Hi
Gardeners
 |
| Crocus |
We had a beautiful weekend here in Michigan. I have crocus, winter aconite, and iris
reticulata in bloom. The buds are
swelling on the trees, forsythia will be blooming soon. Frogs are singing lustily. Today it’s cooler and rainy, but I am not
going to complain because the weather has been so much worse in other
areas. After all, April showers bring
May flowers.
I was outside cleaning up the flower beds this weekend,
removing some of the mulch, taking down dead stems, and fertilizing everything
just before the rain came. I use an
organic based general purpose fertilizer on all the flower beds about this time
each year. Some things will get a second
dose of fertilizer in late May-early June.
That’s it for the flower beds.
Annual flowers may get some extra fertilizer when planted and
mid-summer. Container plants get
fertilized once a week. For the evergreens
and blueberries I use acidic fertilizer.
I started seeds this past week too. Some are up already. I still have more to go, probably tomorrow. I need to get the plastic stapled back up on
my little lean to greenhouse on the south side of the barn. Once some of these seedlings have a couple
sets of leaves and the weather looks settled they’ll go out there.
 |
| Iris reticulata |
My
deer control experiment
I know I have talked about this before in the blog but
I’d like to report on my experiment with using solar “twinkle lights” to keep
the deer from eating my plants. I
hesitate to even say this thinking it may jinx me but it seems to be pretty
successful. Now this is by no means a
large, carefully controlled scientific experiment and I’m not going to tell you
that it will positively work for you.
You may not want to be the crazy old lady with Christmas lights on
months after Christmas either, but here goes.
I had a number of solar light strings I bought mainly
on Amazon as lightning deals and most of the strings cost less than $10. They were of several light shape
configurations, some were solid colors and others were multicolored. You need no electricity. Solar lights use a
small solar panel you place in the sun somewhere. They can usually be put about 6 feet from
where you have the lights begin. They
charge during the day and the lights come on after dark and stay lit for a long
time, usually until morning. They go off
in daylight. I found that even a partial
day of sunlight charged them and they usually came on for a short while at
least, even after cloudy days.
I was having trouble with deer eating my arborvitae
hedge and munching on several other shrubs in the winter, including a huge
beautiful evergreen euonymus. In the
spring they eat the tulips and emerging daylilies in some parts of the
yard. The daylilies recover but the
tulips don’t get to bloom.
So this year I decided to try something. I strung red solar light strings around the
arborvitae hedge trees and set them on blinking mode, so they flashed all
night. I also put up black netting 4
feet high, a few feet from the hedge. I
did the same thing to the euonymus, with a multicolored light string.
While the netting stretched around all the hedge trees,
the lights stopped short of one tree, closest to the house. Last year, without any protection this tree
hadn’t been touched although there was lots of damage to the north side of the
rest of the hedge trees.
This year, although the netting got knocked down in a
place or two, the hedge trees with a single string of red blinking lights
strung right on the trees, about 4 feet from the ground, were not eaten- except
for the tree that did not have the lights on it. The north side of that tree was eaten – quite
a bit, even with netting still in place.
I guess they reached over it or went through a spot were the netting was
down and passing the lighted trees, went to the unlighted one to eat.
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| Deer damage to euonymus last year. |
On the euonymus the same thing happened. Last year the deer concentrated on the side
facing away from the house. I did not
have enough netting left to circle the whole shrub, its 25 feet around easily,
and the light string didn’t reach all around it either. I had the unprotected side facing the house,
actually it was only a small area- but guess what? That’s the only place the deer ate on the
shrub.
I was encouraged by my evergreen results so last month
when the ground thawed I added solar light strings strung on electric fence
posts above 3 places where I had tulips eaten last year. The tulips are up, I am even seeing some
buds, but so far, knock on wood, no deer damage.
I have most of my vegetable garden fenced and don’t
have trouble with deer there. After the grass
is up and growing well, and the trees leafed out I don’t usually have damage to
the flower beds or shrubs either. So the
solar lights will probably come down then.
Maybe they’ll be used as path lighting.
So, as I said this may not work for you. But if you have deer trouble this is an
inexpensive, easy, totally safe thing to try.
