MarthaJeanne's garden 2017

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MarthaJeanne's garden 2017

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1MarthaJeanne
Feb 8, 2017, 10:10 am

I bought a new garden book today. Wird das was oder kann das weg? It is a book about baby weeds - so you can pull them before they get to be big weeds.

22wonderY
Feb 8, 2017, 10:23 am

Ha ha! Good luck with that! It does appear from the cover that it'll help you develop a better eye.

3MarthaJeanne
Feb 8, 2017, 10:34 am

I looked at the double page of one I know. and the pictures were very good. First of when it first comes up, then after a few weeks, then in full bloom. And yes, that one is one you want to get the moment it pops up, as it has long underground runners. So the 'Get this out now!' is quite right.

On the other hand, it also has similar pictures of garden plants that often self-seed. So Pot Marigold should not usually be pulled up.

4MarthaJeanne
Feb 28, 2017, 5:28 pm

The starlings have found our feeders. They really go through the food! I have set a daily limit of the amount I am willing to put out.

5MarthaJeanne
Mar 1, 2017, 4:58 am

Yuck! I went into the shed to check the mousetrap. Yes, I caught something. But only by the tip of the nose, and it was alive and struggling. I went squeamish, and sent my husband out to put it out of its misery. But it got away. Wonder if it has taken a dislike to peanut butter.

6Lyndatrue
Mar 1, 2017, 11:36 am

>5 MarthaJeanne: Ewww. I admit I'd have probably dispatched it, but the whole idea, even second hand, and thousands of miles away, was enough to make me shudder. I'd bet that the smell of peanut butter (if it can still smell) is going to be associated with traps forever.

7MarthaJeanne
Mar 8, 2017, 11:11 am

The reset mousetrap isn't catching anything.

I bought 2 dozen lettuce plants today - one is red oak leaf, the other mixed Lollo. I've put 8 plants into a container in the greenhouse, the others in the garden. It's probably too early, on the other hand, the soil is dry and warm, so maybe I should be planting peas already? Still two months when there could be frost.

The new greenhouse is like the old one with a few improvements - like the zippers don't have aluminum any more. But the big difference is that we invested in a new heater and a ventilator with thermostat. We still have to open and close it every day, but the temps are much more even. I'm happy with it. Not only does the new heater really keep the set temperature quite accurately, it also has a fan that keeps the inside air evenly heated.

8MarthaJeanne
Mar 12, 2017, 8:20 am

OK, planted the peas. Norli and Sweet Horizon.

When buying the seed, I also picked up a set for planting herbs. I have now planted that, as well. It had seven herbs, but I threw away the curly parsley and the coriander, and used the other parsley and the regular basil each in two pots. The others are lemon basil, chives and thyme. (We both seem to have the genes for 'coriander tastes like soap', so no point in growing it.) I wish they had included summer savory instead of thyme. I need to buy new thyme plants and sage plants this year. The old ones have gotten too woody.

9MarthaJeanne
Mar 19, 2017, 12:51 pm

>8 MarthaJeanne: Three of the pots have sprouted. 2x regular Basil and the Thyme.

10SDaisy
Mar 22, 2017, 11:46 pm

>8 MarthaJeanne:
I've never actually heard of lemon basil before! It sounds really good. I've grown sweet basil, cinnamon basil, and purple opal basil, which I've had success with, and I'm always interested in trying new varieties of herbs. I'll have to add that one to the list! Thanks for sharing about it. :-)

11MarthaJeanne
Mar 23, 2017, 7:11 am

The Parsley is beginning to sprout in both pots, but no sign of life in the Lemon Basil pot, and I think I see mold in the chive pot.

Last year I finally finished separating out the bay plants I had. The two biggest went into good pots to keep. I was able to give away a few of the others. (These all came from one purchased pot a few years ago.) The biggest plant has been in the greenhouse over the winter. The smaller is on a windowsill, and has provided flavour to many dishes over the past few months.I'm happy to report that the plant is thriving, and even has two new leaves. In May I'll move it outside, and use the other plant for cooking to give this one a chance to recover.

12MarthaJeanne
Mar 29, 2017, 3:19 pm

The peas are up.

We bought a new rain barrel. Now all we need is some rain.

I thinned the spinach and made spinach-ricotta gnochi for supper. They were OK, but too soft even after I added flour to the mix. Also, I was sure I still had one sage plant, but I guess not, and trying to find a supermarket near us with sage at the last minute was a hassle. I ended up with a plant. It won't go in the garden, though, as I want to buy new plants from Fr. Bach next month. She has an amazing collection of sages. I added a few leaves of sorrel and wild garlic to the spinach.

