Archive for July, 2012

Update: Using Row Covers for Insect Control

July 31, 2012 · Filed under Garden Experience, Plant Suggestions · Tagged , ,

Near perfection! This is a Japanese variety called Orient Charm.

Near perfection! This is a Japanese variety called Orient Charm.

On June 3rd I wrote about my experiment with row covers to control insects, particularly flea beetles on my eggplants and squash vine borers on the zucchini.   I can now report on how successful this project was.  First the good news:  The eggplants are completely free of the ravages of flea beetles.  I took off the row cover when they began to flower and I now have lovely, glistening, lavender fruit in abundance and healthy leaves.  It seems I can defeat the beetles, which have an early life cycle, by using row covers.

The frass deposit at the tip of the orange paper clip shows where the hole is. There may be more than one. Probe with a wire to destroy the larvae.

The frass deposit at the tip of the orange paper clip shows where the hole is. There may be more than one. Probe with a wire to destroy the larvae.

The news on the zucchini is not so good.  Yesterday I noticed the zucchini was partially wilted when we came home from a week in Maine.  In addition to the row covers (which I removed when the plants began to blossom) I had been massaging the stems every morning in hopes of removing egg deposits and had tried putting tin foil under the stems as suggested in a response to the original post.  An examination of the stems showed vine borer frass (larva excrement).  I am trying my fall back intensive care treatment in hopes of saving the plants.  First I unfurled a paper clip and probed the hole to try and kill the larvae inside the stem.  I worked it back and forth wherever I felt a passageway.  I then hilled up the stem with fresh earth as these plants will root along the stem.  Clearly the squash vine borers are active after the plants begin flowering so it seems row covers are ineffective for them.  Stay tuned…

UPDATE:  August 22nd –  The hilling up has worked.  I caught the damage in time.  The plants have rooted along the stems and have begun to bear again.  I see no indications of new damage at the base of the new growth.

I then hilled up the stems with fresh soil so the plants could send down new roots.

I then hilled up the stems with fresh soil so the plants could send down new roots.

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Stuff Larger Zucchini for a Low Cal Meal

July 29, 2012 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , ,

At just over 7", these are perfect for stuffing. This is a variety called Mid- East Cousa, a little paler and plumper than the usual ones.

At just over 7″, these are perfect for stuffing. This is a variety called Mid- East Cousa, a little paler and plumper than the usual ones.

It happens to everyone, some zucchini escape notice and grow larger than we want.   Some are beyond redemption and can only be relegated to the compost pile but many can be salvaged for a delicious, low calorie meal by stuffing them.  I found two that had gotten away but were still small enough for individual serving size.  First remove the stem and blossom ends and slice off the tops, lengthwise.  Scoop out the insides, leaving a shell with a wall about 1/2″ thick.  Chop the scooped out portion if the seeds are not too hard and use it in your filling.  The choices for fillings are almost limitless and you can make them very low cal by not using meat.   Basics would be the chopped zucchini insides, onion garlic, tomatoes and herbs of choice but you can add meat (ham, sausage, ground beef…) and other veggies like peppers and carrots.  Season well as they can be bland.  Cook the filling first, load it into the zucchini “boats” and bake at 400º until the side of the zucchini can be pierced with a fork.  Top with cheese if desired and run under the broiler to melt.

I used a ground beef based stuffing and topped it with mozzarella.

I used a ground beef based stuffing and topped it with mozzarella.

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Trip to Eastern Egg Rock

July 27, 2012 · Filed under Birds · Tagged , , ,

A little raft of Puffins, one of many we saw.

A little raft of Atlantic Puffins, one of many we saw.

