School of Yard Knocks

Harvest on the Table ~ Beet Greens and Pasta

2011-08-05T23:20:00.000-06:00

Friends, I have a confession: I've never used my beet greens for anything. I am usually amused when I see lowly beet greens mixed in with other lettuces in salads at fancy restaurants. Really? Beet leaves? My mom used beet leaves to make a variation of pyrizhky, also known as beetnik buns - pinch off a small piece of bread dough, wrap a beet leaf around it, so that it's a small oblong shape like a cabbage roll, bake, and serve with warm dilled cream and fried onions. I never liked beetnik buns. So, each spring I seed my rows of beets and once the plants are a few inches tall, I thin them out. The beet leaves go in the compost bin. Yup.

This year I decided to try something different. What if I let my beets grow a bit more before thinning them out, and then use the thinned ones for the greens? But what to do with them besides throw them in a salad?

I found a recipe for cooked beet greens at simplyrecipes.com. Scrolling through the reviews, I saw that most people praised it highly, and some offered further suggestions. One reviewer suggested mixing the cooked greens with pasta, for a sort of warm pasta salad. Sounded like a plan.

It took me a few bites to figure out what I thought. I added in an extra 1/4 tsp of dried red pepper, so there is a nice little punch. Overall, it is very good, but I think it could be "better" - from the perspective of someone who grew up on Ukrainian cooking, anyway. I think the next time I make this, I will skip the sugar and the vinegar all together. Beets + dough + bacon + onions is a very basic Ukrainian flavour combination. Heh. This could be Lazy Beetnik Buns.

Harvest on the Table ~ Lemon Saskatoon Berry Pie

2011-07-19T23:32:00.000-06:00

I made this pie for an event in 2007, and haven't made it since. The first time, I found the recipe online, but of course I couldn't find it again.

Overall, it's pretty simple - pie shell, lemon pie filling, saskatoon berry topping (whipped cream on top if you're game for the extra calories). I figured it would be easy enough to swing.

You didn't think I was actually going to make everything from scratch, did you? I did plan to make a graham cracker crust, but the premade crusts were on special, and for 50 cents extra I was willing to take the easy route. Plus, it's been so hot lately, the less I use the stove and oven, the better.

I unwrapped the pie crusts, and cooked the lemon pie filling according the package directions. For the saskatoon berry topping, I adapted a recipe from epicurious.com:

4c fresh berries (saskatoons or blueberries), cleaned and picked over
1/2c + 2T water, divided
2T cornstarch
1/2c sugar
2tsp fresh lemon juice

Place 1c of the berries and 1/2c of the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until juice starts to thicken (after 7 minutes, mine still didn't seem to have thickened, but by that point, the liquid had noticeably evaporated, so I figured it was close enough). While the berries are cooking, mix 2T cold water with the 2T of cornstarch. Once the berries are ready, add in the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, and the lemon juice. (Honestly, I didn't have fresh lemons on hand, so I just squirted in some of the stuff from my plastic lemon.) Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes, until thickened. Once it starts thickening, it will go fast, so keep an eye on it. When you have to start scraping the juices off the bottom of the pot, pull it off the heat and quickly fold in the remaining berries.

I don't know if it makes a difference or not, but I like my lemon filling to gel a bit before I put the berries on top. According to the berry recipe on epicurious, the berries can sit out on the counter for a few days, so they should be okay while you finish up the lemon pies. After pouring the filling into the shells, I refrigerated them for about 10 minutes. I then careful sprinkled and spread the berry mixture on top of the pies.

4c of berries makes just enough topping for two 8" pies. Next time, I'll probably make 5 cups of berries.

I like this recipe because it's fast and easy, and nice for the summer when you don't want to heat up your kitchen too much. It also doesn't require a lot of berries, so if you don't have too many ready yet, or if you have to buy them from your farmers' market ($$$), you can stretch them a little further.

Saskatoons are ready!

2011-07-18T22:44:00.000-06:00

The saskatoons are coming along nicely. I picked about four cups worth today. The birds are already doing a number on them, and I will have to hustle to pick them as they become ripe, but before the birds chow down on them. At $5/pound at the farmers' market, they're a precious commodity.

Four cups isn't a lot, but enough for a couple of lemon saskatoon pies. If I can get my heinie in gear tomorrow, I'll whip some up and post the recipe. If you have access to saskatoons (or blueberries), what do you do with them?

Baby Patty Pans

2011-07-17T11:14:00.001-06:00

Friends, do you remember my Veggie Report from June 25th? Sort of iffy on it? Okay, well these were my patty pan squash plants on June 25th:

These are my patty pan squash plants today, about 3 weeks later:

AND, I have a few baby patty pan squashes out there. I'm hoping I can harvest a few in a week or so.

I'd still be happy to hear your patty pan squash recipes if you have any to share.

Fertilizer Friday - I'm Baaaaaack!

2011-07-15T13:23:00.001-06:00

Tootsie over at Tootsie Time hosts Fertilizer Friday each week, where participants fertilize their flowers and post photos of their gardens. I like the meme because I''m not good at remembering to fertilize, or rather when the last time I fertilized was! I took a break from Fertilizer Fridays last year, but decided to give it a go whenever I can this year.

This is what's happening at the School of Yard Knocks this Fertilizer Friday:

Wave petunias in a whiskey barrel. I bought these at the end of June for $6 for two packages at Canadian Tire. They were pretty sad looking when I bought them, but I'm hopeful they will still flourish.

More of my bargain wave petunias:

My Therese Bugnet rugrosa finished her first round of blooms about 7-10 days ago, but is putting out new flowers again.

My beloved yarrow:

I have tomatoes! I'm embarassed to say that I didn't even know I had baby tomatoes until I took my camera out there today to take these pictures.

I also have baby zucchini! This is one of the yellow ones, but I also have baby green ones.

My patty pan squash plants are HUGE and putting out the blooms:

Two barrels of petunias in the foreground. They don't get a lot of sun, but I'm hoping they'll still get a little bigger.

My clematis really does have buds! I can't wait for them to open.

The first raspberries are *almost* ready (I had one the other day, and they are still on the sour side, but I couldn't resist).

What's happening in your garden this Friday?

Another Diaper Cake

2011-07-12T22:55:00.006-06:00

My niece Marissa gave birth to her second child in April. Her nursery theme was yellow with bees. I found some cute yellow bee things (including a few little Gymboree outfits on eBay!).

One idea that I incorporated - and I'll freely admit I got this idea from a seller on etsy.com who had a bee diaper cake for sale - was adding Burt's Bees baby products to the inside of the cake.

I also tried draping a baby blanket over the middle tier, which nicely covered the top and sides of the middle tier as well as the top of the bottom tier.

I decided to keep the "icing" decorations on this one pretty plain. I put bee theme ribbon around each tier, mostly as a way to keep the baby blankets in place (and on the top tier, the burb cloths). Two pairs of bee-themed socks are diaper-pinned to the middle tier. Some scrapbooking bee punchies are zotted to the top tier. And the whole thing is topped off with a bee toy and some yellow facecloth rosettes.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. It looks a little lumpy, frankly, but that's to be expected I guess. Probably with more frou-frou for icing, the lumpiness is less noticeable.

For more detailed instructions on creating a diaper cake, see my post about the monkey cake.

Room with a View

2011-07-12T19:59:00.000-06:00

Looking out from my bedroom window. Thanks Mom for creating this beautiful space!

Inspiration Station

2011-07-11T10:08:00.000-06:00

Friends, I have a problem. I have no idea what to do with this area of the yard. It's rather large - I'm going to guess about 12' wide x 20' deep? Some of the plants in this area were established by Mom. When she was alive, there was a large strawberry patch in the foreground. The summer she was sick, one of my aunts and her daughter-in-law came and took a lot of the strawberry plants (I am sure that was done with my mom's blessing, but it left a large hole in the garden). There were a few stragglers left, and I gave them to friends the next summer. I'm not sure strawberries would have done well with Gabe and Archie tromping through them anyway.

Since then, it's basically just a weed haven. I have no landscape designer abilities whatsoever. I really don't need more growing space. I was thinking of making cement blocks and putting them down here. I envision weeds still growing between the blocks, and it's not a vision I'm keen to see to fruition.

Does anyone have any ideas for me?

Jacki and the Beanstalk

2011-07-08T21:12:00.001-06:00

Kentucky Wonder pole beans are starting to climb.

Water Barrels

2011-07-06T22:33:00.002-06:00

The City of Saskatoon has been experiencing problems at its water treatment plant since early June. A mandatory ban on outdoor water usage was put into place for a few weeks, with a $300 fine to be levied on anyone breaking the ban. Now, we are allowed to use sprinklers for a few hours a week (or we can fill a pail or watering can at any time and water that way). The City has been encouraging people to use water barrels.

At the School of Yard Knocks, water barrels are a way of life. The ones I use were cheap to buy and no-frills (no screen, no tap). My parents always stressed that rain water was better for plants than the chlorinated water from the sprinklers. It's "free" too - other than the cost of setting things up. I have four 60-gallon water barrels - two off one downspout at the garage and two off one downspout off the back of the house. I am currently down to about 30 gallons. It's been hot and dry for a couple of weeks.

Usually, when all four barrels are bone dry, I will fill one each at the house and the garage with water from the hose, and let that sit for a few days. My parents said the chlorine would evaporate (is that true? I don't know). I'm hoping we might get an unexpected rain shower before the weekend.

Do you use rain barrels? How many do you have in your garden? I'm considering getting a few more.

Laundry Day

2011-07-03T20:59:00.002-06:00

Who else out there line dries their laundry? No bottled detergent or fabric softener can beat that scent.

I found my clematis!

2011-07-01T00:21:00.000-06:00

Okay, I found it a few weeks ago while weeding, but I did find it. I totally forgot it was out there, and frankly I never expected it to survive the winter. Tootsie over in Red Deer has a beautiful Jackmanii clematis; and I read an article last year in Gardens West magazine about clematis on the prairies as well. The Gardens West article suggested planting the clematis root at an angle, so that spring melt doesn't pool around it. Between the two of them, I figured I might as well give it a try - it's a beautiful plant. It's still pretty small, but it seems to be putting out buds. Fingers are crossed.

Idyllic Scents and Colours

2011-06-29T21:47:00.001-06:00

My yard smells beautiful this year. The lilacs are really pumping out the scent, and the frequent rains keep everything fresh. My peonies are adding beautiful colour as well.

I don't think I've posted a photo of my lilac tree before. I think it may need to be pruned? I don't know anything about lilacs - my parents planted it.

I got this peony plant at Canadian Tire a couple years ago. I am not sure of the variety.

An iris, planted by my mom. My Auntie Mary says my mom was really frustrated that her irises never came up or bloomed. Well, they do now mama :-) (There may actually be an upside to not being as obsessive about weeding as you were!)

And these peonies were planted by my mom as well:

Gardens are a LOT of work, but certainly worth it. Don't you agree?

