Scapes? Snakes? Culinary Delight?

   I figure you are never too old to learn something new.  In fact, two of my adult kids are constantly after me to do just that.  "Learn something new every day, Mom.  That way, your brain remains healthy."  One can only hope, anyway.  Today's learning came about by Son mentioning that the garlic buds looked a lot like snakes.  Well, yep, they do.  That could possibly be why the garlic has garnered the common name of snake head garlic or serpent garlic.  The tall stem that shoots up from the center of the garlic and then produces a knob full of buds twists and turns like the shape of a snake.  To be honest, I would be hard pressed to spot a rough greensnake among these stems!  Same size...same shape...same kinks.

  As much as I like the garlic blooms, it is obvious that if you want large bulbs, you have to cut the stalks.  So, I cut the stalks.  I was amazed at how tender these 2ft long twisty, twirly things were!  As I cut, I gathered.  I had no idea why but it felt right to bring that odd bouquet into the kitchen and stick them in the old coffee pot as a centerpiece.  Then I headed in to research about "snake head" garlic. 

 

  Alrighty then!  My new culinary experiment comes from the learning experience!  I shall be dining upon "scapes" tomorrow!  Yep, scapes!  That is the name of those long stalks and it seems they are entirely edible and are making their way into all the finest restaurants.  Well, fancy folks have nothing on Bayou folks, now do they?   Tomorrow, I shall prepare my scapes in several different ways as a taste-testing.  We shall see if these snaky things are worth the fuss!  If they are, then more garlic will be planted just for the odd things.  If not, then I say fancy restaurants are overcharging for something that should have gone into the compost pile!  Scapes...snake head garlic...who knew?

Harvesting the Garlic!

   The almost daily storms that have been rolling through the bayou area have put a great damper on the gardening chores.  When we have a somewhat clear day, I race around trying to harvest, rip out the old and plant the new.  It makes the chores a wee bit less enjoyable but, if I want fresh vegetables, doing them is a must.  The rain is good, though, and things are "growing like bad weeds" to quote my grandmother.  I was never quite sure which were bad weeds and which were good but knew better than to question her knowledge.  She was always spieling some adage and most made sense.   

  Today was supposed to be stormy but the weather decided that it should hold off and come in at night.  Personally, I prefer daytime storms as it is easier to make any repairs if any are suddenly needed.  The bit of "no rain" did give me the opportunity to get into the garden and do some chores that were way overdue.  One was harvesting the garlic.  I had planted the garlic almost two years ago and, with a myriad of circumstances occurring, did not get to harvest it last year.  I planted twelve cloves, at that time, thinking that should be plenty to tide me over for the year knowing how they multiply.  Well, the garlic did multiply...a lot!  Over eighty nice sized knobs were harvested! Once the knobs were pulled from the ground, brushed of loose dirt and tied in bundles, they were hung in the garden for a few hours.  Then, they found their new home for the next few weeks.  The only "dry" place to hang them was in Mark's shed.  A rack was constructed and the garlic bundles were spaced to allow air flow between them.  Mark may be in for a huge surprise when he opens the door.  With that much garlic, the place sure has a stench about it now!

  If all goes well this next week, I shall be pickling about half of the harvested knobs.  By pickling it, storage will be easier and I will not have to fret about the humidity.  The other half will be shared with friends and family.   I did save enough out to replant for fall harvesting if I can find the ground space. 

 

Work! It is good for you!

   So, it is no secret that I love to garden.  It is not just a matter of growing food but rather the chance to be outside doing something...anything.  I go stir crazy being inside all day.  I just cannot figure out how people do it!  That said, I probably overwork in the gardens but, I feel if I enjoy it, then it is all good.  The Small Gardens became my haven when I was ill and I now have this need to "repay" them for their hospitality.  The entire series of gardens is receiving a much needed "makeover".  This, too, has been a healing process for me.  (Work!  It is good for you!)  New arbors, new pathways, new "outdoor rooms", new plants, new ideas are all forthcoming.  Not that the old will be gone but rather new added.  There is also this grand scheme of repurposing materials as to keep all of this within a reasonable cost range.  Since our very active hurricane season of this past year donated us a good bit of lumber and a couple of tons of debris, the ideas are flowing.  Most everything is being repurposed into garden supplies of one sort or another.

  This repurposing or reusing has spilled over into the plants.  While seeds have always been saved, wild plants are being embraced as part of the landscaping (or lack of landscaping if you think that means structured, well kempt gardens and manicured lawns).  Just this morning, I found that the oxalis or violet wood sorrel had conveniently found a ready home in the garlic bed.  Pop would have told me that I needed to pull the weeds from around the garlic bulbs but I had other ideas.  Let the wood sorrel grow.  Why not?  It adds a bit of brightness to my morning and I need all of the brightness I can get.  The oxalis stays.  I am happy.  The garden is flourishing even with its added weeds.  All is good.

The Doppelganger In My Garden!

  It is not a lie when I tell you that I grow a lot of Allium related plants in my garden.  The chives have just about taken over, the garlic is doing extremely well, shallots are being quite happy and onions are constantly being replaced as I use them.  I have lots and lots of alliums!  Why?  First, I use a lot.  While Mark and Son are not big on any of the above, I could eat them at every meal and be perfectly blissful.  Second, they are just so easy to grow!  Plop them in the ground and forget about them for a while and then you have a fine crop.  Almost all of the alliums in my gardens are from salvaged root ends from store-bought ones.  I just save the last half inch near the root end and stick it in a bit of water for a day then plant.  Ta da!!!  Onions, shallots, garlic, chives...oh, my!  The original plants are still going strong and multiplying like crazy so no more store bought alliums!

The onion impostor!

