Category Archives: Uncategorized

June 15, 2009 · 9:35 pm

That’s what I’m talking about.

So, Friday  I had to take something to work for our monthly Birthday potluck.  And since I had bell peppers growing in the garden, I decided whatever I took must include bell pepper.

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One of my favorite recipes for large groups is my Cornbread Salad recipe.  (When you see the ingredients, you will understand why you wouldn’t want to make this for yourself to be eaten in one sitting) although, ahem, it can be done.

This recipe came from one of my home health patients from several  years ago, Mrs. Birdsong.  Now I probably visited Mrs. Birdsong a total of two times (I was filling in for her regular nurse) but we had an immediate comraderie.  She loved to garden and she loved to cook.  I think of her whenever I make this.

Cornbread Salad

  • 2 packages of Mexican cornbread prepared according to package directions    
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 lb. bacon fried til crispy
  • 1 pint Hellman’s mayonnaise

 Crumble the cornbread and bacon.  Add the bell pepper, tomatoes and onion.  Stir in the mayonnaise and mix well.

It was a lot of fun to be able to go out into the garden and pick the bell peppers for this.  My tomatoes are not ready yet or they would have been used as well.   This is what I have looked forward to all of this growing season and there’s more to come!!!  cause I’ve got blooms on my cucumber vines…….

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That’s what I’m talking about….

                     

 

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June 12, 2009 · 7:06 am

Gilding the Lily

This past weekend, I went to East Texas.  Our family has acreage there, thanks to my sweet Papaw who left it to us.  My parents built a log cabin and we love to go there as often as we can, which isn’t nearly as frequent as we would like.

My Aunt Pat and Uncle Warner live just down the road.  In a previous post, I shared the Irises my Aunt Pat had given me.   Well, I missed taking pictures of her Irises this year but this past weekend her lilies were in bloom.  They were spectacular!!!!!!

But don’t take my word for it…….IMG_0410

 

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My mom outside the fence for a closer look.

My mom outside the fence for a closer look.

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Aunt Pat

Aunt Pat

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June 11, 2009 · 6:20 pm

New Digs

I was really getting tired of the “Outback Theme” (at least that’s what it reminded me of) so I decided to play around with the header and see what I could come up with.   I decided to put in the header what I use everyday.  I did clean up my shoes, and the gloves are new because I had completely worn out the previous pair.  But, these are my favorite gloves.     

I do wear my hat and sunscreen, although I have a “farmer’s tan.                            

As you know, I am a nurse and have worked for a MOHS plastic surgeon.  Once you have seen some of the skin cancer patients he has repaired, you start to wear your sunscreen to bed every night.

Anyway, hope you like it.

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June 10, 2009 · 7:33 am

What’s Up?

So, here’s what’s happening  at fromgardentotable.

First, the lettuce.   I snipped the leaves after I took this picture and made the BEST salad.  I realized by growing it in a container, the leaves were perfect.IMG_0441

Next, my purple hull peas are coming up nicely. IMG_0448

The cucumbers have taken off. IMG_0453

Bell peppers are getting bigger. IMG_0480

Jalapeno peppers are prolific.   This is the 2nd or 3rd picking.IMG_0500

Tomatoes are growing. IMG_0452

But, the most exciting plants are the ground cherries!  Just as a refresher, this is what they started out as. IMG_0103

One of the tiniest seeds I have ever seen.  The black seeds, on the left,  are poppy seeds and the  seeds on the right are the ground cherries.

 So, 2 of the original 6 survived and they had a rather  shaky beginning.  But, I noticed the other day that there was actually fruit growing under the leaves. IMG_0478

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Can you see what looks like little paper lanterns?  (I had to lie down on the ground to get this picture.)

These ground cherries are a “cousin” to tomatillos.  So, they have a papery husk on them like the tomatillos, which start out green (as well as the fruit) and then ripen to a golden color with a brown papery husk.  When they are ripe, they just fall on the ground, hence “ground cherries”.  Which I thought was mighty nice of them as some fruit/vegies are not so easy to tell when they are ready for harvest.  Hopefully,  the cherries will get larger and more prolific so I can make JAM!.  But if not, I will definitely plant these again.  It is so much fun to experiment with new plants. 

