the why-not gardens of 2016

I tried to focus on growing just a few types of vegetable this year, such as pole beans and squash and popcorn. But because there was more room to experiment, I looked through all the not-quite-empty seed packets that have been left after each recent year of gardening, and thought, "Why not just stick a few in here and there? Nothing to lose."

Two of these why-not plantings were the poona kheera cucumbers from India, and the Rouge vif d'Etampes French heirloom pumpkin. The original plantings had germinated poorly, so I planted the now-older seeds - five pumpkin and 36 poona kheera - densely to compensate for low germination.

Well. As near as I could tell, every one of those 41 seeds germinated! One of the pumpkin seeds even got washed away after the other four sprouted, but when poked back into the ground, sprouted and soon caught up to it's cohorts.

young pumpkin plants

One edge of my big garden was soon filled hip-deep with pumpkin leaves and vines. When one vine extended into the Lower West Side goat paddock, I tried to persuade it to turn back before it was too late, but...it was already too late. The goats made short work of that branch; prickly leaves, sticky blossoms, massive stems and all.

Campion is a dedicated gardener. Specialty: pruning.

Three bright yellow pumpkins began to grow: one nearly hidden by popcorn stalks, and two outside the 6-foot perimeter fence above the bank garden. The perimeter fence is also the trellis for all the poona kheera plants, AND for the Georgia Candy Roaster winter squash plants, whose massive leaves tower over the six-foot fence. Quite a lively jungle out there!

poona kheera cucumbers

I picked the largest pumpkin last night, because the pumpkin and it's stem were being damaged by it's weight pressing into the fencing. I don't think it is ripe, but it can be perhaps be steamed and eaten like a summer squash. Although I'd rather roast it for soup or puree...does anyone have any experience with roasting or eating unripe pumpkins? Please do speak up in the comments! This beautiful pumpkin weighs nearly 19 pounds, and I do not want to waste a bit of it!

my first-ever pumpkin!

Not exactly a why-not planting, but do you remember the Suyo Long cucumbers from Tipper's Sow True Seed annual experimental project? Seven of the ten seeds germinated, and I quickly put little collars on to protect them from bad things like cutworms.

suyo seedlings

Since it seemed all seven seedlings were likely to survive, I thinned them by - why not? - moving four plants to a raised bed by the goat barn, to see which conditions the cucumbers might prefer. All seven plants have done well all summer!

They are such interesting cucumber plants. The tiny cucumbers look like this:

baby suyo long cucumber

As they grow, those strange, spiky-looking bright green things become strange, spiky-looking little white nubs. They may look sharp, but they aren't. I've even seen them described as "thorns" but I guess those people have never encountered an actual thorn! These little nubs just brush right off when you run a hand over the cucumber. Or even just your thumb. See?

The suyo cucumbers certainly earn their "long" title, and most of mine were grown on a trellis and have been quite straight. These two examples are each about 20 inches long:

suyo long

suyo also-long

I love the texture of the suyo peel; it is crisp and not bitter at all. A few of the cucumbers got so big the seeds developed so I scraped out those cores as a treat for the hens. I did the same with some of the poona kheera, and those I did peel because the rind is thicker - still not bitter, though! LeShodu, my Matriarch doe, greatly enjoys eating the strips of rind, one by one. I think her teeth may not be as strong as they used to be, so this is a nice way for her to get some soft "bark" without actually having to gnaw on a tree.

The suyo and the poona kheera are both still producing well, and I'm eating lots of cucumber salads - both a savory and a sweet version which I found on this post at The Blind Pig and The Acorn. In fact, I've got a tote full of cucumbers in the kitchen right this minutes, so I'm going to quit nattering and get busy slicing.

Hope your week is beginning well!

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another reason to use the timer

Because there are times when flash is not an option.

1/10 second, handheld. 2 sec timer.

Absolutely NOT an option.

And who needs it?
Play around!
Experimentation is so easy with digital cameras.

Sometimes even a low-light, back-lit situation has possibilities.

1/8 second, handheld. 2 sec timer.

Sometimes you may be able to convince your camera that you actually know what you are trying to accomplish, and that it can stop helping you, thanks.

1/5 second, handheld. 2 sec timer.

And anyway, high contrast and ideal lighting and sharp focus
aren't everything.

None of these images is technically good.

Each one has something that pleases me, and that's enough.

I'm not preparing an exhibition; I'm enjoying unique snapshots.

But here's the thing: these are unedited, right from the camera. If you took pictures like this and wanted to "adjust" or "correct" or "improve" them, there are lots of ways to do so. Until your images have something that pleases you.

~~~

So, under the very transparent cover of following up on
"The Usefulness of a Timer under Certain Conditions"...

I want to share with you the arrival of these two tykes - both girls - who came home with me from the Pat Brody Shelter on Saturday evening. The little brown tabby is about 3.5 months old and the tiny calico about 2 weeks younger. They have been settling in and getting to know each other and their home. I think soon they will reveal their names.

Meanwhile, in the words of William Shakespeare:

"Chaos comes again."

Chaos and a lot of joy :)

~~~~~

tuesday tip

If any of my younger family members ever gather round my creaking rocker and ask, "Ancient Auntie Quinn, what words of wisdom can you give us, from the blurred vista of your long years?" I will be ready for them. I have my Words of Wisdom all figured out.

