But stepping back into my garden, now I saw them everywhere, on nearly everything.

What to do? I hurried to the farm store and spent $30 on beneficial nematodes to destroy the larvae feasting on the plant roots.
I bought a large bag of diatomaceous earth to annoy a large variety of insect pests, including the ants who had developed a regular track through the garden, and I suspect were "farming" some of these pests for their benefit.
And I bought a spray bottle of Neem oil, figuring this would send them packing.
I added some fly paper to trap some critters.

It's been four weeks. The latest re-planting efforts have been moderately successful.

At this point I have decided to rejoice that the lettuce is thriving, the peas and beans don't seem to mind being chomped a little, and absolutely NOTHING bothered the zucchini this year.

Next year, I will re-apply the beneficial nematodes before planting, bleach my row covers and spread the diatomaceous earth on everything after planting.

If anyone has more ideas for me, I would LOVE to hear them!