Snow Peas Fresh From The Garden

The Oregon Giant peas are ready.  Ed plants them in two rows and then adds a chicken wire fence down the middle for the peas to cling to.  This year he mulched them with finely chopped and sifted leaves.  The results are spectacular and except for a little hand watering during dry periods we have not had to do any upkeep.  We have been having a lot of deer trouble this year, but the cage around the bed had kept the peas safe.  Now we get to enjoy the best part!

First thing this morning Ed went out to pick the snow peas and get them into the fridge.  It made us happy all day to know we would be having one of our absolute favorite summer dishes for dinner tonight!  Both pea beds are producing now.  Maybe I will actually make something different with snow peas this year too, but this dish is  fabulous!

 This recipe dates back to our vegetarian days.  Now I realize not everyone likes or even wants to try tofu, but this Sesame Baked Tofu With Snow Peas and Almonds would be a great place to start.  I have made this with chicken and it was delicious, but the original is still our favorite!  The recipe is from  The Moosewood Kitchen Garden Cookbook, pg. 235.  I love this book!  I might have scanned the page directly from my cookbook. I have used it so much that the pages are loose. However, I don't know what the current rules are for that sort of thing and I may have spilled soy sauce on this recipe once or twice.  I wouldn't want anyone to see that!   I'll be picking more peas on Tuesday morning.  I can hardly wait!

Twice Used Tree Leaves

Last summer two hills of squash grew here.  Fresh grass clippings were placed under the young plants to discourage weeds.  After frost ended the squash plants, all vegetation was removed and composted and the ground was left bare.  When the village trees finally dropped their leaves, this planting bed received a thick leaf cover.  Various wire cages were placed on top of the leaves to keep them in place.  Today we needed to clear the leaves away to make room for new plants.

This planting bed is bordered by pasture grass.  That means that it will fill with grass runners with each passing day.  Our attempt to win this battle involves expendable plants and leaf mulch.  Three of the sunflowers that reseed freely here were  planted near the peas.  Three cone flowers that also multiply freely were planted next.  A catnip, a rose campion and a poppy round out this planting of free plants for the moment.  When additional weeds are cleared, more temporary or expendable plants will be given a place to grow.  The leaf mulch placed here today came from the bed cleared for planting.

We needed to clear the planting bed so that the basil and pepper plants could finally be released from their pots.  Our frost free date is June first so we are not that far behind.  This ground will be left bare for some time.  Exposure to sunlight is thought to be of some benefit to the soil.  We will then open a bag of tree leaves that were chopped by our lawn mower last fall.  A trip through a sifting screen will give us small sized leaf pieces to be placed under the basil and pepper plants.  These fine old leaf pieces will look really sharp and will nearly rot away be fall.  Weeds will be few in number on this ground then and the rotted leaves will add a much sought after layer of black to our soil.  A generous application of limestone will be followed by new leaves as winter approaches.

This bed of peas is just across the stone path next to the basil plants.  After putting the seeds into the soil, full sized leaves were placed on the bare soil.  Room was left open to allow the peas an easy trip into sunlight and fresh air.  Once the peas were up, the leaves were pushed close intending to keep the weeds away.  The soil under the chicken wire was left bare and we expect to see some weeds there.  The peas have a good head start so our next job here should be picking fresh peas.

We are looking for techniques that will decrease the work required to keep the gardens looking tended.  Some time is required to gather and place the leaves but once they are on the ground plants can reach harvest with little additional effort from us.  A recent inspection of the garlic bed in the garden by the woods revealed a nearly weed free planting.  The garlic will be harvested in little more than five weeks from now and what weeds are present are small.  They will not negatively impact the growth of the garlic now.  Only my pride will require some time spent pulling weeds there.

April Showers Bring Surprises

We had nice showers overnight.  Ed has been watching the arbutus like a hawk.  Surprise!  We have fall formed flower buds now showing white.  He is ecstatic.  These plants are covered with many buds.  The display should be stunning.  I did check to see in the buds were releasing any scent.  They were not.  Just the sight of white blossom tips must have triggered the memory of a favorite scent since none is in the air yet.

