Posted August 26th, 2012
This refreshing appetizer-drink is chock full of flavor and anti-oxidants. Modeled after the best I ever tasted at a long-lost, small restaurant in Seville, Spain. Favor home-grown or heirloom tomatoes from your favorite local farmer’s market or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for the best flavor. Enjoy! DeeAnn
Gazpacho
4 large tomatoes, peeled
1 large Serrano pepper, seeds removed
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded
1/2 yellow onion, peeled
1/2 medium sized cucumber, peeled
1 T fresh or frozen cilantro leaves
1 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic or a few smaller ones
1 cup cold water
Salt to taste
No need to chop, just throw in a good blender and make sure the top is on! Chill well and re-blend before serving. Makes 6 cups.
Tags: farmers market, gazpacho, recipe, seville, tomatoes
Posted in Clean Food, Edible Gardens, Miscellany | No Comments »
Posted July 8th, 2012
What would you say to a couple who has just lost their home to fire and were returning to look at what was left for the first time? Or to a lady who’s been calling out the names of her lost cats for two hours straight? Or to a young person whose car was left smoldering – his only real asset? This was horticulturalist Douglas Kent’s dilemma when he set out to inspect damage in the Marin hills, after a fire there in 1995.
The grief and despair of people who have lost their homes to fire is immeasurable. The loss of, or permanent injury to, loved ones even worse. There may be nothing you can say to ease the grief, but if you are a homeowner in a fire-prone area, here are several things you can do in your landscape to prevent more homeowners, including you and yours, from suffering a similar fate. And when fire approaches, below also are many things you can do inside the home to be prepared.
Hydrate and De-Clutter your “Garden Zone”
The area within the first 30 feet from all sides of your house or structure provides the most important layer of fire protection. It is called the “Garden Zone”. This zone should be able to withstand flying embers and intense heat of between 900 to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit without igniting. People should be able to move swiftly and safely through the Garden Zone, including firefighters, who will battle a blaze within these 30 feet. Well-hydrated plants such as vegetables, lawn, perennials and tropical plants are examples of fire-retardant Garden Zone plants. Many California native plants tolerant of summer water can be kept relatively fire retardant with adequate water, nutrients and maintenance. Succulents tolerant of summer watering are also a good choice for the Garden Zone in climates where they will not be damaged by cold.
During fire season, be sure to keep furniture, toys and uncoiled hoses from blocking access or creating tripping hazards around your house, or even access to a hillside that may be burning next to your house. Decks and patio covers containing flammable plastic can melt and be dangerous to evacuating residents, as well as prevent access and risk injuries to firefighters.
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Tags: artificial grass, Baccharis, California Wild Lilac, Ceanothus, Cistus salvifolia, Coyote Brush, Elephant Food, emergency water system, fire meter, fire preparedness, Firewall Aloe, Foxtail Agave, Orinda, Portulacaria, Sageleaf Rockrose, swimming pool
Posted in Firescaping, Home Owners, Plastic in the Landscape, Weeds | No Comments »
Posted June 23rd, 2012
Gophers are industrious animals that can move a quarter ton of soil per year, and dig tunnels that extend 100 feet or more. As critters of mass destruction, gophers can be the most frustrating of garden pests. Save time and money by avoiding these remedies that don’t work. Then read about ones that do.
Barn Owls
Local news ads touting barn owls consume up to 2,000 gophers, rats and mice per year sound very promising. According to UC Davis’ Integrated Pest Management Program web site, installing owl boxes “is unlikely to reduce gopher numbers enough to prevent damage.” Cats, snakes and dogs can also prey on gophers but, like owls, too few to reduce the problem.
Repellents
Unfortunately, food based repellents, sprayed on foliage to repel deer, snakes, cats, dogs, rats, mice, geese, rabbits and turkeys, do not deter gophers. Gophers eat mostly vegetation they find underground, meaning roots, and cleverly test small bits of food for ill effects before continuing to eat more. Plant foliage sprayed with repellent is likely to be tasted only, or left completely alone.
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Tags: animal repellent, barn owls, barriers, black hole trap, burrows, child safe, extermination, garden, gardening, gopher, gopher bait, gopher control, gopher poison, gopher problems, gopher treatment, pelican, pet safe, pinwheels, screens, traps, tunnels, ultrasonic devices, vibrating devices
Posted in Bay, River & Ocean Friendly Landscaping, Edible Gardens, Pesticides & Pest Management, Water Conservation | No Comments »
Posted June 20th, 2012
Ant
The following is a helpful, easy-to-read Q&A from UC Davis’ Integrated Pest Management Program. Visit www.ipm.ucdavis.edu for more information. Updated November 2009.
