January, week 3, still need rain.
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
last year
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (23)
slowpoke_gardener
last yearRelated Discussions
Recipes for Sidedishes - Week 3 January 2013
Comments (18)Lemony Mushroom Risotto Gourmet : February 2001 This crowd-pleasing risotto works well as a main course-accompanied by green salad and crusty bread-or as a side dish for leftover chicken. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min Yield: Serves 6 to 8 2 2/3 cups boiling-hot water 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms 3 cups chicken broth 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 1/2 lb small cremini mushrooms, quartered 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Arborio rice (8 oz) 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Pour 2/3 cup hot water over porcini in a heatproof cup and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Lift porcini out of water, squeezing excess liquid back into cup, and rinse well to remove any grit. Coarsely chop porcini. Pour soaking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a glass measure and reserve. Meanwhile, bring broth and remaining 2 cups hot water to a simmer. Keep at a bare simmer, covered. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saut� cremini, stirring, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add porcini and reserved soaking liquid to skillet and boil, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cook onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth mixture and cook at a strong simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition become absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender but still al dente and creamy (it should be the consistency of a thick soup), 18 minutes. (There will be leftover broth.) Stir in zest, mushrooms, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste. (If necessary, thin risotto with some of remaining broth.) Serve immediately. ____________________________________ personal notes: add lemon juice to the porcini in the first step with the water, for extra lemon flavor. I also steeped the mushrooms in the lemon water overnight which worked well. Here is a link that might be useful: from Epicurious' website...See MoreJanuary 2019, Week 3, The Gloom Goes On and On and....
Comments (65)Jacob, That is very peculiar cat behavior. I've never seen cats that won't groom themselves, except occasionally a very old cat (late teens or older) that is getting old, tired and sort of sickly and just kinda does stop grooming when they are in the final months of their lives. I have one 18 or 19 year old cat that I have to bathe now because that's the stage in his life that he has arrived at. He is shrinking down to nothing....like very old humans do. Since he generally took care of his own grooming for almost his entire life, it takes two of us to bathe him---one to hold him so he doesn't escape and the other to bathe him in the tub or our deep farm sink in the kitchen. I hope your seeds from Victory Seeds do well for you. I have purchased tons of seeds from them over the years and have been very happy with them. They are extremely dedicated to preserving heirloom varieties. I am watching the weather closely. Y'all know I go on instincts that I jokingly refer to as the voice in my head. Well, the voice is my head is cautioning me to go slow and to not get in a big hurry to do anything, so I'm trying to comply. I just feel like we haven't had enough winter yet. Often, when we have a warm January, we have a bad March and April. Well, so far, January has been pretty warm overall. Right now it is almost 9 p.m. here and the outdoor temperature is 61. That seems so odd to me. We just aren't cooling down. I guess when the cold front gets here, our temperatures will fall like a rock. Megan, Trial and error gardening is true gardening...and the best kind of gardening....where nothing is guaranteed and anxiety levels build as you wonder if what you're doing is what the plant needs. So, I hope it works for you. I think back to my dad's generation (he was born in 1919) and to his dad's generation before him (born in the late 1880s I think) and I wonder how they farmed and did everything they did with....no internet, no gardening shows on TV or the radio, very primitive agricultural universities that did publish occasional ag bulletins, very few books available to dirt poor farmers, etc. Where did the know-how come from? I suppose it was handed down father to son, etc., but also bet there was a ton of trial and error involved. Nancy, I agree that it feels like we are waiting for someone to drop a bunch of bad weather on our heads. What if it doesn't happen? What if everything sort of fizzles out as it blows through? I suppose I wouldn't mind and I wouldn't complain, because it would be hard to be unhappy if we weren't as cold as expected or as rainy/snowy as expected or as windy as expected. At least it seems like this weather will race through here pretty