Saturday, January 15, 2011

GBBD; GTTC; pondering bonsai; ch-ch-ch-chia!

Have you ever stepped out at night after a day long snow fall? Probably not a feeling that can be conveyed in words, but a glorious stillness, coolness, and beauty that prompted me to name my first born child Winter.



Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - January - is pretty unspectacular on this blog since I am not an indoor plant enthusiast, and outdoors, we have a dusting of snow. I can't even show you snow here in Maryland (guess you'll have to travel to a Southern blog to see that!). However, I was amazed to see this on my tiny orchid that I have managed to keep alive for about a year now. I have never been able to repeat a bloom on any orchid so I'm pretty darn excited about this!


Ch-ch-ch-Chia! Don't know what happened to Homer. I guess it's male pattern baldness. I wish I could have found THIS instead.


Indoors at my parents' house, a really pretty bonsai. The whole thing was $20 at Sam's Club (which has all sorts of implications as it is). My question for you about bonsai is: treasured artform...or...plant torture? I'm not quite sure. I think the idea of training a plant to take these gorgeous natural shapes is very cool. Someone gave me a bonsai book though, and in a photo of a tree being "trained" with copper wire around the stems, with pennies weighing down certain branches, there was definitely was a sadistic feel. On the flip side, I appreciate that the little tree is a living being, but not sure it is a sentient being? What do you think?


And finally, this week's Garden to Table Challenge comes from the pantry. This delicious cobbler (which I want so bad right now) was made using the apple pie filling I canned (and gifted much of) this fall.


Is your garden frozen like mine is? Are you harvesting? Dining on any seasonal specials that others would want to know about? Share here (and also have the opportunity to win half of my spring seed order) !

Last week, both Charlotte and Holly linked with food ideas containing "carrots", which are ranked (randomly) high on my secret list of veggies. Even though they both listed other veggies as well, I just counted the one that appeared highest on my list. Any other veggies they may have written about are still in play. Both get a letter 'G'. First person to collect 'GTTC' wins. To review, Ricki has a 'G', and Meems has a 'GT'. If you're confused, review the rules in the link above. If you're still confused, just trust me and go with it. :) btw - we may not be harvesting, but if you're cooking with these seasonal veggies, it counts.

21 comments:

  1. Hi, Wendy;
    Hoorah for that orchid! For me, getting orchids to re-bloom is the most exciting achievement. And, they're so gorgeous. I've been cooking up lots of winter veggie soups and stews. Since I work from home it's nice to have those goodies on hand for a quick lunch.

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  2. Congratulations on getting your phal to re-bloom, Wendy. That's what got me hooked on orchids - when I actually succeeded at getting my plants to flower again. I was a goner after that!

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  3. Me again. Sorry, but I just noticed that your phalenopsis seems to be growing in sphagnum. If you can, I would suggest you remove this medium (wear gloves because it can give you a nasty fungal infection) and re-pot your plant in an orchid-specific bark mix,which you should soak for several days before using. Sphagnum breaks down quickly and will cause root rot in short order. My orchid club does not recommend it for that reason.

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  4. Hi Wendy! Your humor is so fun...male pattern baldness - LOL! I've never had any luck with orchids either...keeping my fingers crossed for yours...looking forward to seeing its blooms!

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  5. Hi Wendy, I didn't see your post when I originally made my marmalade post but now that I do I have gone back and link to your GTTC. Your cobbler looks tasty.

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  6. Your bonsai is very cute!! I don't have any houseplants...I'm too afraid of death by my cat and death by human. My cat loves to get on the tables and chew leaves and I'm afraid I'd neglect them too much. That Obama chia is funny. Would have made a great addition. But who can argue with a bald Homer? That would crack me up everyday!

    OMG! Home canned apple filling? YUMMY!!!

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  7. aloha wendy

    you have a wonderful new project with your bonsai how fun, thats funny i never pegged you for a chia fun - or was that a white elephant present :)

    have a great weekend

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  8. Noel - that's very funny because homer WAS a white elephant present. I was happy to get it b/c spongebob was a present I bought for my 5 year old. I felt bad about not getting one for my 12 year old, but at the same time, didn't want to spend $40 on Chia Pets! It was very serendipitous to get the white elephant present that I did.

    Cynthia - thanks for the tip. I will look for that stuff the next time I'm out. Now that I know there's promise in this little orchid that won't die, I should baby it more. (watch it die now!)

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  9. Hi Wendy, First, congrats on the orchid! I don't grow them but I'm sure having a new bloom is no small feat. As far as the bonsai goes, I never really thought of it as plant torture since the plants seem to look natural even if they are all manipulated. It's those topsy turvey tomato thingies that are plant torture. If God wanted plants to grow upside down he wouldn't have invented gravity. LOL

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  10. Yay for your orchid bud! Can't wait to see what it turns into. I'm with you on the bonsai thing-I can't decide if it's torture or not. I mean, trees grow around rocks and through sewer pipes and stuff like that all the time in nature, so is it any worse to force them into other shapes? Also, if you start going down that road, pruning seems downright cruel and unusual!

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  11. I tortured plants for many years as a teenager thinking I was doing bonsai. I don't think any of them rose to the level of the chia Sponge Bob unfortunately. Good luck with the orchid spike--that looks exciting!

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  12. The Chias are fun! Have you ever heard that Chia seeds are actually good for you to eat? They are supposed to be chock-full of nutrients.

    I do like Bonsai but I have NEVER delved into it before. It seems like a hobby that requires way more expertise that I could summon up.

    Way to go with the orchid! What is your method for watering?

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  13. Congratulations on your orchid. I would be excited too if the orchid I received as a present ever rebloom.

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  14. People think I'm nuts, but there's nothing like being outside as the snow falls, say midway through a storms. No one is outside, no human or animal, it's as if your'e the last one alive. All the silence, all that insulated space just for you. The smallest sound comes through as if by megaphone. The snowflakes falling on you coat and hat seem like bombs compared to the silence. Yes. I know what you mean! It's why I love shoveling snow.

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  15. I more to art for bonsai though I do feel for the plant. It's like putting on dental braces... painful process... but once they are taken away... wa la... beautiful straight teeth :-D

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  16. Getting an orchid to bloom would be a huge achievement for me. I struggle to keep them alive (just not enough sun in our home). I think I'd rather be outside enjoying a crisp evening blanketed in snow! And, it sure is crisp here now...-20C or -3F.

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  17. I'm chuckling over some of the comments you got. I love Grace's comment about the tomatoes and gravity.

    I'm excited with you over the orchid getting ready to bloom again. I just decided yesterday, that I was going to try an orchid, but now that I read about special bark and such, I may think about it some more.

    I am not a bonsai fan. I'm not sure why, but I think because they look so unnatural to me. I never thought of it as plant torture, though.

    The only things I have left from the garden are frozen peppers and onions, which I have been adding to things here and there, and a few tomatoes, that I need to remember to get out and make some soup or something with.

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  18. I do love a cobbler. That one looks so yummy.

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  19. Would love to have a cyber-fork and taste :) Isn't it a thrill to see new life on an orchid!

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  20. Such a fun and cute post...you always make me smile!! Yum..that cobbler looks yummy!

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  21. I'm proud of you for finding the beauty in winter. Personally, I'm a pathetic mess from November until March, desperately craving warm sunshine and tiny green sprouts. I'm glad you can actually enjoy it!
    Bonzai trees - eh, I think it's a little excessive. But I know some folks who truly love their perfect little trees, so to each his own, I suppose!

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