Kiwis in Bloom or the Summer Weeds are Here

Our summer weeds are here. It always seems like they burst forth,yesterday not there, today all over the place. I welcome the purslane it's nice in salads and my neighbors make an interesting Lebanese dish with it. In one of my Pueblo Indian cookbooks there is in which purslane is cooked like greens with bacon. That's purslane. This week its just an inch high next week it'll be a foot high and branching, then we start yanking it.
Hairy Galinsoga is everywhere right now; it's not edible, no great addition to salads. It reseeds like crazy. It's a challange to get it out and if for some reason one of the gardeners neglects their plot - it is all over everyone's plots. Pennsylvania smartweed, that funny pink beadlike flowering weed is maturing in the garden. I've heard that the folks at Tinnicum Marsh claim that a remedy for mosquito bite itch is to rub smartweed leave on the bite. That's about the only use I have for this pervasive little thing. The leaves have the same growth pattern and look similar to Vietnamese Coriander (Rau Ram) but they don't have that lovely scent, and don't taste great with nam pla and all.
My favorite book about our weeds is Weeds of the Northeast by Richard H Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. DiTomasso http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=3025. One of the things I like about it is the detailed description of the germination and growth patterns and the photos of all of the stages of the weeds. It does not, however, discuss weather there these weeds are useful in any way. The weeds reach their tipping point when the kiwi and elderberry are in bloom. Now!

In the Elliot plot I've been radically thinning the turnips. We've had turnip greens almost every day this week. On Saturday, I made Indian food including Methi Aloo with the methi from the Elliot plot, a chick pea dish that I'm fond of, Madhur Jaffreys Lake Palace Eggplant, a wonderful, heady scented dish with kalonji and fennel in a tomato ginger sauce. I had to get more kalonji ( I thought I had a lifetime supply but it's hiding in the back of the cabinet) and of course saag aka turnip and kale thinnings. the methi is so easy to grow just soak a tablespoon or so of organic fenugreek seeds. plant in the garden and in a month you have methi. I do succession plantings and if I forget some, that's ok its a legume and a nitrogen fixer in the soil. I plow in under.

The Tomato plants are holding their own, I planted the tomatillo's last week. They got really sqaush bug eaten in my backyard waiting to move to the garden, their kind of pathetic. Some of last year's tomatillios have reseeded in the Elliot plot they were great last year (volunteers from the year before) so I might let some stay. They may be competing with my beans so we'll see.

We just had a lovely dessert of strawberries and cream. Sweet and jucey. They're really vigiorous I've picked about 2 quarts so far and there are more ripening.

The Bean Dilemma

It's that time of year. The summer garden blasts into being while the spring garden wanes. Sometimes in protest. I'm working on not planting too much stuff. planning for growth. I like lots of greens so about now I always have this dilemma. What do I move to make way for the tomatoes, tomatillos, bitter melon, and beans.

I really like beans. I find that the most prolific are pole beans; this year I'm growing Emerite and Fortex. I also have some bush beans called Provider kind of like mortgage lifter tomatoes but beans. I like to plant some bush beans because I get beans earlier but in the end the really good, continuous crop is from the pole beans. I couldn't help myself, this year I bought some red yard long beans. Last year one of the gardeners grew them and they're so cool looking. I'm going to grow a few in the Chris plot along with bitter melon. I thought I might also put some in a pot in my front garden. They're dazzling.

It's time to pull the big celandine poppy plants in the Chris plot. They're going to seed. I'll leave a small plant for the seeds but I need room for lettuce transplants from the Eliot plot so I can plant Tomatoes and tomatillos.

On the greens front, since lettuce will only last another month I've got the radicchio coming in thick, a replanting of arugula, some late supposedly heat resistant lettuce (we'll see) and ta da something new in the works. In the Abundant Life catalog I found Strawberry Spinach, supposed to give spinach like greens then crunchy red berries, AND Huanzontle red Aztec spinach "each plant yields up to a pound of delicious tender green raw when young and sauteed when mature. The fiery red leaves were the kicker. In they go on the west end of the Chris plot. I'll track the progress. I may do a tester in pots in my backyard.

