Favorite Recipe

The bread came from Hampshire Farms. The pesto I made and froze last fall, using homegrown garlic and basil. The tomatoes came from a vendor at Eastern Market who grows tomatoes in a greenhouse in Ontario. The finished product tastes better than candy. I know summer is seriously on the way when I eat tomato and basil open-faced sandwiches.

Recipe for Pesto

5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cups Genovese basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil

Process all ingredients until smooth. Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays and used as needed.

The eating is good so time to enjoy!

Saginaw Farmer's Market

The Saginaw Farmer's Market opened last Friday and will remain open through October. Through the kind generosity of Renee's Gardens and the American Horticultural Society the Master Gardeners were able to give away free seeds. Fortunately there were plenty of people at the market to give them to.

The weather was a bit brisk so Waunita and I dressed warmly in hats and gloves. Being there was well worth it as I have missed being able to buy fresh produce from the farmers directly. Aileen Cowan from Black Dog Farm was there with spinach and radishes grown in her hoop house plus many vendors selling flowers and a local beekeeper selling honey and beeswax products. And I had gumbo for lunch!

So if you are in the area on a Friday between 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., head on down to Washington across from the 7-11 store and stop by the Master Gardeners table and say hello to us!

Salad Days

This past weekend I went to Eastern Market in Detroit with some friends and just had to buy some tomatoes grown in a greenhouse in Ontario. Then I decided it was time to make my first batch of black bean salad of the season. The garlic was from my last year's garden, the cilantro self seeded this year for me and the beans came from Hampshire Farms. Not totally local, but close enough.

Of course a trip to the Detroit area would not be complete without stopping off at Heavenly Scent Herb Farm in Fenton on the way. I came away with a lemon scented geranium, fennel and a few other plants I just had to have. Why did I have to have them? No reason in particular. It's just plant season, the time of the craziness to come out of me. Doesn't seem to happen at any other time of year. Go figure.

Pass Along Plants

No, I haven't gone into the nursery business, even if my deck says otherwise. I just find that the longer I garden, the more plants I have after splitting and dividing them in the spring. I do this chore periodically to keep them healthy and blooming. And of course I could not possibly just throw them out if there was someone out there who might appreciate them!

As long as people have been gardening, they have been sharing the plants that they grow. Some plants are just so cool they have to be shared! Take Cannas. I have been growing Cannas for years now, faithfully pulling them up in the fall, storing the tubers in a cool dry place, then starting them in pots in the spring. This year I have about 16 plants, many of which we will add to our garden at the Children's Zoo.

I divided Autumn Joy Sedum this year for the first time and sent a pot to my niece and her husband who recently moved into their new home. So when this reliable plant blooms this fall she can enjoy it along with her Aunt Anne!

The Garden in Spring

I believe the varieties of these tulips are Apricot Beauty and Passionale (guess which is which) planted back in 2003. Goes to show tulips don't have to be annuals. I have dug up the Passionale tulips and replanted them throughout the garden in front (yes I am now officially calling it a garden and not a yard) and they still keep giving me more. This is a most reliable tulip for a mid-Michigan garden that has seen 80 degree weather and near freezing in the past week. Not to mention a bit of hale.

No, I am not in the grips of tulipmania. I would not sell my soul for a tulip, let alone everything I own. But I cannot help but be impressed by such a performer. Wish I had such beautiful genes myself!

The money plant is also one of those colorful, reliable plants. Pardon the adjectives Mr. Twain. But they are colorful and they are reliable and I don't know how else to say that except by using those adjectives.

Speaking of books and writers, a favorite writer of mine is Kate Atkinson. Quote from her " In the end, it is my belief, words are the only things that can construct a world that makes sense." Yes, words make sense of the world. But use the nose, the eyes, listen to the insects as they set about their spring work. And taste the asparagus. All will be right with the world when you do.

Myrtle

Vinca minor, commonly called Myrtle is my mother's favorite plant. This common ground cover does well for me whether it is in sun or shade. It is a tough, low growing plant which blooms in the spring and is quite reliable without being invasive.

My mother first saw this plant many years ago at a friend's cottage on Torch Lake in the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. She fell in love with the vast sea of this purplish blue color and has grown myrtle herself ever since.




So, in honor of Mother's Day, here are some pictures of my mother's favorite plant. I will always have a spot in my own garden for this lovely ground cover so I can think of my mother when I am out in the garden. Happy Mother's Day mom!

10,000 Steps a Day

The great thing about gardening is the good exercise you get, and you may not even know you are getting it. I wear a pedometer to track how many steps I take in a day and after spending time in the garden yesterday I came away with 7,000 steps without even knowing it! I try to walk 10,000 every day so it was nice to get these steps in so easily.



It took forever this year for the asparagus to come up, but finally I was able to have some for supper today. About time!

The daffodils are still going strong, a little later than usual.

Of course the grape hyacinths have decided to join the land of spring, and the early tulips came out a couple of days ago. I decided to plant onions today so I guess I can say spring really has arrived in mid Michigan. I was wondering if I was going to have to wait until 2012 to see it.