Each Little World

Cathedral Square

Our first evening in Milwaukee we began the night on one side of Cathedral Square at the Whiskey Bar, had dinner at Louise's on the other side, and ended the night at the free "Jazz in the Park" concert that filled the Square with music and Milwaukeeans. Saturday morning we roamed Cathedral Square again to enjoy the sights and sounds of the farmers' market located there.

We brought home this dried gourd handpainted by artist/gardener/gourd geek Ramona Palzkill of Dodgeville. The design is a sunflower whose petals cascade down the sides of the gourd. The bottom has a piece of felt on it so it won't scratch your table and the dried seeds — which are still inside the gourd — rattle when you shake it.  

A perfect August day

Woke to the sound of rain and a cool breeze blowing through the bedroom. So comfortable that I grabbed a blanket and slept in. Got up to sunshine and .72" of rain in the gauge; the garden and I both perked up. The rain is much needed. While we're not having a drought, it has been a very dry summer. Using the rain gauge in our garden, my records show that we only received 2.12" of rain in June, 2" in July and 1.55" so far in August.

 

It was still early enough that I made coffee and then headed over to the West Side Market. Came home with green beans, tomatoes, corn picked this morning, my favorite caraway rye from Madison Sourdough. Also got a gorgeous bouquet for a mere $5.00. And two end of season herb plants — basil and parsley — neither of which are doing well in the garden this year. I'm making Anna Thomas' cheese and onion pie for breakfast tomorrow so I also picked up Jarlsberg and gruyere cheese, butter and heavy cream. So Wisconsin!

As I was packing up the car, I heard someone exclaim at the "vanity" license plate of a nearby vehicle, so I had to walk over to see what it said. It was on a silver car sitting in full glaring sun and my phone couldn't get a good image. The license read:

"THNX  WI  14"

A perfect footnote to what is clearly going to be a great day.

A roadtrip to Kopke's Greenhouse

Madison, and the surrounding county, have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to local independent nurseries. They come in all sizes, styles and specialties — with the result that one tends to pick a few favorites and never get around to exploring the others. Thus, last week at this time, we took a road trip to Kopke's Greenhouse in Oregon. (That's me in the baseball cap, pushing a cart in the right rear of the photo.)

While Kopke's has a beautiful assortment of sun and shade perennials, they are known for hanging baskets and bedding plants. Since I don't really partake of either of those aspects of gardening, I've been content to pick up a plant here and there from their stand at Madison's West Side Farmers Market. 

But I have to admit I was blown away by their assortment of annuals (the pansies alone were noteworthy). I decided to pick up a couple of things for my Traffic Island garden which could use some summer color, but nothing that gets too big and might block traffic.

I ooohed and aaahed over these lilies but I already have lilies in that bed and needed something smaller; something that would be happy in a rather compromised setting: Pelargoniums! I love these traditional summer geraniums but typically only grow true or so-called perennial geraniums (Geranium macrorrhizum). In fact, the garden slope facing the traffic island bed is filled with perennial geraniums.  

I bought four different Pelargoniums with interesting splotched leaves and flowers in corals and that shade of red that Frank Lloyd Wright liked so well. I came home and immediately planted them, along with two different Coleus. But before that, I gave myself up to wandering around Kopke's and just enjoying the vibrancy.

Kopke's has 26 greenhouses with 3 open for retail customers. But there were flowers and plants everywhere you looked.

There were lots of ready-made containers on display as well as assorted styles and sizes of empty containers on sale for those who prefer to DIY. All the display models had plant tags so you could easily recreate it or be creative and put together your own plant combo.

One of the retail greenhouses had vines — including a stunning white morning glory — climbing up the columns that marched all down the middle of the space. 

A display geared to local gardeners. In Wisconsin, we can never have too much red and white! 

Our friend Dennis Tande (below left) spends his spring as a seasonal worker at Kopke's before he goes home to tend his own garden. Here he is with Anna Kopke, who co-owns the business with her husband, Gordy. Local folks might like to know that Gordy was one of the farmers who took part in the Tractor Parade at the State Capitol the day the Fab 14 came home. That little bit of trivia makes me like these folks and their nursery even more. This first visit won't be my last!

 

Once more dear friends ....