A friend was visiting from Texas, her first time in Maine, and we decided to go out to Eastern Egg Rock in Muscongus Bay where Dr. Steve Kress’ Project Puffin is located.  We left from New Harbor for the 6 mile trip on four foot swells, as a storm was threatening.  The weather held off long enough for us to see the Puffins (Fratercula arctica) , having many great looks at rafts of these little “Sea Clowns.”  The island is home to colonies of Common, Roseate and Arctic Terns, Black Guillimots and Laughing Gulls as well as the ever increasing colony of Puffins.  We saw a Minke Whale, a Manx Shearwater, Northern Gannets and Wilson’s Storm Petrels and were accompanied by Harbor Porpoises on the ride out to the island.  The Puffins used to inhabit Maine before humans extirpated them by taking their eggs and hunting them for meat and feathers.  Thanks to Project Puffin, they once again grace Maine waters.   Steve Kress lured them back, first by hand rearing chicks (called Pufflings) taken from thriving colonies in Canada and then luring the chicks, grown into breeding adults after four years at sea, back to the Island through the use of decoys.  What an exciting day that must have been for him, seeing the first birds return after four years of hope.  Dr. Kress will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Connecticut Ornithological Association on March 23, 2013.

Eastern Egg Rock. The structures are blinds used by the researchers to study the birds.

Eastern Egg Rock. The structures are blinds used by the researchers to study the birds.

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Mount Washington Moose Encounter

July 23, 2012 · Filed under animals · Tagged , ,

Moose alongside a pull-off on the Mount Washington Auto Road

Moose alongside a pull-off on the Mount Washington Auto Road

Another interesting sighting during my Mt. Washington trip was a moose.  I was walking back to where our van was parked, listening to the call notes of the elusive Bicknell’s Thrush along with the songs of Winter Wrens, Blackpoll Warblers, Boreal Chickadees and Swainson’s Thrushes and I noticed a man standing stock still beside the van.  Something had mesmerized him.  I approached him quietly and saw he was watching a moose, maybe 30 feet away.  This moose was completely oblivious, stripping the foliage from trees as it shambled along.  It was at a spot on the Mt. Washington Auto Road where a 1939 Pierce Arrow car lay wrecked, now nearly obscured by vegetation.

This may be a male as it seems to have antler patches but I'm not sure. There was another moose in the brush which may have been a calf, so it may be a female.

This may be a male as it seems to have antler patches but I’m not sure. There was another moose in the brush which may have been a calf, so it may be a female.

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Using Zucchini in Chicken Piccata

July 21, 2012 · Filed under Food Suggestions · Tagged , , ,

Slabs of Zucchini Stretch Chicken in Chicken Piccata

Slabs of Zucchini Stretch Chicken in Chicken Piccata

Zucchini is a good meat stretcher and is particularly suitable with chicken piccata, that light, lemony Italian classic.  I cut it in slabs, dredge it in flour and saute it in olive oil until it is tender.  I then layer it with the chicken adding the piccata sauce over all and mixing gently.  I am writing a cookbook which combines gardening tips and in which I share my everyday experiences with the natural world.  A book agent has advised me not to put too many recipes on my blog that I include in the book so I won’t give you my recipe, but if you Google Chicken Piccata, no doubt there are dozens of recipes on the web.  Just slice the zucchini as thinly as you slice the boneless chicken breasts and you can use half the chicken.  I used just one boneless chicken breast (which is half the breast) in the photo above.

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Harvesting Garlic

July 19, 2012 · Filed under Garden Experience · Tagged , ,

The variety called Music is my mainstay

The variety called Music is my mainstay

I harvested some of my garlic this morning.  My benchmark on timing for harvest is when the bottom five leaves have turned brown.  I used a four tined garden fork, gently eased it under the plant and then levered the fork up to loosen the roots.  I then pulled out the heads and put them in a bucket, one for each variety.

Shake off as much of the soil as you can, then wash them

Shake off as much of the soil as you can, then wash them

I planted four different types this year.  Music is my mainstay with its rich flavor and large creamy cloves and then there’s Russian Rocambole for its medium-hot taste and long keeping qualities.  I’m trying two new ones, Nirvana Weird which is reputed to be spicy with a sweet aftertaste and Unadilla Double Coil, great for roasting.  These had long scape coils this spring, a source I used for the Garlic Scape Pesto mentioned earlier.  These last two are rare, local varieties that I bought from Gibson Hill Garlic.  The owners inherited the farm and found these two varieties, grown nowhere else.  They had only a few hundred heads but have cultivated it enough that it is now available in limited supply.   I grow only the stiff-necked varieties as I have found the soft-necked don’t do too well in this New England climate.

