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Comment by Grant Meyer USDA zone 9 on March 11, 2012 at 11:47am

Hi everyone!

Debbie, welcome to the group!  We hope you'll post lots of pics and updates!  This is a great place to spend time, learn, share, and chat.  We're super happy you joined us! What can you tell us about your current garden and/or houseplants? We'd love to see/hear more. :)

Deborah, thanks for sharing about your favorite photographer, his work sounds really neat!  Your salted cabbage is wonderful!  I am absolutely going to make a batch myself this week.  Thanks for sharing the pic and the recipe!! 

Kirsten, the sauerkraut recipe sounds great too.  I may have to give that a try (I just bought commercial kraut yesterday, LOL).  Thanks for that as well! 

Just for fun, here are two plants blooming away in my garden right now.  One is a mini-petunia (Calibrachoa) 'Cherry Star' and the other is an orange Cyrtanthus brachyspinus.  Like regular petunias, the Calibrachoa blooms nonstop for me November through mid-May or so.  The Cyrtanthus (used to be lumped in with Clivia) makes a nice flush of blooms in late winter, with occasional blooms all summer long.  I hope you take a look and enjoy. 

I'm going to start capturing these great recipes.  Thanks again for the fun posts and recipes!

Happy gardening,

Grant

Comment by Deborah Hamel (Z9a-9b Arizona) on March 10, 2012 at 10:50pm

Kirsten-150 people??? Wow! I'll bet it is a fun time. May I ask what recipe you use to make your sauerkraut? Would you be willing to share, or is it an old family secret?

I have been having such success growing white cabbage, I would love to plant more next year, but I don't exactly know what to do with it all. I tried planting it in various areas around the property, so it was ready to harvest at different times, luckily. It likes full winter sun, 90 days produced 6-7 lb. heads.

Side Note: My grandmother had a wonderful chocolate-sauerkraut cake recipe that I am going to try with some of the Salt Cabbage. It turns out like the red velvet cake, a little sour, and the texture of the cabbage is like that of coconut, only without the sweetness.

Comment by Deborah Hamel (Z9a-9b Arizona) on March 10, 2012 at 8:13pm

Welcome, Debbie. I have found this group to be very supportive and inspiring with respect to anything garden in Arizona. Members share experiences and ask for suggestions. Enjoy!

Comment by Deborah Hamel (Z9a-9b Arizona) on March 10, 2012 at 5:58pm

Grant-You asked to see what I did with the cabbage I harvested, well...Salt Cabbage in the making.

This is a large, glass pickle jar filled with cabbage (5 heads) and carrot (2 large) soaking in a brine of 2T Kosher Salt, 2T White Sugar, 1 liter of clear water. Add brine to cover the cabbage-carrot mix. Cut the cabbage to your desired shape and size. I let it stand in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days before refrigerating, taste test on day 3.

Use as a condiment, side dish or the basis for a bake with sausages. One of our neighbors is from Bulgaria, and he uses large trash cans for the process. Wonderful flavor and texture!

Look online for other Russian recipes for Salt Cabbage, both making it and using it. I love spring in the Phoenix valley.

Comment by Deborah Hamel (Z9a-9b Arizona) on March 9, 2012 at 8:52pm

I am so excited, one of my favorite photographers, George Lewis from Prescott, AZ, also an avid rose grower, is in Casa Grande this weekend showing his work at the art show across from the Court House. He does the same process Ansel Adams did, the Platinum/Palladium method as well as digital. He has a way with domestic animals and children, still life and landscapes. There is so much depth and warmth in his images...

I could go on and on about George's work and what a generous man he is when he shares the stories behind the photographs.

If any of you go to the Casa Grande show, please post your thoughts and maybe an image or two for us to see.

Comment by Grant Meyer USDA zone 9 on March 9, 2012 at 5:13pm

Finally we're warming up again!  Such great weather today and hopefully this weekend.  I did some great hiking last weekend and plan on doing some more this weekend too.  In the meantime, here's a super fragrant super easy Gladiolus tristus just starting to bloom in my garden.  I've been growing them for several years and they just get bigger and better each year.  The scent is really, really wonderful...sort of floral mixed with a touch of natural beeswax if that makes sense, LOL.   In any case, here's a pic.  So easy and fun.  Happy gardening!

Comment by Grant Meyer USDA zone 9 on March 7, 2012 at 5:11pm

Right you are, Nancy!  My mistake.  It's NEXT weekend.  Thanks!

 

http://www.dbg.org/events-exhibitions/spring-plant-sale-preview

Comment by Nancy Mumpton - Phoenix AZ (Z 9) on March 7, 2012 at 4:59pm

I think the DBG sale is next weekend, the 16th, 17th , and 18th.

Comment by Grant Meyer USDA zone 9 on March 7, 2012 at 4:23pm

Thanks, Kirsten, glad you like the nasturtium too.  They're just so fun and easy, so why not grow a lot, right?  I do bush types and vinining types, and I let them self-sow wherever they want, so I've usually got several of them popping up all over during the cooler months.  Fun.

Super windy last night, and quite cool today, but tolerable.  Back to 70's later this week and I'll be glad to see them, LOL. 

Here's a big ol' clump of Aloe 'Blue Elf' blooming in the garden.  I tend to prefer the big boys, large, dramatic aloes, but this little guy makes a really nice clump and does flower for a long time in late winter, with occasional re-bloom all summer and autumn, so it definitely has earned a spot in my heart and in my garden. 

And don't forget the Desert Botanical Garden's annual spring plant sale is this weekend--open to Members on Friday, and the public on Saturday and Sunday (www.dbg.org)

Happy gardening all!

Grant

Comment by Grant Meyer USDA zone 9 on March 6, 2012 at 9:16am

Another gorgeous day today, although I read in the newspaper we're expecting winds and then a 20 degree F drop in temps, before rebounding back to our seasonal average of mid 70s for the rest of the week.  I hate wind, LOL. 

I noticed this pastel yellow nasturtium popping up through some bright yellow pansies this week so I thought I'd capture and share a quick pic.  I grow a ton of nasturtiums autumn, winter, and spring, and I really like their easy, long blooming season.  I hope you enjoy the pic.  Happy gardening!

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