I didn't know...

that I could like lemon in my savory food so much! I've been making variations of this recipe based on whatever is in the garden at the time. It's called Spaghetti with Asparagus, Shiitake Mushrooms, Chives and Lemon. Since we are getting out of Asparagus season my green substitute is Lamb's Quarter. I sub button mushrooms for Shiitake and leeks for the shallots and chives. Also, since it has lemon zest and lemon juice I one upped it with some Lemon Basil. Oh, yes I did. I'm pretty much thinking this is going to be my "go to" recipe for the summer. It's super easy and everyone likes it.

(left to right) Lemon Basil, Shrooms, Lamb's Quarter

And on a side note, while I was cooking it occurred to me that there are a few times when it won't matter what you make and it will still taste awesome- when you're camping, canoeing or hiking and when you're intoxicated.  Speaking of that- I recommend this summer drink- Pineapple Juice and Orange Vodka. That being said, if you are enjoying this summer drink while cooking this recipe don't be surprised if you miss some lemon seeds and the dish is crunchier than it should be. It won't taste bad (see caveat just mentioned), but the texture will be different. 

I also didn't know before this summer that I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy the Basil Seed Mix from now on. Who knew out of one packet I would get so many different and unique basils? I can tell I have Italian, Lemon, Lettuce-leaf, Globe, Licorice and a Thai. I'm sure there are others, but each one has it's own use and I don't get tired of any of them. Today I picked out what appeared to be the Thai basil. I can id them because of their purplish stems. It's probably 2 varieties, because one has a deeper purple stem than the other, but both are definitely anise flavored so I'm drying them together for some SE Asian food over winter. I think the mix is from Pinetree. 

And lastly, I didn't know this bug would lay its eggs on glass. It's a Green Stink Bug or Green Soldier Bug. It sucks plant juices for food.  It laid these eggs in a neat pattern. We will let you know their progress...

We always learn when someone comes up with a different answer. Find out something you didn't know this summer....

Six-legged Delite

Things catch my eye. Something yellow out of the corner of my eye where no yellow should be. And there he waited. A male Imperial Silk Moth. He must have just morphed. He perched himself upon this stick and sat there all day long. This morning he was gone. My insect guide says that this is a forest dwelling critter. The caterpillars eat oak, maple, linden, birch, elm, cedar, walnut and pine. I think we have all of these in my neighborhood, but this fella was below my maple tree. I also read that they are becoming more rare as artificial lighting becomes more abundant. The moths like to bask in the glow of the lights and become easy prey. He was gorgeous and fleeting.

My first ripe chilies are here. I picked these 5 Hot Portugal peppers yesterday morning. I got an assortment of chili plants at the local greenhouse. They were varieties I hadn't grown before. "Hot" Portugal ended up not being so hot, but it has good flavor. The ends tasted just like a sweet red bell pepper, but once I got to the membrane the heat came gently. I decided to mince these with a clove of garlic and top with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Oh my gosh, this stuff is amazing on crackers or bread. I recommend you try it, but not mine. Make your own. I'm thinking about adding some olives to it next time. Maybe even a hint of cheese to fancy up a nice focaccia spread. 

Before.

After. 

Garden Snobbery

I had one of those ah ha moments the other day while taking this picture of my Cobweb Houseleek (a kind of Hens and Chicks), which has the latin name Sempervivum. I enjoy learning the meaning behind scientific names because it gives insight into the plant. Kind of like why Jamaicans call marigolds "Stink'n Pretty".  But anyway, Semper means always and viv relates to alive. Makes sense since it is hard to kill Hens and Chicks. I see a lot of Semper Fi bumper stickers around here and I never really knew what that meant, but I made the connection to my plants. Turns out the "Fi" comes from fidelis meaning faith, so "always faithful". Oh, I love when I can make a connection to plants. Turns out that isn't hard for me to do when I'm so obsessed. Anywho, back to plants. Hens and chicks are native to dry and harsh conditions, often found in the mountains and scree of Europe and Northern Africa. They are one of the few hardy succulents to grow outdoors. I like to pop mine into tin cans and every once in a while you may be lucky to see them flower. Here's what it looks like:

Thyme plant creeping on the right side.

