Saturday, September 29, 2012
Tomatoes, Onions, and Oranges...Oh My! This Week's Chores
Our tomatoes look like they're about at the end of the line. Good plants...they've given us about 20-30 pounds of delicious harvest this year. So do I pull them out now?
Here's what I harvested just now before starting...along with a couple of pearl onions that spontaneously grew in the onion plot that I harvested months ago. Not one to waste anything, I'll add all this to a salsa later. I have some good peppers to use, too.
Well, the weather's still hot. Around 100 today and it won't really get cold here in Southern California for a couple of more months.
How about instead of cutting them down, I just cut them back and see if they grow another crop? As my friend Max Arteaga might say "Why Not!"
Also today, I notice that some of my cara cara navel oranges are splitting. Hopefully, the rest of the fruit on this primadonna of a plant will make it to harvest time in December. I always have a hard time getting a good crop off of it...last year it was about 16 very delicious oranges. It is a dwarf plant.
Finishing off today's chores with mowing my sun-scorched lawn and sweeping the patio.
Happy gardening!
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Friday, September 28, 2012
TRANSIT REPORT: Sacramento, California 2012
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia
mav under CC-BY-SA license
The capitol of the Golden State has a fairly decent system. When in the area, especially on weekdays, you'll want to take advatage of it as the traffic here can be pretty unbearable at times.
Sacramento Regional Transit - or the RT - runs a network of buses and 37.5 miles of light rail covering a 418 square mile service area but for some reason does not serve the airport (Yolobus provides this service).
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia
lensovet under CC-BY-SA license
Light Rail consists of three lines, the Blue, Gold, and Green. In practice, it's kind of like four lines because the Blue line goes both north and south of the downtown area so it's like a line to the north and a line to the south. To the north, the Blue line's terminus is the Watt/I-80 station near McClellan Field (formerly Air Force Base). The south end of the line is at Meadowview Road, about 4 miles south of downtown. The Gold Line comes in from the east. It starts in Folsom and continues past downtown to the Amtrak station, connecting with the Capitol Corridor train. The Green Line runs from 7th and Richards, north of downtown, to the 13th Street Station downtown. All light rail lines converge in a transit plaza two blocks west of the Capitol Building. Here is the system map.
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia
Griffin5 at en.wikipedia under CC-BY-SA license
Buses handle the rest of the area and are useful to get to Old Sacramento, Raley Field, and ARCO Arena. Here is the system map.
The basic fare for both bus and light rail is $2.50 for adults and $6 for a day pass. Persons with disabilities get half off both of those fares.
Yolobus - As noted above, if you're flying into Sacramento, this is your only transit option. The cost is $2.
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia
Todd Evans under CC-BY-SA license
The Capitol Corridor is a commuter rail service provided by Amtrak. It connects downtown Sacramento with Auburn and Roseville to the Northeast and the Bay Area to the west with the terminus in San Jose. The service from San Jose runs via Fremont, Hayward, Oakland, Martinez, Fairfield, and Davis. Fares vary according to distance. Check the website for more details.
All the above transit options are 100% wheelchair accessible.
We've personally found the transit in Sacramento to be a great way to go, especially during the week. If you're there on the weekend and have a car, you might want to use that instead but transit will still keep you connected if you don't.
-Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The Pretty, Popular, Tropical Weed
Yep...weed. I'll explain but first, this is my backyard neighbor's palm tree on top of the hill behind us. He has a lot more space and money than I do, so he's not a cheapskate gardener. He's not a gardener period...he hires one to come and take care of the property.
This is my next door neighbor's palm tree. She's not a cheapskate either but still has a gardener come over. She's a widower in her late 80's with numerous health problems and would be a gardener if she could
The palm tree is synonymous with Southern California. They grow everywhere, why do I call it a weed? Go back to the beginning of the last sentence...they grow everywhere.
The seeds sprout endlessly and I am constantly finding them in the garden where they don't belong. Here's one growing along our back wall.
Just about too big to yank out easily, but just almost.
Here's another one growing along a wall of our house.
It wasn't as hard to pull. On a good (or bad) day, I can pull up 50 of these seedlings easily. If left to grow, they'll sprout into a very hard to kill, full size tree...home to woodpeckers, rats, skunks, and more. Easily catching on fire...not the best thing to have next to these dry hills.
