Black Walnuts, Sap Flowing, Sugar

Here's advice on what NOT to do in your garden..opinions from all and sundry... Least favorite gardening trend...What's yours?? My least favorite garden trend....Evergreens!!!!!! Posted by daylilydreamer 6/7Mid-Atlantic (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 03 at 19:05 What's your most annoying, least favorite and/or overdone gardening trend? I like to be positive about gardening but mine is evergreens. I'm drowning in, and sick to death of evergreens. Aside from the possibly negative natural effects of constantly replaces deciduous trees with evergreens, (i.e. the entire world becomes the Pine Barrens)....... I'm sick of it from a gardening stand point as well. My new neighbors, (god bless their poor little souls), replaced everything that was previously in their yard, (lilacs some deciduous trees etc.) with evergreens last year. You know, those "Edward Scissor-hands" evergreens that come stunted and contorted in a variety of shapes and sizes. Twisted, awkward-looking things standing against a bare horizon of grass. Who said this was a nice idea? I love evergreens for year-round color.....As accent plants in winter or as the foundation to a garden. But only evergreens? Why not mix them up with deciduous trees, shrubs and perennials? Where did this ugly trend come from, and when will it end??!!! P.S. I'm the one who has to look at my neighbors' ugly garden everyday out my window, not them, lucky me!!! :-) * Posted by: Blueheron z6 PA (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 03 at 19:23 I live in a part of town that has a lot of enormous, old evergreen trees around the houses. A lot of them are planted on the north side of the houses and really make the places dark. They're old trees and I'm wondering what the people were thinking when they planted them years ago. My house doesn't have evergreens, just walnut trees (which attract the @@%%$$$ squirrels) but I often think when driving around the neighborhood that I would definitely cut down some of those old, ugly evergreens if I were the homeowner. * Posted by: Melissa_InTheWoods z7a MD (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 03 at 20:18 Butterfly Bushes (Buddlias). They are becoming so invasive, and they "junk food" for butterflies. Give me my Joe Pye Weed anyday! * Posted by: KurtG MD (My Page) on Thu, Aug 14, 03 at 8:41 I have several- daylilies, sedum, purple plants, and garden circles plopped in the middle of yards with what always seems like pansies and dwarf alberta spruce. Ugh! * Posted by: Frizzle z6 PA (My Page) on Thu, Aug 14, 03 at 14:55 How about garden circles plopped down in the middle of the front yard with colored stones in it instead of plants - like aquarium colored stones/gravel blues, greens, and tans? Or worse - that same circle with 6 teeny tiny plants spaced about 3 feet apart that look like they are dying for a drink of water * Posted by: Dicentra SE PA z6B (My Page) on Thu, Aug 14, 03 at 19:33 ~Cannot stand to see garden circles in the middle of weedy grass, with cheapo fencing around it, twisted and bent at every angle...ugggggg! Talk about unsightly. ~lining a walkway/driveway with cheap plastic pots, only to forget about them and have dead stems remain most of the year. ~perfectly placed annuals, repeating pattern...like, red begonia/white impatiens...red begonia/white impatiens. Geez, have some imagination...LOL. ~trashing a nice garden with too much plastic Americana stuff. I'm patriotic but do it some justice and make it look presentable, not throw together. * Posted by: Cynthia z7 MD (My Page) on Thu, Aug 14, 03 at 23:26 1) Crepe Myrtles. 2) The ubiquitous Maryland combination of Echinacea, Rudbeckia Goldsturm and Grasses. Enough already. (!Love evergreens and conifers!) * Posted by: graywings 7MD (My Page) on Fri, Aug 15, 03 at 8:30 Most of these have already been mentioned, but: 1. Those plants that they get to grow in a spiral form, always seen in pairs on either side of the front door. 2. Planting circles plopped in the center of a yard. 3. Soldier planting - a long row of anything, but especially Leyland Cypress trees. * Posted by: carol23 z6PA (My Page) on Fri, Aug 15, 03 at 9:36 The dyed mulch, brick color. It's ugly! Plastic pots as previously mentioned, and the red and white Begonias. I did see an interesting planting of Petunias, like a rainbow, as they planted it in drifts of colors including all colors available. At least it was not the boring red and white. * Posted by: Dicentra SE PA z6B (My Page) on Fri, Aug 15, 03 at 12:33 ~forgot this one...those plastic in-ground walkway lights, put out and lining every which way of every walkway! It looks like a landing strip for an alien spacecraft....LOL * Posted by: Philipw2 7 MD/DC (My Page) on Fri, Aug 15, 03 at 12:52 What really drives me wild is seeing a completely neglected front yard. People paid real money for those houses and the new SUVs sitting outside them. You'd think they could afford to replace the overgrown azaleas, sprawling ivy and thinning hemlock. The lawn may be mowed, but the yard is really neglected. * Posted by: aka_Peggy Md6b (My Page) on Fri, Aug 15, 03 at 22:48 "forgot this one...those plastic in-ground walkway lights, put out and lining every which way of every walkway! It looks like a landing strip for an alien spacecraft....LOL" I think I have some of those plastic lights. The solar lamps right? They're really handy tho for finding your way from the driveway to the house. It gets dark out here you know!! LOL! I don't care for gazing balls or those silly silhouettes carved out of plywood. I don't like the red, white and blue flower scheme (I'll just hang my flag if I feel the need to be patriotic, thanks) and, I detest the "mall begonia's"! Despise alberta spruce, leyland cypress and Colorado blue spruce (though I understand why people plant them sometimes) but love evergreens otherwise. Hollies, hemlocks, boxwood, cypress. There are so many beautiful evergreens and I think a nice mix is important for an interesting landscape. And privacy~ * Posted by: daylilydreamer 6/7Mid-Atlantic (My Page) on Fri, Aug 15, 03 at 23:29 I looooooooove evergreens too. But real evergreens, holly, blue spruce etc. There's hardly anything prettier than a Holly in winter or in a Christmas centerpiece. But I'm talking about those new strains of dwarf, contorted, twisted and shaped evergreens, and gardens that have nothing but evergreens...."A man cannot live on Evergreens alone". I mean these contorted evergreens you see like the ones I mentioned, surrounded by white rocks and then grass, it looks about as barren as a park in Arizona. This is the Mid-Atlantic! Ease-of-care's no excuse either, most deciduous shrubs and trees require virtually no care at all, (and some perennials require almost none). * Posted by: stephenNJ z6NJ ) on Sat, Aug 16, 03 at 8:25 Non native Azaleas and Forsythias drive me nuts! every one on the planet and their mother has them here. * Posted by: lrobins z6b MD (My Page) on Sat, Aug 16, 03 at 13:05 "Topping" trees, not that common but even one is too much, both ugly and destructive to the tree. See tree forum for more comments on this practice. Planting too much of any one variety, especially trees, with an exception for some native species. For example, one pink-flowering Kwanzan oriental cherry would be a beautiful, attention-getting novelty (for a few weeks in spring). Dozens on every block, and it becomes a boring cliche. * Posted by: lettssee z7 maryland (My Page) on Sun, Aug 17, 03 at 17:42 I am very new to having a yard to plant in so it bothers me to see people not plant anything. all these years they could have taken my apartment and I could have planted their yard! Not many people here have gardens, a few have the bushes that "came with the house" but that?s all. At least I try to garden. Oh. and I don?t like those bushes that are all yellow in the spring with the spiky look. and I agree with most everyone that posted before me. * Posted by: MDaughn zone 7 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 18, 03 at 14:58 Hi. This is my first post, forgive me if my manners are not quite right, I have been a lurker for a few weeks now and this subject really caught my eye. My least favorite trend is the one red japanese maple that everyone just has to have stuck in somewhere. They are usually about 3 feet tall and look kind of lonesome. My biggest pet peeve though is what I call "volcano mulching." You know, the big mounds of mulch piled up around a tree, it looks funny and is bad for the health of the tree. I have seen landscapers do this and it makes me crazy. (really crazy, my friends run the other way if I get started on mulch) * Posted by: mtngirl z6VA (My Page) on Mon, Aug 18, 03 at 16:10 GGazing balls, most garden statuary, round circle beds, overgrown evergreens blocking windows, brown arborvitae, straggly roses, military formation-style plantings, a lot of the edging material I've seen, and black plants, which seem to look like victims of a horrible plant plague. * Posted by: daylilydreamer 6/7Mid-Atlantic (My Page) on Mon, Aug 18, 03 at 17:13 Don't like Japanese Maples? Pish tosh!!!!! I know they're common around here, but they are so beautiful and easy to grow!!!!! I wouldn't want one in a lone front yard, but as part of a garden or an understory for other trees it's lovely!!!! But, then again I don't like any one lone object in a yard, (i.e. one twisted evergreen). That's pretty much a rule of thumb, otherwise japanese maples are lovely!!!! * Posted by: Dicentra SE PA z6B (My Page) on Mon, Aug 18, 03 at 21:49 Hey Peggy...I have those