Divided by variety. Note the condition of the leaves. If you let them go much further than this, the skins split and they don't store well.

Divided by variety. Note the condition of the leaves. If you let them go much further than this, the skins split and they don’t store well.

After washing the heads, I spread them out to cure for about two weeks on the screened porch.  When they are cured, I will cut off the stalks and store them in a cool, dark place.

They'll be ready to use in a couple of weeks

They’ll be ready to use in a couple of weeks

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White Mountain Arctic Butterfly

July 17, 2012 · Filed under Butterflies · Tagged , , , , , ,

The Alpine Tundra Environment Required by the White Mountain Arctic Butterfly

The Alpine Tundra Environment Required by the White Mountain Arctic Butterfly

I was a member of a small group invited to Mt. Washington, NH this past weekend by Chris Rimmer, Director of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, where he wanted to share the exciting research being done there.  I had hoped to get a really good look at the Bicknell’s Thrush, a species I had not seen in the wild well enough to count on my life list, although I have seen them in the hand while banding.  I struck out again on the Bicknell’s but my disappointment was more than erased by the fascinating work being done on the White Mountain Arctic Butterfly (Oeneis melissa semidea).

This student intern is searching for the Butterflies

This student intern is searching for the Butterflies

This butterfly is a holdover from the period of the last glaciers and has been trapped on the summits of the Presidential range since the tree line advanced thousands of years ago, invading the rocky, treeless Alpine habitat it needs to survive.  The climate is so harsh on the top of Mt. Washington that it takes two years for the White Mountain Arctic to complete a life cycle.  The adult butterfly lives for about eight days, during which time it mates and lays its eggs.  The larvae winter over under rocks, freezing solid for the winter and awaken the following spring to pupate and emerge as adults in early summer.  The larvae feed on Bigelow Sedge at night to avoid predation by birds, resting under rocks during the day.

This woman is marking the butterfly with non-toxic ink. She is doing research for her Ph.D on the White Mountain Arctic.

This woman is marking the butterfly with non-toxic ink. She is doing research for her Ph.D on the White Mountain Arctic.

We watched as researchers netted the butterflies and marked them with nontoxic ink, carefully logging the details of each one before it was released, unharmed.

The butterfly rests after being marked and studied. The pink ink spots indicate the location where it was captured. Its coloration allows it to blend with the lichen to avoid predators.

The butterfly rests after being marked and studied. The pink ink spots indicate the location where it was captured. Its coloration allows it to blend with the lichen to avoid predators.

The future of this butterfly is threatened by climate change as the warming environment allows the treeline to advance ever closer to the tundra at the top of the mountain.

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White-tailed Deer Fawns are Everywhere

July 15, 2012 · Filed under Deer, Garden Experience · Tagged ,

 

Fawns are very curious. here they are standing at the edge of my herb garden inspecting some logs.

Fawns are very curious. here they are standing at the edge of my herb garden inspecting some logs.

I went to turn the hose on and startled a fawn from under a bush beside the spigot.  I walked by the Forsythia bush and a fawn lept out and ran away.  I opened the garden gate to go in for my daily hour of weeding and a fawn ran out from under a rhubarb plant, just outside the garden.  Yikes!  They’re everywhere.  Their mothers stash them in what they think is a safe place, coming back every so often to nurse them during the day.   Meanwhile they’re on their own in our yard, free to frolic and watch me weeding.  I was doing just that this morning when I was aware that someone was watching, and looking up, there were the fawns standing outside the fence.  I called to them and they came a little closer but when I opened the gate to get my camera, they fled.  I came back with the camera and managed to get a couple of pictures of those I call my “deerlings.”