My "Herb" Bed

2011-06-27T20:00:00.002-06:00

Two years ago, I moved my herb bed frame out of a shaded area of the garden and into the sun. I spent some time figuring out how to deter the dogs from walking on my plants, and how to pretty the whole thing up. I blogged about that project in a serial extending over Part One and Part Two.

Since then, the bed has become nicely established. It is surrounded by yarrow, which is threatening to take the whole thing over, but I do love my yarrow, so I'm not pulling it out (yet). This year, for the first time ever (cue drum roll please!) two of my perennial herbs survived the winter. I'm not sure what I did differently. My Auntie Mary warned me about planting peppermint because she said it would be invasive, but I've had to replant all mints annually. This year, though, my spearrmint and my oregano (!) both survived the winter. The chives are also doing well in their converted canner planter. I stuck a few more herbs in there (trailing rosemary, chocolate mint, and another oregano plant, which I bought before I realized last year's survived). I always put some flowers in for colour too.

The view from my deck:

Quadrant 1 is mostly herbs. Top row: oregano, rosemary. Middle row: chocolate mint, petunia in shoe. Bottom row: spearmint and another petunia.

Quadrant 2: snapdragons in the upper left; yarrow on the bottom left, chives on the right.

Quadrant 3 is mostly flowers, with daisies (which also survived the winter) in the basket on the left, yarrow in the bottom centre, and my new oregano plant on the right. Snapdragons here and there for colour.

Quadrant 4: the yarrow took over one of the herb containers, and scarlet runner beans are planted at the base of the trellis.

And now for the Veggie Report ...

2011-06-25T18:28:00.000-06:00

My veggies are coming along nicely. We've had a good mix of rain and sunshine over the past few weeks.

I went a little crazy with my tomato purchases this year. I have no idea what I was doing but I ended up with way too many tomato plants. I have 17 planted and I sent 5 home with my Auntie Mary this morning. I know I have Lemon Boys and Sweet Millions, but there are at least two other varieties out there. Will make a note the next time I go out (it's currently raining).

In addition to my usual bed of tomatoes, I stuck a row down the centre of this bed as well. Those are beets on the sides.

National Pickling cucumbers.

Patty Pan squash (also known as Sunburst or scallop squash).

Kentucky Wonder pole beans and zucchini. I have two beds planted like this - one with Gold Rush zucchini and one with black zucchini.

Crop Circles and Roses

2011-06-22T22:52:00.003-06:00

I finally came in at 10pm tonight. It was a lovely night - lots of light and not too hot; made good progress on my weeding. I think I may have stayed out there too long though. Someone (I'm guessing his name starts with "G") made himself a comfy place to sleep in my flower bed:

My own little crop circle! How precious. (Insert heavy sarcasm here.)

Those flowers may have taken a bit of a beating, but my Therese Bugnet rugosa is going gangbusters. I bought it in August 2009. It's quite well established and needs very little care. I highly recommend it for Zone 2-3 gardens. The Persian Yellow that I bought last year didn't put out shoots this spring. I replaced it with another Therese Bugnet ($16 at Canadian Tire!).

My own Little Garden of Weedin'

2011-06-15T22:54:00.002-06:00

I took time off work in early May to get some yard work done, but that didn't work out very well. I got my cast off on May 2, and it took a full week before I could walk without crutches. Then it was a matter of being able to stand or kneel for more than a few minutes at a time. I'm walking well now, but I have a lot of catching up to do with the yard. In the meantime, I started selling homemade dog cookies and dog food at the Farmers' Market every Sunday. I've been spending my Saturdays baking and my Sundays at the Market. My garden has been sorely neglected.

I'm reluctant to post pictures that would showcase my weeds in all their glory, so let's just do close-ups for now. Therese Bugnet rose bud unfurling:

Chive flowers. These are edible and surprisingly hot!

A peony bud ready to pop.

Yarrow buds.

The hanging basket I bought my mom for Mother's Day is flourishing.

The front yard is doing very well this year. Most of the gout weed died off last year due to some mysterious disease/fungus thingie. It came back, but in the interim, I think the other plants had a chance to get better established. Usually you can't see the ferns for all the gout weed; and I noticed an iris blossom out there today.

If it wasn't for the weeds, I'd be pretty happy with how well the garden is doing. With the veggies, my beans, zucchini, and cucumbers are all sprouted; and I'm sure I saw a few tiny beets popping out here and there. All my seedlings (patty pan squash, several varieties of tomatoes and herbs, and flowers) are doing well too.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T23:17:00.001-06:00

My Auntie Mary - Mom's sister - dropped by for her usual Saturday morning visit yesterday. She was surprised, and I think dismayed, to see that I had purchased a few hanging baskets. It's pretty early for flowers here. The overnight lows are still close to 0. But when I explained I bought this one for Mom, Auntie Mary understood. I'll just bring them in for the night, for the next week or two. I just can't let Mother's Day pass by.

Making a Diaper Cake

2011-03-23T23:48:00.003-06:00

A coworker recently had a baby boy and the rest of us at work chipped in for a shower gift. I offered to make a diaper cake. It's my second attempt at making one - and I learned the basics by surfing the net. There's lots of good ideas out there.

Start by rolling up disposable diapers. I used 59 of the 60 diapers in the package for this cake (better one left over than one short!). I tied each diaper with curly ribbon.

A tall round item needs to go in the centre of the bottom tier - it will extend into the centre of the next tier, adding stability. While surfing different sites about this, I read that a glass baby bottle or a bottle of wine or champagne (assuming the new mom isn't breastfeeding!) makes a good centrepost. While shopping for baby things, I found many tall cylindrical bottles of baby stuff (shampoo, soap, etc.) that would also work.

Start by arranging rolled diapers in one row around the middle bottle and tie them together. Again, I used curly ribbon.

Add a second row of rolled diapers around the first and tie; and then a third row. At this point, I start removing diapers here and there, and replacing them with other things - small containers of powder and lotion, wipes, rolled up baby clothes. You can also tuck in things like gift cards.

Once your bottom tier is filled, start working on the next tier, by wrapping a row of rolled diapers around the top of the bottle/cylinder. Tie it off; and add a second row. You can also remove a few diapers from this tier and add in any little things that will fit.

The centre bottle won't extend into the third tier - it will just be loose on top of the cake. Use a rolled up diaper in the centre; arrange a row of rolled diapers around it, and tie it off. It's difficult to remove diapers at this stage, but not impossible. (On the first diaper cake I made, I made this tier entirely of baby clothes; if they're arranged nicely, there is really no need to "ice" a tier like that.)

I added a fourth tier to this cake (more on that below), but three tiers is a nice size.

Once I had all the tiers tied and stacked, I started playing with the "icing" details, trying to see what looked best (and how to make those board books work!).

End result:

Bottom tier: I folded a plain white receiving blanket on the diagonal, and then continued to fold it over at 4" intervals until I had a long white rectangle. I wrapped this around the bottom layer of diapers; and placed a ribbon around it. Then, on top of this layer, I placed facecloths (also folded on the diagonal), to drape over the bottom tier.

Second tier: Draped four bibs over the second tier, and pinned on socks with diaper pins.

Third tier: Folded another receiving blanket into a 4" wide rectangle and wrapped it around the tier; topped with a ribbon.

Top tier: Added this one because I didn't know what else to do with the Curious George board books. I folded another receiving blanket and placed the books in the middle; then pulled the corners up and tied them together in the centre, to make the poof.

The large stuffed monkey peeking around the cake is tacked on with diaper pins; and is wearing a monkey-themed hat that is for the baby.

The smaller monkey on the left is actually a rattle. The monkey rattle and the booties are just placed on the tray, not attached in any way to the cake.

One thing I ended up NOT doing, but I think is kind of cool, is make rosettes out of facecloths:

You just fold them on the diagonal, and then keep folding down until you get a thin bias rectangle, about 1/2" wide, and then roll the rectangle up into a circle. Push the centre out a bit from the bottom.

Many thanks to my colleagues at DSS for entrusting this task to me :-)

My things

2011-01-30T19:14:00.001-06:00

I miss my things.

I love old things. Nothing fancy. Nothing really old. I love stuff from the 1930s through the 1950s, and especially kitchen things - dishes, crockery, pitchers, pots, rolling pins, cookie cutters. I like things that are careworn, and seem to have a story to tell. Things that were used.

My baba and gido (my mom's mom and dad) moved to "town" (Prud'homme, Saskatchewan) when I was about four years old. My memories of going to visit them on the farm are pretty dim, but what I remember best was my baba's kitchen. This was in the early 70s, and she was still using a wood and coal stove to cook on. I remember the kitchen itself pretty clearly, and especially some of the dishes. She has this beautiful carnival glass sugar bowl and creamer, that I assume she brought out for company. She also had yellow plaid dishes - what I've learned as an adult were made by Hycroft, and were the Calico pattern.

When my baba passed away, I was asked if there was anything that I wanted from her house. I asked for any of the yellow plaid dishes that might be left. There was one dinner plate and one soup bowl. My aunts laughed at me, thinking it was a silly thing to ask for. Apparently these dishes were given out for free at grocery stores - if you spent $X this week, you got a dinner plate; next week it was the coffee cup.

I don't really understand why I love these dishes so much, but I do. Over the years, I've been lucky to stumble on more at thrift shops and have spent a pretty penny buying them on eBay. Once I was at a church rummage sale, and found four teacup and saucer sets in a different Hycroft pattern - and knowing their value, left a hefty donation in addition to the 10 cents per set they charged me.

I have a fair collection now. I don't have a full set in any one colour, but I like mixing and matching the colours anyway - it looks so pretty on the table. I've been amazed to find out that there are huge serving platters, serving bowls, cream and sugar sets, and coffee mugs in addition to all the other dishes in the set. I've also picked up other patterns when I can, and have a soft spot for Dolly Dots.

When I lived upstairs, my dad hung plate rails for me, so that I could display my plates - and I had lots of space to diplay my other motley collections too. Downstairs, there isn't any place to "display" things.

A few weeks ago, I had a lightbulb moment. What if I turned this:

Into this:

It's maybe a little crazy. But I love it. And it's me.

This is why I don't blog in the winter

2011-01-20T14:37:00.001-06:00

There isn't much going on at the School of Yard Knocks in the winter other than a whole lot of shoveling. I do have some indoor projects going on. I changed my kitchen faucet in November; sewed kitchen curtains (finally!) in December. I have an idea for decorating one bare wall in my kitchen. I just never seem to remember to take pictures of the indoor projects. I'll try and do a before-and-after of my wall decor attempts.

Happy winter!

Save the Bees!

2011-01-19T08:26:00.002-06:00

I can see that there there aren't enough bees in my veggie garden. I have to hand pollinate my squashes because the bees just can't do it. According to Avaaz.org:

Quietly, globally, billions of bees are dying, threatening our crops and food. But a global ban of one group of pesticides could save bees from extinction.