walkway lights and they're great for safety! I have a few neighbors, though, who've put at least a half dozen sets or more around their shrubs, circling trees, and other places away from a path...it just looks like an alien ship landing pad...LOL. * Posted by: BlackEyedSusan z6/7 VA (My Page) on Tue, Aug 19, 03 at 0:37 You want to see a landing strip?! Our new neighbors ripped out beautiful, EXPENSIVE hemlocks that lined the driveway and planted leylands every three feet (they must have taken Lowe's entire stock because they went from three gallons to one gallons halfway through, we're talking about 200 feet of drive here) and two lamps for every leyland! Sheesh! They ripped out all the nice, naturalized landscaping out front and planted these out of place, tiny, ugly (and it pains me to call a plant ugly) shrubs which are now dying. Argh. A peeve of mine is people who don't want to hear suggestions about plants. I work in a small nursery and have had a couple of customers who are dead set on putting that blue angel hosta in the full sun (I understand initial confusion but some people are in flat out denial) or refuses to believe that basil is not perennial here because their friend has had her/his basil for YEARS now. That and getting griped at for the prices...yes sir, I personally jack up the prices just to irritate you so you'll *#&@! at me in front of all these people. Thank you... =) I don't mind people who attempt to do something with their yards (i.e. the red and white scheme). I appreciate the effort, I know a lot of people with black thumbs who are very happy if they can just make some grow the entire season. What I don't appreciate is the look-at-me-I'm-rich person who wants some that blooms all summer, comes back every year, and that they don't have to bother with ever again. *smack!* Ok, I'm done now :) * Posted by: aka_Peggy Md6b (My Page) on Tue, Aug 19, 03 at 7:50 I have 6 of them lining the walkway of my house. No street lights out here. My son gave them to me for Mother's day last year. At 1st I didn't think I'd like them but now I really likem-alot. * Posted by: LaurieBee z7 MD (My Page) on Mon, Aug 25, 03 at 21:06 It started last August - three near neighbors cut down major trees. As soon as the crew showed up for the first house two others went running out there to get estimates. The first two had beautiful mature shade trees. (The third had cherries that were dying off.) Now a few weeks ago our next door neighbor removed a 150+ year old oak that was dying. What really kills me about that one is that we were out of town when the oak was taken down - I had been waiting for those chippings! I am very, very sad that no one is re-planting! We liked this neighborhood because of all the mature trees. Do these people realize that their houses are hotter and the airplanes are louder???!!!?? * Posted by: PeteT z7a VA (My Page) on Mon, Aug 25, 03 at 23:10 I would have to say anything non-natural in the landscape, especially plastic. That godawful "landscape fabric" that some people use for weed control is an absolute horror. It controls weeds for a year or two and then becomes a pain in the butt for centuries thereafter. (The previous owner put it under everything, even the lawn! I can't put a shovel in the ground without getting tangled up in it.) And, of course, no matter where it is or how deep it's buried, it always surfaces eventually... * Posted by: Alfie_MD6 z6 MD (My Page) on Tue, Aug 26, 03 at 12:57 Topped crepe myrtles. And mondo grass. And hostas (says Alfie, ducking). * Posted by: spec4lover z7 VA (My Page) on Tue, Aug 26, 03 at 15:35 OK, this is a different one...a large yard that has nothing in it but grass, grass, grass, grass........ That's why I spent the last 3 years putting in plants--shrubs, trees, perennials. I have 3 acres--one side yard had some large old oak trees, but the rest had only 3 maple trees 2 young tulip poplars, a grafted dogwood that had been allowed to grow so there was a native dogwood fighting with a kousa, a native dogwood, a few fruit trees, a large tulip poplar and a large pine tree (both of the latter were dying) AND lots and lots of grass. Talk about ugly...it needed either a variety of plants or livestock. It was a virtual desert, with few birds and no other wildlife around. * Posted by: lettssee z7 maryland (My Page) on Wed, Aug 27, 03 at 8:30 Lauriebee, you don't live in Pasadena do you? That is what happened on my street last year. We had an old tree out front that looked healthy from far away but was split down the center if you looked at it from the right angle so we chopped it down. then several others chopped trees down in front of thier house. I keep trying to replant there but everything dies shortly after planting. I loved that tree it shaded the whole front of my house. and the airplane thing got me because we live near bwi (several miles out) and the airplanes come right overhead on approach. * Posted by: KidHorn 7a MD (My Page) on Wed, Aug 27, 03 at 13:12 I hate Eastern White Pine. Everyone plants them because they grow fast. They're ugly, drop branches easily and ooze pine sap. Don't people know there are other conifers? * Posted by: perennialguy1 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 28, 03 at 1:21 People shearing every shrub in their yard, whether it is suppose to be sheared or not. My neighbor shears his forsythia in extremely early spring and then wonders why his plants don't bloom like mine! Everyone in my previous neighborhood had to have tightly trimmed boxwoods and evergreens. I revolted and refused to plant evergreens for several years. I relented only because I wanted some color in the winter. I did look for conifers with variegated leaves that did not need shearing. My new neighbors seem to be into not taking care of their landscaping, i.e., foundation plants so overgrown you cannot see the houses. Nor do they understand the least bit about growing grass. I had to dethatch my lawn and kill the overwhelming crab grasses. Every neighbor on the street has walked by to tell me that I shouldn't cut my lawn that short anymore. Hasn't anyone else ever dethatched their lawn around here? It might look dead, but, boy does it ever grow fast afterwards. * Posted by: DotFerrero z7VA (My Page) on Thu, Aug 28, 03 at 6:28 Treeless landscapes. I love trees and hate total grass lawns...I think the people must be lazy or just love their riding mowers! * Posted by: daylilydreamer 6/7Mid-Atlantic (My Page) on Thu, Aug 28, 03 at 15:41 I hate the whole grass thing as well, (grass, as far as the eye can see). Lots of Brooklynites move to New Jersey for the summer and rip out every tree and cover it with grass and stones and pavement. If they wanted no greenery, why didn't they stay in Brooklyn???????? * Posted by: shroom189 Z7 NY (My Page) on Fri, Aug 29, 03 at 9:08 most people have fake plants inside and outside....i.e someone has fake Tulips all over their yard all through the year from 100 degree weather in July/August and 2ft. of snow and 0 degrees in December to Feb...... * Posted by: jayirwin 7s DC (My Page) on Fri, Aug 29, 03 at 13:52 I really want to like Buddleja davidii (Butterfly bush), but man they all seem so leggy and thin, with only a few sad leaves hanging on to bare brown branches. I've never seen one full and healthy looking. Maybe there's some trick people don't know about. Can someone enlighten me? * Posted by: Mummichog03 z7 MD (My Page) on Sat, Aug 30, 03 at 20:54 Ripping out healthy, not evil exotic invasive, trees and shrubs? AAAAAACCCCKKK! No-one in my neighborhood seems to be on that trend, thankfully. Many of the older shrubs we have and maybe even one or two trees aren't necessarily the ones I would have chosen if starting from scratch, but they're here now and way better than scraggly new saplings of other species would be for too many years, so they stay. Is there any reason other than that so many people have them not to plant crape myrtles? I've been considering it (too much lawn, and no trees/shrubs blooming in late summer) I kind of like the small path lights, especially solar or on timers so they're only on in the evening hours, and especially if there aren't too many. The trend I hate (though i don't suppose it's exactly a 'gardening' trend, is the very bright driveway, porch, parking lot, other security, etc. lights, especially when they stay on all night ...I'd even get rid of many street lights or at least set them so that only 1/4 or so remain on after midnight ... something like that. Darkness is not necessarily a bad and scary thing! * Posted by: taurinus z7 a_NoVA (My Page) on Sun, Aug 31, 03 at 0:56 I didn't see any mention of pear trees...callery, bradford, whatever. Who else finds them a little too perfect? * Posted by: Josie_Z6b z6b Philly (My Page) on Sun, Aug 31, 03 at 21:21 A huge, sweeping, potentially beautiful area, dedicated *entirely* to, wait for it... ivy. Just ivy. Perhaps a single dead-wood-showing yew, like a lonesome island in a sea of ivy. Endless lawns, fertilized and herbicided all to hell, and then set up so that the sprinkler is hitting mostly the sidewalk. And people who kill all caterpillars, spiders, and bees, then wonder why they have no butterflies, their plants look funny, and there are mosquitoes everywhere. Unless you're deathly allergic, leave the insects alone! I like buddleia, but you do have to prune it to keep it from being leggy. When you do, it can be really pretty. And mine has sometimes as many as three tiger swallowtails and two admirals, all on it at once. * Posted by: steve22802 7a VA (My Page) on Tue, Sep 16, 03 at 22:13 - Shearing forsythia into