frogs are in the mood for love

at least they are in my backyard....

Loud enough?  Guess that means that this summer we will have more of this.

and this

My #1 frog and toad catcher is sure to be busy.

UPDATE 5/19- Apparently toads are what's mating in my yard, not frogs.  And based on all the racket, it sounds like a toad orgy back in the woods - yikes!  

on to the next fad

So it's been raining... a lot.  When the weather is this bad (like the endless snow this past winter) I do two things, I work on gardening related orders and writing, or bake.  The latter pretty seriously affected my waistline this winter, which is part of the reason I'm anxious to get into the garden and get some excercise - it's almost bathing suit season, yikes!

So for the last few years, I've been making cake balls, cake pops, etc.  I'm sure you've heard of them (if you haven't see here) as they seem to be all the rage lately.

I made them for Hanukkah.

I made them into pumpkins last fall.

Made them last week for a baby shower.

And then, at said baby shower, one of the invited guests asked if I had gotten the idea from Starbucks.  I nearly fainted.  Apparently cake balls have gotten so popular and so pedestrian that now they are available at Starbucks, which means for me, they are over.  There is no way that theirs are as good as mine, but still, the widespread availability makes them not unique enough for me to put into the considerable effort involved with making them.  According to Esquire Magazine they are the new cupcake.  So, I'm done.

What will replace them though... it just might have to be this- I've been drooling over them at William Sonoma for the last few months.  This could be just the excuse I need!

rainy days and mondays always get me down...

Remember that old song by The Carpenters - I just googled they lyrics, boy whoever wrote that song must have been seriously depressed - but I digress.

The weather outlook for this week is not looking very positive.  However it's hard to complain about the cool, wet spring we are having here in the Northeast, considering the weather catastrophes that have been occurring in the Southern part of the U.S.  

This rainy weather is good for two things though; shopping and planting.  Rainy days are my favorite days to go to the nursery.  The days are so slow, that you usually have the chance to interact with whomever is in charge of sourcing the plants, and they are generally a great source of information.  Ever been to a nursery on that first beautiful Saturday morning in June with every other person in town?  Not that pleasant.

Once you're suited up, wellies, raincoats, etc. you may as well get out there and plant.  The truth is a ridiculously rainy day is NOT a good time to plant, the soil is too saturated, you risk disturbing the nice soil structure, etc.  But, if you've got a week coming up where it's going to be periodic off and on rain, and you get plants in the ground it makes life much easier.  To be really successful with transplants, they need a lot of water to get established and recover from transplant shock.  That means watering every or every other day. It's also why the spring is a much more optimal time for planting than the summer, there is less stress for everyone, including the plants.   In general, once the plants get established I take a "tough love" approach, and only water when really necessary.  I know you will be horrified, but sometimes it can be weeks between waterings for me - and my plants live.  However right after transplanting they need babying, and that means lots of water.

This is my lovely little crabapple - before it started raining, now it looks like crap.

finally getting somewhere...

To say we've had a slow start to the growing season in the northeast is an understatement.  Finally, 3 days of sun in a row this week, and we are moving along.  Arugula looks like it will be the first thing ready to be harvested, very soon.  Probably one of the easiest things in the world to grow, in the ground, in a pot, whatever... it's not picky.  I'm a bit obsessed with arugula, and have already run out of seeds I've sowed so much - oops, time to order more.

I'd like to say that I was going to make a delicious salad with it, but there isn't anything else ready in the garden to go along with it.  I'm known for making some pretty good pesto out of arugula before the basil comes into season but that's not happening either.  The truth is, I've been holding on to this recipe since last fall - and it's time has finally arrived.

The Roquette - reprinted from Bon Appetit - Sept. 2010
1 cup (loosely packed) baby arugula plus additional for garnish
4 1/2 tsp. dark agave nectar
4 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 cup Hendrick's Gin
Ice Cubes

Combine 1 cup arugula, agave nectar, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker.  Using muddler or long-handled wooden spoon, mash until arugula is wilted, at least 1 minute.  Add gin.  Fill cocktail shaker with ice cubes.  Cover and shake briefly to chill.  Strain into 2 small rocks glasses filled with ice cubes.  Garnish drinks with arugula leaves.

