The Frugal Gardener

Holiday Cheer

Winter-Time
 
Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,  
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;  
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,  
A blood-red orange, sets again.  
  
Before the stars have left the skies,
At morning in the dark I rise;  
And shivering in my nakedness,  
By the cold candle, bathe and dress.  
  
Close by the jolly fire I sit  
To warm my frozen bones a bit;
Or with a reindeer-sled, explore  
The colder countries round the door.  
  
When to go out, my nurse doth wrap  
Me in my comforter and cap;  
The cold wind burns my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.  
  
Black are my steps on silver sod;  
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;  
And tree and house, and hill and lake,  
Are frosted like a wedding-cake.
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Although there is frost and chilly weather,  a few brave flowers cheer the garden.

 “The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live,” said comedian George Carlin. My favorite Christmas fairy looks as though she could be mischievous!

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!" By Charles Dickens

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” By Marcus Tulles Cicero

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” By Oscar Wilde

Make a Sweet Heart!

This is one of my favorite desserts to make at this time of year. Enjoy, and Happy Valentines Day!

Hearts of Cream or Coeur A La Creme

 This is a lovely, classic dessert, and one that takes very little attention or work.
 Ingredients:
1 pound cream cheese
2 cups low-fat plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
Preparation
1. Spoon yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer lined with a thick paper towel or cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a bowl. The liquid in the yogurt drains out. In about eight hours, the yogurt becomes thick and cheese-like.

2. Use a fork or blender to cream together the cream cheese, thickened yogurt, vanilla, and half the sugar. (If you use a blender and the mixture is too thick, add a little heavy cream or milk.) The blended mixture should be smooth. 

3. Line a heat shaped dish with cheesecloth. On top of the cheesecloth arrange, face done, edible flowers. (you can use small heart-shaped ramekins, or one large heart) Let the mixture set in the refrigerator for several hours. 

4. Then, turn dish upside down on a platter and gently tug on cheesecloth to release dessert. You can garnish platter with more edible flowers, raspberry sauce, or diced strawberries. 



The finished dessert tastes as good as it looks!

Plant Love

    Instead of giving your sweetheart a fleeting Valentine's gift, like chocolates, give them a present that lasts and thrills.  Indulge your sentimental side by picking a plant with an amorous association.  For example,  you may choose gardenias because they were in your wife’s bridal bouquet, or pick out a rose named for where you spent a favorite vacation.  Get bonus love points for taking the time to find such a meaningful, and lasting gift.  Add some plants with enchanted names and nostalgic connections every year, and soon your garden will be filled with love.

    Nothing is as romantic as April in Paris, except maybe ruffled and fragrant sweet peas.  This flowers is a lover’s delight.  Look for one named April in Paris produced by Renee’s Seeds.  Renee claims this version was bred to bring intense, sweet pea scent back into the more modern, large blossoms.  The dedicate flowers are creamy yellow and edged with lavender. 

    Heirloom Cupid is also a splendid, love-struck sweet pea which is perfect for growing in containers, because its vine only climbs eight to ten inches.  Best of all, the fragrant pink and white blossoms flow in perfumed, cascading sprays.  Imagine receiving a bouquet of these for Valentine’s Day!

      Sweet peas are typically sown in October in Southern California’s mild climate, but you can start them now.  They just won’t  bloom as long.  Sweet pea seeds germinate quicker if you soak them overnight.  Make sure your soil is full of rich organic material before you sow by adding an enriched soil amendment.  Plant seeds an inch deep, spaced about two inches apart, and water daily.  Protect emerging seeds with bird netting, or a plastic berry basket placed upside down over each seedling.  For the most abundant blooms, grow sweet peas in full sun.

   
Another adorable Valentine’s choice is the Hollyhock Country Romance Mix.  This nostalgic seed blend has flowers in rose, white, maroon, yellow and pink.  To give vertical interest to your garden, place these stately flowers along a fence or in the back of the border. Growing these cheerful flowers is easy, and seeds will germinate now.  However, the optimal time to sow most seeds is early fall.  While hollyhocks tolerate poor soil, and scant water, they do need good drainage and full sun.

    Get inspired to search out a long-lasting gift for your Valentine.  With plentiful romantic choices such as an Iris named Aphrodisiac, and a rose called Lasting Love, the perfect gift should be easy to find.