You may have to explain to neighbors what you are doing. If you try it I suggest using the blinking or
chasing mode that most of these light strings offer, instead of steady
lights. I think the movement illusion
helps keep the deer away. If you do try
this let me know how it works for you, good or bad results.
April
almanac
April’s full moon is April 11th and is known
as the Pink moon, egg moon or grass moon. The perigee falls on the 27th
and the moon apogee is, April 15th .
Holidays in April are Golfers day the 10th,
National Pecan Day 14th, National Garlic Day 19th, Earth
Day 22nd , Executive
Administrative day and Zucchini bread day the 23rd, Arbor day 25th, International
Astronomy Day the 28th . You
get two extra days to file your taxes this year because of Easter. Tax day is April 18th.
April is National Lawn and Garden Month as well as Keep
America Beautiful month. It’s also
National Humor month, National Pecan month and National Poetry month. April’s birthstone is the diamond and the
birth flower is the sweet pea. In the
language of flowers the sweet pea means either goodbye or blissful love,
depending on who’s translating I guess.
April
Lawn Care
April is National Lawn and Garden month so here’s some
tips for maintaining your lawn. Lawns of course, aren’t for every gardener in
every area. And some of us just mow
whatever’s there and call it lawn.
Begin mowing when the grass reaches 4 inches and cut it
back to 3- 3-1/2 inches. Cutting grass
too short weakens it. Keep it between
3-3 ½ inches even if it means mowing
twice a week in late spring. This is one
of the best ways to obtain a dense, lush lawn which crowds out weeds.
Sharpen those mower blades and use a mulching
mower. Dull blades leave grass tips
split and tattered, which doesn’t make for a smooth look and makes grass more
susceptible to disease than a clean cut.
Returning grass clippings to the lawn with a mulching blade is less work
for you and highly beneficial to the grass.
Decaying clippings return nutrients to the ground and you’ll need less
fertilizer.
Fertilizing
All lawns can benefit from some nitrogen in the
spring. MSU recommends 3 lbs. of
nitrogen per 1000 sq. feet. Whether you
need other nutrients should be determined by a soil test. Michigan and some other states have banned
the use of phosphorus in fertilizer unless you have a soil test that shows you
need it. Most fertilizers on the store
shelves will not contain phosphorus, so you will need it buy it separately,
probably at a farm supply store.
Fortunately few home lawns will need it.
Apply fertilizer according to the label directions and
be careful not to use too much or spill it on the lawn or you will burn the
grass. Do not get fertilizer on hard
surfaces like sidewalks, where it can wash off into drains. Don’t fertilize within 15 feet of lakes,
ponds and other natural water features. This keeps the fertilizer from
polluting the water.
If you just like something green to cover the ground
you don’t need to fertilize the lawn at all.
After all, fertilization just makes the grass and weeds grow faster so
you have to mow more often. All lawns
will benefit though, if lawn clippings are allowed to remain on the lawn after
mowing, which returns nutrients to the lawn.
Weed
control
If you aren’t leaving the flowers for the bees and the
clover for the bunnies, April is a good time to apply weed control, either in
combination with fertilizer or as a separate application. Make sure you don’t get weed control
fertilizer or other weed killers anywhere you want flowers or vegetables to
grow. These fertilizers cannot
differentiate between dandelions and lettuce or clover and roses. They kill all broad leafed plants.
To kill crabgrass in lawns use a special “crabgrass
preventer”. This doesn’t kill crabgrass
that’s started growing; if it did it would also kill your lawn grass. Instead it keeps crabgrass seed from
germinating. Crabgrass is an annual
plant which comes back from seed each year and it doesn’t germinate until the
weather is quite warm. In zone 5-6 maybe
7, April is the best time to apply this preventer. You cannot put crabgrass preventer on a lawn
that you are trying to patch with new grass seeds or where you are totally
re-seeding a lawn, because the lawn seed won’t grow.
I don’t know if there is any scientific research to
support this but many gardeners believe that if clover is allowed to remain in
the lawn rabbits are less likely to eat other cultivated plants in the
landscape. This is because clover is
highly nutritious and a favorite rabbit food.
