CATALOG SEASON IS HERE

07 Friday Jan 2011

Posted by backyardnotes in Uncategorized, Vegetable garden

YESTERDAY I RECEIVED MY SECOND SEED CATALOG so it must be time to start thinking about this year’s vegetable gardening plans. So far I have received Johnny’s and Seeds of Change catalogs. I really need to replace a lot of older lettuce seed. Part of the enjoyment of leafing through the catalogs is all about trying new varieties, of which there are plenty every year. This is an excellent way to pass the time on rainy winter days.

Already, in just a brief look through, I see a Blush tomato that I may have to try from Seeds of Change. I love the planning; figuring out how much I can cram into my small space, what to leave out, what to try that is new and different. I do know that this year I will definitely be planting the costata variety of zucchini to make bread and butter style pickles. The ones that I made last fall have a great crunch and flavor. I also like Franklin brussels sprouts; the sprouts are a nice size, the plants are compact and they have good flavor too.

Dream, dream, dream.

A WINTER BLOOMING CLEMATIS

03 Monday Jan 2011

Posted by backyardnotes in Winter flowers

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WE FOUND clematis cirrhosa ‘Ourika Valley’ last summer at Swanson’s Nursery; it seemed a novelty, but it is blooming despite the daily sub-freezing temperatures. I had nearly forgotten about it until today when I stepped to the edge of the lawn to snap a photo of the snowy Olympic Mountains–and there were two flowers, radiant in the sunshine. One of our daughters gave me an old card rack and it just sat around the potting table area rusting until Tom came up with the idea to use it as a trellis! This clematis should grow ten to twelve feet, so it can cover the rack over time. Curiously, the actual flowers and the photo on the tag do not correspond; the tags shows lime-yellow flowers!

Since I nearly missed the clematis flowering, I thought I should walk around to see what else might catch my eye.

Sunlight catches the lichens and leaf buds of the flowering red currant.

This weeping Japanese Black Pine that really gets to show off its form during the fall and winter months when all the herbaceous plants that surround it are dormant. We found this at a tree nursery out in Redmond (next to Bamboo Gardens of Washington and no longer there) that specialized in rare, unusual and species size trees. We planted it about thirteen years ago and it hangs over my soon-to-be renovated pond. The chickadees find it an especially attractive perch and I can view them both from my office window.

A quick check into the coldframe to see how the echeverias and other cactus are faring so far this winter. So far, so good.

I think that even the abutilon will make it. Still has a green leaf or two hanging on. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

I LOVE COOKBOOKS

31 Friday Dec 2010

Posted by backyardnotes in Cooking & Cookbooks

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AND COOKING TOO. I have been hooked on cooking since Julia Child first appeared on public television. I think I was around thirteen or so when I was inspired by one her shows to cook a special dinner for my parents on their anniversary. I had saved some money (and probably persuaded my mom to chip in) to buy ingredients for french onion soup, a salad and filet mignon. Of course my recollection of it is probably somewhat inflated but I’m sure it was the best meal they had ever had, prepared by a thirteen year old!

EVERY BOOK HAS A STORY.

I have been collecting cookbooks for forty years, some have remained and some had to go to make room for new books. My first collection began with the Time-Life Foods of the World series that came out in the late sixties. I asked that the series be my high school graduation gift! There were so many books in the series that after two years worth (I own twenty-two of the twenty-seven published), my parents decided to keep a few for themselves. These books were fascinating to read and greatly expanded my food horizons. At seventeen I first learned to make cannelloni and hand rolled, homemade pasta from the Cooking of Italy book and it was a revelation. To this day it remains the definitive recipe for me and what I rate all versions by. Around 1983 Tom spent two weeks in Hong Kong and ate what he thought was the Caesar Salad. He found his go-to recipe in the American Cooking book. These remain great books.

I have my mom’s copy of the Joy of Cooking that she received as a wedding gift in 1950. Sadly, its’ spine is bound with silver duct tape, but it lives on and has the best recipe for shortbread and some other old-time holiday and ethnic cookies. I also have my grandmother’s copy of Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Merrit Farmer (which I have never used, but love to look at the photos of molded salads, desserts and other ‘fancy’ dishes) 1924 edition, a wedding gift to her from her mother-in-law in 1929. And, speaking of wedding gift cookbooks, I received the McCalls Cookbook which one of my daughters now has and she loves it!

My first Julia Child book was a gift from my father in 1975 and it was From Julia’s Kitchen. The dust jacket is in tatters and the recipe for Chocolate Mousse is spattered with chocolate; Chocolate Mousse has become the annual birthday dessert for daughter number two. There is no other or better. In the early Eighties I stumbled upon the 1971 two-volume set Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a used bookstore in perfect condition, unused and in the original hardboard case and only $30.00. My heart started racing and I was sure it had been mistakenly priced (it was) but the bookseller honored the price and I happily took it home.