Houseleeks are easy. Moving on to something that isn't easy for me: Amaranth. When I buy a packet of Amaranth seed I hesitantly look down the envelope and say a little prayer that there will be a million seeds at the bottom because I suck at getting them started. There never are, but oh well. I keep trying anyway. Why? Besides being optimistic that I'll get it right someday I'm also on a perpetual search to extend the growing season of greens in my garden, because Amaranth flowers are cool and because I believe once I get them going I can collect my own million seeds to make it easier next year OR they will reseed on their own (which is ideal). So, here's what I've discovered to be the best scenario for getting them going. You need fine soil. Scatter the seed on the top of the soil just before a nice rain. Make sure it rains again for a few more days just enough so the soil doesn't dry out for a week, which is to also say it should be warm enough and yet not too warm at the same time. But also, it shouldn't rain too much or else they will rot. Got it? I hate to say it too soon, but I think that magic happened this week. I saw the clouds, I ran out with my packets of Kerala Red, Miriah, Vietnamese Red and Elephant Head. I scraped the top of the soil and sprinkled the seeds over it. It rained. It rained again and then it has been in the upper 70's and low 80's since. The soil is still moist, but it's sunny out and TA DA:

I think there are a million coming up. 

Easy. Hard. Now for the rejects or Stuff That is Overrated. I like Globe Amaranth, but starting it too is a P.I.T.A. I found this new "Fireworks" Globe Amaranth that looked really cool in the picture and it was in a small pot so I didn't need to worry about getting it started. Well, let me tell you about these fireworks. They're a dud. Sorry. It grows into a small bush. Right now mine is about 3 ft wide and about 2 ft tall (and smothering my lantana) with sparse leaves and even more sparse flowers. The flowers are ok. If the "shrub" were covered in them that may cause some fireworks for me, but they also have no other redeeming qualities that I so snobbishly look for in plants- it doesn't seem to attract any insects, it has no aroma and I can't eat it. Dear Fireworks Gomphrena, Hope you enjoyed the summer we had together. 

Creme de Cassis. The pictures of this Hollyhock made me salivate. Hues of deep purple waves in luscious saucer shaped blossoms. I got a pack. It looked nothing like the picture. I thought, maybe I should buy another pack. Maybe my first pack was genetically flawed. The pics I've seen had me believing there was no white to speak of in these flowers. I should only expect a raspberry and blackberry jubilee. But every time I got the same thing. Now, maybe this isn't so ugly after all, but I can't seem to get over what I had in my mind which is causing me to cast this one aside. I suppose if seed shall fall and new ones pop up I will likely not terrorize the offspring, but I won't be buying this again and maybe I hold out hope that there is some gene that will resurface in the progeny yet to come....

Only because I'm feeling particularly prissy about the ghastly false advertisement of plants I'd like to point out another flawed dawg. Purple Prince Zinnia. Now, I actually like the color of this zinnia. It is called a "true purple zinnia" and it may be the closest thing to purple you can find in the world of Zin, but purple it is not. I would like to rename this fella Fushia Queen. This transgendered dude can stay, but I have a feeling he is going to cross with the other rogue Zins I allowed to reseed last year. Such is life. 

I think I've had enough of riding this high horse. Time to step off. Got work to do in the garden. There are other plant names to slay. Now, where's my machete?

Happy Summer Solstice

Solstice means sun stands still. It is the longest day of the year and the first official day of Summer. It's hard to believe summer has just begun when a couple of weeks ago it was hovering around 100 for a week and now it is cool and rainy, like the spring we barely had.  Speaking of all that, I heard today that the number of U.S. citizens who believe in  global climate change and it being human-induced declined by 17% this year. At the same time, more empirical data contributes towards a positive correlation. Ugh.

Signs of the First Day of Summer: the last of the Thirteen-Year Cicadas or as my foster kiddo says "schicadas". Just when you've become numb to the synchronized bleating wave of the mass of these critters you realize you haven't heard them for a week. This little number showed up in the kiddo's lunchbox brought home from camp. So sad. Bye Bye lil schicada. See your offspring in 13 years....

I feel like the season of rain this year has been tumultuous. I can't even remember a day when it just sprinkled all day long. It seems like every rain has come hard and fast. Just when I see the storm clouds roll in I run out, plant something and take advantage of the free watering.  These wonderful trumpets were calling out Summer Rain to me this morning. I don't know the variety and have long forgotten where I picked these gals up, but they are wonderful. Come closer. Closer. Can you smell how amazing they are? Perhaps try scratching your screen. No?

Some years ago I decided to try some native Catchfly (Silene). Specifically, I was interested in Royal Catchfly, the red one (Silene regia). I had luck getting some to germinate, but I can't remember the story of their demise. I've wanted to grow them again since, but in the meantime Royal's cousin, Starry Catchfly ( Silene stellata) reseeds quietly in my rocky thin soil next to the driveway. She is delicate and modest, but her presence is known. Here she is next to Rigid Goldenrod ( I refuse to acknowledge it's new scientific name as I was so happy with Solidago rigida). I know, whatever.