Of course an environmentally friendly way to weed lawns
is to do it by hand. There are tools
that help you pop dandelions out of the ground.
Grub
control
Homeowners do not automatically need to use grub
control products every year. If you
don’t have a lot of grubs it’s best to forget the grub control. Turf should survive a small amount of grub
damage. Some of the grub control products aren’t effective in spring, even
though they are marketed as such, and you’ll be wasting your money. And most of these products will kill other
soil creatures, and bees and other pollinators which may visit weed flowers in
the lawn. These products can also poison
pets that walk on the lawn or eat the grass.
Here’s how to check for grubs. In early spring the
grubs of European Chafer beetles and Japanese beetles will have overwintered,
and be quite large. If you notice
patches of lawn that seem browned and not growing well you can lift a section
of sod, slide a shovel under it and try to lift it off like a piece of
carpet. If you do have extensive grub
damage this will be easier to do. The
grubs of both beetle species are similar looking to the average person, whitish
fat worm-like creatures with darker heads, usually curled into a C shape. You may see them laying on the soil when you
pick up the sod piece you cut out. Turn
the sod piece over and examine the roots and soil there for grubs too. If you see more than 12 grubs in a foot
square area, treatment may be indicated.
If you have a lot of lawn damage and you are sure it’s
from grubs, you may want to treat lawns in spring. Be aware that spring
treatment of lawns is not a preventative; it only kills existing grubs from
last year’s hatch. Even if you treat your lawn for grubs in early spring and
kill them all, adult beetles will come from other areas when they mate in the
early summer and lay eggs on your soil.
 |
| European Chafer beetle Photo credit MSU Turfgrass |
Preventative products are applied after the adult
beetles lay eggs this year, those products are applied in late summer. Turf specialists think preventative products,
applied in late summer, are more effective than spring grub control. And unless
your area has lots of grub damage you do not need to apply preventative
products either.
For killing grubs in spring, check the ingredient list
on the product bag for these chemicals; chlorantraniliprole,
carbaryl
and trichlorfon (usually just one of these).
Use these exactly as the label directs.
Grub control products with these ingredients; imidacloprid,
thiamethoxam, or clothianidin will
not kill grubs in the spring; they need to be applied in late summer to work
well. Don’t let salespeople tell you
differently. Those products are in the
store every spring with stores hoping you’ll buy them, and then buy them again later. Don’t apply useless chemicals to the
environment where they do more damage than good.
According to Michigan State University other useless
products for grub control are lambda-cyhalothrin, gamma-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin,
deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, permethrin, or spectracide- Triazicide. If these are the only active ingredients
listed for grub control don’t buy the products.
When you use insecticides on the lawn (grub control), mow
the lawn short first to get rid of any flowers in the lawn that might attract
pollinators. Be prepared to water the
products into the soil. MSU turf experts say that a good watering in of the
product is critical to success. Keep
pets and kids off the lawn at least the recommended time on the bag/product
label. I’d keep them off longer; I have
heard about and seen too many cases of pet poisoning from these products, even
when directions were followed. Don’t let
lawn care people tell you these products are safe as soon as they dry.
What about organic, or natural predator grub
control? There is no effective organic
product for grubs. Soap solutions, vinegar, cinnamon, diatomaceous earth, all of
the home remedies often touted, have been proven to be ineffective on grubs. Milky Spore disease and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes are natural pests of grubs
that can control the population. You buy
these and water them into your lawn. The
problem is that it usually takes several years and several applications of
these products to obtain any noticeable results. Milky Spore works only for Japanese beetle
grubs and researchers believe many Japanese beetles have developed immunity to
the disease. In many areas European
Chafer beetles are more prevalent and damaging than Japanese beetles.
Keeping your lawn healthy by mowing and fertilizing it
correctly and irrigating it when it’s dry will be enough to help it survive
most grub damage.
Reseeding
lawns
April is an excellent time for homeowners to plant
grass seed. If your lawn problems seem overwhelming it may be time to start
over with a clean slate. You may just
have a few bad spots and these can be patched with seed. Small patch kits are sold that have a mulch
and seed combination and these can work well.