Saturday dawned cold and cloudy with strong breezes blowing off the lakes. We dressed warmly, made a new Kloppenburg for Supreme Court sign, grabbed the camera and went to EVP for coffee and to gather a group to carpool to the Tractor Parade.

Once downtown, we drove around the Square before things got started and found a parking spot at the top of West Wash just as they were closing the last couple of blocks to traffic. It was so cold we hovered in the lee of the Wisconsin HIstorical Society Museum until just before the parade began.

As we took our places curbside we saw our friends Bill and Greta who have a small farm out near Mineral Point. Bill was able to identify the year and make of the tractors as they drove by.

It wasn't until later Saturday night when we saw snaps taken by other friends that we realized we somehow missed seeing about half of the tractors.
Still, the ones we did see were great and it was nice to be able to connect with all the farmers who need our support in their fight against agri-business and who have joined in this fight as well. 

We went home for an hour to sup on hot soup and add more layers of clothing. Our friend Cindy, who came along on both trips to the Capitol, brought us packages of "Hotties" to keep our hands warm.

On this second trip up to the Capitol, we actually found another parking spot on West Wash only a block further from the Square. We met friends down at the Overturn Center and marched up State Street with the artists brigade led by a big group of drummers.

We made it once — walking slowly — around the Square, and then we joined the thousands of folks on the Capitol lawn to welcome the Fab 14 home and to thank them for their courageous stand on behalf of all the people of Wisconsin. The sun was out, the mood was jubilant. As one of the signs said: Remember this day every time you vote. 

This week there is a warming trend and the garden will soon be revealed as the snow finally melts. This flow of political blog posts will diminish as we begin the long work of changing the political landscape. Thank you for sharing this historic moment with us and for all your emails and supportive comments. On Wisconsin!

Flower Factory

The recent warm weather has the gardening season off to such an early start that I was compelled to visit my favorite local nursery on Saturday. I couldn't help myself; I actually went to the Flower Factory on opening day at the opening hour. It's the kind of thing I rarely do, preferring to avoid crowds and chaos and traffic. But I've had the FF catalog marked up with my wish list for so many weeks that I couldn't wait any longer.

One of my favorite display gardens at The Flower Factory is this old farm building with a "green roof." This photo was taken at high summer; on Saturday the roof was just beginning to wake up and the surrounding plants had barely broken ground.   

It was a lovely morning for a country drive: volunteers in chartreuse vests were picking up litter along the highway and I could see folks in the bleachers watching a soccer game. When I turned off the highway, I drove between farm fields turned over to reveal the dark rich soil that southern Wisconsin is known for. As I pulled into the Flower Factory only a few minutes after 9 a.m., I could see there were already lots of cars and shoppers. I was in such a fever to get going that I barely glanced at their always inspiring display gardens, containers and ponds. 

 

I grabbed one of Flower Factory's traditional red wagons and a copy of their locator list and began a systematic perusal of the hoop houses. I had my list in hand to aid in looking for the absolute must-haves first. Even thought FF has a large and knowledgeable staff — all wearing funky hats to identify them — I used their printed list to find most of the plants I was looking for. FF has 3800+ selections for 2010, so having a printed list where I could look up a plant by name and be told the number of the exact hoop house where it was located, made my job (and theirs) much easier.  

 

I was about to ask for help locating a fern when I ran into Nancy Nedveck, one-half of the couple who owns Flower Factory. As it happens, Nancy was holding a flat of that very fern when I stopped to chat. You can see from these pictures that I filled two small wagons (they also have a larger size available) with mostly foliage plants. The one floral exception was primroses. In the FF catalog, David Nedveck noted that after seeing and hearing Pam Eveleigh talk about primroses at the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society, they were inspired to increase their primrose selection by 15 new species. I fell prey to a few of these new additions.

 

Just as I joined the line to pay for treasures, a FF staffer opened another register a few feet away in the Hosta Hut, making me suddenly first in this new line. Before I finished my transaction, an eager line had already formed behind my red wagons. But everything was moving quickly and smoothly given that it was opening day.

