Life is full of surprises and that includes gardening.
This summer, I had a border of alyssum around a flower bed in the front yard. The little white flowers bloomed all summer until one August day when I was surprised to see only green, with no white flowers. They had suddenly disappeared.
On inspection, I found a trillion little black bugs had eaten them. Why would they all of a sudden appear?
Another surprise was the way my beets grew. I had seeded a type of beet that was to be thinner and longer, not the plump type I’d always planted. All of a sudden they were growing out of the ground, upwards, long and thin. Maybe our ground was too hard for them to grow down.
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It is always a surprise when after a hard frost, some flowers still manage to bloom. Our first frost of the year in west-central Saskatchewan was on Sept. 28, later than the average. We’re very thankful for that. Surprisingly, the roses, petunias and day lilies survived and will give a few more days of colour to the garden.
Our neighbours were surprised when they dug their potatoes. They had by mistake planted banana potatoes, so only had a few wee potatoes in a pail.
The biggest surprise of all for this year was to find a siamese pumpkin in the community garden on the lot beside ours. The pumpkin has two blossom ends but is joined at the sides. The two stems have also grown together. How could this have happened?
What surprises will next year bring?
Raspberry drinks
Dear TEAM: I have had a wonderful bounty of raspberries this summer and have frozen them for future use. I was wondering if you would have a recipe for a non-alcoholic drink that is called raspberry cordial.– D.H. Cabri, Sask.
Dear D.H.: I’ve included three raspberry drinks that I thought you might be interested in trying.
Raspberry cordial
2 cups frozen raspberries 500 mL
11/2 cups sugar 375 mL
1/4 cup lemon juice 60 mL
4 cups water 1 L
Put raspberries and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Mash with a potato masher. Pour the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth. Discard the pulp.
Add lemon juice and water.
Chill.
Adapted from cooks.com.
Raspberry cooler
10 ounces frozen
raspberries, defrosted 283 g
6 ounce can frozen
lemonade concentrate,
defrosted 170 g
(1/3 of a 355 mL can)
11/2 cups water 375 mL
1 quart chilled ginger ale 1 L
Press raspberries through a sieve until pureed. Stir in lemonade concentrate and water. Chill.
Just before serving, add the ginger ale.
Source: Adapted from America Cooks, by Ann Seranne, 1967
Raspberry rascal
1 cup fresh or frozen
raspberries 250 mL
1 cup fresh or canned
pineapple 250 mL
2 cups cold water 500 mL
honey to taste
Whirl raspberries and pineapple in blender. Add water and honey to taste. Whirl again. Strain.
Makes three to four servings.
Source: The Non-Drinkers Drink Book by Gail Schioler, 1981.
Moulinex food processor
Dear TEAM: I bought a wonderful Moulinex food processor some years ago, a model 588. It did everything, with no trouble and did it speedily.
Now the bowl sides have parted from the bottom. I can’t seem to find Moulinex anywhere. I’d like a new Moulinex just like this one. I should have bought two. I should have bought three in case I lived so long. I used it all the time. I have tried a couple other brand names to my sorrow and pain to my pocket book. They don’t do what the Moulinex did. Can you help? – E.S., Weyburn, Sask.
Dear E.S. – I was able to find the Moulinex Company at 345 Passmore Ave., Scarborough, Ont., M1V 3N8. Phone 416-297-4131. E-mail info@moulinex.ca.
Their response was that they no longer sell Moulinex processors. They do sell T-Fal brand processors. You said you do not have e-mail, but if someone could look this up for you, you can view the T-Fal processors at www.t-fal.ca.
Would any of our readers happen to have the bowl for a model 588 Moulinex food processor?
Boiled raisin cookies
This is one of my favourite cookies. With the raisins and oatmeal, it is a healthier cookie than some.
2 cups raisins 500 mL
1 cup butter 250 mL
1 cup white sugar 250 mL
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
2 cups flour 500 mL
1 teaspoon baking soda 5 mL
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
2 cups oatmeal 500 mL
In a saucepan, combine raisins with just enough water to cover. Boil slowly until the raisins are plump. Drain. Cool for about 10 minutes.
Combine butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, soda and salt, then the oatmeal and raisins.
Spoon onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven for about 12 minutes or until browned.
Source: The Prairie Christian Training Centre Cookbook.
Fall seeding
I have never intentionally fall seeded garden vegetables, but I have noticed that if the spinach or lettuce seeds itself in the fall, they get a head start in spring.
Gardeners tell us there are risks to fall seeding. If the seeds become moist or the temperature gets low, the seeds may die. The seeds must be planted in dry soil so they won’t germinate. If the seeds survive the winter and come up early in the spring, frost can hit them.
Despite these dangers, you might like to seed some veggies this fall. On the Prairies, parsnips, lettuce, radishes, seed onions and spinach are good choices. Beans, peas, corn and tomatoes will not survive and should not be fall seeded. The best time to fall seed is late October or early November, just before freeze up.
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Elrose, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