13Lyndatrue
Mar 29, 2017, 4:57 pm

>12 MarthaJeanne: You make me eager to get with it, even though it's early for me here. Spinach from the garden. Sage from the garden. Mercy, I can smell yours, half a world away. I'm thinking about extra sage, myself, this year (because it's pretty, and it smells good).

14fuzzi
Mar 30, 2017, 9:54 pm

Your thread is starred! :)

15MarthaJeanne
Editado: Mar 31, 2017, 3:09 am

I was at both garden centers yesterday. Then stopped at a plant and veggies stand on the way home.

1) carrot seed tapes, ant spray (Not for the garden, They are coming into the house.) Citrus fertilizer, chervil, lemon grass.

2) Suet balls

3) 10 pansies. Two Hyacinth (dark blue and white) and a pot of four short daffadils.

The pansies are to replace the weeds I'm going to pull today. I have put the other flowers into a lovely Mexican pot I recently bought. (Which is why I didn't buy the pink hyacinth.) This is the one time of year when I really like having potted plants in the house. I really wanted a preplanted set, but store 2, where I usually get them, had a very boring selection this year.



And my husband wants me to work in the garden today. He sent me this link: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/antidepressant-m...

I also have a somewhat smaller Mexican pot that is more blue than red. I'm trying to hold off on buying plants for them until the big plant markets in April and May. I figure the spring bulbs are a good gap filler.

16MarthaJeanne
Mar 31, 2017, 4:37 am

Speaking of my husband, he has declared a very strong objection to mowing the lawn in March, so I have graciously agreed that he can put it off until tomorrow.

17fuzzi
Abr 2, 2017, 8:25 pm

>16 MarthaJeanne: one day? Hahaha! :D

18qebo
Abr 6, 2017, 3:06 pm

>1 MarthaJeanne: baby weeds
That sounds helpful. I recognize only a few that are particularly evil and ubiquitous.

19MarthaJeanne
Abr 10, 2017, 1:25 am

I got to the plant sale at the Botanical gardens yesterday. Lovely weather, but too many of the plants on offer are just too delicate to plant for another month.

I circled for half an hour before seeing a car leave right in front of the door. Just as I was about to give up. The gravel paths were miserable with the walker. I'm not sure I'll do this again. And my box started falling apart half way around. But it stayed enough together to get back home with all the plants.

I have a bunch of things for under the apple tree, which should get me out there dealing with the bushes that have sprung up. I also need to harvest some wild garlic while it is out.

The only things I really know that I bought are two 'Earth Chestnuts' and a summer savory. Picked up AFTER the box was full, and therefore I had theoretically stopped buying.

20MarthaJeanne
Editado: Abr 10, 2017, 10:46 am

It seems that most of what I bought was small plants that flower this time of year. Fine, good even, but that meant that they really belong under the bushes or the apple tree. And those areas a) have a lot of roots just under the surface, and b) haven't had as much compost added since we moved in as other areas. Result: digging even small holes is work.

The last few probably should have gone there, too, but I have decided that they are fine in the flower bed.

Some of them are natives here and are supposed to be very good for the early insects.

21fuzzi
Abr 11, 2017, 7:57 pm

>20 MarthaJeanne: try adding some edging, then soil under the trees, like making small raised beds...less digging that way.

22MarthaJeanne
Editado: Abr 12, 2017, 9:22 am

>21 fuzzi: I did a fair amount of that sort of work when we first moved in, but back then I had a teen-age son living at home. And I could do more myself. I would really like to raise the perenial vegetable bed another layer this year, and might just be able to handle that much, but the other is well beyond what I could do.

Besides, both areas really have enough plants now. It's just habit to look for things that might work there. Next plant show it's flowers for the pots on the fence. But I didn't want to buy anything tender early April.

23fuzzi
Editado: Abr 12, 2017, 8:26 am

>22 MarthaJeanne: as I get older, and have less "help", I've been moving more into container gardening, and small plantings around the yard. I let the large vegetable garden "go" several years ago, as I just can't keep up with the maintenance during the hottest parts of the year.

And I use perennials, a lot.

24MarthaJeanne
Abr 12, 2017, 9:26 am

The area under the bushes is fading now, but between the primroses and the mini iris, it was really lovely for a few weeks. I consider that my Spring garden. The primroses have all been moved there from the driveway, where they also spring up and blossom in March every year, so they are simple ones, mostly yellow, although there is also pink and white.

