Brutally Pruned Hardy Chicago Fig Tree is Growing Again. 2.30.22

 This is the tree that I attacked with a pruning saw in March (I think).  Now every node has a healthy looking shoot.

Will it bear fruit this year?  Maybe.  This tree bears on new growth, in August or September.  It's possible.

More Work in Potatoville. 5.30.22

 Today I finished filling in all of the potato trenches.  Now the potato gnome can hide spuds among their roots.

When they are a little bigger, I'll hill up the plants will soil from between the rows.  Meanwhile, they are  nice and healthy and tidy.

Mushrooms. 5.30.22

 Mushrooms are growing all over the place.

What's Blooming? 5.30.22

 A nice red poppy.

A nice yellow peony.  This one came with the old house.  Nice fragrance.

What's Blooming?. 5.27.22

 Horse Chestnut.

Red Peony

Irises

Pawpaws Are Blooming. 5.27.22

 The Pawpaw trees are blooming.  I started hand pollinating them today.

Hilling Up Potatoes. 5.27.22

 Most of the potato trenches are filled in and the earliest ones, planted in Feb, are hilled up a bit.  I have 1 1/2 rows remaining to fill in, the late varieties.

The container potatoes are looking nice too.  The ones in the new planter box are now filled to the top.

The potatoes I planted in the bags are also growing.  I may run out of soil to fill these up.  Maybe arborist  mulch will work.

This might be "The Year Of The Potato" LOL

Fig Update. 5.27.22

 Some of the fig trees look promising for early summer crops.

Desert King.

Lattarula.

White Sicilian.

If all goes well, these could give a June crop. These are reliable varieties for me.   I bought yellow jacket bait for when they ripen and yellow jackets try to destroy them all.

Lentil Loaf. 2.25.22

 I've been trying to find a good recipe for Lentil Loaf.  It's a vegetarian comfort food version of meat loaf. My mom made meat loaf, a comforting memory, but I haven't had meat for forty years.  I used to make a recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine, I think about 1995.  However, it was too complicated, called for a binder/filler ingredient I can't find easily (I forget - maybe kashi?) and crumbled too easily.

So, I looked at other recipes and combined parts into this one and left out some things I don't think were useful.

This actually turned out pretty good.  I think it was a big improvement as far as texture or consistency, over the original.  It needs some refining but so far, so good.  Here is the current recipe, I guess a "work i  progress".

Two cups rinsed brown lentils.  - bring to a boil in six cups of water, boil 40 min.  Lentils soak up all of the water and will be tender.  Let them cool off about 30 min so the eggs wont scramble when added.

Combine -

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup oats (I used old fashioned but instant oats might have been better)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dehydrated chopped garlic (I made this a while back)

2 teaspoons dehydrated tomato powder (I made this a while back)

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

about 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.

Sautè

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped carrot

Now combine the lentils, the dry mixture, two eggs (well stirred), the sautéed vegetables.  I tried using the mixer, the blades gummed up too much so I used the dough hooks.  I left it a bit chunky but a lot of the lentils were mashed.

Line 8 inch bread pan with parchment paper.   Transfer the loaf to the bread pan (there was too much.  I baked the rest is a small glass dish).

Bake 40 min.  Take out of oven.  Coat the top with catsup.  Bake another 15 min.  Remove from over.  Let cool before removing parchment paper.

When hot, this was a little crumbly.  Fully cooled, this loaf cut almost like a real meat loaf.  A bit more firm.   I thought this was great on sandwiches with mayo, mustard, relish.

Next time, I may increase the sesame oil (for umami), and the garlic.  I think instant oats would bind better than traditional oats, although the texture was already quite good.  A little olive oil might make it more juicy but will that make it more crumbly?  Also, maybe red lentils might give a better color but I don't know if that would change the texture.

Potato and Four O'Clock Update. 5.25.22

 I planted this row of Four O'clocks in a narrow wedge shaped  next to the fence in a sort of "Hell Strip" area, too narrow to mow and difficult to care for, especially watering.  I grew squashes there last year.  I also planted a row of early potatoes (Envol), which I hope will be done before most of the heat and watering season start.  

