The Lily ~ Haiku and Photo

Lily from my garden


fireworks of flora



speckled bursts of joy

fireworks cool to my touch

enchanting lily


by Angie Quantrell

National Haiku Poetry Day

Monet in the garden

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

National Haiku Poetry Day was on Sunday. I love wrangling words to create a 17 syllable story poem.

 

Cat in the garden

Ladybug is mine, Mine. MINE.

I can't have it? Fine. I'm gone.

Fine. You won't let me have it, I'm outta here.

 

Cat, photos, and Haiku are mine. Happy Haiku Holiday.

Ginger Root Experiment

 We live in central Washington. Winters can be brutal to all sorts of crops, from fruit trees to flowers to bulbs and tropical sorts of plants.

But I have discovered success growing ginger! Yes. The root plant from which wonderful flavor and fragrance are imparted to delectable dishes.

Over the last several years, I have been inclined to experiment and see what happens. Usually my idea begins with something that starts to root in the kitchen or a find that needs some sort of immediate attention.

Growing celery from the leftover butt of the plant? Failure.
New garlic from sprouted cloves? Still waiting for results.
Potatoes in a bag? Too hot outside for bags.

Mid-summer or so, I had an overly dehydrated piece of ginger root hanging around with the garlic in the kitchen basket.

Ok. Let's bury it in the garden to see what happens.

Lovely green leaves and shoots grew to about a foot and a half tall. The dried up piece of ginger root seemed to be thriving in the heat of summer. I was desperate to dig up a bit and see how things were going underground, but resolved to wait until we had a good freeze to kill off the top.

Today, after several good freezes and pretty dry conditions, I dug out a portion of that old husk of a hunk of ginger.

Et voila! The citrusy scent greeted my nose as the shovel and my hands scraped away soil. New, fresh ginger root.

People in colder climates, there is hope. Take that old lump and bury it. What can it hurt? A raised bed is a wonderful option.

I left most of the plant in the ground. This is also a continuation of my experiment. I dug out plenty for us to use right now, but left the rest for future consumption. Maybe. If the ground does not freeze solid and destroy the roots.

And then, perhaps, we shall see what comes up next spring.

The experiment that keeps continues on . . .

Bounty of Harvest

The bounty of harvest is in full production in October. This makes me very happy.

Usually I spend hours each fall dehydrating apples, parsley, sage, and any other produce I can get my hands on. Many foodstuffs come from the generosity of family and friends. Some are purchased. But the the parsley and sage are clipped straight from the garden, as they have aggressively taken over most of one raised garden bed.

This year, I have yet to fill the little dome of delight with sliced apples. But I have made a huge crock pot of applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon. The fragrance of cooking apples and cinnamon is a signature fall scent. Ahhh.

Yesterday our family was blessed with massive produce in the form of 50 pounds of potatoes (and I mean BIG spuds - I have never seen them this large), 50 pounds of onions, and a box full of Roma tomatoes. The overabundance is amazing. I do not want any of it to go to waste.

As of last night, the dehydrator has been running non-stop. The withered forms of onions rest inside, slowly drying out and waiting for me to scoop them into a container for future meals. The neighborhood is filled with wafts of onions (we got smart and put them on the patio, as our eyes were going crazy with burning).

The potatoes - what to do with the potatoes? Mashed? Baked? Gratined? I fear that one is enough for a small army, they are that huge!

And the tomatoes - soup? Sauce? Stewed? Dehydrated? (No, that does not sound appealing at all.)

I'm off to go another round with the tear-inducing onions. Last night was French onion soup. Tonight?

Ideas would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and if you need a spud or two, a few onions, and a handful of tomatoes, drop on by.

 

Thank you, dear friends, for sharing the (food) wealth!

Answer: A Kousa Dogwood

After several helpful inquiries, we discovered that our mystery dogwood, which I was even considering to not be a dogwood, is indeed one in this beautiful family of trees. Meet our kousa dogwood.

According to online research, kousa dogwoods are either Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. I still don't know the country of origin from which my kousa dogwood had its beginnings, but it is dogwood.

