Cilantro Flowers, the end of the Life Cycle

This morning I found several flowers on my Cilantro plant.  The delicate white blossoms emerged from the new shoots which hosted thinner leaves more like dill than cilantro.  Cilantro is an annual.  It lives one year and then it dies.  Once it begins to flower, it is nearing the end of it's life cycle.  You can prolong the life of your cilantro by snipping the flowers, but not by much.  The one bright spot is that after the flowers dry, they will produce seeds.  The seeds of the cilantro plant are commonly called coriander and are used as a spice as well.  Coriander has a bit of spicy citrus flavor.

Since the flowering signifies the beginning of the end for my Cilantro, it is time to harvest.  I have been told that herbs are most flavorful just before they flower.  It would seem that most of my herbs flower in the spring.  I have begun taking harvests of my herbs and drying them for summer use.  Harvesting them in the morning seems to be best for retaining the most flavor.  I will leave the flowers on my cilantro plant and let them go to seed.  When they do, I will dry and story the coriander seeds as well.

The Faith of a Nasturtium Seed

Planting from seed is much more difficult than cultivating small plants.  Not every seed will germinate and the seedling is much more delicate than an established plant.  I use my Aerogarden as a nursery for seedlings, but in the meantime I thought I'd try planting from seed the old fashioned way.  I'm planting this seed on the same day I planted by Aerogarden nursery so I can compare the progress.  I purchased Nasturtium seeds from my local garden center.

A Nasturtium is a beautiful flower vine, which was prominently featured in many of Monet's famous garden paintings.  All parts of this lovely plant are entirely edible except the roots.  The blossoms are often served as a garnish for a special meal or an accent to a colorful salad.  Young leaves and stems add a peppery accent to any dish.  Nasturtium seeds can be used like capers.

The seeds look like tiny brains and are very large seeds measuring approximately 1/4 inch.  Nasturtiums grow on a vine which can reach lengths of up to 6 feet.  These seeds should be planted about 1/2 inch deep and 12 inches apart.  I am germinating in a small pot and have decided to plant only one seed.  This is an incredible risk, as many of the seeds will not germinate.  The reason I have done this is because if it does germinate and I have two seeds in there, the pot will crowd and I will have to repot.  I have decided to have faith in this little Nasturtium seed.  According to the bible, if you have faith the size of mustard seed, you can accomplish great things.  If it doesn't germinate there are many more seeds in the packet and it is easy enough to start again.  We will know in approximately 2 weeks.

Starting New Plants in a Hydroponic Nursery

Buying live plants can be expensive and carry pests into your garden.   Growing new plants directly from seed can be challenging.  A hydroponic nursery is an excellent solution.  The AeroGarden has a starter plant try, which allows you to germinate 66 seeds into tiny plants.  Once the seeds have germinated and grown into small plants their chances of survival increase substantially and they are ready for growing in your garden.  The kit contains the germination tray, soil and nutrients.  You must buy your own seeds.

Since the plants will be very small, I have elected to grow multiples of the same plant variety.  After they germinate I will combined the similar plants into one container to give it a stronger chance of survival.  I have elected to plant:  Nasturtiums, Italian Parsley, Sweet Basil and Thyme.  I have divided the tray into four equal quadrants for each plant variety.  If all of the seeds germinate, I will have 17 Italian Parsley seedlings, 17 Sweet Basil seedlings, 16 Thyme seedlings and 16 Nasturtium seedlings.  The seeds will germinate and be ready to plant in approximately 4-6 weeks.

Dyhydrating Herbs for Out-of-Season Use

Most herbs can be dried simply by bundling them and hanging them for a week or two.  However, if you have space constraints you may not have the room to do this.  If you  have a windy climate, you may lose a lot of leaves in the drying process.  Finally, the light and humidity can make this herb drying technique less than perfect.

