The Kitchen Garden in August

Posting pictures of my garden at least a month late seems to be a reoccurring theme. August started out looking great, then things started to get a wild look...which seems the norm in my garden the end of August and in September.

The u-shaped beds provided a plethora of basil, sweet and Red Rubin. Also here, plenty of parsley, sorrel, garlic chives, swiss chard and nasturtium. 

Red Rubin is the first purple basil I have been able to grow successfully.

 
Strawberry Gomphrena adds a little burst of color by the green and purple basils.

I like the textures and colors of the ruffly parsley, the sweet basil, the dark purple Red Rubin basil and the silvery gray leaves of the Strawberry Fields Gomphrena together.

I love the flavor of the garlic chives, as well as the pretty white flowers, however...if you plant garlic chives, be prepared to have to weed little chive babies from everywhere, and I mean everywhere, around it. I try to cut the flower-heads as they start to dry and go to seed, but don’t always make it in time.

Admittedly, I plant Bright Lights Swiss Chard for the gorgeous color it provides. I do eat it sometimes, but most of the time it just stays there looking stunning.

See those red stems drawing your eye? That is the swiss chard.

The Alaska nasturtium has become my favorite nasturtium. It has done so well all year and is even more prolific and dense now than it is here.

 The hop vine started taking over the garden bench before I could trellis it.

One of my favorite additions to the kitchen garden this year has been the Cut and Come Again Zinnias that I had planted from seed. They add a cottage-garden feel to the beds. And look, there’s a hyacinth bean vine that reseeded from last year popping up to say hello. There is also more parsley here. I was never short on parsley all summer long.

 Look closely and you will see the bees like the zinnias, too.

The red and pink flowers are tall enough to be appreciated at eye-level.

Speaking of pinks, the pink Fireworks Gomphrena has done really well. It has flowered more than the Strawberry Fields variety.

The Mariachi Hot Peppers have not done nearly as well this year as last. Not sure why.

The yellow squash did really well for quite awhile, then it got powdery mildew, which happened last year as well. I tried using an organic spray, but it didn’t seem to help. At least I got a few good yellow squash before the plants kicked the bucket.

The Sunchocola cherry-sized tomatoes have provided a steady flow of tomatoes all season long. I wish they were a little sweeter, however, they do have a slightly smokey flavor which is kinda different.

Acorn squash! Last year I tried to grow it without success. This year I have two. I’ll take that over none!

The green beans weren’t as prolific this year. Might be because I used seed leftover from last year.

I have yet to see really good blackberries from this bush that I have had for several years. I know absolutely nothing about growing fruit, so maybe now it is time to learn. In the meantime, I get these little bitty fruits that the birds seem to like. At least they get to enjoy them!

My bed of greens was looking pretty sad in August. In September I planted some kale and lettuces to fill in.

My potted Solanum quitoense (naranjilla) has looked gorgeous, and dangerous, all season long. I absolutely love it. I have never grown it before, so I have no idea when to harvest the fruit. I am anxious to try it, though.

I don’t think I could ever live without fresh veggies and herbs from the garden now that I am so used to having them. There is nothing better. And it looks pretty, too.

Now I need to find time to post photos of the flower garden in August. Hopefully I can get around to that before October!

Tomatoes Galore!

Couldn’t resist snappin’ a pic of these beautiful tomatoes I grabbed from the garden tonight. The cherry-sized ones are Sunchocola, which has been a non-stop performer all season. The little yellow ones are Sungold, which re-seeded on their own from last year. Yum!

The Caterpillar That Almost Got Cut In Half

Last weekend I went out to the kitchen garden to cut some parsley to go with my dinner. As I am about to snip, I spotted this...

Woah, what a cool looking caterpillar and he came within inches of being cut in half. I had to Google it to see if I could figure out what it was. Turns out it is the adult larvae of a Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes).

When the caterpillars hatch they are brownish purple and white, but when they are older, they look like this guy (or girl).

It turns out that these caterpillars like Queen Ann’s Lace and anything in the carrot family, which includes parsley...hence spotting it on the parsley plant.

Once it is old enough, it will form a chrysalis, a kind of pod-like thing, and it will stay like that through the winter. In the spring it will hatch and become a beautiful black butterfly with a few yellow spots and two red spots towards the inside bottom part of the wings. The butterfly will mate and the female will lay eggs on a host plant (a kind of plant that caterpillars eat). Then the eggs hatch and become another caterpillar like our munching friend and the cycle will continue. According to Wikipedia, the caterpillar “absorbs toxins from the host plants, and therefore tastes poorly to bird predators.” Pretty cool.

Aside from taking a few pictures, I left this funky looking fellow alone and let him munch on the parsley. I have plenty to share with him and any other caterpillar friends he may have.

Go to Wikipedia to learn more and to see photos of this cool cat as a chrysalis and as a butterfly.