  Then, there is one cluster of bulbs that mimics the onions.  Well, it looks a lot like wild onions when you first look at the plant.  It grows from a bulb, has leaves like an onion and makes white blooms like some onions.  Other than the blooms being slightly different, the biggest identifying factor is that these plants do not have the strong smell that true alliums have.  So, big tip here!  If it looks like an onion and smells like an onion...it is an onion.  If that smell is lacking, don't eat it!  The plant is an impostor!  It may be a pretty impostor but it is still an impostor!  I have never eaten one so cannot attest to this fact but the plant is said to be poisonous!  Do not eat!  Why take the chance when you can just take a sniff to tell the difference? 

  The false onion, false garlic or (what Pop called it) crow's poison does indeed have a place in my garden but not where it has so inconveniently decided to grow.  I would hate for some unsuspecting visitor to pull the plant thinking they are going to cook up some fantastic dish then discover too late that what they just stir-fried was not a cluster of onions at all.  So, the plant will be dug and moved to the flower garden to add a bit of early springtime beauty.  

Vampires...Beware!

  Ok, so just a warning is being thrown out there to all vampires...I am armed!  Yep, I am armed to the max so don't mess with me!  Seriously, if garlic wards off vampires, I am fully prepared.  I've got garlic!  In fact, it seems as if I have enough garlic growing to supply (and/or protect...whichever the case may be) the entire neighborhood!

  This profuseness of garlic is all the doings of one sweet, elderly lady.  Back a month or so ago, Mark called and wanted to know if I could use some garlic "starts".  He was visiting an elderly couple and she wished to share her bounty with me.  Thinking I was going to receive a dozen or so garlic cloves, I agreed that it would be nice to have some.  A dozen or so?  No.  About fifty nice fat cloves came home with Mark.  So....I planted garlic.  

  If there is ever one thing I can grow well, it is obviously garlic.  Every last clove sprouted and the things are filling the planter boxes with healthy clove plants.  I am rich in garlic, if nothing else!  And I should be well protected against any harm from vampires or such!  Garlic, garlic everywhere!

Peach Trees, Garlic and Water Bottles

  With spring bursting at the seams with its floral display, one cannot help but be totally enchanted by the change that has taken place.  Just a couple of weeks ago, the place was that drab "winter" brown with dead leaves on the ground and bare trees.  Then, Lady Spring made her entrance and adorned every branch with either a blossom or a budding leaf.  The look is magnificent!

  Down near the canebrake, the old peach orchard still has a few trees struggling to flourish.  Tree borers killed a good many of the trees during an off season when we were not diligent about protecting them  Now a few linger and, perhaps with our efforts, can survive.  Lady Spring made sure we would not forget the trees again this year.   The few remaining trees are covered with the largest, healthiest blooms possible!  Maybe our efforts are succeeding.  Now, if I can only keep the squirrels, coons and deer out of the fruit trees, I will be happy!

  Speaking of peach tree borers, I am beginning to wonder if I should have heeded Pop's advice.  Back on the farm, he never had a problem after he began the "fix".  Pop did not mind trying unusual methods to remedy problems.  For the borers, he planted garlic around each tree.  Supposedly, the larvae do not like garlic.  When they make that trek from the soil to the tree trunk, they are hesitant to pass through the garlic cloves.  I figure this is worth a shot!  I have plenty of garlic to plant.  Also, to help with worms in the peaches, he used to hang a simple bottle of water in each tree. I am not sure how this helped but I never remember biting into a worm when eating a peach.  Again, this may be worth trying.  For now, I will enjoy the beauty.  Tomorrow, I plant garlic.

Miracles of Garlic

Garlic is one of the most used plants in my garden. Its pungent taste adds so much flavor to so many dishes that it makes an appearance in my kitchen almost daily. Meats, fish, chicken, soups, stews, gumbos and vegetable dishes just would not be the same without a good helping of garlic. It is strange in a way, that I use it as much as I do. Although my dad grew garlic in his garden, I never remember it being used in my mom's kitchen. Dad grew it as a natural insecticide. He always maintained that if you planted it beneath fruit trees there would be no worms in the fruit and no borers in the tree trunk. I cannot vouch for this, since as a child, I was more interested in eating the fruit than protecting it from bugs! Yet, I use garlic a lot. Not only do I cook with it, but I have found the many medicinal uses outweigh the common complaint of halitosis! It is one of the main ingredients in the herbal concoctions that I brew for respiratory ailments (colds, flu, bronchitis, etc). Garlic has natural antibiotic properties making it one of my first choices in the herb garden. Another use for garlic has been discovered in the realm of my garden area! Stinkbugs were invading the tomatoes, ugh! Hard knotty places appear where the bugs eat the juices out of the tomato rendering the fruit useless. I had to come up with a garden friendly insecticide to get rid of these things! On a whim, I mixed garlic juice and water (one part juice to ten parts water) and sprayed the plants. My son said the garden smelled like a pizza but the bugs were leaving as fast as they could. Remarkably, I have not seen but three stinkbugs since! Now if I can just find something to get rid of the tomato worms!

The summer heat is about to take its toll on the rest of the garden, though. We recently pulled out most of the spent plants and replanted, hoping for a late summer crop. Today, I noticed the okra and green beans poking their heads above the dirt but the squash have refused to wake up. It is amazing to me that the flower gardens are still doing so well. The Ruby Lilies, Gloriosa Lilies and Purple Phlox are all doing beautifully as are the Day Lilies. The roses have started to wane a little so perhaps I need to fertilize and prune them. Maybe if we get a rain, things will grow a little better. Hmm, speaking of rain, we are watching the first tropical storm of the Atlantic season. It is predicted to stay away from this area but we are always watchful of any in the Gulf. Hopefully it will not intensify in to hurricane strength. Tropical storms do give us much needed rain without the destructive winds, not a bad thing.