Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Sunday, April 28, 2013

A beautiful morning here on the mountain. Up to 35.4° in the sun, windless, birds everywhere. The lone male Hairy Woodpecker continues to beat on the electric fence charger outside my office window in hopes I guess that he'll drum up a girlfriend. This is the third day of this noise and apparently his tune is not yet spot-on as he continues, interrupted only by my occasional tap on the window.

I should be at the flower farm already but my writing has encouraged tardiness and I have to get going. But first, I want to post a recipe I mentioned on Facebook last night. It's called Hot Milk Sponge Cake. As chronology, Gail got the recipe from her mother who would be 96 if she were still alive. Gail's mom, Miriam, got the recipe from her good friend, Etta Dickey who got it from her mother in Maine so you can see the recipe is "old" and well traveled. Back then, exchanging recipes showed respect for the persons exchanging and receiving them and many used to call them "receipts" not recipes. Now days people seem to want you to deliver the finished product more than provide a copy of the recipe but that's another story.

So without further "anything" as I really do have to get to work, here's the recipe.

HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE

Scald 1 c. milk

Beat 4 eggs until thick

Add 2 c. sugar (slowly)

2 tsp vanilla (slow beater)

Add hot milk

Combine, then add: 2 c. flour

                              2 tsp. baking powder

                              1 tsp. salt

Just mix. 

Place in 11" X 13" baking pan

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Recipe assumes you know how to "scald milk" "add slowly", (use) slow beater (speed), and "Just mix". I love it!!  We never apply icing but here's the recipe if you want it iced.

Mix together 1 c. sugar

3 tbs cocoa

Chop in 1/4 lb margarine

Add 1/4 c. milk

Boil full boil one minute.

Add 1 tsp. vanilla. 

Beat, cool, spread.

Now The Vermont Gardener must garden!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I can hear the loons saying something very loonish.

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm

On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm

We are always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Social Networking Works! ©

Changing Interests, Changing Colors

Friday, April 19, 2013

The wind continues to howl this morning, slightly less than last night when I found myself tossing around in bed as it beat the walls of the house.  It was noisy enough to suggest someone needed assistance and was at one of the doors but no one was there. Karl the Wonder Dog did not take kindly to the noise and interrupted an already disrupted night with barks to chastise, ward off something that didn't exist. Now it's 6 AM as the neighbor's dogs bark continuously telling me they want someone to let them back in the house. Gail just succumbed to Karl's "Let's go out again, let's go out again!" and with fresh coffee in hand, she is heading down the road. It's blowing at about 5 mph  now as masses of lower level gray clouds sweep quickly northwards against a backdrop of distant blue. I hope that single nice day that is predicted will make its way here. We all need some sun!

Reports are beginning to come in to me about flowers and bird sightings, things that suggest that despite the continued cold, spring is really here. A friend in Calais spotted a toad while cleaning up some gardens as well as a couple bluebirds, and two others have mentioned male bluebirds checking birdhouses, cleaning out old boxes and making nests. Waterfowl can be heard all day long and the Fish and Wildlife fish truck dropped off 2500 brown trout from the hatchery into Peacham Pond here yesterday, Change is everywhere!

When I was a kid of 12 and just leaning about flower gardening, there was probably a single garden related magazine out there named Horticulture. Things are different today and the obvious evolution of journalism has traveled from dozens upon dozens of gardening magazines in print to bankruptcies and command decisions to cease publication. There is also the transition to on-line publications replete with so many apps we cannot count them all. And already cell phones have become Smart phones and websites must be able to work over several platforms to mesh nicely with the variety of smaller handheld devices. 

The flower industry has changed too as gardeners are impatient for new plants, new colors. For years and years this was ever so noticeable within the floral industry but if you talk to a florist now, they will tell you how their industry has diminished as people buy and send fewer flowers now just like there are fewer funerals, more family oriented services and more cremations, all of which take away from that industry. 

