Well, I don't know if anyone heard about this, but SoCal, parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico lost power yesterday. It was surprising to say the least. And amazingly enough, most of my info came from friends on Facebook in other parts of the country who were updating to let us SoCal folks know what was going on.
We had a grand time. The portable blue-ray player wasn't charged, which was unfortunate, because entertaining two boys in the dark is hard. But the IPOD had just enough charge for the boys to watch a show while I ate dinner, by candle light. It would have been romantic, except the hubs was still at the office. Our seldom used camping equipment came in handy though! I went digging in the garage storage bins and unearthed our camping lantern. They boys thought it was fantastic. And showering by lantern was a novel experience for them. Ryle kept getting confused when he would walk into a dark room and try to turn on a light though.
The lights came on in our neighborhood right before bedtime. Everything that needed charging was quickly plugged in incase it didn't last. Most places did not get electricity restored until the wee hours of the morning. So we were extremely fortunate.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/09/power-restored-region/
It is finally a cool day again, so I will venture out to the garden and see what's been going on. Happy gardening!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Hot and humid
I had forgotten how yucky humid weather can be. We have lived in California for 8 years and I avoid traveling to the East coast during spring and summer months because I have become thoroughly wussified about the heat. Yesterday was rainy and hot, never a favorite of mine.
Phew, the East Coast came to Cali! We have A/C, but I try to avoid using it, I may relent today as it is supposed to be hotter than yesterday. I went out to the garden to check up on the garden, pick what was ready and plant out a few things that were outgrowing their starter pots. Within 10 minutes I had sweat dripping off of me.
Let's hope the plants love it though! We planted out the Tatsoi and Kale for our fall garden and more peas and fava beans. I am pleased to announce that as of today, no peas or favas were consumed by any rodents. Maybe it was a one-off incident....
Phew, the East Coast came to Cali! We have A/C, but I try to avoid using it, I may relent today as it is supposed to be hotter than yesterday. I went out to the garden to check up on the garden, pick what was ready and plant out a few things that were outgrowing their starter pots. Within 10 minutes I had sweat dripping off of me.
Let's hope the plants love it though! We planted out the Tatsoi and Kale for our fall garden and more peas and fava beans. I am pleased to announce that as of today, no peas or favas were consumed by any rodents. Maybe it was a one-off incident....
Monday, September 5, 2011
Harvest Monday, September 5, 2011 and rodent update
Happy Monday!
We've been a little MIA on Harvest Mondays lately, but we had intended to post.... I swear. (And I actually think I'm using the Royal we here.... since I'm the only one in the family to post... ah well.).
Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne and is a wonderful chance to see what home gardeners are growing around the world. Or attempting to grow.
We had a few harvests that did not get photographed or weighed, but we've been munching on garden cucumbers and beans for a bit, and of course, cherry tomatoes. We are still waiting on our Yellow Brandywines to plump up and change color.
That's it for the harvests.
WARNING ----- GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW.... STOP READING NOW IF YOU ARE DO NOT CARE TO SEE IT....
We've been having some gardening woes lately. We have been "enjoying" a nocturnal visitor to the garden. He's been snacking on newly planted pea seeds, Fava beans, and corn.
Well, what's a city gardener to do? We hustled over to Lowes, bought some rat traps and hustled over to the nursery to purchase some seeds to replant. Grrr.... Just when I thought I had a good timeline for planting.
So the first day I put out a trap next to the planter with the peas, with his second favorite garden food, cherry tomatoes (I've been picking them as they start to change color just the slightest so the rat doesn't eat them). The next morning I ventured out to find the peas eaten and the trap still set with the tomato. Arg.... But laziness prevailed and day 2 was trap with tomato again.... but IN the planter... Morning brought more missing peas and a missing tomato with an unsprung trap. Darn it! Day 3, trip to Lowes for a more sensitive trap... And peanut butter as a lure. Day 4.... new traps that I worried about getting my fingers smashed into were still unsprung and the peanut butter was gone. Old trap, next to our Fava bed, was moved.
