Drying Herbs & Freezing Pesto

We have herbs.  Do we have herbs.  Abundant herbs!  Never one to waste anything, my husband has been nudging me to dry those aromatic sprigs from heaven.  He even sent me this information from Michael Ruhlman on drying herbs that said, in part:

The herb garden has gone wild from the heat and rain showers. It’s bursting with more herbs than I can handle or possibly use.  It’s like an herb party with too many rowdy guest showing up.  So now is exactly the time to start cutting them back and letting them dry for winter cooking.  This will both begin the supply of dried herbs and also encourage more growth during the next weeks of summer.  Herbs are roughly divided into two categories, “hard” and “soft.”  The soft herbs are herbs with soft stems, such as parsley and tarragon. The soft herbs are best used fresh; they’re fine dried, but they lose their magic, all the beguiling qualities that make them so powerful.

Looking at my "soft" herbs, I seized the day and picked tarragon and parsley to dry, simply washing off the leaves and spreading them on tea towels laid on the counter for drying.  Ruhlman says to spread them out in bowls for drying, so that must work too.

Candied herbs?  Look at Shuna Lydon's post a few years back about how to infuse herbs into sugar.  She has a way with words:

Custards could be infused but they must drape the tongue briefly and evaporate, smooth and silky. Like a well cut skirt: scissors glide through the grain of the fabric, not against it. An aroma is an elusive sensory experience. We embrace those we have known and loved forever and are comforted because they still smell the same as we remember.

And now for the basil and Making Pesto to Freeze:

from Food Network:

Pesto to Freeze

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

• Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
• If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

I followed the directions, doubling the amounts:

Several years ago I made this recipe.  It is great for gift giving in mid winter, and it lasts in the freezer much longer than three months; don't hesitate to make several batches for those cold weather doldrums when you want to carbohydrate load.   This pesto recipe is delicious with pasta and chicken.

PS: I decreased the olive oil slightly, and added the pecorino cheese into the processor while blending.  Then remember to sprinkle heavily with more Parmesan or mozzeralla cheese as a finishing entree topper.

Green Gates and The Green Man

In 2008, writing about honeysuckle and hummingbirds this was a picture of our back garden gate that leads to a larger garden area down wooden stairs.  This is what it looked like three years ago:

Unfortunately, we had some very cold winters that killed off the honeysuckle vines.  We took down the archway, cut back the dead branches, and were left with just the gate that looks bare and in desperate need of a face lift.

So I went looking for garden gates that were green in color, hoping to find something I liked and would inspire me to repaint the wooden gate.  Here are some pretty gates that I found while doing an internet search:

from madeitonmonday

 

from pinterest 

(from dreamstime)

Using oil paint from a tube, paint thinner and a linseed oil mixture with instructions here, this is our newly refurbished stained gate:

This is the gate yesterday prior prior to staining:

What a difference a little paint makes!

This is a Green Man, cast in iron, similar to one that I just ordered to attach to the fence:

The Green Man

...is that spirit, energy, presence, inherent in every cell of the vegetative realm, and transmitted to the animal/human realms through the foods we eat, the flowers we smell, the trees we hug. He is Pan.

Forcing Hyacinth Bulbs in Water

From The University of Minnesota  Extension Service, some advice was given here:

Hyacinths, crocus, and narcissus also can be forced in water. Special clear, glass vases are made for hyacinths or crocus. The bulb is placed in the upper portion, water in the lower portion. The vase is then kept in a cool, dark room (preferably under 50 degrees F) for four to eight weeks until the root system has developed and the top elongates. At this point it should be placed in a bright window, where the plant soon will blossom.

On March 4, 2011, I dug up some grape hyacinths from the back yard and put them in small glass jars and placed those vase jars in a box in the garage.  The temperature in the garage averages about 50 degrees F, but is colder at night.  A few more bulbs were placed on the kitchen window sill.  We will do a simple experiment and see what happens in a few days.

