Sharing Beauty and the Poetry Post Poem of the Week

Our new poetry post has been an interesting experiment, thus far.  People pull up in their cars and run to the post expecting to see a For Sale flier for our house.  Nope.  Others, shake their head at the same old poem still sitting there.  Hey, I have Puppy Brain and I fell behind...OK?  Geez.  Then there are those who take a poem with them and that is the magical part of this garden feature.  Along with the beauty of my plants, I'm sharing words strung together like beautiful jewels on a necklace.  I'm sharing beauty.  And isn't that what growing a garden is all about?

A Noiseless Patient Spider

A noiseless, patient spider

I mark’d, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;

Mark’d how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,

It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;

Ever unreeling them—ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you, O my Soul, where you stand,

Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,

Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing--seeking the spheres, to connect them;

Till the bridge you will need, be form’d—till the ductile anchor hold; 

Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.

Walt Whitman

Dog Spit in My Coffee

When we brought Barnaby home from the vet’s, I told The Assistant that I got a puppy for her.  Well, after a touch of trepidation and much sniffing, she has taken that to heart.  She has taken Barnaby to heart and they are tight pals.  Our daily schedule has shifted to incorporate Barnaby’s needs and they both eat, play, and nap together.

Don't bother me!  I'm chewing on a pinecone.

Along the way, The Assistant has been teaching him some life lessons like how to lie in the grass on a sunny afternoon and chew on a stick or a pinecone.  And Barnaby has taught The Assistant how to rough house and play.  We purchased a food ball for Barnaby and it’s The Assistant that’s playing with it right now.  Barnaby is bringing out The Assistant’s inner puppy.

I knew that things were going well last weekend when I caught The Assistant in the act of demonstrating how to steal coffee from Charlie’s coffee cup.  She tipped the cup with her paw and pulled back as Barnaby plunged his face in the cream and sugar laden cup and tipped it over in his enthusiasm.  I lunged for the cup while exclaiming my displeasure.  I ran for paper towels and by the time I returned, every sip of the coffee was gone.  Which made me wonder, how long has The Assistant been stealing sips of our coffee?    

Radish Salad on Crostini

One of my favorite springtime delicacies is radishes.  Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm not talking about those hulking spicy monsters that you find at the supermarket.  Oh no.  Radishes plucked early from the garden before they've developed too much heat are tender and mild with just the right amount of astringency. I planted my radish seeds late due to my bad case of Puppy Brain, as you all know.  But, yesterday, after laying soaker hoses in the Hazel Dell Community Garden, I was rewarded with fresh tiny radishes.  Thanks, Bobbi and Barbara!  

I took the radishes home, washed them, took a few quick pictures, and chopped them up...greens and all into a salad.  I dressed the radishes with a quick glug of good balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I added a pinch of kosher salt, a grind of pepper and then I stacked my radish salad on top of crostini (toasted baguette slices).  And My Pirate and I savored our springtime treat. 

Happy May Day! 

My Herb Garden and Ranch Dressing

I cook with herbs out of my garden, year round.  In fact, if I only had room to grow one thing, like in a sunny windowsill, I’d grow pots of herbs.  Herbs make food taste good.  Fresh homegrown herbs make food taste phenomenal with just a few snips of my scissors.  And it doesn’t hurt that a packet of seed or a small herb start is affordable and cheap when compared to the price of herbs in the supermarket. 

I keep herbs in a wine barrel on my back patio.

I’ve been growing my own herbs for 15 years.  I dabble and try new herbs, but I’ve found that I like to keep rosemary, bay, lovage, thyme, oregano, chives, garlic chives, parsley, pineapple mint, and chocolate mint on hand.  All of these can be grown in containers or in the ground.  I grow herbs in my Victory Garden, table garden, and in a wine barrel.  I encourage my neighbors to share my Victory Garden herbs because it helps keep my plants compact and healthy.

 

I just moved my herbs into the front bed of the Victory Garden.

My Pirate adores ranch dressing and not the cheap stuff.  So last year, I dabbled with making my own ranch dressing from scratch.  It was a revelation!  It was delicious, affordable, and easy to make. It’s creamy and rich when you use full fat ingredients, but the low fat version tastes great too.  I recommend letting it refrigerate for an hour for the flavors to meld together.  This is our basic recipe that we tweak to our hearts content.  Sometimes I add hot sauce, different herbs, lemon zest, or sherry vinegar.  Let your imagination run wild. 

Ranch Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup buttermilk (approximately)

1 clove garlic, pressed or grated through micro-plane

3 T. finely chopped fresh chives

3 T. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cayenne, salt and pepper

(Optional—My Pirate uses) ½ tsp. onion powder and ½ tsp. garlic salt

Combine.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to combine. This holds for one week in the fridge, but our ranch dressing doesn’t usually last that long.  

Even Barnaby likes herbs.

Watering Dirt

I love the way that cars slow down and look at me when I’m watering my Victory Garden with freshly planted seeds.  The passengers look at me like I’ve lost my mind because I’m just standing there watering dirt.  I smile and wave them on and giggle at their expense.  Silly people. 

The peas are up.  And the potatoes, radishes, scarlet runner beans, and onions are safely tucked in.  Good seed popping weather is in the forecast and I feel a touch giddy.  In another week or two, I’m going to start planting my warm weather crops.  But for now, I get to focus on other tasks on my Spring To Do List and enjoy our puppy, Barnaby. 

     

  My Spring/Summer To Do List

• Spread compost
• Rent sod cutter and remove sod for new projects
• Build and install three new raised vegetable beds
• Pressure wash patios
• Paint concrete house foundation
• Paint garage door
• Clean garage

Barnaby loves spending time in the garden.  Good boy!