Don't kiss your ashes goodbye!

The last hurrah of winter has almost come. You've burned wood. You have ashes. Now what? Don't Throw Them Away!

Wood ash, also known as potash, is an excellent, organic amendment for soil. It is full of micronutrients (calcium, zinc, and magnesium, to name a few) and is an effective and organic way to raise (make more alkaline) your soil's pH. And it's free! This makes wood ash an excellent resource, providing your need soil needs a bit of alkalinity.

Wood ash is a form of potassium. Reflecting on that lovely Table of Elements chart from Chemistry 101, you may recall that the chemical symbol for potassium is "K." This is the K in the NPK ratio on those fertilizer bags. Potassium is a much-needed nutrient for plants, enabling them to use water more efficiently, resist drought and disease, and simply strengthens them overall.

There are only a few caveats to using leftover wood ash in your garden. Wood ash as a soil amendment specifically means ashes from wood you have burned, not ashes from your charcoal grill. Think 'tree only,' and this means as it fell; no treated wood. Also, if your soil is already quite alkaline, forego the wood ash. (What?! Too alkaline? How do I know this?! Now might be the time to become friendly with that soil testing kit you've been threatening to purchase.) And while potatoes may appreciate a good dose of potassium, too much wood ash can cause scab. So use with caution around potatoes. 

Understanding pH

In the world of pH, 7.0 is neutral. Soil that registers lower than 7.0 is considered acidic. If the level is higher, it is considered alkaline, or sweet. Most plants appreciate a nearly neutral soil pH of about 6.5-7.0, but some thrive in an environment that is more acidic. It is critical to know the pH requirements of your plants and how your soil registers. If you apply wood ash willy nilly to your garden, it could mean impending doom for some plants. Raising the pH of your soil is great for tomatoes, for example, but it would be disastrous for acid-loving blueberries or azaleas.

How to apply
Avoid windy days when working with wood ash and be sure to use protective gear. Gloves, mask, and eye wear are all de rigueur. The easiest way to incorporate wood ash into your soil is to compost it. Be careful, however, not to mix in too much at one time or you will skew the pH and scare off those beneficial worms at work. Add a thin layer alternated between those leaves or kitchen scraps. You can also lightly sprinkle wood ash directly on the soil, which will also function as a slug deterrent. If you miss the soil and it finds its way to the leaves of your plants, wash off the leaves to prevent burning. If using for slugs, reapply after a rain.

It's the Bee's Knees

Beekeepers should especially take note – wood ash is excellent for that clover yard you have been coveting. Clover thrives in a pH of 6.5 to 7. If your soil leans toward acids (very common in these parts), it will thank you for broadcasting a light layer of wood ash and repay you with oodles of happy little clover plants. 

If your soil could benefit from a little pH adjustment, now might be a great time to address that issue. So be sure to save those ashes and do some down-to-earth recycling. And, ya can't beat the price!

Seed Starting

I got a late gardening start this year for starting seeds, so when I placed my order I splurged and bought what I've been wanting for years - a seedling heated mat (left).

Thyme, Basil, Beets - bottom to top

Heated mats are supposed to give a germination advantage by a few weeks (in addition to better germination), so I rationalized this would take me back to a mid-February start date. That is certainly worthy enough for purchase justification!

So far, I'm loving it. I started these puppies (shown on the right) on 3/2/2014. These sprouted in just 3 days! That's pretty impressive!

What have you started so far?

Chickens - Again!

Hubby and I have had chickens almost since we bought our 40-acre farm. But one by one we lost most of them. Now, 14 years later, we are down to two, third-generation roosters. We decided to wait a while to get a new batch of chicks so hubs could re-work the existing coop and try to make it more safe from predation. We are vulnerable to racoons, hawks, skunks, and even the occasional mink.

Not much progress has been made in the area of re-vamping the old coop. If I could show you my tapping foot, I would . . . because I am so anxious to get a new crew of chicks. But I do try to be patient with my husband's limited supply of energy and the oh-so-many tasks on his "to do" list.

