Monday, October 18, 2010

8 New Friends

Left to right:  Collards, green onions, bok choy, curly mustard, kale, purple Japanese Mustard, turnip,and arugula.  

According to local lore....when making gumbo zeb....the number of different types of greens you use...is the number of new friends you will make.....hmmmm...I should have eight new friends soon!

Gumbo Zeb:

As many types of greens you can gather chopped small
onion
bell pepper
cayenne pepper
green onion
garlic
salt
pepper
bacon grease
(you can season with browned meat or sausage if you wish)

Saute onion, garlic, peppers, green onions in bacon fat.
Add greens with a little a cup or so of water (depending on how many greens!) salt, and pepper.  Cook until greens are as tender as you like.
Serve with slightly sweet corn bread....and if you'd like....a pork chop.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Around The House And Gardens

Lettuce Box
View of path to the garden from the front porch.
My homemade take on the monogram garden flag...made from fabric scraps.
View from the other side of the path.
Gazing ball among the bushel basket gourd vine.
The new bright blue chandelier.
Seleste's painted apple snail shell on an oyster shell.  She found the snail shell in the ditch and the oyster shell on the other side of the levee.
Everything is growing fine.
The greens are lovely in all their different shades!
The pecans are starting to fall!
Lovely

Monday, October 11, 2010

FCNOGC Founder's Day Tea

FCNOGC  stands for The Federated Council Of New Orleans Garden Clubs, Inc.....and I hosted their annual "Founder's Day Tea" in my garden this past Friday.

As usual before any "sophisticated" social occasion special help must be summoned to ready the premises for the honored guests!  So my two nieces came over and helped me clean up....Luckily they found Talia's stash of Valentine's candy under Talia's dresser and helped dispose of them properly before they drew ...gasp...insects of the undesirable type into the house....
...Naomi was quite efficient in her work....Thanks girls for all the help!
All in all the day was just about perfect!  My friend Willie and I....
I made the centerpieces from various types of foliage found in my garden....curly willow, variegated ginger, sedge, papyrus, lorapetalum, pittasporum, windmill palm, and asparagus fern.  It's amazing how dramatic and colorful foliage can be!

The food....way yummy....asparagus, mushroom, roast beef, ham, and egg salad sandwiches, pork, chicken, beef and shrimp spring rolls with peanut sauce, tomato mozzarella kabobs, veggie sushi, brie, feta, Parmesan, Swiss, cheddar, blue cheese tray w/ spiced pecans and fruit, oranged macadamia nuts, pecan pie, lemon cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries, brownies and pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing, and Belle Chasse Garden Club's very own special pineapple punch....mmmmmmmmm
One of my many sweet and colorful guests!
...relaxing in the pecan tree shade...
....socializing in the house...
...talking with old friends...
....getting a few seeds for the garden....(I put out a few jars of seeds I had saved in case any one wanted to take home a few.)

Monday, October 4, 2010

Today's Harvest

 Many, many peppers....time to string them to dry!  The greens are finally coming in!  Tonight there will be a yummy pot of large purple Japanese mustard, Curly Mustard, Collards, and green onions.  There are still eggplant and okra.  Unbelievably it was 54 degrees when I woke up this morning.  I'm wondering if this is a sign of things to come?

A close up of the magnificent purple mustard.