The Good Garden

Story by Beverly DeMers, Photo by jotazo

The other evening while doing my routine watering I discovered yet another surprise in the the garden. Munching away on my dill plants were chubby gold and black caterpillars. I thought at first they were Monarchs in the making, but after having a discussion with Jay at work discovered they will become Swallowtail butterflies. I am so excited! I’ve been planting with bees and butterflies in mind, and it seems to be working out. The Ojibwe word for butterfly is memengwa, which literally means “pretty flying colors.” How nice to have pretty colored flowers in the soil and pretty colors in the air.

My brother and I have been working on a new web site called goodgardenideas.com. Here is the logo he came up with, which I love. Would like feedback from all of you on it as well.

I’ve been a garden editor for the past ten years, and have not yet seen a web site that covers a full range of garden-related topics. So, I decided to create one with some of my gardening friends and my family. All the stories on this site are written in a friendly, engaging tone that invites readers in to participate. We never use unexplained terminology or pretend our ideas are better than anyone else’s. This site is a place to let your hair down and just be who you are—a gardener learning new ideas and sharing your own.

Here are the site’s topical pages:

Edibles: Get tips on growing a vegetable garden, and recipes for garden-fresh dishes. The first big feature is on growing and cooking with herbs (the Persian Chicken with Herbs is delicious!).

Plants: Find plants you haven’t gardened with before, and learn something new about the plants you already love most.

Gardening: This practical page offers advice on soil, pests, organic methods and seasonal planning. Posted first, The Good, the Bad and the Buggy by Beverly DeMers. Bev will also take your gardening questions at bev@goodgardenideas.com.

Design: Pull it all together with a look that’s right for you. Stories on garden styles, floral design and decorating will inspire you to make your world beautiful.

Travel: Do you like to see gardens when you visit a new town? So do we! That’s why we’re giving you the scoop on places we’ve been and the gardens we discovered while we were there.

Photography: Gardens change year by year, so document your garden by taking photos of the plants and spaces you don’t want to forget. You’ll love these shooting tips.

When my mom lived in Maryland, I used to visit 3 or 4 times a year because I had work assignments in the area. I got to watch her garden grow and change through the years, and she and I usually took a trip to the garden center while I was there and picked out plants.

She only had a small plot by her townhouse, and now she has a pretty big space in Austin, Texas, and an amazing garden to go with it. She hired a garden designer, Liz Klein of Design My Yard, to do the project, and the results are fantastic. I’ve seen hundreds of residential gardens in person, and I can easily say that she has one of the best backyards out there.

“I started by showing Liz a picture of my garden in Maryland, and we went from there,” my mom says. The Maryland postage stamp garden had lots of layers and dimension packed in, and so does the new garden.

My mom took this photo a few days ago, which does a nice job of revealing a riot of texture. “When I look at my garden, I see a progression of wonderful textures and colors, the grass waving in the wind.  It is always a little windy here,” she says.

“In the back against the fence there is a hedge of Wax Myrtle, and in front of that on the left is a tall white Hibiscus. To the right is Pride of Barbados with wonderful orange yellow flowers,” she says, identifying the plants that she is totally in love with. “In front of these we have Elaeagnus, a silvery green shrub also called silverberry, and then Loropetalum chinensis, or Chinese fringeflower. It has burgundy foliage with hot pink fringe flowers in the spring. In the very front you see soft leaf yucca.”

My mom just returned from a two-week trip to Europe, and what do you think she immediately attended to upon her return? The garden. “Your father watered everything I asked him to,” she says. “But it seems that I have a few infestations and some other problems that need to be looked at. It is really a good thing that I came back when I did.”

Lucky for us, my mom is going to keep a journal of her gardening activities over the next few months, and we’ll get a first-hand account of all the goings-on in this beautiful Austin garden.

Story and Photo by Tawnya Safer

Finding your shot can be just like catching your breath in the busy moments of life. Ever feel rushed?  Rushed to just get it all done? With only 24 hours in a day, it is a miracle if your to-do list is complete by bedtime. Sometimes, to keep your sanity, you just have to take a seat and soak it all in.

In preparing this blog post I felt rushed, I won’t lie. I had it on my “to-do” list and when I received a text from Sarah asking when she would get the tutorial on photographing flowers, I was like, “Uh oh, its crunch time, I have got to do this.”

