Day 3 of sunshine and the greenhouse temperatures up to 100*F. The vents are open and the fan is on in my little piece of heaven.
Only look close……..
(Ekkkkk) a bug and not the good kind of bug either. The next thing I know I am spraying the greenhouse plants down with my soap, water and oil mix. And wouldn’t you know I forgot my eye glasses in the house today so it was really hard to see if those little buggers were still moving after being NUKED.
Nuking the BUGS! Why do I all of a sudden have ‘GO AHEAD make my day!” going through my head??!
Aphids must love German Statice as much as I do because they were all over this perennial that has been enjoying the winter in my greenhouse. This photo to the right is before I ‘nuked ‘ it with the soap mixture.
The crazy thing is I DID NOT see them yesterday! Believe me, I would have noticed these icky critters.
And here the little aphids are after a nice soap bath. I am trying not to get frustrated because it has been a wonderful learning experience all winter.
Tomorrow I am going to try a product I purchased up at Black Diamond Nursery in Perrysburg, Ohio today. It is an organic product that contains NEEM OIL. YOU KNOW I will keep you posted on how this product works for me in my 10′x12′ greenhouse.
UNTIL Tomorrow…. I am going back to enjoy one of the coolest things about having a greenhouse. I can enjoy petunia’s blooming along with the tulips on a sunshiny 90*F day in early March . BUGS BE GONE! (if it were only that easy?!)
Yes, I do believe most people would agree that this bloom is dead. This morning I was challenged to look deeper finding myself asking ‘ Is it really dead?!”
I attended the Central Ohio Home & Garden Show in Columbus themed ‘Art in Bloom’ and was inspired to be challenged in art. ART is all around us in all shapes and form. Dead or Alive!
I hope to challenge you to take a double take at the things around you in your garden and or home. Is it really dead or can you see the ‘art’ that is alive?
Today I am going to share a quick tour of the greenhouse for Fertilizer Friday! My Greenhouse Sister in Canada invites all bloggers to join in the fun each Friday! Check her site out at : Tootsie Time
Fertilizer Friday is the day when gardeners from all over the world join in and share the blooms of their labors!
I hope you will stop by Tootsies site and see what others are sharing today!
This is an all time favorite recipe that I can create from memory. My best dishes are created when I use what we have in the kitchen on hand. Today I had a bag of fresh Idaho potatoes, bacon defrosting from the freezer box and some fresh parsley from the greenhouse.
Potato Soup
SERVES 4-6
6-8 medium potatoes
1/2 cup of Butter
1/2 cup of New York Sharp Cheese ( cubed)
4 cups of Chicken Stock
8 oz. of Cream Cheese
1 teaspoon of Sea Salt
about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh pepper
Snip of fresh parsley
8 oz. of bacon crumbled
Peel, cube, boil, drain and potatoes. Save about 1/2 of cup of the boiling water in the pot.
Add to the pot butter, cheese and the cream cheese.
Add broth – and seasons.
heat to a boil.
Stir almost constantly or it will scorch.
Add bacon crumbled once with in minutes of serving.
I hope this recipe becomes a favorite on your Autumn dinning table. ENJOY!
I have always loved this soup on a cold winters day but even better now that I grow my own Swiss Chard in my garden. This meal for 6 can be made for under $6 and cheaper yet if you grow your own Swiss Chard.
Swiss Chard Winter Soup
(Feeds a family of six in about 45 minutes.)
Ingredients
1 pound of ground turkey
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 medium onion ( chopped)
6 cups of low sodium chicken broth
5 cups of chopped swiss chard
2 can (15 oz) of great Northern beans ( drained and rinsed)
* Don’t forget the CORNBREAD!
Directions :
In a Dutch oven cook up the ground turkey with a dash of olive oil, some spicy season mix, onion and garlic. I use a few dashes of my hot pepper sauce and some chili peppers chopped. Once the meat is brown add the broth, chard and beans.
Simmer this soup for about 20 minutes and serve right away.
My family loves this dish with some oven fresh corn bread!
Would love to hear if you gave this recipe a try or if you have any other recipes to use with swiss chard. ENJOY!
Only look close……..
Nuking the BUGS! Why do I all of a sudden have ‘GO AHEAD make my day!” going through my head??!
Aphids must love German Statice as much as I do because they were all over this perennial that has been enjoying the winter in my greenhouse. This photo to the right is before I ‘nuked ‘ it with the soap mixture.
And here the little aphids are after a nice soap bath. I am trying not to get frustrated because it has been a wonderful learning experience all winter.
I hope to challenge you to take a double take at the things around you in your garden and or home. Is it really dead or can you see the ‘art’ that is alive?
Would love to hear if you gave this recipe a try or if you have any other recipes to use with swiss chard. ENJOY!