Today I filled the potato trenches by about 2/3 and cultivated the rest.  I also gave both some general purpose fertilizer.

The far end is only a foot between fences.  I may resort to landscape fabric to keep that part relatively clean.

First Sweet Corn is Finally Planted. 5.25.22

 This is about two weeks later than last year.  With the cool weather, that might not be a setback.  This is a new variety for me, "Orchard Baby".  Apparently the ears are short, just five to six inches long, two ears per plant, and the plants are only three to five feet tall.  Ready in 65 days, which is very early (and here possibly more like 80 days).  Victory Seeds description.  Baker Creek Seeds description.  Mine came from Baker Creek.  These originate in Canada and were sold by a North Dakota seed company, so should be adapted to my latitude, and short season.

The rows need protection from birds, rabbits, deer until about a foot tall.  Then they are OK.  I planted close and will thin.  My experience is I often have low germination, maybe birds get the seeds anyway,

I'll probably plant another variety in two weeks.  I'm thinking Early Sunglow Hybrid, which is a bit larger, about the same season length (68 days) and also not as water and is more "corn flavored" than more modern supersweet varieties.

Blooming. 5.25.22

 This was sold as a cranberry bush but I don't know for certain.

Rhododendron, probably 50 years old.

Laburnum

Viburnum

Lilac

Not blooming, but colorful Japanese Maples.

Most of the Peppers are Planted. 5.24.22

 Planted, with irrigation and paper mulch in place.

I added a large container for three more, and am setting up a second one.

Blooming. 5.24.22

 Horseradish

Some Irises

Weigela

Starting Annual Flowers and Pickle Cukes. 5.23.22

 I set up containers flower seeds - French marigolds (my saved seeds), African marigolds, Thunbergera, Cosmos, Cleome.  This year I was going to grow flowers even if it kills me LOL.  

I also planted bush cucumbers seeds, for pickles.  Next, to plant nasturtiums and zinnias directly.

Today's Gardening. 5.23.22

 I had a long task list, got through a fair amount.

Filling in growing soil for the first container potatoes, and almost filled in for the second ones.

One of the containers was filled with a commercial soil that I just wanted to use for the first potatoes container.  I finished emptying it out.  I didn't refill it yet with the looser soil that I want to use for its next occupant, which will be a pair of Serrano pepper plants.

I finished planting peppers in the pepper raised bed.  Three Early Jalapeños, two Banana peppers, three Thai Dragon peppers and a Cayenne.  I still have Serranos, some Jalmundos (a giant Jalapeño type), and a Tabasco to plant, and some to give away.  The drip lines are installed and 1/2 of the paper mulch.

I also transplanted a half dozen Rudbeckias, planted the three Rosemary cuttings that have grown roots, and did some work on the squash bed.  Enough for one day.

A Loaf of Sandwich Bread. 5.23.22

 I used the mixer to make a batch of pizza dough.  That's just flour, water, yeast, a little salt.  I kneaded it together, let it rise.  Now it needs to age a little in the fridge, up to a week, maybe two.

Then I made a loaf of sandwich bread.  I used a recipe on the King Alfred flour website. This bread has potato flour and milk powder as dough conditioners, and some butter.

I made a mistake and cut the butter back by 1/3 without adding liquid to replace the difference.

The dough was a bit dry.  I realized my mistake and kneaded in a little more water.  It was a bit lumpy before rising.

I realize that dough hooks have been around for a generation of two, but I have always kneaded by hand.  I like being part of the process, and feeling the dough texture with my hands.  That is becoming more difficult, and it's more messy that kneading in a bowl, so the mixer is worth a try.  Cleanup is also easier.

Since the surface was a little lumpy so I kneaded a few times by hand.  Let it rise until very puffy, punch down, made into loaf and let it rise again.  I cut some slices across the top.

It came out really nice.

The bread is maybe a little crumbly inside.  Maybe I over-kneaded.  The flavor was excellent and it was  very tender.