As it happens, yesterday, my son, who works at Sam's Club here in our fine city, sent me this picture of what they had just received in stock. It's called a Chicken Chalet. Man-o-man did that get my "I want new chickens" juices flowing! As soon as he sent me the picture, I went online to my local store and ordered one for us to pick up. We have to wait two days before we can go get it. Again, I'm trying to be patient. More waiting. Oh boy. (Is this what they call a recurring theme?) In the meantime, while waiting patiently, I will refresh my memory on tending baby chicks and do an inventory of what existing items we  have, what might need mended or replaced, and I will make my list of things I need. Plus! - I get to study what breed of chicken I will order. I am beside myself with anticipation. While this coop will only hold 4-6 chickens, it still means I can get started again this spring with at least a few chickens. Who knows, maybe I'll order more chalets and sprinkle them about the property!

Karen's haiku.

Winter winds blowing -
Nightly the flash dance begins
    Covers kicked quickly.

Roast Leg of Lamb

I was experiencing "cooker's block" the other night while trying to think of what I might cook that would fill my need for "yummy." I worked backwards into this roast lamb, because baba ganoush and hummus kept coming to mind. The jump to a leg of lamb wasn't a far stretch. I luckily found one on sale at the local market - half price. How fun is that?!

I love to peruse recipes, so when I set my sights on what to cook, I will pull out several cookbooks and read recipes online, and what I end up with is usually an amalgam of several recipes that I've pulled pieces from. Since I'm usually tinkering with ingredients I know I like, I almost always enjoy the outcome. Here is a recent endeavor.

Herb Encrusted Roast Leg of Lamb with Oven Roasted Carrots

Reserve about a teaspoonful of the herbs to toss with the carrots.
Be sure to let the roast come to room temperature before cooking.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
6-pound leg of lamb, bone in
6 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary or about
     1 Tbs dried
(2 tsp chopped thyme)
1 Tbs kosher or sea salt
1-2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1.5 pounds carrots
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT OVEN to 450

Mince the garlic and chop the rosemary and thyme, if using, and combine with the salt and pepper, reserving a teaspoon or two for the carrots. You can chop your ingredients on a cutting board, whir them together in a food processor for a few seconds, or use a mortar and pestle. It's all a matter of ease. I have even used a coffee grinder.

Add the mustard to the herbs and mix well. Using your hands, slather the mixture evenly over every nook and cranny you can possibly find. After you've covered the lamb evenly with the mustard mixture, cover in plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator over night. If time is of the essence, let it marinate for as long as you can spare.

Cook for 25 minutes at 450, then lower the heat to 350 and cook another hour or so for medium rare. Medium rare for lamb is right at 145 degrees, if your thermometer works correctly.  My thermometers have never worked right (or maybe it's the driver?), and I've tried several, so I've resorted to kicking them out of the oven and going only by time. Going by time does require a bit of guesswork, but I've cooked many a good roast that way.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
While the roast is cooking during the "first leg" so to speak, or while you are waiting for it to come to room temp, peel and slice carrots. Toss the carrots with the reserved herbs and the olive oil. When it's time to drop the temperature down to 350, sprinkle the carrots around the roast and cook the remaining hour, basting every 20 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven when done and set on a platter to rest for about 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the carrots.

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Bee Basics 101

I love beekeeping. What a fascinating hobby! If you have any interest at all in beekeeping, I urge you to contact your local beekeeping club (call your extension office if you are not sure how to find it) and see if they have a mentor program. Tell them you want to shadow someone for a while so you can see what you really think about beekeeping. Starting beekeeping can be quite intimidating if you have absolutely no idea of what is involved. Since I was "that person" (the one who just jumped in, no questions asked), I have learned by the school of hard knocks. I really don't want YOU to do that. You may attempt it, fail, and thus give up on something that, done differently, you would still enjoy years later.  So I started a mentoring program of sorts at our local library. Just a very casual Q & A, sit-and-chat meeting. I hope to address those burning questions that many beginners have. And since there are beginners world-wide, I recently started an online Facebook page for beginning beekeepers - BeeBasics101. It's a new Facebook page, so it's dying for your input. ;) Pop in and see what you think!

