September 4, 2021- It is not August

September has begun. The windows are open at night. We have even worn jackets on several morning walks. It is certainly nice to start this lovely month with a three day weekend. Those awful days when it was miserable outside, are now in the rearview mirror. 

It was also appreciated that we had a good rain on Friday. We had between1-2 inches. It came down gradually, over what seemed like a long time. That is about the best.

It had been almost a week since the last rain. That does not seem like a long time. But the recently planted annuals needed the rain.

Yesterday I continued the front yard clean up project in the front yard. The one bed is almost completed.  This entails trimming back the daylilies, and then planting annuals in between. I did that during  one of my 4 hour long intervals in the garden. And to think we have 2 more days before we have to go back to work. But why do we work so hard on Labor Day weekend? The answer of course is because this is what we like to do.

I almost have all the coleus planted. Certainly by tomorrow it will be done. They will be spread out across the front yard, getting bigger the longer they have been in the ground. (No real insight there.) The coleus that were first planted in July  are getting rather nice. They do give me something to look forward to in October.

Julia says this is her favorite coleus.

Saturday morning it misted most of the morning, after raining on Friday. The water does accent certain plants.

This is a euphorbia that sometimes is called cypress spurge. It makes a wonderful carpet all along the border.

Let me give you a closeup.

This of course is a lupine. From what I can see at the moment the lupines survived the summer in good shape. That promises good things next spring.

This next lovely plant is Sedum takesimense Atlantis. I got it this spring and it is a keeper.

The rope hoya has been blooming all summer long. I should really have it in a more conspicuous location.

This is perhaps the last of the blackberry lilies to bloom.

I played with the setting on the camera and got this image.

Here is that same setting for one of the zinnias.

Julia's recipe

Applesauce cake

Over the summer, we had a bit of stomach queasiness at our house. Maybe something we ate; maybe a virus of some kind. But it meant that we bought 2 jars of applesauce, as we had run out of home-made. We only needed one jar. Plain store-bought applesauce is boring. So I made cake. Applesauce cake is not boring - it is moist and spicy and easy to eat out of hand (no plates or forks required). If you find yourself with some boring applesauce, make cake.  This recipe is, of course, from Betty Crocker. 

The cake ingredients:

2-3/4 cups regular flour;

2 cups white sugar;

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda;

1 teaspoon salt (table salt, not kosher);

1/4 teaspoon baking powder;

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon;

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves;

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice;

1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce;

1/2 cup water;

1/2 cup shortening; and 

2 eggs. 

One uses baking soda (plus a bit of baking powder) when the batter is acidic. Applesauce is acidic, although not to look at it. The recipe calls for raisins (1 cup) and finely chopped walnuts (1/2 cup). I never like to encounter raisins in baked goods, although I will put up with them on occasion in oatmeal cookies. And I am not partial to walnuts in cakes. You may feel differently. If so, reduce the flour to 2-1/2 cups if you add the finely chopped walnuts. No need to reduce the flour if you add only raisins.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, and I lubed up 2 round pans. I think the metal one (see below) is 8" and the disposable one is 9". Both 8" or both 9" are fine. Or use a 9" x 13" rectangular pan. 

I measured everything into a big bowl at the same time and then mixed with my hand-held mixer: about 1 minute on low speed then 3 minutes on high speed. No creaming; no adding ingredients - wet and dry - in alternating increments. 

I divided the batter evenly (more or less - the disposable pan is a mite bigger) and then baked for about 45 - 50 minutes. I began testing at 45 minutes. The cake is ready when the toothpick or bamboo skewer comes out clean.  

Here are the cakes, out of the oven and pretty much completely cooled. They look dark because of the spices, not because they over-baked. 

I thought there should be frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter;

1 teaspoon vanilla;

some powdered sugar (maybe 3 cups or a bit more); and

some half and half or milk (maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons). 

If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. Not needed if you use salted butter.

I had taken the butter out when I took the cakes out of the oven, so it was soft. It needs to be soft. You microwave owners probably know how to soften butter in the microwave. 

I creamed the butter with about a cup of the sugar; then I added the vanilla and more sugar and then a bit of half and half and then more sugar. 

I cannot give precise amounts. The idea is to have a big blob of spreadable but not in the least runny frosting. 

I frosted the cakes. The one in the metal pan went to our office, where it was nibbled on for several days and remained moist and tasty throughout. The scallop-y disposable pan came with a lid, and I lidded the cake up and froze it. I just mailed it to Maine, where it will be welcomed with enthusiasm.

I like this cake - it is easy and the ingredients not exotic and it tastes good. Now that fall is coming, bake more cake!

Here is Julia with the sunflower that Christopher planted in June. 

Odds and Ends

There is at the moment the classic example of whether gardeners are optimists or pessimists. The  rain we just had was wonderful, just what the garden needed. So much optimism. 
However, I cannot avoid thinking that the 9 day forecast on the phone shows no more rain for that entire time.

I do think that gardeners are optimists. Every time you get a new plant you are thinking of the pleasant future. But I should not push the analysis.

Despite the nice rain, and great coleus, Iowa is no place to be these days. The State Department of Health just announced that COVID should be treated like just another childhood disease. Iowa like some other states now has a law against mandating masks. Iowa City is defying that. In some businesses masks are worn.

But...the University answers to the Governor. Young people of course are indestructible. 

Yesterday there were 70,000 people attending a super spreader event in Iowa City,  called a football game. I watched some of the game on the TV.  I saw 2 people wearing masks. And everyone was jumping around and shouting.

All you can says is 'oh my'.

Dawn is arriving later each day. But this morning the dawn is heralded by the ever present crows. 

I should push the publish button and think about taking my slightly overworked body outside. Someone recently walked by and commented that the garden must take a lot of work. I responded that it did keep me busy.

Try to be safe. 

And be kind.

(Political comment omitted.)

Philip