Recipe from the Garden: Tomato, Onion, and Mozzarella Salad

I can’t take credit for this recipe. It is something Brian came up with based on his memory of what his friend’s dad used to make when he was young. It is a great way to use tomatoes from the garden. And as usual, there is cheese involved...however, the cheese wouldn’t have to be included.

Tomato, Onion, and Mozzarella Salad

 

Ingredients:
• chopped tomatoes
• red onions, cut into strips and then in half
• mozzarella balls
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• optional: chopped fresh basil

Recipe:
I don’t have any exact measurements, this is all done to taste. Mix all of the ingredients except for the mozzarella. Let sit at room temperature or in the fridge for at least a half hour. I like to do it longer, more like an hour or two for the flavors to combine better. Then mix in the mozzarella balls just before serving. You can add fresh chopped basil, too.

I honestly wasn’t sure I would like this salad when Brian first told me about it. I thought I would find it too vinegary or too acidic, but I really like it as long as it is not drowning in vinegar. We sometimes have this with one of the only meals we ever eat together (since we have such opposite taste in food), which is our “baker” meal: baked potato with corn on the cob and some sort of salad.

Recipe from the Garden: Cheese and Herb Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

I have mentioned before that I am a bit of a cheese freak. I am always looking for ways to add cheese to my meal. And I am always looking for ways to add fresh herbs, too. That’s where my Cheese and Herb Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers comes into the picture. This recipe is similar to my Hot Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Herbs recipe I posted in August of last year.

I had plenty of fresh herbs in the garden and I had cream cheese, ricotta, and goat cheese in the fridge, so I did little experiment. Two peppers are stuffed with cream cheese, two with ricotta, and two with goat. I added salt and fresh ground pepper, along with the fresh, chopped herbs – I just used whatever I had in the garden: Sweet Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Chive, Garlic Chives, and Parsley. I had broiled the sweet peppers for a few minutes per side just to soften them up and give them a bit of a roasted flavor.

I like the mini peppers because you can grill them, roast them, broil them, chop them up plain in a salad, or stuff them like this for a little, tasty bite. I’ve been growing Tweety Sweet Peppers this year, however, I haven’t gotten that many. These came from a farm market.

The Squirrel That Tested the Theory of Gravity

The night before Labor Day we had a bad storm with heavy winds and strong downpours. During the storm, I heard what I first thought was a squeaky toy noise. Seemed strange during a storm. After awhile I was convinced it was some sort of animal in distress. I was worried because we had seen a very young possum recently and I thought it might be that the possum was stuck somewhere or hurt. I was home alone, which is when all weird things tend to happen. I got out my umbrella and flashlight and went out into the storm in search of an animal in distress. I never found anything.

The next morning, while I was home alone again, I still kept hearing the squeaky noise off and on and started to think it must be some sort of bird. I was doing yard work and had walked through the garden gate by the shed several times when I spotted my neighbor’s cat, BJ (aka Stubby), sitting there staring at something. (See my recent post about Stubby and the rest of his cat family.) What was he staring at? This tiny baby squirrel. So young, it couldn’t even open its eyes yet.

The baby squirrel had flies buzzing all around him and he kept moving around as if he was trying to get comfortable or trying to find a way to get warm. I realized this must have been what I had heard during the storm. I looked up and saw the squirrel nest high up in the tree. Poor little guy was either testing the theory of gravity or was knocked from the nest by the heavy winds and/or rain. I’m guessing it was probably the latter, but I decided to name him Newt after Isaac Newton anyway. It was 9pm the night before that I had heard that call of distress and here it was about 2pm the next day. He had been out there all that time.

I got nervous because Stubby was still hanging around. He had made a move towards the squirrel and I told him no and snapped my fingers at him. He looked at me and then laid down. I told him he had to leave, that I had to take care of this baby squirrel. I sure hope the neighbors didn’t hear me talking to the cat and to the squirrel, who I was trying to reassure that he would be safe now. Much to my surprise, Stubby listened to me and walked away. It was as if he understood. It made me like and respect Stubby even more.

From my reading I found that it is best to try to reunite a fallen baby squirrel with its mother. That can take time, though. You can put it in a box with a towel or t-shirt and tie the box to the tree and when the mother squirrel thinks it is safe she should reclaim it, unless it is dead, injured, sick...or cold. If it is cold, she will leave it thinking it is dead or sick. It was pretty obvious this squirrel baby was cold. I didn’t think I had time, his little life could be in danger.

I called Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge and Hospital, the same place I had taken an injured bird in July of last year (See my post about Tippy, the bird). They said the first thing to do is try to reunite him with his mom, but when I said I thought he had been out there since 9pm the night before, they said to bring him in. I put on my garden gloves and it took me about 20 minutes to get up the courage to pick him up and put him in a box. I could almost hear him breathe a sigh of relief to have a warmer spot to rest his weary little head.

When I put him in the car he made one last squeaky call to his mom, who obviously had abandoned him, thinking him injured or dead. It was definitely the same sound I had heard the night before.

