A Shocking Betrayal of Friends!

I thought these guys were my friends!  Their cute, tickly crab legs, their somersault bodies, their way of munching all the leaves I was too lazy to rake...  But clearly, strawberries have major appeal for these land crustaceans.  Last year, I bemoaned every nibble found on the handful of strawberries my plants put out, clutching them to my chest and muttering "my precious..."  I blamed the slugs.  I shooed away the seed bugs, who seemed to cause the least damage but were present nonetheless.  I even did an experiment this year: letting strawberries run rampant among several companion plants.  I tried pairings with chives, lemon balm, mint, borage, feverfew, thyme, and just mulch.  Well, guess what?  Mulch is were seed bugs and pill bugs hang out, over-wintering as well.  I found them everywhere except above the creeping phlox.  The creeping phlox is dense and spiky, blocking access to the mulch and none too pleasant to walk across, I bet.  I think the thyme (especially wooly thyme) would work as well, but my plants are still quite sparse.  One thing is clear: strong smells do not keep these pests away.  My solution: Let the strawberries run rampant.  You'll still get pest damage, but the 88 "good" strawberries we picked this morning make me feel less precious about sharing a few here and there.  Then make a strawberry pizza with spicy oregano or lemon thyme and tangy goat cheese share it with your friends.

A better day in bug land!  Despite the constant duct-taping of my digital camera, I got some quasi-descent shots of insects in action this week.  Today, it was ants herding aphids up my rhubarb stalks, ladybugs to the rescue, spittlebugs, more viceroys and some sulphurs, and a tiny ant carrying a pill bug carcass.  Observe:

Pill bug meets end atop tiny ant, upper center

New little friend.

CHARGE!!!!!

Cue: Jaws music

Hello to you, too!

Tiger moth?

Mating sulphurs

Spittlebug

Mookie

 I wish I had a better macro-lens, or more control over the focus.  I'm no Mark Moffett, with lighting and expensive equipment and all that, but I think I have an eye for what looks interesting, informative, and simultaneously beautiful.  I have been known to pose insects, lure them in some way, and lie in wait for magic to happen.  Also, my daughter buried me in yard clippings and we found caterpillars silking their descent from the maple tree.  "Silking": Think, Mission Impossible with a silk thread launching off a branch.  I wonder what kind of caterpillars they are.  Perhaps I'll check bugguide.net later.

Meanwhile, I've been experiencing technical difficulties with getting my video on Kickstarter so I can raise the funds for the cook book.  Hopefully, things will soon be underway with over 100 recipes and sustainable living tips finally in print.  The cooking continues.  I made Vietamese spring rolls twice this week and plan on making many of the other rhubarb recipes I came up with last spring.  I had a great picnic with a new friend near the Farmer's Market, and tried out Vermont's Blue Ledge Farm Goat Milk Crottina.  It is like a brie with a mushroom-esque rind.  It was great with the strawberries and apple we shared.  Later tonight, I made a pizza with thinly sliced strawberries, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, Hot and Spicy oregano, and the new cheese.  No olive oil or sauce.  It was delicious, the sweet tang of the tomatoes and berries off-set by the earthiness of the asparagus and cheese.  I would make it again.  My kid made a face on hers with a sun-dried tomato eyes, mouth and nose, cheese ears, and strawberry cheeks.

As usual, some recipes:

Gluten-Free/Vegan and Wild Option

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Spring Rolls

Taste of Vietnam

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Prep: 15 minutes   Makes 15 rolls

2 oz. rice vermicelli

16 chinese cabbage leaves or mixed salad greens

8 mint leaves, plus garnish (lemon balm also works)

3 tbs. cilantro

3 (wild) chive stems

1 carrot, grated

2 radish, grated

1 stalk of rhubarb, sliced fine

2 tsp. white sugar

2 tbs. white vinegar

1 cup small local cooked shrimp, chopped (optional)

15 rice wrappers

Chop cabbage or greens, herbs, and scallions fine.  Combine with other vegetables, sugar, and vinegar.  Boil rice vermicelli until soft, drain, and cool with cold water.  Drain again and cut into inch-length pieces using kitchen shears.  Mix well with vegetables (and shrimp, if using).   Soak rice wrappers in warm water in a pie dish, one at a time for about 30 seconds.  Place about half a cup of mixture near top of the corner of the wrapper, fold over, and roll tightly.  Tuck in sides half-way through rolling, and roll until end.  Serve chilled, with mint leaves for garnish.  

