January 1, 2023- Happy New Year- Here is Week #6 of the contest

We welcome in this new year with another 3 day weekend. We can really enjoy New Year's Day this year, since we do not have to go to work tomorrow. 

Moreover in the wake of Winter Storm Elliot (last week), we are in the middle of Winter Warmup Ralph. Actually they do not really name winter warmups. But that did not diminish the fact it was 62 degrees when we left work on Thursday afternoon.  As my grandaughter would say "that's ridiculous." 

Even yesterday it got to 40 degrees. (The normal high is 32.) I celebrated the warmer weather by doing a little bit of outside garden work. I raked  more leaves. It is somewhat recreational. But it is work that will not have to be done in March.

Let me talk about flowers and warmer times.

Last Week, which was Week 5

The runaway winner was the picture of the purple crocuses

Almost half the voters picked this sea of purple. That support might just get this picture a number 1 seed.

Here was the final vote.

This Week is Week #6

#1 Yellow tulip- May 7, 2022

This yellow tulip is one of about a dozen tulips in the garden that just come back every year. It does not form a clump. These individual tulips are hybrids and mostly would not come back if you planted a clump of them. But there is something in the makeup of these particular bulbs that makes them just come back, year after to year..

In by own archive of thousands of pictures going bcak to 2002, I found a picture of this very tulip, by itself, from 2008.

#2 Little blue flowers- May 7, 2022

This is a Brunnera macrophylla.  Its common name is Siberia Bugloss. I am not kidding. Who picked that name? Its better common name is the "greater forget me not." It is a perennial that grows in the shade. In our garden it grows under the white crabapple trees in the back yard. It self seeds and will show up in many places in that immediate area. It coexists with pulmonaria, hosta, hellebores and an epimedium. What a complete list of the plants for the shade.

Remember that shade is a relative term. Most perennials wake up and spend the first month or two in quite a bit of sun.

The flowers are exquisite. 

I looked up forget me nots as a plant. I found Myosotis scorpioides. This is a different plant from the brunnera.

#3 Multi colored Iris- May 9, 2022

This is Martian. Martian is a standard dwarf beard iris. That is not a botanical name, other than the term iris. Iris is the Genus. Germanica is apparently the species. Bearded iris are then grouped by size. 

I went through an iris acquisition phase between 2017 and 2021. Then I sort of ran out of room. 

I wrote about my fondness for little bearded iris in Week #1. You can find Week #1 in the Archive which is at the right at least on the computer. (Looking at things on your phone is harder. To vote on your phone you have to scroll to the bottom and click on where it says something like "internet view."

The way you get captivated by little iris is to look at the Aitkins webcite (Salmon Creek) during the iris blooming season. They are always having more varieties they have developed. You look at them during iris season. You buy them then before they sell out. The plants arrive in August. That gives them time to get a little established before the cold arrives.

#4 Pink Waterlily- June 12, 2022

We have had a little pond in the backyard for what must be 30 years. Our daughter Katie, when she was about 12, (which would have been1993) told us we needed a water feature. Her exact words. We said fine. But she had to build it. She did, enlisting the help of a neighbor about the same age. I bought the liner, but she dug the hole. We got some water plants, some tadpoles, and some fish and were all set. She did notice sometime in those first few weeks how pretty it was to even have a few ducks. Until she realized they were pulling up the plants and eating the fish.

I got to imitate Farmer McGregor as I grabbed a rake.

I must say I have repeated that experience over the years, often in the spring until the ducks have found a better home.

Waterlilies are pretty easy. There is little weeding. 

This pink one is rather stunning.

#5 Ornamental Kale- November 14, 2022

I rediscovered ornamental kale this fall, particularly after I found it in October, in several garden centers away from Iowa City. I have been preaching its glories ever since.

It gives you interest well into December. The plants survived Elliot and a picture from this week appears in the bonus section.

There you have it. Week 6. We are almost half way through the 13 weeks of pictures. If Winter Warmup Ralph continues we could be looking for snowdrops soon. In a new year.

Vote for which picture you like. If you have time tell me why you liked that picture. Was it the bright yellow? Or the color blue?

I do so much like to hear from you.