Four European countries have begun banning these poisons, and some bee populations are recovering. But chemical companies are lobbying hard to keep all killer pesticides on the market. A global outcry now for a ban in the US and EU, where debate is raging, could provoke a total ban and a ripple effect around the world.

Let’s build a giant global buzz calling for these dangerous chemicals to be outlawed in the US and EU until and unless they are proved to be safe. Sign the petition to save bees and our crops and send this to everyone.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/?copy

Yup, it's fall!

2010-09-12T21:06:00.001-06:00

Cooking up Patty Pan Squash

2010-08-23T18:43:00.002-06:00

I cooked up my first patty pan (or scallop or sunburst) squash today. I've never grown them before. I posted a picture of a baby one on August 1; three weeks later, it was about 4" across. I had no idea how big they were supposed to get before you pick them, so I finally googled today. The one I picked was on the big side of the scale - apparently, you want them no more than 3-4" across, preferably smaller. Who knew?

I've never cooked patty pan squash before either, so I also googled that while I was at it. Apparently, the easiest way is simply to prick the skin and then steam them for 5-6 minutes. We all know that "easy" has no appeal for me, so I went with a different recipe - chop up the squash, dot with butter, sprinkle with parmesan and whatever spices your heart desires, and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

The parmesan had a Mediterranean feel to it, so my heart decided to desire an Italian seasoning mix plus a dash of salt.

End result - it takes much longer than 15 minutes, though maybe my pieces were too big (methinks not, 15 minutes seemed terribly optimistic right from the get go). Plan for 30-45minutes, depending on the size of your pieces. The smell is heavenly, and the squash is pretty darn tasty. Might try this again down the road, but for the time being, I will likely try other ways, just to see if there's something better.

Anyone have a recipe for me?

Flash Photography at Dusk

2010-08-15T22:53:00.000-06:00

I had no idea. I don't think I've ever tried using the flash at that time of day before - not quite light, not quite dark. Made for some beautiful pictures though!

Off to the Fair

2010-08-15T19:14:00.000-06:00

I'm having a fabulous weekend. Yesterday I went to the fair. Today is Archie's adoption anniversary, which I also designated as his birthday. Needless to say, I didn't do a lot of yardwork this weekend, which is just fine with me. It's nice to have a break now and then.

You can't go to the fair without going on the rides. My friend Tracy and I hit all our old favourites. One I didn't get a picture of was the Tilt-a-Whirl, which was the favourite ride of both Tracy's mom and mine. I think we both though of our moms when we were on that one.

And, of course, the Spider has been around longer than I have.

I think this is The Inverter and you couldn't pay me enough money to get on it. But it made for a cool picture.

This is the Vertigo and I think I could do this one. But Tracy isn't fond of heights, so we skipped.

The Ferris Wheel! Does anyone NOT have a ferris wheel story? I did this one by myself, once it got dark. They stuck me in a bucket with four prepubescent girls, one of whom thought it was great fun to reach out to the support bars and use those to push the bucket, making it rock. I was hanging on to the centre post with one hand, and the edge of the bucket with the other - even without the rocking. I let her get away with it on one go-round, but on the next I asked her stop.

The Wave Swing. My mom never let me go on this when I was a kid. I rode it for the first time just a few years ago. I love it!

This one we did not ride. Thank goodness! Just too much spinning for my comfort.

The Ring of Fire. Tracy tells me that when they stop the cars at the top, you can hear the change from everyone's pockets dropping on the ground below.

The Zipper. When I was kid, the amusement companies would come through and set up a small number of rides at shopping malls. One year, when I was about 10, I went to one of the shopping mall mini-fairs with my cousin, who was also about 10. We went on the Zipper together. The lap bar didn't lock properly, and it was pretty scary hanging on inside the bucket. I will never ride the Zipper again.

I've never attempted this ride - they don't make strong enough Gravol for me to attempt it. Nice picture, though.

And, the Wave Swing at night.

The Ferris Wheel at night.

Just as important as the rides, of course, is the food. My favourite fair food is the candy apple. You just can't get the same kind anywhere but the fair. I'm also partial to cotton candy and sno cones. The three food groups of sugar, sugar, and sugar do not a balanced meal make, so I balanced things out with souvlaki and nachoes, lol

Everyone raves about elephant ears, but I've never had them at the fair. My mom made them at home, so she thought they were a waste of money (for the same reason, she never ate spaghetti at a restaurant). I guess because they don't have the nostalgia factor for me, I'm fine skipping them.

I did get a sno cone though!

Told ya! I don't think I've ever had any flavour but lime.

Of course, there are always other activities at the fair. We stopped to watch Dock Dogs for awhile. It's a contest that anyone can enter her dog in. The dog chases the lure off the dock, and whichever dog flies the furthest wins.

Tracy also wanted to see SuperDogs, which was fine by me. I've never seen them. Definitely worth seeing.

And, then, the Showcase of the Arts. Some years I do this, some years not. Tracy wanted to go, so we did. We mostly concentrated on the sketches/paintings, but the quilts were lined up right at the front. I used to quilt a lot. I love piecing them together. Not so much the actual quilting process :P

Showcase of the Arts entry.

And, last but not least, you've got to play at least a few games. Tracy was surprised when I called this "gambling." It's what my family always called it - and basically, it is - you pay money and you take your chances. There's no skill involved and everything's fixed. Sounds like a gamble to me! Still, I'm a sucker for Whac-a-Mole.

And sometimes I even win ;-)

I've hit Gold!

2010-08-09T21:57:00.001-06:00

I harvested my first Gold Rush zucchini yesterday. I've learned the hard way that you have to handpick the blossoms off the ends of these guys. They don't drop off on their own; and once the blossoms go soft, the zucchini starts to go bad too. The colour is a lovely punch, and the fruit is firmer than the dark green zucchinis I usually grow. Once zukes start producing, you have to check on them pretty much daily anyway. One day, it's just a blossom; three days later you've got a zucchini as big as your arm. If you don't mind pinching the blossoms off, give these a try.

August 1 ~ Flowers

2010-08-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

Persian yellow rose, planted this May

Yarrow again ... I already posted a picture of it about a week ago, but it's so pretty

Wave petunias and impatiens in a barrel - these could use some more fertilizing

More petunias

I don't know what these are. They were a gift and for some reason I didn't stick the plastic tag in the pot, like I usually do.

And, yet, more petunias. The colour is almost electric.

August 1 ~ Veggies

2010-08-01T21:22:00.000-06:00

One of the coolest things about keeping a garden blog (or scrapbook, or notebook, or photojournal, whathaveyou) is being able to easily compare your garden from year to year.

Skimming through my 2009 posts, I see that my beans vines weren't even at the top of the trellis on July 31; there were very few blooms and no pickable beans. And here, in 2010, I am eating fresh beans on August 1 :-) All my veggies are coming along.

Scallop squash, still tiny, but I've never planted them before so I have no idea how fast they grow from this point

Royal Burgandy beans, ready to pick and eat!

My tiny zucchini plant, still holding its own

Sweet millions cherry tomatoes

Teeny tiny jalepeno

The Neglected Garden

2010-07-23T13:08:00.000-06:00

According to the Weather Network (which I don't believe at all), we have six (count 'em, 1-2-3-4-5-6) upcoming days that are supposed to be rain-free.

Good weather + indoor projects completed = time for outside work.

Despite my neglect up to this point, the garden is doing fairly well. I haven't fertilized anything yet because nothing has needed water. In fact, I watered my flowers for the very first time on July 13 - and then only some of them.

So, this is what's happening at the School of Yard Knocks:

Super Fantastic tomatoes

Kentucky Wonder pole beans reaching for the sky

Gold Rush Zucchini. I have a few Dark Green Zucchini that are a little larger than this, but I wanted to show off the yellow one.

National Pickling cucumbers, not understanding the point of the teepee trellis yet. I think I'm going to string a line of twine from pole to pole, near the bottom, so that the plants have something to initially grab onto.

The first (early!) sunflower of the year

Raspberries

Yarrow

More yarrow

Himalayan impatiens going crazy. I've never seen them this tall; they're easily over 5 feet.

Pansy

Begonia

Indoor Projects - Almost Done!

2010-07-23T10:50:00.000-06:00

The china cabinet is coming along. All I need to do is reinstall the hardware and put the glass back in. Lookin' good, methinks.

And I'm looking forward to getting some outside work done.

Teeny Tiny Zucchini

2010-07-22T09:38:00.000-06:00

My garden has been sorely neglected lately, what with the indoor projects and the rain. I should be able to focus just on the yard, beginning this weekend, and I am looking forward to that.

I meant to do something about this little zucchini weeks ago, but never got around to it. I planted this seed at the same time as all the other zucchini seeds. It germinated a little later, but not so much so that I was worried about it. It is growing. It keeps sending out leaves. It's just not getting bigger. I planned to move it to a pot, and then transplant another zuke into its place, but I think it's too late for that now. Ah well. I'm curious if this thing will actually put out blossoms and tiny little zucchini, about the size of baby carrots? hmmm ...

Rainy Saskatoon Summer

2010-07-13T10:58:00.000-06:00

The amount of rain we are having this year has been just phenomenal. This summer, it has been rare to go longer than 24 hours without rain, and when we do get it, we get a lot. The pictures below are from Friday, July 2.

Thankfully, we are holding up well at the School of Yard Knocks. I took part of my summer vacation in late May/early June, and was able to get my garden in, in between rainstorms. Many working people were not as lucky - they didn't have the same planting window. For others, it wasn't the endless rain, but the amount of it, puddling in their gardens, making it impossible to rototill or plant. My aunt's seed potatoes rotted in the ground. Another reason to be thankful for my raised beds - they drain well.

Worse still than gardening issues, many people I know have had their basements flooded. Many have been running sump pumps continuously for more than a month. The water tables are so high, that water just keeps seeping into the basements, even when it's not raining.

My workplace was flooded in the rains of June 29/30.

And the farming economy in this area has been devastated.

Other than a small leak in my roof (fixed a few weeks ago by a friend), and handling Archie's fear of thunder, we have been very lucky and I am counting my blessings.

Refinishing the China Cabinet

2010-07-13T00:18:00.000-06:00

As if taking two weeks to repaint my kitchen wasn't enough, I also embarked on repainting my china cabinet. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment. I had thought about refinishing it for years; and now, with the new paint on the walls, it's time.

I bought a kit to do this with, years ago. You start by painting an ivory base, distress, stain the distressed bits, seal.

I took a 4-day long weekend, beginning on Canada Day, July 1. I figured, "Four days. No probs." You'd think I'd know better by now.
The probs, in a nutshell:

I actually needed three coats, about one coat per kit. I had only one kit.
Saturday, July 3 was basically a write-off, between a visit from my aunt in the morning, running out of paint for the first time, and a 7-hour concert (The Blind Boys of Alabama at the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, whoo!)
Painting doors of any kind takes a really long time; painting paned doors takes a super duper long time.
Distressing takes a lot of elbow grease.
We finally had two straight days of good weather over the past weekend (July 10/11), so I spent most of my time working in the garden.