If you grow a quantity of herbs it is worth investing in a professional food dehydrator.  This allows you to have more herbs on-hand than your plant can produce at once.  Most herbs can be dehydrated in 1-3 hours in a professional food dehydrator.  I am dehydrating a batch of mint in my Nesco Food Dehydrator.

There are five stacking trays in this food dehydrator.  I have laid out branches of mint evenly on each later so that no leaves overlap.  Once loaded the herbs can take anywhere from 1-3 hours to dehydrate.  The center unit emits a low heat with a fan, similar to a hair dryer.  If you are drying seeds or peppers, you can use the same dehydrator, but it will take about 2-5 hours to dehydrate.  Below you see the mint after it has been dried.

After drying put your herbs in an airtight container for a day.  If there is any condensation in the container the next day, you need to put them back in the dehydrator until they are completely dry.  Moisture can cause mold which will contaminate your fresh herbs.  After you are sure they are dry, store in a dark tightly sealed container for up to 6 months.  The dried herbs will be significantly smaller.  The photo below is the total yield from 5 drying trays of mint.

Most dried herbs are stronger than fresh herbs.  If you are substituting dried herbs for fresh in a recipe you may want to use less.  Mint and Basil are the exception to this rule.  Dried mint and basil tend to be less potent than the fresh, so an equal amount or more can be used in recipes.  The flavor of herbs fade depending on how long they have been dried.  Sunlight will also fade the flavor of your dried herbs, so be sure to keep them in a dark container out of the direct sunlight.

Green Jalepeno Peppers Ripening to Red

The Jalepeno plant in my garden has been very rewarding.  I have watched it grow into lovely white blossoms.
Inside the blossoms tiny green peppers emerged and grew larger.  I have eaten the green peppers in homemade chili and mexican dishes.  These are a great choice for a balcony or container garden, because a little goes a long way when cooking with hot peppers.  You don't need to use many, so you won't deplete your garden before they can replenish. 

This morning I noticed that some of my green peppers have matured into red peppers.

 At the top of the photo above you can see the green pepper.  Below that you'll find a pepper that is part green and part red.  This one is maturing.  The smaller peppers below have already turned red.  The peppers can be eaten when they are green and are very delicious.  The red ones provide a slightly sweeter taste.  Discovering the two colors is wonderful.  It is as if you are growing two different pepper varieties on one plant. 

Jalepeno peppers are so hot that some people experience a mild skin burn just from slicing them.  Pepper spray is made from hotter peppers than the jalepeno, but the principal is the same.  The seeds and juice contain an oil that can cause a mild burn the skin, eyes and nose.  If you experience a burning sensation after handling peppers, wash your hands immediately.  If this does not help, soak the skin in milk or another dairy product.  If you get it in your eyes, rinse with water and saline.

When eating foods with hot peppers, a glass of milk can tame the heat.  If you do not have milk, water is an excellent second choice.  Avoid drinking soda or other carbonated beverages when eating hot dishes.  The carbonation will only make the heat worse and will not provide relief from the heat.

If You Have Allergies, You Can Still Have Lilies

If you have allergies, there is a good chance you have an immediate allergic reaction when you are around Lilies.  Lilies have large oversized blooms with large deposits of pollen.  Pollen serves an important purpose in the reproduction of flowers, but it is the sworn enemy of allergy sufferers everywhere.

The NAB, National Allergy Board has pollen and mold counting stations across the country to continuously monitor these indexes for allergy sufferers.  The pollen index will generally increase in the springtime when the flowers bloom and decrease in the winter, when many plants go dormant.  Of course this varies for different regions.  You can check your local pollen index on their website.  NAB Pollen and Mold Index  Most local weather forecasts now include a pollen index for allergy sufferers. 

But before you say goodbye to lilies, here's a simple trick that allows you to experience the beauty of these flowers without all of the sneezing.  The size of these lovely blooms can be used to the advantage of allergy sufferers.  The pollen is easy to see and easy to remove from these blooms.  In the photo of the white lilies below.  The yellow pods in the center of the bloom house all of the pollen.

