About a month ago I shared a photo of my rustic mimosa tree trellis for the cucumbers. I fashioned the trellis from the trunks of mimosas from a few of the trees he had chopped down a couple of weeks before. I was hoping they would look just rustic once they were covered with the cucumber vines. I didn’t expect them to grow!
Unfortunately, they are. They are sprouting everywhere. They’re sunk about two feet into the soil and now covered with cucumber vines, so I’m not inclined to hoist them up mid-summer. But pulling them up is definitely on the to-do list for fall cleanup.
Trust me. Although mimosas are rather pretty trees with charming fan-shaped pink flowers, they are extremely invasive. We have a grove of them—and many more volunteers—to prove it.
Margaret over at A Way to Garden is encouraging a bloggers’ recipe exchange to take advantage of the summer harvest.
This week is cucumbers. Good thing too, because I have cucumbers!
How about this Armenian Yardlong Cucumber? Yes, it is supposed to be this light yellow, almost white color. And this one is well on its way to being a yard long.
Unfortunately, my first Armenian Yardlong Cucumber was bitter. But I have taken steps to remedy that. If you are plagued with bitter cucumbers, check out my Examiner post on how to avoid them.
Here’s a great way to enjoy the flavor of your garden fresh cucumbers–Asian Cucumber Salad. My favorite!
Ingredients
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, de-seeded, sliced lengthwise and in thin slices
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted in a skillet until golden brown
Toss the cucumbers with the kosher salt and place in a colander in the sink. Place an ice-filled bag on the cucumbers to drain for 45 minutes to an hour. Whisk all the remaining ingredients, except the sesame seeds, until blended and the sugar is dissolved. Rinse the cucumbers and dry with paper towels. Toss the cucumbers and dressing. Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
If you’re in the neighborhood and just happen to have your paintbrush and paint clothes with you, stop on by. Harry and I are taking the day off from work to start painting the master bedroom. We figure it’ll take until Sunday. Harry does most of the rolling—no small chore with high ceilings—and I do all the tedious detail work. You, of course, can pitch in wherever you like.
We’re painting it a dove grey. So if you see some grey in my hair in the next few days, it’s paint. Got it? The grey is paint.
Happy Groundhog Day! What are you doing to celebrate?
We’ll have a special dinner of NOT groundhog. Dinner will be a special pasta (TBD) and some yummy homemade yeast rolls. Then we’ll pull out the photo album of past Groundhog Days and reminisce. We will toast Puxatawny Phil by opening the first bottle of my homemade apfelwein, which I hope is sparkly by now. If it’s any good, you’ll hear more about it.
Working from a home office is not always what it’s cracked up to be. I have a lousy IT department (me). Interruptions range from barking dogs to crowing roosters. I hear my business phone ring during non-business hours.
But there is a lot good about a 15 step commute. Such as today. It’s cloudy and a bit drizzly, but the temps will climb into the mid 60s for the second day in a row. I will turn off the heat, throw open the windows and give the house—and office—a good airing. Ahhh!
It’s cold here with a bit of ice and snow on the ground. The hens hate it.
There was a huge, chicken-y traffic jam at their window/door this morning. As I opened it three hens bolted outside. But they beat a hasty retreat back into the coop while other hens were still trying to get out. There was an impasse and much chicken shoving. There were no injuries—unless you count my sore sides from laughing so hard.
