May 1, 2022- -Happy Birthday Julia- it is the time when the garden explodes

 

While the garden explodes...

It is Saturday afternoon. I have a short moment of calm. Maisie is taking a nap. The rest of them are off getting fish for the pond. Those short moments of quiet have been rare this week. By the time the children are in bed we are all exhausted.

Katie and Maisie (21 months) and Christopher (5 years) and for a while Elisabeth, have been here all week. Julia took afternoons off from work. I tried to leave work early. When I would get home it was dinner preparation time and then dinner cleanup time, with very little time in between. 

One gets use to clutter I suppose. It is remarkable how many very tiny shoes are all over the place.

In the garden....

All this news had to step aside for the plant of the year, discovered yesterday afternoon between rain events. I have many plants I have never/ or will never, grow. That list shrunk by one. Here is what I chanced upon while digging dandelions.

It was a real morel mushroom, in the front yard. The neighbor, who I asked for confirmation of the identification, started with a loud "oh my ...." That answered the question.

After that enocunter I am not sure what can compete. Plant of the month- for sure. But a new month has started. Welcome to May.

Back to the more mundane explosion.

We had a last frost/freeze early in the week. After that there are/have been no temperatures in the ten day forecasts under 40. Even the crotons have headed outside. Fortunately it has been mostly cloudy, with some sun breaks. So far no sunburned plants.

For this weekend we have tulips.

These are nice but they were suppose to be Monsella tulips. I will have to contact the company. Getting the variety incorrect is not a good business practice.

I told you there would be grandchildren pictures.

I think I planted 50 of these little species tulips. They did not disappoint.

I only held my breath a little when they tried to kick the ball around on the garden paths. Fortunately we found a nearby field.

The bluebells have started. They will dominate for the next 10 days or so. 

What is coming soon

Little bearded iris

Slipper orchids

English bluebells

Camassia

And so much more- 

The martagon lilies have grown quite a bit since last year. 

More pictures

Christopher borrowed a bicycle and found a few routes.

Julia's recipe

Shrimp Piccata Spaghetti

This dish is called Shrimp Piccata Spaghetti by the NYT, which seems a little fancy to me. "Piccata" means cooked with butter, parsley and lemon juice. I understand from google that it is a translation of the French word pique, so it seems to refer to a sharp taste. Or so I am told. This dish includes capers, which I like and which will kick up the piquancy. It's fast and flavorful. And as piquant as you want to make it.

The ingredients:

1 lb. cleaned and deveined raw shrimp;

1/2 lb. spaghetti (or shape pasta);

3 tablespoons olive oil;

4 tablespoons butter;

a little less than 1 tablespoon smushed garlic;

1/2 cup diced shallot (or onion);

2 or 3 tablespoons capers plus about 2 tablespoons caper brine;

3 tablespoons lemon juice;

some parsley (maybe 1/4 cup chopped up);

some salt and pepper.

I started by prepping the onion and the garlic, as shown.

I also put on a pot of water, liberally salted. for the spaghetti.

When the water came to a boil, I added the spaghetti and set the timer for 9 minutes, the slightly al dente side of the cooking range. 

Then I cut the shrimp into little (like 1/2 - 3/4") pieces. (I had thawed the shrimp in the refrigerator, althog they were still a little frozen which was okay). 

I made sure there were not any little shrimp shell bits in the mix. 

I added all of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a non-stick skillet on medium heat. When the butter had melted, I added the onion..

When the onion was pretty limp but not brown (4 or 5 minutes), I added the garlic and stirred for less than a minute. 

Here's a picture of limp onions with newly added smushed garlic. 

When the garlic began to smell like garlic, I added the shrimp to the skillet and turned down the heat to medium-low. I sprinkled the mixture with maybe 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. 

When the pasta was done, I ladled out maybe 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drained the pasta and returned it to the pot (which I coverer), off the heat of course. 

I cooked the shrimp for just a few minutes until they were opaque. The shrimp were cut small, so they didn't need much cooking.

I added some (but not all) of the pasta water to the spaghetti in the pan, then added the shrimp mixture. Followed by the capers, caper brine, and the rest of the butter. 

I stirred the mixture vigorously (really) to help the sauce thicken a little (it's an emulsion thing between the butter and the starchy pasta water). Lastly I added the lemon juice. 

I could have added parsley to the dish while it was cooking, but instead I sprinkled it all on the dish after I put it in the serving bowl.

Sprinkling. I cut the parsley with kitchen shears as I have neither the technique nor the patience to mince parsley.  

On the table. We had salad and berries with yogurt, as per usual. 

The recipe called for 1 cup thawed frozen peas to be stirred into the spaghetti with the shrimp near the end. 

I disapprove of peas under all circumstances. If you are partial to peas (and why would you be?), go ahead. 

Also the recipe called for 1 lb. of spaghetti to the amount of sauce produced by this recipe. I thought the sauce-to-noodle ratio was askew, so I reduced the amount of spaghetti. Philip suggests using shape pasta (rotini, rotelle, shells, penne) as shape pasta would make the dish easier to eat. Point taken. 

This recipe (with 1/2 lb. of spaghetti) made enough for 3+ people. 

Odds and ends

We went to Washington County yesterday to get annuals from the less expensive greenhouses down there. Actually they were not as inexpensive as I had thought they would be. I fondly remember when you could get almost any annuals by the flat.

In thinking about annuals I had a revelation. I do not suggest this is particularly novel. But it was new to me. I have several beds that I have sort of dedicated to annuals. Many of those annuals should not get planted until the frost free date. Here is the thought:

I should plant lettuce in those beds in March. They would be about ready to harvest by the time it is ready to put in the annuals. Stunning. Well maybe not.

The plant sale is going well. We are up to about $1000 in the first two weeks. That included the wet $10 I found under a pot on the back driveway.

I divided the first hosta the other day. Many should follow.

Toad lilies are up. They will survive the jump to pots if they are transplanted while they are small.

 Here is news on the tree peony seedlings. 

The four blooming size tree peonies along Fairview were themselves grown from seed from my sister's plants in Maryland.

Here is the one going into its third spring. It is a little hard to see. There is about an inch of wooden stalk at the bottom of the plant. It is maybe 2 years from its first flower.

After their first year, they die back to the ground. Hence the colored plastic straw.  

They do need weeding, including keeping the scilla and bluebells away.

During the second growing season they make a little wooden stem. It will remain above ground.

Here is one of 7 second year plants.

7 of 8 survived the winter and are growing quite a bit this spring. 

You really can recognize the peony leaf.

Last fall I probably gathered 150 seeds from several plants of different colors.

Thursday I found 3 new ones growing in one area.

Friday I found 6 in a different area.

I expect more will show up in the next 2 weeks.

I just have to be very careful when weeding.

Happy Birthday Julia.

Here is looking forward to a good year.

But we still should pray for peace.

and for the election of people who will make good trouble.

Philip