My mother died in March. She lived a good life. She was able to live in her home of nearly 50 years, until her final illness. Among her many roles she was a gardener.
We had the memorial service in May. Her peonies were blooming while we were there for the service. We made the flower arrangements from her garden.
While we were at it we put some of the peony buds in the refrigerator, in plastic bags.
We got the last of them out while we were there last weekend. Here they are. That trick really does works.
I am the gardener today because of my mother.
The person who cleaned up her garden these last two months did a good job. Her rose bushes looked good, even if this is not the time for blooming roses.
Here are a few pictures from May.
This is the same area in the picture from last weekend.
Yes, if you noticed, there is a new fence.
Back in Iowa this last week the weather cooled off some. We even were able to have windows open for part of the week. We remain dry. Officially there has been about an inch of rain since July 1. I am watering but at times it is discouraging.
On the positive side the deer continue to leave us alone. They really did seem to just pack up and leave one day.
I am cleaning up my daylily beds. After they finish blooming I cut them back to maybe 9 inches. I then fertilize them, mulch them and water them thoroughly. I got started about 6:30 yesterday morning. After being on my feet for 2 hours I was really tired. It did not help that the temperature was moving up again towards 90 degrees.
One should always find garden tasks to do in the shade.
I think I have told you about the blackberry or candy lilies that bloom at this time of year. I have shown you pictures the last few weeks. Here are some of them.
Well the official name for this group is Iris x. Norrisii. They were formerly know as x. pardancanda.
Joe Pye Weed Garden in Massachusetts is creating some marvelous hybrids.
I got this one last year. It is called Summer Candy.
Sometimes until you make the picture big you do not see the bugs.
The garden is rather quiet at the moment. The last of the daylilies are blooming.
I have buds on lots of the garden gems, but nothing is blooming this week.
I will have to get up early and turn on the sprinkler.
Here are a few pictures. This first picture is the hoya.
The summer phlox are blooming.
This phalanopsis started blooming a few weeks ago. I just noticed it yesterday.
Sometimes you don't see stuff unless you pay a lot of attention.
Of course the reward for paying a lot of attention is that you see stuff.
The annual asclepias continues to bloom.
The calla lilies continue to bloom. I will feature them in one of the next posts. While I was a little disappointed with the germination rate (maybe about half) the ones that came up were good.
This color was particularly good.
Julia's recipe
Thai Peanut Noodles
This is an unusual pasta salad, at least in my experience, with neither mayonnaise nor vinaigrette nor pasta for that matter. It is a bit spicy, and it is easy to put together. We received the recipe from our old friend Barb who moved to Portland (Oregon) with her husband Larry a few years ago. I believe that Barb's recipe came from the New Pioneer Food Co-op, and both Barb and I have made a few adjustments to the original.
The ingredients for the noodle part: 1 package of thin rice noodles (also called rice sticks); 2 stalks of celery; 4 scallions; 6 radishes; and 1 cup salted roasted peanuts. For the sauce part: 1/2 cup peanut butter (preferably smooth, but not a big deal); 1/3 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil; 1 big squirt (maybe 1 tablespoon) sriracha sauce; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes; 3 tablespoons grated ginger; and a bit of water - maybe 1/3 cup.
I started by cooking the noodles in a big pot of boiling water according to package instructions (3-4 minutes, unsalted water). I drained the noodles in a big mesh sieve - too skinny for a regular colander and then plopped them into a big bowl. I used a large sharp knife to slice through the mass of noodles to make shorter bits, which would be easier to eat than foot-long strands.
Next I turned my attention to the dressing. I started by grating some ginger, and then I measured everything (except the water) into a 4-cup measuring cup. I whisked the ingredients together. The pre-water sauce was thick and viscous; hence the water. I used about 1/3 cup which made the dressing pourable.
The recipe called for 1 tablespoon each of toasted sesame oil and hot sesame oil. I did not have hot sesame oil so doubled the toasted and added the sriracha. If you have both kinds of sesame oil, use them and omit the sriracha. If you like your food extra spicy, increase the red pepper flakes. If you don't like your food spicy, decrease the red pepper flakes.
I poured some of the dressing over the noodles and used tongs to mix it up. Then I put the big bowl in the refrigerator while I prepped the vegetables.
I cleaned the celery and sliced it thinly (maybe 3/4 cup). I cleaned the scallions and sliced them thinly, including most of the green parts (maybe 3/4 - 1 cup). I cleaned the radishes and sliced them into little bitty matchsticks (maybe 3/4 cup). I measured out 1 cup of peanuts.
I took the salad out of the refrigerator and added the vegetables and peanuts and more of the dressing and used the tongs again to mix everything up.
The salad is best at room temperature, so it went into the refrigerator at that point while we worked on the rest of dinner. About 15 minutes before dinner, it came out of the fridge and onto the table.
We served it with salmon and green beans vinaigrette for a nice light summer meal.
A few notes. 1)This recipe is gluten-free and vegan, in addition to being very tasty and easy to make. The original recipe called for using wheat noodles - linguine or linginetti. If you are rice averse, go that way. I would say to use the thinnest noodles available, maybe angel hair. I do think that this dish requires very thin noodles. 2) I have provided less quantitative info. as to the vegetables than is sometimes the case. It is fine to vary the proportion of vegetables to noodles or among the vegetables. More radishes, more celery, more scallions - all good. Make sure that the volume of vegetables is no more than 1/2 the volume of noodles. And don't increase the peanuts. 3) Do not feel obliged to use all of the dressing. Pour and mix and taste. Don't use all of the dressing if the salad is sufficiently coated before the dressing is all gone. I had about 1/3 cup left over, which I plan to use on green beans the next time we buy green beans at the farmer's market. 4) It should go without saying that the leftovers make a nice lunch (or breakfast!).
Odds and ends
I brought some of my mother's iris back to Iowa. They were what are called Spuria Iris. I now have to plant them. They are tall. I will show them to you next year. You can see them in the picture of her garden from May. They are the ones that are about four feet tall.At the farmer's market in Springfield there was a person playing the harp. That was a first for us.
The blueberries have arrived in Iowa. Wilson's orchid had them in ten pound boxes. We cook with them. We eat them by the hand fulls. We freeze some for the winter.
I got a dozen little zinnias at the garden center the other day. They will be a splash of color somewhere in the garden.
Did you know that when you set up a watering pattern for the garden, there are always plants that are just beyond the reach of the hose. Is that deep or what?
That is it for this week.
Let us hear from you.
Philip
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