25MarthaJeanne
Editado: Abr 12, 2017, 9:55 am

I bought books today. On my way into the bookstore for my weekly magazine fix, I saw Blatt für Blatt in the window. And when I found it upstairs, next to it was Blümchen Sex

The first is a plant guide based on leaf form. The original title of the second is Plant Love: The Scandalous Truth About the Sex Life of Plants. Need I mention that I bought both?

26qebo
Abr 12, 2017, 10:01 am

>25 MarthaJeanne: Need I mention that I bought both?
On LibraryThing, that's assumed. :-)

27MarthaJeanne
Abr 12, 2017, 10:10 am



This is inside the front cover serving as an index.

28mart1n
Abr 12, 2017, 12:41 pm

>Wow! Actually very tempted even though my schoolboy German was acquired a long time ago; I'm guessing it's all about the graphics in any case? And I wonder how busy my German translator friend is...

29MarthaJeanne
Editado: Abr 12, 2017, 3:37 pm

This is about wild plants, so that they can be recognized when there are no flowers. For each plant there is a photograph (in bloom), names in German and Latin, a description, a diagram sort of drawing and a few icons indicating edibility, medicinal use, where in central Europe is is likely to be found...

Let me try to translate the entry for Borage:

Symbols for used medicinally traditionally and homoeopathically, but not pharmaceutically. Common only in NW of central Europe. (They haven't seen my garden and the driveway next to it. I planted some once.) No edibile symbol. Annual, blossoms 6-8, 0.5 m

Sown in gardens and gone wild in areas with rich soil. (Together with hedge garlic, hempnettle, chickweed)

1) (numbers refer to the drawing) The fleshy-juicey, up to 1 cm thick stems are ???? and have bristley hairs.
2) The wrinkled leaves oval to long elliptically formed
3) Upper leaves sit on the stem and alternate sides.
4) Lower leaves have stems and in early stage form a rosette.
5) Blossoms have up to 4 cm. long stems.
6-9) Describe the blossom, but my vocab here is only passive.
10) Partial fruit a long egg-shaped up to 10mm long -???- little nut from a four part fruit.

Sorry, very rough. I am not a botanist. I also have no idea how much the flora is similar in the UK.

There is also an index of flower pictures by colour. I think this is the first plant guide that I will actually be able to sometimes find plants in that I don't already know.

30mart1n
Abr 13, 2017, 2:28 am

Ah, OK, could be educational, botanically and linguistically, and I dare say there's a fair crossover with UK plants. I'm reminded of a recent trip to Germany where I went on a walk with some locals and they were trying to tell me about the plants that grew all over a woodland glade. We got there via latin - "Ah, digitalis, you call them finger hat?!", "You call them fox glove?!".

31MarthaJeanne
Editado: Abr 13, 2017, 3:16 am

Southern UK is probably similar, if only because I know that gardening books work fairly well here (and American ones are harder to transfer). And I saw a patch of marshy ground in Bavaria last fall that was just like the canal edges we had been around near Rugby the week before.

The real problem would be the lack of English common names. Wikipedia is your friend here. I find that for plants and animals, looking it up in wikipedia in one language and then using the language menu on the side is often the quickest way to get the other name. Plus you have pictures that help ensure that you really do have the right name.

32mart1n
Abr 13, 2017, 5:22 am

English names aren't definitive in any case. One plant can have different names and vice versa depending on region.

33MarthaJeanne
Abr 13, 2017, 8:43 am

Yes, but. I like to have a name to hang on to.

I bought some frozen Gooseberries at the local 'exotic' market. Didn't think much about it, as they carry British and American products along with the Indian and African ones. When I went to defrost some to use, they had about twice the diameter of the berries I know, and pits about 7-8 mm across.

34MarthaJeanne
Editado: mayo 5, 2017, 12:33 pm

Tomatoes

Black Cherry - Bularischer Trumpf - Rätsel der Natur

Valencia - Whippersnapper - Heiliges Land

I seem to have picked up the wrong plant. There should be an Old Ivory Egg.

35MarthaJeanne
mayo 6, 2017, 11:40 am

Got the zukes and bell peppers in, too.

We took down the greenhouse as well, which also feels good.

36MarthaJeanne
Editado: mayo 19, 2017, 12:52 pm

Well, I won't be going back to the citrus days at Schloss Schönbrun again. They make it harder to get in every year, and the more interesting venders have given up on it.