Here is my no-more-excuses photo.  It wasn’t until I sat down on my porch and took in the moment that I was able to finally get a shot.

So, if you want to capture a perfect image in your garden, my advice is to sit down. Let the camera rest on your knee and snap away. Point at different sections of the flower or plant and get different perspectives. Don’t point directly at your subject, but rather, have it off center. This adds depth to a photo. You can turn your camera from side to side, too, as you find just the right balance of colors and depth.

Go ahead, take a seat and try it.

By Beverly DeMers

A few days ago my husband and I were in the local Farmer’s Supply store and as usual I wandered off to peruse the seed packets. He found me with a pack of zucchini seeds in hand and, rather shaken, asked me if I was going to plant them in our yard “next year“. He pointed out how large the vines get and that indeed they had the ability to cover our yard and possibly start on the house if it were a good year. I reluctantly put the seeds back.

You see, I love zucchini, and if the day ever comes when I have room to plant them, I will. I ‘ve heard the horror stories about desperate gardeners with a glut of zucchini. The furtive mailbox stuffing they do, or hiding the unwanted vegetable in the neighbor’s morning paper. Anything to control the zucchini onslaught.

Here are seven recipes I received from my Amish friend, Mami Beiler. And if any of you have too many zucchini, my mailbox is always open.

Zucchini Casserole

3 c. grated zucchini

1 c. sour cream

2 med. onions, grated

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. grated carrots

2 c. coarse bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. melted butter

Steam veggies about 5 min. Mix 1 c. crumbs with butter and seasonings. Add veggies, sour cream and soup. Mix well. Place in a buttered 2 qt. casserole, top with remaining crumbs. Bake at  350 for 40 min. and serve once slightly cooled.

Zucchini Patties

1 c. grated zucchini

1 egg

1 Tbsp. chopped onion

1/2  tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. cracker crumbs or flour

Mix all ingredients together, form patties and fry in butter or olive oil, turning once til light brown on both sides. Serve as a side dish or as an unexpected breakfast treat.

Zucchini Appetizer

4 c. sliced zucchini

4 eggs

1 c. Bisquick

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 c. olive oil

dash of salt

1 tsp. grated orange rind

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely minced

Combine eggs, oil and Bisquick well. Add rest of ingredients, mixing well. Place in a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 to 30 min. Cut into small squares and serve while still warm.

Zucchini Bread

4 c. coarsely shredded zucchini

3 c. flour

2 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil or applesauce

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. chopped almonds

1/2 c. raisins

Cream sugar and eggs, add oil (or applesauce) and then add rest of ingredients, mixing well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 50 to 60 min. Cool 10 min. and remove from loaf pans. Send one to school for the teacher. Serve the other with breakfast or as a snack!

Zucchini Cobbler

8 c. chopped zucchini

2/3 c. lemon juice

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Crust :

4 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. shortening

1 tsp. cinnamon

In large pan over low heat cook zucchini and lemon juice til tender. Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, simmering for 1 min.and then remove from heat.

For crust combine flour and sugar. Cut in shortening til mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir  1/2 c. crumbs into zucchini mixture. Press half of remaining crumb mixture into a greased 15 x 10 baking pan. Spread zucchini mixture over crust and crumble rest of crust mixture over top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 375 for 35 min. Cool and eat.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

1 c. boiling water

1 tsp. salt

2 lbs. zucchini, diced

1 c. chopped onion

2 Tbsp. butter

2 c. light cream

1 tsp. sugar

Saute onions in the butter, add rest of ingredients and simmer until tender. Cool slightly, puree and reheat before serving.

Zucchini Cake

2 c. grated zucchini

1 c. white sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 c. flour

1 c. oil or applesauce

3 eggs, beaten

3 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 scant tsp. salt

Mix all together and pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Cool and frost with:

Frosting :

combine 4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. softened butter

2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. lemon extract

Stir with hand mixer until totally smooth.

It was a good day when grocery stores began selling herb plants for the same price as little bags of fresh cut ones. It meant I would most definitely, without a doubt grow herbs.

This herb-infused oil is nice tossed with shrimp or mixed into a vinaigrette over radishes. The recipe comes to us from Chris Sauter of picklesandcake.com.