Maybe you can force an issue...

Anxiously awaiting forced crocus blooms.

My husband is always telling me,
"You can't force the issue."

I think I'll prove him wrong. I'm going to hybridize a new flower bulb and name it "The Issue."

Staving Off Starvation

We had had a week of some pretty nasty weather. Icy, windy, sleety, rainy. Near zero temperatures, an all-around nasty week.

When I wrote this, it was 39 out at 8:00 a.m. Not bad weather for you and me, but honey bees tend to stay bundled up and inside at that temp. The high was forecast to be 57. And sunny! That meant the bees would surely be out. Though I knew it was a little early for them, I had peeked out to see if there were any brave ones by the feeding bowl. Not yet. I would be leaving shortly to go to work, but I was waiting, with baited breath so to speak, to see if a girl might arrive before I left. Four years into beekeeping and I still am almost as excited by my bees as the very first day I became a beekeeper.

In these parts, in the winter, when it's going to be warm enough for bees to fly, bees can expend a lot of energy looking for nectar that simply isn't there. So I put out barely-moistened sugar for them to eat. Just like those who put out food for humming birds, I set out sugar for the bees. Many bees starve in the winter, for various reasons. This is my way of helping to stave off that starvation.

I did get lucky before I headed to work that morning. Two girls donned a bee coat at 41 degrees to sup some almost-nectar. It is now my day off, another warm day, and they are coming like crazy. A very welcome sight.

Winter wonderland

Though dangerous, an ice storm brings its own kind of beauty. 1/9/2014.

Pure isn't pure. Thank you FDA.

I'm a bit of a purity nut. I never used margarine because butter is pure and natural. (Yes, I can be a contradiction here too, however, so don't call me on it when you see it!) I like my brulee plain, and my martinis old-school – rarely dirty and never gussied up.

I decided to make vanilla extract last month. Fairly easy to do. Here is a great place to get your beans, and there are recipes there also. Very simple. About 5 beans to 8 ounces of vodka. Then just time.

My extract had been marinating about five weeks, so I popped the top and tasted it. Hmmm. Tastes like alcohol. No surprise there, I guess. For years, people have been known to drink extract for its alcohol content. So I opened a vanilla extract I had in my cupboard. It tasted more vanilla-y; sweeter. I wondered why. Mine had been soaking plenty long enough. Two weeks is often suggested, but I wanted to go the extra mile and waited a very long five weeks. I contacted Beanilla and this is the (very helpful) response I received.

The flavor comes out of the extract during the baking process. At this time, the heat evaporates the alcohol from the extract, leaving behind a rich vanilla flavor.

Store bought alcohol often contains artificial additives or sweeteners, which will definitely mask the flavor of alcohol if you are sipping from the bottle.

Additives?! To vanilla extract? It never occurred to me. So I pulled it out and sure enough, it had glucose syrup added. Sugar! But the label said “Pure Vanilla.” I pulled out my other bottle of vanilla. It said “100% Pure.” Another taste test ensued. The “100% Pure” bottle tasted just like mine, alcohol-y.

I might not ever have thought twice about the difference between pure and 100% pure, had I not wondered how companies like Fisher can sell “pure” honey when I knew good and well it was NOT pure. I did a little research about honey and found that for an item to be considered “pure” by the FDA, it need only contain 51% of the named ingredient. Fifty-One Percent. If it is labeled 100% pure, we are to know that nothing has been added.

Now, doesn’t this just chap your hide? Pure isn’t pure.
LESSON: Look for 100% pure when it matters.
The rest is just smoke and mirrors.