Work has been going well, and it seems that I'm finally staying fairly consistently busy. Part of that is because I have networked and/or invented enough work to keep myself busy. I have the regular calls and walk-ins to work with, depending on if the Master Gardeners need the support or if it is during a time when the Master Gardeners are in the office or not. I am also teaching a gardening class at one of the local day camps every week.
The hot topics right now are brown patch on fescue lawns, why are my cucumbers/squash/tomatoes flowering but not setting fruit?, black rot on grapes, and leaf diseases on tomatoes. Pretty straight-forward for the most part. Occasionally we get some different things, but those seem to be the most prevalent. The soil tests have been slowing down quite a bit, since most people have their lawns or gardens planted for the spring.
The main thing that's keeping me busy is preparing for the day camps. I could probably do the preparation in less time, but I'm a perfectionist. The first week of day camp, I only had about 25-30 kids. Last week (week 4), I had about 45 kids. I'm tentatively planning for about 50 this next week. The first week of camp, we planted tomatoes and peppers in containers. We made observations about the plants, and made a few hypotheses. (And discussed what a hypothesis was.) Since then, we have been measuring the plants every week and counting the number of flower buds/flower/fruit that are developing on the plants. Last week we fertilized and watered. (It's been so rainy that we haven't needed to water much.) We've also dissected flowers and plants, done skits about pollination, tasted different herbs, and drawn landscapes that we would like to have in our yards. Tomorrow one of the Master Gardeners is bringing her worm composting bin for the kids to learn about. Then I think we are going to learn about selecting fruits and vegetables in the grocery store by having a Beauty Contest. In the remaining 3 weeks, we are going to cover trees, insects, and what a farmer does/where our food comes from.
After that is over, I'm going to be heading to Washington State for two weeks for a Spanish Immersion Camp. Next week is the County Fair. August is the month for Master Gardener applications and interviews. September is the State Fair. All in all, I'm going to be pretty busy for the rest of the year.
Random writings about things I think, once in a great while when I show up to write about them!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Weddings and More Weddings
Steven and I attended our third wedding of the year this past weekend. Kind of amazing, seeing as how I haven't attended a single wedding in...a long time. Many years. I guess it is kind of interesting, because at every wedding we see things that we like and things we don't and get some more ideas for what we might like to do.
Interestingly, the wedding this past weekend and the wedding we went to in January had the receptions in the same location - the Rochester Golf and Country Club. The receptions were pretty much as diametrically opposite as they could be. The one in January was hors d'oeuvres and cake only, with minimal table decorations and simple tableware. The one this past weekend was very decorated with full place settings and a plated dinner. There were nearly more glasses on the table than I knew what to do with! Both weddings and receptions were very nice and enjoyable, albeit quite different.
Steven and I are pretty sure that we're going to come down somewhere in between the two, although I'm not sure quite where. We are making slow progress on the whole wedding planning thing. I have a dress, although not yet a veil and all the other accoutrements. We have colors (indigo with silver), and a photographer. Of course, we have a location. We are pokily working on caterer, cake, flowers, etc. Decorations and music...not even really on the table yet. Yeah, we should probably get going on some of that stuff. Most especially the caterer.
Another thing we are slowly working on is finding a place to live after we're married. We need a bigger place than either of us have right now, and we also have to find someplace that is a reasonable commute for both of us. Something of a challenge, since we need to be on different sides of Wichita during the day.
As you can probably tell by the somewhat lackadaisical tone of this post, we aren't exactly freaking out about getting everything done. We probably should be. But we aren't. Yet.
Interestingly, the wedding this past weekend and the wedding we went to in January had the receptions in the same location - the Rochester Golf and Country Club. The receptions were pretty much as diametrically opposite as they could be. The one in January was hors d'oeuvres and cake only, with minimal table decorations and simple tableware. The one this past weekend was very decorated with full place settings and a plated dinner. There were nearly more glasses on the table than I knew what to do with! Both weddings and receptions were very nice and enjoyable, albeit quite different.
Steven and I are pretty sure that we're going to come down somewhere in between the two, although I'm not sure quite where. We are making slow progress on the whole wedding planning thing. I have a dress, although not yet a veil and all the other accoutrements. We have colors (indigo with silver), and a photographer. Of course, we have a location. We are pokily working on caterer, cake, flowers, etc. Decorations and music...not even really on the table yet. Yeah, we should probably get going on some of that stuff. Most especially the caterer.
