MemberGarden

SuperUser Account — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:49:26 GMT

What's Your Garden Story?Send your 500-word essay to:Member GardenGardening How-ToP.O. Box 3416 Minnetonka, MN 55343 Or e-mail submissions to elizabeth@gardeningclub.comPlease include your name, address, daytime phone number, member number, and at least one clear color photograph (not photocopy) of you in your garden. We’ll pay $200 for stories we publish.Sorry, we can’t acknowledge or return submissions.

HomeGrown

SuperUser Account — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:34:45 GMT

PHOTO CALL!We love to see what's growing in your garden. Send sharp, clear photographs (not photocopies) with your name, address, phone number, member number, and the names and relationship of anyone pictured to:Home GrownGardening How-ToP.O. Box 3416 Minnetonka, MN 55343. We can’t acknowledge or return submissions.

Web Links September/October 2008

SuperUser Account — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:28:35 GMT

Web Resources September/October 2008Sources for milkweed: Annie’s Annuals, Richmond, CA, 888-266-4370, www.anniesannuals.com. Butterfly Encounters, San Ramon, CA, www.butterflyencounters.com Rose Franklin’s Perennials, Spring Mills, PA, 814-422-8968, www.butterflybushes.com/milkweed.htm.Pest Watch:Emerald Ash Borer info page, www.emeraldashborer.info (see Contact Info tab for phone numbers for your state).Remember 9/11: Remember Me rose garden, www.remember-me-rose.org. Bailey Nurseries, 800-829-8898, www.baileynurseries.com.Resources for Southwest: For Rosa rugosa: High Country Roses, Jensen, UT, 800-552-2082, www.highcountryroses.com.For Potentilla fruticosa:Wayside Gardens, Hodges, SC, 800-213-0379, www.waysidegardens.com.Resources for Pacific Northwest: Colvos Creek Nursery, Vashon Island, WA, 206-749-9508, www.colvoscreeknursery.com. Forestfarm, Williams, OR, 541-846-7269, www.forestfarm.com.Resources for Midwest/Mountain: For more information about daylilies: www.designerdaylily.com. Garden Crossings, Zeeland, MI, 616-875-6355, www.gardencrossings.com. Bluestone Perennials, Madison, OH, 800-852-5243, www.bluestoneperennials.com. Great Garden Plants (online ordering only), 877-447-4769, www.greatgardenplants.com.Resources for Northeast: White Flower Farm, Litchfield, CT, 800-503-9624, www.whiteflowerfarm.com. Digging Dog Nursery, Albion, CA, 707-937-1130, www.diggingdog.com.Resources for Southeast: For southern shield fern and ‘Color Guard’ yucca: Niche Gardens, Chapel Hill, NC, 919-967-0078, www.nichegardens.com. Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, NC, 919-772-4794, www.plantdelights.com.For mini-greenhouse sources:Charley’s Greenhouse and Garden, 800-322-4707, www.charleysgreenhouse.com. FlowerHouse, 810-686-8252, www.flowerhouses.com The Greenhouse Catalog, 800-825-1925, www.greenhousecatalog.com. Greenhouse Megastore, 888-281-9337, www.greenhousemegastore.com.

Fall Apple Recipes

SuperUser Account — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:49:54 GMT

Enjoy the fruit of the season—apples, in these four great recipes.Sautéed Apples, Onions, and Red CabbageThis is an excellent side dish with duck or pork.4 tart apples (such as Gravensteins), peeled and thinly sliced 2 onions, each cut in half, and then cut into thin slivers 1/2 head red cabbage, thinly shredded 2-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar Butter, duck fat, bacon fat, or olive oil1) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Sauté apples, onions, and cabbage—separately—in a small amount of butter, duck fat, bacon fat, or olive oil. Sauté each just until cooked through. 2) After sautéing cabbage, add 2-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar to the cabbage; it will turn a lovely pink color. 3) Place sautéed apples, onions, and cabbage in a large mixing bowl, toss lightly, and then empty into a baking pan. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil; bake for 30 minutes in a 350ºF. oven. Serves six.Baked Apples á la Sally6 baking apples (such as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith) 6 teaspoons butter 6 teaspoons brown sugar or real maple syrup1) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using a lemon zester or potato peeler, carve a design of your choice just through the skin of each apple. 2) Slice off the stem end of the apple. Using a melon baler or small sharp knife, carefully remove the core of each apple, creating a cavity (almost to the bottom of the apple). 3) Fill the cavity of each apple with a teaspoon (more or less) of butter, and brown sugar or maple syrup. Place the apples in a baking dish and cover loosely with foil. Place in a 350ºF. oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. 4) Baste the apples every 10 minutes or so while baking. Because different varieties of apples require different baking times, you’ll need to test them frequently for doneness. The apples will be done when they are tender all the way through, or when they can be pierced easily with the tip of a sharp knife.Apple and Cranberry Kuchen3-4 Gravenstein or Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced in medium-thick slices 6 tablespoons butter or shortening 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 cup milk or light cream 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup fresh cranberries 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon1) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place butter or shortening, sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl. Beat with a fork or electric mixer until mixture is creamed together. 2) Add milk or light cream to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. 3) In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, and blend thoroughly. 4) Grease a 10-inch pie pan. Spoon kuchen batter into the pie pan. 5) Arrange the apple slices, peeled side up, in a spoke design around the outside edge of the pie plate, pushing each slight slightly into the batter so it will stand up. Add a ring of cranberries inside the ring of apples, sprinkling a few on the outside edge, as well. 6) Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture on top of the batter. 7) Place kuchen in a 350ºF. oven; cook for 40-45 minutes, or until center of the kuchen springs back when pressed lightly. 8) Remove from oven when done and allow to cool slightly. Serve in wedges, topped with Warm Cream Sauce (below) and a few fresh cranberries as a garnish.Warm Cream Sauce1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups cream1) Combine the three ingredients in a large, high-sided sauce pan. 2) Place pan over medium-high heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly. 3) As the sauce begins to boil, it will bubble up the sides of the pan. Continue to stir constantly until the mixture has thickened slightly. 4) Once thickened, remove sauce from heat and let cool slightly. Pour into a small pitcher and serve at the table with the Apple and Cranberry Kuchen.Fresh Apple Salsa2 tart apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1/4 cup combination of apple cider vinegar and apple cider syrup (or substitute 1/4 cup fresh lime juice) 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 hot red chile, seeded and finely chopped 1 Anaheim or other mild chile, seeded, and cut into small slivers 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and cut1) Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. 2) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

