Potpourri #9 - Saffron Mix

This special mix took courage to muster, awaiting the combination to arrive like an epiphany, I worked around the Saffron Crocus petals, cleaning the other areas of the table until I could avoid it no longer.

This mix is mint based. It needed something to lighten the base so I went with a pale gray eucalyptus. It contains both Apple mint and Spear mint, Eucalyptus leaves, Saffron petals, Statis Flowers, and a few Hummingbird Bush flowers as dots of orange for a wild note. The last two mixes have been my absolute favorites because of the rich colors that are so pure and stellar!

Thank you Leslie for the Saffron!

To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

All Put Up

The holidays are filled with lots of food. It was time to make some room in the refrigerator and get this Harvest thing rolling. I finally got around to slicing all of the Bell Peppers that Leslie gave me, and put them in a large freezer bag and stuffed them into the freezer.

So then it was time to do something with the bags on the table. Diamond, (don't you love her name?) gave out tomatillos at the last Boulder City Community Garden meeting, and I ended up with a bag full. So I went online to find a good tomatillo recipe. I had to get on the scales holding the bag of tomatillos in order to follow the recipe for Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce, so I ended up with apparently about 8 lbs. from the looks of it......Actually 3 lbs. tomatillos, and about 5 lbs. of what we will consider for now "Layers of Extra Clothing in order to stay warm"........ Time to get a food scale. Anyway the sauce was simple. Tomatillos, onions, garlic, salt. I added extra hot New Mexico roasted green chile to spike up the heat. Yum! I am thinking about making Turkey Enchiladas wth the Thanksgiving left overs!

So then there was the Kale that I harvested from Boulder City Community Gardens that was taking up a refrigerator shelf and I again went online and found lots of recipes, but opted for the no vinegar recipe of Kale Chips. Wash, tear, coat with olive oil, spread out on pan, 300° for 10 min (+-) then lightly sprinkle with Sea Salt.

Here they are ready to eat. Dark green and crisp. When they are brown they are burnt. I walked them down to my neighbor Julie who gave me two different varieties of Sea Salt. I really liked the Redman's the best, too btw. Thanks Julie!

I love the Harvest! Don't you love to put it all away!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Potpourri #8

We are having the Christmas Party at my house so I have to clean up the formal dining room table for once and for all! So it is once again time for potpourri. I jump in where the Mint and Bay leaves have been spilled onto the pizza box setting the foundation for Potpourri #8. Atop this mixture goes my favorite Blue Salvia, which I have been savoring for just the perfect blend.

Next come the blue Hawthorn berries, and their sticks are interesting as I ponder the roughness and diverting energy that the pointing sticks create.

I like the contrast of the rosy colored sticks, and the weight of the wood lowers the energy of the blend so it is not so "airy". So it is "shorten the sticks themselves" and see it that improves the overall appearance.

It's difficult to improve on perfection! This is a simple mix of Blue Salvia flowers, Hawthorn berries, Apple Mint, Spearmint, and Bay leaves.

I hope you are enjoying the harvest!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, Harvest On and hurry back!

Rediculously Abundant

It was time to pull the Armenian Cucumber plants down for the year and what a fantastic year it was for Armenian Cucumbers at Black Mountain Garden.

I decided to keep a list of the fruits and vegetables harvested from the garden, and this variety was quite impressive. Talleying the fruits as I entered the kitchen, the final count was 77 cucumbers from 6 plants. (Planted in the First Quarter, Cancer in late Spring.)

This plant is a chosen favorite and will go on the list of of Fabulous Fruits and Vegetables for our Desert Climate.

In order to qualify for the list, the fruits and vegetables will have to produce a rediculously abundant amount, because that is what we are going for around here!

Here is one for the list!

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, Garden on!

Potpourri #3

I'm still cleaning off the formal dining room table which is where all of the potpourri materials are strewn about. It is a lovely sight. Today's concoction is a potpourri and tea! It consists of Chocolate Mint, Tulsi (Holy Basil), Hybiscus and Calendula flowers.

Of all of the potpourris so far, this one is the most fragrant and it is because of the mint and Tulsi.

I adore Tulsi. I have contemplated becoming a Tulsi farmer, possibly growing nothing else. That is how much I adore the stuff. It is addicting. I make everyone Tulsi tea when they come over to visit, and gift Tulsi cuttings to them when they leave. One visitor later asked if the tea had euphoric properties, and I would say that it obviously does, considering that I would like to forsake all my other favorites in the garden and grow it exclusively! It's some pretty cool stuff. If you need any, come on over, seems like I'll have plenty.

Hail Damage

I must have planted about 70 lettuce, a mixture of Red Romaine, and an unknown variety that I saved the seeds from, which is pictured above. I had hoped that it was Forellenschuss. I also planted about a dozen coles, broccoli, cauliflower, asian greens, a speckle of spinach and cilantro. I had waited for weeks for the proper planting time, Moon is Pisces, 2nd Quarter, all was a go. It was overcast outside with a 30% chance of rain and it rained. Apparently it hailed as well. Husband and I went out on the town and were oblivious to the plummeting of hail that was taking place back home.

It must have been a nice storm. The kind that you open the doors, call in the cat and stand out on the covered patio and revel at. Too bad we missed it.

Too bad the vegetables didn't. Needless to say, I lost about all of the what could have been Forellenschuss lettuce, and a number of the Red Breen COS, but it showed me how tender the Forellenschuss were, they just don't stand up at Black Mountain Garden. And as I ended up with just enough plants to let one go to seed, I might just let that one roll.....

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!

Jalapeno~ Jelly

After a visit with the Tomato Lady, I got to bring home some of the peppers and jalapenos that were growing in her garden. She had zillions, and I was thinking about Jalapeno Jelly!

So I looked up the recipe and was astonished to discover that the body of the jelly is comprised of cider vinegar. Curious, I continued with the recipe and it turned out fabulous! One batch which made 7 jars of jelly only took 4 bell peppers and 10 Jalapenos. That means I will be able to make 21 jars!

That is a lot of Jalapeno Jelly. I hope Michael changes his mind about the idea of it, and finally decides to taste some. Seems like everyone I know will be getting Jalapeno Jelly for Christmas! Now if only I can get a hold of some Pomegranates.....

Thanks for visiting! To all of my gardening friends, carry on and hurry back!