A "Small Disappointment" Grows Up

My dissatisfaction with the squash crop this year has only grown larger - to the tune of 23 lbs. and 16 lbs., respectively. There would have been even more of these orange "disappointments" if we hadn't eaten the youngsters and sucked down most of the blossoms.

With Halloween on the no-no list at this house, and my lack of appreciation for pumpkin pie, I might have to dig deep into the cookbook shelf for ideas of what to do with these two.

Nonetheless, they are awfully cute, and certainly gave the neighborhood kids a little thrill.

Matchy-Matchy

I bought this fabric for Princess a while ago, to help prevent her from being so successful at wiping out our local feathered residents. And it has worked pretty well.

So when I went looking for some fabric for my own "save-others" outfit, it was obvious that this was the best choice. And besides, it matches just about anything I could find to put on. Every single sweatshirt in the drawer and probably everything in my closet. Not that I've been anywhere near the closet in the last few months - dressing up just doesn't seem to happen much these days...

Don't You Just Love It

In their great wisdom, the all-knowing people at Blogger have decided to roll out a New Blogger. Right now, with no take-backs, and an unreachable tech support team. Excuse me, but aren't things tough enough without having to be the guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) for someone else's brilliant idea?

So I probably won't be posting much for a while, or at least until some of the more obnoxious shortcomings of the new regime are fixed. 

Happy August!

A Small Disappointment

Tromboncino

There have been many great disappointments and sadnesses this year, and thankfully, this is only a small one. Literally.

I plant tromboncino squash every year, with great results. Enough squash to share with passers-by on the sidewalk (boy, were they caught off guard! Some have even come back to thank me. And one time I received a small pile of heirloom tomatoes in return.).

But this year, well, the package said it was tromboncino, but what came out of the ground wasn't even close. I don't think it's even the same species:

New Squash

Yup, short and round. Hard to tell if it's more short or more round. Hell, even the plant is kinda short and round.

I suspect that someone had a late night encounter with a pumpkin and didn't tell anybody until it was too late. To my relief, they taste just fine, grill up nicely, and as a bonus, produce the largest, brightest gold blossoms I have ever seen. Lots and lots of blossoms each morning.

So this year we're focusing on the blossoms - stuffed with ricotta and basil, gently simmered over shakshuka and last night's new fav, blossom and feta cheese fritters. With zucchini soup, of course.

Surreal

A flower for these times. May I present the White-veined Pipevine (Aristolochia fimbriata), which almost could be classified as a "splurge" if I hadn't grown it from seed. Yeah, not much money, but quite a bit of on-going attention - it took a full year to get them to a reasonable size. And then to bloom.

Even though these little plants are native to Brazil, they can serve as hosts for the Pipevine swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor). Although you would probably need an entire field of them to satisfy a crowd of hungry caterpillars.

Payoff

Yellow-faced Bumblebee

She's back! For at least 12 years, I haven't seen, smelled or heard a single bumblebee in the yard. Other varieties of bees, yes, but nary a bumbler.

In the past few years though, I've been working my little trowel to the bone, adding pollinator-friendly plants and always hoping that some of my new neighbors would be in the bumblebee family. And credit where credit is due - at the same time that I was adding new and enticing food sources, my neighbor ripped out a "food desert" of juniper bushes and replaced them with California natives. Her choices have also certainly helped in this effort.

Now I am very aware that there are other, seemingly bigger health and social issues at play right now. I am simply trying to find a small bit of solace where I can, even if she only weighs less than a tenth of a gram. As Thor Hanson points out in his book, Buzz: the Nature and Necessity of Bees, the world can live without humans; unfortunately, it will have a very hard time without bees.

Volunteers of Oakland #5

I once asked a friend who was encouraging me to grow potatoes exactly why I would want to do such a thing. Her reply: "Do you like Easter egg hunts?" I couldn't really answer because it had been such a long time since I had gone foraging for colored eggs. But I do now grow potatoes and understand better what she was getting at.

So what happens when one of those potatoes does a better job of hiding than you do of finding?

That potato stays in the ground and freely grows yet more potatoes (perhaps out of sheer loneliness?).  And we are rewarded with fresh roasted potatoes for dinner.

We are All Birdwatchers Now?

Or so many news outlets would want us to believe. And not just those services oriented to birdwatching.

Sooooo, if you have a bit of free time, are completely exhausted by attending to every little nuance of the news cycle, and want to see a bit of nature in action, I have a few ideas.

Peregrine Webcam Screenshot

First, and this has a time deadline because those little fluff-babies are growing by the minute, visit the webcam focused on the peregrines nesting on the UC Berkeley Campanile:

UC Berkeley Peregrines

Three babies, one bad egg (over in the corner) and all the little birdie eating and pooping you can or don't want to imagine.

Next:

Feathered Photography

This guy takes absolutely beautiful photos of western birds - he roams all over Utah and occasionally other parts to see them (right now, he too is in lockdown so it's pretty local). Sometimes he can go on a bit too much for us non-camera geeks about specs and stuff, so just look at the pretty pictures and forget about the rest. That's how I handle it each morning over my first cup of demi-decaf.

Or just wander through your neighborhood (face covering in back pocket). Because there is so much less traffic, and because you can't easily go out with a friend, you may simply focus on seeing and hearing.

Trust me, not only is this way easier than minding your own sourdough starter, but it also doesn't take up any space on the kitchen counter.

A Work in Progress

Some people are cleaning out the closets, but that doesn't spark any joy for me. Besides, where would I even store the stuff except back in the closets, given that Goodwill is closed? Instead, I've been heading out to the garage for a little mosaic work. I swear, by the time this lockdown is over, all my cactuses will be very well-housed.

So what's left to do? Well, just for the weather to warm up so that I can move the Staphelia gigantea into its new home.

A Nod to the Future

Growing plants from seeds is a small act of hope (these days, one might say the same about going to the grocery store). Hope that with care, attention and a bit of time, a garden will provide ample rewards.

For the past ten years, mid-March has been my time for starting the warm weather seedlings - think tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. They need an early and warm beginning to be big and sturdy enough by mid-May to survive outdoors.

Yes, I know that you can buy plants at the nursery. But I also know that you can't always count on finding what you want, especially this year when so many nurseries are now closed down. Nor can you rely on them being disease-free.  So I plant my own.

Amish Paste Seedlings

Odessa Market Peppers

Two weeks ago as I was loading up little pots with potting mix, I had no clue that this might be the year when it could be very important to start seeds at home. I can't claim to be smart, only stuck in my ways. And a bit of a Nervous Nellie.

I am not alone. Seed companies are being hammered by a surge in demand from a new crop of Nervous Nellies. No worries, though - there should be plenty of seeds this year; getting them into your hands is simply going to take longer.

Anecdotally, two of my neighbors are starting new gardens. One poor soul has to battle a stand of ornamental bamboo. I'm impressed with his fortitude - it's been five days and he's still working on it.

Happy Gardening!

A Few Favorite Seed Suppliers:

Fedco
Baker Creek
JL Hudson