However, I persevered. Am persevering. Because it ain't done yet. *sigh*

Started by removing all hardware and glass, sanding all surfaces, and separating buffet from hutch (and by the way, the hutch is still on my table, as of July 12).

The first kit sat around my house for a good 2 years or more. Obviously the paint needed a little more than a stir. Sometimes, my pack-rat-y-ness comes in handy, as here, where I use an old extra beater on my electric beater, to do the honours.

Three coats later, looking good!

And, starting the distressing:

It's only Monday, so with a lot of luck and elbow grease, I may have this sucker done by the end of the coming weekend. Knocking wood. Crossing fingers. Casting spells. Cursing under my breath.

Mactac!

2010-07-12T23:55:00.000-06:00

They still have it at WalMart. And the groovy dots and colours are perfect for my kitchen. Yay!

Painting the Kitchen ~ Day %$*#!

2010-06-10T23:13:00.000-06:00

No really, I'm done painting. I'm thrilled. I love it. But, I'm tired.

I still need to strip the old paint off about half of my hinges. I googled for ideas on how to do this, and found one where you boil the hinges on your stovetop, in a mixture of water and baking soda. Works like a charm! Then, I can put the cupboards back together and start putting my stuff back in the cupboards.

And, hopefully, in the mess, find my (expletive deleted) camera cord.
That's all. Goodnight.

12 July 2010 Picture Update:

The lighting isn't great in this picture - it all looks a little yellowed. Please see other pics for a more accurate idea of the colours. But, here is the finished paint job on the cabinets:

Opposite cabinets:

And, getting my furniture in place:

Hinges before and after:

Painting the Kitchen ~ Day 7

2010-06-07T23:45:00.000-06:00

Still missing my camera cable; still no pictures.

So, it seems like my plan to wrap things up by Monday was a little optimistic. Okay, wildly optimistic. That said, I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for taking awhile to get this done. It's my vacation, after all. I'm not painting 8 or 10 hours a day - I'm reading and napping and taking the dogs to the dogpark and watching a few episodes of Sex and the City every night. And gardening; oh yes, a little of that too.

The cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and the walls up to the plate rails are turquoise (Behr's Premium Plus Ultra Spring Stream), and those are all done, with two coats on and dry. I took all the finished cabinet doors off (scraping through about 4 layers of old paint to get to the screw slots on the hinges), so that it would be easier to paint the interiors. Most of the rest of the kitchen will be "cream" (Behr's Premium Plus Ultra Artist's Canvas). I have two coats of that on the walls, but only one coat on the ceiling and inside the cabinets. I need to decide whether I'm going to do a second coat inside the cabinets or not. It looks pretty good as is, and you won't actually see that much of it. It's pretty clear my mom and dad only did one coat of yellow when they painted; but it still feels like cheating. At any rate, I still have to do a second coat on the ceiling and on the cabinet fronts. I also have to do start the insides of the drawers.

If I can do as much tomorrow as I did today, I'll have everything done except the trim.

I've been thinking a lot about Mactac lately. Does anyone still use that? Does anyone sell it? Looking online, it seems like it is marketed as an adhesive, rather than as a peel and still cupboard liner. I have some vintage wallpaper in the basement. I wonder how it would hold up as a cupboard liner? hmmm ....

btw, it looks amazing

12 July 10 Picture Update:

Here we are with all the cupboard doors removed (and Gabe's butt in the foreground).

Painting the Kitchen ~ Day 5

2010-06-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

No pictures today. I can't find the cable to connect my camera to the computer. I was hoping I could continue working mornings in the garden and afternoons in the kitchen, but the chaos is driving me crazy. I am going to do a big push on the painting today and tomorrow and then will hopefully wrap up by Monday.

Where am I at? Let's see .... Wallpaper border all stripped off; all shiny sufaces sanded down, hardware removed. Most of the spackling is done, except for a few big spots that I've had to keep repatching, trying to even them out. The cabinet doors and drawers all have the first coat done. I've cut in some of the wall area. And that's pretty much my update. Hopefully I can find my camera cable at some point, so that I can show the colours.

I keep wondering what my mom and dad would say. I know my mom loved her yellow kitchen. But, it was time to paint, so I might as well have some fun with it, right? I think they'd mostly be happy that I am just doing something.

12 July 10 Update: I finally found my camera cord; yes, about a month after I lost it. Hey, at least I found it!

So, pictures.

About a year ago, I had a plumbing issue, and the plumber went through my kitchen wall before realizing the pipes were actually in the bathroom. Duh. It seemed silly to hire someone to come and fix such a small thing, but I had no idea how to do it myself, esp. as the walls in the house are plaster (my dad was a drywaller by trade, and I helped him on many a job, but plaster I don't know). I'm sure I did it all wrong, but I'm proud of myself all the same. I'd say the dimensions were maybe 8ish inches by 4ish inches. I used the waterproof gyproc, 'cause that's all I had on hand.

So, once I was all spackled up, the next thing was figuring out what to paint where. I initially planned to paint the top part of the wall turquoise and the bottom cream. It very quickly became apparent that the amount of cutting in between the turquoise upper wall and the cream ceiling was more cutting in than I ever want to do. I went with turquoise on the bottom half of the wall (*wink*). I think it was the right decision anyway ... I think the turquoise on top might have ended up being too dark; I think having the upper walls and ceiling the same colour makes the walls seem higher too.

And, so, once I got the sorted out, things started looking up.

And the first coat on the cabinets (keep in mind that the background is still yellow):

PS to Painting the Kitchen ~ Day 1

2010-06-01T23:27:00.000-06:00

I decided to rewatch the entire Sex and the City tv series while I am on vacation. I got to Season 1, Episode 11 tonight, and there's Carrie painting her kitchen! She of the $485 shoes and regular manicures. I don't believe we ever see her taking out the garbage or plunging the toilet, so I was a little surprised she would paint her kitchen by herself. Clearly my job isn't as "big" as I think it is! I try to cover my embarassment by thinking "well she never eats at home, and I think she only ever actually 'cooks' fondue once in the entire six years of the series, so she probably doesn't have as much stuff to pull out of her cabinets as I do." Yah, whatever. Suck it up, buttercup. If Carrie can do it, you can too.

Painting the Kitchen ~ Day 1

2010-06-01T19:10:00.000-06:00

I have needed/wanted to paint my kitchen for some time now.

There are two things holding me back: it's a BIG job, and it's the last room I haven't done anything to yet. Sure, I hung up my own clock, added the countertop dishwasher, and put some of my own stuff in the cabinets, but otherwise, it looks pretty much exactly like my mom and dad had it. The flip side is that it is looking pretty gungry. The paint and arborite on the cabinets is chipped. My foster beagle, Annie, suffered from separation anxiety, and tried to dig her way through a door frame, which is still shredded. Just a little bit, but still, should be fixed. I never did like the wallpaper border - a country theme of strawberry baskets and flowers. A while back, a piece of the border became unstuck from the wall and I became obsessed with getting it off. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning peeling flecks of the border off the wall. I never did get all of it off, but there is a weird white strip where part of it used to be.

So, like it or not, it's time. I have this terrible feeling that I'm going to end up documenting this like "Painting the Kitchen - Day 34." Please, if you're reading this, send me productive wishes!

Day 1: I worked in the garden in the morning, had lunch, and a snuggle with Gabe n Arch. I didn't actually get going on the kitchen until almost 2:00, but then I worked for a good 4 hours plus. And, I boogied! I started by hauling everything from the china cabinet into the basement; and then I moved the china cabinet into the living room. Then the remainder of my stuff was crammed into the china cabinet or relegated to the basement.

The plan for Day 2: Clear off the countertops, wash everything down, remove the rest of the wallpaper border. If I'm lucky, I might start patching and sanding.

The sink area BEFORE:

The china cabinet area BEFORE:

Yay, cabinets empty!

Yay, china cabinet out of the road!

Wallpaper border, be gone!

Veggies slowly getting planted

2010-05-29T19:12:00.000-06:00

It has been raining most of the week here, putting a damper (da da da dum!) on much garden work.

I did manage to get most of my vegetables in - we had a dry hour or two here and there. This year I planted (or have ready to plant once the rain breaks):

6 Super Fantastic tomato plants (love these!)
1 Celebrity tomato plant (a gift; the first time I've tried this variety)
2 Lemon boy tomato plants (these will go into barrels - still not planted)
2 Sweet Millions tomato plants (the best cherry tomatoes I've ever grown, which also still need to be planted into barrels)
Kentucky Wonder pole beans (they did so well last year!)
Royal Burgandy beans
Dark Green zucchini (a staple in my garden)
Gold Rush zucchini (first time I'm trying this one)
Butternut squash (first time I'm trying these)
Yellow scallop squash (first time I'm trying these too)
National Pickling cucumbers (I've never even tried any other varieties)
Sugar Snap peas
Detroit Dark Red beet seeds that I had left over plus Formanova beets (first time I'm trying the Formanovas, which are cylindrical)
white and yellow onion sets, which a neighbour passed over because she had too many
6 Jalepeno plants (still need to be planted in barrels)

I also put some herbs in my herb bed, but I'm too lazy to go out in the rain to double check the tags. I think I put in: peppermint, Greek oregano, parsley, and ... some kind of sage??

Last year, I put epsom salts into each hole I dug for a tomato plant. This year, of course I forgot to buy epsom salts. Hoping to get the tomatoes in before the rain hit, I decided to try out one of my mom's tricks:

A banana peel in the bottom of each hole (it releases potassium).

So, I got the tomatoes in and caged, and the bed "fenced" with plastic chicken wire.

The "chicken wire" is not to deter chickens, but rather monkeys. Otherwise, my veggie beds are deemed a comfortable place to suntan.

I read an idea in Gardens West magazine last year, and decided to give it a try this year. They suggested saving your sunflower stalks to make teepee trellises with. I "built" two very simple ones for my cucumber bed.

I debated stringing twine at intervals to make a nice sort of ladder for the vines to crawl up, but between being short of twine, watching the rain clouds gather, and deciding that it might be easier to harvest cukes on the inside of the trellis without a bunch of twine impeding things, I decided to just leave them as is. If the cukes don't like climbing the bare sunflower stalks, its no big loss - they'll still grow. And then, I'll know better for next year.

This is the School of Yard Knocks after all.

Pysanky!

2010-05-28T00:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, this post is a little late, but better late than never.

The "girls" in my family traditionally get together on Good Friday to decorate Ukrainian Easter eggs, aka pysanky. This is supposed to be done before Good Friday, but it is the one day that we are all free from school and work; and those of us with small children have easy access to childcare (aka daddies!). I also justify our date choice by pointing out that "English" Good Friday is almost always before Ukrainian Good Friday, thanks to the Julian calendar ;-)

This year, the "girls" included myself, my sister Corrine, and Corrine's adult daughters - Marie, Michelle, and Marissa. My Auntie Mary (my mom's sister) dropped in for a quick visit but did not do any eggs this year.

