Last September, end of September, I got some herb plants; Greek oregano, Italian parsley and basil. I gradually added to this group over November to January; thymes, another basil plant, cilantro, chives and some catnip. I bought a bronze fennel mostly cause I liked the way it looked, pretty metallic touch. It could be used for herbs, though, too.
These plants transplanted well into containers, produced pretty well and thrived until about April-May. I was able to use them in my own cooking and dehydrated some of them. Mostly though, I just liked them growing there and smelling so good.
RESULTS:
The sunshade I put up in mid-May probably helped keep them going a couple of more months. The basil and cilantro went to seed and even clipping off the flowers they didn't do so well and died sometime in June.
The parsley went to seed, too, but it still produced some until about June-July.
The fennel just didn't make it through the heat and the catnips got exposed to the sun too much for a few days and they didn't make it. this was sometime in June.
I had two thyme plants, one was a very lemony thyme. One went just seemed to give up one day and the other one is still alive today.
the oregano plant produced less and less the past 3 months but was alive until I think it drowned the week we had 3 monsoon storms in addition to my watering the day or so before that happened. It just was so water logged after that week I thought that's what killed it.
Factors that I don't know how they affected the plants:
Type of pot they are in;
Whether the plant would do better in the ground and not in a container;
Regularity of feeding, since May this has been spotty;
Life cycle of the particular plant;
Should I be going only by the Low Desert Planting schedule that I have a copy of from a local organization or can't I just grow them whenever they'll grow?
CONCLUSION:
This was a success as far I'm concerned this time around; first time I'd done it, got pretty good production from the plants for 6 or so months.
I want to add some rosemary and get some lavender to grow at the other end of the patio. My friend, S. has lovely lavender growing in her yard and I want to have some, too.
I also had very good time doing all this and I'm going to do it again.
peace, shamba
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Still living and eating ;)
I'm still living and eating but not writing much these days. Mostly I cook a one pot dish with meats, veggies and separately some rice or pasta. Sometimes it's just some veggies and rice for dinner. (I'm very fond of peanut butter/honey/jam sandwiches for lunches which, of course, require no cooking.)
Today, it's eggplant in one solar pot, sweet and red potatoes, onions in another pot and baby beets.
I haven't used egglplant much before this summer but I've been using simple preparations for what the CSA gives me.
peace to all,
Shamba
Today, it's eggplant in one solar pot, sweet and red potatoes, onions in another pot and baby beets.
I haven't used egglplant much before this summer but I've been using simple preparations for what the CSA gives me.
peace to all,
Shamba
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Dilemmas ...
To solar cook or not to solar cook …
To eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich or delve into the onions, lentils and rice(they’d have to be cooked)…
To wait and see if the sun comes out of those grey clouds that aren’t raining or not ….
To be one with the plethora (I’ve always loved that word) of tomatoes from the CSA or …
Whether ‘tis nobler to cut the tomatoes and brave the damp heat outside to dehydrate or wait until another using the dreadful humid heat to postpone action …..
Okay, so I made my choice! :)
I cut up the tomatoes and put them outside in the Tulsi oven to dehydrate. I’ve saved some to eat not dehydrated, too. Dehydrating will take a day or two but no more than that. If they are out there too long, like a day too long, they can taste scorched. I swear the last group I did just tasted too crispy and a little scorched. But two days in the sun has come out tasty before.
As for lunch, it’s lentils and rice and onions and some herbs and out in the other solar oven.
And the sun has come out in a clear blue sky after mid day.
Most days of the past two weeks have started very overcast looking like some rain but they clear off and don’t do anything else. My neighborhood finally got some rain last night …. Steady couple of hours, no big wind storm.
The clouds when they are fluffy and white seem like they are ships with puffy sails gliding in a fleet across the sky. The dark low clouds and the puffy fleets are a welcome change from endless hot blue sky. Some people would find endless blue sky hard to ever get tired of but it is possible.
And on Food shopping day from Sprouts, I filled in my gaps in food storage:
Chickpeas, red lentils, yellow split peas, cornmeal, farina, dried apricots, dried cranberries, two jars of that applesauce I really like from Sprouts, a special on an attractive jar of apricot jam so I got one of them.
Looking over their bulk spices section to see about having lemon grass or sweet grass. I didn’t get anything there but picked up two bunches of fresh parsley to probably dehydrate if I don’t get it all used in a few days. I’m completely out of ANY kind of parsley, and my parsley plant isn’t producing much of anything right now.
