Order your seeds now

In this part of the world, it really is not gardening time.  If you are going to grow some long season crops, such as onions, you better get your order in so you have time to get them started.

The other reason for getting your order in now, it to have first dibs on limited quantities.  If it is a new introduction you are wanting to try, early is smart.  Often times there are less of new items as they are still gearing up production on the newest wonders.  Plants and seeds have to be built over time.  You can't just order more parts to meet demand.  You are reliant on reproduction cycles to increase the quantities. 

The best reason for sitting down with your garden catalogs and ordering today is to just enjoy the wonder of the dream.  Only in your mind is your garden going to be the most perfect it can ever be.  Isn't the dead of winter the best time to do that?

Growing at home, the number one rule

If you decide that you want to keep plants over winter or you want to start seeds yourself there is one rule that you just can't get around.

SANITATION!!!!

This means cleaning up the dead leaves in and around your pots and flats.

This means checking regularly and coming up with a plan for controlling pests in a way that you feel comfortable.  Not everyone likes spraying chemicals in their house.

This means tossing out a plant you really wanted to save but it is slowly dying with no hope of true recovery.

This means attending to them a couple times a week so you do not miss pest problems creeping up on you.

This means making new cuttings of the old plants and tossing the rest into the cold compost bin when they are old and tired.

This means cutting back your plants that seem to be growing all over the place so you can manage them more efficiently.

Being a gardener is not just about loving the plants and nurturing them along.  Sometimes it is a brutal job that requires losing sentimental attachments.  Sometimes Grandma's ficus is better off in the snow bank than propagating generations of spider mites and mealy bugs for the rest of your plants.  It means taking the time to monitor the health and well being so the ficus doesn't need to go to the snow bank because you weren't paying attention.  Being a good gardener is hard work!  The rewards are amazing...

Save those seed packets!

Just a small bit of advice that can save you so much time on the other end of the season...
Save your seed packets!  
I put mine in the back of my seed box when they are empty.  I do not get rid of them until it is time to order the next year.  I have all the growing information at my fingertips.  If I save seed, I have all the information for the saved seed as well.  If you have your empty packets with your seeds, you not only check what you still have, but you also get to check what you may want to reorder.  I cut my necessary catalog time considerably by not looking at every single category of seed.
I also remember to reorder the stuff I really liked.  Some people like to put their seed packets out in their garden rows where they end up faded and unreadable.  I like mine in the seed box.  
Just saying...

Seed catalogs

The seed catalogs have been arriving for over a month now.  I like to sit down in January and look through my favorites and maybe check out a new one or two if I have the time.  My two favorites are Jung and Pinetree.  I also like Select Seeds.  For garden chemicals and such, Gardens Alive! is one on my go to sources.  Sometimes ordering can be a little cheaper than shopping at the garden center.  It is definitely more convenient when the temperatures are below zero.

Some of the things I look for in a seed catalog:

• Quantity- buying more than you need for a season or two is just not worth it.  Pinetree is a favorite because things are packaged in smaller quantities (smaller price) so you are not stuck with a lot of leftovers for years to come.  If you like to try new things, this is a plus.
• Price- remember though, you usually get what you pay for.  If you haven't ordered from a company before, try a few things and see how you like their product and how good their customer service is when they are out of stock or back ordered.
• Location- it does matter where seeds are grown even if a plant has a wide zone range.  Buying seed from a source in the deep south is not the best option for a northern gardener.  Seed genetics vary by the climate they are grown in.
• Delivery- nothing is more frustrating than ordering early and getting your long gestation crops too late.  It is also important when you are looking at root crops such as potatoes.  You really don't want these shipped in February if you don't need them until April or May.  Many companies will time the shipments for your region so you do not have to worry about cold storage for months ahead.  Jung is very good about this.
• Quality- low germination will negate anything you saved on the per seed price.  Jung has a very good germination rate and is more locally sourced which gives them two points in my favor.  Many companies will offer a guarantee on their product if you read the fine print.  There are limits as they can not control the growing conditions that their seeds get once they leave their warehouse.

Pull up a chair with that morning cup of coffee (or the glass of wine after work) and enjoy some time dreaming of your perfect summer garden.

Christmas coffee cake

Add all ingredients, in order to your bread maker in order given.  I use the 2 pound list to make 3 coffee cakes in 8 or 9 inch cake pans.  Stop at the orange line!  This is where the filling ingredients start with this recipe book.  This is where I stop following directions.  Set bread maker to dough cycle and run.

When dough is finished, turn out onto counter while you assemble the ingredients for the next step.

1 cup of chopped walnuts (or whatever you have)

3/4 C of white sugar

1 generous teaspoon of cinnamon

fresh ground nutmeg if you have it around 1 teaspoon

Mix all this in one flat dish such as a pie pan

1/2 C of melted butter in separate pie pan

Grease or spray 8" or 9" cake pan to coat.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts.  Cut off pieces a little smaller than golf ball size (about 1 1/4") and roll in palms to form a finger sized length of dough.  Dip first in butter to coat and then sugar/nut mix.  I like to use tongs, one for butter, one for sugar to handle dough to keep my hands clean for rolling.

Start in center of pan and keep adding pieces until pan is filled.

Cover with cloth and let rise for an hour or so until dough has doubled.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Put coffee cakes in and bake for around 25 minutes or until center is browned and baked.  Rotate pans as needed to bake evenly.

Remove from oven to cool for 5 minutes before turning out of pan to finish cooling on wire rack.  Enjoy alone or with butter.

I make mine up the day before and reheat for 10 minutes on Christmas morning on a cookie sheet so we can enjoy a warm treat.  

My mom made this coffee cake for bake sales and our family.  It is easier than rolling out, filling and cutting dough for traditional cinnamon rolls as well as that it doesn't need frosting to look nice on the table.  They are great for gift giving.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! 

Christmas cookies 2013

I tried some new cookies this year and they are wonderful.  Try out the Nut Rolls on page 34 of the 1967 Cooky Book.  I also made the Pumpkin Drop Cookies on page 13 and those are pretty tasty as well.  I made the Soft Molasses Cookies on page 8 of the 1984 cookie book and they are like a soft, ginger cookie.  I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream and added 1/2 C flour.  I also made Coconut Crescents on page 35 of the 1964 cookie book.  This one taste like an Almond Joy so I drizzled some chocolate lightly after making them according to recipe and it made it even better.
Enjoy going through the archived cookie books and find a few "new" favorites for your family. For all archived cookie books just follow the link.

Baby, it's cold outside

After so many warm weather autumns, this one has taken us by surprise.  It has been colder than normal and we even have some snow that fell three days ago and is still sticking to the grass.

I had sprayed my shrubs with rabbit repellent for the winter but hadn't put up the fencing around them or wrapped those in burlap that needed winter protection.  I bought three bales of straw and only had one down on the parsnips and carrots to try and keep the ground from freezing.  The potted shrubs just barely got dug in to the garden before the ground got to hard to get a shovel in.  I peeled apart the last two frozen straw bales to finish heeling the shrubs in.  The fence and burlap was a quick job before the snow fell.

There is a slight warm up coming in the next week in which I am hoping to dig up some of the parsnips and all of the carrots.  I also need to cut down my two story high sweet autumn clematis for the winter.  There just aren't enough hours in the day or energy in my system!