Wishing you the very best during this Holiday Season and Warm Wishes for the Year ahead. Cheers
Zinnia Boy
Warm Wishes
Category: Outdoor Living
A Time to Grill
It’s always the right time to grill and the holidays are no exception. For several years, come rain or shine I have prepared turkey, chicken, goose or duck on my outdoor grill. There are advantages to grilling your holiday meal, you’ll save space in your oven for additional delightful items on your menu and grilling naturally circulates air around your meat keeping it moist so no basting required. Follow the instructions for your particular grill regarding time and temperature and have an unforgettable holiday. meal.
Ice Plant
Our featured flower of the month is a perennial ground cover called “Delosperma”. Delosperma is a member of the Aizoaceae plant family and is also known as the “Mesa Verde Ice Plant’. Flowers are soft and appear to be iridescent with succulent leaves. The ice plant adapts well to our climate in zone 4 and is magnificent when used as a border or draped over walls and boulders. I start my plants in garden loam or gravelly soil for plants that are four inches high and spread out up to 15 inches. Cheers
Floral Gardening
Floral Gardening
My eBook “The Flower Affect” is your one stop solution for identifying and growing familiar flowers. It is floral gardening made easy and readily available for download on your Kindle or mobile device at Amazon here:
Where there’s Smoke….
Holidays are on the horizon and my focus is shifting towards food and festivities. A good meal can compliment any special occasion or gathering. Smoking and grilling are unique cooking styles that offer a distinct taste to food and in zone 4 our weather is conducive to outdoor cooking. Using smoke is considered to be the authentic way to barbecue. True pit masters will say “no food is better than barbecue” and the essential ingredient is smoke. Distinct flavors are derived from the type of wood burned in your smoker or grill. The wood usually comes in chunks or chips and sometimes whole logs of apple and cherry. Hickory is known worldwide for its profound flavor when used to cook pork. Alder and mesquite are my personal favorites. There are numerous choices of woods, rubs and cooking methods. Experiment! Find what works for a unique and scrumptious holiday meal. Enjoy
The Zone 4 Weather Edition
Fall is here and we have already received a winter blast in zone 4, freezing blooms and putting an end to the growing season. It is one day later, the high is fifty degrees and the next several days we will experience spring like temperatures.
We have experienced low precipitation levels this year, our snowiest months of March and April fell extremely short creating extreme drought conditions leading to a devastating fire season and changing our habitats forever. In my own little corner of zone 4 I have planted drought tolerant species and I can take solace as I consider my environment, the impact I have made and what I can personally do to make a difference when the weather will not cooperate. Cheers