The sage is even more glorious, a blaze of blue. I'm ready to plant out parsley, basil and Thai basil from the flats I started a month ago. The basil plot is ready to go. I need to pick a place for the parsley maybe next to the thyme. I need to get the lemongrass plant down there maybe on Memorial Day when Elliot and I are both home. I also need to buy some rosemary. The plants from last year are barely hanging in they may survive but I just have trouble keeping rosemary going through the winter. It looks pretty good until March and them it gets zapped.

the nigella is beginning to bloom its bright feather foliage is a nice foil for the sage. In the medicinal back herb triangle the Valerian umbels are forming. They re 5' tall as sway in the breeze.

It looks like the lovage that I started is hanging in. I also planted chervil a few plants made it I have more in the back to plant out. The flat of sorrel is sprouting more sorrel for all. The Vietnamese coriander is perking up, I'll plant some under the bamboo structure in the next week or so. I want to make sure that it's thriving. It does best in shade thus the funky shade structure.

In the Elliot plot, I've been harvesting salads of arugula, red mustard and radishes. I love a salad of arugula, shaved Parmesan cheese, splash it with balsamic vinegar, olive oil a little salt and freshly ground pepper toss a bit. That's all it needs. The strawberries are coming in thick. I picked a pint of sweet ripe ones yesterday. It's time to aggressively thin the turnips. They re very thick because of the double planting.

Georgia patiently waits to go home after a rollick in the cofee bean bag land.

Changing Perspectives on the Spring Garden

My salad greens are coming in thick. The message is out I know because Elliot hasn't bought lettuce at Kimberton for 2 shops. We have lovely varied tasty greens. Red lettuces, sorrel, arugula, radicchio the odd dandelion and now red shiso-its getting bigger all over- time to selectively rip it out. I took one of my new plot signs down to the garden today, I just propped it in the back plot. the second set of signs were not out of the bisque kiln on Wednesday. I think the design is better kind of retro New Mex. We'll see. I also positioned the plot numbers I'm curious if anyone notices. I missed the workday, Penn Alumni day and graduation and all. The campus is even more very Penn, if that's possible.

The sage is a purple blooming riot and the white iris bed (the very same bed that some gardeners want to turn into a plot, I don't think it's an idea at all,) is in bloom - the purple iris bed is still looking lovely.

It's time to think about the next roation in the plots.

The harlequin bugs are doing their thing, I'M SQUISHING THEM, but really, they always win, so I plan for it. Today I pulled out a big bag of red Russian kale. I carried four tomato plant and two of the Sophie fish pepper plants down to the garden in a milk crate (it's interesting, the seeds that Sophie got make peppers with variegated leaves while the Abundant Life catalog seed seem to make plain green, we'll see as they grow). Fish is an old variety of somewhat hot peppers said to be popular in Baltimore crab houses. It has appeared this year in a number of catalogs.

Thursday I pulled a big bunch of Egyptian walking onions to make room for the tomatoes. I accidentally left them at the end of the Chris plot. I asked Elliot to get them for me which worked out well because He saw how wonderful our plots are.

My theory is to get as much produce as I can, this means planting things that I know I'll sometimes harvest in a young state or move. The Kale, which is now about 1' high, would grow bigger and produce more if it weren't for the harlequin bugs. I planted it thick. I'm now harvesting big bunches. The lettuce in the Elliot plot is destined to be moved to the western end of the Chris plot to make way for more tomatoes.

I planted two Brandywine and one Rampo tomato plants in the Chris plot. Yes of course I planted them on their side to make more roots and I added some of the seeds alive tomato stuff that I got free last year- smells like chickens manure- I could get some local from our chicken keeping gardeners-. I also planted two Sophie fish peppers in the big blue pot by the Elliot plot.

I did backyard work on Friday. I moved most of the Colocassia plants into the big pots, potted up 12 pepper plants into condensed big pots, I moved things around to make the back less crazy and i scooped all of the sunflower casing bird poop stuff into a big bag for disposal. It looks better. I grilled outside tonight without getting stuck in goop. There is work to be done but it's a start.