Image by Jim Harper
Used with permission under CC BY-SA 1.0 license
Contrary to popular belief, no palm tree is native to the Los Angeles area. They are all interlopers. The only palm tree native to California is the California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera), which grows in the oasis canyons of the low deserts of Palm Springs, Borrego, and Coachella.
They are easy to recognize with the fan palm shaped leaves and thick trunks.
For me...they mostly just get in the way.
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
CLASSIC TRIP - Sacramento, California 2004
NOTE: I apologize for the blurriness of the Capitol photos, flash photography is prohibited within the building.
After a trip to San Francisco, we decided to take a different tack and head over to Arnoldland…Sacramento.
Our hotel for this trip would be the Hallmark Suites (now the Hotel Sierra - Ed) in Rancho Cordova, a suburb seven miles east of Sacramento.
Day One - Wednesday (July 7th)
We arrive at our hotel around 4 o'clock. It's a decent if generic looking place but my wife immediately takes a dislike to the room offered and has the front desk change us to a second floor room. I don't really see a difference in the room except maybe the parking lot noises would bother her…but I'm not going to argue, we're here to have a good time.
We've spent the day in Napa Valley so, after grabbing dinner at a nearby In 'n Out, we just relax in the room.
Thursday
Wow! What a fabulous breakfast they serve here at the Hallmark.
We walk over to the nearby light rail station to catch a trolley into downtown Sacramento. Great system they've got here. Quick, efficient and manned by friendly, professional drivers. $3.00 ($1.50 for disabled or seniors) (now $6 and $3 respectively - Ed) buys you an all day pass good for the bus system too. Traffic on the nearby freeway is at a near standstill but the train gets us downtown quickly. Our only (very minor) complaint would be that the bench seats on the trolley aren't very comfortable for a long haul.
The driver drops us off at a stop about two short blocks to the Capitol Building. We walk over and follow the signs to the accessible entrance…actually, they have two. One on either end of the building.
You must go through the ever present airport style security that is a mandatory feature of today's government buildings but once inside, you're pretty much free to roam wherever you want. There is a tour desk in the basement that provides a group tour of the building…which we would not end up taking as you'll soon see.
Instead, we encounter the hallway that leads to the governor's office with gold relief lettering over the top reading "Arnold Schwarzenegger" just above the slightly duller lettering reading "Governor". We ask the highway patrolman standing guard outside if it is alright to go in and he says it is.
In the lobby there are no seats for visitors so a number of serious looking people in suits are milling around the desk of the receptionist. She informs us that, yes, the governor does entertain visitors when he's not too busy…a group of students got to go in and meet him not too long before we showed up…but that he's very busy right now (this was the time of intense budget negotiations as the state budget was eight days late and counting).
Hanging on the wall was a Detroit Pistons jersey and several jars of food products made in Michigan. The governor lost the traditional bet when the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the NBA finals and he had to wear that jersey to work one day.
We do. First up is our state senator, Bob Margett. I tell the receptionist that I just wanted to show my son where our state senator worked. No problem, she welcomes us and has us sign the visitor register. Sen. Margett is not there, but she shows us his office and asks, "have you toured the building yet?"
Upon learning that we haven't, she quickly gets on the phone and asks if we can return at 2:00. We tell her we can and just like that, she sets up a private tour of the building for us. She then takes us over to the Senate Chamber and shows us Sen. Margett's desk on the floor of the chamber and then takes us back to the office. We chat for a few minutes and then take our leave to head over to our assemblyman's office.
At that office, of Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, we again tell them we're constituents and wanted to see where our representatives worked. A couple of legislative aides are working there today and they have us sign their register and show us Mr. Mountjoy's office (he too is out today). There are many enormous models of airplanes hanging from his office ceiling and the aide tells us that the assemblyman likes to build radio controlled model aircraft…but that he doesn't actually fly them because he's afraid they'll crash expensively on landing (Mr. Mountjoy is also a pilot). The aide chats us up quite awhile telling us about different
politicians she's worked for, what Tim's college plans are, etc., and seems genuinely pleased to have a conversation with some constituents.
After our visits, we have a couple of hours to kill, so we head over to nearby Old Sacramento to have lunch and ice cream.
