Monthly Archives: November 2010

Leftover Mashed Potatoes and Garden Chives

Posted by Lesley on November 29, 2010 None comments

There was a lot more eating than gardening going on around here last week.  With thanks comes leftovers and when the turkey is gone and you’re looking at four pounds of mashed potatoes, it’s time to get creative.  Leftover mashed potatoes served as a main ingredient in yesterday’s dinner and dessert.  For dinner, we each enjoyed a rich, fluffy mashed potato egg cup garnished with garden chives.

Preheat quiche cups or a muffin tin in a hot oven, 400-450 degrees.  Use cooking spray or a pat of butter to prevent sticking.  Then press potatoes into cups leaving a well for the egg.  Sprinkle Parmesan over the mashed potatoes and drop in the egg.  Salt, pepper, bake - Simple!  My hearty little bush of garden chives provided the perfect garnish for these crispy, creamy potato treats. 

Chives used to be hung in bunches to ward off disease and evil spirits…this odd tidbit of history was provided by…Rodale’s!  The chives also topped my Black Friday leftover feast of Turkey Tostadas with Spicy Cranberry-Chipotle Sauce.  The tostadas were better than my Thanksgiving dinner, but back to dessert…

Potato Fudge Cake with whipped cream, pomegranates and raspberries.  The combination of it all was delectable, but the cake alone was somehow moist and dry all in the same bite – I suppose, a little like mashed potatoes.  Maybe I’ll try potato-coconut candies next year. 

Glass Bottle Garden Border

Posted by Lesley on November 23, 2010 4 comments

At the risk of looking like a complete alcoholic, I wanted to post some pictures of my new garden border made entirely of recycled bottles, mostly wine and beer bottles but at least one vinegar bottle snuck in.

It’s a simple project.  The most time-consuming aspect will be collecting the bottles.  I almost made John walk the neighborhood with me on recycling night, but luckily I’m a full-blown hoarder when it comes to anything crafty.  I get it from my mother…you do remember her marble obsession, right?  For anyone who’s seen The Aviator, picture her as a crazed and female Howard Hughes except the bottles are filled with marbles instead of pee.  Thanks, Mom – the insanity lives on in me.  There’s a cabinet in my kitchen dedicated to any sort of glass bottle or jar that could be reused as a vase, storage, watering device, or now garden border. I had so many bottles stored that it only took me one book club to finish the row!

It’s best to remove all labels from the bottles.  Otherwise the sun will fade them, and the rain will slowly peel them.  My system is to soak the bottles in the sink with Mop N Glo. The labels are easy to peel, and then I mop the floors.  It’s the perfect multi-task, and it really does save time and trouble.  Water alone will work easily with some labels, but others are more stubborn.  It took 15-minutes of scraping a label with my fingernail to try the Mop N Glo.   

The idea for the garden border came from the Sarasota Children’s Garden, an adorably ecclectic little spot tucked into the corner of 10th Street and Orange Avenue.  It’s one of those local treasures that not everyone knows about but should.  This link will take you to a Google map: View Map  The garden is a lesson in creative recycling.  Beyond garden borders, recycled glass is worked into the sidewalks and structures.  There’s a big cement fort embedded with bottles and other recycled trinkets.  Old-fashioned claw bath tubs have been recycled into planters that overflow with flowers, and a mountain made of tires serves as a jungle gym.  The tires are filled with mulch making it easy and safe for children to climb.  I’ve been there twice now, each time for a little girl’s birthday party.  They even have a room full of costumes for dress-up – adorable! 

My Cuban Buttercup

Posted by Lesley on November 18, 2010 None comments

Planting a Cuban buttercup should not be taken lightly.  It’s proving to be a lifelong commitment, and although its vibrant yellow flowers are appealing, I’m feeling stuck in a relationship I can’t get out of.  I’ve tried to break it off with my Cuban lover on several occasions, but it refuses to take a hint no matter how many times I uproot it. 

Love certainly is fickle.  Back in September of last year I felt differently, “Its resilience is both fascinating and lovable.”  Fascination has now twisted into intrusion, and lovable has turned clingy.  I was already feeling suffocated by this relationship when a buttercup bush sprouted through the brick pavers and pushed me over the edge.

Its persistence, in this moment, is frustrating.  This buttercup plant has muscled its way through hibiscus, crotons, and now bricks.  And it seems to grow 0 to 24″ overnight!  I normally wince when I have to cut or pluck something with flowers on it, but there was no remorse plucking this buttercup.  It’s gone for now, but I’ve accepted the fact that this won’t be our last garden rendezvous.  Until next year, my Cuban mistress.

Cooper’s Hawk

Posted by Lesley on November 17, 2010 None comments

I was running late this morning when I heard a commotion outside the bedroom window.  My first thoughts were, of course, what now and what will it cost?  But like the rain lilies, it was quite the pleasant surprise – a Cooper’s hawk hanging out in my chives. 

There’s a family of titmouse birds living in the Surinam cherry that serves as our privacy fence.  The hawk must have been chasing one home.  What else would cause such an abrupt and clumsy entrance?  Cooper’s hawks are known for their long graceful glide, but hunger makes me a tad crazy at times too.  Afterwards, the hawk was either stalking the birds or taking a rest because he stuck around long enough for me to get my camera from the other room and take about a dozen pictures. 

According to Cornell’s Project FeederWatch, this is a juvenile Cooper’s hawk because its eyes are yellow.  I’ve seen hawks in the yard before, maybe the whole family is lurking…beware little titmice!

