Journal
October 17, 2009
The growing season is over. One or two hardy flowers have survived the frosts over the last few weeks, but for the most part, the plants have gone dormant or died. We've dug the glad bulbs and planted spring bulbs - jonquils, tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus. Dead stalks have been cut back, the vegetable garden has been cleared, tilled and winter rye seed is starting to sprout. Autumn is a time of transition; for gearing down to a time of hybernation. It is good to wander the garden and make plans now for next year's changes. Mark with stakes any spots you want to change. Cover with leaves and grass clippings any tender plants that need a little extra blanketing to survive the chills of winter.
Scarecrows, pumpkins, witches, dried flowers, silk flowers, hay bales, and corn stalks adorn both inside and out.
Those of us in Colorado have the delight of enjoying sun-filled days with mild temperatures, which often reach into the 70s. Take every opportunity to go out and commune with nature and enjoy her transition to Winter. If you are like me, a bit of melancholy visits this time of year. This is a natural. Don't try to hide from it or ignore it. Let yourself experience the melancholy and be grateful for times of transition and reflection. It is not necessary to dwell on those feelings, but gently acknowledge them and bless them. When you are ready, let them go.
September 17, 2009
The brilliant, deep colors of autumn are finding their way into the garden. Deep rust, rose, and golden mums, purple and dark pink asters, and golden plate announce a change of season. The apples are hanging heavy and turning a deep red. The mountain maple leaves are beginning to take on hues of wine and russet. Our nights are crisp and chilly, and foggy tendrils hang over the mountains and down in the valleys.
August 27, 2009
It is pickling time. My favorites are dill pickles - mainly because they are just about the easiest thing in the world to make. If you are raising your own pickling cucumbers, you can do a couple of jars of the pickles as the cucumbers ripen (or more, depending on how many cucumbers are ready) rather than waiting for a huge batch.
August 26, 2009
BBQ beef came off splendidly. The home made ketchup was a wonderful base for a great gluten-free BBQ sauce. We also had fresh green beans that mom and I had picked in the morning, and home-made salsa dad made from his home grown onions, hatch peppers, and tomatoes. What a feast!
August 19, 2009
One of the things that gives me a big thrill is to be a part of a synchronistic event. Two or more events occur that in and of themselves are no big deal, but when they intersect it seems like magic has occurred. I think of it as a Higher Power participating in random acts of kindness. On Monday, I decided that it would be fun to make some ketchup. We had about 20 lbs of ripe tomatoes and although we do our best to eat them just as they are, the plants produce far more than we can eat. I took about 15 lbs, cored them and put them in a big pot to cook. After they cooked, I strained them using a wood pestle and sieve. I can't give you an exact recipe for the ketchup because I did a lot of cooking, adding ingredients, cooking, and adding more ingredients. There are plenty of recipes online so if you want to make some just hop onto Google and search for ketchup (or catsup) recipes. I can tell you that I put in a lot of onions - about the equivalent of 4 large onions, almost 2 c. of apple cider vinegar, about a 1/2 c. of brown sugar, and these seasonings: salt (lots) pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, oregano, cayenne pepper, and marjoram. I just kept adding until it tasted like ketchup - only far better than bought ketchup in my opinion.
Secondly, my niece emailed to tell us she would be visiting us on her birthday. My niece is gluten intolerant. It makes her ill. She's been trying to live a gluten free life, but it's difficult to do when visiting people who indulge at every meal. One of her favorite dishes when she visits is Grandpa's BBQ beef. I found out today that many BBQ sauces sold in stores have gluten. Apparently ingredients with gluten are used as a stabilizer. Who knew? I was so excited to tell her that I had just made ketchup and could easily make a gluten free BBQ sauce with the ketchup as a base. See? A bit of synchronicity - one of her favorite meals for her birthday without the fear of getting sick - just because I had a whim to make ketchup. Today is a good day. I know. They all are - it's just that sometimes it's easier to pay attention to all the good and groovy things that occur!
August 11, 2009
Today, I gathered fresh basil, tomatoes, radish and spinach. I'm going to pull some beets this afternoon and try this recipe: Roasted Beet Salad, for dinner. I took the tomatoes and some of the basil, along with onions, garlic and some carrots to make a marina sauce that I will freeze. It looks like I'll have about 3 quarts. Not bad! I also need to pick up some parmesan at the store so I can make a batch of pesto.
I owe you pictures of my little garden that I told you about in May. I have the pictures downloaded to the computer - just need to sort through them and get them published. I promise - I have not forgotten. The nice thing about pictures is that they'll wait. And just think - if I don't get them published until the snow starts flying, won't that be a wonderful treat on a snowy day?