 

As I was walking to my car, I ran into a friend from the Hardy Plant Society who pointed out that one of my new plants has been invasive in her garden. Still I know that how plants behave can vary widely (and wildly) from garden to garden. Once I got my loot home, I made plant ID cards for each new purchase. On a 3"x5" index card, I wrote down where I got the plant (namely Flower Factory), the date and price, a description of the plant and any important cultural information the catalog provided. I will note the location where I plant it on the back of the card when I actually get them in the ground.

The FF catalog uses a letter code to give you all sorts of extra info about each plant in the very limited space in their jam-packed catalog. By checking those codes, I discovered that the wonderful Hepatica acutiloba 'Silver Leaf' that I bought last year — and was buying three more — is tolerant of Juglans toxin from Black Walnut trees. Now I may need to get even more plants since neighbors have Black Walnuts on two sides of our property right over the lot line and I'm always looking for things that can survive in those parts of the garden.

The Flower Factory is ten minutes outside of Madison but worth a much longer drive. They also sell plants every Saturday at the Dane Country Farmers Market on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, for a different shopping experience. FF has an amazing selection of plants all season long and if you wait a bit longer, you can enjoy seeing many of the plants they sell shown to advantage in their display gardens.  

Starting from seed

I haven't grown anything from seed for years. There are any number of reasons for that including finding room for a grow-light setup and learning a whole new gardening process. But mostly it's the fact that I live in a city that has a legendary farmers' market in a state that is one of the most "marketed" in the nation, according to the book, "The Flavor of Wisconsin."  I can find amazing veggie plants that someone else has already started, to say nothing of a vast assortment of produce available to me all season long.

    

BAKER CREEK HEIRLOOM SEEDS    

But if I were going to be tempted, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds would be the one to do it. Earlier this winter they sent me their 2010 sample book; smaller than their catalog, it showcases one flower or vegetable per page. I stopped in my tracks when I came to "Tomato Violet Japser," aka Tzi Bi U (above). Described as being high yield, what caught my eye was its glorious, streaked color. It has a yellow fleshed sister — Topaz — but she looks pale and bland in comparison to this Oriental jewel. ($3.00 for 25 heirloom seeds).  

    

    BAKER CREEK HEIRLOOM SEEDS 

And if I was growing "Violet Jasper" tomato, then I'd surround the plants with the equally dramatic "Black Swan" poppy (Papaver somniferum). It has gorgeous double flowers, which Baker describes as having "frilly cut petals of burgundy to almost black." I think these shreds of color would make the perfect accompaniment to the deep flecks of color in the tomatoes ($3.00 for 300 heirloom seeds). 

And be sure not to miss Baker Creek's "Seed Bank" store which you can read all about on their Web site. 

Market madness

My garden is still mostly green with the majority of leaves on the trees. My neighborhood is the same. It's at the Farmers Market that the explosion of fall color is most obvious. The beans are still green as is the leafy produce. But the only green tomatoes are zebra-striped while the peppers are shading into red. The pies are changing from peach to apple. And everywhere are the solid, round shapes of fall produce: shallots, cabbage, apples, and beets. Everthingis jewel-like, whether we're talking carrots or berries or blooms. The transition from September to October is marked with the last dramatic burst of color; a bouquet of rainbow hues.

Lovely, lazy Labor Day weekend

SHE SAID: To be honest, it's only a lazy holiday weekend for some of us. He worked the opening UW-Madison football game Saturday and his regular shifts on Sunday and Monday. I, on the other hand, was home basking in three days of glorious weather. On Saturday, I weeded, watered and deadheaded. 

On Sunday, we were both treated to this gorgeous brunch — a testament to the bounty of Madison's Farmers Market, our hosts would profess. True, I'd say. But equally a testament to their ability to combine textures and flavors, hot and cold, sweet and spicy. And to invite the perfect guests — our former neighbors from our first house and now our friends' neighbors. 

This extravagant meal was served up on colorful linens, using an assortment of patterned and plain, white and bright china. It began with juice and coffee and bubbly to drink while we walked around the garden, inhaling the fragrance of the last roses of summer and checking the progress of the chipmunks vs. our friends' veggie garden. 

We admired the new patio and then got down to business — eating and talking — which kept us busy for the next 4+ hours. As if this wasn't enough of a generous sharing of nature's bounty, we left their house with two huge bags of needles gathered from beneath their big white pine tree. That means I can redo the paths in the Sacred Grove at my leisure, with more than enough needles to make them soft and silent once again.

