My Zone 9 Garden in December

Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Romain and Bibb lettuce. The weather has been perfect; chilly but nothing like north of Florida.

Miscellaneous Fooling Around

Cassia in the fall

Most people do not get to see our beautiful Cassia except neighbors. It bllooms for about 3 weeks in the fall and is really a favorite. It is one of those shrubs that is easy to prune  so that it takes on the appearance of a small tree. We have a Chaya (Spinach Tree) and an Angel Trumpet that I have pruned the same way. I just like the look.

IRIS BEAUTIES

ROASTED BROCCOLI STEMS

juste saw a recipe for roasted broccoli stalks.
I have always wondered about eating them but never tried it.now I'm curious. got to try it. More later.

winter / early spring garden

 tomatoes coming along nicely

 cabbage, broccoli, romaine and bibb lettuce

assorted hebs and flowers

Playing with collages

My Current Use for Wine Corks

I have far too many leftover wine corks. In my defense I have not uncorked them all, some people give me theirs. I tried using them as mulch in one of my raised beds, but did not like the results. They were not very effective at keeping the weeds down and generally just got in the way. I removed them after a year or so. My latest and better use is to use them like crockery in the bottom of plant pots. We have all had the experience of having a good sized pot and needing to put some drainage material in the bottom before adding dirt. Rocks, gravel, and potsherds really make a big pot heavy. Corks work really well to allow drainage and are not nearly so heavy.  Yea! Let's hear it for leftover wine corks.

Look What Showed Up in my Yard Yesterday!

Sandhill Cranes are taking over Lake Helen.

Growing a Pineapple

I cut the top out of a grocery store pineapple in 2012 and planted it in a pot then forgot about it. Somewhere I read that it takes 2 years for a pineapple plant to produce a pineapple. Well sure enough it works!!! Take a look.

COLE SLAW MY FAVORITE

Original recipe makes 20 servings
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 large red onion, diced
1 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
black pepper to taste

Directions
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, onion, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar, and mix well. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix well.

Grilled Eggplant Recipe

Prep and cooking takes about 15 minutes not counting getting the grill hot:

Ingredients:

I like medium sized lavender eggplants - Dancer is my favorite variety. I find the big black ones in the store too bitter. If they are used get 1 large one, soak it in salt water for 30 minutes and pat dry. This recipe is better with 2 medium Italian or Japanese eggplants
3 TBS Olive oil
2 TBS Balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
a few pinches of fresh herbs - Dill, Basil, and Oregano are nice
Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking: 

Get your grill hot. Combine oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Coat the slices with he herb, olive, balsamic mixture. Grill for about 5 minutes per side or until tender and brown.

December 2013 in the garden

Red Lady Papaya

Red Lady Papaya

Red Lady Papaya

Lemons

Cranberry Hibiscus (Hibiscus Acetosella)

Cranberry Hibiscus (Hibiscus Acetosella)

Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia)

Turnips and Lettuce up front with Radicchio in the background

Christmas Tomatoes

Eggplant and green tomato on the grill

I have a wonderful variety of eggplant called Dancer. Violet colored, medium size, and the tastiest ever. It has been producing all spring summer and fall. Planted 1 seed in a pot and it has produced enough eggplant for me and my wife from May to December.  I grilled some last night that was great. I have some green tomatoes in the garden also. I am thinking about grilling both the green tomatoes and eggplant, putting some cheese on the eggplant and then topping with a green tomato. I will post how it turns out.

10 reasons why I love Gardening

It is experimental - I am never sure of the outcome

I really love to pull weeds - It is easy and I can see what I've done

I like fresh veggies

The veggies communicate with me but they are quiet

The garden is beautiful

Peace

I am still amazed that such great things come from such small seeds

A little bit science and a little bit art

Digging in the dirt is fun - I never wear gloves

It reminds me where my food comes from

Garden Festivals

Atlanta Dogwood Festival, April 19-21, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, dogwood.org

Biltmore Blooms Festival of Flowers, March 21-May 31, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, N.C., biltmore.com

Boston Flower & Garden Show, March 13-17, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, bostonflowershow.com

Camellia Walks, through March 23, Middleton Place, Charleston, S.C., middletonplace.org

Celebrate Spring, through April 30, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga., callawaygardens.com

Chicago Flower & Garden Show, through 17, Navy Pier, Chicago, chicagoflower.com

Daffodil Days, April 6-28, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum, Bristol, R.I., blithewold.org

Daffodil Festival, April 26-28, Nantucket, Mass., nantucketchamber.org

Dallas Blooms, through April 7, Dallas Arboretum, dallasarboretum.org

Festival of Flowers, March 21-24, Bellingrath Gardens, Theodore, Ala. (near Mobile), bellingrath.org

Garden Conservancy's Open Days (more than 300 private gardens in 18 states open to public on select dates March-November), opendaysprogram.org

Hatsume Fair, March 23-24, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, morikami.org

Garden Club of Virginia's Historic Garden Week, tours at various sites April 20-27, VAGardenweek.org

Basic Beer Cheese Bread

I know this has nothing to do with gardening, other than throwing in some of my fresh herbs, but sometimes I use this blog to archive a few (very few) of my favorite recipes. I love this stuff.

Basic Beer Bread Mix:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)

1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

12 ounces beer

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Flavor Variations:

Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.

February Scenes

Monarch Mid January

The weather has been unusually warm of course.  I had a cool visit from a Monarch today, hungry for what a little marigold had to offer. You can tell this is a female Monarch by the absence of the scent glands (black dots on the back part of the wings). Basil rooting on the right. A spectacular day.

Fractal Cauliflower

I planted a variety pack of Cauliflower in one of my raised beds this fall and had a Romanesco Cauliflower come up.  I love these things.  Having been a fan of Fractal Geometry for years, this is the perfect vegetable for math people!