Don't Rush the Season

About this time every year, I am tired of rain and snow and really ready for some sunshine. So ready, in fact, that I usually decide that weeding my flower beds and maybe even putting in a few flower bulbs will make summer arrive a little sooner.

I have a word of caution for you though. If you live as far north as I do in western Oregon, don't yield to the temptation of planting tomatoes, yet. I'll admit, I did it, and I'm paying for it, or at least my tomato plants are. All 6 of them froze. Their grotesque little bodies are now lying flat on the ground and starting to turn black, obviously beyond any hope of resurection.

It could have been worse, I suppose. What if I had filled the whole back yard with tomato plants?

I really should have known that there was a reason why those fragile little plants were inside at the garden shop. I can't really blame the clerk who waited on me either--maybe she thought I had a green house, or a covered patio, or sense enough to cover them at night until the weather warmed up.

What do you do with dead tomato plants, anyway? I suppose they deserve a decent burial, but it's cold and rainy outside. I guess I'll have to wait until the next 5-minute sunbreak arrives.

Digital Gardening

Our guest post today is a mirror of my own attempts at gardening. I really got serious about home-grown tomatoes this year and actually planted 5 plants. Now, two months later, when I should be chopping fresh tomatoes for salad every night, I have one tiny green tomato. Why, oh why can't I grow bushels of luscious tomatoes like my neighbors do?

Guest post written by Cynthia Dixon

When I moved a few months ago I swore to myself that I would actually start and keep a garden in my yard.

I had decided this a while back before I moved when I planned out what kind of flowers I wanted to grow buy look up pictures on my blue internet Wisconsin. It started out well with me buying some potting soil and flower seeds from a hardware store. But then I never got around to actually planting any of them. Even buying these cute gardening gloves with little daisies printed all over them online with blue internet didn’t get me any closer to digging around in the dirt.

I decided to start taking more serious measures toward starting my garden by looking up gardening tips on flower blogs with my satellite internet Redding, California. That did motivate me a bit, enough to get out one Saturday afternoon and make moves toward planting the seeds. But sleeping in for the first half of the day wasted valuable shady time and left me with the choice of working in the heat reaching up to 100 degrees. Needless to say, I didn’t last long out there and slept in just as long the next morning, only to put off gardening again for the next week..

Lilacs Are For Smelling, For Looking, AND For Cooking

Most of us realize that lilacs come in many beautiful colors these days and, with minimal care, can grace your yard for many years to come. Something many people do not realize is that it may take several years for your lilac plant to bloom the first time. I nurtured one for several years, and almost decided to replace it with something that would “bloom” for me, when it finally rewarded me with gorgeous, deep purple blooms.

Lilacs are not only beautiful to look at, but also a treat to eat. If you grow lilacs, enjoy them to the full; smell them, look at them, and use them to perk up an everyday lunch or even an elegant dinner.

Try making Lilac Sandwiches by mixing a half cup of broken up lilac blossoms with 4 ounces of cream cheese. Spread on dark bread and garnished on the side with a fresh sprig of lilac, these sandwiches will impress and entice the pickiest eater.

A tasty lilac sorbet can accompany the sandwiches by stirring ¼ cup of sugar and ½ cup of lilac blossoms, broken up and with stems removed into 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. After mixture has cooled, pour it into an ice cream maker and finish according to manufacturer’s sorbet directions. Use an ice cream scoop to make uniform dishes of sorbet.

Tired of plain or ordinary fruit flavored yogurt? A handful of lilac blossoms stirred in will make everyone sit up and take notice. Or dazzle dinner guests with a dollop of lilac whipped cream on top of a regular dessert. Just whisk two or three lilac blossoms into your regular whipped cream and it will not only look good, but taste good and smell good.

Lots of amateur wine-makers have had wonderful success using lilacs for making wine, and many homemakers enjoy turning their gorgeous blossoms into lilac jelly.
For recipes for these, or many other interesting lilac delicacies, do a lilac recipes search on Google and you will find far more than you will ever be able to use.

If you are really adventurous and want to try other edible flowers from your garden, either of these Amazon books are a good place to start.