Gotcha you big rat! (I'll admit it, it scared the crud out of me when I walked outside and actually saw the darn thing.) I know, I know, I bought a trap, I should be prepared for it to actually work, especially when I was mad when they didn't work. But Ugh, that's harsh. I made the hubby toss this poor smooshed rodent in the trash. Gross.... and now I actually have to dodge some rain to try and replant today.
Happy wet gardening. And sorry for grossing you out.
We've been a little MIA on Harvest Mondays lately, but we had intended to post.... I swear. (And I actually think I'm using the Royal we here.... since I'm the only one in the family to post... ah well.).
Harvest Monday is hosted by Daphne and is a wonderful chance to see what home gardeners are growing around the world. Or attempting to grow.
We had a few harvests that did not get photographed or weighed, but we've been munching on garden cucumbers and beans for a bit, and of course, cherry tomatoes. We are still waiting on our Yellow Brandywines to plump up and change color.
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| 2 pounds 3 1/2 oz of tomatoes |
 |
| Some very ugly corn. |
WARNING ----- GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW.... STOP READING NOW IF YOU ARE DO NOT CARE TO SEE IT....
We've been having some gardening woes lately. We have been "enjoying" a nocturnal visitor to the garden. He's been snacking on newly planted pea seeds, Fava beans, and corn.
 |
| Rat chewed corn |
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| Disappearing peas |
 |
| A hole that used to contain a Fava bean that had just started unfurling |
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| Leftover Fava shoots after the beans were consumed |
Well, what's a city gardener to do? We hustled over to Lowes, bought some rat traps and hustled over to the nursery to purchase some seeds to replant. Grrr.... Just when I thought I had a good timeline for planting.
So the first day I put out a trap next to the planter with the peas, with his second favorite garden food, cherry tomatoes (I've been picking them as they start to change color just the slightest so the rat doesn't eat them). The next morning I ventured out to find the peas eaten and the trap still set with the tomato. Arg.... But laziness prevailed and day 2 was trap with tomato again.... but IN the planter... Morning brought more missing peas and a missing tomato with an unsprung trap. Darn it! Day 3, trip to Lowes for a more sensitive trap... And peanut butter as a lure. Day 4.... new traps that I worried about getting my fingers smashed into were still unsprung and the peanut butter was gone. Old trap, next to our Fava bed, was moved.
Gotcha you big rat! (I'll admit it, it scared the crud out of me when I walked outside and actually saw the darn thing.) I know, I know, I bought a trap, I should be prepared for it to actually work, especially when I was mad when they didn't work. But Ugh, that's harsh. I made the hubby toss this poor smooshed rodent in the trash. Gross.... and now I actually have to dodge some rain to try and replant today.
Happy wet gardening. And sorry for grossing you out.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Ngo Om aka Rice Paddy Herb
Have you ever heard of Ngo Om? I discovered this through my Mom, of course.... most of my cooking is based on what I grew up with. But I have never been able to grow this herb. And it has a ridiculously short shelf life in the fridge. So every time I wanted to cook with it I would have to make a special trip to the Asian market. And while there is a new one approx 8 miles away, the good one is 17 miles away (I know because it is pretty near the hubs office). So each and every trip to the Asian grocery is a "special" trip.
So I am trying one more time to try and grow this herb. My Mom looked at me like I was wacky when I told her I had trouble growing it. She said she just sticks it in the ground and viola... growing. So I hopped on the Internet and figured out why it's voila for her and grumble for me.... humidity. We have heat out the wazoo here, but dry, dry, dry..... http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/06/growing-rice-pa.html
After reading the article, I emulated the author and potted up my ngo om I had been rooting. Ngo om is commonly called Rice Paddy herb, since I guess it grows best in the moist soil of a rice paddy. The fragrance is a mix of citrus/cilantro and just something I cannot describe. I have heard that some describe it as a sweet cumin in taste.
