Green Thumb Sunday

As I mentioned last Sunday, I am now participating in Green Thumb Sundays...I think I should have done this yesterday...still learning the ropes...in any case, here are my artistic attempts at showing you what is blooming now...

This is a pair of beautiful white ranunculus and on the left, you can see the bottom of an iris about to bloom.

This is the virtual arrangement my mom received for Mother's Day...we are too far apart to see each other, so I created a bouquet of most of the things that are blooming right now. In this arrangement there are woodland hyacinths, white, lavender and pink rhododendrons, 2 different lilacs, one a double, and a tulip or two. Between the hyacinth and the lilac, the whole house smelled like heaven!

And, since we moved this winter, I wanted to include a retrospective photo of one of my beds from our previous house...taken around the same time last spring.


Now, scoot over and check out my blog annex, Gardener to Farmer, Too for growing information on some of today's plants!

Also...join me in GTS! Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday,visitAs the Garden Grows for more information.

Publishing for Profit and Influence: It’s All About th

Very nice article by DoshDosh on blogging for passion rather than profit.DoshDosh is always worth the read....good stuff

read more | digg story

Edgy Entrepreneur Blog on Networking

A great primer for network and relationship building in business. The blog contains pithy, well written information about entrepreneurship.

read more | digg story

Falstaff; Brussel Sprout or Shakespearean Character?

Seriously, even I can't believe I am about to compare a brussel sprout to Shakespeare...but that's the name of these cuties...Falstaff Brussel Sprouts...I've written about them before, so you may remember that they are purple, one of the reasons I am so nutty about growing them. Here is a not so great pic of when I first transplanted them...weakly looking, aren't they?


But why the name Falstaff? I mean, what's that about? I vaguely remember Falstaff as a character from Shakespearean plays...and I am embarrassed to say I don't remember more than that...note: the author has a degree in English from a private college...and the student loans to prove it... In my shame, I decided to do a quick search on just who this Falstaff is...Suffice it to say, Falstaff is a scoundrel, with a dicey reputation...and apparently, one of Shakespeare's funniest characters...this is all starting to make sense to me.

Brussel Sprouts have had a bad reputation for years...children run screaming from the room when they hear they are being served for dinner. Parents use them in punitive ways, "If you don't eat your brussel sprouts, you won't be able to eat dessert." What???? No one stands between me and dessert...


So, it seems these little cuties are aptly named...their reputation for general yucky-ness coupled with the comedic value of a purple vegetable, definitely makes them eligible to be a character in a Shakespearean play...not the tragedies, the histories, which is weird, because I would have thought the comedies, but I digress...

These little guys grow best in cool weather, so theoretically, they should do really well here in the Pacific Northwest. We have had a really cool spring, but now suddenly have 90 degree weather. Hopefully, it will cool down so they don't fry...

And speaking of frying...well, really sautéing, that's one of my favorite ways to cook them. Check out my new blog, Gardener to Farmer, Too for more growing information and other ways I love to prepare them.

How do you eat your brussels?