  The white pod does not contain pollen.  Take a wet napkin and carefully slide off the yellow pods.  Pollen will rub off on anything it touches and it stains clothing so be careful.  My cat once had a red forehead for a week after sniffing a tiger lily too closely.  The pollen will slide off easily and once it is removed these beautiful blossoms are allergy safe.  Below you can see the same lilies after the pollen has been safely removed.

Spring Growth in the Herb Garden

Some wonderful things are happening in the herb garden.  Below are some photos of the amazing spring growth.

While mature cilantro leaves are broad, the new shoots grow in spikes of green similar to dill.  Above are some young cilantro leaves.

 This explosion of yellow color recently emerged from my dill plant.

The greek oregano grows in shoots of purple crimson leaves.  As the leaves mature, the purple fades to dark green.

As the mint plant grows, the leaves grow broader and wider.  The mint plant also grew several of these lovely blooms.  Small purple flowers opened one by one on this miniature bouquet of mint flowers.

Declaring War on Soil Gnats

I am generally a peace loving individual, but these !#@% gnats have gone too far!  It started with a few gnats on a Greek Oregano plant I brought home from the nursery.  The gnats have spread to my other plants, reproduced and are waging a full-scale invasion of my herb garden.  I've tried a number of things to fight back. 
1.  I let the watering lapse in my plants to dry out the top layers of soil.
Results:  This did not work, because my plants needed water before all of the gnats died.
2.  I've sprayed the soil gnat larvae on my bougainvillea with an eco-friendly mixture of Dawn and water.
Results:  This did effectively kill the larvae, however if even one gnat survives you are back to square one. 

This morning I found soil gnat larvae on my cilantro.  Eww!  I lost the first battle, but I am determined not to lose the war.  I found a very helpful video on eradicating soil gnats with a few solutions I haven't tried yet. Check it out:   Getting Rid of Indoor Gnats

This advice seems sound, so I went shopping and armed myself with the following tools:

1.  Play Sand.  The idea is simple.  Soil gnats live in the first few inches of wet top soil.  If you let the topsoil dry out completely, eventually the soil gnats will die.  However, if I let the top soil dry out completely eventually my plants will die.  The solution is to put something dry on the top few inches of your soil, such as play sand.  When you water your plants the water will drain quickly through the sand to the soil below.   This sand is sold in garden centers everywhere, so it must be useful.  Soil gnats will not live in the play sand, so you have eliminated the need to stop watering.  This sounds feasible.  I have high hopes for this.  I think it will help deter other insects as well.

2.  Apple Cider Vinegar.  According to the advice in the video, soil gnats are attracted to the smell of wine or apple cider vinegar.  This makes sense as well, since one of these annoying gnats flew into my glass of pinot noir last night.  The idea is to put out bowls of apple cider vinegar, which will attract the gnats away from your plants.  The gnats fly in for a drink and drown.  I plan to put these bowls out after I add the layers of sand to my topsoil.   My reasoning is that the gnats will be looking for a new place to live and find the apple cider vinegar welcoming.
 
3.  Fruit Fly Trap.  I've never seen any type of over-the-counter product for eliminating soil gnats.  I have seen one for eliminating fruit flies.  I don't think I have fruit flies, but since they are also attracted to sweet smells, I thought this trap might work just as well for soil gnats.  I'll let you know how it works.

If none of these methods work, I will have to repot all of my plants.  I am hoping to avoid this as it is costly, messy and time consuming.  If you have any experience eradicating soil gnats from your garden, feel free to comment.

Purple Queen was Attacked Last Night

Perhaps you recall the beautiful blooms that began appearing on my purple queen.

This morning, I noticed that two of Purple Queen's beautiful flowers were missing.  They had not fallen on the floor or withered on the vine.  It was if something attacked them in the night.  The beautiful blossoms had been cropped down to the nubs.