August 7, 2009
I made grape jelly today. I had stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and they had these huge luscious-looking black grapes on sale. I couldn't resist. I brought them home, washed them and took them off the stem, put them in a big pot with an inch or two of water. I let them cook for about a 1/2 hour. I have an old fashioned wood mortar and seive that I use for straining the juice. I've never used a jelly bag. It would probably be easier, but I haven't tried it yet. Whatever method you use should be fine, just get the seeds (if the grapes have seeds) and skins separated from the juice.
I ended up with just about 7 cups of juice. I put it all in a large pan. I think if I were to do it again I would only fix about 4 cups of the juice to help reduce the cooking time. The pan needs to be quite a bit larger than the amount of juice because the juice will boil quite high. Add one package of Sure-Jell and bring the juice to a boil. Add sugar. Here's the tricky part - for 7 cups of juice I used about 4 cups of sugar. Most recipes call for a cup of sugar for every cup of juice, but I don't like the jelly that sweet. You'll have plenty of time to taste and stir so start with about half of the amount you think you might need and go from there. The jelly needs to cook at a rapid boil for quite a while. Stay with the jelly, stir it and test it. The test for jelly stage is when it starts to congeal some on the side of the pan and when you lift the spoon from the jelly and let it drip off the side of the spoon, the jelly should separate into two thick drops. I cooked mine for about 45 minutes, but it will depend on how much sugar you add, the altitude where you live, the moisture in the air and the heat you are able to maintain while cooking. It's a matter of trial and error.
When the jelly is ready pour into clean jars - leaving enough room for expansion in the freezer, put the lids on loosely and let cool. As soon as the jelly has cooled put in your deep freeze. No canning mess! So easy and delicious!!
August 4, 2009
Yes, I know it has been a month and a half since I wrote. It's crazy! First there was the trip to Arkansas and Kentucky, then my grandchild here for a couple of weeks and then a flurry of visitors and parties and work – paying work. So, I haven’t kept up with the journal or posting pictures or anything on the website. I have taken some shots and I’m hoping August will slow down a little so I can catch my breath and get back to taking care of my virtual home. There is lots to tell – if I can remember it all, so stay tuned and I’ll get back on track soon!
June 12, 2009
The iris are just beginning to bloom. I should be able to put up an iris gallery within the next week or so. I also noticed that the allysum I started from seeds are just beginning to bloom. I planted them intermittently with forget-me-nots to have a blue and white border around the garden. I can hardly wait for their perfume to create a lovely fragrance each time I go in and out my door.
June 10, 2009
It can't seem to quite warm up here yet. We keep getting cold, cloudy, rainy days. It's thundering outside right now, as a matter of fact. This June reminds me of another June - 1965 - the year of the big flood in Palmer Lake. You can read the details here. I was 7 years old. It had been cold and rainy for a long time. Then one day, a thunderstorm was brewing and mom called us kids outside. She said, "look how those trees are swirling around in a circular fashion. That's what it looks like when there is a tornado." About a half-hour later, a friend from Colorado Springs called to find out if we were ok. Mom said, "Sure, why do you ask?" Nada said, "The news said you just had a tornado." That was only part of it. It had rained for days prior to the tornado. We lived down in a valley with a creek below our house. The creek continued to rise wiping out all the roads and creeping closer to our home. We evacuated the house and went to stay with a neighbor who lived across the street and up the hill from us. It was feared that the reservoirs located in the mountains above Palmer Lake would break and if they did our little neighborhood down the in the valley would most certainly be washed away. Eventually the army came in with heavy equipment.We were evacuated through the flood waters riding in the back of a huge army dump truck. Luckily, the reservoirs held. We stayed with my grandparents for 2 weeks while repairs were made to the roads to allow us to return. The road below our house and next to the creek had to be rebuilt.
It's beautiful here this spring - greener than I've seen Colorado in many years so I truly appreciate the rain. I just hope we don't end up with a repeat performance!
The vegetable garden is in. I still have some blue pumpkin seeds that I want to plant. If it quits raining, I may get them in yet today.
June 6, 2009
Dad started a horse radish patch next to the house many years ago. They've never harvested the horse radish and it has gotten out of control. This year we decided to move the horse radish to some location far away from the house and just let it fend for itself. Dad put some poison on the plants and we let that sit for about a month. Finally, yesterday, I decided it was time to start digging it out. I have some good news and some bad news about that. I dug and dug and dug and kept finding roots as I went down. I finally made it all the way to China and there, through the hole, I was able to see a dude who didn't look happy at all. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but it seems to me that he has been trying to eradicate the stuff from his side. Upon seeing me, he must have realized that we, on this side, were to blame for the horse radish patch in the middle of his garden. The good news is that on the way I discovered water, so now we have an additional well.
Ok, so I exaggerate, but I am truly wondering when I'll ever get down far enough that I will not find roots. This may take me all summer, and then I'll have to fill the hole back in. Sometimes gardening offers us the weirdest surprises!
