Do you give your plants names and/or talk to them?

[Esmeralda]

Good idea....I pureed mine and just poured it into freezer bags. I also froze some whole ones that I just throw into my spaghetti sauce. I made salsa so many times, that uses up a whole bunch....I gave tons away to friends and finally I was so tired of going out there to pick them I just finally quit watering them and the plants died. I shouldn't plant so many plants, but in the spring, I get over zealous thinking a few plants is not enough and before I know it I'm way over the number that is reasonable.....

When I gardened, I canned tomatoes and made cucumber pickles. Also made pickled beets. When I had too many zuchinni, I pureed them and kept them in the freezer to use in cooking. I also went out to the farms and picked berries to make jam. At that time I made fresh bread as well.

I bet that was rewarding. I haven't gotten into canning. Freezing is the extent that I will go....but we sure do enjoy the fruit of my labor, when we start reaping the rewards...

There are recipes for freezer jam. I never made it, but my mom did. I learned canning as a child because my mom did it. Mostly she made jam in jars, sealing it in a canner with boiling water. But later on, she started making freezer jam because it was easier. I think basically you clean the berries and cook them with sugar and probably pectin. Then just put them in freezer containers. You have to have a big freezer though, not just a freezer compartment to your fridge. My mom always had a big stand up freezer.

 

[Mertex]

I don't name them, gosh, I have so many, it's hard for me to remember my kids' names, much less my plants....but I do talk to them, or talk to myself while I am outside watering them. I have been know to curse at them from time to time.

Here's a picture of my Clematis, who hadn't been producing too many flowers in the 4 years I've had it, with it's first flower this year. Now it has quite a few more, I need to take another picture.

And here is a picture of my tomato plants taken 1 May....I counted 16 tomatoes already.

When I used to grow tomatoes we would end up with so many that we couldn't give them away. So instead I stuck them in the blender and poured them into ice cube trays. Once they were frozen I popped them into plastic bags. We used them for cooking stews and curries because we could just throw a couple in the pot straight out of the freezer.

I make salsa with my excess.

Oh yes, that is the best salsa ever, with fresh tomatoes. I also start cutting them green so I can fry them...I love fried green tomatoes.

Do you get the Gulf Fritillary butterflies on your Clematis?

[/QUOTE]


I've never seen such a beautiful butterly as that one on my Clematis or on any of my other plants. The two Clematis plants I have are at the entrance to our back yard on the side of the house, so I only see them when I'm out there working or when I walk by them...but I'll have to watch and see if they come...it is truly beautiful.

 

[Esmeralda]

When I used to grow tomatoes we would end up with so many that we couldn't give them away. So instead I stuck them in the blender and poured them into ice cube trays. Once they were frozen I popped them into plastic bags. We used them for cooking stews and curries because we could just throw a couple in the pot straight out of the freezer.

I make salsa with my excess.

Oh yes, that is the best salsa ever, with fresh tomatoes. I also start cutting them green so I can fry them...I love fried green tomatoes.

Do you get the Gulf Fritillary butterflies on your Clematis?

I've never seen such a beautiful butterly as that one on my Clematis or on any of my other plants. The two Clematis plants I have are at the entrance to our back yard on the side of the house, so I only see them when I'm out there working or when I walk by them...but I'll have to watch and see if they come...it is truly beautiful.

One of these days I'm going to plant a butterfly garden, one that attracts butterflies. It may be on my terrace though; I doubt I'll ever have a house with a garden again. So it will in pots.

 

[Mertex]

I make salsa with my excess.

Oh yes, that is the best salsa ever, with fresh tomatoes. I also start cutting them green so I can fry them...I love fried green tomatoes.

I've never seen such a beautiful butterly as that one on my Clematis or on any of my other plants. The two Clematis plants I have are at the entrance to our back yard on the side of the house, so I only see them when I'm out there working or when I walk by them...but I'll have to watch and see if they come...it is truly beautiful.

One of these days I'm going to plant a butterfly garden, one that attracts butterflies. It may be on my terrace though; I doubt I'll ever have a house with a garden again. So it will in pots.

That would be so neat. When I was in California, we went to the LA Museum, and they have a beautiful butterfly garden. I see a lot of Monarchs and Tiger Swallowtails on my Coneflowers (which have not bloomed yet this season).

 

[Asclepias]

Oh yes, that is the best salsa ever, with fresh tomatoes. I also start cutting them green so I can fry them...I love fried green tomatoes.