Another thing we are slowly working on is finding a place to live after we're married. We need a bigger place than either of us have right now, and we also have to find someplace that is a reasonable commute for both of us. Something of a challenge, since we need to be on different sides of Wichita during the day.
As you can probably tell by the somewhat lackadaisical tone of this post, we aren't exactly freaking out about getting everything done. We probably should be. But we aren't. Yet.
Plant of the Week: Torenia
Common Name: Torenia, aka Wishbone Flower (Click for picture)
Latin Name: Torenia fournieri
Origin: Taiwan?
Torenia is an annual flower that will grow in both sun and part-shade. I'm guessing that here in Kansas, it really does best in part-shade and not so well in full sun. In the farther northern climes, it will most likely enjoy a bit more sun.
The plant tends to have a trailing habit, making it great for hanging baskets or container plantings. I personally am fond of it because it has such cheery, funny looking flowers. They have a classic trumpet shaped flower, and they usually have some sort of bicolor pattern that is reminiscent of a clown face, hence some of the older 'Clown Series' varieties of Torenia.
Latin Name: Torenia fournieri
Origin: Taiwan?
Torenia is an annual flower that will grow in both sun and part-shade. I'm guessing that here in Kansas, it really does best in part-shade and not so well in full sun. In the farther northern climes, it will most likely enjoy a bit more sun.
The plant tends to have a trailing habit, making it great for hanging baskets or container plantings. I personally am fond of it because it has such cheery, funny looking flowers. They have a classic trumpet shaped flower, and they usually have some sort of bicolor pattern that is reminiscent of a clown face, hence some of the older 'Clown Series' varieties of Torenia.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Plant of the Week: Asian Pear
Common Name: Asian Pear (Click for picture)
Latin Name: Pyrus pyrifolia
Origin: Asia! (Japan/Korea)
Asian pears are also known as apple pears. They are crunchy and sweet, having a texture more like we would expect of an apple. They are not baked or used much like European pears (the kind we normally eat in the U.S.) because of their texture.
Unlike European pears, Asian pears can be eaten fresh off the tree. (Which in itself is an interesting aside. European pears must be picked and stored before they ripen fully. They won't ripen fully while on the tree.) Asian pears can also be stored for several months and still be good. There are 3 types of Asian pears. They are 1) round or flat fruit with green-to-yellow skin, 2) round or flat fruit with bronze-colored skin and a light bronze-russet, 3) pear-shaped fruit with green or russet skin.
Latin Name: Pyrus pyrifolia
Origin: Asia! (Japan/Korea)
Asian pears are also known as apple pears. They are crunchy and sweet, having a texture more like we would expect of an apple. They are not baked or used much like European pears (the kind we normally eat in the U.S.) because of their texture.
Unlike European pears, Asian pears can be eaten fresh off the tree. (Which in itself is an interesting aside. European pears must be picked and stored before they ripen fully. They won't ripen fully while on the tree.) Asian pears can also be stored for several months and still be good. There are 3 types of Asian pears. They are 1) round or flat fruit with green-to-yellow skin, 2) round or flat fruit with bronze-colored skin and a light bronze-russet, 3) pear-shaped fruit with green or russet skin.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Book Review: Auralia's Colors
I just finished reading 2 books - 2 very different books. One was Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet. The other was The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne.
Auralia's Colors is a fantasy/sci-fi genre book. It wasn't a difficult read, and I got through it pretty fast. The book is the first of a 4 book series, but it doesn't spend a lot of time setting up the scene and explaining every detail about the fictitious world in which it is set. There is enough detail to keep the reader from becoming confused but not so much as to get bogged down.
There are 4 Great Houses in the land, and this book focuses on House Abascar. A now-gone queen had decided that all the color in the House should belong to the crown and everyone else must only own or wear neutrals. Auralia is found as a baby in the river, and grows up in the outcasts' village beyond the city walls. She is found to have a gift of making objects and incorporating color. This causes some tension, needless to say. Anyway, I'm doing very poorly at exciting everyone about this book. But it is incredibly good and thought-provoking. So read it!
The Little Lady Agency is essentially a chick-lit book. In other words, it is a light, fun, relaxing read and isn't a very thought-provoking type book. It is set in England, so you can amuse yourself while reading by imagining all the lovely British accents. Melissa Romney-Jones finds herself without a job and decides to start an agency to help single men with their wardrobes, etiquette, and gift shopping for female relatives. As you can imagine, much hilarity and unlikely situations ensue. A fun read, but not for the "serious" book reader.