Inspiration: Dana Slatkin

If you've ever strolled the beaches of Santa Monica in southern California, it's an unforgettable experience. Which is why I cracked open a copy of Dana Slatkin's "The Summertime Anytime Cookbook." Slatkin's family own Shutters on the Beach, a very posh spa and hotel that is one of the most noteworthy sights on the beach and the source of the recipes in the book. I didn't expect it, but Slatkin (below) has some very substantial chops when it comes to the kitchen. So it was probably a foregone conclusion that she'd write a cookbook.

DANA SLATKIN/BEVERLY HILLS FARMGIRL/used without permission

I have a number of great summer cookbooks and, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much from Slatkin. My first reaction to a woman who was instrumental in starting the Beverly Hills Farmers Market is to ask whether that's an oxymoron and then laugh or dismiss her. But I was smitten by Slatkin who noted in the book that "life at the beach revolves around the weather." And then went on to divide her chapters and meals by weather: "Sunny Days," "Cloudy Days," "Balmy Nights," "Stormy Nights" and "Misty Mornings." No matter where you live, we all experience those conditions and can thus take advantage of Slatkin's inspirational and philosophical tidbits.  

Shutters on the Beach is a dreamy and drop-dead gorgeous hotel (above); but Slatkin's dishes are fresh, realistic and beautiful. And her recipes have quirky and inventive touches but are not overly difficult or fancy — as befits a book about summer/beach cuisine. One of Slatkin's recipes is for Roasted Chicken Breasts with Smoky Lentils — lentils that are spiced up with smoked salt and bacon. I could live on lentils, so I just made my regular recipe but with Slatkin's additions which took the dish from delish to memorable.  

As she demonstrated with the lentil dish, Slatkin's skill lies in taking many familiar, staple summer foods and often just adding a splash and a dash that turn them into something special, like French green beans with lemon, garlic AND ginger. I'm a ginger fanatic so Slatkin's recipe for Lemon Ginger Cookies (with both ground and crystalized ginger) may be enough to make this book a must buy for me!

Slatkin also has a blog — The Beverly Hills Farmgirl — where you can read about where she's shopping, and her take on 90210 style as well as peruse a number of recipes from the book. You can also order "The Summertime Anytime Cookbook: Recipes from Shutters on the Beach" on Slatkin's site or from Amazon. (Full disclosure: And if you live in Madison, you can also find a copy at Orange Tree Imports — which is where I work and how I discovered Slatkin's book!)

To market, to market

Woke to the sound of thunder Saturday morning, and before I'd even managed to make a pot of coffee, the sky let loose with a cloudburst. That put an end to my plan to hit the outdoor Westside Farmers Market in my neighborhood. Instead I watched it pour and sent Mark out to capture the garden between showers. 

A week ago Saturday found me on the Capitol Square at the opening moments of the first Dane County Farmer's Market of the season. It is the big planet around which all the other regional farmers markets orbit. I went looking for herbs since I am not a seed-starting kind of girl. Came home with a beautiful variegated pineapple mint, two plants of large-leaved Genovese basil (perfect for pesto), one Thai basil, one small-leaved spicy basil (it grows like a mini boxwood) and one of the basils with decorative reddish-purple leaves. And the basics: curly parsley, Italian flat-leaf parsley and cilantro.

Could not find the Tiger Eye violas that I went in search of, but came home with these "Midnight Sun" charmers instead (in the back corner of the basket). Also got some smaller Sorbet strain in similar tones, called "Babyface Ruby and Gold" (front basket corner). I'm thinking about planting them near some Gold-Laced Black Primulas to contrast the informality of the pansies with the structured form of the primroses, linked by the similarity of color. 

But first it has to stop raining. The poor pansies and herbs have been on the deck all week waiting for the rain to stop and the ground to dry out a bit. That had just about happened when the rain cycle began again Saturday morning. The evening brought thunder, lightening and hail; my rain gauge showed two inches by Sunday morning. We're in the midst of a swirling system of storms that are expected to last through Monday night. At the same time, the rain and the warmer temps have the garden greening and growing at an amazing rate. So, I'm enjoying the progress even if I can't get outdoors to plant.