However, I did buy a star jasmine, and it is now settled into a pot with a pole to climb up. The vender said it needs to spend the winter frost free, but I saw a website that said it can take 10-15F. That's a big difference! It could go in the greenhouse, but I crowd that full, so if it would be happy with just a bit of protection, I'd rather do that.

It's really pretty and smells wonderful. On the way back to the car through the zoo a bee found it and took a sip.

37MarthaJeanne
Editado: mayo 30, 2017, 3:22 pm

>8 MarthaJeanne: First peas tonight! They tasted very good. There will be even more to harvest tomorrow.

Last night I had my first slug hunt of the season. They were enjoying the carrot seedlings. They also got one of the lemon cucumber plants. On the other hand, I found fewer than a dozen, and only found one tonight. I may try again in another half hour or so.

I still have beet sets to plant out, then I'll be ready to buy more plants.

38Lyndatrue
Editado: mayo 31, 2017, 2:56 pm

>37 MarthaJeanne: I wonder if you can get the carnivorous snails in your area. Years ago, my late husband added them to our garden, and after a year, there were no slugs or snails left (they'd been the bane of my existence before, since they kept going after the roses). By three years, they'd spread to multiple houses in the neighborhood, and we started letting the neighbors know what they looked like, so they wouldn't be squished.

I don't think I've seen a slug or snail in my yard, here, in the desert, but it's so dry that I can't see them surviving.

I'm not sure where he even bought the snails (their diet consists exclusively of other snails, and slugs); perhaps a local nursery.

39MarthaJeanne
mayo 31, 2017, 2:20 pm

>38 Lyndatrue: I often get frustrated reading about biological controls, as many that are available in the UK and Germany are not permitted here. The Austrian authorities are very careful about allowing things that could upset the ecological balance. (That doesn't mean that they have banned the pesticides that are proven bee killers. Once allowed, they are just as slow to remove the permission.)

And since I live just outside the Danube wetlands National Park I generally prefer to go along rather than try smuggling. But I admit that snail killers would be high on the list of temptations. I think the nematodes I investigated a few years ago were against snails.

Actually, this should be a good year as far as the slugs go. We had a long, cold winter this year, and since there weren't that many last year and the winter was harsh (for us) I should be OK once the plants are past the most tender stages. I only found one last night after two tries.

40MarthaJeanne
Jul 23, 2017, 5:02 am

>34 MarthaJeanne: This is proving to be a good tomato year. All my plants are now producing.

*Whippersnapper is disappointing. Even right off the vine they taste more or less like supermarket tomatoes.

***Bulgarischer Trumpf is a good solid tomato. Not outstanding, but tasty and was an early producer.

****Old Ivory Egg and ****Black Cherry are my old reliables. Good, tasty tomatoes.

****Valencia started producing even before the cherry tomatoes and is very good.

****Rätsel der Natur is the last to start producing, but is also very good.

*****Heiliges Land is amazing. These are so tasty and sweet!

41fuzzi
Jul 25, 2017, 9:18 pm

>40 MarthaJeanne: enjoy! I used to love to eat tomatoes just off the vine, popped in the mouth while still standing amidst the plants!

42MarthaJeanne
Jul 28, 2017, 7:57 pm

We were at Schlosshof today. I love this red flower. Does anyone know what it is? I want it in my garden!

43reconditereader
Jul 28, 2017, 8:36 pm

Do you make slug traps? We've used those mostly-successfully in the American Midwest.

44MarthaJeanne
Editado: Jul 29, 2017, 4:12 am

I tried them the first year here. I think they might be useful under some circumstances.

They should NOT be in or near the beds you don't want slugs in as they attract the things. Even from the neighbors' gardens. They should be sunk into the ground. Well, our garden is quite small. (We can just manage to park my Jazz and his Prius on the street in front.) The soil is high in clay. In the beds I now have it easy to work, but other places it just isn't.

They also are high maintenance. You have to keep emptying them. Last year I was hunting with a spagetti sauce jar half filled with vinegar. When the jar was filled I would throw the whole thing away. At the peak time that was at least every other day. The traps available here would hold maybe half as much as one of those jars. I find that hunting them is at least as effective for the amount of work.

BTW vinegar is great stuff. It dissolves the slime so they can't climb out of the jar. It also dissolves the slime on your hands.

It's really not an issue this year. After the cold winter we are having one heat wave after another, very little rain. Not slug friendly. If I bother to go out hunting I get four or five at most except on the few rainy evenings.