Otherwise just follow the directions for re-seeding below on a smaller
scale.
Choose your grass seed carefully. A bluegrass mixture is recommended for most
sunny zone 3-8 lawns. Grass seed labels tell you the percentage of
each type of grass. The mixture should
contain less than 10% annual ryegrass and /or perennial rye grass. It should be mostly varieties of
bluegrass. If your area is shady look
for shade grass mixes. These will have
grasses like fine fescue along with shade tolerant bluegrasses.
Homeowners should not use bentgrass seed. Also zoysia “plugs” do not grow well in the
northern states ( below zone 8). They
are not suited for cold climates. Buffalo grass is low maintenance but is clump
grass and doesn’t look like your traditional lawn.
Remove the old sod and put it in the compost pile. Sod is removed by slicing under the roots and
peeling it off. You can rent a tool that
will make sod removal easier. If the
ground was nearly bare you can skip the removal and just turn any vegetation
into the soil.
Roto-till, plow, or spade up the lawn area. If the soil is poor, incorporate lots of
compost into the soil. Do not just add
a couple of inches of topsoil on top of poor soil; work it into the existing
soil. Topsoil varies tremendously as to
quality and fertility and color is no indication of good topsoil. Compost is the better choice.
Smooth the lawn surface and rake out lumps and
rocks. Fill holes and hollows. Now scatter the lawn seed evenly over the
prepared ground. Rolling the seeded
surface with a lawn roller half filled with water gets seed in contact with the
soil. You can rent lawn rollers. Don’t worry about covering the grass seed
with soil.
New seed seems to do better if covered lightly with
mulch. Straw, preferably chopped, is the
cheapest option for large areas. Bags of
green fluffy mulch material are often sold in garden stores for smaller areas. After mulch is applied water carefully,
making sure not to wash the seed off or into clumps.
April is normally a wet, cool month here in Michigan
but if it’s turns dry and hot where you are, newly seeded areas need to be
watered at least once a day. Don’t let
newly planted seed beds dry out for the best germination. If the soil does not feel cool and moist it
needs to be watered.
Sod and hydro-seeding are two other options for lawn
renewal. Hydro-seeding is done by a
company that applies a slurry of grass seed, mulch and water. Sod is strips of growing grass. Homeowners can lay sod but is generally
better for this to be done by professionals.
Both sod and hydro-seeded areas will still need to be watered if the
weather is dry.
Growing
citrus as houseplants
When I was a girl I was always starting citrus trees
from seeds of an orange, tangerine or grapefruit that I had eaten. I had some of these trees for many, many
years and some of them got quite large.
But they never gave me flowers or fruit.
Had I moved to Florida or California and planted them in the ground they
may have given me fruit, but as a houseplant that wasn’t going to happen.
I see many people writing about planting citrus seeds
they get from table fruit and wondering how to care for them. Like me as a
child, they are probably going to get plants, but unless they live where they
can plant them outside (Zone 8 and above) or they have a large heated
greenhouse they probably aren’t going to get fruit or even flowers. Since citrus do make nice looking house
plants if cared for and pruned correctly that may be all right with them.
But there are citrus varieties that gardeners can grow
inside in tubs and if you are lucky you will get sweetly scented flowers and
possibly fruit. I have yet to see a
plant outside of a greenhouse that looks like the pictures in the catalogs,
loaded with full sized fruit, but I have seen plants, including my own, that
will produce flowers and a few fruits for you.
There are naturally dwarf citrus trees and citrus that
has been grafted onto dwarf rootstock.
These smaller trees are better for home environments, and will flower
and fruit more reliably and at a younger age than full size citrus. You’ll probably have to buy plants or start a
cutting from a natural dwarf variety.
Seeds from a natural dwarf, like the Meyer Lemon may produce a nice
plant for you, but seeds from grafted plants will produce full sized trees that
will take many years to bloom, if ever.
