Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Stuff is POPPING out Everywhere ;)

Flee!
Flee fly flow!
Vista,
cumala, cumala Vista.
Oh, no, no, no, not the Vista
Eeny-meeny-desimeeny...
A new Lilac Lilacs that have been here since this home was built @ 120 years ago Lilacs I transplanted from the Niece of the original owners lived in what is now our home
Lilacs over Sarah's Koi Pond
Poppy
Iris almost ready to burst forth
Ferns
~~
Shrimp and Fiddlehead Medley
Purple asparagus originated from a region around Albenga, Italy. This "cultivar" is known as Violetto d/Albenga. Although the spears are of deep purple color, the ferns are actually green. The farmers in Albenga region propagate the plants using seeds from open pollination. Seeds are usually collected from vigorous female plants producing large spears. ~~
Purple hybrids produce larger spears but fewer in number per plant than the green hybrids Green, White and Purple!
To keep the purple in asparagus, add acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to its cooking water. The acid anchors the red pigment, anthocyanin. If you don't do this, the color fades to green--a bit extravagant, because you pay a premium for the purple. Dishes that maximize purple asparagus's color maximize its value, as in the purple, white, and green asparagus platter and the citrus salad. To keep the purple in asparagus, add acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to its cooking water. The acid anchors the red pigment, anthocyanin. If you don't do this, the color fades to green--a bit extravagant, because you pay a premium for the purple. Dishes that maximize purple asparagus's color maximize its value, as in the purple, white, and green asparagus platter and the citrus salad. ~~~~~~~~
Spring Tabbouleh Recipe
used it raw here.
~
Blueberries the kids called them boo babies the picture shows the blossom that sure looks like pantalets to me
Sweet Shrub Scientific Name
Calycanthus floridus
Common NameSweet shrub; Sweet Betsy, Carolina allspice
SWEET SHRUB (Strawberry Bush, Sweet Shade)Sweet Shrub is native to the Appalachian stream banks of the Smokies, where it is also known as Carolina Allspice, Strawberry Bush, Sweet Shade, and Bubby Blossom. Women used to place the flowers in their bodices as a perfume, hence the name "Bubby Blossom". Sweet shrub was once commonly found as an ornamental around colonial homes, especially south of the Mason-Dixon line. Several large bushes can fill a small yard with the combined fragrance of strawberry, cantaloupe, spiced apple, and burgundy wine. Sweet shrub has a distinctive maroon-red flower about 2" across. It is pollinated by small beetles that were the first pollinators of flowering plants and were instrumental in the evolution of flowering plants, long before bees and flies appeared on the scene. When the flower first opens it has the fragrance of spiced apples as it opens over a period of 7 to 10 days. Flowers first appear in mid-March with a flush of flowers in April, and a trailing out through May. Even the leaves are fragrant when rubbed, and in the fall they turn a sunny yellow. In colonial times the cinnamon-flavored bark was used as a seasoning. Sweet shrubs are ideal for planting close to the house near a window where the fragrance may drift indoors. Plant additional plants by a favor-ite path or sitting area. Will flower splendidly in full sun, but is best adapted to light shade. Flowers in 2 to 3 years from seed. Medicinal: Useful for damp spleen. An excellent herb for moving stagnant chi. The leaves, twigs, and buds have diaphoretic properties. An emmenagogue, and possibly has some anti-viral activity.
The seed pod

7 comments:

Tom said...

Hi Dee
When the page loaded I said oh! good a new post.. I quickly scrolled down as I tend to do.. I laughed at the size of the post and thought a cup of tea will be needed with this.. and I was right.. what a great post.. and such good information.. and stunning pictures.

Cheers Dee.

Tom

DeeMom said...

I did get a little LONG winded there et? Hope it was GOOD tea

dot said...

Wow, what nice pictures! My ex husband used to eat fiddleheads but I never could get past the smell. A very enjoyable post!

Tom said...

Me again Dee..
I did not mean it was long winded Dee.. ha! .. I found it like all your posts well written as well as good to the eye.
I remember seeing a plant much like the Sweet shrub.. only this smelt of chocolate... I wonder if it was a hybred of this strawberry smelling one.

DeeMom said...

Tom check these out:
Chocolate Flower Farm" (www.chocolateflowerfarm.com/plants2) specializes in these, for the time being, and their entire line is built on Chocolate colored flowers and Chocolate smelling plants.

Chocolate cosmos
An inedible flower that smells chocolaty
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/02/HOGCTFGH1T1.DTL

Welcome to Chocolate Flower Farm~
http://www.chocolateflowerfarm.com/


Thanks Dot

Stacey Olson said...

Dee, I don't know how you come up with all this stuff, you sure are full of riddles.. thanks for sharing

Tom said...

Thanks for all the choc.. info... wait till I show this to Jane when she get back home tonight... ummmm! chocolate...