Bonus Pictures

Other tulips from 2022

Here is a little Iris slideshow from 2022

Right Now

This is one of the Kale after Elliot.

December 24, 2022

This is one of the pansies after the Winter Warmup melted away the 3 inches of snow we had during Elliot. 

Here are some of the Kale after the warmup.

The orchids are so colorful this time of year.

I have not had the best of luck with Christmas cactus in the last decade. It did not help when the deer took a big bite out of my biggest plant. This lovely plant was found recently on sale at the HyVee. It was sold in a hanging basket which I found amusing.

Julia's recipe

Tikka Fish and Spinach 

Apparently tikka is an Indian subcontinent thing - a combination of ingredients making a marinade for some form of protein. Many people have heard of tikka chicken - an Indian restaurant dish. This is tikka fish, and it is prepared in the oven at home.  Among professionals, tikka marinated meats are grilled over charcoal, which gives the dish a smoky flavor. I am not a professional. Also I don't grill very often and certainly not when it is very very cold and windy, as it has been. All that said, this is a flavorful and easy way to prepare white fish. The recipe is from the NYT.

The ingredients:

1 lb. or a bit more of white fish, about which more below;

1 lb. fresh spinach;

1/4 cup regular oil;

2 tablespoons yogurt - Greek if you have it, whole milk if not;

1 tablespoon garam masala;

1 teaspoon hot paprika;

1 teaspoon grated ginger;

1 teaspoon smushed garlic;

1 teaspoon ground coriander; 

1/2 teaspoon tumeric; and

1 teaspoon kosher salt. 

Notes: I had sablefish from the Sitka Salmon folks, so that's what I used. Sablefish is also called black cod, and it is as mild as other cod. Like other cod, sablefish is thicker than sole or tilapia, which is good.  Unlike other cod, it has skin, which is less than ideal. The skin was not a problem at the table, but skinless fish would be better. The recipe called for Kashmiri chile powder, which I don't have. I used hot paprika. Lastly, I do not have Greek yogurt, as I make my own yogurt with whole milk. Regular whole milk yogurt worked fine. 

First, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees. Next, I cut the fish into chunks. Then I made the marinade, combining everything but the spinach and the fish in a big bowl. I whisked it up and set it aside.

I rinsed the spinach and piled it all on a large, silpat lined, rimmed baking sheet. It was quite a heap of spinach.

I put the spinach in the oven, for just a few minutes.

I put the fish in the marinade while the spinach was baking. It did not need to marinate for long.

I pulled the spinach out of the oven. It had deflated nicely. I scattered the fish bits all around and I dolloped the remainder of the marinade here and there on the spinach.

Back in the oven for 10 minutes. And then under the broiler for about 3 minutes. One must be on guard when using the broiler, as all can go wrong quickly. 

I used a metal spatula to transfer the spinach and fish to a serving plate. 

Here it is on the table.The contrast of the fish and the spinach looks good, and it tasted good too. We had it with rice and salad and berries with yogurt. A little bit was left over, and we heated it up with some of the rice and it was a nice lunch. 

Odds and Ends

I forgot to show you this picture from my phone 10 days ago. I lwanted to memorialize that Iowa City was 24 degrees colder than Nome, Alaska. It was also 50 degrees colder than Portland, Maine.

December 22, 2022

This week's documentation of weather change appear in this chart of highs and lows in Iowa City for the month of December.

Almost all the pumpkins are now hanging in the front yard. 

I put these three little ones on one stick.

The biggest pumpkin was frozen solid last weekend. It is sagging under its own weight this week.

It is a new year. It is time this weekend to start the first seeds. Katie and family just started some lettuce, over there on the other end of the country. 

I think I will start some lettuce and some arugula. Lupines will follow.

I got a new seed catalogue this week. I can get a $4 packet of Shirley poppies. It will contain 2300 seeds. Oh my.

The days are getting longer. Today's daylight will be 3 minutes longer than on the solstice.

There is still a lot of cold out there. 

As we enjoy the diversion of pretty flowers, please remember those who are cold or hungry or frightened. Pray for peace. Figure out some small thing you can do to help make this a better place.

Philip