End of the Line for Hot Peppers 2019
The summer ended with the rain in November. Then came the frost. Then came the rain again. These are officially the last peppers of Hidden Lake Hot Batch 19. At least they were easy to pick.
Christmas Rescue 2018
A white poinsettia one year after being rescued My wife likes to justify her post-Christmas bargain hunting by bringing home an abused and deeply-discounted Christmas plant for me to save. Sometimes it's a rosemary trimmed in the shape of a little Christmas tree, an easy save, sometimes it's a spruce, a plant wholly unsuited for San Diego's desert climate and therefore a hard save. Usually though, it's a poinsettia, which is an easy save unless you make it hard. San Diego is basically America's poinsettia capitol. Every town in the county has at least one street named "Poinsettia" [keep reading...]
This Crassula Owns the Greenhouse Today
Wandered into the greenhouse this morning to check how everyone is doing with the ridiculous 50° temperature swings. My Island of Misfit Succulents seems to be doing just fine. This Crassula (anyone know the variety?) with it's bright green and pink-tinged leaves is really owning it today.
Found an Aloe Forest
Discovered a large patch of aloe (Aloe barbadensis) growing wild in a neglected area of the Acre. They're going to be part of my Mediterranean garden now.
Hot Pepper Sauce Batch 19 – Entry 9
Rain and persistent cold weather have slowed the peppers to a crawl. There's still a few left on the plants, but not enough to hold off on moving the hot sauce to its resting stage. To enhance the flavor I add a couple of oak staves to the pepper brew and let it sit for another 8 - 12 weeks. American oak happens to be high in a compound called vanillin, which is why things that age in American oak barrels (like Bourbon) have subtle vanilla aromas and flavors. Toasting the oak helps make those flavors more pronounced, so [keep reading...]
Keyhole Garden – December 15, 2019
No rain, but near freezing temperatures has the broccoli confused about what to do. Fortunately, the lettuce (front left) has no such problem.
Gaucho the Rooster
This magnificent little guy is Gaucho, so named because of his fancy feathered feet and the exotic dance that makes him irresistible to the ladies. At age 11(!), he's basically our feathered Ricardo Montalbán.
Chinese lantern adds a bit of color
It's cold, it's wet and most of the plants are hunkered down for the winter. Were it not for this one little Chinese Lantern (Physalis Alkekengi), the view out my office window would be very earthtone.
2020 Poultry Pinup Chicks
I know it's dorky, but I am totally geeking on the new 2020 Avian Health calendar I got from the feed store today. It's free from the California Department of Agriculture, so I may get another one to put up in the coop for the roosters. They dig pinup chicks.
Keyhole Garden – December 8, 2019
Another 3" of rain and continued cool weather this week, but the keyhole garden continues to thrive. The broccoli (rear of the garden) is doing well, the romaine lettuce (right side) is doubling each week. We were even able to harvest some cilantro yesterday for enchiladas the mrs. is making.
End of the Line for Hot Peppers 2019
The summer ended with the rain in November. Then came the frost. Then came the rain again. These are officially the last peppers of Hidden Lake Hot Batch 19. At least they were easy to pick.
Christmas Rescue 2018
A white poinsettia one year after being rescued My wife likes to justify her post-Christmas bargain hunting by bringing home an abused and deeply-discounted Christmas plant for me to save. Sometimes it's a rosemary trimmed in the shape of a little Christmas tree, an easy save, sometimes it's a spruce, a plant wholly unsuited for San Diego's desert climate and therefore a hard save. Usually though, it's a poinsettia, which is an easy save unless you make it hard. San Diego is basically America's poinsettia capitol. Every town in the county has at least one street named "Poinsettia" [keep reading...]
This Crassula Owns the Greenhouse Today
Wandered into the greenhouse this morning to check how everyone is doing with the ridiculous 50° temperature swings. My Island of Misfit Succulents seems to be doing just fine. This Crassula (anyone know the variety?) with it's bright green and pink-tinged leaves is really owning it today.
Found an Aloe Forest
Discovered a large patch of aloe (Aloe barbadensis) growing wild in a neglected area of the Acre. They're going to be part of my Mediterranean garden now.
Hot Pepper Sauce Batch 19 – Entry 9
Rain and persistent cold weather have slowed the peppers to a crawl. There's still a few left on the plants, but not enough to hold off on moving the hot sauce to its resting stage. To enhance the flavor I add a couple of oak staves to the pepper brew and let it sit for another 8 - 12 weeks. American oak happens to be high in a compound called vanillin, which is why things that age in American oak barrels (like Bourbon) have subtle vanilla aromas and flavors. Toasting the oak helps make those flavors more pronounced, so [keep reading...]
Keyhole Garden – December 15, 2019
No rain, but near freezing temperatures has the broccoli confused about what to do. Fortunately, the lettuce (front left) has no such problem.
Gaucho the Rooster
This magnificent little guy is Gaucho, so named because of his fancy feathered feet and the exotic dance that makes him irresistible to the ladies. At age 11(!), he's basically our feathered Ricardo Montalbán.
Chinese lantern adds a bit of color
It's cold, it's wet and most of the plants are hunkered down for the winter. Were it not for this one little Chinese Lantern (Physalis Alkekengi), the view out my office window would be very earthtone.
2020 Poultry Pinup Chicks
I know it's dorky, but I am totally geeking on the new 2020 Avian Health calendar I got from the feed store today. It's free from the California Department of Agriculture, so I may get another one to put up in the coop for the roosters. They dig pinup chicks.
Keyhole Garden – December 8, 2019
Another 3" of rain and continued cool weather this week, but the keyhole garden continues to thrive. The broccoli (rear of the garden) is doing well, the romaine lettuce (right side) is doubling each week. We were even able to harvest some cilantro yesterday for enchiladas the mrs. is making.