After some preliminary investigation and questions directed at all members of the household.  I have narrowed it down to the prime suspect:  Baby

Don't be fooled by the adorable face, this suspect is unable to account for his time during the incident and his paws match incriminating pawprints left near the scene of the crime.  The suspect finally cracked under investigation commenting:  "They were delicious and I'd do it again."

Pets can be formidable opponents for any balcony gardener.  Eating plants is not only harmful to the plant, but is also harmful to your pet.  Many plants are poisonous to cats and dogs.  Generally herbs are not poisonous to animals, but many common flowers will make your animal sick or harm them more severely.  The best solution is to keep your garden in a room that the pet doesn't go into or at a height they cannot reach.  This is more difficult with cats. 

The trick is to discover what is attractive about the situation to the pet.  I have learned from experience that my siamese cat doesn't enjoy walking on grates, however he is a large cat and can reach any plant less than three feet off of the ground, simply by standing on his hind legs.  My strategy is to position the plant so that it will be out of reach for the cat on the grate. 

My cat will be forced to either walk in the grate to get the plant or abandon the idea to play with something else.  Depending on how determined he is to reach it, I may have to alter my strategy.  The Purple Queen has a new bloom emerging so we should find out soon enough.  If you have any stories of pets and plants, feel free to submit a comment.

Recipe for Tilapia with Fresh Dill and Italian Parsley

Growing fresh herbs in the garden is a lot more fun when you cook with them.  There is nothing like the pride in a meal prepared with fresh herbs from your own garden.  I came across a great recipe I'd like to share with you for tilapia using fresh dill and Italian parsley from the garden.  This is a healthy, low-calorie recipe that really showcases your fresh herbs. 

Tilapia with Fresh Dill and Italian Parsley

Ingredients:
6 tsp whole wheat flour, divided
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Salt Free Seasoning
Large zip-top bag
5-6 sprigs fresh Italian Parsley
3-4 sprigs fresh Dill
1 Lemon
1 lb tilapia fillets
3TBS butter divided
1/4 cup white wine

 
 Steps

1. Place 5 teaspoons flour and seasoned salt in zip-top bag; shake to mix and set aside. Chop (rinsed) parsley and dill coarsely and measure (2 tablespoons of each). Slice (rinsed) lemon in half. Set both aside.
2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Check fish for bones by pressing on fillet with finger tips and remove. Add fish to zip-top bag; seal tightly and shake to coat. Wash hands.
3. Place 1 tablespoon butter in pan and swirl to coat. Add fish (wash hands) and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to center of pan. Turn fillets, using spatula, distributing butter under each fillet. Cook 3 more minutes until fish is golden and flakes easily. Place fish on serving plates.
4. Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon flour, wine and juice from lemon in sauté pan. Heat 1–2 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir parsley and dill  into butter sauce and serve over fish.

Explosion of Growth in Dill

With a bright green shoot reminiscent of a Fourth of July firework burst, my dill plant recently exploded in growth.  You can see the burst of yellow green growth in the photo below.

I had placed my dill in a sunny location, watered it weekly and watched it take hold.  It held on, but didn't show marked improvement.  In fact, I noticed that the tips of the dill started to brown.  In response, I moved it to a less sun intense location and gave it more water.  It rewarded me with scores of promising green shoots.  You can see how this new shoot represents an entire new dimension to this dill plant.  When you treat a plant the way they want to be treated, the rewards are immense.  Plants are a lot like people that way.

I have been searching for some recipes that use dill.  It is wonderful on any grilled fish with a little lemon.  I have used it many times with tilapia.  I have also used it in egg white omelettes with success.  If anyone has any good recipes that use fresh dill, feel free to post them here. 

Easter Lilies, a seasonal treat or year round addition to the garden?