The picture has changed even for little nurseries such as Vermont Flower Farm as every year people get out of their cars and ask "What's brand new?". This is very obvious to me because I live with a gardener who tries to track local interest, local change and despite how good Gail is at this, it's difficult for her to keep on top of interest. Here's an example. Astilbes. We have always loved astilbes, a very hardy perennial with varieties that range in height from 8" to 5 feet and bloom at various times, usually from June into August but with some varieties blooming into early September too. Five years ago we had one of the largest collections of astilbes offered for sale and as I recall it was in the 75 variety class. That was a lot of choice and I wish we still had such a sizeable offering. Three years ago astilbe sales slowed and gardening magazines overlooked astilbes so Gail responded accordingly and reduced our numbers. Many visitors went home with incredible displays for very little money. Gail's plan was to maintain half a dozen good astilbes and forget about maintaining such a wide assortment. What happened, however, was that the plant industry developed new varieties which contained the attributes people were looking for including quicker growing plants with more flower scapes and longer bloom periods. The industry did this to rejuvenate interest and to sell the millions of older varieties still in production cycles worldwide. So now Gail is rebuilding a selection which meets common needs, a smaller number sold in larger pots affording the look that they have been in the garden for some time. The cycle continues as home gardeners will have new opportunities, slightly different shades and heights and perhaps a new look to older gardens. That's how it works, here at Vermont Flower Farm as well as in the the flower industry anywhere. Stop and see what Gail decided upon!


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where a flock of Canada geese just went over, still flying low because of the clouds but honking what I will accept as "Good morning" wishes to gardeners.everywhere. I don't speak Canada goose but I always wanted to learn goose calling the way experienced callers do, not with a commercial call but with their hands and mouth. Interesting!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

An Outside Perspective

Tuesday, April 16, 2012

A windy morning here on the mountain above Peacham Pond. The 38° temperature is tolerable but the wind provides a chill we wish would dissipate. Yesterday afternoon's sun and warmth were the harbinger of the spring we really want but apparently it was short lived and we'll have to dream a little more. I had the first delivery truck arrive yesterday morning and it's an interesting annual event meeting the same truck drivers you have met for years and years. This truck was from Griffin Greenhouse Supplies in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and we have known the driver from the years he used to deliver here at the house. I always ask about his kids as one had some very special needs at birth but now both kids are fine, doing well in school and playing sports too. 6 and 9, 7 and 10 years old--I can't remember for sure but like all kids they are kids that grow fast.

We order specific supplies from Griffin because they are a wholesaler and even though we have to pay freight, we can do the best with their prices for pots, landscape fabric, certain potting mixes. Yesterday we had 1500 black plastic nursery pots arrive as we are repotting the hostas into 6 quart pots from 4. I was surprised that the pots were only 60 cents a piece because being plastic,  they are actually an oil related product and such items never go down in price. I think Gail should have ordered more but maybe she has a plan she hasn't shared with me yet.

Griffin recently bought out the only other New England greenhouse supply giant, W H Milikowski, Inc from Strafford, Connecticut back in January. I had read about this in my trade magazines but I wanted to ask the driver how the transition was going during the busiest time of the year. He was very positive about the purchase even though it probably made some of his days longer than last year. As he prepared to leave he tried his cell phone to call the next stop and get them to expect him because they have to pick up from the side of the road--their nursery and greenhouses are a ways off the main road and a small bridge with weight limits prevents him from driving in. "Heh, when you gettin' cell service in Vermont? 'Bout time isn't it?" A perennial question for sure!  Seems like every year the driver asks the same thing, knowing that his job is sometimes more difficult when he has to take the truck off the main road to a new location in the middle of nowhere--like today when he made his first trip to East Hlll Tree Farm in Plainfield. Been there?

So with a yard full of supplies to deal with and plastic covering  to get off the potted perennials today (winter is over, right?) , I guess I better get going here. For those of you who are new to The Vermont Gardener or our Vermont Flower Farm  web site, you might enjoy reading a recent story Andrew Nemethy from Maple Corner Media wrote for release to VTDigger and other publications. It gives a different insight into Gail and me and the flowers we love to grow and the customers we enjoy meeting again and again. Take a look on VtDigger at
 http://vtdigger.org/2013/04/14/in-this-state-for-this-gardening-couple-lifes-been-a-moving-busy-experience

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Your Lawn

35.1° here on the mountain this morning and windless for a change. That's nice. The crows are pleased with me at the compost pile where they are going over last night's vegetable parings and egg shells. They love those shells and fight over them until they have all been carried away, over the back fields and into the red pines. I never figured out what the attraction is but it is always there.