Pysanky have a long and rich tradition - every line, every symbol, every colour on the egg is meaningful. The eggs must be raw, and ideally from a henhouse with a rooster - the yolk symbolizes the rebirth of the sun and of Jesus, and so if there is no chance of life coming forth from the egg, its purpose is lost. The decoration of pysanky predates the arrival of Christianity in Ukraine. The original pagan symbols celebrating the rebirth of spring have been adapted to the story of the rebirth of Christ.

Designs are drawn on the raw eggs with a stylus, or kistka that is filled with melted beeswax. The beeswax turns black as it melts, making it easy to see the designs. The eggs are dipped in progressively darker colours; whatever you want kept white is drawn on before dipping the egg in yellow; whatever you want kept yellow is drawn on before dipping in orange, and so on through the colours. Most traditional eggs are dipped in red, brown, or black as the final colour.

Once the egg has been completely dyed, the wax is melted off. I've read that you can do this in an oven, but traditionally, you hold the egg over a candle flame.

Dyes and snacks at the ready:

Pysanka artists can draw intricate designs freehand. The rest of us cheat. Most egg designs have some kind of "division." Sometimes, it's very simple, like dividing your egg in half, so that you can make the same design on both sides of the egg. Some times the division is much more intricate - dividing the egg first in half, and then each half into quarters, sixths, or eighths. If you use elastic bands it helps you eye the divisions before you actually start writing on the egg with the kistka, and it also helps keep your lines straight.

Sometimes, elastics don't do the trick. Sometimes, it's the nature of the design; sometimes the nature of the egg. When elastics don't cut it, you can pencil in guidelines before using your kistka. I personally don't like using pencil, because the marks stay on the egg.

Once you have your divisions - whether by elastic, pencilling, or freehand - you start using your kista to fill in the areas that you want to remain white.

After your white lines/areas are filled in, the egg goes into the lightest dye, most often yellow.

And then you use your kistka to fill in the areas that you want to keep yellow.

You dye your egg progressively darker colours.

This egg (and others we were working on) is ready to melt! It was dyed black as its final colour. Now, the black beeswax needs to be removed.

Melting ...

Melting another ....

Melting a really colourful one ...

Done!

To-Do List: Paint the Kitchen

2010-05-20T23:36:00.000-06:00

My summer vacation started today - yay! I have no "vacation-y" plans. I purposely choose my vacation days to co-incide with the busiest time of the year in the garden - late May and late Auguest. This year, however, I planned to tackle an indoor project as well - painting my kitchen. It was last painted by my Mom and Dad, um, twelve years ago? It's looking grungy, and the strawberry-basket wallpaper border has really got to go.

Thanks to "someone," my plan must now become a reality. I can't make excuses and back out. I believe "someone" was using his little beagle paws to try to scale the counter and gain an advantage over the pizza I stupidly left sitting there. He shredded the paint on one cupboard door, and I peeled away a little bit more. Ironically, the green paint underneath is very close the colour I was planning to repaint.

C'est la vie. One paint job and one beagle pedicure coming up. On the bright side: he didn't get the pizza. I'll bet he's dreaming little beagle dreams about that, planning his next attempt, as I type this.

Happy Birthday, Mom

2010-05-19T23:46:00.000-06:00

I started this blog on Mother's Day in 2009. I thought it was apt to begin on that day because my mom was an avid gardener. Her "wish list" for her birthday (May 19) and Mother's Day always included annuals. She preferred pansies and petunias and impatiens. The garden I work in now was once hers. I see her work and her vision every time I look out my backdoor. I am grateful for the tulips that pop up every spring, the massive peonies, the Chinese lanterns, the saskatoons and the raspberries, and, yes, even the chives.

My last post was in October 2009. I became overwhelmed in the fall - it felt like there was so much to do everywhere in my life. I'm sure most people feel this way from time to time - once you fall behind a little, it becomes hard to figure out how to catch up.

And, so I took a break. I didn't do much yardwork in the fall. I didn't get my winter tires put on. The dust bunnies did their magic and I missed recycling days. I didn't do a single scrapbooking page. I didn't blog here.

As I am sure is the same for everyone, once one big project is under control, everything else starts shifting into place. Things are looking up. Projects are getting done. I've started working on the yard, a little here and there. The grass is in sorry shape. The weeds are like the dust bunnies, proliferating like crazy. But, my mom's tulips and her saskatoons are blooming. Her chives are budding and the peonies are on their way. Every time I look out there, I see another reminder of my mom.

I bought a yellow rose bush (Persian Yellow) and planted it in my mom's garden today. Happy Birthday Mama Bear. I promise to keep trying my best.

Still no frost!

2009-10-01T23:26:00.000-06:00

It's been a hectic September. This is the latest fall in my living memory. Usually we have our first frost early in September, but here it is October 1 with no frost yet. The overnight low tonight is 1C, though, and comparable lows are forecast for the upcoming week, so it seems likely this weather is here to stay.

I've been busy canning and freezing, picking and sorting, pulling and composting. I got a terrific harvest this year, particularly of tomatoes; but I managed to put up 8quarts of dill pickles and 33 half-pints of salsa (so far, there's definitely more to come). I've also frozen 16lb of beans, about 60lb of zucchini, 5+ gallons of bortsch. The dogs and I are ready for winter!

About a week ago, I noticed the late afternoon light was perfect for photos, so I whipped out my camera. It is such a blessing to still have flowers and produce this late in the year! But, I didn't have a chance to download until this evening. These are probably the last photos of my garden from 2009, so enjoy!

Fertilizer Friday ~ Flaunting those September Flowers!

2009-09-04T16:16:00.000-06:00

It's Fertilizer Friday! Time to fertilizer our plants indoors and out, and post pictures of what's growing for us. This meme is hosted by Tootsie Time - make sure you stop by to link in, or to find links to other participants.

It has been hot here all week - we've finally gotten summer weather right when fall is starting. Some of my plants look a little limp from the heat, but they're doing just fine.

I actually have some never-before seen blooms this week - yay! My morning glories, sweet peas, and sunflowers have all started blooming just within the last week or so.

Pretty purple and white morning glories

Here you can see how they're growing up my sunflower stalks

This variety has been self seeding since 2006. They pop up wherever they feel like it.

More morning glories, white this time

A few lovely deep pink/burgundy sweet peas

Told ya it was hot! Sun beating down on the sunflowers

Many sunflower pictures to follow

You can see how lush the veggies all got by the end of the summer

Beans still for the picking

Snapdragons looking limp, but they have filled in nicely and are just starting another round of blooms

That's what's happening at the School of Yard Knocks this hot September afternoon. What's going on in your garden today?

Fertilizer Friday - Flaunt those ... Veggies?

2009-08-28T13:40:00.000-06:00

It's Fertilizer Friday! Time to fertilizer our plants indoors and out, and post pictures of what's growing for us. This meme is hosted by Tootsie Time - make sure you stop by to link in, or to find links to other participants.

I don't have very much that is new this week. Most everything I featured last week is still going strong. One thing that I didn't include last week was one of my barrels of geraniums, and those are the only blooms I'm flaunting this week.

I am, however, flaunting some vegetables. With the exception of my regularly-sized tomatoes (which are still a frustrating shade of green), my veggies are doing well and I've been enjoying their abundance for a few weeks now.

Make sure you stop by Tootsie Time to check out all the beautiful gardens and let us know how your own blooms and growing things are doing.

Harvest on the Table ~ First Tomato of the Season

2009-08-27T13:49:00.000-06:00

The first tomato of the season is alway a delight. How best to enjoy it? Straight off the vine, eaten like an apple? In a sandwich? And, if so, which sandwich? While a BLT is always a good choice, my personal favourite for fresh garden tomatoes is on whole wheat toast with mayo, homemade dill pickles, and cheddar cheese. Or, perhaps in a salad, perhaps a Greek salad; or more simply, the tomato with feta and oregano tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar?

In the end, I decided to have it on a cracker with a smudge of cream cheese. A cherry tomato only goes so far anyway ;-)

Fertilizer Friday

2009-08-21T12:11:00.000-06:00

It's Fertilizer Friday, folks - time to fertilizer our plants indoors and out, and post pictures of what's growing in our little corner of the world today. This meme is hosted by Tootsie Time - make sure you stop by to link in, or to find links to other participants.

I missed the last two Fertilizer Fridays :-( My niece got married on August 8th and I took a trip to Temple Gardens in Moose Jaw the following week. Altho' I got home in time to take pictures, the weather was not cooperating. We had major rainstorms here last weekend. I am behind in most things gardening. I did, however, make about 4 gallons of bortsch last weekend, which I froze in small containers for the winter. My beets and other veggies came in handy for that!

But I snapped some pictures on my lunch break today and this Fertilizer Friday, I am ready to flaunt:

Stargazer lilies, purchased at an end-of-season perennial sale

Finally, some ripe tomatoes (sweet millions)! I was watching and watching this one little tomato - I actually blogged it weeks ago because it was the first one to form. It was turning ever so slowly. I got home from Moose Jaw and it was gone! I'm pretty sure it was my petsitter, hahahahahaha (love you anyway Miss Michelle!).

An angel tucked in behind some raspberries and my new Therese Bugnet rugosa.

Begonias are still going strong.

One of the hanging baskets on my deck.

Scarlet runner beans in my herb bed.

Kentucky wonder pole beans climbed all the way up my handstrung trellis and then some. The bush beans in front are the royal burgundy ones.

Other side of the pole bean trellis.

Marigolds are still going strong too.

My sunflowers are a bit of a surprise - much much taller than expected but very pretty. Not too many blooms open yet.

A supermacro shot of a borage flower. The bees love these!

Himalayan impatiens in front of two barrels with wave petunias.

And a different view of the barrels/Himalayan impatiens:

What's happening with your plants today?

Welcome to my garden Therese Bugnet!

2009-08-06T12:47:00.000-06:00

Gardens West magazine mentioned the Therese Bugnet rugosa a few times this year. It sounds heavenly - it should develop into a shrub that can reach 6' in height. AND, most importantly, it is Zone 2 hardy. I've been keeping my eyes open for these all summer. This past weekend, I was looking for a wedding gift and visited the garden centre that I purchased all the gravel and topsoil from last summer, for my raised veggie beds. They have a 1% cash back bonus. I just happened to have a coupon for $21.96 in my wallet, and low and behold there was my rugosa for $24.99. Almost free!

I have high hopes for Ms Therese.

Harvest on the Table ~ Royal Burgandy Beans and Mushrooms Sauteed in Garlic

2009-08-03T23:48:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make. I don't like beans. They were a staple of our diet when I was growing up and I guess I just ate my fill about 20 years ago or so. I planted them this year with plans to use them in the homecooked dog food I make. (Last year, I froze about 100lb of zucchini from my garden for dog food and hope to do the same this year in addition to the beans).