Auralia's Colors is a fantasy/sci-fi genre book. It wasn't a difficult read, and I got through it pretty fast. The book is the first of a 4 book series, but it doesn't spend a lot of time setting up the scene and explaining every detail about the fictitious world in which it is set. There is enough detail to keep the reader from becoming confused but not so much as to get bogged down.
There are 4 Great Houses in the land, and this book focuses on House Abascar. A now-gone queen had decided that all the color in the House should belong to the crown and everyone else must only own or wear neutrals. Auralia is found as a baby in the river, and grows up in the outcasts' village beyond the city walls. She is found to have a gift of making objects and incorporating color. This causes some tension, needless to say. Anyway, I'm doing very poorly at exciting everyone about this book. But it is incredibly good and thought-provoking. So read it!
The Little Lady Agency is essentially a chick-lit book. In other words, it is a light, fun, relaxing read and isn't a very thought-provoking type book. It is set in England, so you can amuse yourself while reading by imagining all the lovely British accents. Melissa Romney-Jones finds herself without a job and decides to start an agency to help single men with their wardrobes, etiquette, and gift shopping for female relatives. As you can imagine, much hilarity and unlikely situations ensue. A fun read, but not for the "serious" book reader.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Plant of the Week: Patty Pan Squash
Common Name: Patty Pan Squash, Scallopini (Click for picture)
Latin Name: Cucurbita pepo
Origin: Good question.
Patty Pan squash is just one type of summer squash, along with zucchini, straightneck, and crookneck squashes. It is distinctive in that it has round, saucer-like fruit, often with scalloped edges. It can be yellow, pale yellow, white, pale green, dark green, and yellow/green bicolor.
The plant is grown like any other summer squash...planted by seed after the soil and temperatures are warm in the spring. The plants are not trailing, for the most part. They instead tend to be quite bushy and compact, especially if you are used to growing pumpkins that vine all over creation.
Patty Pan squash are best used when they are still quite small - only 3" in diameter. They can be cooked like any other summer squash. The amount of chopping is entirely dependent on the size at harvest. They can also be good baked whole and stuffed with other tasty things.
Latin Name: Cucurbita pepo
Origin: Good question.
Patty Pan squash is just one type of summer squash, along with zucchini, straightneck, and crookneck squashes. It is distinctive in that it has round, saucer-like fruit, often with scalloped edges. It can be yellow, pale yellow, white, pale green, dark green, and yellow/green bicolor.
The plant is grown like any other summer squash...planted by seed after the soil and temperatures are warm in the spring. The plants are not trailing, for the most part. They instead tend to be quite bushy and compact, especially if you are used to growing pumpkins that vine all over creation.
Patty Pan squash are best used when they are still quite small - only 3" in diameter. They can be cooked like any other summer squash. The amount of chopping is entirely dependent on the size at harvest. They can also be good baked whole and stuffed with other tasty things.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Plant of the Week: Broccoli Raab
Common Name: Broccoli Raab, Rapini, Broccoli Rabe, Cima de rapa, etc. (Click for picture)
Latin Name: Brassica rapa sb. rapa
Origin: usually considered Italian, some sources say China
The best way to describe broccoli raab is that it is like a cross between a broccoli plant and a turnip plant. The leaves look more like a turnip, and the lifespan of the plant is much more reminiscent of a turnip. But the silly thing does have some little florets amongst the leaves that are like broccoli. It has a strong, sharp flavor that some say is an acquired taste. (But then, I think most people feel that broccoli and turnips are also acquired tastes...)
Broccoli raab is usually planted in the spring for an early crop and again in mid- to late-summer for a fall crop. It takes about 45-60 days to reach maturity from seed. You want to harvest the leaves and florets together and use them all. Here's a link to some recipes:
http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/broccoli%20raab.html
Latin Name: Brassica rapa sb. rapa
Origin: usually considered Italian, some sources say China
The best way to describe broccoli raab is that it is like a cross between a broccoli plant and a turnip plant. The leaves look more like a turnip, and the lifespan of the plant is much more reminiscent of a turnip. But the silly thing does have some little florets amongst the leaves that are like broccoli. It has a strong, sharp flavor that some say is an acquired taste. (But then, I think most people feel that broccoli and turnips are also acquired tastes...)