Afterward, we return to Old Sacramento to hang out for awhile. This is, like the name implies, a very old part of the town that has been preserved in a state park. It consists of about four blocks of old Gold Rush era buildings along the riverfront with a few mysterious looking back alleys in between. Most of the buildings are used by shops, restaurants, and bars so it's kind of like a mall in old buildings. On a hot day (as almost every summer day in Sacramento is), the walk along the big river is very pleasant and pretty. The state railroad museum is also here and looks very interesting but our tour of the capitol leaves us with only about fifteen minutes to spare before the museum's closing time, so we'll leave that for another trip.
We pick up some fresh fruit at a produce store here, try several samples of taffy at a candy store, pick up some souvenirs at a few of the shops, and then catch the bus back to the pedestrian mall where we can catch the trolley back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel, we swim in the crowded pool and then enjoy the hotel's free happy hour. Afterward, I walk over to a nearby Wendy's and procure dinner for the three of us which we enjoy in the room.
Friday
Today, the breakfast room is full of hard bodies! Seriously, there are men and women here who have muscles upon muscles and not an ounce of fat. Many are wearing Olympic ring jewelry, Olympic t-shirts, and Olympic hats. I ask someone what's going on?
I find out that today is the first day of the Olympic Track and Field Finals, taking place just down the road at Cal State Sacramento, and that many of our fellow hotel guests are Olympic hopefuls. So, for the rest of our stay, we'll now be surrounded by some of the best athletes in the world. I don't know how many actually made the team, but at least one that was there - Hazel Clark - made the women's 800 meter team. We'll be cheering on our fellow guests this summer as they go to Athens. Go Hallmark Suite athletes!
Well, as interesting as this is, we're not here for that…we're just on vacation.
After breakfast, we head to the northwest to go to the Gold Rush town of Nevada City. We have two reasons for being here. First, my wife wants to go to the V*Tae company store (they make many lotions, oils, and other beauty products that she really likes) and, second, to go hiking.
Six miles north of Nevada City, on Highway 49, is the Independence Trail. This is a wheelchair accessible trail…two of them actually…that wind around 5 miles through the mountains and along side the Yuba River.
You see, back in the Gold Rush days, miners thought it would be nifty if they could just blast away at the gold-bearing hillsides with high-pressure hoses. The dirt that washed away could then be sifted for gold. This was a much faster way to get at large amounts of ore than by using pans, sifting boxes, or digging. Only bad thing was that this was causing a huge environmental problem. Not only were permanent scars being placed on the mountains, the dirt was polluting and silting up the fish filled rivers and whole towns downstream were being flooded.
In one of the earliest environmental rulings, the Supreme Court ruled the practice a private and public nuisance and outlawed it (Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company, 1884).
Left over was the network of water flumes used to redirect the water. For many years, farmers took the water they provided but eventually they fell into disuse. Someone figured out that the size and shape of these flumes were perfectly suited to a wheelchair and so the people at the Sequoya Challenge refurbished these flumes into trails that wheelchairs can navigate.
Today, you can even take your chair right up to the river's edge and, if you're able, take a dip in the swimming hole there.
Afterward, we head back down to the valley and spend the afternoon cooling off in the hotel pool, enjoying the happy hour, and having dinner at a local Fuddrucker's.
That evening, we watch the Olympic Trials on TV trying to spot our hotel neighbors.
Saturday
At breakfast today (have I told you enough how good breakfast is at this hotel? Mmmmm…) I chat with the couple at the neighboring table who are parents watching their kid compete. I tell them we watched on TV the night before and they tell me a litany of complaints they have with TV coverage of their sport.
I have to agree. I am sick and tired of the "up close and personal" features of the Olympics and the dearth of actual competition coverage. Last night it was all Marion Jones. All her struggles, trials, and accusations of steroid abuse. When the actual race came, it was along the lines of "MARION JONES came in SECOND PLACE…and someone else won…but again JONES CAME IN SECOND!"
There are hundreds of athletes in town this week, but unless you're one of the top few superstars of this sport, good luck in trying to get someone to notice you.
We drive into Sacramento today (being the weekend there's little traffic so driving seven minutes beats a half hour on the train) and head over to Sutter's Fort.
Over thirty years ago, I came here on a 7th grade field trip. Back then it seemed on the edge of town. Today, the fort sits on a square block park surrounded by houses, apartment buildings, churches, and a hospital.
