Posted on May 26, 2020 2:00 PMConsiderations after Blogging a Short While
I find I often want to talk about something that isn't related to the current garden activities in which I'm engaged. To that end, I think I'll finish every post with a "What Happened Since Last Time" section, in order to address whatever progress occurred, or any notable activities. I should probably try a "What's Next" section, too, to indicate my intended next activities.
I don't know if other people do this, but I've been creating blog posts as reminders of things I want to talk about, and then saving them, unpublished. So I have a store of ideas around that I can expand on later.
Something I Omitted from the Master List
So, when I published my Master Plant List, I neglected to include an important set of plants. These are essential plants, but I didn't have them in the list because they fulfill a different purpose than attracting the Minnesota-native bird-and-pollinator attractors.
Cooking herbs.
There are a number of herbs I like to have fresh. Here are the ones I will have this year:
- Basil, Ocimum basilicum, regular old basil, rather than any fancy variety
- Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, but this self-seeds extremely well, and I'll still find volunteer plants from places I've planted it in the past; maybe I should pot the seedlings and offer them for trade!
- Oregano, Origanum vulgare, which actually came back on its own this spring
- Parsley, Petroselinum crispum 'Italian Flat Leaf', but I might need two, as deer munched one to the ground last year; it grew back bushier, though
- Rosemary, Salivius rosmarinus
- Thyme, Thymus vulgarius
Maybe I should share some recipes that use these, when I actually harvest them? Let me know in the comments.
I do enjoy cooking. While I'm talking about it, let me mention a couple of web sites I rely on heavily for finding recipes:
- Cook's Illustrated is by the same people who do America's Test Kitchen. I was turned on to the published magazine over a decade ago, and I enjoy no-advertising and explanations of what makes a given recipe succeed or fail. If you sign up the digital package, you can get access to all their on-line recipes for them and their associated magazines (like Cook's Country), as well as things like equipment reviews. I think it is well worth the money, especially if you enjoy cooking. The caveat is that you are likely to find yourself making something like croutons from scratch, rather than buying them, but the quality will be amazing.
- Eating Well is the web site for the magazine, but you can create a free account and search for recipes, marking favorites as you go. It lets you search for specific ingredients to include as well as exclude. I was directed to this site by a healthy living coach as a good source of healthy recipes, so you can find a lot of tasty options here.
I know there are plenty of sites out there for recipes, and I occasionally find something there, but these two are my first stops if I'm hunting for something new.
What Happened Since Last Time
New Grape Arbor Installed
I received notice that the new grape arbor I ordered last month was going to be delivered on Saturday, May 23rd. Now, let me show the old arbor it is replacing, mid-way through my pruning on that day:
I built this, but I don't recall how long ago. Before 2009, I think. It was a replacement for the original arbor that came with the house when we bought it in 1997. That was in way worse shape, being made of flimsier materials.
The one I made was visually pleasing and easy to put together, but structurally weak. All the notches I made so it could be fitted together before being screwed together were weak points. The overhang on the ends was too long, and you can see that the right end actually broke off; part of the left end has all but done so. And I planted the posts in soil, without any concrete or gravel, so they started leaning under the weight. It needed replacement.
We found an Etsy shop that made cedar arbors in a style we liked, and would adjust the sizing to fit what we wanted. Here it is, mostly in place:
I will need to move the large hostas (a project for next spring, I believe), and move the rain barrel's foundation blocks to the barrel's current location in the next week or so -- we will get rain this summer, I'm sure -- but then I will have a place where I might be able to plant some interesting things.
What's Next?
Dirty tricks. I made a mistake, and I need to fix it. You'll see.
Then, more weeding. Oh boy!
