Around the Garden

Posted By on June 4, 2015

Around the Garden

so i imagine you’re wondering, “auntie! such a long stretch between blogging… whatcha’ been up to?” yes, okay, i have a vivid imagination.

i’ve been gardening. i know, i know, i said i was NEVER GARDENING AGAIN because it’s not fun to fight with nature, which always wins in the end anyway. but old habits, apparently, die hard. not to mention that i really love fresh organic produce, and it doesn’t get fresher than going out into the garden just before dinnertime and picking dinner.

pea blossom with lacewing

pea blossom with lacewing

i planted two kinds of peas this spring, once the snow finally melted and the ground finally thawed. one variety didn’t germinate at all—not one stinking pea. and since i was too casual to label the rows, i have no idea which variety this is. guess i’ll find out when it sets its pods. the little green bug is a lacewing fly, which is a beneficial insect, in that its larvae eat bad bugs. yay, organic gardening!

ladybug sex

ladybug sex

also, speaking of beneficial insects, i found this ladybug couple, er coupling. i think they’re asian ladybugs but i’m not sure—i didn’t want to disturb them to count their spots. the larvae of ladybugs is a ferocious predator of insect pests, particularly aphids. it’s so scary it’s called an “ant lion.” score 2 for organic gardening.

ripening gooseberries

ripening gooseberries

at some point, in the throes of an edible landscaping frenzy, i planted a gooseberry bush. turns out gooseberries are really sour. i have made strawberry-gooseberry jam, but frankly, that’s my entire gooseberry recipe repertoire. naturally, of all the edible shrubs in my yard, this one is thriving, so i end up with a large haul of gooseberries every year that i kind of hang onto until they get moldy and then i compost them. any suggestions would be welcome. honestly, i’d be happy to donate a gallon or two to anyone interested.

elderberry flower buds

elderberry flower buds

in the same frame of mind as above, i also purchased a fancy european production hybrid of elderberry. sucker produces a ton of berries, which are subsequently a pain in the butt to clean and pick the stems from. fortunately for me, you can also make some interesting concoctions using the flowers. going for that this year.

elder flower cordials and strawberry-gooseberry jam. yum.

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