quickly and won't linger here for days and days. It can only help that they have raised those overnight lows a lot higher over the last few days. Today was oddly warm. I don't know what to make of this weather. We hit 66 degrees, and had south wind and sunny skies until some clouds came in late in the day, and now it won't cool down. I am not complaining, just trying to understand why it doesn't want to cool down at night. Last night was pretty warm all night long as well. I guess that changes overnight sometime after midnight here. Megan, I am so happy for your friend. I can only imagine the great joy she is feeling now. My wish for her is a smooth pregnancy, an easy delivery (well, it never is easy, but you know what I mean) and a healthy baby. I cannot think of a single way to include tomato seed packets in a shower theme. Nancy, You need to be distracted by other things so you won't fixate on gardening during this hostile weather time of the year. Here is how I distracted myself today....the thing that I did to push my focus to something other than gardening and then, in parentheses, the thoughts that were running around in my brain so you can decide if the distractions worked. Lillie came over to spend the day because it was a school holiday for her. (We have a whole day.....we could work in the garden together.....her name is also the name of a flower. Still, it is foggy and cloudy and chilly, so not a day to garden with Lillie.) We went to Frisco TX to CarVana to pick up the new Acadia SUV. On the way down, we discussed everything among the four of us (Tim, Chris, Lillie and I) from school to work to vehicles to friends and pets....you name it, we discussed it. We did not discuss gardening at all. (This is what it is like to be in a car with three non-gardeners. Boo hoo. Not one word about gardening. I was dying.) Lillie and I were the least bit interested in talking to the car guys, test driving the vehicle, discussing the extended warranty, etc. because as long as Tim was happy with it, we were going to be happy, so we got the guys to drop us off at the nearby IKEA, which is our happy place. What did they have? Oh wow, some new Boho type patterns on pillows and some lamp shades and fabrics. (Boho? Flowered prints and paisley. Bright colors. I was in heaven.) Then we walked through a bunch of furniture (who cares) but spotted some lovely new vases (for cut flowers, of course, I said to myself). When we got closer to the Marketplace, they had fake indoor plants, plant stands, hanging planters, vases, self-watering pots, watering cans, more plant stands, a ladder that leans against the wall with little pots hanging from it (would be perfect for succulents....I want one), etc. There was outdoor furniture, outdoor storage units, etc. (Gardening! IKEA is into gardening now. Spring is here. My life is complete! I am so happy.) Ring....ring....ring.....all too quickly, my phone was ringing and it was the guys to say they were headed our way with Chris in his vehicle and Tim in our new one. I mean, it was in the blink of an eye. Lillie and I weren't even a quarter of the way through the store yet. Panic time. With hope in my voice I asked if they wanted to come inside and meet us there or if they wanted us to come out. They suggested we come out so we all could see the new SUV, figure out what all the buttons and dials and crap do, etc. etc. etc. Since that was the purpose of the trip, I agreed to come out the same door through which we had entered less than a half-hour before, and Lillie and I rushed our way through the infernal maze that is IKEA because I know all the shortcuts. (I was lamenting the fact I hadn't grabbed a cart and thrown all the gardening stuff in it as we looked at things, because I honestly want a lot of it......). Outside I called them and asked what row they were in. They said halfway between I and J. (I? Ice plant. J? Jasmine.......now I've got plants on the brain......it is not my fault. I blame IKEA for having such a lovely selection of garden enabling stuff.) The SUV was beautiful and gorgeous, leather seats and all sort of fancy stuff that Tim and Chris love.....heated seats (in case I get cold while hauling home bags of mulch in early Spring). I wasn't thinking about the vehicle. I was thinking about how much gardening stuff I could cram into it. (Hmmm. Fold down the back row of seats and we can fit anything in there....a new wheelbarrow.....bags of mulch.....how many bags of mulch? Maybe 12? Fold down the middle seats and we can probably get 16 bags in there.....or more. Hmm. How many flats of plants can we carry to the Spring Fling with the second and third rows of seat folded down? That is the sort of vehicle-related thoughts that were running through my mind.) We went to On The Border and ate lunch. (On the Border. Border? I like borders. I love flowering borders on all four sides of the garden filled with flowers and herbs for the wild things. Borders are nice. Food, wait, food? You guys want me to stop daydreaming about flower borders and order lunch? Okay. Fine. Be