Garden Herb-Infused Oil

1 bunch parsley

3/4 cup packed fresh basil

1/2 bunch fresh thyme

2 large sprigs fresh sage

2 3 inch long sprigs fresh rosemary

Zest from half an orange

Zest from one lemon

2 arbol chiles

1 1/2 teaspoon whole white peppercorns

1 small shallot

3 cups canola oil

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Divide the herbs, zest, chile, shallot and peppercorns in half and place into 2 pint sized mason jars. Don’t like sage? Add more basil or thyme. Love taragon – throw it in! Experiment with the flavors and combinations you prefer.

Pour both oils into a saucepan and heat to 200 degrees. Pour the hot oil into the jars and cover with a kitchen towel. Let stand overnight.

Pour contents through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a lipped bowl, remove herbs and then strain again back into the mason jars. This oil will keep up to three months in a cool dark place.

By Beverly DeMers

Photo by The other day I was in the back garden mentally rearranging things, and much to my surprise discovered a plant I didn’t remember. It was stretching along the retaining wall , just full of little yellow flowers. As I stood there, trying to figure what on earth this thing was, it occurred to me that a few weeks back I had laid cantaloupe rinds there for the birds to peck at. Sure enough, a seed from the rind must have made it’s way to a nice patch of soil and taken root. During the heat wave I never noticed it, since all I was doing then was a quick dash out to water and pick tomatoes. So, now I have a volunteer cantaloupe, what a surprise! It makes me smile. That’s why I garden.

My good friend Chris Sauter of picklesandcake.com mentioned he had a recipe for his own homemade ketchup, so I had to share it with you.

“The basic premise is to cook down some veggies, spices and herbs until the concentrated flavor hits the delicious meter,” he says. “This was more challenging than I anticipated. In the end, I changed up the recipe quite a bit. The flavor was more complex but not tomatoey enough so the next day I added 3 cups of V8 and cooked it down for another 2 hours. The end result was an intense roasted veggie and tomato concoction that will go toe to toe with any store bought brand.” Confidence!

In tracking Jackie Dougan‘s Flickr photo stream, it has become clear that her passion for photographing her own garden has been matched at times by her love of pizza, so long as its made with garden veggies, and made at home. This follows, because it has long been a fact that garden art and culinary art collide, which is exactly the premise of a new book to come from Leeann Lavin. Leeann is a garden designer, writer and all-around good garden person whom I met when she developed her line of self-watering hanging planters called the Garden Pendant Collection (see example below).

Now, I’m reading Leann’s blog, which tracks the development of her book: the exciting interviews, the “a-ha!” moments, and photo shoots of the chef’s gardens with Jennifer Calais Smith that are a significant foundation for the book. The chefs whose recipes will grace her pages are inspired by their gardens, and the abundance from those gardens has infused many good menus with tasty ingredients that are as intense and fresh as the foods you are growing behind your house.

And that’s where we loop back to our own backyards, because at the end of the day, the food we cook from our gardens shares the great qualities of fine cuisine, especially when we allow the flavors to come out by using and creating recipes that celebrate garden flavor. This week I’ll be posting some recipes like this, and I hope you’ll post comments that include some of your own favorite recipes. There will be lots of recipe activity on our Facebook page as well, so by Friday, I will post a collection of good eats that you can save and use for years to come.

As gardeners, we are all in the business of making our neighborhoods more beautiful, welcoming and livable. Since college I’ve chosen places to live that are very walkable and hold my interest as I look around and take in all the front yard gardens. Orlando’s old neighborhoods like Winter Park, College Park and Thornton Park where I live now, all have that “been here forever” quality that you probably don’t associate with Orlando (Disney is many miles away, people!).

All that said, I really appreciate it when organizations recognize the efforts gardeners make. The photo above was taken at Vanderveer Place between Flatbush Avenue and East 23rd Street, winner of the 2010 “Greenest Block in Brooklyn” in the residential category. 

The contest is managed by GreenBridge, in cooperation with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz with major support from the Brooklyn Community Foundation. The contest encourages members of block associations and merchants’ associations to vie for the coveted title of “Greenest Block in Brooklyn” by working together to cultivate window boxes, container plantings, front gardens, storefront greenery, street tree beds, and more.

Does your town have a program like this? If not, email me at sarahkinbar@gmail.com and I will help you figure out how to get it started.