balls, squares, hedges etc. This looks especially bad during the bloom season. Please, please just let forsythia sprawl naturally. If you really need to control the size then just whack it off at 2 or 3 feet from the ground (after it blooms in the spring), every couple years and then let it grow out naturally again. - Tacky lawn ornaments; that would be most lawn ornaments. - Bright colored plastic children?s toys, castles, etc. cluttering a yard. - Plastic lilies, tulips, etc. - Security lights which shine at my house. I hate the glare. I wish these people would mount the lights on the ground and shine them at their own houses, it would look much better and still provide some security illumination. - Gazebos sitting forlornly in an expanse of lawn. * Posted by: Laurel7286 z 6/7 Maryland (My Page) on Wed, Sep 17, 03 at 18:30 So many already mentioned that I agree with, especially the comments on hardscape & "garden decor"--I'll try to add something new. From my own yard when I first moved in: all green landscape, everything either 30-60' tall except for the grass, shrubs/trees planted too close to the house and waaaaay overgrown. And to daylily dreamer, I also hate all those contorted varieties of plants that look like aliens. I think they are peddled as "something new" and unusual, not necessarily beautiful. Also contorted unnatural colors of things--green coneflowers, etc. And last but not least, topiary an/or bonzai. * Posted by: katz_WI z5 WI (My Page) on Sat, Apr 10, 04 at 3:19 There's this one house with those sad evergreen bushes trimmed in perfect balls spaced out every 5 feet, and the ground under the bushes are covered in those ugly white rocks. Nothing else grows there. The people who live there are absolute neat freaks, and not a single weed would dare pop up. Their yard is overly rigid and symmetrical. Heck, they probably go out at night and use nail clippers to trim their bushes! LOL! I also really hate those figurines that focuses on the rear-end of a person bending over... like an old lady in a dress with a bonnet. Oh please! (Really, any figurine is tacky.) Every time I see those lawn animals like those fake deer statues, I want to scream. What else can be bad is the opposite of a barren yard--one that is overgrown, and has tooooo much stuff. Like there's this one house that has like 200 pots of flowers in front of their house! VISUAL OVERLOAD! EYESORE! OK one more thing--my MIL's side garden is so sad--she's got those chunky white rocks (ok I really hate white rocks with a vengeance!)and she's got these wimpy, whispy plants interspersed in the lot. My gosh, the poor things look like they're in a parched desert, and if a rock were to roll over, they'd be crushed to death. And she's got these troll figurines all over. They have no place to hide! LOL! Ok... time to get off the soapbox. :-) * Posted by: ReeW z7 MD (My Page) on Sat, Apr 10, 04 at 6:38 katz_W, your reply made me laugh. Lollipop trees and ball shrubs drive me crazy too. White rocks? The previous owner must have had used them as mulch and then put top soil over them and planted grass. When I went to dig out the lawn to make a flower bed I hit little white rocks. Lots of them. I was not amused. LOL * Posted by: medusa_ 7MD (My Page) on Sat, Apr 10, 04 at 11:44 What I really hate is the fact that there are many beautiful plants out there that have become undesirable simply because of their overuse. I love crepe myrtles! I love weeping cherries! I love yews!--Thank goodness they've fallen out of fashion. What I can't help but wonder is why so many people continue to put up with hideous plantings--evergreens naked on the bottom, nandinas that have been incorrectly pruned. Why don't they toss them or learn how to fix them. They actually work on them--you see them with the hedge trimmers every Saturday. Go figure. * Posted by: lettssee z7 maryland (My Page) on Sun, Apr 11, 04 at 7:47 Christmas lights all year long. I don't understand Easter trees either. Does the bunny hang eggs on trees? Anybody know why people do that? * Posted by: mymacca z6 SEPA (My Page) on Sun, Apr 11, 04 at 19:24 Gosh, I either HAVE or WANT most of the evil stuff everyone has mentioned! I enjoy the diversity in landscaping. In my neighborhood, there are some houses with evergreens pruned into symmetrical shapes, one house with a gazebo and arches covered in pink silk flowers with cherubs all over the place, lot's with vast expanses of ivy or impatiens, and almost EVERYONE has a Norway maple or two, because they were included in the price of the house 50 years ago! I like them all for one reason or another, especially if someone laboured over them! My least favorite garden trend would be FRONT yards with clothes lines, tall grass, visible collections of trash cans and the trash that "missed" the cans, auto parts, discarded toys and bicycles, and an assortment of junk cars which are parked in the lawn and street so the kids can play in the driveway! I also really dislike the low-pressure sodium streetlights that are replacing mercury vapor lights because they are "cheaper" to operate. I live in a large post-war housing development with a street lamp every 150 feet. They are mounted very high, and light up way too much area beyond the street with an ugly thick yellow brown halo that makes the entire street look like an industrial parking area. They even glare into the windows at night!! * Posted by: kkay_MD (My Page) on Mon, Apr 12, 04 at 12:06 This thread is too amusing to ignore. My pet peeves include people going to the trouble and expense of removing trees, and not planting anything in their place. The houses are then exposed, graceless, and (I'll wager) way too hot in summer. My other pet peeve is what I call "corporate lighting"--people who remodel their houses (in our neck of the woods that seems to be the trend) and get all kinds of spotlights to highlight their walkways and driveway and porches and facade. Light pollution! Sometimes it's nice to look at the stars. * Posted by: DawnStorm 7/MD (My Page) on Tue, Apr 13, 04 at 12:08 I'm glad I live in a free neighborhood where people can decorate their yards as they see fit, but there is this house along Conn Ave (heading South) that had these box-shaped pink azaleas in the yard. Always reminded me of someone who'd just enlisted in the Marines and had already had a date with the barber. Poor 'zalies! Somebody got a little crazy with the hedge trimmer! Several blocks down and around the corner from me is this homeowner with the world's largest collection of yard figures: deer; gnomes; geese, wishing well, mushrooms, you name it. I think it's tacky and I'm glad I don't have to see it, esp. in the fall when the geese sport Redskins helmets, but I'd rather have that than the monotony of a gulag (my name for a planned/gated community). Proud hanger-out-of-clothes (but in the side yard NOT the fron!) * Posted by: bunnymom z7 MD (My Page) on Tue, Apr 13, 04 at 16:26 This is a cool thread! Dyed Mulch in Volcanoes around dying, generic "mall trees" Plastic Flamingos, Fake flowers, "Buzz cut" forsythias & azalias, White rocks over landscaping fabric (compliments of former homeowner) HUGE trees two feet away from rowhomes...this one kind of amuses me though, I have a neighbor who just took out a huge Oak that was a few feet from the house and took up all of the front yard only to replace it with, yup, What I believe to be another Oak. Please keep this post going so people can see the error of their ways. This should be required reading for anyone who buys a house, much less anyone who wants a boo - boo free garden. The one thing I can say is at least these people are putting in some effort to Beautify their area. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. * Posted by: madsquopper 7a No. VA (My Page) on Tue, Apr 13, 04 at 21:45 And what's wrong with plastic flamingoes???? I have two pair, but make them stay in the back yard. * Posted by: bunnymom z7 MD (My Page) on Wed, Apr 14, 04 at 15:43 As long as they are in the backyard for you to enjoy and not in the front for the rest of us posters to get a good giggle out of! :) Kitch & whimsy do have their place. To each his own. Those are just my opinions. No offense meant. :) Rachel * Posted by: NEYler 7 (My Page) on Thu, Apr 15, 04 at 16:44 I can't stand it when people have an overabundance of plastic wild life if the yard. A few realistic looking animals are okay ( I have a couple of small green toads peeking through my tulips ) But come on, have you ever seen a 2 foot tall deer? I'm also going to go with everyone else on the circle bed in the front yard along with the wavy looking concrete edging. I could probably go on and on, but it seems like so can everyone else. * Posted by: GeeDavey MD 7b (My Page) on Fri, Apr 16, 04 at 16:18 Ivy front lawns. nuff said. * Posted by: mymacca z6 SEPA (My Page) on Sun, Apr 25, 04 at 16:47 I have a few flamingoes and would love to have a gazing ball and a few Gnomes also, especially if I could find some of those nice large ones like George Harrison had. I have seen a few threads like this one previously, and the one I liked the best was the lady who spray-painted dried flower heads metallic gold and SWORE to her neighbors that they grew that way!!! I STILL laugh to myself thinking about that one! * Posted by: winged_mammal (My Page) on Sun, Apr 25, 04 at 17:12 bradford pears, forsythias, pampas grass, needleleaf dwarf & unusual evergreens, zoysia grass * Posted by: ritadc z7 VA (My Page) on Mon, Apr 26, 04 at 11:17 Sheared azaleas and forsythia! Let them flow! * Posted by: Sparky13 7b (My Page) on Wed, Apr 28, 04 at 8:52 Oh, you