New Links and Favorites for May

This month I thought I would share some of my favorite finds and links, maybe you will be inspired too.

My next sewing project (once I find the fabric/colors I want): Here

Great craft idea for tin cans and 4th of July or Memorial Day: Here

I want to braid my hair like this for the summer time: Here

This dessert would be very festive for 4th of July or Memorial Day: Here

And my favorite quote for the month is:  "Gardening is cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes"

I have been spending a lot of time in my garden, getting everything planted and watching my plants bloom.   But I have gotten back into my crafts.  Here's one I recently finished.

Testing Giada's Artichoke Recipe

I recently recorded and watched a new episode of Giada at Home on the Food Network last weekend.  Click here for the recipe.  It really was perfect timing since I had two artichokes I had been meaning to cook, but steaming and dipping in mayonnaise is boring after awhile.  Luckily I had all the ingredients in my cupboard to test out this recipe.

The recipe is straightforward, though I had extra stuffing left so 3 artichokes would be more appropriate then two.  I also found that using a spoon with a pairing knife worked best in removing the center "choke" part.  Don't be hesitate to use the anchovy paste, you really don't taste it, but you can reduce the amount if you prefer.  I also love steaming my artichokes with the lemons in the water and be sure to add some lemon juice to your cut artichoke or it WILL brown, just like cut apples do.

Very yummy!  With a little crunch from the bread crumbs, no mayo needed.

Tip of the Month: Dog Safety in the Heat

Heat stroke is devastating to pets and humans alike.  But it can be harder to know if your pet is showing symptoms of heat stroke.  I am always concerned about heat stroke for my dogs, especially when we have a heat wave early in the spring and summer season.

This week the heat wave continues so I have taken steps to prevent heat stroke for my dogs.  In the spring, I step up the brushing of their coats since neither of my dogs "blow out" their coats.  What I mean by "blow out" their coats is the tuffs of fur that many breeds of dogs (and other animals) develop after winter when they are shedding or molting their winter fur coats.  My dogs constantly shed, but I brush more fur off in the spring than any other time of year.

When my dogs stay outside I make sure there are cool, shady spots and plenty of water available to them.  I prefer the large stainless steel dog bowls for water bowls outside instead of plastic or ceramic.  This way I don't have to worry about BPA or other chemicals of painted ceramic contaminating their water.  I would note that if the water sits too long in the bowls or the outside temperature is high (not necessarily that the water was in the sun) that the stainless steel bowl will develop a little algae growth.  Just be sure to clean the bowl and add fresh water.  I make sure to add fresh water several times a week, anyways.  And those that conserve water, just dump the water in the bowl in your plants (as long as you are not using soft water from the house - that can kill many plants).

At other times, I allow my dogs inside where they find cool spots on the floor in front of the fans I usually have running.  If you normally run the A/C in your house, give floor fans and ceiling fans a try.  Most of the time I can circulate air in the house and keep it cool with fans and avoid the A/C and high electricity bill.

My other tips to keep my dogs cool are:
- avoid walking during the hottest hours of the day (high heat on the ground can also burn dogs paw pads)
- take water for your pet when you walk or travel
- do not leave your pet in the car in any warm or hot temperatures (there are gadgets you can hang in the car  
   that tell you the temperature inside your vehicle).
- always provide fresh water for your pet, whether they are inside or outside
- always provide shade and shelter for your pet if they are outside
- try frozen treats (like Honest Kitchens Icy Pups) as an alternative treat
- give your dog a bath in cool (not cold) water or go swimming!

And finally check out this article for symptoms of heat stroke and other tips to prevent heat stroke.

Pool surfing as a pup

Vertical Gardening Ideas

With my garden planted and growing, I had to figure other ways to utilize my small space.  The majority of my vegetables are in pots, so don't think you can't grow vegetables in pots.  There are many varieties, even tomatoes, that you can grow in a pot, just be sure to have one that is large enough.  Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers (of all sorts), cucumbers, zucchini, and green beans are all in pots in my garden.

This year I decided to grow cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon which happen to be vine plants that grow horizontally.  So I needed to come up with a vertical option - a trellis.  This also required a watermelon variety that produces smaller, personal size melons.  And to utilize my space I planted all three melons, with some space apart, in the ground with a trellis (that has some netting attached) behind them that can lean on a wall.  The netting and wall should add enough support to help hold the weight of each melon and provide staking for the vines to grow vertically.

The second vertical garden idea is staking my cucumbers and green beans.  To cut cost I found a trellis netting to hang along the fence so that I can space some of the cucumbers and green beans using the same netting.  For the rest of the cucumbers, I made a tepee with wooden stakes, using twine to tie them together.  This tepee is a little different than most you see pictured in gardening books.  My Mother drilled holes in each stake (in the same spots) and then strung the twine through.  The concept will be a tepee that has support for the cucumber vines to climb, but when the season ends will fold compactly for storage.

Garden Update

I finally have all my vegetables planted and only have three more that I am starting from seed.  Most of my seeds have been successful, though I had to replant my straight-neck squash, sugar pumpkin and Japanese eggplant.

Lemon Balm

And my herbs are looking good!  I added lemon balm and dill this year.  The dill should be great for making my own dill pickles once I have cucumbers on my pickling cucumber plant.

Basil seedlings

If any of you have ever watched an episode of Mythbusters, maybe you have seen the experiment that showed playing heavy metal music to peas produced taller plants and more peas.  Guess this shows that "talking" to your plants might have an effect and I am seriously considering trying this experiment with my tomatoes.  Though I am very excited to see some small tomatoes on my Sweetheart tomato plant as well as some peppers.  The heat this week should be great for my plants, even though my dogs and I am not entirely enjoying it.

Fresno Chile

Green Bell Pepper

Sweetheart Cherry Tomato

California Wolf Center

From the beginning of the wolf program in Yellowstone, I have been an advocate for wolves (and grizzly bears).  Since then I have been following the progress, setbacks and any other news related to the wolves in North America.  One particular center caught my attention while in San Diego and several years ago I finally made a visit.  The California Wolf Center is located East of San Diego in Julian and is worth a visit.  Make a day of the trip and visit the historic town of Julian, pick up some apple desserts and then check out the center.

The center has excellent educational programs, researchers and volunteers.  I loved visiting and would go back again.  Check out their web page and all of the information available, click here.  This year is rather special since wolves are returning to the state of California.  But, if you aren't in California, then you should visit Yellowstone National Park.

Irises in bloom

This spring my Irises have been late to bloom and I'm not complaining.  Two colors of iris bulbs were given to me several years ago and I am having to thin them out now.  And last year my family and I visited Pleasant Valley Iris Farm in the Vacaville area and I picked up several more colors, two of which have bloomed this year.