...more information about forcing bulbs from The World of Gardens:

Put the bulbs on the vases (one bulb per vase) and refrigerate for 12-14 weeks. During this time make certain that the bulb’s bottom is in contact (barely) with the water. Keep the vases full at all times! During these weeks, the bulbs will develop roots growing into the water. Remember, the bulb must be in contact with water. Just putting a bulb in a bag in the refrigerator doesn’t work (believe me, I tried it once). After the 12-14 weeks (better to error on the long side), remove the vases and place in a sunlit window. Within a few weeks the bulb will sprout and bloom. Crocus blooms are so fun to do this way. Hyacinth smell wonderful.

Update: 3 days later:...

here is a picture of a few of the dozen glass vases on the kitchen window sill, receiving sunlight from the west:

Those vases in the forefront were moved from the garage after 3days without sunlight, and you can see that there is no green growth on the tops.  The hyacinth roots on the left of the picture were in filtered sunlight all weekend, and are looking much healthier.  It is a learning process. 

We'll see if those bulbs actually bloom indoors.

Succulents Indoors on a Shelf

Make you own private garden space indoors: use various succelents as the base of intrigue.

Outside, about a dozen of my succulents will die during the next few months because of weather changes.  What a shame to lose those plants.  So I brought them inside, giving them new pots and a new growing space with light.

eHow says:

Cute Little Plants photo by Kristie Karns of eHow

Succulents are unusual and interesting plants. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors and they all store water in their wide leaves. Knowing how to take care of them as house plants is essential to helping them thrive in an inside environment. They are drought resistant plants but in certain climates they cannot be grown outdoors. Try picking out some of the more unusual looking specimens for your succulent collection, as they can be quite the conversation piece.

Alongside my computer space, at eye level when at the keyboard, is an old fiber board bookcase which has held life objects over the past thirty years. I cleaned it out this weekend, and now it contains only items which are used on a frequent basis (knitting books, a scanner, CDs and computer paraphernalia, to name a few).

On one shelf, attached to be underside of the shelf above, is a 22" inexpensive fluroescent light that gives illumination needed for the little plants to grow and give off oxygen.

If Kiki could be here to take photographs, she would show the true essence of the succulents.  Go over to her blog and look at objects she has captured with amazing charm and spirit.

Here are a few pictures of my new indoor succulent garden taken from plants that were growing outdoors until yesterday:

the oriental "mud man" was purchased at a local garden center

Dallas Arboretum in Pictures

It was a privilege to see the Dallas Arboretum, all 66 glorious acres, and to have an escorted personal tour by two informed docents at the park now owned by the city of Dallas, Texas.

Frommer's says:

Dallas may not be celebrated for its cool green beauty, but the area around White Rock Lake, and more specifically the Arboretum and Botanical Garden, is a welcome oasis. Just 15 minutes from the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Dallas are nearly 70 acres of carefully planted and groomed gardens and natural woodlands, interspersed with a handful of historic residences, that meander along the banks of the lake. The Jonsson Color Garden features one of the nation's largest collections of azaleas, which bloom spectacularly in spring, and nearly 6 acres of chrysanthemums in the fall. And while North Texas is not exactly New England, October and November are as ablaze in color as anything you'll see in this neck of the woods. If you find yourself in Dallas during the torrid summer (or spring and fall) months, the Palmer Fern Deli is a secluded, shady spot where mist-sprayers drop the temperature at least 10° to 15° -- reason enough for a visit here...

One of the more intriguing vignettes consisted of gardening architectural features replicating Beatrix Potter's cottages where her beautifully illustrated imaginary friends live (in the large Children's Garden).

Gigantic Peter Rabbit consisted of ferns and grasses, and even a living rendition of a carrot:

This is Mr. McGregor's potting shed.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

These two adorable sisters in their pink tutus were the absolute sweetest thing I found in the garden. Their mom and nanny were taking them on an outing for a phototgrapic shoot, and allowed me to take their picture.

More pictures later....it was an incredibly hot and humid morning, but glad the opportunity presented to see the Arboretum.

Toad House

An easy way to make toad and frog houses for your hopping critters can be accessed here.