I've never seen such a beautiful butterly as that one on my Clematis or on any of my other plants. The two Clematis plants I have are at the entrance to our back yard on the side of the house, so I only see them when I'm out there working or when I walk by them...but I'll have to watch and see if they come...it is truly beautiful.

One of these days I'm going to plant a butterfly garden, one that attracts butterflies. It may be on my terrace though; I doubt I'll ever have a house with a garden again. So it will in pots.

That would be so neat. When I was in California, we went to the LA Museum, and they have a beautiful butterfly garden. I see a lot of Monarchs and Tiger Swallowtails on my Coneflowers (which have not bloomed yet this season).

That one is an Anise Swallowtail. My first experience with butterflies. My favorite is the Pipevine Swallowtail but their host plant is really really slow to grow.

 

[Esmeralda]

I have a horror story about monarchs, but you probably don't want to hear/read it.

 

[Asclepias]

I have horror story about monarchs, but you probably don't want to hear/read it.

Does it involve hornets?

 

[Esmeralda]

I have horror story about monarchs, but you probably don't want to hear/read it.

Does it involve hornets?

No. Monarch butterflies and only monarch butterflies. Think of the movie The Birds.

 

[Asclepias]

I have horror story about monarchs, but you probably don't want to hear/read it.

Does it involve hornets?

No. Monarch butterflies and only monarch butterflies. Think of the movie The Birds.

Are you kidding? They attacked you?

 

[Esmeralda]

Does it involve hornets?

No. Monarch butterflies and only monarch butterflies. Think of the movie The Birds.

Are you kidding? They attacked you?

Some years ago my partner and I were driving in the mountains in Oregon. We were heading to his cabin to spend the weekend. It was summer or spring. So we're driving along a two lane mountain road, when suddenly swarms of monarchs appear. It must have been that in that area, thousands had 'hatched' that day. There were thousands flying across the road. They flew right into the car and smashed against the windshield. We could barely see the road. My partner was driving, and had to use the windshield wiper to wipe them off so he could see to drive. It was like a sudden heavy snowstorm, but with butterflies. It went on for about a mile or more. In the end, our windshield was smeared with dead butterflies. It was horrific because both of us were nature enthusiasts: when we got to the cabin, our weekend activity would be hiking. But first the car had to be washed. It's one of those times you never forget, that remain vivid forever. It was awful and sickening.

 

[Asclepias]

No. Monarch butterflies and only monarch butterflies. Think of the movie The Birds.

Are you kidding? They attacked you?

Some years ago my partner and I were driving in the mountains in Oregon. We were heading to his cabin to spend the weekend. It was summer or spring. So we're driving along a two lane mountain road, when suddenly swarms of monarchs appear. It must have been that in that area, thousands had 'hatched' that day. There were thousands flying across the road. They flew right into the car and smashed against the windshield. We could barely see the road. My partner was driving, and had to use the windshield wiper to wipe them off so he could see to drive. It was like a sudden heavy snowstorm, but with butterflies. It went on for about a mile or more. In the end, our windshield was smeared with dead butterflies. It was horrific because both of us were nature enthusiasts: when we got to the cabin, our weekend activity would be hiking. But first the car had to be washed. It's one of those times you never forget, that remain vivid forever. It was awful and sickening.

Wow! That must have sucked pretty badly. We had something happen on a smaller scale about 4 years ago where Painted Ladies were all over the place for about 2 months. A lot of them got killed hitting cars too. I killed my share as well.

 

[Esmeralda]

 

[Luddly Neddite]

My advice about naming animals ...

Actually, this was my father's rule because, when I was a kid, I would bring home every animal, wild and domestic, that I could get my hands on. Sometime, I write about the orphan porcupine I brought home (called him Harry) and about the fawn I didn't bring home.

Finding that fawn happened about 55 years ago but I can still remember (feel) sitting on the ground in a little clearing, hot summer sun dappled through the trees and that tiny little guy curled up on the ground. Nothing moved except his eyes, watching me. So beautiful. I don't know why I had the rare common sense to leave him alone but I can also remember quietly standing up and backing away from him.

Anyway, my father did not allow the naming of those animals he hoped would be temporary because, of course, once you name them, they're yours for life. He talked a good game but I also remember him bringing home a box of kittens and their mom he found at a construction site.

Derideo_Te - thanks for the complement about the names but I'm remembering that when I was a kid, before we knew to spay/neuter our pets, and my cat would have three kittens every three months, I always named them Comanche, Apache and Spot. Honest.

 

[DriftingSand]

I talked to my vegetable garden last year but the words I spoke weren't very complementary. They produced very little and what they did produce was of low quality. I called them all kinds of names.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

No. Monarch butterflies and only monarch butterflies. Think of the movie The Birds.

