All in a Row

This Spring has been particularly cold and rainy, and the garden had a very late start. While I typically sow seeds in mid-March, I waited another full month after that - and even then I was worried they might not make it. Yet so far, everything is slowly, but surely, coming into its own. First on my list in the Spring are always snow peas, my favorite mangetout and an absolute pleasure to the eye as well:

A new packet of "Rainbow Lights" Swiss chard has provided dainty rows of these little darlings, who only need a while longer to be snackable:

My supply of nasturtium seeds is starting to dwindle, but I sowed a single row in any case - after all, how else would I be able to harvest and save more seeds? I was so relieved to see their lily-pad leaves standing proudly in the sun. Not only will the flowers be edible, but the leaves will make a spicy pesto one day:

Even better? Without my thought, planning, worry, or effort, both the chamomile and the borage reseeded themselves in abundance, taking up a whole bed of their own:

So, even if it's late in the game, even if you've never tried, get a few packets and plant some seeds - a little care, watering, and time will still give you results you never expected. And the reward of seeing things grow will far exceed your expectations, too :-)

>o<

Flower Power

I have a number of plants and shrubs that flower throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I enjoy them all, and they provide nectar for pollinators as well, which helps my garden. But there are a number of other "volunteers" that spread and grow throughout my yard, and they serve much the same purpose. So while some people may refer to them as weeds, and you do need to be careful lest they choke out other items you want to preserve, for the most part I give them free reign and let them do what they do best.

The first flowers I notice in the Spring are violets. Usually just one will open up to start, then the rest will follow within a few days. I find them everywhere, as they spread easily and persistently, but they are still beautiful:

Another favorite is this little flowering stem which, as of yet, I haven't been able to identify. But I love those delicate blooms and the dark indigo stripes at the base of each milky-white petal. They are so short, they usually escape the lawnmower completely:

I call these creepers bugleweed, which might not be correct, but the blossoms do have a bugle-like shape. Butterflies in particular seem to love those purple blooms, and while they tend to overrun things if they can, they are easy to pull back without having to remove them entirely:

And, of course, no lawn would be complete without "the yellow flower" :-)

>o<

Higher and Higher

This is the second in what will hopefully be a four-part series on The High Line. The first part can be found here.

As the days became increasingly warmer, and I could see the trees in my own yard start to bud and blossom, I knew it was time for my Spring visit to The High Line. Seizing an opportunity at the very end of last month, I set out to discover how things had changed since Winter:

Certainly there were the usual suspects to see - things like redbuds and other flowering trees, plus many varieties of crocus, daffodil, tulip, and other Spring harbingers. But in addition to this mix, there were some other things that were new to me, such as this serpent-like prairie smoke, both softly fuzzy and spiky at the same time:

One plant I'd read about, but never seen in person, was the strangely beautiful fothergilla, of which The High Line has several varieties:

The most intriguing little plant for me was this Indian rhubarb, which blooms in Spring from what looks like nothing more than a stick, and which will (I've read) eventually produce voluminous green leaves:

Because it was warmer, I was able to pay more attention to the non-plant installations featured on The High Line, such as this view-through design based on the Ghent Alterpiece, which creates a framework for looking out as well as looking in:

I also made sure the visit the Rail Yards, which I had missed the last time, with its dozens of train cars trailing into the distance:

There was a lot to see, and it was almost dizzying, but I'm still looking forward to my Summer excursion. I know there will be an abundance of things to enjoy. And so, with yet another promise of things to come:

>o<

For Peat's Sake

The desperate truth is, I'm a lazy gardener. I like to direct sow all my seeds at the appropriate times, and let water and soil take care of the rest. After all, it's a seed's one purpose in life to sprout and grow into a plant, and it certainly doesn't need any help from me. But this year, I had some seeds that I had painstakingly gathered and collected on my own, and didn't want to leave them to the vagaries of wind, weather, and marauding critters. As such, it was time I tried starting seeds indoors.

I'd read about using empty plastic salad containers as mini greenhouses, and saved a few of these in addition to some cardboard egg cartons to make individual "pots" for my seedlings. The only thing I needed now was the seed-starting medium. As I perused the options available at the garden center, my eye fell upon a small box of peat pellets for starting seeds. To be exact, it was a box of replacement peat pellets, intended for use with a coordinating system of trays and lids. But I was still curious, and furtively opened a box to examine its contents. And you know what? Those pellets were a good enough match to use with my egg-carton cups and salad mix boxes:

I noted that each pellet seemed to have a "top" and a "bottom", wherein the top had concentric circles and a divot impressed upon its surface, while the bottom was completely smooth. I set up my trays and cups, and plunked a pellet into each receptacle:

I added water per the instructions, and after just a few minutes, they all plumped up like sea monkeys, ready to receive my precious cargo. Using a toothpick to help me open up the divots and tuck in my seeds, I sowed away. Once done, I put the lids back on my "greenhouses" and placed them in the sunny kitchen window:

I know I'll be anxiously checking on them as the days and weeks go by, watering as needed and hoping they're all warm enough inside their little ecosystems. I also started a small container with peat pellets and no encapsulating egg cups, just to see if it made any difference, or if it will be any easier/harder when it comes time to transplant. But on the whole, I'm very excited, and looking forward to seeing the results of this little adventure :-)

>o<

Held in Reserve

As you've probably guessed, I'm a huge fan of public spaces that cater to human aesthetics while providing a habitat for plants and wildlife at the same time. Recent excursions have included Central Park and The High Line, both of which I loved immensely. Last month, I visited the Manasquan Reservoir, and it was just as inspiring:

This vast, open space was equal parts invigorating and calming - you can't look at all that water and be anything but relaxed! The thing that attracted me the most was how well human access was integrated into the natural setting. You can stay on the paverstone deck and walkway near the docks and boat launches, or you can continue around the entire perimeter along the rougher gravel trail.

In addition to its natural beauty and all the available activities, the reservoir does also function as a water supply for the surrounding area. However, it's so lovely, you'd never even know it:

Oh, and that wildlife I mentioned earlier? It's there, too :-)

>o<

Tapped Out: Maple-Pecan Breakfast Muffins

The end of Winter and the beginning of Spring mark the season for maple sugaring. Maple sap runs best when the temperatures are above freezing during the day, but still fall below freezing at night. During this time, sugar maple trees are tapped and the watery liquid collected in buckets, after which it is boiled down into the viscous, distinctively smokey natural sweetener we all love. Since maple syrup is so firmly linked to breakfast, I see no reason to try and alter that perception—although you can certainly enjoy these muffins any time of day!

Maple-Pecan Breakfast Muffins

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans, divided

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners; set aside.

Stir flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup of the pecans together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then mix in maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in half of the dry ingredients, stir in the milk, then add the remainder of the dry ingredients and combine until just smooth. Divide evenly among the liners (about 2/3 full each). Sprinkle tops with remaining 1/4 cup pecans and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: These muffins mix together quickly, and the simple flavors of the maple and pecans really shine through. If you prefer, substitute another kind of nut for the pecans, or leave them out altogether. I'd love to know how they would taste if you substituted cooked, crumbled bacon for the nuts—let me know if you try it!

>o<

The Mother of Invention: Devil's Food Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting

I had an English teacher in high school who admonished her students not to use absolutes in their writing—and she was, in fact, absolutely right. Because when I said I always had eggs in my fridge, I now realize this can't be true. There was at least one time where I had none, when at the same time I had an overwhelming need for chocolate cake. I also had no intention of leaving the house to get eggs. I quickly studied some recipes, calculated the ratio of liquid needed to make up for the missing eggs, and created these cupcakes. And they worked! The frosting, of course, is in honor of St. Paddy's being just around the corner, but I've listed some alternate suggestions below in the Notes. So, if you're egg-free, or just don't have any on hand, this is absolutely the cupcake for you :-) Enjoy!

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream Frosting

For the cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt (or 1 cup whole milk with a splash of vinegar added to sour it)

For the frosting:
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Baileys (or other) Irish Cream Whiskey
Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate for grating (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt until combined. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, then stir in vanilla extract. Starting and ending with flour mixture, blend in batches alternately with yogurt/sour milk until you have a smooth batter. Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners (about 2/3 full each) and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Frost using roughly a heaping teaspoon for each cupcake. Top with chocolate sprinkles or grated chocolate, if desired.

Notes: Instead of Irish Cream in the frosting, use any liqueur you enjoy that pairs well with chocolate, such as Grand Marnier, Chambord, Creme de Menthe, or Kahlua. If you prefer not to use liqueur, simply substitute vanilla extract. This amount of frosting is enough for a thin layer on each cupcake, which is plenty for me—however, if you like to pile it on, go ahead and double the amount!

>o<

The Seedier Side of Life

With Spring planting just a few weeks away, I'm of course very excited to get back out in the yard and start my garden. In preparation, my first task was to sort through the seeds I already had, and determine what I would need to buy for this year. Although seed packets are dated and expected to be used within the year they're issued, I can't bring myself to throw unused seeds away - it feels too much like throwing food away. I store them in resealable bags in a cool, dark, dry part of the house, and so far they haven't let me down!

As I posted before, my garlic is already in the ground percolating, and I know that my cherry tomatoes will gleefully volunteer themselves all over the place once the soil warms up sufficiently (Who said tomato plants were delicate? They lied). I found I had a number of greens already in my collection as well, plus an abundance of carrot seeds in a separate container:

This year, I want to devote one of the garden beds entirely to edible flowers. I'm planning an outer border of nasturtiums, an inner border of chamomile, with taller borage to fill in the center:

What was left to buy? The one thing I really still wanted was zucchini - and not just any variety, but my all-time favorite, Romanesco:

I may buy single seedlings of a few other vegetables later in the Spring, but the seeds I already have will form the basis of my crops this year. Now, if only all that snow would melt so I could see the ground!

>o<