that way. Clearly you all are fuddy duddies who only want to discuss vehicles and the football playoffs when, clearly, people in a restaurant called On the Border should be discussing flowering garden borders. Whatever. I do not fit in with you people---I am from a different tribe. Where is my tribe????) We ate lunch. (Restaurant tomatoes. Ugh. I want real home-grown tomatoes.) Chris headed off the bird seed store and Tim, Lillie and I headed for CostCo. We hurried through it, since we have shopping there down to a science. There was all sorts of gardening stuff there now, but I didn't even stop and look because we had a long To Do list of places to stop and shop on the way home and I just wanted to get it done and get headed north out of the DFW metroplex before rush hour traffic began. (Don't worry, I consoled myself, you'll be back here in 2 or 3 weeks and they'll have more gardening stuff in stock and you won't be in such a hurry. You can buy what you want that day.) We stopped at Sam's Club to pick up two items (specific brands we like) that CostCo doesn't carry. It was a very quick in-and-out, but guess what I saw. Gardening stuff. (Hmmmm. Roses. I wouldn't plant those until February. Packaged perennials. I need to buy those now before they sit in the plastic bags too long and rot. I got a great bag of lilies here last year for Lillie. Bags of soil-less mix. Oooh, I always need some of that. Planters. Tools. Raised bed kits. I am in hog heaven. I hope it takes Tim a while to find the Cat Litter. Darn it. He is back already. What is the rush....) and out of the store we went, all too soon. On to Gainesville on the endless trip home. I did the only thing a smart woman could do when making a trip to the feed store. I said "We'll just sit here in the car and try to figure out what all these buttons do" (I did this on purpose because I didn't want to buy potatoes, onion, seeds, etc. with a big winter storm bearing down on us. See, I use the brain God gave me sometimes. I am not totally garden obsessed. Not really. Not too much. Not much at all. Hmm. This vehicle's back door can be opened with the remote.....I can have a flat full of plants and still open it, virtually hands free, and put the plants in the area behind the back row of seats. Cool! No. I. am. not. gardening.obsessed. Why do you ask?) Home again. Driving past the garden. Looking at all the green. Thinking how it might not be green by Sunday evening. Proud of myself that I hardly spoke about gardening on this trip.....not to Tim, not to Chris and not to Lillie. (Whew! What a relief. I didn't torment the three non-gardeners with lots of garden talk. See there. Distraction worked. We didn't discuss gardening at all. I didn't even buy a gardening magazine and Sam's Club had 2 or 3 of them on the magazine rack. I am so proud of myself. Nobody but me knows that my mind wandered away from the conversations we were having and thought of nothing but gardening no matter where we went. I have concluded I can be externally distracted from gardening stuff, but internally.....that is where my mind goes. Is this normal? It is normal for me. Is it normal to carry on an entire conversation about non-gardening things with other people while you are carrying on a gardening conversation with only yourself inside your own head? And those other people have no idea your mind is fixated on gardening? Am I nuts? (Hmmm. Nuts. We grow nuts here. Pecans. Hickories. Black walnuts. Ooops. Sorry. My mind 'went there' for just a minute.) See there, Nancy, if you just get out of the house and go do other things, you can make it through the entire day without buying one single thing related to gardening and without saying one word aloud about gardening. You won't order seeds or plants. You won't pick up a few things while you're in the store. Why, you'll hardly have gardening on your mind at all. I know this because I did it! Those random garden thoughts that roll through our minds? Nobody can control those and I don't even try. I'll try to think of other things to distract us tomorrow because I fear the weather will pin us down indoors, merely because none of us like to have frostbitten nosies and toesies. The wind chill is supposed to be brutal. Remember, y'all, wind chill only applies to fauna and not to florals.......so our plants only have to endure the wind and the cold temperatures, but aren't, technically speaking, affected by wind chill itself. Is is Spring yet? I cannot remember if I already asked that question today. Oh, and the answer is no, it is not. Luckily for us, we can start planting in late winter.......Crazy? No, I am not crazy. Dawn...See MoreMarch 2020, Week 3, Raining, Raining, Raining