guys reminded me of something interesting I saw the other night. I volunteer as an EMT for my local fire department in the Rockville/Kensington vicinity. I was at an elderly man's house and, while he was speaking with another EMT, I happened to notice a couple of large, black-and-white photographs on the table. They were pictures of the house that we were standing in on the day he bought the place about a half-minute after it was built 50 years ago. This was a typical post-WWII property. There was no grass, no shrubbery, no sidewalks, no trees...just a brick house in the middle of a square of barren earth. Now the owner is 90 years old and the shrubs he planted many, many years ago are growing up over the house, taking over the yard, etc. When I drive through my neighborhood and see overgrown shrubs like this, especially ones that make the houses look scary and dark, I wonder if the owners are likewise elderly people who have neither the funds nor the strength to eradicate their good-plantings-gone-bad. Of course, this is not to say that anyone should feel guilty for loathing the appearance of such houses. They DO look imposing and unkempt. Those of you who take care of your yards know how frustrating it can be to live near a "creepy house," as my daughter calls them. I mean, they ARE creepy. But maybe the owners are old and sick and don't care and can't do anything about it. Time rolls around. The houses will eventually fall into other hands and with any luck the places will look spiffy, again. PS: My actual pet peeve is azaleas. They bloom for a couple of weeks, poop all over themselves and then are boring the rest of the time. I have some. The only reason that they are still here is that the roots are too much for me to dig out. So I've pruned them back to almost nothing and am taking up all of the surrounding horrid ivy that threatens to compromise my siding and basement. * Posted by: DawnStorm 7/MD (My Page) on Wed, Apr 28, 04 at 11:25 Sparky, you must live very close to me! You make a good point about yards being over-run simply because the homeowner is sick/elderly/on a tight budget. There are two houses in my mom's neighborhood: one right next to her and one right across the street. The one next to her was owned by an elderly man and his batchelor son for the longest time and the back yard was very woodsy. After the father died, the son lived out his days there, and one morning in 1982 went out in the back yard, put a gun to his head and you can guess the rest. To make a long story short, the house's new owners had that back yard totally redone and today it looks like any other yard. You can hardly see the house across from my mom's because of all the overgrowth in both front and back. Same story--batchelor son living alone in the house. Luckily, he's not so much of a hermit that the other person was--my mom says he likes to garden but he also doesn't do anything about all the overgrowth. Guess it doesn't bother him to the point where he'd hire someone to come and take it all out. * Posted by: himsa z7a MD (My Page) on Wed, Apr 28, 04 at 12:56 English ivy and trees mulched up the trunk like an ant hill! Why oh why? * Posted by: pcj42 NC (My Page) on Fri, Apr 30, 04 at 7:19 Painted cement figurines. Plastic yard ornaments. Cookie cutter landscapes that occur in housing developments. Flags hanging from porches (Ok so the very first one I saw was kind of neat, until EVERYONE had to put one up) I also do not understand Easter egg trees or even those big plastic eggs people are "hiding" under bushes. Too much "yard art". There is a fine line between just enough and overdoing it. Rusted "antique" farm implements lining the driveway. Pompas grass (my husband says "it takes a pompous #SS to have pampas grass), I like hostas, but they are getting old and you can never get rid of them. Pansies. I really hate Pansies. I think that about covers it. * Posted by: minibite 6b (My Page) on Fri, Apr 30, 04 at 11:42 "I also really hate those figurines that focuses on the rear-end of a person bending over... like an old lady in a dress with a bonnet. Oh please! (Really, any figurine is tacky.) Every time I see those lawn animals like those fake deer statues, I want to scream." Katz-W, You really had me cracking up with that one! On my morning walk, I'd been seeing rabbits, and I swore that the neighbors fake bunny was real. I think they even move it so it faces a different direction every so often. Sorry, but I detest the pink flamingos too. And oh the yard flags that change with every rhyme, reason, or season! What's the point!? Also, my hubby hates what he calls 'poodle' evergreens that you see in almost every new development with professional landscaping. O.K. I confess, I planted a row of evergreens in my back yard, but only as a screen for my neighbors unsightly junky one. I work tirelessly adding perennials and bulbs so that the conifers serve as a backdrop. And why does every front door have to be flanked by 2 evergreens. Now I've got two on one side of my front door and the house looks unbalanced so I feel forced to plant one more on the other side! My last comment is that some people just don't like gardening and don't have the time. My neighbors think I'm a little nuts probably because I'm always out digging and planting, and many of them work full-time, so I think they just want something that grows without a hassle. * Posted by: LaurelLily 9a Houston, TX (My Page) on Mon, Jun 21, 04 at 17:11 "Ivy front lawns. nuff said." Not enough said for me--I need to vent, because this is my pet peeve. It REALLY bugs me when people who have close neighbors and don't live out in the middle of nowhere do that! Don't they know how invasive ivy is?! And it looks ridiculous to have grass lawn after lawn, then suddenly ivy in the middle. It just looks like they're too lazy to mow! I LOVE English Ivy, but it has its place (in a container, where it won't take over your neighborhood!). It really is best in doses, not overkill. "My new neighbors, (god bless their poor little souls), replaced everything that was previously in their yard, (lilacs some deciduous trees etc.) with evergreens last year." Maybe you should gift them with a new plant or two--how about a non-threatening pot of something colorful? ; ) Even if they just let it sit on their porch, it'll be refreshing. They'll probably feel obligated to keep it in the front of the house, where you can see it. Ditto on the lawn ornaments. I have a friend who's collecting garden gnomes--precisely because he KNOWS they're ugly. It amuses him. * Posted by: LaurelLily (My Page) on Mon, Jun 21, 04 at 17:19 Oh, and I can't resist expanding this--to work! Everybody at my office has a pot of pothos/Devil's Ivy on their desk, or some "lucky bamboo." I wanted to have something extremely different, so I brought a small pot of mint up to work--now I have something near me that smells wonderful. * Posted by: DawnStorm 7/MD (My Page) on Wed, Jun 23, 04 at 10:58 I have a snake plant on my work desk--it was part of a big snake plant that I got at the Fall '03 swap. It really likes its home, but then again, snake plants are tough. * Posted by: Lynn_D Z5 PA (My Page) on Wed, Jun 23, 04 at 15:18 Colored mulch! Yards have been showing up with red for the past few years but now they have yellow and black as well. One house has them all, in waves, in one bed! * Posted by: Cathy_S z6 MD (My Page) on Wed, Jun 30, 04 at 17:46 The newest trend around our area is layering up retaining walls where retaining walls aren't truly needed. They have these new "building blocks" everywhere you can possibly find room for them. Add to that the carefully spaced plants and acres of mulch and the neatness is enough to make you sick. And, then everyone in the neighborhood has to have the same look. There's one place not far from our home where they have so many walls built up, there must be a serious shortage of building materials (either that or the manufacturers of the blocks have been able to retire to Europe). * Posted by: RacerD z7 TX (FW) (My Page) on Thu, Jul 1, 04 at 0:06 We have a few "rock yards" around here....two are neighbors down the street. Completely removed the grass and dumped a bunch of rocks. Now the weeds are starting to grow through. I just don't get it. I'm also sick of all the Bradford Pear trees....seems house after house has the same round tree. At least with Crepe Myrtles there are different colors. ;-) * Posted by: Adona z7 VA (My Page) on Thu, Jul 1, 04 at 9:50 I once lived near a couple who had an interesting idea of gardening. I hated it, but it also made me chuckle. Picture all flowerbeds covered in white rock...we're talking only white rock, no shrubs, etc. Add those plastic spinning daisies about every three feet. Can you picture it so far? Okay, now for the crowning glory...wait for it....two gallon glass wine bottles filled with colored water and placed between each spinning daisy!!! What a sight! Alright, I realize it isn't a "trend"....but I had to include it. * Posted by: NCGreenThumb Zone 7 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 7, 04 at 20:24 I detest yard art of any kind; Gazing Balls, wooden ornaments, gnomes, fake animals. The comment about the "bending over woman with the bonnet" made me laugh. I've seen a few of those around here. Nature makes plenty of plants and trees that are far more beautiful than the yard art du jour from Home Depot or Lowes. Cathy from Md made a comment about the building blocks and I have to agree. Bland, rigid and certainly not natural to the location. I guess I'm a minimalist at heart. I prefer to use what is natural to the area.