Are you kidding? They attacked you?

Some years ago my partner and I were driving in the mountains in Oregon. We were heading to his cabin to spend the weekend. It was summer or spring. So we're driving along a two lane mountain road, when suddenly swarms of monarchs appear. It must have been that in that area, thousands had 'hatched' that day. There were thousands flying across the road. They flew right into the car and smashed against the windshield. We could barely see the road. My partner was driving, and had to use the windshield wiper to wipe them off so he could see to drive. It was like a sudden heavy snowstorm, but with butterflies. It went on for about a mile or more. In the end, our windshield was smeared with dead butterflies. It was horrific because both of us were nature enthusiasts: when we got to the cabin, our weekend activity would be hiking. But first the car had to be washed. It's one of those times you never forget, that remain vivid forever. It was awful and sickening.

In the desert southwest, there are several species who swarm every year and you get a similar experience. Millions of toads crossing the road, flying termites that look like fairies, big yellow hornworm caterpillars, millipedes but -

Monarch butterflies?

That really would be just awful.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

To make this about plants ...

I posted about scrap gardening - veggies in pots that you start from the part you usually throw away.

About the celery, which we started just cuz ...

Its taking forever to grow. If our lives depended on having that celery to eat, we'd be long dead.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I talked to my vegetable garden last year but the words I spoke weren't very complementary. They produced very little and what they did produce was of low quality. I called them all kinds of names.

This year speak life over them and see what happens. Speak the opposite of what you spoke last year! Then report back and let us hear the results!

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I haven't named everything that is around here as it would be impossible to remember all the names. I've got the same hummingbirds coming back every year for years now. I believe creatures understand more than we give them credit for. My husband told me one morning he was going to shoot a grey bird that kept flying into our bay window in living room. The bird was apparently seeing his reflection in the glass and he wouldn't stop. His feet had clay on them and he had his little clay footprints all over the window. I told my husband I'd handle it and not to shoot him. So I went outside and told the bird, you have all this land to fly around in but you cannot fly into my window! You will not do that again! Understand? Don't you know he flew around to the back window and flew into that one! I went out back and looked at him and said, I mean all the windows! You won't be flying into my windows again! Now stop it! He did.
I went back to the front and cleaned my bay window with windex and then did the back one I believe but that was the end of it. He never flew into another window. Many months later I saw him out there taking a bath in a puddle out front! I said that is the same bird! So he still lives here but he minds his p's & q's. God knows I am grateful for that because otherwise he would be one dead bird.

Both Derrick Jensen in A Language Older Than Words and Stacey O'Brien in Wesley the Owl talk about this kind of communication.

I'm skeptical and yet -

 

[Luddly Neddite]

When I gardened, I canned tomatoes and made cucumber pickles. Also made pickled beets. When I had too many zuchini, I pured them and kept them in the freezer to use in cooking. I also went out to the farms and picked berries to make jam. At that time I made fresh bread as well.

Oh boy, we should talk more.

I often get made fun of in jest by my loved ones, because I'm a 6'4" big guy who loves gardening, canning, and cooking. And jams!

Made Gingery Pickled Beets, Meyer Lemon Marmalade, and Rowanberry Jam.

They say I'm domesticated. I say I like good taste.

I feel you. I get funny looks for talking about butterfly gardening.

Ridiculous isn't it. Its the 21 century but we're still looking down the front of our pants to see what we're capable of.

 

[Esmeralda]

Are you kidding? They attacked you?

Some years ago my partner and I were driving in the mountains in Oregon. We were heading to his cabin to spend the weekend. It was summer or spring. So we're driving along a two lane mountain road, when suddenly swarms of monarchs appear. It must have been that in that area, thousands had 'hatched' that day. There were thousands flying across the road. They flew right into the car and smashed against the windshield. We could barely see the road. My partner was driving, and had to use the windshield wiper to wipe them off so he could see to drive. It was like a sudden heavy snowstorm, but with butterflies. It went on for about a mile or more. In the end, our windshield was smeared with dead butterflies. It was horrific because both of us were nature enthusiasts: when we got to the cabin, our weekend activity would be hiking. But first the car had to be washed. It's one of those times you never forget, that remain vivid forever. It was awful and sickening.

In the desert southwest, there are several species who swarm every year and you get a similar experience. Millions of toads crossing the road, flying termites that look like fairies, big yellow hornworm caterpillars, millipedes but -

Monarch butterflies?

That really would be just awful.

It was.