It's kind of like visiting one of our state's missions with the rooms built into the adobe walls surrounding a central yard. A docent demonstrates the art of fur trapping (no animals were harmed for his demo), another demonstrates arms with a musket firing, and a blacksmith is hammering away in a room in a corner.
It's interesting and two to three hours is about all you'll need to explore here. Afterward, we have lunch at a crepe restaurant just up the street near a bead store that my wife wants to shop in.
We spend another afternoon in the pool before heading up the road a ways to have dinner at the Cattlemen's restaurant in Folsom. Whenever I'm up this way, I like to have dinner at one of this chain's restaurants (most of their locations are in the Central Valley) where I can have a delicious steak with all the trimmings.
If I'm not mistaken, they used to have their own herd but now use beef from Harris Ranch, the giant feed lot next to Interstate 5 in Coalinga. It's still very good meat but prices have gone up. Since we all want to eat steak, we order the giant 42 ounce porterhouse dinner and split it three ways. It's plenty of food for us and more affordable than buying three separate dinners.
We make it back in time to partake in one more happy hour. Tomorrow we'll be checking out after one more sumptuous breakfast with the Olympians before heading down Highway 99 to go home.
One more note…on the way home in Livingston (home of Foster Farms chicken), we have lunch in the Foster Farms restaurant here. Highly recommended. Of course, you'll want to order the chicken.
-Darryl
Copyright 2004 - Darryl Musick
After a trip to San Francisco, we decided to take a different tack and head over to Arnoldland…Sacramento.
Our hotel for this trip would be the Hallmark Suites (now the Hotel Sierra - Ed) in Rancho Cordova, a suburb seven miles east of Sacramento.
Day One - Wednesday (July 7th)
We arrive at our hotel around 4 o'clock. It's a decent if generic looking place but my wife immediately takes a dislike to the room offered and has the front desk change us to a second floor room. I don't really see a difference in the room except maybe the parking lot noises would bother her…but I'm not going to argue, we're here to have a good time.
We've spent the day in Napa Valley so, after grabbing dinner at a nearby In 'n Out, we just relax in the room.
Thursday
Wow! What a fabulous breakfast they serve here at the Hallmark.
We walk over to the nearby light rail station to catch a trolley into downtown Sacramento. Great system they've got here. Quick, efficient and manned by friendly, professional drivers. $3.00 ($1.50 for disabled or seniors) (now $6 and $3 respectively - Ed) buys you an all day pass good for the bus system too. Traffic on the nearby freeway is at a near standstill but the train gets us downtown quickly. Our only (very minor) complaint would be that the bench seats on the trolley aren't very comfortable for a long haul.
The driver drops us off at a stop about two short blocks to the Capitol Building. We walk over and follow the signs to the accessible entrance…actually, they have two. One on either end of the building.
You must go through the ever present airport style security that is a mandatory feature of today's government buildings but once inside, you're pretty much free to roam wherever you want. There is a tour desk in the basement that provides a group tour of the building…which we would not end up taking as you'll soon see.
Instead, we encounter the hallway that leads to the governor's office with gold relief lettering over the top reading "Arnold Schwarzenegger" just above the slightly duller lettering reading "Governor". We ask the highway patrolman standing guard outside if it is alright to go in and he says it is.
In the lobby there are no seats for visitors so a number of serious looking people in suits are milling around the desk of the receptionist. She informs us that, yes, the governor does entertain visitors when he's not too busy…a group of students got to go in and meet him not too long before we showed up…but that he's very busy right now (this was the time of intense budget negotiations as the state budget was eight days late and counting).
Hanging on the wall was a Detroit Pistons jersey and several jars of food products made in Michigan. The governor lost the traditional bet when the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the NBA finals and he had to wear that jersey to work one day.
In Front of The Governor's Office
Upon exiting the governor's office lobby, I spy a building office directory. I look up our state senator and our state assemblyman's offices…which are both on the third floor…and tell my son and wife we should go up and see them.We do. First up is our state senator, Bob Margett. I tell the receptionist that I just wanted to show my son where our state senator worked. No problem, she welcomes us and has us sign the visitor register. Sen. Margett is not there, but she shows us his office and asks, "have you toured the building yet?"
