Hi Gardeners
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| Pumpkin on a stick and mums |
It was a very chilly morning
around here, especially since our furnace isn’t working. It’s warmed up nicely today, 68 degrees and
sunny. It’s the kind of day I’d like to
curl up and bask in the sun like all my cats are doing. I’m thinking how lucky I am compared to all
those gardeners who lost their gardens to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and fires
this year. I’m hoping everyone has a
better garden season next year.
I think we had a light frost
last night, although there doesn’t appear to be much damage. I moved some pots of the tender bulbs inside
yesterday and managed to get my geraniums potted up for winter and moved inside
between rain storms this weekend. Now my
porch is as full as the rest of the house and I still have to cram a few more
things inside, like my rosemary.
I cut most of the dahlia
blooms that were left last night, anticipating frost, but it looks like they
may still get to bloom some more. But
the shorter days are taking a toll on the flower beds, many annuals are now
through blooming. The landscape roses
are still going strong, an iris is blooming, some petunias, the salvias,
marigolds, tithonia, zinnias and calendula.
Butterflies are still visiting.
The butterfly I pictured here last week was identified by an expert as a
Painted Lady butterfly.
I picked some cute little
pumpkins on a stick this week. See the
article on them below. It’s time to pick
those pumpkins, gourds and things to dry for decorations if you haven’t
already. I’ll be collecting seeds this
week to save as it’s supposed to be sunny and dry.
All of my new bulbs have
arrived for planting and I managed to get some planted before the rains came
last weekend. I’m planting around 400
bulbs this fall, down from last year’s count.
This year I’m trying a rare bulb- Fritillaria camschatcansis (chocolate
lily), Fritillaria persica and some Camassia quamash as well as new varieties
of old favorites.
I like to try things I’ve
never grown before. Sometimes I have to
try several times before something actually grows but it’s worth it. I hope you too are busy planting bulbs so you
will have lots of spring flowers to look forward to.
Questions about planting spring blooming bulbs
answered
I love spring blooming bulbs
and I plant hundreds each year. You can
never have enough spring flowers. If you don’t plant bulbs in the fall for
spring flowers, why not? It’s easy to
do, although there is some work involved like in all garden endeavors. And most
bulbs are inexpensive. If you are hesitant to try bulbs I think my many, many
years of experience in planting bulbs can answer some questions gardeners may
have about planting bulbs.
When should I plant bulbs?
In zones 4-7 bulbs can be
planted from September until the ground freezes. In zones 8 and higher you’ll
need to plant pre-chilled bulbs and wait until the soil cools down, probably
November and December. You can plant all
bulbs as soon as you get them in the mail or buy them at the store but if your
time is limited here are some guidelines for prioritizing.
Always plant lily bulbs and the tubers or
rhizomes of things like peonies as quickly after you get them as you can. These do not store well and every day you
wait decreases the chance you’ll have success with them. Lily bulbs are not
generally mailed to you until later in the fall but when they do arrive plant
them immediately. Lily bulbs found in packages in stores usually don’t perform
as well as those that were dug and shipped directly to you from a mail order
source.
Plant the smaller bulbs,
like crocus and snowdrops as early as you can.
They bloom early so they need to get started early. They also have the tendency to dry out in
storage. Hyacinths, daffodils, and
narcissus should be next, with tulips last.
Tulips actually like cooler soil.
While bulbs can be planted until the soil freezes they often do not do
as well as those planted earlier.
Where can I plant bulbs?
Almost all bulbs like
well-drained soil. Never plant bulbs
where water stands in early spring. Most
bulbs also like to be planted in sunny locations. However small bulbs that bloom early can
often be planted where the shade of deciduous trees will be later in summer, as
most of their growth will be done before the trees cast much shade. A few bulbs and rhizomes do like partly shaded
locations, lily of the valley, trout lilies, trillium, some true lilies are
examples, so do some research and make sure you are giving the plants the
location they need.
Remember that you will need
to leave bulb foliage to dry up before you remove it if you want the bulbs to
return well the next year. Planting
bulbs where later emerging perennial foliage will hide the dying bulb foliage
is a good plan. I like to plant bulbs
among hosta, ferns and daylilies. Oriental and other tall lilies do well planted
with ferns or daylilies as an understory; they won’t bloom until later in the
season but they like their feet in the shade. Just leave a small clear area
over each bulb, don’t plant directly on top of the bulb.
