October 17, 2021- We had the big rain

 

We had the big rain on Monday. It had been anticipated. Officially we had about an inch. Our rain gauge said over 2 inches. A neighbor's gauge agreed. I do think my gauge tends to exaggerate. Of course they always talk about "some areas might get more."

Thinking it was going to rain, last Sunday I pushed myself out the door in the afternoon and  planted several areas with lots of tree peony seeds. There is no point saving the seed. 

With the rain I think I can put the hoses away, for the last time.

All those little iris are now well watered. Hopefully they will work on growing roots in the next 2-4 weeks, before not only a frost arrives but a freeze as well.

Before I leave the topic of rain, I should mention that we had another inch of rain on Wednesday. That has so been the pattern this year. We have had weeks of drought followed by significant rain for a few days. Then weeks of drought.

Thursday was one of those fall days that makes you love fall. It was 60 degrees with just about the bluest sky. I left work a little early and came and played in the garden.

Actually I went over and harvested the last of the vegetables at the "farm." That is our little rented garden plot about a half mile from the house. It is only about 15' X 20' but that really allows you to grow quite a bit. The City was closing the plots as of October 15, so there was a deadline.  Last year the date was October 1, so I cannot complain about what I think is an early date. 

I had put out a few little eggplants plants maybe in June. While they had some flea beetle issues, the plants far exceeded my expectations, which actually were quite low. 

I am here to say that little baby eggplants are just about the cutest vegetable ever. There must have been 5-6 that I harvested.

I should also say that I was not able to pot up one of the small eggplant plants. 

Sometimes if you just throw something into a pot and give it lots of water...it does not work.

Please remember that mostly I do not do vegetables. But some plants, like eggplants and peppers, are at their very best in the fall. They are producing much fruit. The plants are also really attractive. (Unlike tomatoes that have sprawled all over the place.) Even if the garden plot is not closing giving an artificial end to the season, there is the frost that will come at some point.

The theme of the week was digging bulbs. This is good because after I dig up bulbs, I need to plant some which have already arrived.

First I dug up the amaryllis that had summered over at the farm. There were maybe 18 of those plants.

First I dug up the amaryllis that had summered over at the farm. There were maybe 18 of those plants.

I will dry them before the go into a dry medium like peat moss and be put in a dark place. There they will join the cousins who got to spend the summer in pots.

The bottom tray of bulbs in this picture is full of calla lily bulbs. They were quite successful, staggering them from April to June. That will not be as easy next year since I am starting out with so many bulbs.

 

Finally, completing the theme,  I dug up lillium Pizzazz bulbs yesterday.

I had too many of them. I also sold 10 bulbs in the on going sale for the food pantries.

This is the time to dig them, after it has begun to get cold.

It actually is fun.

Of course being in the garden when it is sunny and cool, with a recent rain, is about the best. 

Let me take you through this lillium dig.

I can the tops off, down to about 5-6 inches. Most  of the plants were still green.

I used a spade and dug down 5-8 inches. I slowly raised the dirt and hoped I had gone deep enough.

You can see the plant was making roots right below the surface, with the bulb being 5-6 inches deeper.

Here some younger plants came all the way up.

The larger bulbs were maybe 4-5 years in the ground.

It has also been a week for crocuses, fall crocuses. I planted perhaps 100 last fall, mainly in a few areas. I can tell I eventually just was planting them everywhere.

The purple ones were first. Now the white ones are joining them. I can tell where 2 flowers are emerging where I had just planted one last year.

Here are pictures

The orchids are heading inside, as the temperature is finally getting to the upper 30's. Today artificial lights came on in the house. It was the first time since April. Mostly the lights are illuminating the orchids.

This is a Catasetum orchid.

It bloomed 2 years ago, in November.  I got a second one. We shall see if either will bloom

As I think about the plant migration, orchids are not really the problem. Most are not very big. It will be the orchid cactus and the crotons that will push the boundaries. Many of them are large.

Oh- there are the clivia , and the hibiscus, and the regular cactus. This list really has only begun. I forgot the hoyas. There must be 10-12 of them. Oh my.

Julia's recipe

pork meat balls with peach sauce

I saw this recipe on the New York Times cooking website, and I was intrigued: I like pork, I like meat balls and I like peaches. As I anticipated, the recipe is a winner. I have made it several times, with and without herbs. Sometimes one has fresh herbs on hand; sometimes not. The finished product is good both ways. 

The ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork (plain, not seasoned);

1-1/2 tablespoons grated ginger;

1 teaspoon or so of smushed garlic (I used 3 cloves);

1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin;

1 teaspoon+ kosher salt;

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs;

1/4 cup fresh basil (optional!);

2 tablespoons olive oil;

2 tablespoons white wine;

2 tablespoons water;

2 heaping cups diced peaches;

1/2 cup sliced onion (in rings);

1-2 tablespoons lime juice.

First I prepared the garlic and the ginger and measured the cumin and salt and put them all in a big bowl. 

Next I added the panko and the pork. And on one occasion, basil cut up small. The next time, no basil. I find it hard to cut up fresh herbs small enough that they are not a bit of a nuisance to mix in. 

Then I mushed everything together with my hands. Gently.

After that, I washed my hands and then got them pork-y again making little balls. If you have a small disher, it's handy for making uniform sized blobs, which you then need to mold (gently again) with your hands into balls.

A lot of pork meatballs waiting to be cooked.

Diced peaches (no need to peel) and sliced onions standing by. And the aforementioned disher.

I heated the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. When the oil shimmered a little, I put the meatballs in the skillet in a single layer, and cooked them over medium high heat, shaking the pan now and then to roll the meatballs around. The rolling around facilitated all over browning. 

DELETE THIS ONE I THINK

After 7 or 8 minutes, I added the wine, scraped up the browned on bits and ootched the meatballs over to one side. Then I added the peaches along with the 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. 

After a few minutes of stirring the peaches, I turned the heat down to medium low and covered the pan.  I let everything cook for about 8 to 10 more minutes, at which point the peaches were cooked (but still held their shape) and the meatballs were done. 

Next I added the onions and cooked everything until the onions wilted (maybe 2 or 3 minutes).

I stirred in the lime juice and the dish was done.  

A pretty dish with varying shapes and sizes and flavors. And a pretty serving piece too. 

We served it with rice and green beans and salad and blackberries with yogurt. 

Odds and Ends

Yesterday we went to Stringtown grocery, down near Kalona. They have bulk everything. (The staff and a lot of shoppers do not wear masks down there. People are more careful in Iowa City.) Part of that trip usually is to swing by Reha's Greenhouse, which is another 10 miles past Wellman. 

It is easily our favorite greenhouse. It is out in the country and they have many greenhouses. In the fall they mostly have houseplants including succulents. We got a nice hoya, a philodendron, called Birkin. It was really interesting.

We also got 3 new sansevieria, or snake plants. 

Why are we getting more houseplants? I suppose that is a good question. We do like to patronize Reha's.

Fun facts about snake plants:

Did you know about how you should have one in your bedroom?

https://blog.leonandgeorge.com/posts/benefits-snake-plants-bedroom

For more about snakeplants I recommend this youtube video. You can get an idea about the many different kinds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxBoBMeuTo

The nice thing about newly acquired houseplants, is the fact that they usually are small. 

That is it for the week.

Be safe.

Enjoy the fall. 

Philip