The interesting orbs dotted with tiny spikes? Multiple sources say they are edible and taste slightly like strawberries.

Experiment: pick a bright red pod

Results: bright red pods are very ripe and mushy. I squished one open to find orange sherbet colored pulp, which looked slimy. While it smelled yummy, I am not convinced I can eat it. Birds are supposed to love them. I think the birds in my neighborhood do not know this. Maybe only birds in Japan or China or Korea have the inside track on kousa dogwood fruit.

All in all, it was a good day learning more about my tree.

Fast growing, check. Most dogwoods grow very slowly, but this is easily nearing 10 feet in height and we've had it for about 5 years, beginning with a less than 1-foot tall stick. STICK in the truest sense of the word. Red fruit pods, check. White 4-petal flowers, check. Blooms later than other dogwoods, check.

"Cornus kousa," or Japanese strawberry tree, produces edible tree fruit, grows to 20-30 feet in height, and is an ornamental garden tree. Not only that, this variety has few illnesses or pests that invade its trunk, leaves, or fruit.

Friends, I think we have a winner. I'm happy to know that my kousa dogwood is doing just fine and will for years to come.

Fruit anyone?

Egged Fried Zucchini Recipe

It's THAT time of the garden season.

Zucchini and yellow squash are growing rampant amongst my other poor crowded plants in the garden beds. Beyond rampant. I was gone for one week. ONE. I came back to 16 overlarge zucchini and yellow squash. I've barely made a dent in the amount (though most have been grated and frozen in 3 cup amounts for future zucchini bread).

Today I found 7 more fat specimens. When is that "National Give Your Neighbors Zucchini Day?"

Here is a simple recipe I love to use to help absorb the plethora of squash.

Egged Fried Zucchini

Ingredients:

~ washed and sliced (about 1/4" thick) zucchini or yellow squash
~ eggs, whisked until broken apart; 1-2 depending on how many zucchini you are preparing
~ cayenne pepper, just a good sprinkle
~ olive oil

To prepare:

1. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

2. Whisk eggs and cayenne in a flat bottomed pan. I love to use my cake layer pan. It's perfect.

3. Coat zucchini slices in egg mixture and put in hot pan. Let cook without turning at least 2 minutes so the egg batter stays on. Carefully flip to the other side and cook until browned.

4. Place cooked zucchini slices on paper towels to absorb extra oil and moisture.

5. Eat while hot. This is the easiest step, as they are so tasty you won't be able to stop yourself. But beware of burned fingers and tongues!

What To Do AFTER a Writer's Conference

Last week I spent four days at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association annual conference. It was truly a time of learning and making connections. Not only did writers attend a variety of sessions, we were also able to pitch (picture speed dating, except the conversation is about writing projects and the two parties are author and agent or editor) potential projects to many agents and editors that were present. Let's not forget the special evening events with guest panels (how about J.A. Jance? Robert Dugoni? and more), dinners, desserts, and an award ceremony.

To put it bluntly, we ran from sun up to sun down. Exhaustion was my traveling companion on the way home. But it was worth every single second.

What does one do after such a fantastic outing?

~ Zucchini and yellow squash. Yes, you read that correctly. Dear old hubby did not eat a single one. Or so appearances would seem. He had harvested 3 super huge squash and I found an additional 13. Thirteen could be a good number, but not when considering what to do with that many squash. New house rule: If you visit, you take at least one squash when you leave.

~ Raspberries. Again, an attempt was made to pick the laden canes. The full bowl rested untouched in the fridge. After my attack on the killer canes, I added another colander full - all to be washed, picked over, and put in the freezer.

~ Laundry. Even one person can make a huge mess in a week. I did. I am still unable to find certain undergarments. I hope they did not stay for a longer visit at the hotel.

~ Green beans. Can you tell the garden needed me while I was gone? Tomorrow I will tackle the wax and green beans.

~ Unpacking. Again, how much mess can a single traveler make? Plenty.

~ Paperwork. This is a very important step following a conference of any type. I made so many great connections with other writers. I need to sort out all of the business cards and make contact on social media with my colleagues. I also need to check out information that I collected about businesses that provide assistance to writers.