My sister was over a few weeks ago and suggested I try cooking the beans differently. I took her advice and wow! They were really good. I started by sauteing a minced clove of garlic in olive oil, throwing in 2c of sliced fresh mushrooms, and after those started to create steam, 1-1/4c fresh royal burgany beans from my garden.

I cooked them all over med-high heat until the beans were tender.

As promised on the seed package, the beans turned green as they cooked. I seasoned to taste with fresh ground pepper, seasoned salt, and lemon pepper. They didn't even taste like beans. So, unfortunately, I can't tell you if the royal burgandy beans taste different from regular green beans, hahaha. But, they were yummy!

Do you have a good green bean recipe to share?

Fertilizer Friday ~ Flaunt your Flowers!

2009-07-31T00:08:00.000-06:00

I still have a lot going on in my garden - too much, actually, in the case of weeds! Most of what I'm going to share today has already been "featured" on past Fertilizer Fridays, but, hey, if it's all still growing and blooming. So without further ado, a selection of snapdragons:

I just love this colour combo - I haven't seen a snapdragon with it before.

Borage

A shot of my herb bed - it is really flourishing. I hope the trellis will continue to fill in with scarlet runner beans, but they are already blooming, as you can see in the next photo.

A sort of panorama shot of my veggie beds

Kentucky wonder pole beans working their way up the trellis. Not too many blooms or baby beans yet.

And, my first zucchini of pickable size.

I'm off to Tootsie's to check out the other gardens. Thanks for visiting today!

Harvest on the Table ~ Cream Potatoes

2009-07-26T22:33:00.000-06:00

Summertime brings sunshine, fresh vegetables and a lot of calories to Ukrainian Canadians. (I should know!) Certain ingredients that are plentiful in the summer (fresh sweet cream, fresh dill, fresh beet leaves, new potatoes) find their way into really yummy dishes, like pyrizhky. Pyrizhky are basically a baked version of perogies - a filling stuffed inside white bread dough buns before baking. My mom topped her potato and beet leaf pyrizhky with a mixture of cream, onions, and fresh dill. She used the same topping to spice up new potatoes also.

Traditionally, cream potatoes are baked in the oven, but my mom always made hers on the stovetop, and I've been making them the same way.

This is a guess by golly recipe. For two servings, you will need:

Enough new potatoes to feed two people (however many that may be for you!)
About 1/2 of a small/medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Fresh dill, enough to make about 2 tablespoons when chopped
1/4 c of whole cream (you can add a little more if you like)

Clean the potatoes, quarter if necessary and boil until tender. While the potatoes are cooking, fry the onions in a little butter or margarine over medium-high heat.

When the onions are transparent, add the chopped dill. Turn the burner down to medium-low and add the 1/4 c of cream. Stir well until it thickens considerably and stops bubbling.

Toss the potatoes with the cream mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. And enjoy!

Fertilizer Friday ~ Flaunt your Flowers

2009-07-23T22:25:00.001-06:00

It's Friday! Time to grab our fertilizer and give our plants inside and out a good feeding. Once you're done, post pictures of what's growing at your place. Don't forget to visit Tootsie Time to link up with her fun Fertilizer Friday meme!

My saskatoon berries are coming along. Lots to eat straight off the bushes, and my beagle Gabe heads straight for the bushes every time I let him outside, so that he can forage below the bushes to pick up the berries the birds drop.

These next flowers, I'm hoping someone can identify for me. My mom planted them. She chose them because they are very heat resistant and they grow bountifully against the garage, which gets full south and west sun. I suspect some people would classify these as weeds as they are mildly invasive.

I need help identifying these purple flowers too, please; also planted by my mom. They grow in the north-facing perennial bed and can tolerate a lot of shade. The petals are a deeper purple than the pictures show.

Barrel of geraniums, impatiens, and spikes by my backdoor.

And a closeup of a geranium ....

Friends of mine bought me this rosebush as a memorial to my mom. I'm not sure which variety it is.

A couple photos of my tomato plants, which are growing like gangbusters. Obviously the weekly fertilizing is doing the trick.

They are packed so tightly in the bed, you can't really tell one plant from the other. I had the same number of tomato plants in that bed last year, and they were nowhere near as bountiful.

And, that's what's going on at the School of Yard Knocks this Fertilizer Friday. Don't forget to check out Tootise Time, where you can link yourself up in this meme, or find links to other gardens that are participating.

First peas and other baby veg

2009-07-22T19:15:00.000-06:00

There's nothing yummier than snap peas straight from the vine, still warm from the sun.

One of many baby cukes (National Pickling).

Super Fantastic tomatoes off to a super fantastic start.

To me, the smell of summer is dill. I love running my hands through the dill to make the smell rise. I've been eating baby potatoes with whole cream, fried onions and dill for the past week. I haven't had that since my mom passed away - I've been scared to try my hand at it. But it turned out okay. Yum! Thanks Mom!

Look out! I'm flaunting my flowers! ~Fertilizer Friday~

2009-07-17T13:29:00.000-06:00

It's Friday, and you know what that means! Tootsie Time is hosting her Fabulous Fertilizer Friday meme, so mosey on over to her blog to link up or to check out everyone's blooms.

I feel like I've been running around all week, but what I accomplished, who knows? I appreciate the fertilizing theme of this meme because my plants are all doing very well thanks to the weekly dose of MiracleGro; but even more so, I like taking pictures once a week. It's a nice way to track the progress of my garden and to see things that I might otherwise overlook in my rush to get things done.

So, without further ado, from the School of Yard Knocks:

I've never planted Royal Burgundy bush beans before and I am enchanted by their delicate purple and lavender blossoms.

A row of mini sunflowers and marigolds. The morning glories and sweet peas seem to be very slow this year as they should be going up the trellis. I know once they get started, they go like crazy, but when are they going to get started?

A mini sunflower unfurling.

This was labelled as Greek oregano when I bought it, but given the pink flowers, it is more likely wild marjoram. I should be trimming this back more vigorously so that it doesn't flower at all, but ... how much oregano does one girl need? ;-)

Begonias by my front gate.

Begonias in the back yard.

Pretty pink yarrow.

In other news, I posted a book review on my Gabe n Arch blog. The book's author found the review and posted an excerpt on his own site. The author is Patrick McDonnell, the well-known creator of the Mutts comic strip and animal rights activist. I admire his advocacy for homeless pets and enjoy his comics and books, so I was honoured that he posted my review on his site :-)

And that's what's going on at the School of Yard Knocks. How about at your place?

My "No More Greenhouses" resolution hits the dust ...

2009-07-12T10:24:00.001-06:00

So, a few weeks ago I posted a facebook status saying I was not allowed to visit any more greenhouses/nurseries/plant places. My niece left a comment, laughing at me, and saying "yah, good luck with THAT, Auntie!" Seems she knows me all too well. I've been able to resist (most) annuals at this point (with the exception of that one begonia last week, oops). But, I remembered that last year, Zellers had a blow out sale on their perennials in mid-July (that's where I got the columbine), so I decided to take a gander over there yesterday. *ahem*

I dragged home 24 plants, mostly perennials, for $2 each. This was a better price than at Early's Farm and Garden, where 4" perennials were still 3 for $12 yesterday. I know 'cause I went there too. *ahem*

I got:

4 purple coneflowers

3 painted daisies

3 hens and chicks

2 creeping charlies

6 columbine

3 St. John's wort

3 lavender

I was excited about the hens and chicks because I killed off my mom's this spring. I had to keep that part of the rock garden blocked off from the dogs, and the hens and chicks were the casualties of my blocking efforts. The creeping charlie will also go in the rock garden. I realize I have never posted about the rock garden yet, mostly because it looks so sad right now.

I've overwintered lavender before - kept it alive here in the Zone 2 boonies - through two successive winters, so I will pot these ones and hope for the best again.

And I'm NOT visiting anymore greenhouses this summer. At all.

*ahem*

Flaunt those Flowers this Fertilizer Friday!

2009-07-09T23:10:00.000-06:00

Join in the fun of Tootsie Time's Fertilizer Friday meme ~ fertilize your flowers inside and out; post pictures of what's blooming for you this week; and link up over at Tootsie's blog.

We've had a lot of rain this week (yippee!) - it was much needed. If we can just get some hot weather now, things will really get hopping. In the meantime, here's what's going on at the School of Yard Knocks:

Potted pansies, petunia, ivy geranium

Calendula

Yarrow

New lily from my sister

Snapdragons

Pansy

And a new begonia I picked up this week - still not transplanted

What's new in your garden this week?

First tomato

2009-07-07T18:52:00.000-06:00

Cooking Guess by Golly: Hungarian Gomboc

2009-07-05T15:15:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking about gomboc for a long time. Years.

My mom's family is Ukrainian. Her dad (my gido) came from the old country with his family in 1904, when he was 3 years old. Her mom (my baba) was born in Canada to recent Ukrainian immigrants. Most aspects of ethnic cooking are passed from mother to daughter and it was no exception in my family. Most of my mom's ethnic cooking and the recipes she passed down to me and my sister are Ukrainian.

My dad's family is Hungarian. His dad (my grandpa) came to Canada at the age of 3, also in 1904. My grandma, Dad's mom, was born in Canada to recent Hungarian immigrants, just like my baba. It's interesting how similar the stories are.

My grandma was renowned for her Hungarian cooking and food plays a big part in my memories of her. My hands-down favourite were her gomboc. While my grandma was alive (1907-1982), my mom never made gomboc - and I suppose they would have never tasted quite like Grandma's; just like my perogies don't taste quite as good as my mom's. After Grandma passed away, my mom made them only a few times. I don't remember seeing either Mom or Grandma actually make these; and I don't remember helping. I've never made them myself. My dad sometimes made a "lazy" version of gomboc - adding the cream of wheat topping to regular cooked pasta. He called this "noodlies." Noodlies were good, but not as good as gomboc with prunes.

While looking online for info about gomboc, I was surprised to learn that in Hungary, they are made with fresh plums (called Szilvas Gomboc). For most of my grandma's life, fresh plums would have been difficult, if not impossible, to find. She spent most of her life in rural Saskatchewan, on a small family farm. I've heard stories of my grandpa walking from their farm in the Prud'homme area to Rosthern, and walking back home with two 100-lb bags of flour on his back. Today, it is 40 miles (64K) one way by highway; it's possible Grandpa took more of a as-the-crow-flies route, but nevertheless, it was quite a trek for groceries. Plums were probably deemed unnecessary even if and when they were obtainable. Prunes would have to do.

Since my mom passed away, I've looked through her handwritten recipe book many times. I always pause at the gomboc recipe, but it is daunting! It is one of those "guess by golly" pioneer recipes - start with mashed potatoes, add flour until the dough isn't sticky; meanwhile cook prunes. No measurements. No quantities. And, I have no idea how to cook prunes. I finally decided to look online to see if I could find something more definitive. That's when I found out about the plums. Also, it seems like Grandma deviated with her topping. The online recipes I viewed used breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs!) in the topping instead of cream of wheat. So, I kind of melded everything together and ended up with an end product that I rate as pretty good for a first timer.