Upon learning that we haven't, she quickly gets on the phone and asks if we can return at 2:00. We tell her we can and just like that, she sets up a private tour of the building for us. She then takes us over to the Senate Chamber and shows us Sen. Margett's desk on the floor of the chamber and then takes us back to the office. We chat for a few minutes and then take our leave to head over to our assemblyman's office.
At that office, of Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, we again tell them we're constituents and wanted to see where our representatives worked. A couple of legislative aides are working there today and they have us sign their register and show us Mr. Mountjoy's office (he too is out today). There are many enormous models of airplanes hanging from his office ceiling and the aide tells us that the assemblyman likes to build radio controlled model aircraft…but that he doesn't actually fly them because he's afraid they'll crash expensively on landing (Mr. Mountjoy is also a pilot). The aide chats us up quite awhile telling us about different
politicians she's worked for, what Tim's college plans are, etc., and seems genuinely pleased to have a conversation with some constituents.
After our visits, we have a couple of hours to kill, so we head over to nearby Old Sacramento to have lunch and ice cream.
On Our Tour Through the Capitol Building
At 2:00, we return to Senator Margett's office and meet our tour guide. She takes us again to the Senate floor and explains about the renovations that took place about twenty years ago, the history of the place, and how the color scheme (red) was copied from the House of Lords in England. Then it's over to the Assembly chambers for much of the same kind of information (they're green, after the House of Commons), down to the Library where rare books and works of art are on display, the rotunda, and then some recreations of old capitol offices such as the treasurer and governor that are on the first floor. It's a fun and interesting tour and the building, at least the original old part, is quite beautiful.Afterward, we return to Old Sacramento to hang out for awhile. This is, like the name implies, a very old part of the town that has been preserved in a state park. It consists of about four blocks of old Gold Rush era buildings along the riverfront with a few mysterious looking back alleys in between. Most of the buildings are used by shops, restaurants, and bars so it's kind of like a mall in old buildings. On a hot day (as almost every summer day in Sacramento is), the walk along the big river is very pleasant and pretty. The state railroad museum is also here and looks very interesting but our tour of the capitol leaves us with only about fifteen minutes to spare before the museum's closing time, so we'll leave that for another trip.
We pick up some fresh fruit at a produce store here, try several samples of taffy at a candy store, pick up some souvenirs at a few of the shops, and then catch the bus back to the pedestrian mall where we can catch the trolley back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel, we swim in the crowded pool and then enjoy the hotel's free happy hour. Afterward, I walk over to a nearby Wendy's and procure dinner for the three of us which we enjoy in the room.
Friday
Today, the breakfast room is full of hard bodies! Seriously, there are men and women here who have muscles upon muscles and not an ounce of fat. Many are wearing Olympic ring jewelry, Olympic t-shirts, and Olympic hats. I ask someone what's going on?
I find out that today is the first day of the Olympic Track and Field Finals, taking place just down the road at Cal State Sacramento, and that many of our fellow hotel guests are Olympic hopefuls. So, for the rest of our stay, we'll now be surrounded by some of the best athletes in the world. I don't know how many actually made the team, but at least one that was there - Hazel Clark - made the women's 800 meter team. We'll be cheering on our fellow guests this summer as they go to Athens. Go Hallmark Suite athletes!
Well, as interesting as this is, we're not here for that…we're just on vacation.
After breakfast, we head to the northwest to go to the Gold Rush town of Nevada City. We have two reasons for being here. First, my wife wants to go to the V*Tae company store (they make many lotions, oils, and other beauty products that she really likes) and, second, to go hiking.
Six miles north of Nevada City, on Highway 49, is the Independence Trail. This is a wheelchair accessible trail…two of them actually…that wind around 5 miles through the mountains and along side the Yuba River.
You see, back in the Gold Rush days, miners thought it would be nifty if they could just blast away at the gold-bearing hillsides with high-pressure hoses. The dirt that washed away could then be sifted for gold. This was a much faster way to get at large amounts of ore than by using pans, sifting boxes, or digging. Only bad thing was that this was causing a huge environmental problem. Not only were permanent scars being placed on the mountains, the dirt was polluting and silting up the fish filled rivers and whole towns downstream were being flooded.
In one of the earliest environmental rulings, the Supreme Court ruled the practice a private and public nuisance and outlawed it (Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company, 1884).