~ Synopsis and query. At the conference, I pitched one of my picture books. The agent I spoke with was interested in reading my manuscript, so now I need to write a synopsis. And a query letter. And then I need to submit my work to her. Praying this has a great ending!

~ See my grandbabies. What? You didn't think I had forgotten them, did you? Only a week, and all of them have shot up taller.

Yawn. I am slowly catching up with jobs, even sleep. I missed you!

I'm off to write a synopsis and query letter.

Mad Monday - aka - Tea with Me

Whoa, baby!

It's been Mad Monday here all day long.

Originally, I was going to spend the day off on a retreat by me-lonesome, taking photos, dabbling with watercolor paints, and chilling. Well. That didn't happen.

Instead:

I had to harvest the garden. Green beans, wax beans, yellow squash, and raspberries were waiting for me.

The gardens had to be soaked. This 100-plus spell is taking it's toll. Raspberry and blueberry leaves are positively baked on top.

Laundry. Oh, boy. For two of us, it is amazing. Loads of laundry and changing of the sheets. Not as important or exciting as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but necessary.

Grocery. Shopping. My usual store (first word starts with an F, second word begins with M) is in major remodel mode. Can't find anything and most things are non-existent. Still, I was there early and the crowds were light.

Spreading bark on my triangle kitchen garden was mandatory. The heat has been brutal. Poor plants. The cats loved helping me and the soil should stay moist and weed free(er).

Due to above cats, I had to recover a bird. Dead this time. My first hint was Monet trying to get something beneath the couch. As she walked off, I thought, ok, it's a toy.

Hours later, a I discovered feathers in two spots. Ok. It was not a toy. Up went the couch, and there amidst many kitty toys was a poor dead sparrow. After fighting off Mabel, who loves stealing Monet's prizes, and shooing off Monet, who wanted her birdie back, I was able to capture and dispose of said bird. The good news is that it was dead and therefore easier to catch.

Plenty of green beans filled my basket, so a second batch of spicy garlic green beans made their way through the pickling process.

Muesli was on the list of to-do's, but guess who forgot oatmeal? Kind of an important ingredient in oatmeal muesli.

So far, laundry remains on the list. As do tacos for dinner, numerous paperwork tasks, packing for a writer's conference, piling craft supplies for a rubber stamp fest,
and writing tasks.

I could sure use a tea break. How about it? See you in five. And then we can chat about your weekend.

Like Mabel, I'm exhausted. However, I will not recline on the table like a naughty kitty.

I suppose it will be Mad Monday until tomorrow, when it is Tuesday.

Busy As a Bee

"How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower!"

~ Isaac Watts
"Against Idleness and Mischief," Divine Songs for Children (1715)

I know I'm loving the bees in my garden. Though they do get testy with me if I water them or disturb their work.

Spicy Pickled Green Beans & Garlic Recipe

Oh, yes! The garden is now in production.

With some surprise, after harvesting raspberries yesterday, I was able to pick a full basket of yellow wax beans and green beans. Time to can some pickled beans! Interestingly enough, I had just been daydreaming about biting into a spicy tangy pickled green bean. And voila' - beans are ready!

This recipe came from Renee, a good college buddy (who happens to be visiting Australia right now, but let's not hold that against her). I, per my usual inability to leave well enough alone, have adapted it to our tastes.

Spicy Pickled Green Beans

You need sanitized and prepared jars, lids, and rings. I used 5 pint jars for this recipe.

Fill jars with:

2 lbs. green beans, washed and cut to fit jars (Khloe and I planted green beans and yellow wax beans this year, so I put a mix of beans in each jar)
2-3 cloves of garlic per jar
1 dried Thai chili per jar
1 dill head per jar (I cut apart several large ones and divided it among the jars)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper per jar
1/8 tsp. crushed red peppers per jar

Pickling liquid (enough for 5 pint jars):

Mix, boil, and pour over beans.

2-1/2 cup water
2-1/2 cup vinegar
1/8 cup salt
4 tsp. sugar

Wipe jar edges clean. Cover with lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and let sit on table undisturbed for 24 hours. Check if jars have sealed. Store in cool, dry place.

