Green Garden Soup

The green leafy vegetables and the Oregon Sugar Pods are maturing faster than I can harvest.  I picked the last of the pea pods today, shelled some of them, and also kept the pods which I broke into pieces.  I was going to make a Green Garden Soup that could be served hot or cold.

This is a recipe that it easy to make up, to eye ball (measure) the food that is available.  For the soup, I used about 2 - 4 pints of the shelled and cut up pods that I cooked with chicken stock just to add a little more flavor and nutrition.

I also added two chopped small white spring onions, chopped celery, chopped up a few large leaves of kale, and fresh parsley.  What else is green that I can use?  I let this simmer for about 10 minutes.

I poured the cooked vegetable greens into a blender, a little at a time, and pureed the concoction with its liquid.

When all of it was pureed, I poured it back into the pot and added garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste, and cumin (less than a tsp).  I stirred the soup to blend.

After I spooned the soup into a bowl and added a heaping tablespoon of sour cream, I served it to my husband.  He liked it.  I did too.  A glass of sherry would go very well with this soup. We settled for a slice of whole wheat toast to go with the soup.

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for April 2014.

Focus is on the Fence

When I am weeding in the woodsy area on the Back Forty Garden and Park, not wearing gloves, and I suddenly come upon dog feces, it makes me say things not fit for printing.  Neither does it make me happy to have mowers from Public Works turning around in my Park and mowing in areas that do not belong to the City, and it absolutely does not make me happy to have people walking their dogs along the scenic creek and the dogs lift their legs on my bushes and their owners do not carry scoopers of any kind.

I don't want to fence me in nor blocking people from overlooking my garden and admiring my flowers, bushes, and trees.  I don't want to fence out the small animals that visit our Park but something had to be done, so my husband and I decided that we wanted to mark our property.

We started to research fencing and went to visit a few places, including home improvement centers, to get some ideas of what is available and that may be suitable for our needs.  At the first fence outlet, we were shown fences in a booklet and settled on a two tier Ranch Rail Fence and received a quote.  When we came home, we checked out the company in Better Business Bureau and found that they had too many issues.

We made a trip to the west side of Jacksonville in Florida and looked in on Superior Fence & Rail.  The staff was most helpful, made suggestions, and gave us a quote for an off white Vinyl Fence.  On the way out, we talked to the ware house attendant and he showed us the kind of fence that we had ordered and gave us some idea of how it would be installed.

The Superior Fence & Rail representative came out to measure and survey the area that we wanted fenced in, told us how much fence we needed, and what to expect of the installers.

Three very polite and nicely dressed guys came out to install the fence, confirmed the information, and suggested how the two gates should swing out and it was different from what we wanted but made more sense.  They talked it over with us how high the railings and the complete fence would be from the ground.  When the foreman started to talk about symmetry, I was sold.  I knew we got the right fence from the right company and the right people installing it.

There was something else that impressed me about the installers:  although it was in the late winter and the grass was brown and overgrown in most places, they did not cut across my Labyrinth.  I pointed this out to the foreman and he told me that they wanted to respect what the customers had in their yard.

The installers worked diligently under our supervision.  They knew what they were doing and didn't mind us being out there with them and talking to them.  They did not need any supervision:  we just enjoyed seeing them work and doing such an excellent job.

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for April 2014.

Evelyn Rose

Evelyn Rose is one of connoisseur David Austin's beautiful creations.  Evelyn Rose is a great mixture of opposites:  she is fragile and sweet smelling; strong and tenacious.  Some say she is difficult to grow while others find her climbing up trellises in giant steps.  She does produce a abundance of apricot pinkish blooms with a myriad of tight small petals.

Evelyn Rose is a diva:  she is picky and prickly, even demanding.  The climate must be just right for her; not too cold and not too hot; however, she does best if she has a chance for a beauty nap during the winter.

Evelyn Rose is a complicated little lady.  She may like to climb or remain a bush.  She will reach out  and grab you, hold on to you , and sink her many small thorns into your skin to let you know she is there and she wants your attention.

I had three Evelyn Roses that I had planted near the pond.  It was in an area with plenty of morning sun and shade during the hottest time of the day.  Heaven help, should this little diva get sunburned!  However, the roses were planted too close to the runoff water from the pond and I lost one.

I moved the other two to the opposite area away from the pond.  I mixed the soil with commercial compost and mulched with pine straw.  In mid-February, I cut away dead branches and gave the roses a good trim.  I wasn't shy about it either and I rewarded them with a healthy helping of fertilizer especially made with roses in mind.

I pamper my Evelyn Roses.  Every day I check for black spots on the leaves and remove them immediately.  I spray the roses with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial oils and soaps.  I make sure that the roses are well watered and well mulched and free of weeds.

Why bother with such a diva?  Evelyn Rose rewards me generously with the beautiful and fragrant pink/apricot orange blooms.  The more I cut the more I get.  For a diva, she is pretty divine.

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for 2014. 

Deep Fried Dill Pickles

When our friends came to visit last fall, my husband and I treated them to lunch at Singleton's Shrimp Shack in Mayport, Florida.  This restaurant serves the best steamed shrimp on the East Coast.  It is a rustic shack on the St. John's River with view over shrimp boats, the ferry, and recreational boats and with pelicans and seagulls keeping watch from their pilings on the piers.

In addition to a seafood platter, my friend Wilma ordered a serving of Deep Fried Dill Pickles.  What?  We were served a healthy helping for the four of us.

 Wilma asked in surprise if I had never heard of fried dill pickles.  I told her it would be a new experience.  "You can make this at home," she said.  "You do know how to make a batter, don't you?"

