Today is the first day it felt like summer. Will it continue - or will the recent pattern prevail ? Picked my first zucchinis today and found thousands of red ants in one raised bed eating bush beans. Another new phenomenon... I didn't think ants liked beans! I picked all the beans and will pull out the plants tomorrow. Put covered ant traps in that bed and hope the ants will feed on them. Also in the same bed are melons, zucchini and the last of the leeks. We have been grilling the leeks and they are so sweet...just cut in half, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill over high heat , cut side down, with lid closed , seven or eight minutes. Brush with balsamic vinegar, put halves together and wrap in foil. put back on grill and move away from direct heat for ten or twelve minutes. ( recipe from Foodnetwork.com recipe cards ) The recipe suggests using bacon drippings in place of oil. I'll bet that tastes good, too! I left about two inches of green leaves on the leeks. Note: Cleaning leeks is more difficult than you might think...I have no idea how the sand and dirt works its way between the leaves...I found pulling leaves apart under running water is the easiest way to remove the grit. When cooked, the leeks have caramelized and are delicious!
If the heat continues, I intend to harvest the last of the tomatoes and bring them inside to ripen. Green tomatoes ripen nicely in just a few days. The birds have gone wild this year and have been pecking a single hole in every red tomato they see, so I have been picking them before they ripen. The crop has been adequate but I feel I should have removed the plants after the freeze. ( Remember, I just pruned off damaged stems? ) The plants have struggled because of the damage and are not as happy as they were last year. The red onions have been harvested, chopped and frozen in 1 cup and 2 cup amounts.( I figure one cup equals a medium sized onion.) The onions absolutley kept gophers away from the lower raised bed, this year. After the tomatoes are pulled, nothing will be left in that bed. It will be watered, covered with plastic and given a much needed summer vacation!
As always, in a garden, the plants are the teachers, the gardener, the student! (JGP)
The time has come, the lizard said, to talk of many things...of carrots, beets and rainbow chard...of peas and beans and raptor wings...why the sand is burning hot and why Borrego sings!
WELCOME ...A new resident ? Love the desert? Gardening a passion? Live in Borrego Springs? Thought you could not have a garden in the low desert desert? Ever wonder what desert living is like? READ ON !
Raised Vegetable Beds
Palo Verde
A River Runs Through It
Monday, June 13, 2011
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A New Borrego Garden Path
Pathway
It's a Boojum...
Boojum
Colorful Vine
Bees and Flowers
Citrus Blossoms
Ocotillo
Four Raised Beds, October
Desert Gardening
Desert gardening...what a pastime. Natives anxious to attack with thorns, stickers or burrs - earth always thirsty - critters always a step ahead of you - dainty moths turn into hungry caterpillars - coyote eats up part of the irrigation system - birds sample one fruit at a time - gopher pops up unexpected . Yet the first carrot, pea or tender piece of lettuce, the first lime or lemon of the season, the first cactus bloom , the first bright green mesquite sprig, the first bud on a plant...all give such a feeling of delight and satisfaction. Not to be traded for anything else! (JGP)
Super Addiction
When I started the blog, I thought a few words now and then would suffice...WRONG!
A strange pattern is emerging. Seems that guilt has stepped up to bat. Now, if I don't post every few days I FEEL THAT I HAVEN'T HAD MY FIX! I wonder if other bloggers have noticed this same phenomenom.
A strange pattern is emerging. Seems that guilt has stepped up to bat. Now, if I don't post every few days I FEEL THAT I HAVEN'T HAD MY FIX! I wonder if other bloggers have noticed this same phenomenom.
Beavertail
Borrego Dragon
The Borrego Dragon Fable
IN THE EARLY DAYS, coyote walked many paths. One day, as he was pursuing his travels, he came to a very wide valley. Others warned him as he approached the valley, " You must not enter this place...NO ONE who has entered has ever returned. It is a bad place, guarded by a giant dragon, who kills all who try to pass through. To continue your journey safely, we strongly advise you to go the long way...around this evil place." Well, coyote listened, for he was very smart and often heeded good advice. However, coyote was also lazy and was often prone to use shortcuts. He figured the valley would save him a lot of time on this particular journey. He looked carefully and saw nothing much to alarm him. He decided to enter and pass through the valley. At first, he noticed nothing amiss. However, as he traveled deeper into that still, quiet place, he thought to himself, "This IS an unusual valley, for sure...I see no movement of any type and I am getting to feel a bit strange about this place." He did notice, however, some tall straight trees which had lost all their leaves and made the place look barren, indeed. OH,NO...he also noticed, under the trees, piles of old BONES... and the more he looked, the more bones he saw. He said, " I sure see a lot of bones, but I don't see any dragon...I'll bet he no longer lives here." And, with that, he heard a thunderous voice which echoed over the valley..." HAH, COYOTE! You should have listened to the advice...You are in my mouth, which IS the entrance to the valley!" Oh,oh, caught in a trap. But coyote is smart and moves quickly...as he heard Dragon's first words, he raced to one of the dead trees and, with a mighty yank, pulled it from the earth. He wedged the tree between the Dragon's jaws and as he did this, many animals of all kinds came running forth...pumas, bears, mountain sheep and more...even the smallest animals, gnats, flies, tics, bees and more...lizards, snakes, toads, salamanders and more...all ran from the Dragon's depths to freedom. Coyote watched as Dragon's jaws closed upon the sharp tree stake. He soon died and from that time to this, many of those same animals live here, in this place...and from time to time, many of the old bones and pieces of the dead trees are found here, in this very valley!
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