Cookalong #47 ------- RICE Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Wed, May 9, 12 at 12:55 Time for a new Cookalong, are you ready? Jasdip has selected RICE this time. Thank you Sherry, I love to try new recipes for rice. Let's try to come up with a variety of rice recipes that not only use rice as a main component (such as stir fried rice) but also recipes that you traditionally spoon over or serve with rice. Don't forget about deserts! Rice really is used in many different ways. Ready? This Cookalong will run until May 20, 2012. Thank You Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #46-----POULTRY Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ann_t (My Page) on Wed, May 9, 12 at 13:00 Great choice Jasdip. ~Ann o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by chase (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 7:48 I'll be watching closely. I'm not big on rice but Clive loves it and I need to kick up my carb choices. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by stuartwanda (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 8:00 Ive been making a lot of rice pudding lately. Here's the recipe I use: Preheat oven to 325. Lighty greese a 9" glass baking dish. 1 cup of cooked rice Mix: 3 lg eggs 3/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 1/2 c milk Pour over cooked rice. Add 3/4 c raisins Place dish in a pan with water to a depth of 1 inch Bake for 1 1/2 hours. When done can sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 9:45 Yeah! I love rice. I don't have time to post any recipes now, but I'll be back to share some I've enjoyed. Sally o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by paprikash (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 9:55 We like this: Rice/Orzo Pilaf Serving Size : 4 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup orzo pasta 1/2 cup onion -- diced 2 cloves garlic -- minced 1/2 cup white rice -- uncooked 2 cups chicken broth Melt the butter in a covered skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir orzo until golden brown. Stir in onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the rice and chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by teresa_nc7 (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 11:11 First a recipe where rice is the main focus. A good dish for a light Sunday supper or even a brunch. Salmon Kedgeree English origin, this recipe was found in the Sunday Family Weekly magazine years ago. 1 7 oz. can salmon, or 1-2 foil packages of flaked salmon, or leftover cooked salmon 3 hard boiled eggs 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups hot cooked rice 2 cups thawed frozen green peas 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper to taste Drain and flake the salmon if using canned, reserving liquid. Add water to drained liquid to make 1/3 cup. Slice eggs in half; chop the yolks and cut the whites in strips. (I just chop the whole eggs, largish dice.) Saute the onion and curry in the butter in a skillet. Add all the rest of the ingredients (except the separate yolks and 1 TB of the parsley) including the salmon liquid/water. Add salt and pepper. Heat well, taste to correct seasoning if needed, stir well. Mound on a platter. Sprinkle with the (yolks) and remaining 1 TB parsley. Serve hot. Serves 4-6 And, a recipe to serve over rice from my dear mother-in-law: Quick Chicken Chasseur serves 6 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken or turkey, cut into strips 1/3 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon each fresh tarragon and thyme 1/4 teaspoon pepper salt to taste 1 cup sliced scallions 1 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup sherry - dry not sweet 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 3 small tomatoes, quartered 3-4 cups hot cooked rice Dredge chicken strips in cornstarch. In a skillet, brown the chicken in the oil. Stir in the seasonings and scallions. Cook 2 minutes longer. Add the broth and sherry. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and tomatoes, cover, simmer 5 minutes. Serve over hot rice. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by olychick (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 11:49 this is one of my favorite recipes..it's beautiful and always a hit at a potluck. Forbidden Rice Salad Serves 8 to 10 2 cups forbidden rice (black rice) 3 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil - Recipe calls for Sesame oil; depending on how strong it is, I might use part mild olive oil or other oil - I start with 2 TBLS and add more if needed 1 pound sweet potatoes, roasted and diced 3/4 cup diced red bell peppers 3/4 cup diced yellow bell peppers 1/2 bunch sliced green onions (about 3 or 4) Sea salt, to taste Ground pepper, to taste Bring rice, water and a pinch of salt to a quick boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Turn heat off and let rice sit while you whisk together sesame oil and tamari. If necessary, drain any remaining liquid from bottom of saucepan. Add sesame oil and tamari mixture to saucepan and toss with rice while still warm. Let cool, then add sweet potatoes, red peppers, yellow peppers, green onions, salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temp or chilled. I think the rice usually takes longer than 30 min. but don't overcook. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by triciae (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 14:34 Here's the recipe I use for basic rice pilaf with a few variations (add-ins). It makes A LOT. I make the basic recipe, divide into smaller containers, toss in different add-ins for each container. It freezes beautifully & we've always got a nice variety of different rice dishes available. Some, depending on your add-ins, make a good base for a cold salad. RICE PILAF WITH VARIATIONS 8 tsp. butter 2 c. orzo 3 c. long grain rice (we use basmati) 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. ground black pepper 10 c. chicken broth Add-Ins (obviously not everything in one batch - lol): Golden Raisins Thyme, rosemary, sage, basil Onions Prepared Seasoning Mixes Spinach Mushrooms Pistachios Walnuts Pumpkin Seeds Large Slice of Orange Zest (add while warm) Mandarin Oranges Shallots Saffron threads soaked in 1/4 cup water Scallions sliced on the diagonal Dried Cranberries Parsley Sliced Almonds Melt butter over medium heat in large saucepan. Stir in the orzo & rice. Sautee until golden brown. Add the salt and pepper. Add chicken broth to rice mixture. Turn to high heat until rice comes to a boil, cover and turn heat to low, simmer 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy and all liquid is absorbed. Let the pilaf sit 10 minutes off the heat before serving. Fluff with a fork. /tricia o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ynnej (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 18:32 Great choice Jasdip. This is sure to be a fun one. This cookalong inspired me to finally use up these packages of ready-made brown and wild rice and quinoa DH picked up on a whim. I made an asparagus stir fry with them. Photobucket Photobucket 8 stalks asparagus, trimmed olive oil 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 carrot, peeled and shredded dash sriracha 2 packages brown and wild rice with quinoa, cooked according to package 1 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and minced 1 clove garlic, minced salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400F. Massage a bit of olive oil into the asparagus, enough to make them shine. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes, until fork-tender. When cool enough to handle, cut into 1 inch pieces. Meanwhile, drizzle a little oil in a large frying pan and bring to medium high heat. Add peppers, onion, celery, and carrot, and cook until tender and onion is translucent. Add brown and wild rice with quinoa, sriracha and soy sauce and stir fry about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, let cook for 30 seconds, then add salt and pepper to taste and gently fold in asparagus. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes for flavors to marry. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 18:58 I've found the only way I can cook brown rice is to bake it in the oven. I tried it once on top of the stove and threw it out. We like small chunks of onions, carrots and celery in the bottom of a casserole dish. Mix 1 1/2 cups brown rice into it and pour 2 1/2 cups chicken broth over top. I use either a pepper medley type seasoning or my all-purpose kind of a southwestern flavouring. (Has paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder etc etc). Bake in a 375 degree oven about an hour. This started out as Alton Brown's recipe I believe. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by seagrass (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 19:39 My go-to rice for most everything but risotto is brown basamati. I rinse it, and then cook according to package directions with the amount of water called for. Comes out great on the stovetop everytime. Takes a bit longer than white rice, but it's flavorful and can stand in for white rice in just about everything. I'll dig through my T&T recipes and post some later. Great topic!! seagrass o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by teresa_nc7 (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 21:45 I cook brown basmati rice in my pressure cooker! Perfect every time and only takes 12 minutes - can't beat that! Teresa o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, May 10, 12 at 23:56 Rice was my Cookalong choice back in '09! I'm linking to the page. I'm still working my way through it, lol! One can never have enough rice, in fact the story about the rice grain is one of my all time favorites. (See copied below). Lately I've been into black rice. Made some black rice and quinoa salad last weekend, very good, and I don't usually like quinoa! I'm trying to like it though, because it is so healthy. What can you do with rice flour? I bought some once for a shortbread recipe I think, and I lost the recipe. It's been sitting in my freezer for a LONG time! BF's son is on an anti-yeast diet. We're trying to support him by cooking wheat free, low sugar ourselves, and that means lots of brown rice. Well, actually not very large servings of it!! I still need my bread carb fix, but try to limit wheat to only one serving a day! One Grain of Rice a mathematical folktale by Demi Long ago in India, there lived a raja who believed he was wise and fair, as a raja should be. The people in his province were rice farmers. The raja decreed that everyone must give nearly all of their rice to him. "I will store the rice safely," the raja promised the people, "so that in time of famine, everyone will have rice to eat, and no one will go hungry." Each year, the raja's rice collectors gathered nearly all of the people's rice and carried it away to the royal storehouses. For many years, the rice grew well. The people gave nearly all of their rice to the raja, and the storehouses were always full. But the people were left with only enough rice to get by. Then one year the rice grew badly and there was famine and hunger. The people had no rice to give to the raja, and they had no rice to eat. The raja's ministers implored him, "Your highness, let us open the royal storehouses and give the rice to the people, as you promised." "No!" cried the raja. How do I know how long the famine will last? I must have the rice for myself. Promis or no promise, a raja must not go hungry!" Time went on, and the people grew more and more hungry. But the raja would not give out the rice. One day, the raja ordered a feast for himself and his court--as, it seemed to him, a raja should now and then, even when there is famine. A servant led an elephant from a royal storehouse to the palace, carrying two full baskets of rice. A village girl named Rani saw that a trickle of rice was falling from one of the baskets. Quickly she jumped up and walked along beside the elephant, catching the falling rice in her skirt. She was clever, and she began to make a plan. At the palace, a guard cried, "Halt, theif! Where are you going with that rice?" "I am not a thief," Rani replied. "This rice fell from one of the baskets, and I am returning it now to the raja." When the raja heard about Rani's good deed, he asked his ministers to bring her before him. "I wish to reward you for returning what belongs to me," the raja said to Rani. "Ask me for anything, and you shall have it." "Your highness," said Rani, "I do not deserve any reward at all. But if you wish, you may give me one grain of rice." "Only one grain of rice?" exclaimed the raja. "Surely you will allow me to reward you more plentifully, as a raja should." "Very well," said Rani. "If it pleased Your Highness, you may reward me in this way. Today, you will give me a single grain of rice. Then, each day for thirty days you will give me double the rice you gave me the day before. Thus, tomorrow you will give me two grains of rice, the next day four grains of rice, and so on for thirty day." "This seems to be a modest reward," said the raja. "But you shall have it." And Rani was presented with a single grain of rice. (Now, it's time to get out your calculators!) The next day, Rani was presented with two grains of rice. And