As a professional gardener trying to act professionally, I am always reading web magazines and various trade magazines. The amount of garden related information available now, whether you grow vegetables, flowers or a mix of everything, trees and shrubs included, is mind boggling and it seems that every company has their own site to offer new products, new opinions.

One of my favorite companies is Ball Horticultural Company. One of their on-line publications is titled Landscape Insider and they just released these statistics on lawns and the value a good lawn has relative to your home. Read on.

Green = Home Value Boost

Think having a healthy, green lawn contributes to the overall value of a home?

So do 79% of homeowners, according to TruGreen's new Lawn Lifestyles National Survey of America.

In fact, 56% of homeowners say when buying a new home, a nice lawn could warrant a higher price, and 53% say the quality of a homeowner's lawn can tell a lot about the quality of the home overall.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the majority of homeowners (71%) surveyed in the TruGreen report say curb appeal was important in choosing their home. Most of the homeowners surveyed report having purchased a home with a healthy, green lawn (71%) and well-maintained landscaping (72%). 

I  haven't verified these stats but have no doubt they are accurate. I also did not check to see if Ball sells any of the chemicals I complain about.  But here's the rub for me, not with the statistics but with the green lawn part. People seem to have the sense that having a nice looking lawn means going to the store and buying bag after bag of weed and feed, get-rid-of-the-dandelions, etc etc etc. Much of the industry has turned lawns into three season "dump on more product" and that is a concern. As example, yesterday's mail contained an offer for buying the first three bags of what was purported to be a plan of four chemicals/fertilizers/ insecticides/herbicides guaranteed to make your lawn took great. What wasn't advertised was that dumping on that many chemicals showed complete environmental disregard. This "chemicals are good" approach is not the way to go. As you tell me  "Yes, but I really want a nice lawn." I ask if you remember that this is Autism Awareness Month, and that there are dozens of neurological diseases with no known cause, no known cure, that might be caused in whole or part by our overuse of chemicals. And if the autism/neurological notion doesn't interest you, then how about the notion that over 30% of honeybees have died in recent years and we aren't sure why---and--here's the big one--over thirty per cent of what we eat is the direct result of bee pollination. Does dumping more chemicals on you lawn with these two consequences make it look any different? I hope so. 

If you get a chance, Google up my friend Paul Tukey founder of SafeLawns and take a look at a different way to think about green lawns. I like Paul's ideas a lot better and you can still reach that green-is-good lawn look you might want.I know you can!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where recent rains have lowered the snow in the fields and woods here but boots remain a necessity for travel anywhere. Deer are beginning to get out and about and a growing flock of red winged blackbirds, here for two weeks now, are cleaning up last falls leftovers. Spring is nice!

George Africa

The Vermont Gardener

Vermont Flower Farm 

On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa 

On Twitter as vtflowerfarm 

We are always here to help you grow your green thumb! 

Nursery opens Mother's Day 2013 for the season; web opportunities every single day!!

 

Grounded Design

Just want to mention a blog I like. It's new to me and a winner for sure! Grounded Design by Thomas Rainer, a landscape architect from Washington, D.C.

 Try this post for starters. http://landscapeofmeaning.blogspot.com/2013/04/noel-kingsbury-ghost-in-machine.html

Feedback welcome!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Just Willows

 Thursday, April 4, 2013

A bright, sunny day here on the mountain with a  temperature that is slow to rise. Heading for 11 o'clock and still only 43.9° and that's "in" the sun. The wind has finally slowed and 3 mph seems quite acceptable after two full days of 7-14 mph.

As we get the impression that spring is really coming, it's fun to prune various shrubs and bring them inside to force. I usually begin with forsythia which is ready to force any time after the end of February. The bright yellow flowers take a week to come around but when they do there is a brightness that brings on smiles. Forsythia is easy to root in straight water although I usually take a two foot piece of willow and cut it in 3" pieces to add to the water. Willow contains a natural rooting hormone and was used back in colonial times when propagating many shrubs and trees. You cannot see what it does but do trust me, it works!