Winter view, the whole family in the backyard.

Winter view, the whole family in the backyard.

I love to see the fawns.  I even saw one being born once, right outside the dining room window, but they grow up to be chompers of valuable foundation plantings.  I have called a truce and am replacing all the deer attracting plantings with deer resistant, bird friendly, low maintenance native plants.  Yes, there are a few.  These gems will be subjects of future posts.

Isn't There Some Way to Get Into This Garden???

Isn’t There Some Way to Get Into This Garden???

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Soft Shell Crabs: The Elegant Fast Food

July 13, 2012 · Filed under Food Suggestions, Recipe · Tagged , , , ,

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It’s the season for soft shell crabs (Callinectes sapidus, meaning Beautiful Swimmer), the delicious result of the Maryland Blue Crab   shedding its shell so it can grow larger.   They are available frozen year round now but the fleeting season for fresh crabs lasts generally from May into August.  They are quick and easy to prepare.  My favorite way is to saute them and serve them Crostini style, on a slice of grilled or sautéed bread smeared with butter.  You can make a herb butter with dill or a little tarragon.  It’s important to have something like bread or rice for a base to catch the succulent juices that run out when you cut into them. Tonight I chose to serve them over rice.  They first need to be cleaned and the fish mongers will do this, if you ask them.  They lose flavor after cleaning, so either buy them right before you cook them or clean them yourself.  It’s easy to do but not for the squeamish.  Here is a link to a video on how to do this yourself.

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To prepare them, first rinse them and pat them dry then salt and pepper them.  Dredge them in all-purpose flour, shaking off the excess.  Melt an equal amount of butter and oil (safflower is good).  I use about a tablespoon of fat per crab as we try to keep our fat down but the point is to get a crisp shell quickly, so if you see there isn’t enough fat, add more at the side of the pan.  If you’re going to use crostini, some of the herb butter can be used here as part of the fat.  Saute them shell side down on medium to high heat until the top is browned and crispy, about four minutes.   Turn the crabs and cook on the bottom about two minutes more.   Move them onto the rice or buttered crostini (one per crab) and deglaze the pan with lemon juice and white wine, adding in a few capers.  Reduce quickly until soupy and pour over the crabs.  Serve ASAP, you don’t want that shell to get soggy!  You eat the whole thing, claws and all.

The Salad is Pears, Black Walnuts and Toasted Goat Cheese

The Salad is Pears, Black Walnuts and Toasted Goat Cheese

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Piping Plovers and the Public

July 11, 2012 · Filed under Birds · Tagged , , , ,

Mrs. Plover, on her nest, safe inside her exclosure, I hope.

Mrs. Plover, on her nest, safe inside her exclosure, I hope.

I spent last Saturday morning helping out the volunteers of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds during Op Sail at Harkness Memorial Park in Waterford, Connecticut, where thousands of people were expected to throng the beach to view the parade of tall ships.  My task was to try and keep people from roaming the area of the beach which has been roped off to protect nest areas used by the federally and state threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus).   These small migratory shorebirds have been nesting on our shoreline for thousands of years but their numbers have declined dramatically due to human real estate development and roaming predators such as unleashed dogs, cats, gulls, rats and raccoons.  The nest sites are protected by wire fencing called exclosures.  I found people to be largely understanding of the Plover’s situation and interested in the literature I gave them about the Plovers.  There was still one active nest.  Mrs. Plover’s first nest was destroyed and the eggs eaten by an unleased dog.  Her second nest failed when we had torrential rains and the nest was washed away.  She is now on her third attempt and needs about another week before the eggs hatch.  Let’s hope she makes it.

We were lucky in a way that it was foggy and the boats were difficult to see from the park.  Many people left for better viewing spots when that became obvious, so the expected throngs didn’t materialize.  For information about the program and the Plovers, check out this site:  http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com/2012/05/piping-plover-chick-foraging.html

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UPDATE:  On July 23rd Mrs. Plover hatched five chicks.  Mom and children are doing well!

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