Two dilemmas solved today. I've got lots more I just don't want to do any of the choices I have!
peace, Shamba
To eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich or delve into the onions, lentils and rice(they’d have to be cooked)…
To wait and see if the sun comes out of those grey clouds that aren’t raining or not ….
To be one with the plethora (I’ve always loved that word) of tomatoes from the CSA or …
Whether ‘tis nobler to cut the tomatoes and brave the damp heat outside to dehydrate or wait until another using the dreadful humid heat to postpone action …..
Okay, so I made my choice! :)
I cut up the tomatoes and put them outside in the Tulsi oven to dehydrate. I’ve saved some to eat not dehydrated, too. Dehydrating will take a day or two but no more than that. If they are out there too long, like a day too long, they can taste scorched. I swear the last group I did just tasted too crispy and a little scorched. But two days in the sun has come out tasty before.
As for lunch, it’s lentils and rice and onions and some herbs and out in the other solar oven.
And the sun has come out in a clear blue sky after mid day.
Most days of the past two weeks have started very overcast looking like some rain but they clear off and don’t do anything else. My neighborhood finally got some rain last night …. Steady couple of hours, no big wind storm.
The clouds when they are fluffy and white seem like they are ships with puffy sails gliding in a fleet across the sky. The dark low clouds and the puffy fleets are a welcome change from endless hot blue sky. Some people would find endless blue sky hard to ever get tired of but it is possible.
And on Food shopping day from Sprouts, I filled in my gaps in food storage:
Chickpeas, red lentils, yellow split peas, cornmeal, farina, dried apricots, dried cranberries, two jars of that applesauce I really like from Sprouts, a special on an attractive jar of apricot jam so I got one of them.
Looking over their bulk spices section to see about having lemon grass or sweet grass. I didn’t get anything there but picked up two bunches of fresh parsley to probably dehydrate if I don’t get it all used in a few days. I’m completely out of ANY kind of parsley, and my parsley plant isn’t producing much of anything right now.
Two dilemmas solved today. I've got lots more I just don't want to do any of the choices I have!
peace, Shamba
Monday, July 26, 2010
Seeking Chile ....
I was going to you blog to look at some recipes bu I get a message about your blog being by invitation only.That is if you're able to continue the blog. thinking of you and hoping everything is well with you, your puppies, your other family members.
be well and peace,
Shamba
be well and peace,
Shamba
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Not much to say lately ....
Not much doing these days but solar cooking outside. Solar cooking these days is as much of a one pot affair as I can possibly make it because of the heat. So, meals are meat with vegetables, rice with lentils or beans and vegetables in a side pot. Actually that’s 2 pots, I know.
Dehydrating tomatoes this Monday and Tuesday.
Heat so far this summer: We usually have an “average” of 18 days of 110 or more in the summer, figured as June, July and August. So far, we’ve had 8-9 days of these. I don’t remember how many we had last summer.
I've been working on sewing/mending projects inside. If I can get the simple mending stuff done, or get rid of the garment, I'll have a one foot high pile of "stuff" gone!
onwards, shamba
Dehydrating tomatoes this Monday and Tuesday.
Heat so far this summer: We usually have an “average” of 18 days of 110 or more in the summer, figured as June, July and August. So far, we’ve had 8-9 days of these. I don’t remember how many we had last summer.
I've been working on sewing/mending projects inside. If I can get the simple mending stuff done, or get rid of the garment, I'll have a one foot high pile of "stuff" gone!
onwards, shamba
Friday, July 9, 2010
Surviving Mid-july ....
What an irritating week! No matter what little or large thing I did it seemed fraught with small irritating obstacles to whatever m y goal was! And it’s too hot and humid to get pissed off about things …. So I growled a lot this week at various things which all came out right with just a little more effort on my part and patience. Mostly this was the last part of closing my mother’s estate.
Anyway, I’m swimming in squashes and tomatoes from last week and this weeks’ CSA shares. Also, great tasting cantalope and watermelons from them the past two weeks! YUMMY! I somehow never bought watermelons for myself but I had no trouble eating up the one I had last week.
There are two new people running the CSA pickup where I go. The previous lady has moved out of state to be nearer her family, I’m told. These kind people had our veggies waiting for us in very good sturdy tote bags, with our names tagged on the bags.
They can hold our veggies for us afor a couple of days if we miss the pickup day, which is very nice of them. We have a small group that uses this pickup point; there are several others in the metro area.