Gluten-Free/Sulfite-Free/Vegan

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Radish Rhubarb Relish

Taste of India

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Prep: 10 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes  Chill: overnight  

1/2 cup radish, grated

1/2 cup rhubarb, sliced 1/4” thick

1/4 cup carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

3/4 cup cider vinegar

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients well.  Bring mixture to boil in small sauce pan.  Boil gently until liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.  Chill overnight to develop full flavors.  Serve as a garnish, in a wrap with lettuce and  grilled vegetables, or on grilled chicken, burgers, hot dogs, or vegan alternatives.  This recipe has not been tested for canning.  Keep refrigerated and use within two weeks.

Gluten-Free/Vegetarian/Vegan Option

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Rhubarb Compote

Taste of France

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Prep: 5 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes  

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/2” thick (about 5 stalks)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs. water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbs. local honey (optional)

2 tsp. corn starch

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tsp. lemon zest

Dissolve corn starch with 2 tbs. water.  Mix with all ingredients except nuts.  Heat in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in nuts and cook 5 more minutes.  Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Gluten-Free/Vegan

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Rhubarb Pickles

Taste of Earth

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Prep: 5 minutes*  Cook: 10-15 minutes  Makes 2 pints

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

3/4 cups sugar

7 whole cloves

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper 

10 stalks of rhubarb, cut to 3” lengths

2 pint-size mason jars

In small sauce pan, dissolve sugar into vinegar and bring mixture to boil.  Add cloves and red pepper and simmer 10 minutes.  Keep two sanitized mason jars in a bowl of hot water in preparation.  Fill each jar with half the rhubarb stalks.  Pour vinegar mixture over stalks and secure lids.  (Leave a half-inch of space if canning.  Can in hot water bath ten minutes.)  For immediate use, let cool on towel on counter, then refrigerate overnight.

* Time does not include sterilizing jars.

ZOMBIE LADYBUGS!!!

Still finding lily leaf beetles on my Asiatic lilies.  I killed 6 adults, including a mating pair.  There were also some larva among the eggs, in their full fecal regalia.  Disgusting.

Also, now there are zombie ladybugs.  Read on.  It's fascinating.

Lovely Bones

What is lovely?  A lily leaf beetle.  Slim, shiny, red, pretty, its offspring will eat your Asiatic lilies down to the bone.  I was able to ward them off successfully last year without pesticides or losing plants.  This is the time of year to do it: Check all your lilies early in the morning, looking for the red beetles.  If you find one, crush it.  Look especially at plants with holes in the leaves.  Next, and most impostantly, check the undersides of EVERY SINGLE LEAF.  If you find red eggs, looking almost like flying fish roe, but smaller, that's them.  In fact, any eggs you find I'd be cautious about, unless they're ladybugs or mantids.  If you find such a leaf, pull down gently to remove it.  Dispose of completely.  (I use my garbage disposal.  Do not compost!)  Keep this up daily - it doesn't take long - or risk the larva hatching and devouring your entire plant to the ground.  Oh, and that pretty adult?  The larva crawl around in their own excrement to keep predators at bay and look like slow-moving bird droppings.  Pleasant, I know.

This has been a Public Service Announcement.

May Day! May Day!

Happy May Day, everyone!  So much is going on!  We've had a few frosts, so I covered my rosemary and buttercrisp lettuce with styrofoam coffee cups I sawed the bottoms off: instant cloche!  All the plants are doing great.  I'm keeping my eye on the broccoli experiment: In one bed, chicken manure and compost, in another GH Organics liquid kelp feed.  So far, they look the same.  The chives are about to flower, so I will be making chive blossom vinegar again.  The nasturtiums were planted about a week ago, so they should start popping up soon.

Last night, I harvested three stalks of asparagus, chopped sautéed them lightly in olive oil, fresh lemon thyme, lemon juice, and a splash of Skye Citrus, along with some shrimp.  OMG, just-picked asparagus is SO flavorful!  I'm so happy to have my lemon thyme back after having used up all I dried from last season.  Still watching the ever-growing strawberries, waiting for them to turn red.

On the work-front, I got over 400 kids to try raw kale from our school garden.  While three didn't like it, many asked for seconds!  My Eco-Warriors did a great job getting the compost in order and starting a new bed.  Friday I'll be bringing in some of those strawberry plants and we'll be planting carrots and beets as well.

Enjoying the scent of lilacs in my kitchen.  The cat just came in and he's wet.  The birds are still singing.