How do I plant bulbs?
Most bulbs should be planted
about three times as deep as their height, but there are exceptions to this
rule. Read package directions or look up
the plant requirements if you are uncertain.
In general plants with rhizomes
or tubers instead of bulbs will be planted less deeply. (Rhizomes look like stems with buds and have
roots attached.) If you aren’t good at estimating depth in inches use a trowel
that’s marked with inches or mark a small piece of wood with inch measurements
and use that to guide you.
Plant the bulbs with the
pointed end of the bulb up. If you can’t
find a pointed end, look for a round scar on the bulb. This is where roots were last year and it
goes down in the hole. Rhizomes should
have budded areas on top if you look closely.
If you absolutely have no idea what is top or bottom plant the bulb on
its side. Most bulbs will then be able
to adjust themselves as they grow. I notice
many sellers send directions with those “tricky” bulbs that now say plant
sideways.
Package directions will tell
you how far apart to space bulbs.
Generally large bulbs should be about 6 inches apart, small bulbs 2-3
inches. Arrange your bulbs in a
staggered way, not in straight lines for a more natural look. Small groups of the same color or type of
bulb look better than single bulbs. Bulbs
can be layered- plant larger bulbs deep and smaller bulbs less deeply, but don’t
place small bulbs directly over the large, just close by.
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| Crocus |
Should I remove the brown papery stuff on bulbs or
divide bulbs?
Try not to remove any papery
covering bulbs have, but don’t worry if some of it falls off. Don’t separate
the scales- or sections – which lily bulbs have and don’t try to divide
daffodils with double or triple “noses”.
Yes, experts propagate bulbs that way but it isn’t as easy as it seems
and your best bet is to plant the bulbs as they came. You’ll get larger flowers this way.
You can plant any bulb
sections or tiny bulbs that fall off bulb clumps and hope some of them also
bloom. It can take another year or two
in some cases.
What about moldy or mushy bulbs?
A little mold on bulbs that
still feel firm will not harm them. Just
plant them as normal. Mushy or rotted
looking bulbs should be discarded. If the bulbs arrived that way I would
contact the company you bought them from and ask for a refund.
What should I add to the hole when planting bulbs-
bonemeal?
Don’t use fertilizer or bone
meal in the bottom of your hole. Bone
meal should not be used at all. Old
books suggest it and some new references just copy that but in our times bone
meal is steamed and processed for safety and little is left in the way of
nutrients. It also attracts some animals, which dig up your bulbs looking for
it. Using a general purpose fertilizer
is fine, but mix it with the soil you are back filling with or sprinkle it on
the soil surface, don’t dump it in the hole.
This can burn roots.
Never add peat or compost to
holes for bulbs. These can retain water,
especially if the native soil is clay, and bulbs do not like that. They may rot before they root.
What do I do after I plant the bulbs?
You probably won’t need to
water bulbs after planting. If it’s very
dry all fall a good soaking before the ground freezes might be indicated. Don’t
add thick mulch after planting as this may impede the bulbs emergence. A light mulch of 2 inches or less is ok and
helps disguise the planting area from animals. If thick layers of leaves blow
over planted bulbs remove some of the matted leaves in spring so that bulbs
don’t struggle to emerge.
Mark the spots where you
planted bulbs with labels so you know where they are. Some fall planted bulbs and rhizomes are slow
to emerge in the spring and you don’t want to damage them or plant over them.
When bulbs just begin to
emerge in the spring a small amount of slow release granular fertilizer
sprinkled on the soil around them, especially if you can do it just before a
spring rain, will improve their vigor and size.
This practice may help bubs that aren’t reliably perennial return the
next year too. And if spring is dry make
sure to water your bulbs.
What do I do about animals eating or digging up
bulbs?
Narcissus, daffodil, and
allium bulbs are not eaten by animals, although they can be dug out of the
ground and left to die. If you have problems with animals like deer
eating the flowers in the spring these bulbs are also good choices.
If you have trouble with
animals digging up bulbs to eat you can lay a piece of wire fencing over the
planted area until the ground is frozen.
Make sure you remove it early in the spring if you don’t remove it in
the fall. A piece of lattice, with 2
inch holes can be placed on the ground and the bulbs planted through the
holes. This discourages widespread
digging, such as from pets, which really aren’t after the bulb to eat. You can leave it and disguise it with mulch
or remove it before the plants get very large.
