by GardenLover | Mar 6, 2012 | Trendspotting
By Teresa Woodard
Upcycle. It’s my favorite new word and such a positive twist on recycling. Instead of recycling or (or “downcycling”) which recreates something of lesser value, upcycling turns disposables into something of higher value. According to a recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine, the upcycling trend is especially popular among the online artist marketplaces. In fact, the number of products on Etsy tagged with the word “upcycled” rocketed up from about 7,900 in January 2010 to nearly 30,000 a year later–an increase of 275 percent.
The opportunities for upcycling are alive in the gardening world, too. Just check out these upcycled containers – a handbag and baby shoes at deMonye’s Greenhouse and industrial containers at the Springfield Flea Market Extravaganza. I also love this bird feeder from a used tire.
Inspired, I’m now on the prowl for things to upcycle. Rather than buying new trellises and garden art, I’m scouring flea markets, garage sales and even our basement for treasures to upcycle . Isn’t it great that it’s fashionable to be thrifty? Let us know what you’ve upcycled.
by GardenLover | Mar 2, 2012 | Favorite Flora
By Debra Knapke
Snowdrops are usually the first breath of spring in the late winter garden. The distinctive leaves often emerge through the snow and are quickly followed by the nodding white flowers that are marked with kelly green on the inner petals. In the riotous spring and summer season, these diminutive bulbs might go unnoticed; in the winter, they are stars.
This has been a winter for the record books. Snowdrops have been in bud and bloom since the first week of January in my garden. Usually I say that these early blooming bulbs will grace your garden for 4-6 weeks depending on the weather and the cultivars that you plant. I’m now counting eight weeks and they are still in their glory.
In the above picture, you can see that the front plants are in bloom while the ones in back have gone to seed. It is not unusual to have some bulbs bloom later than others. While you may have started with all of the same cultivar or species, snowdrops will self-seed, and then the fun begins. You will see variation among the flowers such as different heights; changes in the green accents; different sizes and widely open to closed blooms. Snowdrops are loved by the gardeners of England and theses variations are cherished.
Snowdrops are poisonous to most animals. A notable exception is slugs. Take a close look at the picture and you will see that these flowers have been visited by the land mollusk we love to hate. In a cold winter, slugs are not an issue; in a warm winter or when snowdrops bloom later in a warm early spring, watch out.
A note about propagation: When your clumps produce fewer flowers it is time to lift, separate and replant the bulbs. Do this while they are “in-the-green”. This is the stage when the blooms have dropped and the seeds are beginning to form. They will droop initially, but they will recover.
In the language of flowers, snowdrops represent hope and constancy probably because they often emerge in the late winter when we are all pining for spring, and, this year especially, they grace the garden for a long time.
by GardenLover | Feb 28, 2012 | Favorite Flora
Roses as ground covers? That’s one of the things we saw at the Willoway Nurseries display at the recent CENTS trade show and Ohio State University Short Course in Columbus. Wholesaler Willoway Nurseries highlighted Drift Roses as a tough adaptable rose for gardens and containers. They come in several colors and a few at the show delighted us with fragrance.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzFm66OZHFY&feature=player_embedded]
by GardenLover | Feb 24, 2012 | Good eats
By Debra Knapke
July, through October is the time to make and freeze pesto so that you can savor the taste of summer in the middle of winter. While basil pesto is a favorite, there are many types for this burst of flavor. This past year, sage, celery, and garlic scape pestos joined the basil pesto in my freezer. The recipes for these pestos will be presented in the summer blogs, but for now, here is a recipe where you can use the pesto that you, hopefully, made last summer.
Basil Pesto Walnut Scuffins
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 c. unbleached white flour
- 2 Tbs brown sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt (scant)
- 1 Tbs flaxseed meal (optional)
- 2 tsp quinoa flakes (optional)
- 1 c. yogurt or buttermilk
- ¼ c. extra virgin olive or canola oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ c. basil pesto (yours will always be better, but commercially prepared is fine)
- ¾ c. walnuts, coarsely chopped (pecans, cashews or pine nuts, too)
Preheat oven to 400°F (convection: 375°F). Lightly butter 12 muffin cups. (If you make mini-scuffins: 2 recipes make two pans of 24 minis)
Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet ingredients and pesto. Mix well. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour wet ingredients into dry. Add walnuts and fold the dry ingredients into the wet.*
Spoon batter into prepared pans. Scuffins: bake for 20-25 minutes; mini-scuffins: bake 10-12 minutes. Remove baked muffins from pan after 5 minutes and cool on wire racks.
These muffins freeze well.
* The secret with scuffins — even more than with muffins — is not to overmix them. I use a sturdy spatula, and use a “folding” movement instead of stirring.
Another scuffin note: yogurt or buttermilk reacts quickly with baking powder and baking soda. You will notice a spongy texture forms as you spoon the dough into the muffin cups. Try not to compact the forming sponge, work quickly and get the scuffins in the oven where the heat will finish the rising process.
by GardenLover | Feb 21, 2012 | Good eats
By Debra Knapke
Pickles… the vegetable preserve that we put up in July to October. Plunked on hamburgers, added to our potato salad or just eaten because they taste so good, cucumber pickles are reminders of the taste of high summer. For those of you who like exact measures and exact recipes, sorry to disappoint you. No matter how many times I make pickles, each season’s offering seems to process a little bit differently from the year before. But, each year’s pickles taste the best ever.
So why offer this recipe to you now instead of July? Because you are eating those pickles now, and you just might remember to look back into our archives to retrieve this recipe. If not, we will remind you, in July, that it is here.
Many people are represented in my garden by the plants they have given me. Many people are represented in my kitchen by the recipes they have given me. The following recipe was given to me by a dear friend who lives not only in my heart, but in my kitchen.
Mother Elssa’s Sweet Pickles
A family recipe handed down to my friend Jane Cooper and then handed over to me
30 6″ or so cucumbers, sliced ¼” (Adjust thickness for desired crispness.)
½ c salt
2 medium onions sliced about 3/16-inch (Can use more onions)
Cover with water; let stand for 2 hours; drain
5 c sugar
1 qt white vinegar
1 Tbs mustard seed
1 Tbs celery seed
4 black peppercorns/pint jar.
Heat thoroughly. Add the cucumber slices and heat them through. A shorter heating time will produce a crisper pickle; a longer heating time will produce a softer pickle.
Can the pickles while still hot: Read the latest recommendations for canning cucumber pickles in Extension publications or in the Kerr and Ball Canning Guides. Alternately (for crisper pickles), let the jars cool and refrigerate. Even if a hot water canning bath is not used, lids may seal, but don’t rely on that: refrigerate!!
This recipe makes between 8-10 pints; depends on the size of the cucumbers.
By Teresa Woodard 
