Monthly Archives: August 2020

Plum Jam And Pandemic Prickles

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Ann Lovejoy

A gift indeed Of Plums And Roses This has been a very hard few weeks, and the best thing about them is that the neighborhood plums are ripe. Cooking, preferably cooking for others, is one of my favorite self soothing … Continue reading →

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Harvesting & Heading For Autumn

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Ann Lovejoy

If the tomatoes are ambling, nectarines and peaches, plums and blackberries are all racing from garden to table. Neighbors have gifted us with enough to make lots of jam and desserts, but I’m also making large supplies of fruit vinegars. Delicious in dressings or drizzled over sliced avocados or watermelon, tomatoes or lettuce, homemade fruit vinegars also make excellent shrubs, combinations of vinegars and fizzy water that can be further concocted into mixed drinks. Making them at home, you can avoid the cloying over-sweetness of commercial kinds, and it’s rewarding to combine fruits, or add spices or anything else that strikes your fancy. Around here, the top favorites include a single kind of fruit with the addition of a vanilla bean, cracked peppercorns, lemon peel, or even a cinnamon stick. Here’s the basic recipe and a few favorite variations to play with, but I encourage you to start with cider vinegar, which tastes and carries flavors far better than white vinegar (too harsh) or rice vinegar (too mild). Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Color, Care & Feeding, Climate Change, composting, fall/winter crops, Gardening With Children, Health & Wellbeing, Planting & Transplanting, Pollinators, Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Teaching Gardening, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Heat And Light

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Ann Lovejoy

As an indicator species, I’m delighted that she is making her summer home with me. It means that despite the tiny size of my garden overall and the ridiculously teeny shade garden, there’s enough food and shelter for her here. No toxic pesticides, of course (!). Since our cats are strictly indoor critters with their own lovely catio/greenhouse/sunroom, she has only natural predators like crows and snakes, which so far haven’t made their way into the sheltered, partially covered shade garden. It’s a very small world, but perhaps it’s enough. I’ve added a nice smooth rock for her to rest on, and I’ll certainly be sure to keep the birdbath bowl just full enough so she can keep her head above water and stay cool when the heat is on. Continue reading →

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Beware Invasive Bugs

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Ann Lovejoy

If you’re freaking out about Asian Giant Hornets, bee killers that pack a bullet-like sting, calm down. So far, only a few have been found near the Canadian Border (Blaine and Custer), but Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologists are asking us to take pictures and report any possible examples. They are NOT asking us to kill bumblebees; sadly, over-enthusiastic folks have been waging war on the wrong insect, killing valuable, gentle bees that are prime pollinators. However, please DO be on the watch for Southern Green Stink Bugs (Nezara viridula), bright green, shield-shaped insects that develop black and white spots on their bottom half as they mature. I recently found some of these admittedly beautiful bugs on Bainbridge Island. When ID’d on line, I discovered that they are also being tracked by the WSDA as recent and worrisome invasive pests for farmers as well as gardeners. Continue reading →

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