 What new plants have you planted this year?

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May 29, 2009 · 4:12 pm

Hi, I’m “Bob the Builder”.

I have so many projects around here that I am becoming frustrated having to take time out of gardening, to do some “building”. 

Project #1  First, there are the slate (I think they are slate) stones that I brought over a few at a time from my mom’s house in the back of my Honda.

  1. First, I need to get about 25 more from a stone place as I didn’t have enough to complete the space.
  2. Then, I need to place them exactly where I want them. (sounds easy, doesn’t it. ha!)  (some are reeaally heavy)
  3. Then, I have to take them up and either a.) kill grass and weeds with Roundup or  b.) put down black plastic underneath to kill them ( one is quick and not environmentally friendly; the other will take longer while being environmentally safe) decisions, decisions.
  4. Then, I need to put sand underneath the stones.  If  I were to put the stones down directly on this black clay, they would move and shift, possibly even break. ( this has already happened to a couple of them)
  5. Then, I want to plant a “steppable”  herb like thyme or a moss or something  between the cracks.
  6. Because this is how it looks now when it hasn’t been trimmed.IMG_0389 any questions?

Project #2  I am making a pathway out of bricks to be placed on the north side of my house between my hydrangeas and another bed.  It is very narrow and doesn’t look like it would take much time or construction, but  I.was.wrong. It is literally going to take bags and bags of sand AND more bricks.   IMG_0374

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This is the semi-finished project.  I only have about eight more of these to complete.  yikes!

Project #3  My pitiful gazebo is literally falling down. 

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 It began its descent after hurricane Rita hit the gulf coast of Texas and we received winds of 60 mph+ here in Dallas. (Yes, I know that was a couple of years ago)  So, I need a new “something” to replace it.  This  will involve taking down the old one which is covered in my Peggy Martin rose and erecting the new one in its place.  My problem has been finding something that will work, something I like and ,unfortunately, can afford. (this may end up being a fall project/hoping to get a pergola on sale at end of summer) If I can wait that long!!!!!!!!

On to more exciting “projects”,  I have itty bitty tomatoes on my plants.  IMG_0379

and little bell peppersIMG_0400

as well as more jalapeno peppersIMG_0384

and I planted my purple hull peas!!!!!  The other day Heather at www.heatherbakes.com asked what our favorite summer food was, to which I replied tomatoes and peaches.  But, I totally forgot about purple hull peas.  They are fantastic!   My absolute favorite pea, and always remind me of summer.

I made a salsa this weekend with my peppers and it was really good.  I used two jalapeno peppers (seeded and chopped), tomato (chopped), onion (chopped), one clove garlic- finely minced, cilantro-chopped (you can omit if you don’t like it), freshly squeezed lime juice, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  After mixing together, I added an avocado cut into small cubes. mmm. good.  It tasted just like summer.

What tastes like summer to you?

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May 23, 2009 · 11:39 am

Fly your Flag

Hey guys!

Taking a few days off for the Memorial Weekend.  Will be back on Fri. May 29th with a post.  Hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday!!!

Tammy

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May 19, 2009 · 8:09 am

Eeny Meeny Miny Mo?

Would you believe All the seeds  I planted less than a week ago have germinated? I was truly amazed.  Now I need to thin the cucumber plants.  How do I decide which will stay and which will go?   I find this stressful. 

My lettuce seeds are coming up nicely.  I managed to sow them in a fairly even manner. IMG_0357

Can’t say that for the basil seeds. IMG_0358

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I really must stop taking that glass of wine out into the garden.  But, seriously I do sow my basil thick like this and have found that it works really well.  And like I said before, I am not very good at thinning. 

So, here are my cucumber seeds that I have to decide who will stay….IMG_0367

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…and who will go.  Eeny Meeny Miny Mo….

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May 14, 2009 · 10:15 pm

What is that?

I bought several kinds of seeds awhile back, and I do mean A while.  So far back I can’t remember exactly.  But by straining my brain and comparing notes of other plants I finally decided…. I planted these seeds about a year and a half ago to two years.  I am unsure of the season – may have been winter or into spring.