Some good varieties of citrus for indoor growing are
Meyer Lemon, dwarf Key Lime, Red Finger Lime, Kaffir Lime, ‘Bearss Seedless’
lime, ‘Mexican Sweet Lime’ Changshou Kumquat, ‘Christmas’ Loquat, Citrus
‘Limequat’, Myrtle Leaf orange, “Sanguinelli’ blood orange, ‘Vaniglia
Sanguigno’ blood orange, Calamondin orange, ‘Autumn Gold’ navel orange, ‘Washington
Orange’, ‘Trovita’ orange, ‘Miho Wase’
Satsuma Mandarin orange, ‘Tango’ Mandarin orange, Clementine orange, ‘Oroblanco’ grapefruit, dwarf tangerine.
 |
| Meyer lemon en.Wikipedia |
How
to grow
When growing citrus indoors use a good light weight
potting mix. Make sure the containers
you select have good drainage. Don’t put
a small plant in a pot that’s too large for it.
When you first bring home a small potted plant let it adjust to
conditions for a couple weeks before re-potting it. Then move it to a new container only slightly
larger than the one it was in. You’ll
probably have to re-pot your citrus every year, or every other year, until you
reach the largest pot size you can handle.
Then you’ll prune the tree to keep it a reasonable size for the pot.
Because clay or ceramic pots are heavy and citrus
plants need consistent moisture, I prefer plastic or lightweight fiberglass
type pots for larger plants. As long as
you can move it and it drains well though, use any pot that appeals to you.
Citrus must have very bright light inside. They must be right in front of a south or
southwest window if no artificial light is used. Sunrooms and south facing bay windows are excellent. If you don’t have good southern light you’ll
need a grow light suspended a foot from the top of the tree. The citrus trees need about 12 hours of good
light a day.
Citrus trees must also have plenty of space. Yes those catalog pictures of 2 feet tall
trees with fruit are cute, but not common.
Even though most indoor citrus are considered to be dwarf plants they
get to at least 5-6 feet tall in most cases.
They need large pots at this size, which adds to the height. They will also get wide- especially if pruned
to reduce height. At maturity expect
them to be 3-4 feet wide.
Probably the best way to grow citrus is to move them
outside in full sun (with acclimation), after there’s no danger of frost and
leave them there until just before first frost in fall. This will generally produce the healthiest,
most productive plants outside of a warm greenhouse environment. The trees with a good summer vacation may
drop some leaves when moved back inside but will generally survive the shadier
winter conditions fairly well.
When you are ready to move the plant outside, you
should first place it in a lightly shaded location for a few days to let it
acclimate. Some protection from wind is
desirable, such as in front of a fence or a few feet from a wall.
Citrus plants need even, consistent watering. Outside in containers they need to be watered
quite frequently, maybe once a day in hot weather. Inside you’ll want to let them dry slightly
before watering. The leaves will roll
inward and droop a bit if the plant is too dry.
Don’t over water citrus though, too wet soil will cause rotted roots,
which can be fatal. Trees that are
over watered may look limp or lose all their leaves because the roots have
rotted.
To get flowers and fruit you’ll need to fertilize your
citrus plant. Since citrus likes
slightly acidic soil I use acidic fertilizer for mine. You can buy citrus fertilizer in some areas,
in the north look for fertilizers for blueberries or evergreens. When you are re-potting a plant you can work
some acidic granular, slow release fertilizer into the soil and this will last
several months.
After that time is up and between re-potting use a
water soluble acidic fertilizer on your citrus from March to November. Mix according to label directions. Don’t fertilize in the lowest light periods of
November to March.
Sometimes potted citrus will develop light green leaves
with darker green veins. This can indicate an iron deficiency. I find this is less likely to happen when
acidic fertilizer is used, but it still happens sometimes. You can buy chelated iron for plants in a
good garden shop or on line. This is
mixed in water according to label directions and used to water the plant. The plant should become darker green after
two or three watering’s, and you can discontinue use of the iron
supplement.
Other problems of citrus indoors can be scale, aphids,
and whitefly. Scale usually looks like brown bumps or scabs on the tree
branches and leaves. If the tree is
outside you can spray it with 1% horticultural oil. Don’t spray when the tree is flowering. Inside use a mild solution of insecticidal
soap and a soft toothbrush and gently scrub the scales off. Aphids and whitefly can be caught with sticky
traps. A spray of insecticidal soap may
help. If the tree isn’t flowering and has no fruit other insecticide sprays can
be used.
