aloe

Newly transplanted aloes. These were heavily root bound in their tiny plastic nursery pots. The one on the right got a bit sunburnt from the sunny weather we've had this week. Aloes will burn if they get too much sun. I've found a window in my house where they seem to be happy.

hanging orchid box

I made this orchid box for our bathroom window, based on a project I saw in the really cool book Cultivating Life.  The wood I found on a Columbia River beach.  I drilled holes in each end and then assembled the "log cabin" by running wire through the holes. I glued 4 slats across the bottom with JB Weld (best adhesive ever!), hot glue or super glue would work too I'm sure.  Moss was picked up off the ground in a nearby forest. Twine and wire came from the hardware store.  

This planting supposedly resembles an orchid's natural environment, as a parasite up in the treetops.  The roots need lots of air circulation to not rot, and I think pots can encourage that.  Planted this way, the roots will grow outwards, eventually feeding off of the box itself.  This window is in our shower.  The extra humidity I'm sure will be good for them too. 

I like hanging house plants in windows.  It frees up counterspace, and the plants get more light- especially important for the sunless winters here in the NW.  I love this DIY post on Design Sponge about a window hanger made from leather. 



 

fruit preserves and garden vegetables

I made four batches of preserves this summer- red plum, blueberry, strawberry, and wild blackberry.   I used the recipe in the Tartine Bread cookbook, which has a 75% sugar to fruit ratio (by weight).  I doubled the recipe (ended up using 2 kilos of fruit per batch) which fills all 12 of the half pint jars that come in a pack.  I used Pomona's Universal Pectin.  All of these came out great.  The plum was surprisingly delicious.  The blackberry is fun because they're free and everwhere at places like Kelley Point and Sauvie Island beaches, and you can feel like you're doing nature a favor by harvesting an invasive plant.

I like to use as little sugar as possible so the flavor of the fruit comes through.  I like the reicipies in Jam On, which have a 50% sugar to fruit ratio and several that use only honey.   Does anyone know how little sugar can you safely use?  For these batches I used cheap white sugar.  I would like to use something more high quality next time.  Does anyone have any suggestions for a natural sugar?

 

 

Some things I grew this summer: 



spring greens- mizunte, red russian kale, swiss chard

lots of zuchinni

old german tomato

butternut squash





orca beans are the coolest ever.   I experiemented with planting some of these that came from the grocery bulk section.

some tomatillos I grew

some tomatillos I harvested last week.  I love the purple veined husks.  These plants get big!   Mine was heavily rootbound in a size 10 nursery pot.  Tomatillos are awesome raw in salsa with lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and chiles.

roasting new mexico green chilies

I lived in New Mexico for 6 years, and the Hatch green chilies have a special place in my heart.  In September, you can smell roasting chilies all over Santa Fe and the grocery stores are piled ceiling-high with 20lb burlap bags.  This summer I grew three plants in black plastic nursery pots on my  driveway.  The concentrated heat was the only way the Oregon summer was hot enough for them.  (I first had them in the bed, and they barely grew until I transplanted them to the pots).  One of the three mysteriously did not produce anything. 

overripe, underripe tomatoes

I'm always sad to see the summer go in Oregon.  It never lasts long enough for my tomatoes either.  I pulled up all the vines last week when the weather got chilly, and I have around 20 lbs of green ones!  It's a bummer. . .  probably more than half my harvest.  They are now in paper bags with bananas in my kitchen, and I hope they will ripen.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, I had several pounds of overripe tomatoes, and I made the best pasta sauce I've ever had with them with onion, olive oil, garlic, red wine, parsley, sage, and rosemary.  They were pretty skunky when I put them in the sauce pan, and I was happily surprised with the transformation.  Homegrown tomatoes have so much flavor you barely have to boil them at all.  Maybe overripe tomatoes are the best for marinara sauce.

These are the seeds mentioned in my previous post.  I left them in the water a bit too long, and they started to germinate.  If you try this don't let them sit longer than 3 or 4 days before you strain and dry them.

white lavender and tricolor sage

I bought these two at Blue Heron Herbary on Sauvie Island.  They must have had 50 different varieties of lavender.  I'd never seen a white lavender before.  The smell is incredible- like lavender but with sweeter with hints of honeysuckle or melon.

Blue Heron Herbary

saving heirloom tomato seeds

all stuff from my garden!!  awesome!

I grew heirloom tomatoes this summer- Purple Cherokee, Orange Blossom, Yellow Pear, Green Zebra, Pineapple. To save seeds for next year, I'm trying out this method-  1. Cut the tomato in half, squeeze out the seeds into a cup, and add water.  2. Cover the cup and allow the liquid to ferment for 2 to 4 days.  The fermentation breaks down the seeds' jelly coats and also helps them become viable by mimicking natural processes.  In a few days strain and rinse the seeds and dry them on paper towels for storage.  

For Oregon gardeners, I'd recommened the Orange Blossom and Yellow Pear varities.  I had the most success with them as they matured the earliest.  The Orange Blossoms especially were super tasty.  The Green Zebras must have cross pollinated with another variety last summer.  They don't taste very good or look like a normal Green Zebra.  I've been making them into salsa with lots of garlic, chile, cilantro, and parsley, and they're ok then. 

I also grew zucchini, cucumbers, Cherry Bomb peppers, tomatillos, New Mexico chilies, cauliflower (which I had to throw out because it was full of bugs), lettuce, swiss chard, arugula, strawberries, raspberries, butternut squash, basil, oregano, and parsley.  It's been a good summer for my garden.