Comments (93)Jennifer, Thanks for the seed report on SESE. About 6 or 8 weeks ago I saw the handwriting on the wall with the coming pandemic and ordered my seeds for both the 2020 and 2021 garden from them. I'm glad I did. And, see there, I am being optimistic and believing I'll survive the pandemic or I wouldn't have ordered seeds for next year. I'm glad you're seeing signs that people are being proactive, and I hate that churches may not be able to have their usual Easter-related services and activities. We have to remember that a pandemic is such an incredibly danger public health risk and daily life, as we know it, is changing a lot. I know that people are not used to quarantining, and I'd rather be out and about than stuck at home all the time, but I truly feel the time to stop going out as much as possible and to stay home as much as possible is now. The new cases in Texas are exploding now, and many of them are community-acquired, meaning that the patient had no known contact with anyone else who has been diagnosed with the disease, did not travel anywhere outside the local area and, thus, obviously became infected from someone in their local community. I expected the numbers to move pretty fast in TX once I saw the initial reports, but they're increasing probably a little more quickly than I was thinking they would. At least we are not in the same condition here yet as a few other states like Washington, California, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Louisiana. Texas was ahead of OK by only a couple of weeks in terms of COVID-19 cases spreading, so we still have a chance to react quickly here and maybe have it not get as widespread as quickly. I am not going to violate anybody's privacy here, but want to say that our family knows some people who are ill, have been tested and are awaiting their test results. It is shocking when you hear news like that, and that is especially true when it is people just like you who have been pretty careful, only going to work and back home again, and just grocery shopping or buying gasoline as needed---no travel, no going to the mall or the gym back when those still were open, no obvious crossing paths with infected people as far as they knew, etc. I think for most people in north central TX near us, the time to stay home and stay away from people probably was about 2 weeks ago, and now that they have community spread, it is almost too late. Their governor is issuing new directives and restrictions almost daily, so maybe they can halt the virus' spread. In OK, if we all start being as proactive as possible now, maybe most of us can avoid the virus as it makes its first official round through our state. OK hasn't had too many cases yet, but I've noticed that as soon as one case pops up in any given county, a second or third one is not far behind. We need to change our mindset now, if we haven't already, to avoid becoming one of those cases. I just hate this, but at least we all can retreat to our gardens and keep ourselves busy at home. I just want to add that Tim and I have one set of rules to keep track of on the south side of the river and another on the north and it is confusing. We'll want to go somewhere, so we'll say to one another "is it safe?" and then we have to figure out if that sort of place is open on the Texas side or the Oklahoma side, or both, or neither. It wears out my brain to the point that I think it is just easier to stay home. I am very concerned about small businesses all across the nation. Here in our county, one guy made a list that since has been forwarded around via various apps and FB, telling us which small businesses are still open, what their operating hours are now, whether you can call ahead and order what you need, etc. We need to remember to patronize our local, small businesses so we don't lose them from our community for good. Nancy, I am angry about all the coverups too. I have been tracking this beast since mid-January and was just beside myself with frustration from early February onward because I thought that was our nation's best chance to stop it in its tracks, and there stood all the politicians implying or even stating it was basically the flu, which it is not, and that it would go away as the weather warmed up, which also is false. The only thing I knew for sure at that point was that the government wasn't going to act in time to protect us, so we had to do everything possible to protect ourselves. I think Tim and Chris thought at first that maybe I was a little too obsessed with it, but then they got on board pretty soon thereafter as they watched it spreading across the world. One of the things I thought was heartbreaking was when Jana told me that she and Chris were going to go ahead and take the girls to the Texas Gulf Coast last week so they could make memories that the girls would have to hang on to "in case anything happened". That told me that Chris and Jana both clearly understand the front-line risks they face in their careers and know that tomorrow or next month or next year is not guaranteed for any of us. How I wish their vacation could have been just a normal vacation with the kids, not marred by fears of what comes next in this pandemic. Both of them expect to be exposed and quarantined, a concern heightened by the lack of proper PPE to keep them safe. No entity---no city, state, county, hospital, fire department, police