Q: Will I ever get rid of ants?
A: You cannot eliminate all ants outdoors, especially Argentine ants, although you can reduce their numbers. Focus your management strategy on keeping ants out of buildings and out of trees. Keeping ants out of buildings is a realistic goal.
Q: How do I know what ant I have?
A: Most likely you have the Argentine ant, the most common ant problem in California. See the Key to Identifying Common Household Ants or the Ant Pest Note on the UC IPM Web Site for more information on ant identification.
Q: Which ants bite?
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Tags: ant bait, ant bite, ant damage, ant treatment, argentine ants, beneficial ants, boric acid, diatomaceous earth, fibronil, fire ants, harvester ant, orange oil, peppermint oil, pesticide safety, Stickem, stinging ants, Tanglefoot, termites
Posted in Bay, River & Ocean Friendly Landscaping, Home Owners, Pesticides & Pest Management | No Comments »
Posted June 3rd, 2012
Not sure what to give the Man of the House this Father’s Day? If Dad likes to cook, or at least barbecue, maybe our plant gift list can help!
Rosemary
1. ‘Barbecue’ Rosemary
The long stems of any upright growing rosemary is perfect for use as a meat basting wand. For crushing and mincing as a base for a sauce, meat marinade or “rub”, any type of rosemary –even a trailing one– will do. Just tell Dad to hold the cut stem from the top and slide his thumb and forefinger down the stalk. Voila, the leaves will fall off. Start with a 5-gallon pot and Dad will have enough to rosemary to use right away. Find one actually named Rosemary ‘Barbecue’ (a very upright rosemary) at most local nurseries for about $10, or this supremely decorative one online at Etsy for $50. Plant outside in full sun and water weekly for a reliable supply.
Beefsteak Tomato
2. Beefsteak Tomato
A hefty tomato to go with a hearty appetite, one Beefsteak Tomato can weigh up to a pound or more. Grown at home and picked ripe, it will be way tastier than those brought home from the store. Tell Dad to trim the side branches to make the main stem stronger, water deeply and install a plant cage or stakes with cloth soft ties. Beefsteak varieties with the biggest tomatoes will produce their crop in about 80-90 days, i.e., September. Buy one plant and cage for less than $5 total at your local nursery or garden center.
Finger Lime
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Tags: aloe vera, beefsteak tomato, edible plants, Father's Day, finger lime, meyer lemon, plant gifts, rosemary
Posted in Edible Gardens, Home Owners | No Comments »
Posted May 27th, 2012
She was the first woman ever to circumnavigate the globe, but she did it dressed as a man. For more than two years she traveled on a French naval vessel with linen bandages wrapped tightly around her upper body to flatten her chest. It was a small ship with 300 men who knew her as “Jean.” But she wasn’t Jean. She was Jeanne. Then one day, they found her out.
The first woman to go all the way around the world was born in France in 1740, in the Loire Valley. Her family taught her to identify plants to treat wounds and diseases and so she became “an herb woman,” a peasant schooled in botanical medicine. In this she was not unusual. People didn’t have to read or write to “botanize.” Most of the learning was passed down orally. Jeanne Baret was, apparently, very good at it, and she was also very lucky.
Posted in Landscape History, Plants for Low Water Gardens | No Comments »
Posted May 24th, 2012
Wood Fired Pizza Oven
It seems Californians love their pizzas baked in wood-fired ovens as much as pizza’s original creators – the chefs from Naples – do! Becoming a fixture in many Californian backyards, trimmings on a pizza oven can be as variable as those on a pizza itself. With the inner framework of these ovens now standardized and optimized, both do-it-yourself homeowners and contractors can build a backyard pizza oven that keeps the family coming home for supper. Recent clients wanted to know: How Big, How Fast, How Hot, How To and How Much? So, Green Life Studios’ designers investigated, and came up with these answers.
How Big?
Wood Fired Pizza Ovens should be big enough to hold both burning embers and the baking pizzas at once.
Round Wood Fired Pizza Oven
For the typical homeowner, an overall oven footprint of 4 feet deep and 4 feet wide will bake up to 3 pizzas at once; 5 feet deep and almost as wide will cook 5 pizzas; 6 feet deep and almost as wide produces 6 pizzas, and so on. The most popular styles stand about 6 feet tall, chimney included, which puts the oven chamber at about elbow height over a vestibule for stacked wood, or stored ashes, below. There is little additional cost to building a bigger pizza oven, so you should build as big a pizza oven as your available space (or appetite!) allows.
