basil Archives : Cast Iron Forest to Skillet

2023-01-102023-01-10

01/09/2023 indoor lights for basil and seedlings

I got tired of competing with cats for limited shelf space with still-insufficient sunlight. So I got a plant growing light from online! I’m hoping it will perk up the sad basils which have been spending too much time in the garage and are a pain for us to tote in and out of the garage and house for sunny afternoons. This is safely away from cats in the guest room. Once the peppers and other seedlings are up, they will also get this good strong light.

2022-12-162022-12-16

12/16/2022 rosemary recovery

The rosemary was unhappy near the raised beds as the irrigation leaked there. The roots were rotting. The second plant was almost dead. Hopefully it will be drier here.

Basil getting some sun. We’ve been nursing it along with nights in the garage.

This Euphorbia maculata is still alive and looking lovely.

Wes did some wine bottling today. The muscadine grapes were from the farm share and the elderberries were from our yard!

Shackleton was enjoying scritches and sunshine until Briar showed up to gaze admiringly. He does not like the dog.

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10/02/2022 complex dinner

Tomato basil soup (basil, onion, and garlic from garden; celery from farm share), fried farm share potatoes, chicken with garden onions, and farm share peppers on the salad.

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09/27/2022 moon and stars salad again

Briar examines the food table which is covered with a mesh cover with fancy lace edges. The outdoor plague safety dining experience!

You will note it protects a new version of the watermelon and feta salad.

The main innovation here is that I suggested we use the melon as the bowl. Paula assembled the salad as before. I believe Judy gave me the fancy salad tongs long ago. They worked well and looked lovely.

2022-08-242022-08-24

08/24/2022 giant squash time and other things

I thought I saw something in a firewood piece.

It was a mason wasp!

The Chef made a delicious dinner. BLT with farm share tomatoes and Paula’s sourdough bread. The okra and peppers side was breaded and pan fried, with both farm share and garden okra, topped with cholula hot sauce.

These corrientes cowpea leaves seemed maybe diseased because they were covered in light yellow speckles, so I removed them.

Some sort of fungus maybe on the basil? It is the round dark spot I’m pointing to with my snippers. I have been removing them. If anyone knows otherwise, I’d let a leaf miner live.

Trimmed all the basil this evening for the Chef to do a pesto batch.

This corrientes cowpea stem is flat like a ribbon.

Side view of flat stem of cowpea. A mystery.

Last but definitely not least, the giant green-striped cushaw squash.

I’m not sure if Briar was concerned or unimpressed.

We got out the bathroom scale for this magnificent beast. The squash weighed 14.5 lbs. Last year’s big squash was barely 7 lbs.

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08/02/2022 fall and winter greens starting now

Seeds, but you can’t see them. Basil you can see.

New root extending from plant window.

2022-07-272022-07-27

07/27/2022 pesto pasta

All other veggies from the farm share. The Chef made the pasta.

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07/27/2022 pesto progress

A blender full of garden basil, olive oil, garlic, parmesan, and pine nuts.

2022-07-272022-07-27

07/27/2022

All the basil, five varieties. The Chef has committed to pesto tonight.

The green striped cushaw squash just gets noticeably bigger every day!

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07/18/2022

The Missouri fluttermill primroses just keep going! I’m wondering if it’s that I’m giving the new Justicia pilosella behind them water? It’s usually just a cup or two.

A mystery squash has emerged.

The green basils are getting sunscald on their leaves, I think. The amethyst basil are shaded a bit by the mealy blue sage and look better, but also wilt more often between watering.