Ingredients:
4-5 potatoes
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
apprx. 4-5 c flour
apprx. 30 prunes
1-1/2 c cream of wheat (aka farina)
1 c sugar plus extra to coat prunes
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c hot water water

Cook the prunes by covering with water and bringing to a low boil; simmer for 10 minutes and then drain. Peel and quarter potatoes; boil in lightly salted water until soft; then drain. Cook the cream of wheat slowly over medium-low heat until it's a rich golden brown, like brown sugar. Stir frequently. Do not check facebook while you are doing this. The cream of wheat scorches quickly. Trust me.

When the cream of wheat is browned, add 1/2 tsp salt and 2/3 c hot water. Stir well - I stirred with a whisk to avoid lumps. Cover the cream of wheat until and leave it to cool.

Mash potatoes while they are still warm. Mix in 1 egg and 1/4 c oil. Add apprx. 4-5 cups flour. This is where the "guess by golly" part kicks in. My mom's recipe says that the dough should be soft and easy to work, but not sticky. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may need more or less flour.

Coat the prunes with sugar. Finish mixing the gomboc topping by adding 1 c sugar to the cooled cream of wheat and mix well.

Pinch off pieces of dough. My mom and grandma would have done this guess by golly. I used a kitchen scale and pinched off pieces that were about 40g each. Flatten the dough in the palm of your hand and stick a sugared prune in the middle.

Pinch the dough closed well. If it's not pinched well enough, your gomboc may open while cooking, dislodging the prune.

You can see that my dough is a little sticky. Once I had the gomboc pinched closed, I dusted some flour on my hands and rolled the gomboc around to make a nice ball shape.

Cook the gomboc by dropping them into a pot of boiling water. You don't want to cram them in or they'll stick together. My pot took about 10-12 gomboc at once. Stir once in awhile so that they don't stick to the bottom. My mom - the Ukrainian - notes that gomboc should be cooked like perogies - e.g. left in the boiling water until they float to the top. This will take about 10 mintes.

Remove the gomboc from the pot and drain. When they are cool enough to handle (but still warm), coat thoroughly with the cream of wheat topping. If the gomboc cool too much, the topping won't stick very well.

Done! Time to enjoy. The photos I've seen online of szilvas gomboc always show them on a plate, cut open with the juices oozing out. Prune gomboc won't make the same juices. I don't ever remember using a fork to eat these. These are Hungarian finger food. Keep the prune pits though! You'll want to see who scarfed the most.

This recipe makes about 30 gomboc, and will feed 2-3 people for a meal; or perhaps 6-7 people for dessert.

It's Time for the Veggie Report

2009-07-04T17:18:00.000-06:00

My veggies seem to be doing fairly well. Last year, I built the beds over my summer vacation, which was in June, and then a friend with a Bobcat very kindly offered to help me fill the beds with the topsoil I had ordered and to lay down the rock between the beds (whew!). By the time all that was done, it was July, and I just started planting. Most of my vegetables did well last year except the peas, which apparently like being cold. Who knew? But, if you're from my zone or nearby, at least you know you can still plant veggies from seed in early July and still get a decent crop.

I'm anxious to see the difference in the harvest - both in terms of quantity and timing - between this year and last. Last year was the first year I put in a big garden by myself. In 2007, I just put in tomatoes, cukes, and zucchini. In 2006, it was still my Dad's garden.

Kentucky Wonder pole beans (green snap beans) are just starting to climb my handstrung trellis; and Royal Burgundy bush beans. I imagine next year I can get in two rows of bush beans in this bed.

Sugar Snap peas climbing the trellis and Detroit Dark Red beets. The broad-leaf plants are borage which has been self-seeding in the yard forever. Never know where it will turn up and I didn't want to pull them until I knew there were other borage plants around (there are, so these should go).

In the top photo of this post, you can see my raised flower beds on the far left. They've got sweet peas, morning glories, mini sunflowers, and marigolds. Still pretty small. They should really get going by mid-July.

National Pickling cucumbers and you bet I'll be putting up dill pickles in August!

Tomatoes. The four plants in the foreground are Lemon Boy; and the four plants in the background are Super Fantastic. I also have one Green Tiger tomato and one Sweet Millions. And, oooh, I forgot to take a picture of my early Jalepenos. They are in barrels just across the sidewalk from the tomatoes.

Dark Green Zucchini. These have really taken off in the last week.

This is my saddest bed :-( I wanted to try growing garlic because almost all garlic in our supermarkets come from China. I've been buying processed garlic in the jars because these are products of Canada, and the only preservative is oil. I wanted to try preserving my own garlic, but it didn't come up. Apparently garlic is best planted in fall, but I don't know if that holds true for our zone, which is basically sub-Arctic. I might try putting in a batch in the fall, just to see what happens. In the meantime, my onions and dill are doing well. Those sad little yellow plants are squashes (Honey Bear and Butternut) that I picked up at Canadian Tire. Hoping they'll still take. And, you can see row of tiny little plants to the left of centre - more Detroit Dark Red beets. In August, I will make a big batch of bortsch (last year, 4 gallons worth) and freeze it for the winter. The beets in the beet bed looked pretty thin, so I thought I would put in an extra row here.

And my herb garden is doing well - the Scarlet Runner Beans are up and should start climbing the trellis this week.

The saskatoons are coming along nicely, but I may have to cover them with netting to protect them from the birds. I had a flock of them playing in my yard today.

My Auntie Mary - my mom's sister - stopped by this morning and said that my garden looks better than hers (that's a once in a lifetime occurence, trust me!) and that she is proud of me for all my hard work. That was very nice to hear.

Flaunt your Flowers this Fertilizer Friday!

2009-07-03T09:41:00.000-06:00

It has been a looong week and it ain't over yet.

I was on vacation last week and returned to work this week. I had hoped to have my yard projects completed before going back to work, but that did not happen. I did, however, get the last of it done on Canada Day, July 1st. Yay me!

In the midst of all this, I have tenants moving out - tenants who did not work out and who I had to ask to leave. They were not happy campers about that and it has been a stressful time. Their stuff is all gone, but they promised to clean, and the dust bunnies and inches of frost in the freezer compartment seem to indicate the cleaning isn't done. I'm not sure if they're coming back or not.

But, the garden of course, is a little oasis of pleasure. It's so peaceful and calming, the perfect place to destress. Things are motoring along out there, in no small part, I'm sure, to Fertilizer Friday. If it wasn't for Tootsie, I'd still be fertilizing just once a month.

Tootsie Time hosts Fertilizer Friday as a time for us to fertilize our plants indoors and out and post pictures of what's growing around us. Here's what's happening outdoors at the School of Yard Knocks:

Yep, they are peonies :-D

My sister came to visit on Tuesday and brought me two beautiful lily plants. I haven't planted them yet.

A little sunflower is cheering up the place.

My wave petunias are starting to kick in.

I was having trouble focussing my camera today for some reason. Sorry for the blurriness. You can see my veggie beds are coming along. I do fertilize my tomatoes, but not any of my other veggies. I'll write more about my veggies in the next few days, as soon as I find some spare time.

Don't forget to visit Tootsie Time to take part in her Fertilizer Friday meme or just to visit the other gardens participating.

Fertilizer Friday!

2009-06-25T21:31:00.000-06:00

Fertilizer Friday: Flaunt Your Flowers

I missed last weeks' Fertilizer Friday because I took a flying trip to West Edmonton Mall with my sister and her three daughters. We were gone for 38 hours (it's a 13-hour round trip drive, plus we needed to sleep a bit, hahaha). I found the cutest little chickie retro sugar dispenser and creamer set at Anthropologie, but anyways ... Fertilizer Friday! It's time to fertilizer your plants inside and out and post pictures of your gardening efforts.

I think this a dahlia bud? I know it's not a peony. My mom planted it years ago.

Bada-Bing begonias in a $2 copper teapot I found at a thrift store.

I think marigolds are highly underrated.

I got this Columbine last year at a perennial close out sale in July. I bought a bunch of perennials and the Columbine is the only thing that survived. It's pretty though, and I do have bunches of it scattered around. I'm looking forward to it spreading.

When I saw this little guy at the thrift shop, I had to snap him up because this is exactly what my dog Gabe would look like if he were fertilized. I should know, we've been on a reducing plan for over 2 years now. We'll just call it a "lifestyle choice."

Make sure you check out Tootsie Time for her Fertilizer Friday: Flaunt Your Flowers meme!

Fountain

2009-06-17T18:45:00.001-06:00

You know how you sometimes look at something so often that you don't even see it? Today I pulled into the garage after work and "noticed" the orange extension cord on the pile of cement bags. When I was looking for an extension cord to hook the fountain up with, I looked where the outdoor cords stay. Nada. So, I figured the only one I had was wired to the side of the house. Wrong!

I'm in the garage a minimum of four times a day. Duh.

Sometimes, though, the old grey matter does kick in a little more quickly, and I actually did a trial run with the cord, putting it down on the route I wanted to run it, and plugging it in to try it out. *lightbulb pings on* I then buried as much as I could under the gravel.

And the birdie is now spouting very prettily.

Herb Bed, Part 2

2009-06-14T13:28:00.000-06:00

Okay, so when I went in for supper yesterday, I wasn't quite finished the herb bed. In the evening, I scouted around for more items to repurpose and decided that my cucumbers could live without the teepee trellis. Last night, I arranged the trellis in the bottom left corner of the bed - the two faux terra cotta pots were directly opposite each other across the birdbath. I even planted scarlet runner bean seeds all around the base of the trellis. This morning, I decided it looked good, but could look better. I basically switched positions of the trellis and the terra cotta pot in the bottom left quadrant of the bed. This meant digging up and sifting through the soil in search of the scarlet runner bean seeds! I found about half of them, which I replanted in the new position. If any others sprout, I will transplant.

I should have taken a picture from the deck, but with the trellis in the new spot, when you're looking at the herb bed from the deck, the trellis will be right behind the birdbath, which should be really pretty once the beans start going up.

I also transplanted some chives from the ground into the canner; sunk the two black plastic pots and put herbs in them; and put down a rose stepping stone that I can set my watering can on.

So, the bed now has dill (seeded); peppermint, spearmint, oregano, thyme, and chives (transplanted); snapdragons (transplanted); and scarlet runner beans (seeded). Can't wait to see it in August!

Herb Bed, Part 1

2009-06-13T23:24:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this is my “herb bed.” On June 13th. Bahahahahaha

Yup.

My dad built the frame for me, long ago – maybe 10 years? Originally, the frame was in the orchard area, but my mom planted some kind of bush (still unidentified) right beside it. It grew quite big and blocked about 1/3 of the bed, in addition to making a lot of shade. My herbs didn’t do well there, so I moved the bed to its new location last summer. I just moved it then; I didn’t do anything else with it.