At some later date, I bought a 16 oz jar of sliced (round) dill pickles and when I came home, I dried them off with paper towels on a plate.  I also bought a 12 oz. can of beer (actually, a six-pack).

I checked my spice rack and found more than enough of 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, a pinch of seasoned salt, and 1 tsp of black pepper.  I mixed the spices with 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and mixed in the can of beer minus a sip.

Somewhere, I should have another dish of all-purpose flour.

I used my regular frying pan with enough heart friendly canola oil to cover the pickles.

After dipping the pickles in the batter, I coated them with plain all-purpose flour and gently put them in the hot oil to deep fry for about five minutes, turning once.  When golden brown, I transferred the deep fried dill pickles to a plate covered with paper towels to soak up the oil,

The deep fried pickles are best served with cold beer.

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for 2014.

Chiminea--an Outdoor Fireplace

The most important aspect of owning a chiminea is to only use it outdoors away from buildings, furniture, and overhanging tree branches.  It is not to be used on a screened in porch or in a canvas or in a wooden gazebo. Extreme caution should be used to prevent sparks from escaping and causing a fire.

For me, the rustic clay chiminea is a romantic addition to my backyard.  It provides me with time to poke in a small fire while enjoying the wilderness of My Back Forty Garden and Park.  It is not supposed to warm me on a chilly night, only to spread a golden glow.

The most common clay chimineas are manufactured in two parts:  the base or the "bowl" and the neck.  The pieces are dried separately and then fused together into a single unit. This makes the chiminea rather delicate to handle although it looks bulky. They are heavy to lift and it is best to put one hand in its mouth and the other arm around its neck for moving.

To transport the chiminea from any retail chain store or home improvement center, put the chiminea in the back seat of your car and strap it in with the seat belt.  Some padding may be necessary.  Don't forget the three legged stand for your new fire place.  Also, be sure that the chiminea comes with a lid to put on the top (the smoke stack).

Before you start a fire, it is imperative to insulate the bowl against direct heat that may cause it to crack. Add sand and small pebbles into the bowl until it is 3 - 4 inches below the lower lip of its mouth.  It is also recommended that two bricks be placed on either side about 6 inches apart to act as a grate to keep the the wood elevated.

The manufacturers strongly advise against using treated wood, pellets, and charcoal in your chiminea.  I have enough branches from various tree that I cut up.  I have on occasion bought a small bundle of wood that I have cut in half or whatever size the chiminea will take.

Finally, it is also recommended that when storing the chiminea it should be sheltered in the garage or in the shed, or at least wrap it up in a tarp for storing outside.

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for 2014.

Bean Poles, New and Improved Description

This is a more explicit description to last year's bean poles made of 2 inch diameter PVC pipes instead of wood.  Wood is more attractive; however, wood rots quickly.  My husband put four PVC poles into four holes, about two feet deep, in the ground covering about twenty feet, OK, twenty one feet, seven feet apart.  He dug the holes with post hole diggers.

He braced each end pole at the top with another pole at a 45 degree angle.  They were connected with what is known as a Y.  (The Y connectors are commonly used for sewer pipes.)  He drilled holes through each pole in three different places with the same distance from ground up on each pole e.g. one foot from the ground; the next 3 feet from the ground; and the third, 6 feet from the ground.

To reduce a long pull of a stiff wire through many holes, he started the wire by threading through one of the poles in the middle and through to the end pole.  He repeated the procedure from the middle to the other end and finished out one line of a horizontal wire.  He repeated this two more times, so that there are now three horizontal wires.





He left enough wire at the ends to secure it by running the wire around the pole and twisting the wire around itself several times.  The wire should be in a taut line for the beans to weigh down.

Finally, he had to give the poles vertical strings for the beans to climb up on and he used cotton cords, not synthetic.  Cotton cords will eventually rot.  He fastened the strings from the lower wire, gave it a twist over the second wire, and tied the string off on the third wire at the bottom.  He repeated this about every six inches or so.

He now has three wires running horizontally from end to end and numerous string running vertically.  (Also see post on May 5 of last year.)

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for 2014.

Apples for Pectin

This is not the season for apples but it is rather easy to make homemade pectin from apples in time for making jams and jellies from the upcoming harvest of summer fruit and berries.  Sure, it is much easier and faster to use commercial pectin but I thought homemade all the way would be interesting.  The art of homemade!

I bought a five pound bag of New York State Fuji apples for making pectin.  Green Granny Smith apples are even better for this purpose, if available.  The enzymes in apples cause oxidation that turns the apples brown after cutting or slicing which causes the loss of vitamins.  Browning may be halted by placing the peeled and cut apples in a bowl of salted water.

Working as fast as I could, I peeled 3 pounds of apples, quartered them, removed the core and seeds, and put the quarters into a bowl of salted water.  The rest went into a cooking pot to actually make the pectin.  I cut up the rest of the apples too, reserving the peels and cores by lumping them into the pectin batch.

After rinsing the apples from the salted water, I spread out all the quartered apples on a cookie sheet and put them into the freezer.  When the apple wedges were frozen, I transferred them into plastic bags and put them back into the freezer for later use.

To make the pectin, I added four cups of water and 2 tbs lemon juice (if available) to the apple peels and cores.  I let the apples simmer for about 30 minutes.  Some recommend 20 minutes while others say 40 minutes should do it.  You be the judge.

I poured all of the batch, liquid and all, into a colander that I had placed over a bowl to let it drain. With a wooden spatula, I pressed out as much liquid as possible and poured it into a plastic bottle and put it into the freezer.  The rest of the mush went into the compost pile.

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I am participating in the A to Z Blog Challenge for 2014