45MarthaJeanne
Editado: Jul 29, 2017, 6:11 am

I also picked up new hose guards at Schlosshof yesterday. I have old plastic ones, but these are not only much prettier, but also have a bigger area to hold the hose.



46Lyndatrue
Jul 29, 2017, 10:23 am

>42 MarthaJeanne: You've made me long for a flower I've never seen before, and that probably wouldn't grow in my garden if I had it. I have no idea what they are, and they almost look made up, rather than real (except that the stems and leaves are variable enough that it's obvious they're alive). Such an interesting blossom.

Since I can't have it in my garden, I hope you get your wish, and find some for yours.

47MarthaJeanne
Editado: Jul 29, 2017, 11:51 am

>46 Lyndatrue: "they almost look made up, rather than real" Exactly. Actually, they look very like gum drops.

48southernbooklady
Jul 30, 2017, 8:34 am

>42 MarthaJeanne: That looks like gomphrena, the "Strawberry Fields" variety.

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/73400-product.html

49MarthaJeanne
Jul 30, 2017, 8:49 am

>48 southernbooklady: Yes, that looks right.
Gomphrena globosa

I hope I remember to look for it next year.

50fuzzi
Editado: Jul 30, 2017, 9:33 am

>45 MarthaJeanne: love the hose guards! First I need to get a new hose, as mine is cracking and kinking...probably due to the heat (though it is several years' old).

Don't know what the flower is, never seen it before, though it is pretty.

Regarding slugs: we get them here, a LOT. They love warm weather, damp ground, and mulch, which we have a-plenty. However, since I do not use chemicals/pesticides in my yard, I've attracted natural controls for slugs: lizards and snakes! I've seen a lot of anoles and skinks, which are cute, and have seen little brown snakes (less than 10" long) underneath my planters. I've also noticed not as much slug damage, so the lizards and snakes can stay...though the latter, I'd prefer "out of sight", ha.

51MarthaJeanne
Editado: Jul 30, 2017, 10:34 am

We have several lizards.

I was very pleased this morning when watering. The old guards worked well with one hose in them, but I have to do half the garden, then back past the faucet to do the other half. Often the second layer of hose would go over the top into the bed, but these hold two layers, and it was also much easier to pull.

I saw a suggestion recently that if a hose keeps kinking on one place, you can wrap just that area with wide tape to prevent that. I need to try it, because there is just one place that keeps kinking. Of course, eventually nothing can help except getting a new hose.

522wonderY
Jul 31, 2017, 7:30 am

>50 fuzzi: & 51 Spend the money on real rubber hose. Lasts forever.

53MarthaJeanne
Editado: Sep 5, 2017, 12:11 pm

It actually rained! We got 11l/m2 over 24 hours. That was enough to fill my rainbarrel back almost to 3/4 from under 1/4 and make everything feel a lot better.

Of course, it wasn't enough to really get anything wet that I haven't been watering daily all summer, but still, a nice change. And temps are down, so I bought lettuce and pak choi plants to set and also sowed my winter vegs: spinach, chard, Vogerlsalat. All greens that survive our winters, although they don't grow much Nov-Feb. But we get some good out of them at the beginning of the winter, and come March!

To set the Pak Choi I pulled out the Whipper-snapper tomato. From the beginning we have been of the opinion that they might as well have been bought at the supermarket. I had stopped picking them. So using the space for something we might eat makes sense.

The lemon cucumbers have done well. I keep giving some away, as we can't eat as many as are ripening. They taste very normal, but are a good size for one or two.

Last year I trimmed the lavender too late. I was determined to do it in August this year, but we got a second bloom. Oh, well.

54Lyndatrue
Sep 5, 2017, 12:39 pm

>53 MarthaJeanne: Your winters must be very mild. I would like to try planting fall crops one year (not this one, sadly), especially spinach (which I love). You sent me off on a search for a description of what "Vogerlsalat" might be, and I was surprised to see that it was something I knew of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerianella_locusta

I love lemon cucumbers; pity I don't live nearby. I would be happy to take yours. I'll just have to keep buying them at the farmer's market. :-}

55MarthaJeanne
Sep 5, 2017, 1:00 pm

Yes, our winters are mild. Usually some snow, sometimes enough to kill my 'hardy' plants that don't like to get waterlogged. With any luck a cold snap cold and long enough to limit the slug population, but we often go until after Christmas without a hard frost. It's the sun that tends to be the limiting factor. Short days, lots of fog and high cloud.