Will provide you with a full report following consumption (okay, maybe the next day!)

grow for me - please!!!

the elusive perfect tomato

Ah, summer tomatoes - the prize for a long (and sometimes difficult) growing season.  There is nothing like it.  They don't come easily though.  Although tomatoes are not particularly difficult to grow, there is something artistic involved in doing it "right" as far as I'm concerned.  This isn't a discussion about hybrid vs. heirlooms as both have their merits in the home garden. It's all about the process, and what a process it is.  Did you know that you are supposed to prune tomato plants?  That's getting a bit ahead in the process though...

So back in early April, on a random nice day I started my tomato seeds.  Here's the thing though, I started them differently than I have any other year, and am now reminded that anything that sounds too good to be true probably is.  So Gardeners Supply, which is a super reputable company that I use all the time was offering a kit this year to make "seed starting even easier" and I bought it.  Not that seed starting is hard, but anything that makes it easier is better right?  So this system utilizes cow pots (yes made from composted cow manure, which are awesome, I've used them for miscellaneous projects before) that sit on a special mat which "wicks" moisture from a reservoir below.  No need to repot, because the pots are big enough, no need to feed, because there are nutrients in the pots, awesome, right? So while plants do take in moisture from below (their roots) this system, similar to what I've used with peat pots in the past, just wasn't looking right.  As a failsafe, I started another batch of seeds in jiffy pellets in those little plastic "greenhouses" that you can get everywhere, one week after I started the cowpot version.

After several weeks this was the result....

uneven germination, lanky plants, most haven't formed true leaves in the cow pots

and some funky orange mold or fungus growing on the sides of the pots, yuck!

Started one week later in jiffy pellets, looking exactly as they should.

So last week I repotted the plants that were looking fabulous, although outgrowing their space in the jiffy pellets, into peat pots, just like I've always done.   There were a couple of plants that I repotted out of the cow pots, but I think that it was 3 out of 24, not good odds.

Happily repotted and back to the basement for a few more weeks under the lights.

So much for shortcuts, huh? Sorry Gardeners supply, on this product I'm really not happy.  Oh, and when I went to leave a review on your website this product is surprisingly (or not) "no longer available".  In about 2-3 weeks, depending on weather, these babies will get moved outside, and that's when the real fun begins!

On a completely separate note - if you are contemplating growing vegetables this summer it's not too late (especially with the cool spring we are having) if you are in the area and need help, I'll be teaching an Organic Gardening 101 class at Sport Hill Farm in Easton.  I'd love to see you there, click here for more details.

the first step to beating an addiction

is admitting you have a problem, right?  Well I've got a serious problem, and it looks like this.

This is Echinacea purpurea 'Coconut Lime' introduced a couple years ago, it was one of a slew of new echinaceas to the marketplace, so different than the familiar pink/purple coneflowers.  Oh but this was just the beginning, there were doubles, pinks, whites, reds, yellows, more than you can imagine.  And then there are the Terra Nova varieties.  If you aren't familiar Terra Nova, they are one of the most well known perennial breeders in the U.S.  you can't buy plants directly from them, but chances are if you've bought an echinacea, or heuchera in the last few years they developed it.

Here's the problem, I'm obsessed. Even though some have come up marginally hardy, and not living up to their supposed potential, I can't stop buying them.  Yesterday I bought 2 'Secret Desires' (who comes up with these names) at $22 bucks a pop in one gallon pots.  That's insanity, yet I did it anyway.  Like I said, I've got a problem.  Somebody please knock some sense into me!

I mean really, can you blame me?

Photo credit, Terra Nova Nursery

More sensationalism? I think not...

If you care at all about sustainability, where your food comes from, or the national health crisis known as obesity, I urge you to read Eric Schlosser's recent opinion piece in the Washington Post.

You may not agree with every point he makes, as some have criticized that it smacks of sensationalism a la Jamie Oliver and Food Revolution or that it oversimplifies the issues.  However I hope it inspires you to support your local farmers, because they certainly are not getting rich under the current agricultural policies in this country.  Plus, I promise, you will never get better tasting food than you do from a local supplier.  There is no way, that tomatoes trucked in from Florida all the way to Connecticut, or wherever you are, will taste as fresh as those that are locally grown.