department, nursing home, etc. has enough PPE stockpiled to deal with this crisis. Since most of it is made in China, and China has been shut down production-wise since early January, there's no quick relief in sight either. I fear for all our first responders and medical personnel. Jen, I agree that modern-day technology offers us options not available in previous times of crisis. I'm glad you're finding a way to make it work for you. Larry, I totally understand how you feel. Tim and I said we wouldn't go out and about when the virus started getting close to home, and then he took a week of vacation and we went somewhere pretty much every day, even knowing we might be exposing ourselves to infection. Sometimes being bad is fun, and I'm glad we were able to eat at a couple of our favorite restaurants in Texas before the governor shut them down at mid-week last week. We do carry wipes with us everywhere, and have hand sanitizer in our vehicle and I carry a mini-bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse. I hope we've done enough to stay safe. We didn't hear a single cough anywhere for days, and then noticed a lot more coughing in public yesterday, so I take that as a warning sign. After a quick trip to the feed store and to Lowe's today, we are officially staying home. Well, except Tim has to go to work each day and that is just unavoidable, but I'll be cleaning and disinfecting everything he touches when he comes in from work. I suppose he won't let me stand at the back door and spray him down with Lysol before he enters the house, will he? I think Tim should pack a suitcase to carry in the car just like he does before a forecasted snowstorm and should be prepared to hunker down and stay in Texas if anyone issues a stop-movement type edict while he is a work, particularly if such an edict prohibits crossing state lines. I don't know if such an edict is coming on either a statewide or national level, but if it is, he'd be in better shape if he has a suitcase full of clothing,medication and toiletries. Remember the good old days when all we had to worry about with the garden was just weather and pests? Dawn...See MoreAugust--Week 3 It's hot and I need rain.
Comments (34)No dew?! Oh no! haha. Yeah, it's dry here too. About the canned goods.... We use the brown beans and black beans in casseroles/stews/soups. I do enjoy the brown beans warmed up with brown rice and a bit of pepper sauce. We use the canned diced tomatoes in about the same way as the beans. Tom and I prefer green beans fresh or frozen, but occasionally we'll eat a jar. The soup we made is a good base for a dinner. You can add meat or other veggies and rice/pasta. We don't eat much jelly so I don't make a lot every year. This year I restocked on blackberry, pepper jam, and a new one--sand plum. Tom likes pickles so he eats the canned bread and butter ones. I like my fermented dill ones better. We rarely eat canned corn, so Rick took all of that to his house. The cowpeas are good for a quick meal. Easy to dump a jar in a pan. Especially with some potatoes. I am definitely one who wants to think through how I will use something before spending time on preserving it. (2020 was an exception because we had a lot of extra time on our hands.) We love good food and I need to know how we'll use it. So, we're not making cowboy candy or dilly beans or pickled okra. Next year I'm planning on not canning much. There's at least 2 years worth in the pantry. IF there's a food shortage/supply issue, we'll rethink that, of course. Next year, I want to focus more on some of my projects including the heirloom tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and native plants. I would like to grow a few more things to enjoy fresh in cooking different ethnic types of foods. I like to change up gardening from year to year. There's so many interesting things to try (but only so many hours in the day). I just came in from outside and am still sweating sitting here. Our AC has a hard time with temps over a 100. Spent a couple of hours watering. But, several things look like they won't make it. Not after this hot weather spell. My Persian cukes are amazing, but even they hate 100 degree days. They're toast now. Today did them in. Sweet peppers are struggling too. The Kajari melon is beginning to look rough. And, oddly, the West Indian Gherkins. I'm not impressed with those. I've tried to like them....really tried. But, I'm not going to grow them again. Not that I've started any seed for a couple of years, but they seem to volunteer everywhere. I'm pulling them in the future. Honestly, I'm ready to just pull it all (or most of it) and maybe start fresh with a few fall plants in a couple of weeks. If I can just keep my perennials alive....See More
hazelinok
last yearslowpoke_gardener
last year
Lynn Dollar
last yearslowpoke_gardener
last yearAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
last yearslowpoke_gardener
last yearI take a Singulair between 5 and 7 PM each day and often use the saline spray, I find that both help me breathe.