56fuzzi
Sep 30, 2017, 7:17 pm

>53 MarthaJeanne: it has been my experience that all my plants seem to "perk up" after a rainfall, even though I keep them watered. It must be something in those clouds...

57MarthaJeanne
Oct 1, 2017, 2:33 am

The slugs seem to like the Pak Choi. But they are leaving the baby spinach alone. You win some, you lose some.

58MarthaJeanne
Editado: Nov 4, 2017, 2:31 pm

We got the tent up yesterday. We did not put all of the plants in at first, but did get the electrics working and the thermometer. Jerry noticed at 20:00 that the temperature was down to 4C, on a very clear night, so I got scared. We went out into the dark and quickly moved everything in. Everything seems to have worked just as it should. It was open during the day, but is now shut up again.

I just checked my notes on the star jasmine >36 MarthaJeanne:. Do I move it in as well? or just wrap it in wool insulation? At the moment there is space enough to make watering and such very easy.

Oh, the Basil bed is doing fine so it cannot have been a real frost last night. Still It's good to have it done.

59fuzzi
Nov 5, 2017, 7:58 am

>58 MarthaJeanne: glad you kept the plants protected, "better safe than sorry"!

We've not had our first frost here, yet, though we usually do by November 1st.

60MarthaJeanne
Nov 5, 2017, 9:46 am

OK the Star Jasmine is in. The winter lights are up along the drive. And I set about half of the bulbs I found while getting things out of the shed. I bought them several weeks ago, and seem to have forgotten about them.

61MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 9, 2017, 5:03 pm

Several years ago I bought a small olive tree. Eventually it got to big both for the tent and for its pot, which I wanted for something else anyway, so I decided to plant it out. It's not very exciting. The last few years it has fruited, but not enough to be worth trying a harvest, and it is in a direct line from the table to the terrace door to one of the places I have bird feeders up. (The smaller birds prefer the feeders there if the woodpeckers are on the ones in the apple tree.) This wasn't a problem, but the tree, slowly, slowly keeps getting bigger, and has started blocking my view of the birds. And it is in a very nice spot where I could have a more interesting plant. So I have been considering taking it out.

Today we visited a Christmas market. (There are over 20 major Christmas markets in Vienna. So far I have been to three of those, two smaller ones outside the city, and now the big one at Schlosshof, a baroque palace on the border to Slovakia.) A new stand to me was one with various teas. NO AROMAS! I went slightly crazy, ending up with 5 different teas. Two are vegetable based. Should be interesting. One is a fairly standard fruit tea. One is for colds - thyme, sage, and lemon balm. The fifth is olive leaves. Never thought of harvesting the leaves, but it is supposed to be good for whatever ails you, including several things that could be helpful to me. I don't think I would want to harvest now, as there can't be much good in the leaves this time of year, but I bought some of theirs and will see what I think. Obviously, this may mean a reprieve for the olive tree.

For what it's worth, I spent quite a lot. There was a venison stand where we bought a hare back and cold cuts. A very nice creche made of natural materials and less than half the price I expected. A small bottle of herb liqueur from a vinegar maker we know. I still have a lot of his vinegar in my cupboard. By some luck, nobody was selling wool for spinning.

Oh, yes, there was also a book stall. Very good selection for a small table. A book of Austrian yeast baking. A memoir by a woman born in 1919 from a town we know. A Christmas mystery for Jerry. A small poppyseed cookbook. They also had quite a good selection of children's books, Christmas DIY books, ... but I was running out of cash.

(Why doesn't my To Read collection number go down?)

622wonderY
Dic 10, 2017, 6:26 am

That Christmas market sounds ideal for getting one into the spirit of the season.

I hope you report on the olive leaf trials.

63MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 10, 2017, 6:37 am

It is supposed to be quite bitter, but I am not finding it so this morning. With some lemon juice it might even be pleasant. Like many medicinal herbs it just sort of tastes like hay. I've had far worse.The woman yesterday warned me that the dried leaves are hard to break up.

Many of their mixtures had beets as the last ingredient. She admitted that that had to do with haveing a nice red colour to the tea.

64fuzzi
Dic 10, 2017, 8:09 pm

I would have enjoyed that market, I think.

As to why your "To Read" number does not decrease, ask 2wonderY. I think she was the one who mentioned a vacuum effect...

65MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 11, 2017, 1:47 am

I always enjoy a visit to Schlosshof, with or without a market. The grounds are lovely, with herb and vegetable gardens in the home farm area and baroque gardens recreated from the original plans around the palace. There are also animals. Horses, camels, sheep, goats, chickens... generally old races. I love the four-horned goats. This year we didn't see any white peacocks. They have taken the stork nest down from the orangerie chimney.

We took my mother and sister, and even walked through the palace exhibits which we usually skip.

Their markets are great because they concentrate on local suppliers. Not the same old you see everywhere. Christmas is the biggest, held over several weekends, but they also have an Easter market and a May garden market. I think there is now a fall garden market that I skipped.

If you visit Vienna and have time for a day trip out of the city, I can highly recommend it.

66fuzzi
Dic 11, 2017, 10:57 am

>65 MarthaJeanne: if I ever get to Europe, Germany and Austria would be my main destinations.

67MarthaJeanne
Dic 19, 2017, 10:36 am

One of the Christmas markets had a stand with bulbs. I bought a bag that said it was a selection of bulbs of small plants suitable for window boxes. So those are now planted in the containers along the fence. Maybe I should go back and get more for the terrace containers?

682wonderY
Dic 19, 2017, 10:39 am

Oh yes! You can never have too many bulbs.

69southernbooklady
Dic 19, 2017, 11:26 am

Here in southeastern North Carolina I've had such a warm couple winters that the fall-planted bulbs are coming up now. I know they'll be fine -- hyacinths are just indestructible -- but it is weird to see the shoots breaking through the dirt. I'm going to put down an extra layer of mulch in preparation for any hard frosts that come along next month.

My favorite bulb company: https://oldhousegardens.com/

70MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 19, 2017, 11:48 am

I did put a lot into the beds in the Fall.

Oops! Too late. it isn't open this weekend.

71fuzzi
Dic 20, 2017, 9:40 pm

>69 southernbooklady: dangerous site!

After ten years my crocus aren't spreading in the front yard, and are actually decreasing. I guess I could plant some more.

72MarthaJeanne
Dic 21, 2017, 2:51 am

My greenhouse tent is giving touble. The heater, when it wirks, is much better than the old one. It has a constant fan, so the air is similar temperature throughout the tent. It is full elecronic, so you set a temperature, and it keeps that minimum temperature no matter what the outside temperature does. This is a big contrast to the old one that used to cook the plant right above it, and had me out unzipping the tent in cold weather to up the knob.

However if it looses power, it also loses all its settings, and resetting it in the dark even with a flashlight is not a trivial operation. The first one was a power outage, but it stopped a few times afterwards - maybe a loose contact somewhere? No idea, maybe just our power again. It seems to be back to normal.

Anyway, we have a digital thermometer in there that transmits to the house, so we know what's going on. It dropped to -1°, so I may have lost my favourite lavender. The citruses I have are not that sensitive. But this shows why I don't buy plants that can't go below 5°.

73MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 21, 2017, 3:02 am

Time to get up, check the greenhouse, check the birds, check the starters I set up last night for pannetone and sourdough bread. Long baking day today.

74MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 21, 2017, 3:02 am

Very long baking day. I forgot to put the yeast in the pannetone starter. The recipe calls for several rises, and the first one is 'at least 6 hours or overnight'.

75Lyndatrue
Dic 21, 2017, 12:09 pm

>74 MarthaJeanne: Oh dear. You have my sympathy on the extension of your long baking day. I've never made pannetone of any kind, although I have tasted it (and better yet, smelled it baking). I'll lift a glass to your success this evening.

76MarthaJeanne
Dic 21, 2017, 12:30 pm

I've always loved it, but one year I found a recipe and made my own using whole wheat flour. Now I can't eat the bought stuff any more, because this is so much better.

77tardis
Dic 21, 2017, 12:45 pm

>76 MarthaJeanne: My husband made panettone last weekend. His mum is Italian, so he grew up on it, but he took a one-week intensive baking course in 2016, and since then he's been doing a lot of breads (also cakes and pies - yum). He tried panettone for the first time last Christmas and it was okay, but this year he tweaked the recipe and it's wonderful.

78MarthaJeanne
Dic 21, 2017, 2:13 pm

I like to replace some of the raisins with cranberries.