They came up readily enough.  They produced green foliage that very suspiciously looked like a weed.  They stayed green through the winter, which made me even more wary.

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The only thing that saved them from being uprooted was  I knew I had planted something there.  But what?  I couldn’t find the seed packet to remember what they were called.  I new I had the information, but for some reason never took the time to look for it. 

But this Spring, something began to happen to those “weeds”.  A tall shoot appeared and little white tubules formed.  THEN, those tubules began to turn red.  Something in the back of my brain said “Oh yeah, I think I bought something red to attract hummingbirds”.  But what was it called???

Finally, I found the packet.  So, now this pretty little baby has a name.

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She is a penstemon, called Scarlet Bugler.

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May 4, 2009 · 8:16 pm

Peony Pleasure

I have to admit it.  Sometimes, just sometimes mind you, I can be really hard-headed, stubborn even.  One, of those times,  is when I believe I am right and the other is when you tell me “Oh, yes, but you can’t grow those here.”   Hmm.

Such is the case with peonies.  “Oh, it doesn’t get cold enough here.”  “Those are for up North, zone 3 (granted, that is ideal)”.  So, I was determined  to have them.  

 I planted them on the northern exposure of the house.  I planted them in an area where they could grow undisturbed (in front of my white azaleas).  Did you know that peonies can last for 50 years?   I planted the root  with the little eyes at just the right depth (one inch depth for warmer climates, zone 8-9).  And then I held my breath… because the first year they barely bloomed.  But I was patient, or stubborn if you wish, and sometimes that pays off.

 Since  it was going to rain and storm on Saturday evening,  I ran out and cut a bouquet.  Because, you see, there is nothing more beautiful, more spectacular, or more glamorous than peonies.

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What do you think?

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April 30, 2009 · 10:32 am

Tough Love

  Now, for you rose-loving people, what I’m about to say may be disturbing .   I have had it with growing roses. 

 Does this mean I am removing all roses from my garden?  Absolutely not!  But I am sick and tired of black spot on ALL my roses, no matter what I do.   Now, to be honest,  some  of this disease is my fault.  I planted them in the wrong spot (no airflow),  or didn’t clean around them well in the Fall (allows  the fungus to overwinter) or didn’t spray them with my organic treatment at the right time ( I get busy and/or forget).  However, there have been times when I did everything  right and I  still have the dreaded black spot.

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 So, what I have decided is  SOME ROSES ARE JUST NOT RIGHT FOR DALLAS, TEXAS.   Sorry, didn’t mean to shout…. and some are just not right for me.  There, I’ve said it. 

 So.   I am getting rid of the hybrid tea roses which have  never been pretty and I’m sticking with the more hardy old fashioned roses; climbers, bourbons, rugosas, and miniatures. 

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This climbing rose (the two pictures above) is called Zephirine Drouhin (I’m a sucker for anything French) but you would be too if you could smell this rose. It is heavenly.  A true rose smell, if you know what I mean.   This Bourbon climber is a repeat bloomer and has been around since 1868.  Isn’t that amazing?

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This rose is called Baronne Provost.  (I have seen this spelled Prevost also, but mine was spelled with an o.  who knows?)  Anyway, it is an old garden rose bred by a frenchman named Desprez in 1842.   It  has a strong rose scent and hips.  I just love the way it starts out like a little pink cabbage.  To me, it is the perfect cottage garden rose.

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This one is a miniature someone gave me and it has several different colored blooms on the same plant (probably grafted that way). 

Taking out the roses which were not doing well, will also give me some much needed space for vegetables.img_0298

But for all my whining and wailing, I do have a rose that I just dearly love.  It’s the Peggy Martin rose.  Some of you may be familiar with this rose.  After hurricane Katrina ravished New Orleans, this was the only thing left  in Peggy Martin’s garden.  So, cuttings from her rose were sold to raise money for New Orleans.  So, I bought one.  Boy, am I glad I did.

 

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This is one tough rose and I sure do love her.

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