Moles do not eat bulbs, but
their tunnels attract other animals which do and their tunneling can sink bulbs
too deep to emerge. If you have lots of
moles you can plant bulbs in pots, which you sink in the ground to their
rim. The pots should be deep enough for
the type of bulb planted in them.
Several bulbs can be planted in each pot if there is enough space.
Folk remedies like
sprinkling red pepper or mothballs on the ground do not keep bulbs from being
dug up. Some birds and other animals
actually like red pepper and it’s quickly washed away in fall rains. Mothballs are very poisonous to children and
pets, and add harmful chemicals to your soil when they dissolve. They should never be used outside.
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| Daffodils |
What if I forget to plant bulbs and the ground is
frozen?
If you look outside one
morning and snow is on the ground don’t despair. Plant the bulbs in a good potting soil mix in
containers and keep the containers cool, in the refrigerator or on an unheated
porch or garage. The ideal temperature
is between 30 and 40 degrees. Water lightly every couple weeks. After 8-10 weeks of cold the pots can be
brought into a warmer, sunny place and they will probably bloom for you. Plant the bulbs outside in the early
spring. They may or may not bloom the
next season but at least you had them this spring.
Don’t try to keep bulbs in a
dormant state until the next fall or until spring. While peonies and lilies can be spring
planted holding over plants or bulbs you bought in the fall isn’t a good
idea.
There’s still time to buy
bulbs on line for most gardeners. See
the list of garden catalogs to the right of the blog if you need links to
online sources.
Natures gift- fall leaves
I used to embarrass my son
greatly when I would stop on our drive home from school to pick up garbage bags
of leaves people had left by the road.
He could never understand why I considered those leaves so valuable
When the leaves are
beginning to fall the first instinct of many gardeners is to get out the
rake. But stop right there. Thinking fallen leaves look messy is learned
behavior, a construct of civilization.
Instead think of fallen leaves as a beautiful blanket provided
generously by nature. A wise gardener knows that those leaves are a gift, a valuable
gift to you from nature and they learn how to use that gift wisely.
Here’s why leaves should be
considered a gift. All summer long the
tree has been drawing nutrients from the soil and creating food from sunlight
and now some of those nutrients are in each of those leaves decorating your
lawn. Not all of the nutrients of course.
Before the tree formed that abscission layer that caused the leaves to
drop, it reabsorbed some of the nutrients in the leaves. But some nutrients
along with valuable organic matter are left.
You can choose to throw
those nutrients and valuable organic matter away, spending hours of time raking
and bagging leaves, or worse, using a gas guzzling, noisy, emission spewing
leaf blower to move them somewhere else. Or you can choose to keep nature’s
gift and return those valuable nutrients to your soil. Smart gardeners keep the
leaves.
Some people worry that if
they let leaves lay on the lawn they will smother the grass. It is true that a
heavy, thick layer of wet leaves can cause some patches of lawn to die. Nature
seldom lets this happen because the leaves get stirred around by fall and
winter winds and rarely make thick layers in a natural situation. If this
worries you or you don’t like the “messy” look of leaves on the lawn the
solution is simple. On a dry day get out your lawn mower, preferably with a
mulching blade, set it to mow about 3 inches high and make a couple passes over
your lawn. If leaves have gathered
against a fence or building your rake can get some use as you pull them out to
where the mower can chop them up.
Leaves that are cut into
small pieces by the mower will settle into the lawn and soon be decomposed,
returning those captured nutrients to the soil and the trees that shed the
leaves. In a very short time you will never know they were there. You can wait
until all the leaves have fallen, or mow every few days, depending on how many
leaves you are given.
There is one good reason to
rake leaves and that is to use them for compost or organic improvement for your
vegetable and flower beds. (Raking leaves off walkways and porches is also a
good idea, since they can be slippery when wet.) Better yet, use the bagged
leaves your neighbors have spent all that labor on and just mow yours. Leaves
can go directly into compost piles, whole or shredded. They can also be piled
on bare vegetable beds. Leaves can be left in those plastic bags and stored dry
somewhere to add to compost piles in the spring and summer when dry matter is
needed to balance wet matter.
Before using leaves to mulch
dormant perennials, most leaves should be shredded. Oak leaves and leaves that
are very small already, such as honey locust leaves, are an exception. They can
be used “as is.” Other leaves may matt and mold if used whole and in quantity.