I just haven’t gotten to it yet this summer. The dogs walk over it a lot; I walk over it sometimes. The dirt was quite packed – so much so, that there were actually very few weeds. It was also littered with dog toys (yes, that is a “toy” shoe - which is technically a doorstopper - but Gabe likes carrying it around).

The first thought I had was simply that I needed to sink pots into the ground, in order to protect the plants from traffic. So, I made a trip to my favourite discount warehouse – Bianca’s Amor’s.
I picked up some terra cotta-hued plastic pots for $2 each and 3 wooden basked for $10 each (the baskets were a bit pricey, but so pretty).

I got everything home, removed the liners from the baskets, and cut the bottom slats out. I also used a utility knife to cut the bottoms off the plastic planters.

Then I got to work on the bed itself, cleaning up the weeds, and working the soil.

Friday evening is my grocery night, so I kept my eyes open at the Real Canadian Wholesale Club (a division of Loblaws) for a "centerpiece" for the bed. I was hoping for something tall; maybe a birdbath. The fountains at the Wholesale were either tabletops or too big and pricey. But, in a different area, I found a plastic birdbath/fountain for $19.99. Whoot!

A plastic fountain is pretty lightweight, so I wired it to a piece of concrete to keep it from tipping.

Yes, it looks great!

I really wanted to get the fountain operational right away, but I needed a long outdoor extension cord, and the only one I have is attached to the house, for patio lanterns that used to be on the second floor windows. I was too cheap to run to the hardware store and shell out another $3o for a long cord and I live alone so how to get the cord down??? Well, I hope my mom wasn't watching from above, because I climbed the tree on the side of the house and hopped onto the roof from there. (Actually, my mom would have done the exact same thing.) I had to go pretty much to the peak to unwrap the cord and I carefully tossed it over the edge before scuttling back down to the tree and very carefully descending. All that was for nought, though. My dad wired the cord to some king of pipe on the side of the house. My tallest freestanding ladder will only take me high enough to change the lightbulb in the fixture. I need to use the extension ladder to reach waaaaaay up where my dad wired the cord. Sigh. I can't position the extension ladder on my own, it's too heavy. Plus my sister would have a bird if she knew I did that when no one was home (shhhh about the tree!). So, the fountain is not hooked up yet.

Okay, next step: get the rest of my containers ready to sink. I had mixed feelings about cutting up the shoes. They were my dad's - I bought them for him and he loved them. So easy to slip on and off; and he obviously wore them to paint something. I've put pots in them in the past; but really, what else am I going to do with them?

I stuffed gravel in the toe beds to weigh the shoes down, and then potting soil in the heel area, but the plants will be able to root into the ground.

So, I've got my fountain, my shoes, my wooden baskets, and my plastic planters more or less arranged, and I've started to plant herbs (thyme and peppermint transplanted; dill seeded into one of the wooden baskets):

Still a lot of space to fill. Time to repurpose things. First up: an old canner. It was rusting out at the bottom and there were holes. My parents would have purchased a repair kit, but I figured the canner would enjoy a retirement in the garden. I very carefully removed most of the bottom using a hammer and nail, tin snips, and needlenose pliers. Kids, do not try this at home without adult supervision! Adults do not try this at home without protective eye gear and gloves!

I ended around supper time, not quite finished, but needing time to visualize what exactly was missing. I added some oregano and some snapdragons for colour. I wasn't crazy about the faux wheelbarrow, but wasn't sure what else I could repurpose. The black plastic pots were just the beginning of an idea. I got it together, I think, this evening. More pictures in "Herb Bed, Part 2."

Fertilizer Friday c/o Tootsie Time

2009-06-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

TOOTSIE TIME: Fertilizer Friday....Flaunt Those Flowers!!!

Tootsie Time hosts Fertilizer Friday, encouraging everyone to fertilize their plants indoors and out, and to share pictures of our plants on that day.

This is what's going on at the School of Yard Knocks this Fertilizer Friday:

Fuschia basket:

Potted wave petunias, pansies, impatiens, and an ivy geranium mid-garden:

Minature pansies:

Begonia:

Bleeding heart in the front perennial garden:

And just because I was enchanted with the bleeding hearts today:

Visit Tootsie Time to see what everyone else is showing off this Fertilizer Friday.

"Before" photos

2009-06-10T23:18:00.001-06:00

I finally got the last of my flower seedlings planted tonight. The calendula, sunflowers, and last of the marigolds went into the ground. I rarely plant anything right in the ground because the dogs will just trample it. If I do put something right in the ground, I try and position it close to a barrel or planter or fence or someplace the dogs don't usually go. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. They've broken about 4 of my snapdragons already. I love my dogs more than I love my garden though (I love my dogs, I love my dogs, yes I love my plant-trampling dogs *very* much, I really do). My whole yard is evolving around the dogs, really. The raised beds were all about the dogs. It's working. It's just a work in progress.

I also had some pansies which I stuck into pots (above) and the alyssum, which I stuck into planters I had already planted (on the side of the house).

So, this is my first "before" picture. With luck, by August this will be all lushly green, and you won't even see the boxes. This is the view from my back fence. You can see my handstrung trellis for my pole beans in the foreground and my little yellow house, with the patio lanterns gleaming, looks faaaar in the distance. (Okay, you may have to click on the picture to enlarge it in order to actually see the gleaming patio lanterns.)

Take note because the above is an extremely rare photo of my "orchard." My orchard is always very weedy and I hate taking pictures that showcase my weeds. However, I got it weed-free last Saturday and figured I better take a picture before the green sprouts start showing again. In the foreground on the left is my dad's poor crabapple tree. I think it's on its last limbs. Dad fussed over that tree endlessly and I have absolutely no knowledge of what the fussing entailed. So, it is languishing. Beyond the mailbox my mom painted (gardening hand tools stored inside) are raspberry canes; and beyond those, the saskatoons. There's a sweet millions cherry tomato plant in the planter in the foreground.

Okay, this is my "deckio." It is a wooden deck, but only about 4" off the ground - not a stone patio and not a deck, hence the "deckio." I love it. It's very cosy. My mom and dad built this themselves and I have a picture of them in my verandah in which they are looking hot and grubby but giving big smiles and thumbs up while they stand on the completed deckio.

You can see the fuschias I bought for my mom for Mother's Day hanging there, and beyond the deckio is the firepit, barrels with wave petunias (and marigolds planted right against those barrels)and then the raised beds. On the right is a "ladder" my dad built my mom specifically to stick little planters on, and my poor snappies are precariously arranged around the ladder. What the dogs need to do over there is anyone's guess. But anyway, again, barring snow in July or a tornado, this should look very different in August.

Knock wood.

Veggies are UP!

2009-06-08T13:21:00.000-06:00

It took just over a week for all my veggies to pop through the earth. Zucchini, cucumbers (left), onions, garlic, dill, snap peas, beets, pole beans, and bush beans have all germinated and are poking along. It's been cool here ... it cooled down to 15C on Thursday June 4th, and I remember because the wind was cold but I got a sunburn anyway. Since then it's been pretty cloudy with daily highs of 10-15C. Cold for this time of year and not good for the veggies. My tomato plants have a lot of yellow leaves which I believe means they aren't getting enough sun? Oh well, hopefully they won't all shrivel up and die.

Got most of my flowers planted too. I needed some more marigolds for the veggie garden (companion planting), and I couldn't resist some more pansies and allysum while I was at it. I also seem to have picked up a tub of sunflower seedlings somehow. I sowed probably 40 sunflowers by seed, so I really don't need any seedlings.

I am just weeding now and getting pretty tired of it. The yard looks great, but the veggie beds are showing weeds again, and I haven't finished weeding elsewhere yet. It just never ends.

saskatoons in bloom

2009-05-26T22:00:00.000-06:00

I've been so focussed on getting my veggies in that I didn't notice that the saskatoon bushes are blooming. Of course, the bushes were put in by my mom and dad. That's one of the best thing about living in their house - having something tangible appear each spring to remind me of their hard work and love.

Looks like there will be a good crop of saskatoons this year. There never was enough for a pie when Mom and Dad were still with us. Or, maybe there would have been if we wouldn't have stood around visiting in the garden, stuffing handfuls of the berries into our mouths as we talked.

Good times. Good memories.

Yay! A rain day!

2009-05-24T13:39:00.000-06:00

I'm kinda disappointed. I had garden plans for today - I wanted to get my pole and bush beans planted (and make a support for the pole beans); my tomato seedlings transplanted; and at least one more of my raised beds weeded. But we really need the rain.

My Auntie Mary (my mom's sister) stopped in yesterday, as she usually does on Saturday mornings. She said that according to the moon, yesterday was the day to plant anything that produces a hanging "fruit" (eg cucumbers and zucchini). Oopsie. I had been weeding bed by bed, not really paying attention to which bed got weeded first. The bed for the zucchini was done, but the bed for the cukes was not. I managed to get that bed weeded, and all my cuke and zuke seeds in yesterday. Whew.

As far as the veggies go, I have this left to do:

- weed last veggie bed

- plant pole beans and bush beans in the same bed and create a support for the pole beans

- transplant tomato seedlings into raised bed

- figure out how to plant onions and garlic - I haven't planted either before and there are no instructions on the seed packages regarding row spacing or bulb depth

- plant sugar snap peas and beets in the same raised bed

- transplant hot pepper seedlings into barrels

- decide if I want to remove one row of zucchini from the zuke bed (there are two rows planted) and plant two rows of kohlrabi instead

All in all, not that much left to do to finish up the veggies. Hopefully, I will get them done on Tuesday.

Then I can start transplanting the flowers :-)

I'm not even going to think about the weeds in the ground right now :P

Flowers, baby, flowers :-D

April Showers bring ... May snow flurries

2009-05-14T09:29:00.000-06:00

It's kind of hard to get excited about digging your hand through fresh dirt, or putting your tomato seedlings out when there's snow coming down. Yes, I know all the arguments: "At least it's moisture"; "It won't stay very long"; "Well this is Saskatchewan after all". Still, it puts a bit of a damper (ba da dum!) on my outdoor work.

The Weather Network says that it's supposed to be seasonably warm this weekend (daily highs of 17/18C - 63/64F). But it also says there is a chance of snow again on Tuesday May 19th.

Okay, Mother Nature, you're pushing it now.

Yes, my fuschias are safe inside; and yes, we huddle over the tiki torches for warmth ;-)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:49:00.001-06:00

It's so apt that I start this blog on Mother's Day.

Gardening season traditionally starts during the May long weekend here in Saskatchewan (Canada's Victoria Day, the third weekend of May). My mom always asked for bedding plants for Mother's Day - her favourites were petunias and impatiens.

My beautiful mom is no longer with us - she passed away in November 2005. I just can't stop buying her flowers though. So, my gardening season starts a week earlier than most. I picked up two beautiful fuschia baskets yesterday and hung them up for my mom today.

Many thanks to Miss Deb, from At the Cottage, for the inspiration.