Juicy Navel Oranges, Radicchio, Swiss Chard, Watercress, Spicy Arugula

"Leaves are turning brilliant colors

The entire landscape is new

Like Mother Nature is practicing

With her water colors just for you"

 

-Marilyn Lott

The veggie gardens really doing well, even with the colder nights we have had recently.  I was concerned last week that we would get hit with a frost but fortunately the temperatures never went below 34.  Yesterday I took a few more pictures of the beds to keep my journal up to date.  Also picked bunches of goodies to eat this week. 

This is the first year that I planted Radicchio Palla Rossa Ashalim and I am very happy with the results. Thank you Botanical Interests for so many wonderful organic seeds!

Also the first year I planted Watercress.  I am sure that this will only grow in our winter months, but we will see how long it lasts when the heat of the summer months arrives.  I love to add this to my salads, it has a nice peppery bite; very good in omelets, too.

The Kale I planted this year was a dwarf blue from Ferry Morse seeds. Not much of it came up which is a disappointment since I don't have a lot of space to allow for a failed crop. I will head to the nursery today and buy some more seeds, probably will plant Botanical Interests Italian Nero Toscana Kale which did very well for me last winter. 

 

All the lettuce are doing very well. I pick once a week now and have re-seeded some of the bare spots in the beds.  I used a Mesclun blend from Botanical Interests that includes Black Seeded Simpson, Buttercrunch, Green Salad Bowl, Lolla Rossa, Red Oak leaf and Rouge d'Hilver.  Also from Botanical Interest a Spicy Blend that includes Grand Rapids, Red Salad Bowl, Red Sails, Mizuna, Green Endive, Royal Oak leaf, and Arugula.  I plant a lot of Arugula, it is one of my favorites; I use it in omelets and it is delicious with pasta and beans.

The beets slowed down a bit when the weather turned warm a few weeks ago.  I have pulled a few but they are really taking a lot longer than last years crop.  Lots and lots of Swiss Chard, I could pick this daily but generally only get to it once a week. The varieties I have are Fordhook Giant, Ruby Red Rhubarb and Bright Lights.  We eat a lot of Swiss Chard!

 

I still have until the end of March to grow my winter veggies before I will need to use the space for my summer vegetables.

Still picking lots of Spring Onions. I continue to plant the onion sets each week, adding 6-12 bulb to the bare spots in the beds. They can be tucked in between plants just about anywhere you see an empty spot.

We're picking Navel Oranges daily now, really sweet and juicy. 

Grapefruit are coming along, but will need a few more months.  Last year they were very small so I am hoping the heavy rains we had this year will help to give us large, juicy fruit; they look good so far. 

Borage for Fortitude, Calm, and Floral Ice Cubes, too!

Borage grows best for me in the winter months here in Southern California. I have had success with growing it in the summer, but it seems to look the best in winter, pest free with beautiful leaves.

This morning while walking around the herb garden I thought about a time that a friend of mine made Borage flower ice cubes for my birthday party.  They were so pretty and such a special surprise in lemonade she served.  Today I picked some of the blossoms and made these ice cubes. 

 

I picked the flowers and removed the stems from the flowers.  You need to pull this out very gently so as not to damage the flowers.  Let them sit in cool water just to make sure there are no little bugs.

Stems removed

Clean flowers placed in the ice cube tray.  Add bottled water only half -way up and freeze just until set, then fill the remainder of the way up to the top of the cubes but not over the edge of the container.  Make sure to use bottled water so you cubes will turn out clear.

Frozen cubes; some of the flowers are not visible here, but as they melt in your drink the cubes will be clear.

I used them in a Hibiscus Flower ice tea, today.

 The ice cubes look so pretty in my cut glass bowl with the sun shining through them.

Borage is native to the Mediterranean, where it is planted in gardens to attract honeybees.  I use organic seeds from Botanical Interests and direct seed in the herb garden.  It generally self-seeds each year, coming up in different areas of the garden.  The plants can grow up to two feet high and spread to three feet across, so give it plenty of room to spread.  The flowers can be pink and blue to purple on the same plant.  In colder areas, plant in the spring after all danger of frost.  Give it at least six hours of sun a day, and plant in general garden soil.



Summer in Southern California, Could it be?

I will be needing this hat today. It is 85 degrees here today! I had my coffee on the patio in my flipflops in a light robe this morning.  The kitties at my feet basking in the morning sunlight. It's a good day to be alive!

Grapefruits are heavy with blossoms and fruit.  We had navel oranges for breakfast picked fresh from the tree.

Hardworking Christmas cactus still blooming.

Quail nesting with her first blue egg!

"Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own." William Wordsworth

This line came to mind when I walked around the garden yesterday.  It was cold and wet to me, but so many of my plants looked happy.  The raised bed winter veggie gardens are thriving. I did need to cover them with plastic one night last week as the forecast was for 32 degrees; so very cold for us.  I am happy to report that it only went down to 34! Our area rarely has a temperature below 40 in the winter months and most nights range 42 and higher.

Mother nature on a rainy day....

Portulacaria afra (small leaf jade) bent by the wind and heavy rainfall.

Euryops chrysanthemoides

Our rose arbor blew down one day last week.  This is the second rose arbor I have lost to wind in this location. I think it is time for a new location.

Huddling together to keep warm on the Mexican patio.

Hiding out under the eaves. An Aloe plicatilis (Fan Aloe) and Aloe Vera, the medicinal plant we all use when injured in the garden.   Also a  Cleistocactus winteri forma cristata (the funny looking cacti in the back, left) and a Senecio rowleyanus (String of Pearls).

More huddling for warmth. Some of my geraniums and a few more succulents; a Plumeria, too.  I have two Christmas cacti that have been blooming since early November, that's one on the table with the pink buds.

Borage plant looking very happy. But..

the succulents are having a tough time.

Leaves have all fallen from the Liquid Amber Trees.

Mushrooms growing on an old Silver Dollar Eucalyptus stump.

One of four raised veggie beds.  This one includes green onions, red onions, yellow onions, sorrel, mesclun mix.

This bed has onions again, watercress, spinach, leaf lettuce, radicchio, oak leaf lettuce and endive.

Beets, Swiss Chard red and green and also Bright Lights chard

This bed of onions really got pounded with the rain.

That's it for me, my feet are getting wet, I am going inside!  Note to self...do not wear your leather Nike shoes on a rainy day in the garden.