You can buy leaf shredders or you can place a layer of leaves in a large trash
can, insert a “weed wacker” and chop them up. Wear safety goggles and keep your
face away from the can opening if you do this in case foreign objects were in
the leaves. Shredded leaves can be used generously to mulch perennial beds.
If you are thinking of
building a new flower or vegetable bed in a turf area next spring the
smothering effect of large amounts of whole leaves can be used to your
advantage. Outline your new bed, mow the existing vegetation as short as
possible and pile on the leaves, a foot or more high. You may want to lay some
fence wire or burlap across the leaves and weigh it down to keep the wind from
stealing your leaves over the winter.
Never throw a gift
away. Nature gave you the leaves so use
them wisely.
Pumpkins
on a stick- Solanum
aethiopicum, and Solanum integrifolium
If you like to grow something different, like fall
decorating or like to experiment with medicinal herbs then this odd little
plant called pumpkins on a stick or Chinese scarlet eggplant may be just the
thing for you. I love the tiny pumpkin
shaped fruit because they make long lasting fall arrangements. And pumpkins on a stick are as easy to grow
as tomatoes or eggplants- because they are an eggplant, not a pumpkin.
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| Pumpkins on a stick |
I was shopping at a farmers market many years ago and a
vendor had these tiny little dried, pumpkin-like fruits. She said they were some kind of pepper. It looked like orange color may have been
added to those fruits and they had a rather papery type skin. I added some to the fall decorations on my
desk and then tried to grow some of the seeds inside the next spring, with no
success.
In my search to find those intriguing little fruits
again I came upon a seed packet labeled “Pumpkins on a Stick” and thought I had
found my plant. I didn’t, pumpkin on a
stick actually has prettier, shiny orange fruits that are larger than the
fruits I found at the farmers market. I
think I like the pumpkins on a stick better, they are pretty on the plant and
off. And at only about 2 inches wide
they still are smaller than the smallest true pumpkins. (However I continue to look for those
original little pumpkin like fruits I saw that time at the farmers market.)
As mentioned above pumpkins on a stick are actually an
eggplant. They are native to Africa, but have become naturalized in China and
other Asian countries where they were introduced thousands of years ago. I had
to do some deep researching on the correct species of eggplant. It seems that there are actually two eggplant
species in the horticulture trade that are given this common name or the name
Scarlet Chinese eggplant and
they are Solanum aethiopicum,
and Solanum integrifolium. They are
very similar and many authors tend to say either name is correct and refer to
the same plant. However a DNA analysis
proves there are two distinct species called by the common name. Here’s a link to that research: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00022555
I noticed that many descriptions of pumpkin on a stick
included leaves with prickles and purple stems.
My plants had neither of those things but the fruits looked identical to
pictures of those plants. It seems I
have Solanum integrifolium, it is Solanum aethiopicum which has prickles
on the leaves and stems and purplish stems.
When you order seeds of pumpkins on a stick or Scarlet Chinese eggplant
you may get either species, depending on what that company is cultivating.
Both species have leaves typical of eggplant, broad
triangles with wavy edges. Solanum aethiopicum has prickles
sticking up through the surface of the leaf and on stems. The plant has a sprawling habit, more like a
tomato than a domestic eggplant. Solanum aethiopicum stems have a purple
color.
The flowers of both species of pumpkins on a stick are
white. They turn into clusters of green,
ribbed 2 inch fruits that mature to orange and look very much like a ribbed
pumpkin in miniature. The seeds inside
are much like pepper seeds, flat and white.
You can harvest the fruits by picking the fruits off
individually or cutting stems off. To
dry the fruits hang stems of fruit upside down in a dark warm place. The orange fruits store well, lasting weeks
as a fresh decoration similar to real pumpkins.
For anyone who grows things for fall farm markets the pumpkins on a
stick could be an excellent crop.
Growing
pumpkins on a stick
Gardeners will probably have to start with seeds. I bought mine off a seed rack in a grocery
store this year but several seed companies carry them. Start the seeds inside about 8 weeks before
your average last frost date. The seeds
germinate best in warm temperatures of 70-80 degrees and plants like warm
growing conditions also. Don’t transplant
outside until the weather is warm and settled.