Down in the driveway by the  road, something interesting was going on overnight.  I have heard all about crop circles, but these were new to me.  I am familiar with worms.  I used to be famous for going out at night with a flashlight in my bare feet to pick up fishing worms for Daddy.  I'm sure Mrs. Robin will make short work of these.  She has babies to feed!

Ed planted peas today. There is no surprise there. He does it every spring.  Ignore the twine in the foreground of this picture.  I did not notice it, but I like this picture because it shows where in the garden the peas are planted for 2015.  Ed will use the twine before he comes in for the day to surround this planting with its wire cage.  When the critters come around during the night, they will leave us their surprises elsewhere.

Seeds To Soil

By the calender we are late in planting peas.  Bitter cold and severe frosts have found us recently so in that respect it is good that we have waited.  Yesterday the first egg masses were visible in the pond.  They were few in number but they were present.  Taking that as a sign, the decision to plant the peas today was made.  These four rows of seed took my entire day.  First, the bed required weeding.  We use the hand pull weeds one at a time system hoping to remove the entire plant and that takes time.  A chopping pass with the four tined stone fork deeply loosened the soil.  A wheelbarrow load of sifted compost was prepared and spread on the bed.  Another application  of the stone fork  mixed the compost in and readied the soil for seed.  A Warren pattern hoe cut the furrows.  Several trips with the watering cans moistened the seeds before they were covered with soil.  The chicken wire was hung down the center and the exterior fence was placed.  Those tasks required the entire day.
  

Neither of us have been happy with the quality of our close-up photographs.  We needed a device if the quality of our photos was to improve.  A Joby gorillapod tripod seemed worth a shot.  The first one delivered was topped by a 3/8" threaded affair that was not compatible with our camera.  Thinking that something was missing from our package, we sent it back.  The illustration on the box of the second order showed how to unscrew the large threaded ring thereby exposing the threads that mated with a camera.  Internet shopping is our only option in many cases since our rural location features few Main Street stores.  You never get to speak to a knowledgeable salesperson on line so one must learn by discovery.  We now have a workable tripod and it is excellent.  The only outstanding question is whether or not we will be billed for returning the first tripod.

This photo of emerging blood root plants was taken with the new tripod.  Its stable platform allows for sharp focus on these plants that are still at ground level.  A tightly wrapped tapered leaf protects the flower bud as it pushes through the soil and forest floor litter.  We may see open flowers here tomorrow.

The tripod was purchased to aid in capturing the magic of arbutus flowers.  The camera follows its own mind when deciding what to focus on but this picture is amazing.  The really great news is that ants were seen on the buds while we were there.  Last year the flowers opened early before the pollinators were active and no seed was produced.  Our later start this year may solve that problem.  These buds sure look like they plan to open soon.  At least three visits each day are made so as not to miss a moment of open flowers.  That may be a factor in why it took all day to plant the peas.

Too Hot in the Garden

Today the smart gardener was  in the garden early.  Ed was up by 4 am and spent the early hours carrying water to the dust dry plants.  The Stone Wall garden is a full sun garden and with the heat index today over 100 degrees, morning was the time to be out there.  Dawn sunlight filtering through newly opened smoke bush blossoms created a beautiful scene but the heat soon drove us inside.

Early morning is also the time to pick the peas.  We love edible pod peas.  Four 12 foot rows in the garden were dedicated to them.  I have one special favorite recipe, Sesame Baked Tofu with Snow Peas and Almonds from The Moosewood Garden Cookbook.  The freshly picked peas spent the day in the refrigerator.  As dinner time approached a thirty second dip in boiling water was followed by immersion in ice water.  Bright green and crispy pods add snappy taste and bright color to a delicious meal.

Most years this bowl is filled to the top every time I make this summer favorite and usually I make it often.  This year only about 16 plants survived in our first planting of peas.  Sadly  this is our edible pod pea harvest.  Maybe it was the seed.  I tried a new company.  Peas are somewhat fussy about their growing conditions.  It would be easy to blame our poor harvest on the weather but the shell peas planted on the other side of the chicken wire at the same time have topped the four foot fence and are loaded with peas.  Our second planting of Oregon Giants did no better than the first.  It is likely that we will return to Stokes as the source for our pea seeds next year.  Looking past the disappointment of today while planning for next year's success seems to typify the spirit of a gardener.