It's More Than Just Printed Words

It’s More Than Just News Print
by Billie A Williams

There is another use for the printed word besides wrapping fish, or lining the bird cage, with that newspaper that is. And only after you’ve read it of course and if you aren’t using it for fire starter for your wood stove or fireplace as you curl up with a good book. [Plug here: Small Town Secrets, ISBN 978-1-59705-766-0 released January 1, 2008 available anywhere books are sold. Wings ePress, Inc. www.wings-press.com]

How about saving a stack of newspaper to use as mulch in your garden this spring. No matter what it looks like out your window today, at least in North America, spring is right around the corner. We’re dreaming about it as we leaf through seed catalogs our order blanks filling up with all the nutrition and beauty our budgets can handle. Or as we begin cleaning and arranging, preparing to begin those seedlings that will later be transplanted to the garden.

Three alternating layers of single sheets of newspaper are adequate to aid in saving the moisture your plants will need in the hot dry July’s of your summer garden. Covering the sheets of newspapers with up to three inches of grass clippings will keep those shallow rooted plants from cooking in the sun and moisture loving plants thirst quenched. The Zink in the ink (I sound like a poet) will deter weeds while helping to maintain soil moisture and texture. You can shred the newspaper if you prefer and add it to your compost heap. As it breaks down it will add bulk and Zink to your compost.

Here is another helpful winter tip that will show spring benefits: Ease up on the use of ice melt or salt to keep your walks and driveway skid proof. Instead, use sawdust, sand, or fireplace and woodstove ashes. They provide the traction without the salt that can be harmful to lawn grass and flower beds.
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Feel free to use this article as long as you leave this resource box in place.
Billie A Williams
www.billiewilliams.com
http://printedwords.blogspot.com
Pens In Motion
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While You Are Planning...

While you are planning next year’s garden, why not allot some space for the forgotten cole crop, Kohlrabi? Its name means ‘cabbage turnip.’ Its easy to grow and pretty much disease and pest-free.

Incidentally, if you leave them in your garden after harvesting what you want to use, and are in a rural setting the deer will provide you with delightful entertainment as they much on the tops.

Kohlrabi purchased in the supermarket is usually tough, fibrous and bitter. You are better off growing your own. It isn’t hard. There are a variety of choices. I prefer Early White Vienna, but there are others equally as good. Most varieties mature in 55 days, so you can plan accordingly.

A soil that is rich in organic matter, retains moisture, yet drains readily, such as is preferred by other cole crops, is ideal for Kohlrabi. If you have sand and manure-enriched compost, incorporate as much as you can spare into the soil for your kohlrabi for best results.

To plant directly into the soil (You can start them indoors early) plant them in two foot blocks, spacing plants six inches apart each way, or sow two seeds per spacing and thin to the strongest seedlings when they’re about 2 inches tall.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, mulching is key to producing prize-winning Kohlrabi. Start when the plants are three inches tall with a layer of clean straw or shredded leaves. Throughout the growing season you should keep the soil consistently moist, but not mucky. All you do is sit back and wait to harvest them.

What do you do with these jewels of the cole family? Start harvesting them when they are about two inches in diameter, somewhere between golf ball or billiard ball size. This is when the flavor and texture will be at its peak.

Pull the bulbs or cut them at the root just below ground level. Strip off the leaves from those stems to use as collard greens.

Now for the Kohlrabi bulb: you can grate it for slaws, sliver it for salads, peel and slice it into coins for cheese or onion dips, my favorite is to peel and eat it raw like an apple. You can also cook them as a creamed or augratin dish. Add them to soups and stews. If you like Chinese dishes stir fry them to add to those. Steamed (either sliced or cubed) served with herbed butter or combine with carrots and peas for a beautiful and delicious side dish.

To freeze, peel and dice, blanch for 90 seconds cool in ice water and package for freezing.
The bulbs will store for several weeks in the refrigerator or root cellar.

Nutritional facts: Kohlrabi has about twice the vitamin C content of orange juice and is an excellent source of vitamin A, several B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and other minerals.

German and Hungarian cookbooks usually have some extravagant Kohlrabi recipes.

Four to Six Inches of Snow Predicted

We are in a winter storm watch. It started snowing about a half hour before the weathermen thought it would. Does that mean we are done gardening?

To me it means drag out those gardening catalogs that come earlier and earlier every year and start planning for next year. Those delightful blooms and veggies, fruits and shrubs are sure to get your happy spirit up. Personally, a warm fire, a toasty mug of herbal tea and a stack of paper to plot, plan, and scheme are my respite from any storm.

I learned while I was researching cyanide poisoning for one of my mysteries that the lovely privet hedge shrub is deadly. [and so too is the Pink Lady Slipper wild orchid that was featured in "The Pink Lady Slipper"] Now that was a frightening thought. Apparently our systems, the liver to be specific, can deal with cyanide rather effectively unless it is in large doses. The apricot pit is laced with cyanide, as are apple seeds and any plum type fruit. The good news is that unless ground, chewed, or deliberately ingested like the Apricot Kernels sold at health food stores a while back--they are not lethal to you. Whew!

Remember too that those beautiful poinsettia plants are poisonous to your pets.

So I will continute to let my privet hedge divide my property into neat they and me space.

Get out those catalogs and begin your dreams for next year. I hope that they may all be productive and colorful. Oh, and after you are done with your Christmas tree this year, be sure that you hang bread cubes and peanut butter pine cones on it and stand it in your yard for the birds -- our feathered insect repelents.