And since none of my blog readers is a member of my family (as far as I know, anyway...and if so, you're getting the jump on the rest of those slackers!) I will share my WoW right here and now. Ready?

Spread to the edge.

That's right. I'm talking butter. I'm talking mayo. Peanut butter. Jam.

Take the extra 15 seconds - the rest of your life will wait - and spread to the edge of your bread, toast, or muffin. No dull, bland, unadorned bites. Every bite: good.

~~~

Having shared this valuable tip for living an enriched and satisfying life, it occurs to me: perhaps I should include more useful information on this blog? I probably can't do it frequently, as I don't know very much universally useful stuff. And unfortunately I cannot promise to consistently deliver the same depth and value as "Spread to the edge." Which is good enough for an epitaph, I think.

But let's see. How about a tip for photography? I know a lot of us carry our cameras everywhere, and are always trying to get clear images under less-than-ideal conditions. Well, here's a simple tip you can try when you want to increase your chances of getting a sharp image under low light conditions, when your camera needs a longer exposure time. Or even if you are just tired. Ready?

Spread to th

Hah! Just kidding. Here's the tip:

Set your camera's timer to it's shortest delay, compose your shot and hold your camera steady (wrapping your camera-arm around a tree or fence, or pressing your back against something solid so that your legs and the Solid Thing function as a tripod, can help a lot - hey, there's another tip!) then press the shutter release. And keep breathing. While the timer is counting down (2 or 3 seconds is plenty) the camera will stop moving from the pressure of your finger on the shutter release. So when the shutter trips, you'll have a much better chance of a sharp image.

I mention breathing because even though we think of holding our breath as part of being "still," holding your breath can create tension in your body that may actually cause the camera to move a tiny bit, even on a short exposure. (Crikey, is that a third tip? I hope you were all sitting down when you began reading this post.)

So: stabilize your body, use a very short timer delay, and keep breathing.

It's not the same as using a tripod and a cable release, but heck, if you're carrying a tripod around, you don't need to worry about wobbling on long exposures.

Try it, fellow photographers! I hope this is a helpful tip for some of you.

And anyway, there's always the other one:

~~~~~

saturday on sunday

Note: I wrote this post last night, but fell asleep while loading the images. All the visual entertainment in this post is being provided by Betula.

I wanted to do something for #DrawingAugust tonight, but it's been a really long day and I'm resting my back, too tired to move. First thing after chores in the morning, I loaded up for the dump and recycling and made that trip. It always feels good to get that done.

At the dump, I ran into one of the people I bought the barn fans and other things from last Autumn. He mentioned that he is now the Town Animal Inspector and when would it be convenient to have a look at my gang? I was surprised - this has never happened before, and I said as much. But I immediately added, "It sounds like a good idea to have livestock inspection visits, and you're very welcome to come. But not today - I've got the vet coming."

Yes, if trouble comes in threes, Campion was the first, Tansy was the second, and now Tsuga is the third, with a sudden thick mass and fluid in the udder. I have never seen this kind of condition appear in a dry (= not producing milk at the moment) doe; Tsuga weaned her kids over a year ago, and her udder and teats became nearly invisible soon after she stopped producing milk. Perfectly normal for a small, cashmere, first-time mamagoat.

So I have to wonder if it is not an oddly-timed infection, but rather a tumor of some kind. And after examining Tsuga today, the vet is not sure either. But we're both hoping that the medication, which is an antibiotic inserted directly into the udder to treat an infection, will show positive results in a few days.

Just so Tsuga's friends don't worry too much: she has shown no signs of pain or even discomfort since I discovered the swelling on Thursday night. She has no fever, her appetite is fine, and her behavior is normal. The only reason I spotted anything is that when you spend time every day with animals, even without consciously observing them, you notice little things. When something looks just a little bit different, you do a double-take and investigate.

As for today, since I was having the vet make a barn call, I also asked her to do the entire herd's booster shots: one for rabies, and one called "CDT" which is a combination vaccine for Clostridium perfringens type C + D, and tetanus. We worked together, and coordinated the injections with the feeding routine, which was very good - though the goats would not agree. Even perfectly-timed peanuts handfed in sync with each shot and followed only seconds later by the daily bucket of Chaffhaye and oats, were not quite enough to make the goats happy with their annual shots. I don't blame them, and I'll be wincing when I see sore muscles tomorrow. But it's a necessity. It really is.

~~~

Sunday morning follow-up:

All the goats, including Ms. Tsuga, were up and about when I brought them hay for breakfast. In fact, the creakiest member of the team appears to be the goatherd.

Have a grand Sunday, everyone!

~~~~~

wordless wednesday

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