At the workday, Kirk emptied several of the green composters into wheel barrows. I took it as a sign to prep the mint/basil bed for basil. I ripped out the mint center. It's not cruel, the mint is rampant, and I dumped a wheelbarrow of the compost on the plot. Strategically placing plant markers around. I brought home a big bunch of mint which will be great with my lentil dish later this week.

I grilled chicken breast that I brined then marinate with lemon/garlic herb mixture. heavy on sage but with thyme, marjoram and coriander(cilantro). I thought to include fresh bay leaves. Our bay plants survived the winter and have huge new growth.

So today I planted three tomato plants in the Chris plot two Brandywine and one Rampo and the two peppers in the blue pot. the garlic is still not ready maybe in August.

Egyptian onions

I have all these Egyptian walking onions at both ends of the Chris plot. I love them. We have scallions almost year round but really enough is enough, their job is to multiply and multiply they do so there is a thicket at the east end.
I'd like to plant tomatoes n this spot.
I've started reducing the onion population. I yanked a big handful today. I cleaned them like leeks, chopped them into 3" pieces, douced them with olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar; and put then in the oven while broiling lemongarlicsagechicken. also very tasty. The onions carmalized, I moved them to a lower shelf and cooked them 10 min more, they were very good Elliot kept coming over and sampling them.

Volunteers, lush growth and ugh! Harlequin bugs

We've had almost a whole week of constant rain. I visited the garden on Tuesday and was amazed, I picked a lot of greens. Went I went down to take photos and pick greens for dinner on Thursday, I swear the kale grew 6".
I love volunteers. They come up hither dither. Places you wouldn't expect and they make juxtapostions that are surprising. The red perilla next to fuzzy clary sage for example. Many herbs are periennial in our garden. The sage, marjoram, thyme tarragon to name a few. Some have to be started from seeds every year like basil and parsley. Epazote, perilla (shiso) and coriander (cilantro) reseed all over the place.
This week the little red perilla volunteers are coming up under and around the bamboo shade structure and epazote seedlings are thick around the chimney pot and next to the concrete walk. The epazote is one of those herbs that is hard to tell visually from a bunch of our Pennsylvanian weeds but I always know it by its smell. It very distinct, like no other herb, once you get that smell, you'll always know it. It also comes up between the bricks in my back yard and sometimes in the tree lawn beds. I pick a place for the perilla and epazote patches and thin out the other seedlings. With perilla since it's such a cool looking red plant I leave some here and there for syncopation.
The kale has been great. I plant it thick so that I have plenty of thinnings for dinner. I cook it with lots of garlic in olive oil. Last night I made quesidillas with pinto beans that I accidentally defrosted, garlicky kale, epazote and cheese. Garnished with coriander from the garden. I topped them with Frontera Tomatillo salsa -really tasty. Good eating - as my mother would say- she was talking about a cassarole called Missouri but..

I plant the kale thick knowing that sooner or later it will have to be eaten quickly because the dreaded harlequin bugs get it. We can manage them by squashing them until there becomes a critical mass and it is time to yank everything up. Happens every year might as well plan for it. Usually we begin seeing them in late June. This year there here now. I've only seen and squished a few- I keep bricks handy by each plot for this. they target mostly the cabbage family and love mustard but don't even notice chard so I grow plenty in the wings to have summer greens. It was so cold for so many days last winter that I thought the population would have been decimated- guess not.

We had our first radishes form the Elliot plot this week, plenty of turnip and mustard thinnings in salads.

Georgia has discovered Naomi's secret entrance to the garden. I found her wandering outside of the fence. She's a clever little poodle. I'm adding escape artist to her resume.