Let pickled beans cure for at least 2 weeks before tasting.

Now the hard part - waiting for 2 weeks!

Does anyone know why touching and picking green beans gives me a rash? So itchy! At least it doesn't last, but I am guaranteed some prickles on my hands and arms after perusing the bean bushes.

Raspberry Piggy

I'm sorry. I ate all the raspberries. Ok. MOST of the raspberries. The ripe ones.

I couldn't help it! They are so tartly sweet and delicious. Fresh raspberries taste just like summer. Each flavor burst brings back scenes from my childhood and thoughts of other times when les frambroises passed my eager lips.

So, family and friends. You will now have to wait a few more days to share the bounty, as the bees are busy preparing the next batch.

Signed,

The girl who loves raspberry season

Breakfast with Slugs

Ahem. Good morning! How is your day going so far?

I have been sharing breakfast with slugs. And ants. And cats.

After shrieking when I peeled back the raspberry canes and seeing a particularly large and amazing ugly slug (and his slightly smaller brother) I decided it was time to put the old beer slug trap to the test. The beer is for the slugs. Not me.

Whereupon, the kitties decided it was time for a early morning drink. That resulted in a motley collection of garden junk around said beer trap to dissuade them from sipping.

Into the drink went the ugly buddies. Away from the beer went the sipping kitties. And one by one, picked off of raspberries and strawberries, bye-bye went the ants. The beebs were for me.

It's already been quite the garden morning.

Breakfast anyone?

You are welcome.

PS Should you see the kitties staggering down the road, let me know. We will go to beer trap #2 plan.

Beeb Boy Can See Just Fine

I just love preschoolers. Of course that's true, you say, since I'm the Nana. But even with my students, who were not mine other than belonging to my class, I loved them as well.

Preschoolers are cool! They are funny, real, silly, clumsy, investigative, curious, destructive, messy, loud, drippy, smelly, lovey, energetic - absorbent little sponges.

The Beeb Boy, my new nickname for Donavyn, is indeed a toddler/preschooler. He is all of the above. His current favorite food, besides all foods, is beebs.

To you lay folk, that would be berries. Any type of berries. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries. Actually he loves fruit. Period.

The Beeb Boy can spy a strawberry beeb in the garden with excellent accuracy. Sadly, Nana has disgusting irrigation water for the garden, so she has to do the picking and washing first. But Beeb Boy knows what he sees and wants to eat.

Just the other day he noticed the beeb on a shelf over my stove. The beeb in question is actually a red strawberry sugar bowl. It really looks like a strawberry. Today Beeb Boy was noticing the beeb on the shelf. So I pulled it down so he could see it was made of glass and had sugar in it.

What did he do? Yes. Beeb Boy stuck out his tongue and took a lick. LOL

That was disappointing! I'm sure he thought it would be a giant beeb just for him.

Our family has two new names for berries. Strawbabies (Khloe) and beebs (Donavyn). Did you know that preschoolers could enrich your vocabulary this much?

It's beebs and shortbread for dessert tonight, honey.

PS Beeb Boy, who recently had eye surgery - wow, almost a month ago - is doing very well. Thank you, Jesus!

Slugs vs Plaid Boxer Shorts

Yes, that was me wandering outside in the backyard wearing my plaid boxers. Why do you ask?

Because the slugs are winning.

It's a war. Lettuce vs slugs. Radishes vs slugs. Kale, strawberries, green beans, raspberries - all vs slugs.

Even with me, my trusty saltshaker, two grands with their saltshakers, and a handy gardening shovel, the slugs are still winning.

One day, hundreds of years in the future, archeologists will ponder this little plot of highly salted land and try to figure out how the ocean traveled this far inland. That salt plus my assortment of shells and driftwood will complete the evidence.

All joking aside. Die. Slugs. die.

A Note to the Slugs:

I know you have a purpose for decomposing. But my garden does not need decomposing. Go back to the forest and gnaw on some dead and downed tree trunks. Guzzle your way through layers of old leaves. Chomp down weeds and woodsy debris. But leave my garden alone. Thank you.

Sigh.