June 3, 2009
Oh for pity's sake. Where in the world does time go? We went to the mountains to visit family over Memorial Day Weekend. We were in Carbondale for a couple of days and in Crawford for another couple. I hadn't been to Crawford before. Beautiful location with lots of cedar trees, high plateaus, lakes, mountains and Needle Rock. I have some great shots to share and will get them posted as soon as I can. My sister-in-law's mountain garden has all the charm one could ever hope for from a mountain setting. My sister's garden has a completely different personality and is lovely. It's funny that I call their gardens "mountain gardens." The house in Carbondale is at about 6820. The house in Crawford is at about 6840 and we're above 6900 here, and we sit in a valley. Perception accounts for so much. We sit in the foothills, the gateway, to the Rocky Mountains. They sit in the midst of them. It seems like they should be higher in elevation, but they are not.
I have been working on my gardens and mom's gardens and pots and writing and so much more. I'm sorry I've been away, but life is full and good and until yesterday the sun has been shining and beckoning me out of doors.
My little garden gets prettier all the time. It's been raining and foggy the last couple of days. Maybe tomorrow I can get some shots to share with you all so that you can see the transformation.
May 18, 2009
Progress! I'm making great strides in the new garden. I've also been thoroughly enjoying the amazing array of tulips in these gardens. If you haven't looked at the tulips slideshow, get on over there to see the wondrous array. It will inspire you to go out and plant many varieties in the fall - or seek out your friends who have large clumps of tulips and when they quit blooming (the tulips, not your friends) tell them that for the good of their tulips they should be divided - really - and tell them I said so!
It's in the 80s here today. I replanted my Genovese and Sweet Basil seed. I promised them if they will grow quickly I will not leave them out to freeze again! I also got lots of dirt mixed with Peat Moss and filled the pots. I won't put annuals in until next week at least - too much chance for frost still - but the pots are ready to go.
May 15, 2009
It has been an exquisite day. I transplanted basket of gold allysum, forget me nots, lilies, doronica, fever few, and phlox. I also planted the cosmos we picked up at the store yesterday. I don't know if they'll get enough sunshine where I put them, but they'll get some in the afternoon so maybe they'll be ok. I had some coneflower seeds and flax seeds that I sowed and some more glad bulbs to put in. Now I'm getting to the point where I'm going to start digging up stuff if I'm not careful. I decided to line the garden with rocks so have been gathering those little by little.
I also decided that I'm going to take my little plant stand and fill some small pots with strawberries. I can't ever plant anything tall in the pots that go in that stand so I think the strawberries might be just the ticket.
May 14, 2009
I left my basil seedlings out last night and they froze. I'll share a little gardening secret. PAY ATTENTION! If you are trying to nurture delicate life into full bloom you have to be willing to pay attention. I started by basil from seed well over 2 months ago. The plants were looking healthy and had a good root system. The last few days I have been setting them outside to harden. I forgot them last night and temperatures apparently dipped well below freezing. Now I will either have to go to the nursery and buy starts or start some more seeds and hope for a long growing season this year.
May 12, 2009
Today is beautiful. I got pansies for Mother's Day and have planted them in the new garden. I transplanted some ivy, vinca, and a variety of spring flowers that have finished blooming. I also dug a large clump of day lillies that were taking over one of the upper gardens. The roots were wrapped in and around a tree root. I thought I'd never get them dug. I divided them and placed them along the wall. They are looking pretty beat up, but day lillies are hard to kill. In the past, I've dug them up and tossed them aside and had them take root where I tossed them, so if they don't do well this year, I'm sure they'll be fine by next. Little by little there is green where there was only dirt. One of the greatest joys of gardening is the transformation. Taking barren ground and creating beauty.
May 9, 2009
Between work and bad weather, the gardens have been ignored. I started planting the garden. Most of it is transplants from other gardens. It's a great and cheap way to start a new garden. Your plants should be divided regularly so they don't crowd other plants and dividing keeps the plants healthy and blooming. Your friends and relatives will love you for sharing all of your extras.
April 30, 2009
We tilled along the front of our place today. Weeds and dirt filled the area - what an ugly site. Now if it will just warm up enough to start planting! I'll post before and after photos when I have something to show.
April 29, 2009
Today the sun is shining beautifully and the temperature is in the low 60s. I have taken my seedlings out for a bit of sun - they need to start hardening, or getting used to sun and wind, before planting. In this area it will be a while before I will want to plant. We still get freezing temperatures at night. It is safest to plant after Memorial Day, but I will probably jump the gun and risk it a little before then. We'll see what the weather does.
The sun came out yesterday afternoon. I walked up on the hill to try to get some new shots of Spring Beauties and Pasque flowers. The Spring Beauties blossoms had apparently decided that it wasn't worth the effort to open up for this measly bit of afternoon sun - will have to try again today - the Pasque flowers are few and far between.
April 28, 2009
It is cold, windy and overcast today. Not much gardening happening today. The fertilizer is here and ready to be spread on the gardens, but there is no hurry so I'll just wait a while.