With that process in mind, a bit of looking around on the internet came up with some classy accommodations for toads that can be purchased here (picture also courtesy of that site):

DIY showed the handmade toad house below.  That required a clay pot, glue and pebbles.

Our backyard toad is a big fellow, so he needed a fairly large opening for an entrance.  Using a galvanized steel vase turned on its side and half filled with dirt, here is what I came up with:

It took several days for Mr. Toad to find his new home, but hopefully we can keep this renter through the rest of the summer.

Amazing how his toady skin is camouflaged in the dirt!

Faces in the Garden

Today's blog title was unabashedly stolen taken from a similar post by a fellow blogger who writes Awake with Charm & Spirit.  Please go to her link and see some beautiful photography in her garden.  I would show it here, but it is copyrighted.

Kiki's posting back in June made me think of the many faces in my garden, so with digital camera in hand, I searched  in my garden early yesterday morning.  This is what I found:

A Mother Mouse and Baby in a pot of flowers on the patio, and this:

A turtle and a toadstool in with ground cover.  And,

this Laughing Girl was with some marigolds was right out in plain sight.

In fact, I found so many faces (and even forgot to take a picture of the rooster's face on the weathervane), that I made this video of  Faces in the Garden:

Music: " Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin

Mr. Toad Meets Mr. Turtle

"Would you like to share a mosquito?"

Why Can't We Just Be Friends?

  (photo taken on patio 6/28/10)

Let’s always be the kind of friends we are today.

Let’s always be there for each other, no matter what.

Let’s promise to be friends when we’re eighty and have just as much fun then, as we do now.

Let’s promise to always make time for each other, even when we have lots of things we have to do.

Let’s always share the laughter, tears, and celebrations of a lifetime…

Let’s be friends forever.  by Brenda

Your Peaceful Retreat

Thanks to Rivka, blogger of Coffee and Chemo, for this thought:

A few nights ago, my eldest and I spent some great time together.  Somehow, we got to talking about our "Happy Places." I was pleased to discover that she has such a place.

Everyone has their own "Happy Place," where they can escape within their own mind. Not everyone knows how to find it.

My Happy Place is sitting on a small hill, under a willow tree, overlooking a lake, with a small forest off to the left. (Read more here)

Rivka asks for daven (the uttering of Jewish prayers, loosely translated) after every post.  And when I read her blog, I definitely send prayers for her and her journey.  You might be interested in her story and life; she is a thoughtful writer.

It is important that we each have a Happy Place.  It could even be a short moment to stop and embrace the moment of thankfulness.  The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is a favorite book that, if its principles are learned and applied, helps one "move rapidly into a significantly higher altitude where we breathe a lighter air."

Here are some places where I stop to breathe a lighter air:

Where is your peaceful retreat?

English Gardens and The Traveling Woman Shawl

Spring brings to mind, among other thoughts, the connotation of gardens.  My British friend talks about the English garden, and it took me on a search for what exists in an "English garden".

From this site:

As castles gave way to fortified manor houses in the later medieval period, the garden became a simple green space surrounded by hedges or fences. Games such as bowls or tennis took place on the lawn.

The next stage of the English garden came after the Reformation. Many landowners enclosed common land to create parks for keeping deer or cattle. This 'natural' landscape gave way to formal gardens near the house, still sheltered from the outside world by hedges or walls.

So that helped narrow down some information.  Then a search for images of English gardens brought up pictures of flowers, shrubs, small hedges, water gardens and small ponds including foliage, and a general sense of beauty and well being.  There are formal gardens, with areas cordoned off for specific plant placement, and informal gardens that include a more free-form type of planting.

In October, 2010, fifty or so travelers will visit some English gardens in London, Bath, and Wales.  I am excited to be part of this group.

We travelers will visit not only gardens, but also fiber shops and woolen mills.  Our host and podcaster Heather Ordover of Craftlit, the podcast for people who are too busy to hold a book, along with tour guide DianneRJ from Ravelry will be taking a group of crafters who love books, to London, Bath and Wales to see the sites.  Information about the fiber tour can be found here through Holiday Vacations.  I'll be on that bus, likely with knitting needles and fiber in hand, while we visit local yarn shops, museums, and castle gardens. (It is all about crafting, reading/listening to classic books, and Jane Austen, you know.)