As I travel I like to look for regional cookbooks and some of the best have come from New Orleans (pre-Katrina) at the French Market where there was a terrific cookbook stand. My favorite is La Bouche Creole by Leon E. Soniat, Jr. He has a wonderful recipe for oysters that is similar to an Oyster Pan Roast but Oysters Louise is enriched with egg yolks and it is sublime. He also provides a great recipe for Gumbo Z’herbes. I was directed to this book by Crescent Dragonwagon who gives some great gumbo tips and recipes in her Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread cookbook. I have her first (?) slim volume, The Bean Book from 1972.

I have a small number of Northwest cookbooks and the two most useful and used are Northwest Bounty by Schuyler Ingle and Sharon Kramis, and the Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerrry Traunfeld. Both of these books are very local and seasonal; Northwest Bounty was way ahead of the current trends when published in the 80’s.

There are many quirky little books and pamphlets that I rarely open and hardly ever use, but I can’t seem to divest myself of them. As you can see from the pieced together photo above I have limited space available in my kitchen bookshelves. Now I am at the point when I acquire a new book something has to go. So, I make arbitrary rules about what has to go. If I haven’t opened a book for a couple of years, it’s a candidate for the Friends of the Library sale. I’m writing all this because I received two new books at Christmas this year and I have to make some decisions…

These are both great books. Just open to any page and I’m hooked. Well written with great headnotes and sidebars, these books come alive with the author’s voice and perspectives on cooking and eating. I’ll make one appetizer from each book to preface tonight’s dinner of Duck Baked in Salt from Italian Family Dining by Edward Giobbi & Eugenia Bone. We’ll also be having fresh oysters on the half-shell from our friend’s beach on Hood Canal. Should be a very Happy New Year’s Eve!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A VERY CRAFTY FAMILY

30 Thursday Dec 2010

Posted by backyardnotes in Family, Giving, Handmade

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SO MANY TALENTED FAMILY MEMBERS make Christmas a delight. I have to brag about all of the beautiful and surprising handmade gifts that were given and received. My sisters and mother knit; mother and one sister sew and quilt ( I gave up sewing about fifteen years ago and knitting more than forty!). Both daughters sew and quilt, one knits a little and one crochets a little bit. One of the sisters (Renée) and her husband recycle bottles to produce Twice Poured Candles and a new recycled bottle oil lamp (the one above from a Yazi bottle) that was inspired by this idea.

Renée gifted the female members of the family with these new creations, cute headbands and travel size makeup bags, everyone different. She is also selling them at a local salon and soon at RedClothespin.

My mother does a lot of beautiful quilting and she made these sunny, reversible placemats and napkins for us. We’ll feel like we’re in the south of France when it is dreary here. She also knitted a very colorful and warm pair of wool socks for me!

The women at our Christmas day gathering really got lucky this year. Deb made cozy wristwarmers/fingerless mittens for us. Mostly made from scrap yarn they are a clever way to use it up and be useful at the same time.

Now there are two candlemakers in the family; Gretchen too,(girlfriend to one of my nephews) makes candles. A few months back, I had given her some small quilted Ball jelly jars (no longer made and no lids are available) and she turned them into cute little soy wax candles. She also makes nice little candles in tins (with lids).

One of my daughters conspired with her sister and made a very sweet and frilly apron for me since I love aprons and actually wear them!

I think that this is what the spirit of giving at Christmas is about, sharing our talents and love with one another.

DECEMBER CATCH-UP

27 Monday Dec 2010

Posted by backyardnotes in Art, Birds, December, Garden Wildlife, Winter, Winter flowers

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HARD TO BELIEVE NEARLY A MONTH HAS PASSED since the last post, but December days seem to pass all too quickly and each day was filled with things to do as December 24th approached. Two days before the first day of winter we had a glorious sun filled day and stunning views of newly fallen snow in the Olympic Mountains to the west; an uplifting break from lots of rainy days. I even did some weeding and cold damage cleanup.

The first day of winter here revealed a beautiful full moon that set as the daylight grudgingly began around 7:30 a.m. Not the greatest photo, but kind of neat with Christmas lights on the fruit trees.

By moving the camera quickly I caught a more abstract composition of the moon and lights.

Plants continue to grow and show through the winter. The witch hazel, hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ has begun blooming in the chill of December.

The fava bean plants, are growing nicely in spite of our coldsnap last month, as are some volunteer heads of raddichio ‘Castelfranco’, savoy cabbage, brussels sprouts and turnips. The broccoli plants really took a hit, so no more broccoli the rest of the winter.

ART CLASS finished up the second week of December and I finished a collage piece (below) in response to a poem received ( I also submitted a separate collage piece for the poetry class student) as a part of the annual Art/Poetry Show at South Seattle Community College. It is a collaboration between students in Poetry, Art and Photography classes. Students submit art and poetry and then create responses to those submissions. It is fun, creative and challenging. The show opens January 3, 2011.

AS DECEMBER wound down to Christmas Day I said so long to many jars of of jams, preserves, and pickles and little takeout cartons filled with cookies (decorated with art cut from Christmas cards received last year; thanks to Renée for the photo).

A FEW WEEKS AGO I hung up a suet feeder outside my office window for the flock of bushtits that pass through here twice a day. They were here this afternoon and mobbed the feeder; there are as many as twenty or more at times. They tiny, charming, and great consumers of insects (good!). It is also a treat for the Red-shafted flickers too.