July 3, 2021- I must be feeling better

Slowly my body is getting better. It seems like it is taking a while. I am not all the way better yet, something I should remember. This long weekend will be a test. 

But it rained some more this week and the temperatures were such that going outside later in the evening, for 10 minutes of weeding, was comfortable. So I have been doing repetitions. Weed the front yard. Weed the side yard. Find something else to do.

I even  succumbed to an internet ad...for a mail order tree. What?

Well you may recall we are replacing the dying pink crabapples with kousa dogwoods. The third one was eaten by deer in the late fall and appeared dead. I had chopped off the top part when I noticed growth from the bottom. It was only mostly dead, and not yet time to look for loose change. (What am I talking about?) 

I was going to replace that mostly dead one tree with a new one from our local nursery. But after the derecho from last year trees were hard to come by this spring. 

So there it was last week. An ad that popped up on the internet for 20% off all trees. I looked and they had kousa dogwoods for under $100. The 20% reduction covered the mailing cost from North Carolina.

It arrived on Thursday. I do not remember ever getting a box that big. Having figured out which end was up, we unpacked. I scheduled a planting time with Bob, our neighbor. I still should not be digging holes.  

I watched some videos and we planted the new tree yesterday morning.

I remember now how impossible it is to take a picture of a new little tree. I would need to bring out a big piece of cardboard or something to hold behind it.

Now the watering begins. 

That and worrying about the fact that it is going to get to 90 degrees the next few days.

Now I must think if there are any more trees that would look good. Maybe a Japanese Maple. There is free shipping if you buy at least $119 worth of plants/trees.

The other news from the garden is that our little peeping frogs have graduated to grunting. They are bull frogs. It gives new meaning to having a frog in your throat. Here is a video.

Daylilies season is here.

Here is one of the larger flowers from Ruby Spider.

As a disclaimer I should add that Ruby Spider is probably not a true spider daylily. But that may be splitting hairs.

This is Banned in Boston, one of our all time favorite names and flowers.

This is Double Daffy, a smaller flowered daylily.

This is Indy Charmer, the daylily. It is one of about a dozen daylilies where I remember the name, while the label has gone missing.

This is Sedum Atlantis. It is a newcomer to the garden this summer. So far so good.

Now for the pictures that need no introduction.

Well I should say that the Shirley poppies continue.

Julia's recipe

vaguely creole fish

As I have said, we get fish from a community-supported-fishery in Sitka, Alaska delivered to our door. Frozen of course. Some of the fish is familiar - salmon, halibut, cod; some not - rockfish, sablefish. Rockfish and sablefish are both mild and white. I can't tell them apart except that sablefish comes skin-on, which is not a plus in my book. Sometimes I make chowder with sablefish as one can plop the fish into the soup whole and then scoop it out of the soup after it is cooked to remove the skin and break the fillet into smaller chunks. 

But recently, I decided to make a vaguely creole fish dish with onions, green pepper, tomatoes and garlic. And cajun spice mix and wine. This is more or less my recipe, although I am sure lots of folks have figured out that smothering fish with such a mixture and baking it is a good idea. My mother made a version of this dish with pork chops instead of fish. I probably should give her credit for the general idea.   

The ingredients:1 piece of white fish (skinless would save some trouble) - 12 oz. or so; 

1 can of diced tomatoes (or 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes if you have a supply);

1 green pepper (about 1 cup cut in strips about 2" x 1/2 ");

about 1 cup onion cut into half-moon slices;

about 1 teaspoon smushed garlic;

about 2 tablespoons olive oil;

about 1/4 cup dry white wine

about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt; 

about 1-1/2 teaspoons cajun spice mix; 

and about 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 

I started by prepping the vegetables; then I put the oil and the onions in a skillet over medium-low heat. The idea is to soften, not to brown.  

While the onions were cooking, I skinned the fish. I felt both primitive and accomplished. 

I sprayed a baking dish with cooking spray and put the fish into the dish.

When the onions were pretty soft, I added the green peppers and the garlic and the salt and the pepper and the cajun spice.

I cooked this for maybe 4 or 5 minutes more on medium low until the vegetables were fragrant and working on soft. 

The denuded fish fillet in the baking dish. 

Next I added the diced tomatoes and the wine and cooked the mixture for about 15 minutes more. 

I turned the oven on to 400 degrees. Yes, I know it is summertime. I think this recipe would work on the stovetop as well, if you put the fish on top of the vegetables and then used a big spoon to scoop most of the vegetables over the fish. And cooked it over medium heat, with a lid on the pan, for maybe 15 or 20 minutes until the fish flakes. 

But I was using the oven. I scraped the vegetables out of the skillet and over the fish.

The fish was completely covered. Into the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. I used a fork to poke the fish to test for doneness. The fish came apart in big chunky flakes - done. 

On the table. 

On the plate. We served it with rice and the last of the season asparagus from the farmers' market. Plus the usual salad and honeydew melon.  

Odds and Ends

The plant sale continues on the back driveway. Someone brought the nicest looking trimmed bearded iris on Thursday. They even had them labeled. The variety is Total Recall. It reblooms. I will give the public a week to buy them up, and then I will buy them myself.  Of course I would have to weed someplace to put them. I have always admired reblooming iris.

Be safe and try to stay cool.

Philip