Walking Around. 7.8.16

Daylily "Chicago Apache".   7.8.16

 This daylily was labeled only with the fertilizer name, "Vigaro".  Bought in 2015.

Daylily, no label.  7.8.16

 I kept thinking there was something odd about this daylily.  It has an extra petal. 

Daylily labeled as "Frans Hals".  7.8.16

Daylily "Ice Carnival".  7.8.16

 

 

Pumpkins.  7.8.16

 These tigridias were in a container.  I planted them into the ground to see if they survive the climate here.

Tigridia.  7.8.16

Blueberries.  7.8.16

 Apparently chickens don't eat chamomile.  That, and grass, are all that survive in the chicken yard.

Chamomile forest.  7.8.16

 This daylily was labeled as "Daring Deception".  It's nice, but it's not true to the name.

Daylily labeled as "Daring Deception".  7.8.16

Persimmon Status Report. 7.4.16

Persimmon Progress.  Saijo.  7.4.16

Persimmon Progress.  Nikita's Gift.  7.4.16

 There are about 7 persimmons developing on Saijo.  With the small number, I did not thin even the few that were close together.  They have a 4-lobe appearance, which surprises me.  I thought they would be ball-shaped.

I thinned some of Nikita's gift, although with only about 20 developing persimmons - after thinning -  I did leave some near the others.  On some branches, there were as many as 6, close together.  I thought that was too much competition for resources, and I want them to be as early, large, and sweet, as the leaves can support.

As for the chocolate persimmon grafts, the first is slowly progressing, still with a brownish - red coloration to the leaves.  The second needed several additional weeks to begin growth, but finally started.  So that means don't be too impatient.

Persimmon Graft.  "Chocolate Persimmon".  7.4.16

Persimmon Progress.  "Chocolate"  7.4.16

Daylilies, Buddleias, and Milkweeds. 7.4.16

Daylily "Fooled Me".  7.4.16

Daylily "Daring Deception" - may be atypical.  7.4.16

Daylily "Chicago Apache".  7.4.16

Daylily "Strawberry Candy".  7.4.16

This daylily is very pretty.  I moved it from the Vancouver place a few years ago, divided it, and divided it again.  I don't know the variety name.  It was purchased locally.

Daylily, unknown variety.  7.4.26

Honeybee, Milkweed Asclepias syriaca.  7.4.16

I grew these milkweeds from seeds last year.  They require at least one year to bloom.  Some have not bloomed yet.  They are very fragrant.  Honeybees like them.

Honeybee on milkweed.  7.4.16

Honeybee on milkweed.  7.4.16

Milkweed Asclepias syriaca.  7.4.16

Milkweed Asclepias syriaca.  7.4.16

These Buddleia "Peach Cobbler" are not as compact as marketed.  They are more like a tree than a shrub, about 18 feet tall in their 4th year.  They make a nice windbreak for the orchard.  The "Peaach Cobbler" variety is quite fragrant, as is the "Miss Ruby" Variety.  "Honeycomb" does not seem to have much of a scent.  The Western Swallowtail Butterflies like the fragrant Buddleias, and is about the only place where I see these butterflies.

Swallowtail Butterfly on Buddleia hybrid 'Peach Cobbler".  7.4.16

Buddleia hybrid "Honeycomb"

Things to do with zucchini. 7.4.16

Baked Zucchini Spears.  7.4.16

Zucchini Fritters (Pancakes)  7.4.16

Zucchini Dumpling Filling.  7.4.16

The first two recipes are from the blog, damndelicious.net.  I made exactly as the author stated, and all I can say is they are delicious and excellent and simple.  I used both green zucchinis and yellow summer squash.  The fritters are a lot like potato pancakes, but with zucchini instead of potato.  Fritter recipe here.

The third is dumpling filling.  I don't claim to be a dumpling cook - those are Nings.  I shredded them for him using mandolin, he added salt to draw out fluid, drained, and mixed with scrambled egg and tofu, same as he does for tradition chive dumpling.

With what I hope is a summer with lots of zucchini and summer squash, these additional ways to prepare them are welcomed.

I should try some of the zucchini pasta.  We've also stir fried it like any other vegetable stir fry.

Methley Plums. 6.28.16

Methley Plum.  6.28.16

I thought this year there would be no plums.  There are not massive numbers, but there are enough for some bursts of orchard flavor.  This is Methley.  I think it's 1/2 Prunus cerasifera, so similar to Hollywood.  The same tree has a graft of Shiro, starting to color up, and a graft of Hollywood, no plums on that this year.

What's Blooming. 6.28.16

Marigods

Crocosmia

Milkweed

Potato Onion

Roses

Classic Red Rose

Potato Onion

Chinese Chives

Overwintered Pelargoniums from Cuttings

Walking around. Kitchen Garden, Progress Report.. 6.26.16

Jerusalem Artichoke.  6.26.16

Bulb Onions.  6.26.16

 Jerusalem artichokes are growing the best in 3 years.  I have no idea why.  The first year, they barely grew, then were eaten by deer.  The second year, I did not see any growth.  This year there are 2 gigantic plants.  I did not plant them, so they were either dormant for a year, or I missed them last year.