Maybe plaid boxers do not scare away slugs. Must change hunting attire.

Where Have All the Snowflakes Gone? Drought Year on Tap - What I'm Doing to Help Stretch Water Resources

It's absolutely true in the northwest. We are in a drought. The Evergreen State may not be so green this year. (But if you intend to visit, we have plenty of great activities, attractions, and adventures to enjoy. It will just be dry and hopefully not as many people will be watering lawns.)

On a recent motorcycle ride, we traveled up Chinook Pass. Usually Chinook Pass is open for summer travel by Memorial Day Weekend (this upcoming weekend at the end of May). This year the snowfall was so scant and light the road crews were able to clear the roads several weeks early.

The good news is the pass was open. Traffic was light. Snowbanks were minimal. Mosquitoes were not yet in force. It was a gorgeous day.

The bad news is . . . well, the snow was almost non-existent except at the top. And the snow at the top was barely a skiff. The hillsides and trees were mostly clear of snow and moisture. The music of multiple waterfalls did not chime in our ears as we rolled by. Actually, on the motorcycle, we can hear waterfalls and smell the wonderful fresh water cascading from both above and below the road. But not this trip. Few, weak, and far between were the rushing signs of spring.

If the snowpack was that invisible to my eyes, the bodings of a long, hot, dry summer sang ever louder in my ears.

What can we do?

Here are a few choices we are making and things we do to make the water stretch. Not extreme yet, but if we all adopted at least a few measures, maybe we won't get to extreme.

~ Prayer. Really. Who owns - controls - the water of a thousand hills? (I know, the Bible says cattle of a thousand hills, but God owns it all.) Prayer is the only guarantee.

~ Stop. Watering. Every. Day. My yard is on an as-needed basis. The lawn is last. The garden is first. We do not program the sprinklers to go off each day at 6 AM. I turn them on when necessary.

~ Spot water. I know the hotspots in my yard. I hit those first and let the rest wait until water is absolutely required.

~ Don't let water run off the yard into the gutters, streets, driveway, or other moisture wasting concrete features. Oh, this is one of my top irks. What a waste! I just read about it in the paper this morning. In our city, the act of overwatering and letting streams of water pour down the drains is illegal. Homeowners are liable and can be fined. Good to know, good to know.

~ Ditch some grass. I'm working on my honey about this. It's a slow process. But when we build our new small home, there will not be much lawn. If any.

~ Plant trees for shade and less water evaporation.

~ Recycle whatever slightly dirty water you can (gray or other used water) to water outdoor trees and plants. This might not work all the time, but even a little helps.

~ Wash clothes only when the machine is full. Wear outfits a few times instead of washing each and every time (unless you work, say, at the sewer plant or outside and sweat a lot). This will also extend the life of your clothes.

~ Take short showers. Very short.

~ Quickly do the dishes.

I don't mean to preach. But I am concerned. If we all paid attention, we could ease the water supply issues and help out the farmers. I do so love to eat, don't you?

What are you doing to conserve water? I would love to hear! Maybe I can add your strategies to our plan. Thanks!

Who Loved Our Spring Rain?

Pink rhododendrons adored the misty climate.

White rhododendrons drank deeply of the saturating moisture.

Coral bells tipped heavily after two days of spring precipitation.

A weed! Taller than the tulips, it relished the empowering water.

The used-to-be-a-stick dogwood tree, which blooms later than the other sort, happily weathered the storm. Now it is seeking sunlight.

Pink clouds of fluff benefited and beautify the garden.

Overwintering kale, flowering now, is ever strong and prolific. I may be sorry for letting it go to seed.

Though wind tore down all previous attempts at blooming, the rain did not hinder, but encouraged success.

Potatoes-in-bags sprang up to new heights. Time to rebury the stems.

Beans shot up overnight when their thirst was quenched.

Ever bearing kale, a new variety this year, has burst into production. Kale, anyone?

Strawberries refreshed themselves with water from heaven.

Not pictured? The slugs. Squashed does not make good photos.

Who wasn't too excited? The gray kitties. Mabel here, showing why we sometimes have flat strawberries in our garden.

What a wonderful blessing, this gift of rain!