Re: Herb garden. The cilantro and parlsey are gone, my friend S. told me hers always die in the summer, and the basil doesn’t seem to want to do well. But the thymes, chives and oregano are still doing pretty well. I’m not getting a lot out of the thyme and oregano but there’s enough of it to use for what I want about once or twice a week. The CSA has been providing fresh basil leaves the past month so I’m using that or drying it.
One catnip plant is still doing okay the other has died. I grew these for the two cats that like them so much.
Re: Moonsoon possibilities and summer: Our dew points are up in the 40s and it feels like it.
The last 2 weeks the whole rest of the country has had truly horrid hot temps for the east coast and the midwest, but so far here we haven’t had unusual heat for us. We’ve had seasonal temperatures since May.
But we have two months to go yet and we could get some records temps.
Re water: I don’t think Phoenix has ever had water rationing but I’ll bet it’s coming sometime in the next few years.
Utilities and city government encourage water conservation but the more we conserve the more the water rates go up.
Our water shed got good rain this year so we’re in good shape. All our reservoirs in that watershed are full, that doesn’t include the big Lake Mead or Lake Powell up near Nevada.
Hoping for a good monsoon the next 2 months,
shamba
for Sunday dinner, July 4th!-
-corn on the cob roasted in solar oven ...
--tomatoes and squash sliced served and eaten raw ... or better with some vinagrette (SP?
--chicken breast and potatoes roasted in solar oven ...
-corn bread baked after main dishes in solar oven.
Peace, shamba
Anyway, I’m swimming in squashes and tomatoes from last week and this weeks’ CSA shares. Also, great tasting cantalope and watermelons from them the past two weeks! YUMMY! I somehow never bought watermelons for myself but I had no trouble eating up the one I had last week.
There are two new people running the CSA pickup where I go. The previous lady has moved out of state to be nearer her family, I’m told. These kind people had our veggies waiting for us in very good sturdy tote bags, with our names tagged on the bags.
They can hold our veggies for us afor a couple of days if we miss the pickup day, which is very nice of them. We have a small group that uses this pickup point; there are several others in the metro area.
Re: Herb garden. The cilantro and parlsey are gone, my friend S. told me hers always die in the summer, and the basil doesn’t seem to want to do well. But the thymes, chives and oregano are still doing pretty well. I’m not getting a lot out of the thyme and oregano but there’s enough of it to use for what I want about once or twice a week. The CSA has been providing fresh basil leaves the past month so I’m using that or drying it.
One catnip plant is still doing okay the other has died. I grew these for the two cats that like them so much.
Re: Moonsoon possibilities and summer: Our dew points are up in the 40s and it feels like it.
The last 2 weeks the whole rest of the country has had truly horrid hot temps for the east coast and the midwest, but so far here we haven’t had unusual heat for us. We’ve had seasonal temperatures since May.
But we have two months to go yet and we could get some records temps.
Re water: I don’t think Phoenix has ever had water rationing but I’ll bet it’s coming sometime in the next few years.
Utilities and city government encourage water conservation but the more we conserve the more the water rates go up.
Our water shed got good rain this year so we’re in good shape. All our reservoirs in that watershed are full, that doesn’t include the big Lake Mead or Lake Powell up near Nevada.
Hoping for a good monsoon the next 2 months,
shamba
for Sunday dinner, July 4th!-
-corn on the cob roasted in solar oven ...
--tomatoes and squash sliced served and eaten raw ... or better with some vinagrette (SP?
--chicken breast and potatoes roasted in solar oven ...
-corn bread baked after main dishes in solar oven.
Peace, shamba
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Back from the sea ...
I was in San Diego area. My brother and I put our parents ashes in the sea; it went perfectly. We got along well the 3 days I was there. It was very nice to see his friend, R. again. The weather was very overcast with the marine layer of clouds and cool and drizzly. It was really nice for a few days.
In the meantime, when I went to pick up my CSA stuff today, they had kindly saved my veggies from last week. I am inundated with tomatoes and various squash not to mention POTATOES! I also got the peaches from last week and the sweet corn, YUMMMMMM!
Guess I’ll be dehydrating with everything I have to dehydrate within the next few days. I also got myself several red bell peppers which I love dehydrated so I’ll have to get busy today and tomorrow.
Cats and plants doing well thanks to my friend, S., who took care of them while I was gone. No problems flying either,but it was during the weekdays so security lines and other airport things were not so busy.
Peace, shamba
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