More on Moonflowers
Moon Vine (Ipomoea alba), not to be confused with Datura or Brugmansia.
Some gardening articles recommend nicking it with a nail file, but I use a nail clipper instead. How? I just make a little cut in the side of each seed and then soak them in filtered water for a few hours or overnight.
Rather than planting them in dirt, I put the soaked seeds in a heavy cloth bag and immerse it in water a couple times a day, letting it drain the rest of the time. Since Santa Clause brought me a Sproutman's Hemp Sprouting Bag a while back, I use that. Tap water is not a good idea in many places as the chlorine in it might inhibit growth. That is why I use filtered water.
PS: All parts of this plant are potentially toxic and should NOT be eaten.
Spring is Coming
Also called Sword Lily, because the name Gladiolus was derived from the Latin word meaning "sword," glads are wonderfully flamboyant flowers.
My favorite dollar store has the corms on sale, so I bought several colors and put them in pots outdoors, but this little guy gets to stay in my kitchen for the time being, as I want to watch him grow close up and not dirty.
Disappearing Breadsticks
These are kind of funny looking, but I love to snack on my whole-grain breadsticks.
They are made from oatmeal and other flaked wholegrains sold as breakfast cereal. I put the flakes in the grinder cup of my Magic Bullet and turn them into flour, then add spices such as fennel and rosemary and fast-rising yeast, along with enough honey to activate the yeast and warm (115 F) water. My liquid to water ratio is 1:3 and I use one teaspoon of yeast per cup of flour.
I only bake a few at a time, otherwise I would eat them all, but I make the dough ahead and refrigerate it. This is the same recipe I use for pizza crust.
Butterfly Palace
The inside of the palace has a winding staircase that leads up to the double door entrance to the rainforest habitat of the butterflies. The most spectacular ones were giant blue butterflies which flew very low to the ground and were thus very hard to photograph. Many other varieties paused to taste what appeared to be slices of banana covered with orange juice.
Figs Root in Water
When research how to propagate figs from cuttings here online, the suggestions all seemed so complicated and/or time consuming that I was not confident of being able to do it, but my late Uncle's monster fig had so many suckers this spring, that I just pulled some of them up straight and cut the base just below the dirt with pruning shears, then dumped the cuttings in a huge bottle of water, stuck them in a spare room where they got a little indirect light and left them alone and forgotten for several weeks.
The articles warned not to want them to start leafing out as that would take away from their root development. Not! The roots are beautiful and so are the leaves. The only place I may get in trouble is by not hardening them off right. It is much hotter outside and even in partial shade there is much more light. Not to worry, I took many cuttings and kept some of them indoors as controls.
Of course, as the sun passes across the sky, what was once in shade can get very hot and bright very fast, so one that I put out is already wilting a bit.I moved it into a shadier spot and gave it more water.
Tail of a Whale
When I took this picture, all I saw was the steam. Only after loading my photos onto the laptap and blowing them up did I see the whale underneath. Of course we knew s/he was there, as this is how a whale gets water out of its lungs prior to breathing in some air:
Chicory
This is the first flower from my Italian Dandelion experiment. I have raved about the chicory plant before, as I love harvesting the tender young leaves as salad greens or to spice up vegetable tea or float in a broth.
But until now I had not had a chance to let the plants mature and bloom. My goal here, aside from getting to see the pretty flowers, is to grow my own seed to plant and start the cycle again.
The flower stems on this small plant are amazing, because the stalk is easily a foot taller than the foliage. Seeing this, the common name of Blue Sailors begins to make sense, although it is more often known as cornflower or coffeeweed. The botanical name is Cichorium intybus.
In addition to making an interesting coffee substitute, chicory roots contain inulin and are sometimes added to yogurt as a prebiotic. Prebiotics are non-digestible parts of food which stimulate beneficial bacterial activity in the digestive system.
Taken for a Ride
Aside from having to sit next to some bratty kids for part of the ride, I really enjoyed the circle tour.
If the tour guide had ever shut up, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, though. He seemed like a nice enough guy, except that he was such a motor-mouth.
I think the tour line could save a lot of money by just printing some information about the landmarks on a one-page flyer.
I Love Swiss Chard
A short time ago I figured out that it is possible to cut off big leaves of Swiss Chard from my garden and keep them indoors in a glass of water. Not only do they look pretty sitting in the kitchen, but they serve as a reminder to eat dark green leafy vegetables.
The tomatoes have been bearing heavily for about a month now and have new flowers, so they should continue to provide me with tasty snacks.
In future I intend to only grow yellow tomatoes, as the birds do not think they are ripe when they are ready to eat, for one thing. The other reason is that it is very hard to distinguish between the unripe red cherry tomatoes and the ripe Sun Golds. Also, the Sun Golds are sweeter. Maybe I will try some currant tomatoes alongside them, though, as they are interesting, tasty, and small enough not to be confusing.
Conservatory of Flowers
Two kinds of attractions that I most like to visit anywhere I go are Natural History Museums and Botanical Gardens.
Interesting Stays
The most interesting Boutique Hotels I ever stayed at was the Dream Hotel in mid-town Manhattan. Compared to other hotels at that location it was affordable, and for me the ambiance was just stellar. Their regular rooms are pretty small, but the corner suites have spacious bay windows that afford spectacular views of Columbus Circle on one side and a glimpse of the Hudson River with glorious sunsets over it on the other. The high-tech blue lights under the bed theme with glass desktops in every room and charging stations for cell phones, laptops, etc., in every room also appealed to me.
The most different Bed and Breakfast I have yet to see is in Ventura, California, however, and it is a 110 year old church.
Exotic Bed and Breakfasts
The most interesting Boutique Hotels I ever stayed at was the Dream Hotel in mid-town Manhattan. Compared to other hotels at that location it was affordable, and for me the ambiance was just stellar. Their regular rooms are pretty small, but the corner suites have spacious bay windows that afford spectacular views of Columbus Circle on one side and a glimpse of the Hudson River with glorious sunsets over it on the other. The high-tech blue lights under the bed theme with glass desktops in every room and charging stations for cell phones, laptops, etc., in every room also appealed to me.
The most different Bed and Breakfast I have yet to see is in Ventura, California, however, and it is a 110 year old church, newly remodeled with five magnificent guest rooms that encircle a room they call the Sanctuary where they serve breakfast on a table decorated with fine china, crystal, and fresh flower. It is called Victorian Rose, which is the same name as a B&B operated at the same location a few years back which got mixed reviews, but the new owner has done something quite different with the interior.
Stone Maze Park
Unknown to many people in the small town of Hemet, CA, there is a treasure in the foothills just out of town. Preserved by the Riverside County Wildlife Conservation, a plot of about five acres of land houses a prehistoric artifact called a stone maze.
Farming Indoors
From left to right, these are winter wheat, kamut, rye, buckwheat lettuce, and spelt.
A Little Hike
Since the weather report said rain, but it was sunny and bright, I stopped at a few places on the way down to Ventura from Pismo Beach. This vista point along highway 54 featured a bit of a climb to get to see anything:
It was worth the little hike, though. In addition to wonderful clouds and rolling hills, the edge of many fingered and deceptively large Lake Cachuma was visible.
When I started up the hill, I was the only one parked in the lot below, but coming back there were nine carloads of people getting ready to enjoy the scenery.
Brush-on Gel Tps
Since I have been spending all day every day in the garden I don’t make my nails nice any more.