the following day, Rani was presented with four grains of rice. On the ninth day, Rani was presented with two hundred fifty-six grains of rice. She had received in all five hundred and eleven grains of rice, enough for only a small handful. "This girl is honest, but not very clever," thought the raja. "She would have gained more rice by keeping what fell into her skirt!" On the twelfth day, Rani received two thousand and forty-eight grains of rice, about four handfuls. On the thirteenth day, she received four thousand and ninety-six grains of rice, enough to fill a bowl. On the sixteenth day, Rani was presented with a bag containing thirty-two thousand, seven hundred and sixty-eight grains of rice. All together she had enough rice for two bags. "This doubling up adds up to more rice than I expected" thought the raja. "But surely her reward won't amount to much more." On the twentieth day, Rani was presented with sixteen more bags filled with rice. On the twenty-first day, she received one million, forty-eight thousand, five hundred and seventy-six grains of rice, enough to fill a basket. On the twenty-fourth day, Rani was presented with eight million, three hundred and eighty-eight thousand, six hundred and eight grains of rice--enough to fill eight baskets, which were carried to her by eight royal deer. On the twenty-seventh day, thirty-two brahma bulls were needed to deliver sixty-four baskets of rice. The raja was deeply troubled. "One grain of rice has grown very great indeed," he thought. "But I shall fulfill the reward to the end, as a raja should." On the twenty-ninth day, Rani was presented with the contents of two royal storehouses. On the thirtieth and final day, two hundred and fifty-six elephants crossed the province, carrying the contents of the last four royal storehouses--Five hundred and thirty-six million, eight hundred and seventy thousand, nine hundred and twelve grains of rice. All together, Rani had received more than one billion grains of rice. The raja had no more rice to give. "And what will you do with this rice," said the raja with a sigh, "now that I have none?" "I shall give it to all the hungry people," said Rani, "and I shall leave a basket of rice for you, too, if you promise from now on to take only as much rice as you need." "I promise," said the raja. And for the rest of his days, the raja was truly wise and fair, as a raja should be. Here is a link that might be useful: Rice Cookalong #9 o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ynnej (My Page) on Fri, May 11, 12 at 1:10 Love that, LPink o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Fri, May 11, 12 at 7:14 I figured you'd like my choice LPink! I didn't know that you had done it back then, and I'm not surprised. This is a recipe that I used to make decades ago. I started making it again recently and we really enjoy it. The sausages are the little breakfast, link sausages, etc. Some are sold here frozen, under the name Mini-Sizzlers made by Schneiders. There used to be 16 sausages in the package, now there are 12!! Mushrooms can be added as well, if you like. I don't buy mushrooms all that often as hubby doesn't like them, but he does pick them out if I use them. Polynesian Sausages 1 lb little breakfast sausages, fresh or frozen 1 medium green pepper, sliced 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 small onion, diced 14-oz can pineapple tidbits sliced mushrooms 1/4 cup vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp cornstarch 14 cup brown sugar In a lightly greased skillet, brown sausages over medium-low heat. Remove from pan and drain all but 2 tbsp fat. Add green pepper, celery, onion and mushrooms. Saute until lightly browned. Drain pineapple chunks, reserving juice. Add pineapple to vegetable mixture. Combine juice, vinegar and soy sauce and mix with combined cornstarch and brown sugar. Slowly add to skillet and stir until thickened. Add sausages to heat through and serve over beds of hot, fluffy rice. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ann_t (My Page) on Fri, May 11, 12 at 10:43 I love rice. We have it quite often as a side and occasionally as a main course. Chicken Fried Rice ================== This is my version of my favourite style of fried rice. Does not contain soy sauce. Before cooking, the chicken is marinated in a little Shao Hsing, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Optional: egg white . 2 to 3 boneless chicken breasts thinnly sliced 1 cup peanut oil Cooked Rice 1 large onion cut in half and then sliced lengthwise. 2 stalks celery sliced 1 garlic clove 1 inch piece ginger 1 bunch green onions 2 to 3 cups fresh bean sprouts 2 eggs beaten and seasoned with salt. Cook two or three thin omelettes - crepe style. Slice. Handful frozen peas Sesame Oil Cook chicken first. Velveting: Heat 1 cup of peanut oil in large wok. When oil is really hot add half the chicken. Chicken cooks quickly in the hot oil. Stir so chicken doesn't stick together. Chicken will turn white and be cooked in about 60 to 90 seconds. Remove chicken to a colander to drain and cook second batch. Set chicken aside. Wipe wok clean, heat over high heat, add a little peanut oil. Add onions and stir until onions start to colour. Add the celery, cook for a minute or so, add the garlic, and ginger. Add the chicken back into the pan along with the rice, toss continuously until rice is hot. Season with a little more sesame oil. Stir in the egg, green onion and bean sprouts. Serve immediately. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lalitha (My Page) on Fri, May 11, 12 at 23:27 Loved the story! Here is a recipe for a savory risotto from southern India. Kedgeree that Theresa posted originated during the British colonial times in Indian sub continent. "Kichiri" as it is known in man parts of India is basically a cooked dish of rice and lentils with vegetables etc. Pongal is a south Indian version. PONGAL (this is the savory version. There is also a sweet dessert version that is made with palm sugar) Ingredients 1 cup white rice. Short grain rice that is more sticky works well. 1/2 cup yellow mung dal (split and skinned dal) 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida 1 teaspoon whole pepper corns 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon black pepper powder 4-5 curry chopped leaves (when chopped releases essential oils) 2 tablespoons halved cashew nuts 2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter (climber 3 tbps of unsalted butter until it is the color of pale honey. 2 tablespoons oil Salt to taste Heat a pan on medium heat and roast the yellow mung dal until a lightly roasted aroma is released. Don't let it turn brown or burn. Wash rice and mix with the roasted dal. Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste. Cook using the pressure cookeror in a pot. This will cook soft like almost a thick oatmeal. Place a small heavy bottomed pan on medium heat; add the oil and roast the peppercorns for a few seconds. Add cumin seeds, ginger, curry leaves, pepper powder, asafoetida and saute for a few more seconds. Turn off heat and set aside. Now heat 1/2 teaspoon of ghee in a small pan and roast the cashew nuts until pale golden and crisp. Once the rice-dal mixture is cooked; add the roasted spices and the cashew nuts to the rice-dal mixture. Add the remaining ghee and mix till the spices have blended well into the rice. Ghee enhances the flavor of this dish. Serve hot. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Sat, May 12, 12 at 10:05 I think this was originally posted by Annova, but I haven't seen her here in a long while. It is amazing and I make it often! Wild Rice Salad Ina Garten 1 cup long-grain wild rice 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt 2 navel oranges 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp fresh orange juice 2 tbsp raspberry vinegar 1/2 cup green grapes, cut in half 1/2 cup pecans, toasted 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1 scallion, white and green parts chopped 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1. In a medium saucepan over high heat combine rice, 4 cups water, and 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Drain and return rice to the pan. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 2. While rice is still warm, place it in a mixing bowl. Peel oranges with a sharp knife, removing all the white pith. Cut between the membranes and add the orange sections to the bowl with the rice. Add the olive oil, orange juice, raspberry vinegar, grapes, pecans, cranberries, scallions, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Allow to sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6. Linda o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sun, May 13, 12 at 10:12 LPink, I loved your story, too! Here's a rice salad recipe from Food and Wine magazine, published in their August, 2003 issue. I had forgotten about it, but when I made it for company, including my picky sister, it got raves. I need to resurrect it. Cilantro Rice Salad with Olives Makes 8 servings Salt 2 cups basmati rice 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar Freshly ground pepper 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 medium red onion, minced 1 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 cup Calamata olives, pitted and finely copped 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Stir in the rice and boil over moderately high heat until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice thoroughly and transfer to a large bowl. Toss the rice with a rubber spatula from time to time to cool it to room temperature. 2. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Gently fold the tomatoes, onion, cilantro and olives into the rice. Add the vinaigrette and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Make ahead: The rice salad can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour. On an off topic note, this cook-along helped me to remember that I have a whole stack of cooking magazines that I keep forgetting about. Thumbing through this old magazine, I've noticed some other recipes I want to try, that I passed over the first time I read it. Thanks for the trip down magazine lane, lol. Sally o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by teresa_mn (My Page) on Sun, May 13, 12 at 14:04 Technically wild rice is not rice but aquatic grass seed. But most people treat it like rice. For the newer forum members, I am fortunate in that one of my brothers owns a piece of property where wild rice grows freely. The property has been in my family for more than 120 years. When my great great grandparents moved to Minnesota from South Dakota, my GG grandmother selected the land because of the stands of rice and the abundant wild life. As a Native American she knew how important the rice would be in years when the farm's harvest was poor. This recipe is for hand harvested marsh/river rice. Commercially cultivated wild rice takes longer to cook. The drying/toasting process of commercial rice causes it to be a much harder grain. One cup raw marsh/river rice will make 4 to 4.5 cups of cooked rice. Cultivated wild rice works just as well in this soup. And if you make a large batch and freeze the soup the cultivated rice holds its texture better. My favorite way to cook the wild rice: Heat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a covered casserole or pot (a 2 quart size is good). I use a glass casserole. Place in casserole: 1 cup raw rice 2.5 cups of boiling water or stock Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Test rice for doneness. Cook another 15 minutes if you want it more tender. Use excess water in wild rice soup. Wild Rice Soup 6 tablespoons margarine or butter 2-3 tablespoons minced onion 1/2 cup flour 3 cups chicken broth 2 cups cooked wild rice 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (I use more) 1 cup minced ham or leftover cooked chicken 3 tablespoons chopped slivered almonds (you can put them in the soup OR toast and top as a garnish) Salt to taste if you want 1 cup half and half (see note below) 2 tablespoons dry sherry Directions In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half and half and sherry; heat to serving temperature. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives. Sauteed sliced portabella mushrooms are a nice addition to this recipe. If half n half is to rich or caloric for you feel free to sub in some milk or low fat cream. This recipe is very forgiving and there aren't many substitutions that can ruin it. Amount: 6 to 7 cups. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Wed, May 16, 12 at 6:36 Since there was a recipe for baked rice pudding, I'll share my recipe for the creamy style. Creamy Rice Pudding 3/4 cup short grain rice 1 cup boiling water 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp cornstarch pinch salt 4 cups milk 1 cup table cream nutmeg to taste 1/2 cup raisins (optional) 2 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp cinnamon Combine rice and boiling water in medium saucepan. Cover and simmer 15 minutes until rice is absorbed. Combine sugar and cornstarch and salt. Whisk in 1 cup of the milk. Stir until smooth. Add remaining milk and cream to rice, combine well. Add nutmeg and raisins, if using. Stirring steadily, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to barest simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is creamy. You don't want it to thicken too much, it thickens a lot when cold. Beat egg yolks. Remove pudding from heat. Whisk a little pudding into yolk then add to the rest of the pudding. Cook 1 minute; remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to individual bowls and top with cinnamon. **My notes: Instead of using 1 cup of cream, I use 1/2 cup of half and half, and 1/2 cup milk. I omit the egg yolks. This is very creamy on its own without it. I also don't put the raisins in. My DH adds them to his own serving. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sherrmann (My Page) on Sun, May 20, 12 at 11:09 Loved the story, too. My dtr volunteers at a school - orphanage in Cambodia called "ABC'S and Rice." The school pays the local poor families the equivalent of a month's supply of rice in advance to allow their children to attend the school when they are five yrs old, rather than work for pennies a day or panhandle. The people are so poor they cannot afford to let their kids go to school because they lose the pittance the child brings in. This way, the family eats, and the kids get to learn to read, something their parents can't do. It is all volunteer, all donations, serving about 75 kids now, I think. Sorry for the ramble. A bug knocked me out this week. I love rice and make a wonderful paiella, but just wore myself out. Maybe later. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Sun, May 20, 12 at 11:35 Oh; Sherry, when you're feeling better, please post your paella recipe!!! o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sherrmann (My Page) on Sun, May 20, 12 at 12:31 Loved the story, too. My dtr volunteers at a school - orphanage in Cambodia called "ABC'S and Rice." The school pays the local poor families the equivalent of a month's supply of rice in advance to allow their children to attend the school when they are five yrs old, rather than work for pennies a day or panhandle. The people are so poor they cannot afford to let their kids go to school because they lose the pittance the child brings in. This way, the family eats, and the kids get to learn to read, something their parents can't do. It is all volunteer, all donations, serving about 75 kids now, I think. Sorry for the ramble. A bug knocked me out this week. I love rice and make a wonderful paiella, but just wore myself out. Maybe later. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by publickman (My Page) on Sun, May 20, 12 at 22:11 I make rice many different ways, but here is what I am making tonight: Shari Rice (for sushi) Half Recipe: 1 cup Japanese Pearl rice 2 tsp dried kelp 1 cup plus 2-1/2 Tbsp water Seasoning 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1-1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt Wash the rice and drain it in a colander. Place the rice in a heavy covered saucepan and allow it to sit for 1/2 to 1 hour. Add the water to the pan, along with the kelp in a teaball. Place the pan on medium heat, and when the water begins to boil, remove the teaball. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice cool for 10 minutes without removing the lid. Heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until everything dissolves. Allow to cool. Place the rice in a large bowl, add the seasoning liquid, and stir with large wooden spoon, fanning all the time - I use a stand fan, but a ceiling fan works also, although not as well. Keep rice covered until ready to use. --------------- Today I am using Seasoned Seaweed Paste with Perilla instead of the kelp in a tea ball. I think it will be easier and make a nice variation. I bought sashimi yesterday at the 99 Ranch Market, and so I wanted to make sushi rice for it today. The sashimi was partially frozen, and I kept it in that state until tonight. Frequently I cook rice with vegetables so that I get a dish that is both a vegetable and a starch. I do this mainly because the rice keeps the vegetables hot, and I like the flavor of the rice better. I reduce the amount of water used for the rice according to the vegetable added, and I add the vegetables at the point in the cooking process when there is the right amount of time left for the vegetables to be cooked properly, and not overcooked. I do this mostly with asparagus and broccoli, but also with peas and corn. Lars o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 9:06 I've been experimenting with black rice. (Thank you Annie for sending me a bag!) It seems to work for me with cold rice salads, which I don't normally like with long grain brown rice. I think it is the smaller shorter grain I like with the black rice. We've been experimenting with grain alternatives to wheat. Luckily I love all whole grains. I've made two rice salads so far, and the results have been just so so. The first was one with quinoa, cilantro, cumin and parsely, the second featuring a grapefruit vinagrette. The first was better than the second. I have two more recipes to try. But I've used up all my black rice so have to get some more! I'm posting the first recipe, but the photos are from the second, which wasn't as good. But they LOOKED very similar. I'll link to the other one, but I don't recommend it. Orange juice and grapefruit juice don't go together for a dressing, and grapefruit is too yummy to get lost in a black rice salad. This comes from a wonderful blog called A Farm Girl's Dabbles. Some great looking recipes on there! Quinoa & Black Rice Salad with Cumin & Avocado Yield: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 1/2 c. short-grain black rice (or substitute another color of short-grain rice) 1 c. red quinoa, rinsed well (or substitue another color of quinoa) 1 bay leaf 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 4 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 small onion, finely chopped 3 large garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. cumin seeds (I just used ground cumin, 1 heaping tsp.) 3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 T. 1" pieces chives salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced into wedges 1 lemon, sliced into wedges Preparation Note: black rice and red quinoa are available at better supermarkets and at natural foods and specialty foods stores. I found mine at Whole Foods. Bring rice and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. While the rice is cooking, combine the quinoa, bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the quinoa and let it sit in the hot saucepan, covered, for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Fluff quinoa with a fork. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add this to quinoa. Then add the rice to the quinoa mixture and stir well. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, fresh lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lpink's notes: This needs to be kicked up a notch. More salt, more dressing, more seasonings, more veggies. I added chopped grape tomatoes and green pepper. (That's why it probably needed more salt, lol!) Serve salad with avocado and lemon wedges. Source Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, November 2011 I'm throwing in another one for fun, once of my favorite rice dishes, "Risi e Bisi." This was some kind of packaged rice mix, plus maybe some scallions too. Served with some kick butt chicken picatta with mushroom sauce. We splurged on shitake! Plus apple fennel slaw with a lemon and oil dressing, my new ab fab! And if you've been following my coleslaw quest, it was odd that this version was the one BF liked best (he who swears he prefers the creamy-type coleslaw). Here is a link that might be useful: Black rice salad with avocado and grapefruit o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by teresa_nc7 (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 9:50 For a change, try Nasi Goreng, Indonesian fried rice. I learned to enjoy it for breakfast when I went to the Island of Borneo in 1999. Nasi Goreng Cooked and cubed chicken, shrimp, diced ham or sausage can be added if desired. 6 servings : Active Time: 30 minutes : Total Time: 30 minutes Ingredients 3 large eggs, beaten 4 small shallots, peeled (or diced onion) 3 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons whole almonds (I like peanuts) 2 small chile peppers, seeded and diced 2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil, divided 2 cups finely chopped or shredded vegetables, such as yellow bell pepper, cabbage and broccoli 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons kecap manis, (see Ingredient Note) 4 cups cooked and cooled brown rice 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1 medium tomato, sliced 1 small cucumber, sliced Preparation 1.Generously coat a wok or large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Pour in eggs, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, lifting the edges so uncooked egg flows underneath, until mostly set, 1 to 2 minutes. Slide out of the pan onto a clean cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut into thin strips. 2.Place shallots, garlic, almonds and chiles in a food processor. Process to a thick paste. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok (or pan) over medium-high heat. Add the paste and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. 3.Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot paste, soy sauce, kecap manis and rice and stir until combined and heated through, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the Nasi Goreng to a platter. Top with the strips of egg and scallions. Arrange tomato and cucumber slices around the edges. Ingredient note: Kecap manis is a thick, palm sugar-sweetened soy sauce. It's used as a flavoring, marinade or condiment in Indonesian cooking. Find it in Asian food markets or online at importfood.com. To substitute for kecap manis, whisk 1 part molasses with 1 part reduced-sodium soy sauce. Teresa o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 10:15 Oh, I forgot to add "Bisi" is peas in Italian. Can also sprinkle with parmesean cheese (but our meal already had a creamy mushroom sauce so no guilding the lily). And you can add ham or pancetta for something more substantial. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 14:29 Great rice recipes, thanks to all who took a minute to post their favorite. I think I made fried rice twice over the last two weeks just because I had rice on the brain. Time for a new Cookalong..... pulling a name..... ********* Teresa nc7 *************** I'll email Teresa and start the new thread asap. BTW..... you can add more rice recipes to this thread at any time. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 16:49 Teresa has made the decision...Onions will be the next Cookalong focus ingredient. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #48 ----- ONIONS o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Mon, May 21, 12 at 19:04 Yum, I love onions Teresa! I'm glad we can still add to this thread, and I'm hoping some people will. If anyone, Sherrman or anyone else, makes paella, can you add it here, please? o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by debrak_2008 (My Page) on Wed, May 23, 12 at 18:28 Since this is about rice....maybe someone can help me. I can't cook rice without it boiling over, sticking to the bottom, etc. It just happened again. I have no problem with zatarans or some other "boxed" rice. Plain white or brown rice is a disaster. Every time, for over 25 years. What am I doing wrong? o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jasdip (My Page) on Wed, May 23, 12 at 18:50 I'm having the same problem since I got my smooth-top stove. I don't know if it cooks hotter, or it's because of my cookware. It doesn't get low enough to just simmer without it boiling over. I now cook it with half of my pot off the burner. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by debrak_2008 (My Page) on Wed, May 23, 12 at 20:20 I have an electric smooth top too! Yeah, can't seem to simmer rice on it. Someday I want an induction but don't know if that would make a difference. o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, May 31, 12 at 7:21 Well I'm late to the party as usual. I finally got around to making Teresa NC's Nasi Goreng! It was YUM, thanks for posting it. I used Asian style marinated tofu instead of eggs, just because I had it and it was easier to add at the last minute. Served up with garnishes o RE: Cookalong #47 ------- RICE clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Sat, Jun 2, 12 at 10:28 Lemon and Celery Pilaf (Portugal) I cannot remember where I found this recipe on the web, but it is fantastic. Goes great with lamb, chicken, and fish and seafood! Ingredients: 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 cup butter or margarine 2 cups water 1 cup uncooked regular rice 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce 2 tablespoons snipped parsley Cook and stir onion and garlic in butter in saucepan until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except parsley. Heat to boiling, stirring once or twice; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 14 minutes without lifting cover or stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley lightly with fork; cover and let steam 5 to 10 minutes. Yields 7 servings.