Pumpkins on a stick need the same care as tomato or
eggplant plants and you will probably need to stake or cage the plants to keep
them off the ground. Plant pumpkins on a
stick in full sun. Water during dry
spells. It takes about 75 days from
transplanting outside to get ripe fruit. Frost kills the plants, if your fruits haven’t
ripened before the first frost is predicted you may want to cover the plants to
give them more time.
Pumpkins on a stick are disease resistant; their genes
are being introduced into the species of eggplant cultivated for food to make
them resistant to fusarium wilt and other things. Insects like flea beetles may chew foliage
but rarely do significant damage. Like
most plants in the solanaceae family (peppers, tomatoes, eggplant) pumpkins on
a stick are rarely eaten by deer and rabbits.
Other
uses of pumpkins on a stick
In Asia the fruit of pumpkins on a stick and also the
leaves are used in cooking. The fruits are
harvested in a green or yellow stage and used in various cooked dishes. If left to turn orange they become very
bitter and even green fruit is pretty bitter, try a bite if you grow them.
Leaves are also used as a vegetable when very young,
boiled in a change of water like poke leaves.
All parts of the plant would be poisonous if eaten in large quantity and
personally I think I would pass on the leaves.
Green fruits and sometimes leaves are used in indigenous
herbal remedies to lessen pain and inflammation, for stomach complaints and for
swollen lymph nodes. Modern medicine
has found anti-inflammatory and other benefits in the plants. For more recent medical research results try
this link;
Pumpkins on a stick are a plant every gardener should
try at least once, just for the fun of it.
They are great for those who love fall themed decorations and are
attractive in the garden as well. Some
of you may want to add pumpkins on a stick to your medicinal gardens also.
Cinnamon
in the garden
Gosh I must have missed it. All those hours of botany and biology classes
and no one ever told me about all the benefits of cinnamon in the garden. I guess I should have been on line so I could
read all those helpful articles by people who probably aren’t even
gardeners. I hope you realize this is
sarcasm.
How did all these “cinnamon does everything” articles
get started? Just the way the Epsom salt
articles did, by someone with little scientific knowledge interpreting a
scientific study somewhere and jumping to erroneous conclusions which then
spread like wildfire through social media.
Someone tries a home remedy suggested and by chance or the placebo
effect, their plant/garden seems to improve.
But I think half of the remedies passed around the internet don’t even
get tried by those spreading them.
So let’s talk about cinnamon. After a review of scientific literature I
think I know how the power of cinnamon myths got started. Social media stories attribute these
qualities to cinnamon; it cures fungal disease on plants and soil, it kills or
chases away insects and/or animal pests, it improves plant vigor, and it’s a
rooting hormone. Most social media
articles eagerly suggest you go out to the dollar store and buy a big container
of cinnamon powder. But you may want to
save your money and protect your children and pets health, (more on that later),
by not buying that economy jar of cinnamon.
Most scientific studies on plant compounds isolate
chemicals from plants they feel might be useful. They then use those specific chemicals in
their studies. Whole plants contain many
different chemicals, and those chemicals can vary tremendously from plant to
plant of the same species depending on growing conditions, harvesting
techniques and other variables. Using whole plants would make it hard to
replicate experiments, which is a requirement for good scientific studies, and
we wouldn’t know what chemicals in the plant provided helpful results.
In the case of cinnamon a few studies isolated
chemicals in the plant that could control fungal and bacterial diseases, mainly
cinnamaldehyde. All of the studies on
cinnamon used concentrated cinnamon oil, not powdered cinnamon. Here’s the summary of what concentrated
cinnamon oil is good for: protecting harvested fruits and vegetables from rot
and being used in coatings of food storage containers to help prevent spoilage. One study found that paper coated with a wax
infused with cinnamon oil would repel ants.
Cinnamon oil has been used in coatings on rice containers for insect
repellency, and control. (I hesitate to
include these studies because someone reading this will start sprinkling
cinnamon powder to repel ants. Don’t.)
Studies were indeed done with concentrated cinnamon
oil, (not powder) on plant fungal diseases.
In the lab, on petri dishes of fungus, cinnamon oil worked well to
control the diseases. Someone read that part and the legends took off. However when cinnamon oil is applied to living
plants in a concentration high enough to control fungus it causes severe
phototoxic damage, (the leaves burn in light). Those eager article writers
missed that part. Therefore using it to
control fungal diseases or repel insects isn’t a good idea. And the concentrated cinnamon oil used in the
studies is not the cinnamon essential oils you buy in stores.
