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Summer, with summer squash
Just to let anyone interested know: we won't be at Wiscon this year. It's intentional this time, not because we missed our plane like last time (ahem). I have regrets, but in theory we're going use the money to go to Italy in the fall instead -- stay tuned.
On brighter topics, summer is finally here! Flip-flops! Barefeet even! Sitting outside in the shade and not shivering in the cold breeze! Zucchini! (No, wait....)
Actually, we love summer squash, especially grilled. It's just about the only way we eat them. The dry heat intensifies theiralmost non-existent delicate flavor. This year I'm growing:
Horn of Plenty -- a yellow crookneck
Black -- a very dark green zucchini
Custard White -- a tasty white patty pan
Wood's Prolific -- another white patty pan, to see how it compares
Polo -- a third white patty pan which claims to taste like artichoke heart!
Jaune Panaché -- a yellow patty pan with green stripes
Paydon Family -- an acorn type eaten as a summer squash
Zapallo del Tronco -- another winter squash that is very tasty eaten as a summer squash (not particularly tasty as a winter squash). I grew it once before and we liked it a lot, but it was TOO PRODUCTIVE. I will only allow 1 vine to grow this time.
Yeah, it's a lot, but they're all going to die of powdery mildew in August or so anyhow. We'll have had our fill by then.
Gopher news -- no fresh tomato deaths since Friday!! So we have, with fingers crossed (and boy was that tough), set out replacement plants today. Wish us luck. I spent last Friday morning with our former gopher expert poking holes 1 inch apart up and down all the tomato rows. Tedious, and I got a blister from it, but there's quite a sense of exhilaration when your stick goes "poke, poke, poke, whump!" into an air pocket, i.e., a tunnel. (That's a generic whump, btw, not Bill. Hi Bill!) Looks like our efforts paid off (die, vermin, die!).
Yesterday I planted 6 of the 10 seedlings I got at Annie's Annuals last week. Go me! I put the auricula into a pot, since it's the only way it'll possibly get rich soil, constant moisture, and full/part shade. At least, I'll try to give it constant moisture. Watering potted plants is not my forte.
And for the most exciting event: we planted 3 citrus trees yesterday! I'm trying an intensive method with them: 3 dwarf trees in a 6-8 foot circle. I think it should work because one is only grown for its leaves (Kaffir lime), one for the rind of the fruit (Bergamot Orange; oil of Bergamot is what flavors Earl Grey tea), and one for its fruit but I don't need a lot of them (Bearss lime). So that's two trees out of their pots finally and one transplanted (the Bearss lime; it wasn't getting enough sun in its previous location). I'm so very pleased with myself. The Bergamot orange has dozens of incipient oranges on it. I'm hoping that at least a couple survive the transplant shock.
Next: the pomegranate.
On brighter topics, summer is finally here! Flip-flops! Barefeet even! Sitting outside in the shade and not shivering in the cold breeze! Zucchini! (No, wait....)
Actually, we love summer squash, especially grilled. It's just about the only way we eat them. The dry heat intensifies their
Horn of Plenty -- a yellow crookneck
Black -- a very dark green zucchini
Custard White -- a tasty white patty pan
Wood's Prolific -- another white patty pan, to see how it compares
Polo -- a third white patty pan which claims to taste like artichoke heart!
Jaune Panaché -- a yellow patty pan with green stripes
Paydon Family -- an acorn type eaten as a summer squash
Zapallo del Tronco -- another winter squash that is very tasty eaten as a summer squash (not particularly tasty as a winter squash). I grew it once before and we liked it a lot, but it was TOO PRODUCTIVE. I will only allow 1 vine to grow this time.
Yeah, it's a lot, but they're all going to die of powdery mildew in August or so anyhow. We'll have had our fill by then.
Gopher news -- no fresh tomato deaths since Friday!! So we have, with fingers crossed (and boy was that tough), set out replacement plants today. Wish us luck. I spent last Friday morning with our former gopher expert poking holes 1 inch apart up and down all the tomato rows. Tedious, and I got a blister from it, but there's quite a sense of exhilaration when your stick goes "poke, poke, poke, whump!" into an air pocket, i.e., a tunnel. (That's a generic whump, btw, not Bill. Hi Bill!) Looks like our efforts paid off (die, vermin, die!).
Yesterday I planted 6 of the 10 seedlings I got at Annie's Annuals last week. Go me! I put the auricula into a pot, since it's the only way it'll possibly get rich soil, constant moisture, and full/part shade. At least, I'll try to give it constant moisture. Watering potted plants is not my forte.
And for the most exciting event: we planted 3 citrus trees yesterday! I'm trying an intensive method with them: 3 dwarf trees in a 6-8 foot circle. I think it should work because one is only grown for its leaves (Kaffir lime), one for the rind of the fruit (Bergamot Orange; oil of Bergamot is what flavors Earl Grey tea), and one for its fruit but I don't need a lot of them (Bearss lime). So that's two trees out of their pots finally and one transplanted (the Bearss lime; it wasn't getting enough sun in its previous location). I'm so very pleased with myself. The Bergamot orange has dozens of incipient oranges on it. I'm hoping that at least a couple survive the transplant shock.
Next: the pomegranate.