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/accipiterIDtable.htm

Rain Lily Repeat

Posted by Lesley on November 14, 2010 None comments

There was no time for gardening this week.  There was only time for moving and Megamind.  Don’t frot; the garden is still in place…and that’s not a tippo, go see Megamind!  We moved our Sarasota insurance agency to a new location, so life is feeling chaotic again.  Last time it was plumbing; this time it’s moving.  The commonality comes with an out-of-season Rain lily popping up out of nowhere.  I feel lucky to have even spotted it through the window. 

Last time, the lily popped up in a pile of dirt.  This time, it sprung from the covered up hole.  Both were unexpected surprises in the midst of muck and hopefully signs of better days to come.  I don’t need to run through a field of flowers or marry a millionaire; I’m a simple woman.  I just want a life without boxes and no need for a car when going to use the restroom.  Neither project is complete, but…       

http://archive.ccm.edu/rosie/index.htm

Let’s hope!

Blooming Basil

Posted by Lesley on November 9, 2010 1 comments

Normally I love to see plants bloom in my garden but not basil.  A friend/former restaurant owner told me when basil blooms the leaves tend to taste bitter.  Flowers also stifle growth.  Since the plant is blooming and producing seeds, it thinks the work is over and experiences a shut-down of sorts.  If you want the basil to keep producing new leaves, then take no mercy when pinching - off with their pretty little heads!   

It’s become sort of a thing that every time I write about an herb I pull out my outdated but highly enjoyable 1987 copy of Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs.  Although it’s full of useful information, I reference it purely for the bizarre.  Here’s an exemplary tidbit about the history of basil courtesy of Rodale’s:

Basil hasn’t always been associated with romance and fine dining.  In fact, there was a time when people feared this herb.  According to an anecdote attributed to Tournefort, a seventeenth-century botanist, ‘A certain Gentleman of Siena being wonderfully taken and delighted with the Smell of Basil, was wont very frequently to take the Powder of the dry Herb, and snuff it up his Nose; but in a short Time he turn’d mad and died; and his Head being opened by Surgeons, there was found a Nest of Scorpions in his Brain.’ In keeping with this view of the herb, some believe its name was derived from that of the legendary basilisk, a reptile who could kill with a glance or a breath.

Spoooooky…had I known, basil would’ve definitely made it onto my Halloween pizza.

Cloudless Sulphur Caterpillar Confirmation

Posted by Lesley on November 4, 2010 2 comments

It was nagging at me; what was that black and yellow caterpillar in the Cassia tree?  Thank you Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants for the positive identification: it’s a future Cloudless Sulphur butterfly. This is probably one of the cooler caterpillar varieties.  Their diet dictates their color.  Mine was obviously feasting on the yellow flowers of the Cassia tree.  The leaves would have made him green.  Stephanie Sanchez has amazing photos of the contrast on her site, http://butterflies.heuristron.net/. 

http://butterflies.heuristron.net/butterflies/orangeBarOrCloudlessCaterpillar.html

The photos are fantastic, and Sanchez is a fellow Floridian.  Her website is a good resource for identification with over 30 caterpillars and over 40 butterflies represented.  This is another one of her photographs of a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly.   

http://butterflies.heuristron.net/butterflies/cloudlessSulphur.html

Minno, M.C., Butler, J.F. & Hall, W.H. (2005). Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Cheap Container Gardening – Duct Tape Planters

Posted by Lesley on November 3, 2010 4 comments

I was in the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) section of Walmart the other day and was completely bedazzled by the Color Duck Tape display.  I took pictures of it with my camera phone and everything.

There are so many styles to choose from – cheetah spots, flames, fluorescents, and Gators.  Several slots were sold out.  It seems the demand is high for decorative duct tape…I wonder what other people are doing with it.  I recently found a cute black and white roll at Target that was used to spruce up a plastic guilt planter. 

Although I love Target, they don’t offer near the Color Duck Tape selection Walmart does.  If you have the option, go straight to Walmart’s DIY section for this craft project. 

Before

After

Spare the aggravation of smoothing out bubbles by running the duct tape vertically around the pot instead of horizontally.  This pot had a lip, so I started the duct tape under the lip and ran it straight down and underneath the bottom.  The plastic rim will become invisible as the plants grow and spill over the edge. 

When applying the duct tape, make sure to cut it away from the drainage holes.  Drainage is an important aspect of container gardening because too much water can cause root rot. 

All in all, not a bad look for under four dollars, especially considering what planters usually cost.  Ask your local plant nursery or landscaping company for spare pots, and save at least twenty-five dollars with this garden craft project.  

An Unexpected Garden Greeting

Posted by Lesley on November 2, 2010 1 comments

It’s been pretty rough around here lately - plumbing problems!  Ugh - the grossest, dirtiest, worst of all problems, and they happen to be taking place in the middle of my rose garden.  The pipe runs under the brick pavers, so John dug holes on either side of the path for now, but the bricks are inevitably next. 

Those are only half the holes; there are more.  And the holes are so big that I’ve actually considered the worst-case-scenario – Lukey falling in one!  Do you think Chili would make a miniature capsule for the rescue?  And since we’re playing make-believe…

Luke was a reluctant star playing horse for Halloween.  Back to reality…my rose garden is a piece of smelly Swiss cheese.  But in the midst of it all, out of nowhere and out of season, popped a Rain lily.  You can see it at the top of the first photo – look for a dot of pink amongst the dusty gray backdrop of disheveled ground.  Here’s a better picture of the flower:

Rain lilies bloom during the summer and after a rain storm, neither of which fits this case.  I’m taking it as a Hallmark card from the universe.  It’s either a get well card addressed to the yard or a hang in there card addressed to me.  Either way it made me stop and smile in the midst of chaos.  Thanks, Universe!