On the way home from camp today we decided to stop at my mom's place. We checked out the garden and traded talk about this plant or that. I told her I had tiny cucumbers. She said the rain would make em grow fast. How fast is fast? Guess who came home and found out she had overgrown cucumbers and then got mad-itchy arms harvesting them? I think I smell taboulleh for dinner tomorrow...

or not...just eat em crazy raw!

And lastly, I love when I see something take place that you just don't always have the opportunity to see. I caught a Pipevine Swallowtail laying eggs on my Dutchman's Pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa)! Awesome. That's why I planted it! I'm oh so tempted to raise them in a terrarium so the aforementioned crazy cuke eater can watch them grow, but I also hate messing with nature too. Such a dilemma. Might just have to check on them daily. So...this is the best shot I could get. What you're looking for is the yellow and brown balls clinging to the bottom of the top leaf's stem. So can't wait. It just so happens that Aristolochia means "best childbirth" and that is exactly what I'm waiting for- the birth (ok, hatching) of these lil eggs. 

I'll TRY to remember to catch a shot if I also remember to check on the eggs. It's summer after all. There's a lot growing on. 

What's Growing On.

Just some updates of what's growing in the garden. Let's start with something fun. I bought a mix of seeds called "Autumn Harvest Mix" from Pinetree Garden Seeds. It says it contains "a great mix of gourds, pumpkins and squash." The mystery is the fun part! What will grow? Delayed gratification again! It was a fat package of seeds for $2.95 and I barely made a dent in it. I picked what looked to be a variety of seeds out of the packet (about a dozen). I started some indoors and others outside. Here are two:

Can't wait to see what I get from this. BTW- Pinetree is a great source for seeds. I like their simple, newspaper-made catalog and that you can buy smaller quantities of seed for less $ (better for the small garden types). They also have a nice selection of cheap books.

Here's a tomato I've grown for the second year. It's called Juanne Flammee'. It's a medium, orange fleshed tomato I got from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds. I'm expecting this to be my first ripe mater followed by a cherry-type.

Baker's Creek has the largest selection of heirloom seeds that I know of and they have some fun spring and fall festivals to check out if you live in the Midwest or are passing through. While you're in Mansfield, Mo check out the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum! There isn't much else to do in those parts.

I'm on another mission. It's to grow organic eggplant. See, I LOVE eggplant, but it is terribly difficult to grow organically here. The flea beetles love it more than I. They eat a million tiny holes in the leaves until the plant succumbs. I had given up on eggplant for about 10 years and decided to try it again. This time- in pots. I promised to attend to it like a helicopter parent. I've sprayed it hard with water. I've sprayed it for days with a garlic and chili mix. As you can see it still has holes, BUT the newer leaves do not AND I have fruit! I think this one is called Purple Blaze. And only because I'm feeling cocky about the success of this plant I bought two Ichiban today. Hurrah!

And finally, something else I haven't grown in years- Tomatillos. But seeing as how I love salsa and can it every year I've asked myself, "why aren't you growing tomatillos?" So....here is the lovely beginning of the future salsa verde in my kitchen. A tomatillo flower:

Hoping your garden or the garden in your mind brings you as much pleasure as mine does for me. Happy Almost Summer!

Plants with great flowers (and bulbils) that we don't think about.

Recently, a friend of mine asked for some current photos of the garden. I sent her a few and she commented on how beautiful the onion flowers were. Hmmm. I hadn't really thought about it, but it made me look again. Onions don't typically flower the first year they are planted, but I have some onions I didn't harvest last year so it is mostly those plants that are flowering. After my second glance, they ARE really pretty and too boot they are good pollinator attractants too! And moreover, they have a fascinating aroma- barely a hint of something oniony, but spicy and exotic. Guess who had to cut one and bring it inside? Why yes that is an onion bouquet you see.

Look how gorgeous this is!

There are hundreds of Allium (the Genus name for onion) varieties that one can plant for the flowers alone, but honestly, why waste your time when you can have your cake and eat it too (onion bulbs AND flowers)? Generally though you really don't want your onions to flower because making seed (babies) is a huge SUCK of energy on the plant so all of the stored food that was once is the yummy bulb has now left, shriveled and gone into baby making. If you are a mother you know about kids sucking energy and things shriveling up.
Once seed making has progressed there will be no bulb to harvest, however....you'll have seed to start new plants! This got me moving down the garden path and on to other things that flower that you may not want to flower if you are wanting to harvest food.....Carrots.

I grew a bunch of varieties of carrots this year. I have raised beds loaded with 100% compost so it is nice and friable. I don't have to worry about growing malformed carrots because of this. Anyway, I sewed some seed last fall and come spring there were just certain varieties I didn't care for so I let them go to seed. My intentions weren't to collect the seed, but to let them flower because plants of the family that make flowers in the shape of umbrellas (umbels) are also great attractants to hundreds of beneficial insects, not to mention carrot flowers are also really bodacious and lovely. Other garden plants in this family include: cilantro, dill, parsley, fennel and parsnips. So, if you missed the harvest let them flower and you will be rewarded with other bennies. Here's a delicious looking carrot flower.