2nd Scion Take, Chocolate Persimmon.  6.26.16

 The bulb onions are bulbing up nicely.  I have never grown them before.  These are a yellow variety, bought and planted the sets late winter.

The second graft of the Chocolate Persimmon looks like it took.  I don't expect much growth this year.   Maybe next year both grafts will take off and grow.

Collard Greens.  6.26.16

Deer Fencing.  6.26.16

 I think the limiting factor on Collard Greens, is slugs.  Since I put down slug bait, some are growing like crazy, others more slowly.  This is my first try for Collard Greens.

I've been worried that deer will take after the Carini fig and others in the row, that are looking so good.  They ate leaves of a fig tree about 6 feet away.  I finally added a strip of fencing.  This is a fairly protected spot.  The cost of deer fencing can be exhorbitant.  One of the most expensive parts of gardening.  This time, I bought plastic fencing.  Price is about 1/2 the metal fencing, it won't scratch me like 1,000 thorns, like chicken wire, and I think it should deter the deer.  They are not aggressive, just persistant to consume anything they can easily reach.

Methley plums are almost ripe.  We ate a few today.

Methley Plums.  6.26.16

Chinese Beans.  6.26.16

 The resurrected Chinese Beans look pretty good in general.  I hope they continue to grow.

The White Potato Onions, that I started last fall from sets from Territorial Seeds, are blooming.  Apparently, that is a rare event and should be treasured.  In Utah, Kelly Winterton has been trying to resurrect (another ressurection) the variety by taking opportunity of potato onion rare bloom events to collect true seeds.  There are several reasons-
Vegetative propagation of a variety over the decades - possily centuries - may weaken the strain due to somatic mutations ande viruses.  Apparently, growing from seeds can restore the genetic potential and eliminate some, if not all, viruses that do not cross the seed barrier.   The seed-grown onions may be much larger and more vigorous, than the division-grown onions.  Seed grown potato onions have potential to develop new varieties.    Since mine are blooming, I will see if they set seeds and if so, that will be a fun project.  At the very least, I hope I get nice big potato onions from the seedlings. 

Winterton speculates that potato onions are a natural hybrid from centuries ago, which have been maintaned ever since, by vegetatice propagation.  If so, he considers seedlings from this variety to be F2 generation, with a lot of diversity and unpredictablity.  It is also possible, they could be pollinated by other onions around the yard.  I have garlic chives in bloom - don't know of those can cross with potato onions.  I removed all flowers from other onions.

Nikita's Gift Persimmon is looking great!  Fruit are swelling nicely.  I did some thinning but not too aggressive, because there are so many leaves and so few fruits.  Still, it's possible there will be a dozen, maybe more, persimmons this year.  If the persimmon gods smile upon us.  This variety is vigorous, stout growth, very healthy appearing.  Saijo has a few potential fruits as well. 

The first wave of Sweet Corn, Trinity, is as high as my eyeballs.  The secone wave, Bilicious, is waist high.  The 3rd wave, also Trinity, is almost knee high.  Subsequent waves are smaller but growing.  The last ones, seeds planted last week, Bodaceous, have not emerged from the soil yet.

I tried to be creative with a tomato cage, made from bamboo and jute string.  I don't know if that will deter the damn deer.  The pictured tomato plant is a grafted Supersweet 1000.

Flowers on White Potato Onions.  6.26.16

Swelling fuit on Nikita's Gift Persimmons.  6.26.16

First Three Waves of Sweet Corn.  #1 = Trinity, #2=Bilicious, #3=Trinity.

Tomato Cage, maded from bamboo and jute string.  6.26.16

New Potatoes. 6.26.16

These are the first potatoes.  The red ones are a pink flesh potato.  I think - forgot to take notes - this is Red Thumb Fingerling.  The brown ones are Burbank Russets.  I harvested about 2 plants of each.  Estimating the yeild here as 5 pounds.  We should be past the rainy season now, so I think I can dig them as I need them.  Tomorrow:  pink flesh potato salad.

Pie Cherries / Cherry Pie. 6.23.16

Montmorency Cherries.  6.26.16

Wild Bird-Planted Cherries.  6.26.16

Cherry Pie Filling Ingredients.  6.26.16

This is my first crop of Montmorency pie cherries.  We also have a massive, bird-planted cherry tree that bears small red/yellow cherries.  All went into two pies.  The first pie was last week, and was all from the wild bird-planted cherry tree.  The montmorency cherries were too small for cherry pitter, so I pitted them by hand.  There were enough for 1/2 of the pie filling, so the 2nd pie also got wild cherries.  These pies were the most cherry-tasting pies I've had in many, many years.  These cherries have clear juice - the filling will not be red without coloring, and I don't need chemical-red to taste cherry.  It was so good.

Cherry Pie.  6.26.16

The pie filling is 4 cups of pitted cherries, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, pinch of salt, mix together and let it extract the cherry juice while making the pie crusts.  After filling with the cherry filling, I add dabs of butter before covering with the top crust.  This pie is baked at 375 F for 50 minutes.