We feed the wildlife most days between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. On the 12 th and 13 th it was cold and we did not feel like getting out, so on the 14th we fed a little extra, but no bucks showed up ( we normally have 4 doe and 4 bucks each ), but on the 14th the doe were unhappy and fighting. Madge said that it must have been the wrong time of the month, but anyway 2 of the bucks showed last night, and maybe if the giris cool down the men will come back home.
I got parts of the wildlife, north, and south garden tilled today, and almost all of the brush hogging done ( that I want done at this time), I am leaving several acres for wildlife cover. I could have finished if I had not lost a part off the tractor.
I bought some Parisian Gherkin F1 seeds today, they look like small cucumbers, I have never grown any of them before, but thought that being that we are making all kinds of room, we may as well try a few of these.
I have plenty of space ready for onions also, but I am unsure about what kind of plants will be available, and the price. I grew Spanish onions from seed one year, and I saw that walmart had the Walla Walla onion seeds, but I don't want to go that route. I will grow a few bulbing onions no matter the cost if I can get them.HU-422368488
last yearlast modified: last yearhazelinok
last yearfarmgardenerok
last yearhazelinok
last yearlast modified: last yearslowpoke_gardener
last yearAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
last yearslowpoke_gardener
last yearhazelinok
last yearlast modified: last yearslowpoke_gardener
last yearAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
last yearjlhart76
last yearhazelinok
last year
Kim Reiss
last yearhazelinok
last yearslowpoke_gardener
last year
Related Stories
BATHROOM DESIGNNew This Week: 3 Dream Features for a Blissful Bathroom
Incorporate one or all of these essential elements for a luxurious spa-like experience
Full Story
KIDS’ SPACESNew This Week: 3 Amazing Kid Rooms That Will Make You Rethink Your Life
Designers share details of fantastical concepts like indoor swings and a pirate’s crow’s nest in projects recently uploaded to Houzz
Full Story
HOME OFFICESNew This Week: 3 Home Offices That Know How to Work It
We look at the designers’ secrets, ‘uh-oh’ moments and nitty-gritty details of 3 great home offices uploaded to Houzz this week
Full Story
WALL TREATMENTSNew This Week: 3 Foolproof Wallpaper Ideas for a Bold Bathroom
Embrace flowers, trees or pineapples for a standout space, no matter your style
Full Story
KITCHEN DESIGNNew This Week: 3 Ways to Fun Up Your Kitchen
Does your kitchen design lack a special focus? Features like these could give you something to smile about
Full Story
BATHROOM DESIGNNew This Week: 3 Spacious Dream Bathrooms
See how beautiful materials and pamper-me features fill these extra-large bathrooms
Full Story
RUSTIC STYLENew This Week: 3 Warm and Inviting Rustic Kitchens
Look to raw and natural materials to create a cozy cottage vibe full of charm
Full Story
LAUNDRY ROOMSNew This Week: 3 Cheerful Laundry Rooms Loaded With Ideas
Bright color and smart design details can make doing the wash pleasant and efficient
Full Story
OUTBUILDINGSShed of the Week: A Little Taste of Home
An Atlanta storage shed borrows details from the main house while still looking distinct
Full Story
NEW THIS WEEK3 Beautiful Black Kitchens
Designers incorporate black cabinets, ceilings, floors and more for a wonderfully dramatic look
Full StorySponsored
Kim Reiss