Left over was the network of water flumes used to redirect the water. For many years, farmers took the water they provided but eventually they fell into disuse. Someone figured out that the size and shape of these flumes were perfectly suited to a wheelchair and so the people at the Sequoya Challenge refurbished these flumes into trails that wheelchairs can navigate.
Today, you can even take your chair right up to the river's edge and, if you're able, take a dip in the swimming hole there.
Along the Independence Trail
We go up a mile or so and have a small picnic at an overlook where we can see the river. There is a good bit of poison oak here, so we have to be careful, and walking in the flume ditch is a bit like being in a tunnel. There are spectacular views, springs (with the accompanying bug filled swamp), rock tunnels, and lots of trees and shrubs. It's not the very best accessible trail we've been on (that would be either the West Fork trail in Azusa Canyon in the Angeles National Forest or the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequoia National Monument) but it's still a very good trail.Afterward, we head back down to the valley and spend the afternoon cooling off in the hotel pool, enjoying the happy hour, and having dinner at a local Fuddrucker's.
That evening, we watch the Olympic Trials on TV trying to spot our hotel neighbors.
Saturday
At breakfast today (have I told you enough how good breakfast is at this hotel? Mmmmm…) I chat with the couple at the neighboring table who are parents watching their kid compete. I tell them we watched on TV the night before and they tell me a litany of complaints they have with TV coverage of their sport.
I have to agree. I am sick and tired of the "up close and personal" features of the Olympics and the dearth of actual competition coverage. Last night it was all Marion Jones. All her struggles, trials, and accusations of steroid abuse. When the actual race came, it was along the lines of "MARION JONES came in SECOND PLACE…and someone else won…but again JONES CAME IN SECOND!"
There are hundreds of athletes in town this week, but unless you're one of the top few superstars of this sport, good luck in trying to get someone to notice you.
We drive into Sacramento today (being the weekend there's little traffic so driving seven minutes beats a half hour on the train) and head over to Sutter's Fort.
Over thirty years ago, I came here on a 7th grade field trip. Back then it seemed on the edge of town. Today, the fort sits on a square block park surrounded by houses, apartment buildings, churches, and a hospital.
It's kind of like visiting one of our state's missions with the rooms built into the adobe walls surrounding a central yard. A docent demonstrates the art of fur trapping (no animals were harmed for his demo), another demonstrates arms with a musket firing, and a blacksmith is hammering away in a room in a corner.
It's interesting and two to three hours is about all you'll need to explore here. Afterward, we have lunch at a crepe restaurant just up the street near a bead store that my wife wants to shop in.
We spend another afternoon in the pool before heading up the road a ways to have dinner at the Cattlemen's restaurant in Folsom. Whenever I'm up this way, I like to have dinner at one of this chain's restaurants (most of their locations are in the Central Valley) where I can have a delicious steak with all the trimmings.
If I'm not mistaken, they used to have their own herd but now use beef from Harris Ranch, the giant feed lot next to Interstate 5 in Coalinga. It's still very good meat but prices have gone up. Since we all want to eat steak, we order the giant 42 ounce porterhouse dinner and split it three ways. It's plenty of food for us and more affordable than buying three separate dinners.
We make it back in time to partake in one more happy hour. Tomorrow we'll be checking out after one more sumptuous breakfast with the Olympians before heading down Highway 99 to go home.
One more note…on the way home in Livingston (home of Foster Farms chicken), we have lunch in the Foster Farms restaurant here. Highly recommended. Of course, you'll want to order the chicken.
-Darryl
Copyright 2004 - Darryl Musick
Monday, September 24, 2012
Herbal Essence
Not much to do in the garden this week except to relax and enjoy it a bit. I'll have some more work to do next week.
Today, I'll give you a tour of my wife's herb garden. Not really a specific garden...we just grow them wherever they fit. Above is some basil, which is always good on pizza and pasta.
Speaking of pizza, we've got a couple of plants of oregano which also adds some good flavor to my salsa.
Here's some mint in bloom. Good with tea and a prime ingredient of albondigas.
Marjoram and another oregano on side...
...and thyme on the other.
We'll spice things up with some hot peppers, which are just starting to come in.
Darryl
Copyright 2012-Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.
Today, I'll give you a tour of my wife's herb garden. Not really a specific garden...we just grow them wherever they fit. Above is some basil, which is always good on pizza and pasta.
Speaking of pizza, we've got a couple of plants of oregano which also adds some good flavor to my salsa.