calliope

11 years ago

Was just thinking about this the other day, as February is when we start sugaring here, (ohio) and if I am going to this year, need to get my stuff out and get it ready. The season's first taps are the sweetest. You can't go by a calendar, sap starts moving depending on day warmth compared to night cold. I've heard with maples it should start before the flower buds open and they are very pregnant now.

Yes, it's said you can use other trees but I surely can't speak to the quality of the sirup and supposedly walnut is one of them. I'm sure you could google it and find out which ones might be candidates. I know some trees have chemicals in them one would call toxic. I do not know which ones would be safe to tap and ingest. If you collect and eat from the wild, you will have to research this yourself because you can get yourself into trouble assuming everything is safe. ;-)

bengz6westmd

Yes, I've heard they do yield a sugary sap, but the liquid amount produced is too small to be of practical use.

Can't verify this, but I think the juglone is only in the root tissues, not the sap.

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

i dont think trees ever technically stop moving liquids around ...

i took some conifer cuttings [scion] lat week. and the pine started leaking pretty good..

the real question is what triggers bud growth ... which might be soil temps ... well... thats what we wait for.. when grafting... we warm the media.. so the roots start extending.. so the understock becomes active ... so the wound will heal ...

i havent finished my first coffee.. i am not sure i am saying what i am trying to say .. lol ..

ken

lucky_p

Yes, you can 'tap' walnuts and hickories. I've seen articles in the NNGA proceedings where they'd made syrup from BWs, butternuts, and various maple species other than sugar maple, and conducted taste tests. The walnut syrups were well accepted.
Have no recollection at this time, however, how they stacked up, taste-wise, or what volume of sap was required to produce X volume of syrup.

Figured so. I can attest by experience that there is a significant difference in sap flow even within the maples. I've tapped sugar maple, red and silver the same year and frankly the sugar maple produced so heavily I'd have to change sap bags several times a day, comparied to a partial bag a day on a silver. There are more variables to the equation than just species as well. The sun exposed side of a tree will bleed more heavily as well than tapping a shaded tree, since trees don't have hearts. Sap movement depends on a lot of variables. I've seen grape vines bleed in mid-winter given the right circumstances.

I wasn't thinking of juglone when I mentioned to be cautious about toxicity when gathering anything from the wild. I know there are trees like buckeye, robinia and prunus serotina where one must be careful about exposure to domestic animals. I have absolutely no clue off-hand about whether the offending chemical compounds are in, or could contaminate sap. I'm not willing to be a guinea pig to find out, either. rofl.

Beeone
Original Author

Thanks. It just really surprised me. I never see sap running in the boxelder, which is the most prolific sap-running tree I have, until late March or April shortly before the buds swell and the leaves start to break. Figured this time of year, the walnut would have all its liquids socked away somewhere.

Got another little taste today from the drips although the temperature never got above 25, and a little sap-cicle towards sunset when the drops had frozen solid on the cut ends. The sap is nicely, mildly sweet. I think the boxelder sap has a higher sugar content or at least a sweeter taste.

The branches got grazed by sheep sometime over the winter. They didn't get much--maybe an inch or two as they are too high for them to reach except for the couple ladies that have learned how to stand up on their hind legs. I have found that sheep make great husk removers for the walnuts in the fall. Leave the nuts on the ground when they fall off the tree, the sheep will eat the husks right off and leave the nuts lay. Still a small tree, not many nuts, not worried about toxicity although I never gave it a thought, either. But, the sheep do scarf down the leaves as they fall and I haven't had any 4 legs up afterwards!

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱

I too have read about Black Walnut syrup, but have not tried it. As to sap flow, I cut a 2 inch thick branch off one in February one time and it bled like the proverbial stuck pig. Had I known then that it made good syrup I might have collected a few gallons as it kept draining for over two weeks.

It certainly does take a lot of sap to boil down for the finished product. I evaporated for two days straight the last time I tapped and got something like half a gallon. Now, it might not sound like a lot, but a little goes a pretty long way of the pure stuff. It's not a particulary pleasant experience to do it inside, either. Guess that's why a lot of folks who might want to do it change their minds when presented with the directions, no? It's a delicacy and in these days folks are more prone to treat delicacies like staples since it's a supermarket shelf away.

Black Walnuts, Sap Flowing, Sugar

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