I recently received a gorgeous Easter Lily as a gift.  These lilies are very fragrant and the flowers reach unreal sizes.  It was a beautiful centerpiece for our Easter dinner.  After Easter I placed it in my balcony garden to watch the remaining blooms open slowly over the coming weeks.

Lilies are grown from bulbs.  They flower in the Spring and go dormant for the rest of the year.  Since I live in South Florida, there is no frost.  I began to wonder if I get this Lily to bloom again.  I did a little research and found that it is possible, though it isn't easy.  After the bloom has finished and all of the green has died, you are left with the bulb.  It should be planted deep in a well draining soil with plenty of room for the roots and fertilized monthly with an all purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer.  With luck, it may bloom again in the late summer.  It is difficult to force plants to bloom a second time that were grown indoors, I'm not sure if I have the patience for this.  I would be interested to know if any of you  have successfully accomplished this.  

Harvesting Greek Oregano for Spaghetti Squash

Greek oregano is very flavorful herb.  A small amount brings a wonderful flavor to any Italian dish.  Most herbs are more flavorful when they are fresh, but there are a few exceptions and Greek Oregano is one of them.  Oregano is actually more flavorful when it is dried.  The flavor doesn't hold up well in the cooking process, so it is best to add your oregano near the end of the cooking process.  Many people cut long sprigs, tie them in bunches and hang them from their kitchen walls.  I have tried this, but I live in a windy area and find that the wind blows off many of the leaves as they dry.  I have heard that hanging them in paper bags remedies this, but who wants a bunch of paper bags hanging in their kitchen?  My solution is to remove the leaves from the sprig and place them in a bowl to dry out.

Once the leaves are dry, I leave them whole and store them in jar in the spice pantry.  When I want to use them for cooking, I pour some leaves on my hand and crumble them over the top of the dish.  These add a marvelous accent to pizza.  It is also a nice addition to any pasta dish.  One of my favorite low-fat, healthy dishes is spaghetti squash with marinara sauce topped with some organic oregano from my balcony garden.  Spaghetti squash is a unique vegetable, rich in vitamins and nutrients with the consistency of spaghetti.  You can feel good about eating your vegetables.  Serving spaghetti squash with marinara allows you to enjoy the flavor of a high calorie pasta dish, without all the carbs.  This is a favorite for Moms trying to get their kids to eat healthier. 

Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Oregano

The most difficult part is preparing the spaghetti squash.  This squash has a very tough exterior.  I wouldn't even attempt to cut it until you microwave it.

Preparing the spaghetti squash:
1.  Microwave whole squash for 5 minutes.  Cut the squash in half with a sharp knife.  The squash is very tough, so be careful.
2. Scrape out seeds from the center of the squash and microwave for another 10 minutes.
3. Using a fork gently scrape out the inside of the squash.  This will release in stringy spaghetti like pieces.

Once you have all of the stringy spaghetti from inside the squash you can treat this as you would fresh cooked noodles.  Simply top with your favorite tomato sauce.  Some Fat Free Mozzarella cheese and Low-Fat Parmesan cheese and organic oregano from your balcony herb garden.

Thirsty Cilantro Plant

While every plant is different, I've generally found that it's best to water a plant thoroughly once a week and then leave it alone the rest of the week.  Some of the herbs seem to require watering twice a week.  I've noticed that my cilantro plant is very thirsty.  Only two days after watering the stems of the cilantro wilt dramatically, as pictured below. 

After a thorough watering and just one afternoon, the stems begin to lift and the cilantro begins to look like itself again.

 A friend suggested that this might be a result of the method I use to water the plant.  I have potted this plant in well draining soil in a terra cotta pot with a hole in the bottom.  When I water this plant, I bring it to the sink to allow the water to drain through it.  After it stops dripping I return it to the saucer and it's rightful place in the garden.  The water is draining through the soil faster than the roots can absorb it.  This past week I corrected the problem.  I watered the plant outside, leaving it in its saucer.  I allowed the saucer to fill with water and let it sit in the saucer until it absorbed all of the water--approximately two hours.