How Fast?
Baking a pizza takes anywhere from 60 seconds to 3 minutes in a 700 degree oven, up to 20 minutes at 500 degrees.
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Tags: California, Italy, pizza, pizza oven, wood fired
Posted in Contractors, Home Owners | No Comments »
Posted May 24th, 2012
Landscape lighting literally shines the light on your landscape design, extending the day, and allowing outdoor play, entertaining and dining at night. Here are 7 popular landscape lighting techniques guaranteed to light your night!
1. Path Lighting
Also called “spread lighting”, path lighting illuminates pathways and steps using low-level fixtures that prevent glare. Approximately 1 foot high with caps resting on posts, path lights anchor corners and transitions for way-finding and safety, while highlighting hardscape details and edge plants. Particularly helpful to seniors, path lights should be staggered and located no more than 6 to 8 feet apart along a pathway.
2. Down Lighting
Down lighting is essential under arbors and pergolas. Brighter than path lighting, down lighting may be used for dining, service and other large areas. Cast upon flowering plants whose blossoms tend to face upward rather than downward – like roses and lilies – or through structures and trees, downlighting creates captivating shadows on large walking surfaces. It is important that down lighting not be too bright, or directed across a space, to avoid glare.
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Posted in Design, Home Owners, Landscape Lighting | No Comments »
Posted May 20th, 2012
Brown Garden Snail
Do you have legions of snails marching into your garden?
White Snail (common in San Diego)
Snails prey on garden plants mostly at night, especially during cloudy or foggy weather. Consuming leaves mainly, but sometimes new bark, fruit and flowers as well, snails and slugs are an unwelcome nuisance and “nerve-crunching surprise”, causing unsightly damage to plants no matter what kind of gardener you are. Even if you don’t see them during the day, their slime trails and irregular holes cut with smooth edges give their presence away. Assuming you’re not fond of eating “escargot” and you can’t keep up with the refilling chore of the “beer trap” — here are the 8 best ways to launch a successful counter attack on the snails and slugs in your garden:
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Tags: California, Corry's, Deadline, Decollate snail, dog poisoning, EDTA, Escar-Go, iron phosphate, metaldehyde, San Diego, Sluggo, slugs, snails, vegetables, veggies
Posted in Edible Gardens, Pesticides & Pest Management | No Comments »
Posted March 21st, 2012
By Marianne Hart, Author for Green Life Studios
Opuntia in San Diego
Do you recognize this spiny fellow?
Opuntia and Adobe Wall
These beautiful creations can be found in all of the deserts of the American Southwest and our southern neighbor, Mexico, and represent about a dozen species of the Opuntia genus. Their fleshy, flat pads remind me of a beaver’s tail with tiny, barbed spines. They produce beautiful yellow, red and purple flowers which erupt from pear shaped pods a little smaller than your fist.
Opuntia Fruit
The red, juicy flesh of the pods are called ‘tunas’ and are very sensual but seedy fruits. The young paddles or ‘nopalitos’ are very good eating as well. They look a little scary to prepare but it is really worth it. Slicing off the outer layer and spines, diced up and fried up with onions, chiles, tomatoes and jalapenos with some scrambled eggs mixed in and “oh yeah” you have a great breakfast. (It’s known to be a good ‘hangover cure’ as well … just sayin!) (Be sure to boil the nopalitos in salted water prior to adding to the frying pan as they can be slimy. I learned the hard way!) They are chock full of vitamin C and many people swear by them for stabilizing blood sugar and lowering bad cholesterol.
Opuntia Paddles
These cacti were also central to Aztec symbolism and are represented on the Mexican Flag.
I think that these gorgeous, ancient looking cacti are a real gift and are stunningly beautiful!
15 species of prickly pear cactus
BEARDED PRICKLY PEAR
Opuntia strigil
Desert: Chihuahuan Desert
Height: Up to 3 feet
Pads: Small, oblong, yellow-green with short, colored spines
Flowers: Cream-color
Fruit: Small, bright red
Elevation: 3,000-4,500 feet
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Tags: American Southwest plant, Aztec symbolism, blood sugar, cholesterol, desert plants, hangover cure, nopalitos, Opuntia, Prickly Pear
Posted in Clean Food, Edible Gardens, Home Owners, Landscape History, Plants for Low Water Gardens | No Comments »