Since I have flowers on my mind I moseyed on over to the garlic. It has these awesome scapes (sheath covered tiny bulbs called bulbils, not flowers) on top of the plants, again...because I didn't harvest some (ok, none, but that's another story). You can cut off these tops, hang them to dry and use these tiny bulbs to make more garlic plants. Directions will tell you to store these for up to 6 months, but I have firsthand knowledge that they can live longer. "Hardneck" varieties make these bulbils instead of flowers and seeds. Really cool, but still a suck on energy and thus no clove harvest from below ground. Oh, and you know what else? You can EAT these bulbil bunches! Steam them, butter them and they are suppose to have a delicate garlic flavor. I haven't done it yet, but wow that sounds good. Apparently, the bennies of growing garlic from these bulbils are that they lack soil-borne disease (since they are held high above it) and that these progeny outperform the original parent plant. The only disadvantage is that being smaller than a clove of garlic they take longer to mature. Here is what a hardneck garlic scapes looks like still sheathed.

So, if you find you have forgotten to harvest something at its peak don't despair. Reconsider that you may have just allowed for the making or more plants (hey, that saves $$) or attracted beneficial insects to your garden instead. They say gardeners are the ultimate optimists or maybe some of us are just good spin doctors.

Saving Cash on New Seeds

About this time of year the seed and plant catalogs have great sales. Their big spring seed/plant ordering season is over and they are trying to unload their leftovers for greatly reduced prices on suckers like me. Of course I'm one of those fools who subscribes to the newsletters so I have minute by minute notice of pending sales. Maybe a month ago Thompson & Morgan had a teaser- No Shipping!  Wait for it. Wait for it. Next came, Buy One Get One Free. Oh, so tempting. I even scrolled through the selection and made a pretend order in my head, but I held out. Delayed gratification. And finally- 75% off! Ok- that was my hook. At this point there wasn't a huge selection left, but good enough for an addict. I found 12 packs I HAD to have. Agastache- fragrant mix and Apricot Sprite, Royal White Snapdragons (these are tall and supposedly fragrant), Musa lasiocarpa (my first banana!), Summer Purple Broccoli, Brugmansia- Summer Sunrise, Dianthus- microchips and arctic fire, Echinacea- Magic Box mix, Princess of India Nasturtium, Oenothera- Lemon Sunset and Perpetual Spinach (one for summer?!).  Oh my!  The cost per packet was $1.70. Usually these seeds are $3-4+ per. Of course, shipping killed me, but even including it the cost per packet was $2.29, which is far less than I would of paid at full price and these are varieties of plants I can't find in seeds at the local stores.

I've started the Musa and Brugmansia. The banana can take anywhere from 30-180 days to germinate. Dear Banana seeds, please germinate this summer, because my basement is cool and you won't love it then.  I'll give updates on birthdays for the Musa and Brugs (if we have them).

My ultimate goal in all this is to be able to save the plants that I do grow (by overwintering) so I don't have to buy them again or saving seed from successful varieties (saving me $).  BTW- I really like Thompson & Morgan because they have the largest selection of seeds of any catalog I receive and lots of stuff you can't find elsewhere, including tropicals and unusual vines. Fun stuff.

New Purple "Shutters"

I like to repurpose things. I couldn't help snatch these unpainted and never-used closet doors from someone's garbage (hey, one man's trash, right?). I held on to them for several years until having a cool day, some time to paint and inspiration from my lush plants. Because I live in what feels like the tropics (high heat & humidity) I get to garden with things that can only survive summers here. Most of these things I will take cuttings from, dig up or generally overwinter in my basement/cellar. It's generally upper 50's down there year-round. So, some of these plants pictured here are cannas, coleus, sweet potato vine, plectranthus, curry plant, ivy geraniums, persian shield, tradescantias, gesneriads, eucalyptus, fairy rose, heliotrope, dusty miller, caladiums, elephant ear, begonias, scented and varigated geraniums, fushia, morning glory and lots more... It's my happy jungle. 

Why Chlorofiend and Pistillate?

Besides having limitations by all of the other names already taken out in blog world I am a self-confessed plant addict (hence chloro and fiend) and a girl (yes, I still consider myself a girl) and pistillate refers to female flowers. I'm a pistil. I need creative outlets and I like to see what others are up to in the gardening world so perhaps maybe 2 people may be interested in seeing my garden posts as well. Who knows? I look forward to sharing my gardening addiction with you (peer pressure?). Enjoy the high.