Here's some mint in bloom. Good with tea and a prime ingredient of albondigas.
Marjoram and another oregano on side...
...and thyme on the other.
We'll spice things up with some hot peppers, which are just starting to come in.
Darryl
Copyright 2012-Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Recipes for a (lazy) Cheapskate - Super Easy Salsa
I've got a bunch of tomatoes from our garden that I better use quick or they'll go bad. Those first two are from the farmer's market and I'm going to harvest their seeds and then use them.
Today, I'm going to take some of them and make a basic salsa.
For spice, I roasted these jalapenos and yellow peppers on my barbecue last weekend.
After harvesting the seed, the remains of the heirlooms go in the blender. See those pieces on the bottom that look like peaches? That's actually the yellow tomato from above.
I toss in two more of the largest tomatoes from the garden, the chiles, a quarter of a white onion, and some salt. Set on the "sauce" setting and let 'er rip.
Here's the result.
After a taste test, I think I need a little more heat, so I put in one of these little fire chiles that my wife's aunt grows in her backyard. They are really hot. I wish I knew what they are called but I don't. I did harvest some seeds a few months ago and now have a few plants in my garden.
My son, Tim, comes over for a taste test. What do you think, Tim?
If you'd like to try, just get some tomatoes, onions, chiles, and salt. Throw 'em in a blender and add salt and/or chiles until you get your desired heat and taste.
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Prepping Next Year's Garden - Seed Harvest
I got these two heirloom tomatoes at my local farmer's market for the express purpose of getting seeds for next year.
As you can see, they're getting a little long in the tooth, so I better get to it.
Cutting them open, there's not too many seeds inside so I get what I can and put them on paper towels labeled with each fruit's color.
I'll let them dry then put into envelopes and wait for next year's planting season. Stay tuned!
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.
As you can see, they're getting a little long in the tooth, so I better get to it.
Cutting them open, there's not too many seeds inside so I get what I can and put them on paper towels labeled with each fruit's color.
I'll let them dry then put into envelopes and wait for next year's planting season. Stay tuned!
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Arctic Orchid...Bletilla
To start, especially if you live in a colder climate than me (Southern California), I'd recommend something like you see on this page...the bletilla orchid.
It's a terrestrial orchid, meaning it grows in soil, not on the side of a tree. It works wonderfully in moist to soggy ground. Think of that faucet you have in the back yard that always spills a couple of drops. That's where I planted mine and I never had to do anything to it...it self watered, was next to the warm house, and built itself into a very thick, big, blooming clump.
It's hardy to 25 degrees. Lower if you cover the deciduous bulbs with mulch after the leaves have fallen off. If you have them planted in the ground, right next to the house, and you live in the lower 48, the heat from the house would probably be enough.
Shade lovers, they do quite well in the ground on the north wall of our house.
Got a moist patch of dirt on on the north, west, or east side of your house...fairly shady? This can go there and you're off to the races in the world of orchid growing. Just bury the bulbs about 2" deep, water in, and watch for results in the spring.
Available at many garden centers for a dollar a bulb, it's also a very cheap way to get into the hobby.
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
In Praise of Multitaskers - The Garlic Chive
My motto is that it has to provide beauty or nourishment to be in my garden. Once in awhile, you have plants that do both. Now here's one that adds a third category...pest control.
As you can see above, the plant has very show clumps of flowers, almost like little bursts of fireworks. It grows readily from seed and without a lot of help from the gardener.
It grows in clumps and will invaribably spread around your garden.
The plant is pretty much completely edible. Use the flowers as a spice for Asian broths. Cut the long, thin leaves into bits and sprinkle on your food for a garlic flavor. I like to put them in my eggs.
You can cut the leaves as much as you want without hurting the plant. You have to uproot it to kill it.
Planted around roses, garlic chives help to keep the aphids off of the roses. I think this is because the aphids are attracted to the chives more than the roses but it's a great, green method of pest control for your roses.
The one drawback is its readiness to grow. It will quickly spread all over your garden. The pictures here show a planting that came up spontaneously...not from my original planting about 20 feet away. They don't compete with other plants and play nicely with them but they can get to be a bit weedy.
It's easy to control by just grabbing a clump of leaves and uprooting it where you don't want it.