September 2008 Member Garden Showcase

SuperUser Account — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:01:26 GMT

September member photos include a spiky cactus flower, a live garden fairy, a mama wren, and perfect pansies! Member Krista Langlais’ daughter, Jordyn, poses in her East Schodack, NY, garden. Member Dawn Macy of Lansdale, PA, watched this mama wren feeding her young. Water lilies float in Karie Johns’ pond in Zanesville, OH. A beautiful fern grows in Member Catherine Allison’s garden in Tualatin, OR. A ‘Roma’ Asiatic lily thrives in the garden of Life Member Jenny McDonald of Hillsborough, NC. Life Member Margaret Sydney of Waterford, CT, captured a photo of a toad in her coleus seedling pack. A prickly cactus blooms in the garden of Member Bill Romack of Nokomis, FL. A fawn rests in the backyard of Member Darla Woods of Georgetown, TX. Granddaughter Lyla is Member Marcia Barnhart’s garden fairy in her Powell, OH, garden. Perfect pansies line the garden of Member Holly Baumgartner in Springfield, MO. To EnterIf you'd like to see your photo posted on this page, e-mail it to Jenny Thompson, jthomps@namginc.com.com. (We accept only digital images.) Please include the following information in your e-mail: 1) Name, city, and state. 2) Tell us if you are a life member or a regular member. 3) Screen name if you use the NHGC bulletin board; and 4) Provide any details about the photo -- for example, plant names and how long you've had the garden. We need this for the photo caption. Please include details about why the photo is special. NOTE: Because of photo volume, we may not be able to post every photo submitted.

Me and My Tree

SuperUser Account — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:37:00 GMT

Members share their favorite trees. Weep no more I love the way the delicate limbs of the weeping willow (Salix babylonica) hang to the grass. My daughter, when she was young, called it a sweeping willow tree. My tree is huge and majestic and is probably more than 100 years old. —Marilyn Silvius, Lancaster, PA For the dogs Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is beautiful in spring, when it’s in full bloom, and has spectacular foliage and berries in fall and winter. I grow it from seed every year. —Peggy Bearnth, Coldspring, TX Sycamore memories When I was young, we vacationed in the Texas hill country where there were many sycamores (Platanus spp.). I remember their smell and the large, beautiful leaves and the white, peeling bark. Many pleasant memories are linked with these trees. —Cindy Westbrook, Gainesville, TX Purple pride When the leaves of the ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’) come out, they are a beautiful shade of purple and deep crimson. When the wind blows, those big leaves teeter on their stems; it’s like have a living mobile. —Margaretha Brooks, Lynchburg, VA Tasty favorite I love the pecan (Carya illinoinensis) because it’s a wonderful shade tree in the summer, and it helps make wonderful desserts, sweet breads, cookies, and brownies. Just ask my 9-year-old neighbor, Shelton, who asks me to make him pecan brownies. —Leta Kegg, Lubbock, TX Inspiring pine My favorite tree is any kind of pine (Pinus spp.). I enjoy this tree’s beauty all year round. Snow adds elegance and inspiration. Pines also protect birds in winter months. I enjoy scattering birdseed under the pines in winter to watch the birds enjoying a meal. —Sharon Linch, Parkersburg, WV Native beauties No tree compares to the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). It has shiny, deep green leaves and yellow-green and orange tulip flowers. When a child, I marked my birthday by the blooming of the tulip trees. Now I have two in my own backyard. I am blessed to live in the eastern United States where these gems are native. —Martha McKown, Newburgh, IN Sassy sassafras I had a sassafras tree (Sassafras spp.) in my yard several years ago. It heralded the coming of fall, as it was the first tree in the city to change colors. You could smell the citrus aroma if you stepped on a fallen branch. —Pattie Waschek, Elyria, OH

National Home Gardening Club

MemberGarden

HomeGrown

Web Links September/October 2008

Fall Apple Recipes

September 2008 Member Garden Showcase

Me and My Tree