79tardis
Dic 21, 2017, 5:13 pm

>78 MarthaJeanne: oooh, good idea. I'll suggest it :)

80MarthaJeanne
Dic 21, 2017, 5:43 pm

Ok. One large wheat-spelt sourdough in the bread box. Another in the freezer.
One medium panettone in the bread box. One ready to take to the Christmas spinning meet up. Two small ones (muffin size) packed for presents, five in the freezer. (eighth one in my tummy.)
Poppyseed macaroons in the cooky box.
Large fish pie eaten for dinner. Small one in the refrigerator.
The oven was going strong all afternoon. I'm beat.

81MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 23, 2017, 10:59 am



This year's 'tree'.

82MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 23, 2017, 11:23 am

I collect small creches.

A glass angel bell is balanced on top.

Top layer is an embroidered creche from Peru.

Row two: One is painted in an Eastern European style on wood. The other is ceramic from Latin America.

Row three:Small molded creche in natural exterior, Lace from Brusseles, wooden put together from flat pieces.

Row 4: Bells, Cross stitch elephant; I must have made it about 20 years ago. Paper creche.

Bottom row: Stitched bag, also about 20 years old. Paper pyramid from Latin America showing the flight into Egypt. Paper maché ball with three kings, on elephant, camel, and horse. Puffin.

Under the tree are two creches with (fake) candles. One is German, of wood. The other is Slovakian ceramic. The Slovakian one has been a favourite of mine since it was given to me.

Mom gave me a Haitian creche this year that I just love.



Although small is not really the right word for it.

83Lyndatrue
Editado: Dic 23, 2017, 11:31 am

>81 MarthaJeanne: How I wish this photograph were larger. Even with my magnifying glass, it's hard to see many of the things you describe. It's very lovely, and the Puffin is so pretty. I have a cousin who collects nativity scenes; I may send her a copy of your photograph, which I'm sure she'll love.

>82 MarthaJeanne: You were editing while I was typing. I also love the Haitian piece; it's beautiful.

84MarthaJeanne
Dic 23, 2017, 1:55 pm

I could take better pictures of the individual pieces tomorrow. The tree as a whole looks better after dark, but that means a slower shutter speed - I had to try a few times and put my elbows on a chair to get it almost sharp. And to get the picture right way up, I take it landscape and then crop to portrait, which also means worse definition.

85MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 23, 2017, 2:09 pm

In the meantime, here are a few new acquisitions.

The wood picture is made of thin veneer. (Bought at Schönbrunn Christmas market.) The painted metal was bought last year, probably Stefansplatz market. The felted Holy Family is from Peru (Schönbrunn, 2017). The natural materials creche was bought at Schlosshof.



These are all ones I can't hang on a tree.

86Lyndatrue
Dic 23, 2017, 9:36 pm

>85 MarthaJeanne: They are all lovely, of course. It almost makes me want to set something up myself... Laziness will prevent that, of course. I will simply enjoy yours, vicariously, instead.

87MarthaJeanne
Editado: Dic 24, 2017, 12:17 pm

This didn't happen by daylight, as we took advantage of the warm temperature and the sun to visit the biggest Christmas market in Vienna. Too much kitsch, too many people, ... but we can say we did it. I did find a group of Tirolean wooden ornaments, so not a total loss.



The ornaments from the tree are now in my member gallery.

88fuzzi
Dic 30, 2017, 4:53 pm

I love your creches.

I've never tried panettone, but will, soon. I copied a recipe from online...

89MarthaJeanne
Editado: Ene 8, 2018, 5:11 pm

Lately our weather has been on the warm side (8 - 12 C) but fog that starts on the ground, lifts a bit during the day, and then lowers again mid-afternoon. It can be hard to tell whether it is lightly raining or whether the fog is just condensing on things.

Saturday we decided to go walking in the schlosspark at Eckartsau. Good move. The fog stopped just before we got there and we got to walk in the sunshine. If you watched the Neujahrskonzert, this is where the outside dancing was filmed. They must have installed temporary floors, no way she was on her toes or being dragged across the gravel paths we found. Not deep gravel, but not suitable for ballet.

Yesterday was the final day of the annual winter bird count. At about 14:00 I looked out and saw two woodpeckers (I hope nothing has happened to the usual third one.) and two sparrows. Good, I'll start my hour now. Whereupon the birds flew off. I kept checking, and at one point a crow flew overhead. Final count: 5 birds, three species. I got a lot more last year. I don't think the birds like the weather any more than I do.

Tomorrow is the compostable garbage pickup. Only every other week in the winter. So in spite of the weather I decided I had to do some pruning. The rest of me was fine in jogging trousers and flannel shirt, but my fingers froze. Still, the bin got filled, and the two silly bushes that like to blossom in the winter are thinned out.

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