A nice addition to your herb garden. Between this and our basil, it's hard to say which one is used more. Available by seed at most garden centers, hardware stores, and in the produce department at Asian supermarkets.
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Taming the Wild Orchid...Repotting Epiphytic Orchids
The phalie is an epiphytic orchid. That means when found in the wild, it grows on the side of trees, not in the ground. There are orchids that grow in the ground, the cymbidium is the most well known, and are called terrestial orchids.
Since they do not grow in soil in nature, we do not use soil when growing them in pots in the garden either. Most commonly, epiphytes are grown in chopped up chunks of bark. Some times, people will mount them on cork oak or tree fern bark and hang them on the wall too. I'm using the bark-in-the-pot method.
First, you need to know when to repot. With orchids, it's pretty simple. When they are about to burst the seams of its pot or the potting mix is completely disintegrated is a sign that they need to be repotted. I do mine every 2 - 3 years.
After the bloom is done is the best time unless it's the dead of winter. If it is, wait until freezing temperatures have passed and the weather is warming up.
You'll need the following to repot:
1. A pot to put the plant in. You can use the same one if there is enough room. There should be at lease 2 inches on each side of the plant. A phalaenopsis is a bit unique in that it grows up more than it grows out, so it doesn't need a whole lot of room to spread. Something else, like a catteleya orchid...which grows bulb after bulb on a creeping rhizome...will need more room to expand.
2. Pruning shears
.
3. Pruning seal. This is a tarry like substance that you spray on plant cuts like spray paint to prevent pathogens from entering into a plant wound.
4. Vitamin B-1 solution. This is sold commonly as plant starter or transplanting solution.
5. A flame source like a lighter or candle.
6. A hammer
7. Orchid mix. This is sold commonly at garden centers or online. It is chopped up bark and comes in various size chunks. I prefer the small to medium chunks.
Remove the plant from it's pot. You can see that this phalie, like most that you'll find in supermarkets or drug stores, was grown at a factory nursery in a plastic bag-like pot in sawdust. A few taps on the size of the pot will help it slide off easily.
Remove the mix from around the roots as much as you can. Pull off any dead roots. If you need to cut anything off of the plant with shears, run the blades over a flame first to kill any pathogens that might be there. If you cut off a piece of the plant, seal the wound with pruning seal.
Put an inch or two of orchid mix in the new pot. Hold the plant centered over the mix with the roots spread out with one hand and fill the pot with orchid mix with the other hand to the brim.
When filled, take your hammer with the handle down, and use it to pound down the mix to compact it (they make tools specifically for this but they're based on hammer handles anyway...no need to spend money on them). Do this repeatedly...fill and compact with hammer handle...until you have a tightly compacted mix filled to withing a half inch of the rim of the pot.
Mix a half capful of B1 solution into a half gallon of water and thoroughly water the plant. Now, let sit for 5 - 7 days in a shady area with absolutely no water. If you water too soon, the damaged roots can rot. This gives the roots time to heal. After this, go ahead and put it where it will be permanently...see my phalaenopsis post for tips on where to grow it.
Other chores this weekend:
Sweep the patio...probably my least favorite gardening chore.
Prune the lavender and baby's breath.
Fertilize...for the roses, this will be the last feeding of the year.
Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Calling All Volunteers...
Don't worry...I'm not asking any of you to come to the Cheapskate's house to do free gardening...
See that pretty flower at the top? It's from a Christmas cactus.
We have it hanging in a basket in the backyard and it's a spectacular bloomer...especially in the dead of winter. Wonder why it got it's name...
Anyway, we're not here to talk about the Christmas cactus, we're here to talk about volunteers. You know what a volunteer is, don't you?
A volunteer is almost the same thing. It's a plant that sprouts spontaneously without any input from you but, hey, this guy's not bad. In fact, it's kind of cool.
That's the difference. A weed is a spontaneous plant you don't want, a volunteer is a spontaneous plant that you like and decide to keep.
This one grew out of our Christmas cactus basket. It sort of looks like an alien from another planet. It's succulent, like the cactus, so we're guessing it came with it.
For the longest time, we had no idea what it was. Finally, after much googling, I found it...Kalanchoe daigremontiana...also called "The Mother of Thousands."
It gets its name from the many leaflets that line the edge of the plant. They fall off and make new plants...mother of thousands. An apt name.
Cool pink flowers too...we'll keep it around.
- Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
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