Two days later my cilantro plant was looking healthy.  I will water this plant twice a week and see if it likes that watering schedule.  Cilantro is in the parsley family and requires a lot of water and sun.

Feeding my Bougainvillea

I've read that bougenvillea will flower more and grow larger when they receive proper nutrients.  I have purchased a special bouganvillea food called BGI Bougain.

On the packaging you can see the ratio, 6-8-10.  This means that the fertilizer is a mixture of 6% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus and 10% potassium.  This combination is ideally suited for bouganvilla.  The fertilizer is in the form of pellets.  For my size of pot, I'm to add 2 Tablespoons of the pellets to the top soil and water thoroughly every month.

I have two bouganvilla plants, pictured below.  I purchased these two plants in the middle of one of the coldest spells in Florida since the 1970's.  Bougainvillea are unaccustomed to cold weather and will protest by dropping leaves and going dormant.  As I result I haven't seen much growth in these bougainvillea in the short time that I have owned them.  I hope to change that today.  Below are my two bougainvillea plants.  Since bougainvillea prefer drier soil, I have planted them in coconut husks to allow for maximum drainage.  Typically I keep them in heave Mexican clay planters, however when watering I transfer them to buckets to allow for maximum drainage.  I have just added 2 TBS of fertilizer to each and watered thoroughly.  I hope to see a lot of growth over the next few months.  I'll keep you posted.

A Purple Queen graces my garden

A Purple Queen now rules over my balcony garden. 

This beautiful plant was given to me as an Easter gift this year.  Purple Queen or by the Latin name, setcresia purpurea is a periennal with beautiful trailing purple vines.  It adapts to full or partial sunlight and can weather cold temperatures as low as 30 degrees.  The leaves and stems of the plant are a violet purple.  It is a colorful vine in any garden with violet leaves and explosions of pink flowers in the summer.  It is considered invasive by in-ground gardeners and is often picked out as a weed, because Purple Queen is strong enough to take over the entire garden.  This is where the balcony gardener has the advantage.  These hardy plants are beautiful in hanging containers.  They drop long purple vines that brighten the mood of any balcony garden and are easily propagated.

My Purple Queen is very small and many of the leaves were broken and damaged in the nursery.  Despite this, I have high hopes that this plant will flourish in my balcony garden.  Purple Queen is a survivor and I am confident mine will rebound with love and care.

Lucky Bamboo Smiles Upon Us

You've probably seen stalks of "Lucky Bamboo" growing in vases of water in your local grocery store or plant market.  The plant promises to bring luck to your home.  More often than not, these plants die quickly because they come with little information on plant care and misleading information about the plant.  "Lucky Bamboo" is not actually bamboo at all; nor is it from Japan.  While the resemblance to bamboo is striking, this plant is actually in the dracaena family.  Dracaena, from the Ancient Greek for "female dragon", is a species of about 40 trees and succulent shrubs.  The latin name of this species is dracaena sanderiana and it is native to Cameroon, Africa.  It grows as understory in dense tropical rainforests.  I received a tiny stalk as a gift years ago and nurtured it until it grew to the size you see below.  I am told I must be very lucky and I can't deny that it's true.

Lucky bamboo can be grown in water, provided you change the water weekly and add nutrients periodically.  It can also grow in soil.  My Dracaena has an aversion to direct sunlight.  I kept it in a dark corner of my home and have just moved it outside.  The pillar will provide some shade and I am hoping that it does will in my balcony garden.  If the leaves begin to scorch, I will have to move it back inside.  While my lucky bamboo has grown to a phenomenal 7' high tree, it does not have the strength of bamboo and will collapse if not not braced.  Tying it to a stake is the most common solution for this.  I have chosen to tie it to a string hanging from a ceiling hook, simply because I did not have a 7' pole lying around.