Arugula is the Most Satisfying Herb

The Carolina silver bell is blooming. I think many of us walk past this little tree and think nothing of it until the first week of May when the bells appear.
That white wisteria that was clipped to with in a second of its death a few years ago by a well meaning, but sadly plant uninformed gardener is back and glorious - it used to climb the chimney of the carriage house, now it trails along almost the entire length of the back fence. It forms a nice backdrop for our little orchard in the corner.
The herb garden is florishing. I've been enjoying the oregano in salads. The oregano in the front triangle came from Kirk's backyard planted by the previous owner named Gay. I don't know the variety; it's very pungent and has larger leaves than the Greek oregano between the sage and thyme. I cooked roasted potatoes and turnips with it I use a big handful of oregano, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, little rocksalt and freshly ground pepper. Pretty darn good. I'm still looking for more sorrel seeds, I know I can get them online but I keep thinking one of these seed racks around will have it. Whole Foods didn't but I got more arugula seeds. I thing I'll reseed arugula again In the Chris plot. We just got back from my sister Becky's in Kingston PA- my 40th Sem reunion and all. Beck has pots of arugula in her yard we both agreed that it is our favorite salad green. I noticed some fennel volunteers in the Chris plot I hoped for some and left the fennel marker to remind me to look for it.

The markers.

last spring In pottery. I focused on making markers for the herb garden. I had a few different designs that I played with. One was actually a princess pancake mold turned upside down the princess head bent around a chopstick. It kind of looks like some kind of frilly tulip, I liked them and might make some more. Many of the basil markers, the rosemary and lemon thyme are this design. I used a cookie cutter that I bought at the National Building Museum of the Alvar Aalto iconic shape form from his vase, it reminded me of Sonya's apartment. The markers in the front for marjoram, tarragon, parlsey and lemon thyme are this design. I've made flat tiles with this cutter before, this time I painted the tiles with underglaze and did sgrafitto carving of the herb names and made post holders with flat pieces of clay on the back. My writing technique in a work in progress. I also had a coquille shell cookie cutter that to which I added a clay stake, the fennel marker is of this design. Then Eva who was teaching the class at the time came in with a Lee Valley tool catalog she was always bringing in catalogs for project idea. I found this set of letters that were supposed to be to make "stone" markers out of cement. I bought a set. They work great with clay. I've been looking around for some other fonts. I haven't had great luck with rubber stamp letters they make marks that are too shallow. The mint and oregano markers are from this set. The epazote marker is too but with this I bent it so it is free standing. I particularly like that glaze. If only I kept the glaze journal that everyone suggests one day I'll start.
The radicchio in the Chris plot has been great in salads. I seeded a row thickly so I can have thinnings for salad, this coming week I'll start. I've been thinning the red russian kale, when it's small it's nice in salad but it's getting to the stir fry size. The borage leaves are getting big. It's really orplific this year. The salads that I've been making have been a conglomeration of tastes from the cucumbery borage, lemony tart sorrel, mellow sage and sharp radicchio, dandelion, and arugula punctuated with violets and Egyptial walking onions. I even had some radish thinnings this week. sometimes I add some mint for a different taste. I can't wait for the thyme to be more developed. I love it with chicken. I've even been enjoying the lemon thyme ( used to think that it tasted like lemon fresh Pledge) it doesn't really. On Friday it will be time so do some serious weeding in the Chris plot.
The Turnips are approaching thinning size in the Elliot plot. I need to space out the Formida lettuce a bit. I will eventuall put tomatoes at this end of that plot but the tomatoes in my back yard are still pretty small maybe 5" tall.
I started flats of basil, Thai basil, lovage and parsley last week and the're all up in the green house in my back yard.
The strawberries are coming in in a big way in the Elliot plot. I put salt hay around them. Last year they disappeared and I think they may have rotted before I got to picking them this way the fruit is off of the soil. The salt hay has an added benefit of being a great mulch it blocks the weeds, doesnt seed and is in nice short pieces so it's easy to work it around plants. I get it at Primax in Glenside.
I need to bring my saw the next time I go down there a cut the suckers that are growing from the root stalk of the sour cherrys. I'll use the cuttings for stakes in my plots. they can be braided when they're young enough. I't also getting time to prune the kiwis. I keep thinking that I could make baskets with kiwi vines or something woven.

I discovered that Georgia is an asparagus hunting poodle.