When I got him to Cedar Run, they said he was cold and frightened and put him under a heat lamp. They said they would examine him as soon as he calmed down and warmed up. I sure hope he survived and that he didn’t have brain damage or internal injuries or anything like that. I wish I could call to check on his progress, but they ask you not to do that.

Newt was such a cute little thing. Of course he will grow up to be an adult squirrel, like the ones that dig up my flower pots and dig holes in my garden. But that’s ok, because as I have mentioned several times recently, our gardens should be living landscapes. Our yards and gardens aren’t just for us, they are for all the living creatures, from the worms to the birds...and to the squirrels.

As much as I hated to take Newt away from his home, he is in the care of experts now and I know the folks at Cedar Run will do the best they can for him. Oh and I must add, thank you, Cedar Run, for being open on Labor Day! Dear little Newt, I hope you survived and I hope you live a long, happy life.

To learn more about Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge and Hospital, or to make a donation, check out their website.

My Gardening Buddy and the Other Cats of the Garden

I often talk about my neighbor’s four cats and they consistently photo-bomb my garden shots. I thought since they have become a daily presence in the garden, they deserved a post. I think it’s great that they love the garden so much, however, I don’t appreciate the lawn-pooping and the mulch-peeing. I wish they would do that in their own yard. I’m not sure my neighbor knows just how much time their cats spend in our yard. I’m not sure they would necessarily be happy about it. A few years ago they had a three-year-old cat die unexpectedly and that’s when they asked me if I had anything poisonous in my garden. I hate to tell ya, but almost every plant is toxic in one form or another if you ingest it, but I never knowingly plant something that would potentially kill an animal (see my last post, which confirms this). So whether they are happy by it or not, all four of their cats love my garden.

We used to call the cats Stubby, Non-Stubby, Faded Kitty, and Pretty Calico. Not very original, I know. I have since learned the names of all four cats, thanks to my neighbor’s son, who loves to chat with me. He said their names are BJ, Puss, Tiger, and Baby Mamma. Ha! Love Baby Mamma. Not sure if she was the mom and that’s why she’s named that or what. So here are my kitty friends.

BJ (aka Stubby) is the one with the short tail. Stubby has slowly taken a liking to me and has become my gardening buddy. I have never tried to approach any of them, but Stubby, sorry I mean BJ, likes to surprise me whenever I’m in the garden weeding, picking veggies, or walking around. I will be weeding and then all of a sudden I will look up and there is BJ sitting a foot away watching me intently. He/she seems to find me fascinating.

I am going to guess BJ is a boy just because the name seems more like a boy’s name, but you never really know I guess. I have a hard time remembering to call him BJ and tend to still call him Stubby. There are times when he will wander all around me while I weed, sniffing the weed can, and has even been found sleeping on top of my garden gloves and pruners when I was taking a break.

Yesterday I was pulling in the garden hose and Stubby decided it was the best thing ever to play with it and try to catch it. I was laughing hysterically while he followed me all the way across the yard trying to grab the hose.

I think Stubby will let me pet him some day, but I will let him initiate it and decide when that day is here. In the meantime, I will let him continue to nap under the vegetation and be shocked when he pokes his head out just a few feet from my face when I weed.

Our next kitty friend is Puss (aka Non-Stubby). It took me a little while to be able to tell the difference between Puss and Stubby, other than the tail, but Puss is bigger and a little more orange.

Puss loves to find new places to nap in the garden, however, it is usually in more open areas then you’ll find Stubby. Stubby used to love the garden bench in the Kitchen Garden, but that has now become Puss’s spot. Yet Puss can show up just about anywhere on any given day, including on top of the compost bin.

I can get within about three feet of Puss, then she (or he?) takes off. She seems to have gotten more used to me, though.

Tiger (aka Faded Kitty) is more elusive than Puss or Stubby. He is also more skittish of me. We called him Faded Kitty because his orange isn’t as bright as the orange on Puss or Stubby.

The first time I saw Tiger I thought maybe he was blind. He came up the steps to the screened-in back porch when I was sitting right there with my two cats and he didn’t seem to notice us until he was right up to the door. He also has kind of reddish eyes that freak me out a bit.

The one I see the least and definitely the most shy of the bunch is Baby Mamma. Baby Mamma is an obsolutely gorgeous calico with a sweet little face. The prettiest one and the one I really wish I could pet, but I doubt she will ever let me near her. I had to take these photos through the window because I knew she would run if she saw me.

I never see her lounging in the garden like the others, she always is more passing through or inspecting things.

So those are my four kitty friends that see in the garden on a regular basis. My own two cats are only allowed on the screened-in back porch, but they are very familiar with the neighbor’s cats. Sometimes they seem to go on the offense when they see them and sometimes they don’t seem to care.

There are other cats I see from time to time, including an all black one, but these are the ones I see the most. There used to be two others from another neighbor across the street that would visit, but they have since moved and are farm cats now.

I enjoy sharing my garden with my feline friends. Now I just have to somehow train them to go to the bathroom in their own yard instead of mine!