Broccoli raab is usually planted in the spring for an early crop and again in mid- to late-summer for a fall crop. It takes about 45-60 days to reach maturity from seed. You want to harvest the leaves and florets together and use them all. Here's a link to some recipes:
http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/broccoli%20raab.html
Monday, June 2, 2008
Plant of the Week: Lemon Verbena
Yay! New feature on the blog! Since I make my living as a horticulturist, I might as well share the goodness with you all, right? So, a new feature...a Plant of the Week!
Common Name: Lemon Verbena (click for a picture)
Latin Name: Aloysia triphylla
General Grouping: Herb
Lemon Verbena is an herb that I first met at my previous job, and I have since then fallen in love with it. It has beautiful sword-shaped, dark green leaves and grows big and luscious when it is happy with its situation. In tropical regions, it can be a 15' woody shrub. In the U.S., it is lucky to get 3' tall. It loves sun and will tolerate some dry conditions.
Supposedly you can grow it from seed, but I've only ever propagated it from cuttings. Cuttings seem like the easier route, in my opinion.
Its main selling point is the wonderful sweet lemon fragrance and taste. I guess you would call it a gourmet herb. One thing that I'm considering trying with my plant is taking some fresh leaves and blending them into some sugar. Then I can use the sugar in cookies or cake or other good things that I come up with.
Common Name: Lemon Verbena (click for a picture)
Latin Name: Aloysia triphylla
General Grouping: Herb
Lemon Verbena is an herb that I first met at my previous job, and I have since then fallen in love with it. It has beautiful sword-shaped, dark green leaves and grows big and luscious when it is happy with its situation. In tropical regions, it can be a 15' woody shrub. In the U.S., it is lucky to get 3' tall. It loves sun and will tolerate some dry conditions.
Supposedly you can grow it from seed, but I've only ever propagated it from cuttings. Cuttings seem like the easier route, in my opinion.
Its main selling point is the wonderful sweet lemon fragrance and taste. I guess you would call it a gourmet herb. One thing that I'm considering trying with my plant is taking some fresh leaves and blending them into some sugar. Then I can use the sugar in cookies or cake or other good things that I come up with.
Optimism or Pessimism?
I've had several posts rattling around in my head for quite some time, but I haven't really gotten around to writing any of them out. They are all kind of interconnected, dealing with politics, the economy, fuel prices, sustainability, the millenials' work ethic, the Future, etc, etc, etc.
What I can't decide is whether I should be optimistic or pessimistic about the future. I would say that my natural tendency is toward pessimism, although I have made gains in the optimism category in recent years. My pessimism, if I may defend it a bit, is not of the "everything is horrible and that's the end of the story" variety. It is, perhaps, more the analytical scientific, "well, the glass is half full or empty and that's just semantics but I see that that man over there has a straw with which he probably intends to drink some of the water, and that cloud coming doesn't look near large enough to replace it...in fact in may even rain outside the glass rather than in, but it could rain and the straw might be defective so maybe the situation isn't really that bad, while on the other hand..." I'm sure you get the picture.
Touching briefly on the political scene, none of the current presidential candidates exactly give me hope for the future. Rather sickening, the lot of them. I dare say it may not be their fault...it may have more to do with the fact that the Congress disgusts me. Unfortunately, all the remaining candidates are members of that Congress, so that doesn't bode well. I think I may be in favor of kicking out all current Congress-people and replacing them. They had their chance, let some other people give it a try. (Of course the Farm Bill debacle has nothing to do with that attitude...of course not...but that's an entire blog in and of itself...yes, I said blog, I meant blog. Not blog post, blog.)
Gas prices, of course, are the hot topic of the moment. At least the ethanol love-fest seems to be mostly over. Or perhaps the first sickening puppy love-fest. I just think that it is ridiculous to tout corn-based ethanol as the savior of our energy future when corn is almost exclusively grown using machinery that runs on oil-derived fuel and using fertilizer and chemical inputs that are largely derived from processes surrounding oil. Does anyone else see how ridiculous this is?
Leaving out the fuel-futures of the gas prices, what is more concerning in some ways is the havoc that the high gas prices are and will continue to have on the U.S. economy. In my opinion, the only real solution for the U.S. is to reduce the rampant over-consumption of goods. However, much of the U.S. economy as it currently exists is based entirely upon that very over-consumption. I don't see any way that this won't end badly.