Since it will be cool weather in England and Wales, of course we TRAVELING WOMEN will need various warm outer clothing and knitted accessories to help ward off the mist.

So which of my shawls will go along with me?  Perhaps the "Traveling Woman Shawl". Description of the shawl from designer Liz Abinante says:

Being an indecisive individual, this shawl is named after two things. First, the song “Travelling Woman” by Bat for Lashes (she’s British, hence the extra “l”). “Travelling Woman” is a song about a brilliant woman with a promising future, who loses it all because she fell in love with a man who had too much potential, and not enough substance. The edge of the shawl represents the dangerous web of love, as well as its highs and lows. Along the bind off edge, the shawl can be blocked to subtle points, or straight.

Second, the character Angela Montenegro on Bones. If you’re familiar with Angela’s character, I think the song selection makes sense: she’s artistic, a believer in love, and just the type who might get in a little too deep before she can find her way out (she did get married in Fiji to a complete stranger, after all). This is the second in a series of patterns based on the characters from the Bones television show.

The Traveling Woman Shawl is a free download found here on Ravelry.  I am about half-way through it, using Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn.  And definitely my Clapotis Shawl will go along, too.  Can't wait!

Finches and Hummingbirds

Finches feasting from a dirty well used sock (picture taken yesterday).

This is a nest from last year when  bird eggs were laid (sometime in July 2009):


We have some hummingbirds, too, but my photography is not swell, so this YouTube video shows them in bunches!  David Attenborough (BBC) shows this video:



Enjoy the spring!

Pretty Birds

Pretty Birds at the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, BC:

Fall Decorations - Quilted Centerpieces

Underneath the pumpkins and candles in the centerpiece below is a quilted fall fabric piece given to us several years ago by our Famous Family Quilter Pat McCarroll. Pat has won many awards for her quilting art at the Texas State Fair, and at local quilt guild shows in and around Dallas, Texas.

Pat has also shown one of her quilts at the annual International Quilt Festival  always held in Houston.

Thanks again for that pretty, seasonal and hand made item, Pat. And congratulations on your latest recognitions for quilting arts in Sulphur Springs, TX this month.

And another table topper:

Final cosmos showing their colors in the evening dusk:

Moss instead of Grass for Lawns

Walking along and listening to podcasts this morning, NPR Science Friday had an interesting story about how one guy on the East Coast of the US (Pennsylvania) had ripped out all the grass in his lawn and replaced it with moss over forty years ago. Note that one must have a shady lawn in order to accomplish this green feat.

Here is the website from a researcher who looked into the problem from NPR Story.

...and this talks about cultivating moss on acid soil. Buffering is slow, but about half way into the video, you will see an amazing lawn of grass, so it may be worth your wait to view the show.

Finches, Flying the Coop

I have been amusing myself with watching the wrens over the past few weeks, from nest building to egg laying to bird hatching. And this morning, here is a picture of one of the little ones right before he flew the coop:

One of his siblings still in the nest about an hour ago:

Their size is deceptive in the picture, as they appear larger than their actual size of a silver quarter coin. That bird poop around the perimenter of the nest is disgusting, but they don't seem to mind.

This YouTube site, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMJIFYcru-E, shows 10 minutes of finches in their nest.

House Finch: New Family Arrives

SIL Jack asked what kind of finch we had nesting in the arbor. Here is what Birdsource had to say:

The identification of these three finches of the Carpodacus genus can be extremely difficult. Each species is about the same size and shape, each is colored red with varying degrees of brown streaking, and each is common to feeder areas. What's more, the ranges of these birds overlap quite a bit, primarily owing to the ubiquitous distribution of the House Finch.

The picture of the male house finch, courtesy of Larry McQueen, appears to have similar colorings to the one I see going in and out of the nest.

Dragging out the ladder again, here is a picture of the newly hatched finches this morning:

It's off to fill the finch feeder again, so the hatch lings can receive supplements to their diet of insects from their parents.