So I had purchased some right before our trip to SF a couple of weeks ago and plonked some of the hardier looking stems in a full cup of water before leaving. A leap of faith that it would be OK during the week we were away and wouldn't attract bugs. And as you can see, it rooted well. This part of the growing process usually goes pretty well. It's the part when I put it in soil that they just give up.
So I selected a few of the better rooted ones and put two in each container of soil. Bagged it all up, poked holes for ventilation and now I'm hoping for the best.
My finished product. I hope this works! According to the author of the website above, you never have to water the plant again. I hope I have to re-pot to bigger pots in a few weeks!
Happy gardening!
So I am trying one more time to try and grow this herb. My Mom looked at me like I was wacky when I told her I had trouble growing it. She said she just sticks it in the ground and viola... growing. So I hopped on the Internet and figured out why it's voila for her and grumble for me.... humidity. We have heat out the wazoo here, but dry, dry, dry..... http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2007/06/growing-rice-pa.html
After reading the article, I emulated the author and potted up my ngo om I had been rooting. Ngo om is commonly called Rice Paddy herb, since I guess it grows best in the moist soil of a rice paddy. The fragrance is a mix of citrus/cilantro and just something I cannot describe. I have heard that some describe it as a sweet cumin in taste.
So I had purchased some right before our trip to SF a couple of weeks ago and plonked some of the hardier looking stems in a full cup of water before leaving. A leap of faith that it would be OK during the week we were away and wouldn't attract bugs. And as you can see, it rooted well. This part of the growing process usually goes pretty well. It's the part when I put it in soil that they just give up.
So I selected a few of the better rooted ones and put two in each container of soil. Bagged it all up, poked holes for ventilation and now I'm hoping for the best.
My finished product. I hope this works! According to the author of the website above, you never have to water the plant again. I hope I have to re-pot to bigger pots in a few weeks!
Happy gardening!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
What in the world?
Yesterday I finally managed to get off my duff and start some fall (or second summer) seeds. I diligently planted out some tatsoi, bok choy, beets, swiss chard, Thai basil, cilantro, and even some cucumbers and winter melon - hey, you never know, we don't get frost until December or January.... if at all. Then I started the Fava seeds soaking and planted those out today. It's hard to start a fall or second summer garden when I am still waiting for most of my summer crops.
But when I went to go and check on the seeds started yesterday, I noticed that there were a lot of winter melon seeds on top of the soil. I at first thought I was a really sloppy planter. Then I noticed that the cucumber seeds were also on top of the soil. A closer inspection showed this:
What pest ate the insides of the seeds and left the rest there? Grrrrr..... I'm ticked.
They also ate the one Fava seed I popped in the soil before I remembered I wanted to soak them and add the inoculate when planting out. Now I am concerned for my tender Fava seeds I planted out today.
Not so happy gardening today....
But when I went to go and check on the seeds started yesterday, I noticed that there were a lot of winter melon seeds on top of the soil. I at first thought I was a really sloppy planter. Then I noticed that the cucumber seeds were also on top of the soil. A closer inspection showed this:
What pest ate the insides of the seeds and left the rest there? Grrrrr..... I'm ticked.
They also ate the one Fava seed I popped in the soil before I remembered I wanted to soak them and add the inoculate when planting out. Now I am concerned for my tender Fava seeds I planted out today.
Not so happy gardening today....
Monday, August 22, 2011
Harvest Monday(s)
Welcome to Harvest Monday, a lovely idea hosted by Daphne. Head on over and see what others are growing.
We've been a little hodge-podge on recording our harvests lately. This past week we were out of town exploring wonderful San Francisco. One of my absolute favorite places to visit. The hubs needed to be there all week for work, and the rest of the family decided it was a good time for a little vacation. But living in a hotel room for a week with two rambunctious boys, no matter how luxurious, is TOUGH!
Last Sunday morning was a flurry of activity as I put away things I had been planning on using during the week. We had 2 small bell peppers that I julienned and tossed in the fridge.
Some beans and cukes were made into fridge pickles.
Some nearly ripe cherry tomatoes were picked and left for my friend who would come by to feed the fishies.