At the same time, I'm young, I'm planning to get married, and I have the same hopes and dreams for a nice home and family that most young people have. I want to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that something, anything could possible get in the way of that dream. I want to be one of those people that can say, "well, gas prices are high now, and food prices are getting higher, and the housing market is in really bad shape, but in a few years everything will turn around and life will go on just as we expect it to." I'm not so sure that's true. I think we may have to expect some significant changes to occur, even when we return to some point of equilibrium.
Which brings me to wonder about the Millenials' work ethic. We have all pretty much been raised to believe that we can do anything we want to, and better yet, that we deserve everything that we have been given or that has been within (and sometimes even beyond) or reasonable reach to obtain. I have to wonder what our response would/will be when faced with genuine hardship. Will we buck up and make sacrifices and work together using our brilliance and creativity to do the best we can for our community, country, and world? Or will we show ourselves to be the spoiled, self-centered brats as some of our elders are already characterizing us? This is my real dilemma...I don't know if I should be optimistic or pessimistic about my own generation. I think that I myself would live up to my higher expectations. I'm not afraid of hard work, and I have the knowledge and ingenuity to figure out how to live under conditions vastly different that to which I have become accustomed. I think I could even be content in such a situation. Unfortunately, I have a suspicion that many others from my generation would not bear up nearly so well. But such things will just never happen, will they? So why should I even consider it?
What I can't decide is whether I should be optimistic or pessimistic about the future. I would say that my natural tendency is toward pessimism, although I have made gains in the optimism category in recent years. My pessimism, if I may defend it a bit, is not of the "everything is horrible and that's the end of the story" variety. It is, perhaps, more the analytical scientific, "well, the glass is half full or empty and that's just semantics but I see that that man over there has a straw with which he probably intends to drink some of the water, and that cloud coming doesn't look near large enough to replace it...in fact in may even rain outside the glass rather than in, but it could rain and the straw might be defective so maybe the situation isn't really that bad, while on the other hand..." I'm sure you get the picture.
Touching briefly on the political scene, none of the current presidential candidates exactly give me hope for the future. Rather sickening, the lot of them. I dare say it may not be their fault...it may have more to do with the fact that the Congress disgusts me. Unfortunately, all the remaining candidates are members of that Congress, so that doesn't bode well. I think I may be in favor of kicking out all current Congress-people and replacing them. They had their chance, let some other people give it a try. (Of course the Farm Bill debacle has nothing to do with that attitude...of course not...but that's an entire blog in and of itself...yes, I said blog, I meant blog. Not blog post, blog.)
Gas prices, of course, are the hot topic of the moment. At least the ethanol love-fest seems to be mostly over. Or perhaps the first sickening puppy love-fest. I just think that it is ridiculous to tout corn-based ethanol as the savior of our energy future when corn is almost exclusively grown using machinery that runs on oil-derived fuel and using fertilizer and chemical inputs that are largely derived from processes surrounding oil. Does anyone else see how ridiculous this is?
Leaving out the fuel-futures of the gas prices, what is more concerning in some ways is the havoc that the high gas prices are and will continue to have on the U.S. economy. In my opinion, the only real solution for the U.S. is to reduce the rampant over-consumption of goods. However, much of the U.S. economy as it currently exists is based entirely upon that very over-consumption. I don't see any way that this won't end badly.
At the same time, I'm young, I'm planning to get married, and I have the same hopes and dreams for a nice home and family that most young people have. I want to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that something, anything could possible get in the way of that dream. I want to be one of those people that can say, "well, gas prices are high now, and food prices are getting higher, and the housing market is in really bad shape, but in a few years everything will turn around and life will go on just as we expect it to." I'm not so sure that's true. I think we may have to expect some significant changes to occur, even when we return to some point of equilibrium.
Which brings me to wonder about the Millenials' work ethic. We have all pretty much been raised to believe that we can do anything we want to, and better yet, that we deserve everything that we have been given or that has been within (and sometimes even beyond) or reasonable reach to obtain. I have to wonder what our response would/will be when faced with genuine hardship. Will we buck up and make sacrifices and work together using our brilliance and creativity to do the best we can for our community, country, and world? Or will we show ourselves to be the spoiled, self-centered brats as some of our elders are already characterizing us? This is my real dilemma...I don't know if I should be optimistic or pessimistic about my own generation. I think that I myself would live up to my higher expectations. I'm not afraid of hard work, and I have the knowledge and ingenuity to figure out how to live under conditions vastly different that to which I have become accustomed. I think I could even be content in such a situation. Unfortunately, I have a suspicion that many others from my generation would not bear up nearly so well. But such things will just never happen, will they? So why should I even consider it?