There
are no science based uses for cinnamon powder in gardening. Cinnamon powder will not prevent dampening
off when sprinkled on soil; it won’t cure fungal disease or kill insects when
sprinkled on plants. And it is not a
rooting hormone, and no evidence exists that it can help prevent cuttings from
bacterial or fungal rot. The only thing
powdered cinnamon is good for is baking.
Get it out of the garden.
Human
medicine
Cinnamon, as a spice, the powdered bark of several
types of Cinnamomum species trees, has been used for thousands of
years. Cinnamaldehyde is an aromatic oil
found in cinnamon bark that gives it that distinctive smell and taste. The cheaper form of cinnamon, called Cassia
cinnamon, also contains the chemical coumarin, which has been widely studied in
human medicine.
Cinnamon has been studied in human medicine for
lowering blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity and for lowering blood
cholesterol. Some studies found cinnamon helpful in these cases, others found
no benefit. Animal studies for cancer
and other ailments have shown mixed results also. But these studies are outside the scope of
this article.
Here’s a link to several human medicinal studies.
Cinnamon
may not be safe
There is another good reason not to use cinnamon powder
in the garden. People widely assume
something they can eat as a spice is harmless but in the case of cinnamon that
isn’t true. Cinnamon in large quantities
is damaging to the liver and can cause cancer.
(Eating it in baked goods is generally fine, you get small amounts. Some doctors will warn certain patients to
avoid cinnamon however.) Cheap cinnamon also has a pretty significant amount of
coumarin in it which can cause excessive bleeding. Doctors are now warning about self
-medicating with cinnamon powder capsules for various ailments.
Inhalation of cinnamon powder can cause severe lung
damage. This happens when people try to
eat the powder dry, as in the infamous cinnamon challenge that peaked in
2013-2014 or when a curious child gets its hands on the powder as happened in
2015- resulting in the death of the child from lung damage. Inhalation of
cinnamon powder can cause lung fibrosis even years later. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/131/5/833.full.pdf
When people start thinking of a product as safe and
using it for all kinds of things it wasn’t meant to be used for, problems
occur. (Look, mom has a big bottle of cinnamon
in the shed, let’s try the cinnamon challenge.) Cinnamon belongs in the
spice cabinet, out of the reach of kids and not masquerading as a safe, natural
garden product, which the manufacturers of cinnamon powder never intended it to
be used for.
I am going to list some more links to cinnamon research
here. People should realize that when
they read one research study they shouldn’t jump to conclusions that a product
is safe and effective especially if you substitute some common product for the
specialized product used in the research, for example using cinnamon powder in
place of concentrated cinnamon oil. And
many studies need to be done before safety and effectiveness can truly be
determined.
Since cinnamon has been used for thousands of years it
would seem logical if there truly were benefits to using it in the garden that
practice would be well known by experts in the field of horticulture and
agriculture. A quick search of my older garden books, even organic ones, does
not reveal any references to using cinnamon.
This is a fairly new bit of misinformation fed by social media.
Harvest
Loaf
This quick bread is moist and deliciously full of fall
harvest flavor. It’s the perfect thing
to warm up your house and your belly on a chilly day. The recipe will make 2 large loaves or 3
small, so you can freeze your cake and eat it too.
Ingredients
2 large apples, peeled and cored
1 cup of pumpkin puree- (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 box pumpkin spice instant pudding mix (can use
vanilla)
3 cups unbleached flour (plain white flour is fine, but
less healthy)
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans - optional
Grease the bottoms only of 2 large or 3 small loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the apples and pumpkin in food processor and
blend until smooth.
Note:
you can continue the recipe in the food processor if it’s large or move the
puree to a mixing bowl and use the mixer to blend ingredients.
Add eggs, blend well.
Add brown sugar, baking soda and powder, salt and
spices, blend well.
Add the pudding mix, sour cream, vanilla and melted
butter, blend well.
Add flour and nuts if using and blend until smooth.
Pour batter into pans, divided equally.
Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes, until tops are
brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Decorate this pretty brown loaf with orange cream
cheese frosting for an elegant dessert.
 |
| Staghorn Sumac |
Brilliant blue skies, soft light, orange,yellow, red and brown, fall.
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used
without permission.
And
So On….
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information
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I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
research each week. It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture. It’s a
hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any
time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know
anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is
published have them send their email address to me. KimWillis151@gmail.com
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