2 enormous zucchini were shredded and tossed in the freezer.
And of course we had to pick more stuff... some Cherokee Purples, a Green Zebra, more cherry tomatoes, cukes and some beans.
A week of garden neglect produced some figs (so delicious!), some Roma and yellow wax beans, a jalapeno, a big cuke.....and...
2 pounds 9 oz of tomatoes.
We also finally had some fruit set on our Yellow Brandywine tomato. It has been shooting up to the sky, but we have had all blossom drop. And I came home to find 5 little green tomatoes.
And that's all for now, but stay tuned to see what we managed to do in San Francisco last week! Happy Gardening.
We've been a little hodge-podge on recording our harvests lately. This past week we were out of town exploring wonderful San Francisco. One of my absolute favorite places to visit. The hubs needed to be there all week for work, and the rest of the family decided it was a good time for a little vacation. But living in a hotel room for a week with two rambunctious boys, no matter how luxurious, is TOUGH!
Last Sunday morning was a flurry of activity as I put away things I had been planning on using during the week. We had 2 small bell peppers that I julienned and tossed in the fridge.
Some beans and cukes were made into fridge pickles.
Some nearly ripe cherry tomatoes were picked and left for my friend who would come by to feed the fishies.
2 enormous zucchini were shredded and tossed in the freezer.
And of course we had to pick more stuff... some Cherokee Purples, a Green Zebra, more cherry tomatoes, cukes and some beans.
A week of garden neglect produced some figs (so delicious!), some Roma and yellow wax beans, a jalapeno, a big cuke.....and...
2 pounds 9 oz of tomatoes.
We also finally had some fruit set on our Yellow Brandywine tomato. It has been shooting up to the sky, but we have had all blossom drop. And I came home to find 5 little green tomatoes.
And that's all for now, but stay tuned to see what we managed to do in San Francisco last week! Happy Gardening.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Harvest Monday August 8, 2011
Well, we missed Harvest Monday last week again, but we have been utilizing the garden! And of course I have no recollection of where I recorded the weights. We had a nice variety of things from the garden.
Favas were a last minute addition to our al fresco dinner one night, it is so nice to be able to step out the door and pick what I need to get some vegetables for dinner.
I think I did a bad, bad thing. I enjoyed our stuffed zucchini dinner last month, but the giant zucchini was from my girl friend's garden, so i decided to try my hand at growing a "big boy". We have 2, from 2 plants, but now the plants are pretty sad looking. And we haven't had a single additional zucchini from either plant in a while. Good thing we have 1 more plant! One came in at 4 pounds 15 oz and the other at 3 pounds 13 oz.
We also harvested some pickle fixings. All from the garden. Now I have to try and get a recipe that I like. Trial and error period starts.
And some more yummy yummy goodness.
So visit Daphne's Dandelions to see what people are harvesting! Happy gardening all!
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| Scarlett Runner Beans |
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| Fava Beans - I can't believe they are still going strong. |
I think I did a bad, bad thing. I enjoyed our stuffed zucchini dinner last month, but the giant zucchini was from my girl friend's garden, so i decided to try my hand at growing a "big boy". We have 2, from 2 plants, but now the plants are pretty sad looking. And we haven't had a single additional zucchini from either plant in a while. Good thing we have 1 more plant! One came in at 4 pounds 15 oz and the other at 3 pounds 13 oz.
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| Pickles, Japanese eggplant, Super Sweet 100's, Cherokee Purple tomatoes, and 2 mammoth zucchinis |
We also harvested some pickle fixings. All from the garden. Now I have to try and get a recipe that I like. Trial and error period starts.
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| Home grown cukes, grape leaves (pilfered from neighbor, but growing on my side of the fence!), dill, jalapeno, and garlic = YUM. |
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| Finished product. |
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| More Scarlett Runner Beans, SS 100's, cukes, and my first Yellow Pear tomatoes.... and my first FIG of the year! |
So visit Daphne's Dandelions to see what people are harvesting! Happy gardening all!
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