The yellowing and dropping of a few leaves every so
often is normal for citrus trees. This
is more likely after the plant has been moved and conditions have changed. Cold temperatures can cause leaf drop too. Keep indoor citrus above 50 degrees.
Pruning
Pruning citrus can be done at any time, although I
would avoid it when the tree is flowering.
Prune off any broken, dead or unusually spindly looking branches. Look
for the graft bulge on the stem of a grafted plant and remove any sprouts that
develop under the graft.
Usually indoor citrus are pruned to maintain a
manageable size. Cut back the height to
the size you prefer each year and trim back some of the width if desired. Use clean, sharp pruning shears and don’t
take off more than 1/3 of the tree at any time.
Make your cuts just above a leaf node on the stem, on a slight
slant. You don’t need to seal cut ends.
Flowering
and fruit
It can take several years for a citrus plant to flower
even in ideal conditions. If it doesn’t
get enough sunlight and proper watering and fertilization it may never
bloom. Citrus can bloom in the spring or
fall or both, depending on the species and variety. Most citrus blooms are white and small. Sometimes they go unnoticed unless you notice
the sweet smell most citrus flowers give off.
Citrus are generally self-fertile which means you only
need one plant to get fruit. But they
have to be pollinated to get that fruit, and in nature, insects pollinate
citrus flowers. If your tree is outside
when it flowers bees may pollinate it for you.
Inside you have to stand in for the bees if you want fruit. In northern areas you may want to pollinate
the flowers yourself even if the plants are outside when they bloom. Bees may not notice unfamiliar flower odor or
shape for a while.
To hand pollinate flowers get a small paintbrush. Brush it across the yellow anthers of one
flower and then across the stigma- female part of another flower. The stigma is
usually in the center of the yellow anthers, has a flat “top” and will look
glossy or sticky when ready to accept pollen.
Be like a busy bee and do this back and forth between all the flowers
once a day until they close or fall.
If you are lucky and the flowers got pollinated small
fruit will begin to form. This is where
patience comes in. If there are a lot of
fruit forming it’s natural for some of it to fall off, called self-culling. Low humidity can also cause fruit to
abort. It’s a good idea to mist citrus
plants with fruit several times a week if your indoor humidity is below 50%.
Citrus fruit can take from 6 months to 18 months to
ripen, depending on species. Normally it
will change color to the normal ripe color of that species fruit. When it’s deeply colored try lifting a fruit
slightly. If it comes off the stem
easily it is ripe. All fruit may not
ripen at the same time.
Don’t expect a large crop from any indoor citrus
plant. Most people are pleased to get a
few fruits each year. It’s my experience
that these indoor citrus fruits are smaller than outdoor grown fruit of the
same type, but they taste perfectly fine.
A citrus tree can make a fine houseplant and a great
conversation piece if it flowers or fruits.
It’s a challenge to some gardeners to grow their own delicious fruit
inside. Start with a healthy, nursery
grown plant for best results. And
remember when you start growing your own citrus fruit it’s probably time to consider
that sunroom or greenhouse.
Natural
Easter Egg Dyes
I am going to post this a week early so you have time
to gather supplies if you need to. You
can make Easter egg dye with food colors, which are safe to consume, but it’s
fun to try something different and these are green options. If you have laying
hens now is the time when your egg production is high. Many home egg producers have hens which lay
brown eggs or even blue and green eggs. White eggs work best for dying, but
light- to medium-brown eggs can also be colored. You could also change the color of those blue
and green colored eggs. Of course
starting with colored eggs your dyed eggs may turn out differently than you
thought, try one or two before going to a bigger batch.
 |
| Natural eggs, as they come from my hens. |
Eggs are also cheap in the stores at this time. You can buy white eggs just for
coloring. Don’t worry about buying those
more expensive organic,free range eggs if you aren’t going to be eating them,
many people don’t eat dyed eggs.
Children love this egg dying project but natural dyes
can leave permanent stains so make sure everyone wears an apron.