Willows of all types have caught on again in America and the choices exceed 125 varieties even here in New England. Up top is a row I have been propagating of Japanese or Dragon Fantail Willows mixed with Twisted or Curly Willow. I am growing these because the floral industry loves them and Gail, an experienced designer with skill on oversize arrangements knows the mechanics of using large stems to make for dramatic show pieces. This row is in its third year now. The following two pictures are of Fantail and then Twisted or Curly. The fantail is not on every branch and is actually fasciation which is common to that willow.

In 2-3 weeks, Alex and I will spend a day cutting all the pictured willows to about 8" from the ground. Then we will roll out a 4' wide piece of landscape fabric into rows for weed control and we will push freshly cut willows through the fabric and into the ground so they will remain as weed free as possible at their bases.They will root in a couple weeks and by the end of May we'll go back and lop off the top of each piece so that it will branch out over time. To get to where each willow is marketable, we'll wait for three years. By then the willows will be in the 12 foot range so not that handy to cut for sale but always plentiful.

Guess that's enough willow talk for this morning. I better get outside and getting going before the morning leaves me. The birds are mad at me for pulling back on the bird seed but spring warmth translates to bears out of hibernation..... and .....well.....I can't keep everyone in the animal world happy. If you drive by the flower farm and see me out there in the snow working, stop by and I'll cut a couple willows for you to root. A couple.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook at Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens (A Like page)  and also as George Africa
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
And always here to help you grow your green thumb!

Soil Testing

 Monday, April 1, 2013

Good morning from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the snow is now several inches lower than it was last night after hard rains and wind. Just the same there is plenty of snow in the fields and woods and the larger critters of the forest such as the deer and bear have yet to make it out to our fields. The next few days of warmer weather should see a difference. Snowmobile trails have all been closed around here and other winter snow sports are tricky based on where you live or visit. Many have decided to close for the season.

It seems strange to Gail and me that we are already entering another year the our flower farm on Route 2. We should be "over" calling it "new" now but there are many customers from our Peacham Pond days that still haven't made the visit.

As I was culling some of last year's pictures this morning, I came across an old folder entitled "Clay" It contains pictures of my first introduction to real clay...the stuff that suggested on our first year of ownership that perhaps we should become potters. I remember so well when the real estate broker asked if we wanted to test the soil before we bought it and I said no that I could fix up about any soil and based on it's proximity to the Winooski River, I expected that there would not be a single type of soil  but  multiple types, each with it's own challenges. I didn't know for sure but it turned out that I was correct.

As the bulldozer began working the top of the land to make an entrance off Route 2 and a place for a building, the cursing of the operator signaled one of the soil types--clay. As the dozer pushed forward, clay rolled in layers like a jelly roll until it couldn't move any more. The big machine's tracks become packed with clay time and again and we had to stop and use shovels and bars to free them. It was not good work and all of us were covered in gray clay before we finished. I had chosen a good contractor who knew Vermont and just because he used expletives as he worked didn't mean the end product would be less than I expected. He was good with the dozer and I would hire him again. Several days later after tons of gravel and a couple thousand feet of road fabric, that task was complete.

No matter how big you intend your garden to be, I strongly suggest soil samples and soil tests early on. Vermont does have a number of soil types and some are better for grapes or apples than for flowers or strawberries or corn and it's helpful to know that up front. From my days helping people write business plans, I know that it's best to eliminate as many surprises as possible. Master gardeners, farmers, successful gardeners in your neighborhood are all examples of people who will be happy to offer advice and make your gardening endeavors much more successful. Every state has an extension service within its agricultural department and these are the people who can help right from the start. Private greenhouses and nurseries often offer springtime courses to answer the same questions and make it easier to understand what to do after turning that first shovel of soil.

So if a new garden is in the cards for coming weeks, plan now, draw a map, line up a soil test kit, attend seminars, talk to your neighbors, figure wind direction, notice where the sun rises and sets. Gardens are great fun and like anything else that we do, planning ahead makes for a bigger smile in the end.

Writing from the mountain where the sun has come out again and the temperature has risen to 48.1°. I like this a lot!  Gotta get going.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm
On Facebook as George Africa and also as Vermont Flower Farm and Gardens
On Twitter as vtflowerfarm
Always here to help you grow your green thumb!