To make egg dyes, mix two cups of water and 2
tablespoons of white vinegar with any of the items noted in the following list
for various colors. You can mix the ingredients listed below to create your own
shades or use them separately. The colors you get will be softer than
commercial dyes and each egg will be unique. All of the natural ingredients are
safe to eat.
For blues, purples: Use any of the
following:
2 cups fresh or
frozen blueberries, crushed
2 cups shredded
red cabbage
1 cup
concentrated grape juice
1–2 cups red
onion skins
For reds, pinks, oranges: Choose
from the following:
1–2 cups chopped
fresh red beets
2 tablespoons
paprika
2 cups fresh or
frozen cranberries, crushed
2 cups fresh or
frozen raspberries, crushed
1–2 cups of
frozen concentrate for cherries, cranberries, or raspberries
For Greens: Use
either of the following:
1 cup of
blueberries mixed with 2 tablespoons turmeric
2 cups fresh
spinach leaves, crushed
For Yellows,
golds: Choose from the following:
2 cups yellow
onion skins
1 cup
concentrated orange juice
3 tablespoons
cumin
3 tablespoons
turmeric
1/4 cup celery
seed
You can dye your eggs using either of the following
methods:
Boil the eggs right in the pan with the dye products.
If you want to cook the eggs in the dye you must simmer the mixture for about 8
minutes to thoroughly cook the eggs. The mixture should cover the eggs, so you
may need to add additional water and vinegar. Add the eggs before heating the
dye and cook slowly so the eggs don’t crack. Let the eggs stand in the hot
water for 10 minutes after turning off the heat.
Or boil the eggs and make your dyes separately, and
then soak the hard-boiled eggs in the dye. To make the dye alone, bring the
ingredients to a boil and then simmer for about 2 minutes. Strain the dye
mixture. Hard-boil the eggs separately. Then soak the eggs in the dye until
they are as colored as you want them. If you soak them for more than 30
minutes, set the pan or bowl with the eggs and dye in the refrigerator.
After coloring, allow the eggs to dry and refrigerate
them if they’re going to be eaten later. If hard boiled eggs have been outside the
refrigerator for more than 2 hours do not eat them.
Better
with bacon egg salad
Those of you producing backyard eggs need recipes to
use up springs abundance. Even the local farmers market may offer good deals on
farm fresh eggs since the hens are producing full force in the spring. Any time you need a fast, fresh idea for a
meal count on locally produced eggs.
Most people serve egg salad as a sandwich but it can be
served on a bed of spring greens. Tender
baby spinach leaves are wonderful paired with egg salad. If you make it a sandwich, toasting the bread
that egg salad is served on adds a tasty touch.
You can also wrap egg salad in a flour tortilla or put it in a pita
pocket.
Ingredients
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup of minced green onion (chives or any other
onion can be substituted)
1/4 cup of finely diced celery
1/4 cup of cooked crispy, finely crumbled bacon
1/4 cup of Miracle Whip® or similar salad dressing
1½ tablespoons of sweet pickle relish
1½ teaspoons of mustard
salt and pepper to taste.
Blend all of the ingredients together. Garnish with
sweet paprika. Refrigerate any egg salad
that isn’t eaten immediately.
You can cheat and use bacon bits from the store but use
the real thing, not a bacon flavored bit.
Add a teaspoon or so of grated or finely shredded cheddar cheese to each
serving as a top garnish. It will add
calories to the recipe but it sure tastes good.
Omitting the bacon gives you a basic egg salad recipe. You could substitute finely cubed ham. To add some heat use chopped jalapeño pepper
in place of celery and a bit of red pepper.
This recipe makes about 4 servings. Each serving will have about 240 calories.
Note: It’s
normal for hardboiled eggs to have a green ring between the yolk and the white.
To help prevent it cool eggs quickly under running cold water. You can use dyed
Easter eggs if they were kept properly refrigerated. Some color may have leached
into the white. If normal food coloring or
natural dyes were used, these are safe to eat.
“Behold,
my friends, the spring is home; the earth has gladly received the embraces of
the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.” Sitting Bull
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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