Spelling Bea Time June 4, 2023 Good Things In June! Writing Number 158

Posted 6/9/23

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you”. Anne Lamott

 

The gardening stores  are starting sales on their products. It …

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Spelling Bea Time June 4, 2023 Good Things In June! Writing Number 158

Posted

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you”. Anne Lamott

 

The gardening stores  are starting sales on their products. It varies from store to store as to what is discounted. Shop around according to your needs and what is available. Keep in mind that the products available can be very different at each place. The basics like tomato and pepper plant are most likely available at each store, but the selection of flowers may be different. Each store has there own plans on what to stock and I am sure there are a wide number of suppliers involved. Have fun! 

 

I did purchase a tree for the first time. It was a crimson spire oak and planted to honor Husband Larry. I had never shopped trees before, but I found this somewhat different oak at Fleet Farm and it was 25 present off.  Husband Larry's favorite trees were oaks, he liked to shop Fleet Farm and it was on sale. And as I told my friend Margaret, it met all the requirements for a memory tree. It did take some work digging the hole big enough and also trying to get the roots picked apart. The roots were totally wrapped around the inside of the pot. Again, this a reminder that almost every potted plant will do that as it grows in the pot and you must redirect the roots so that the plant can grow. Perennials, and especially trees, need to send their roots out to insure there future growth. If the roots are “leggy”, make a reasonable clean cut and that will encourage the plant to send out new root material.

 

It appears that the tree care people are catching up a bit with the April 1 damages. If you have given up trying to hire someone, it might be worth your time to try again and see if any openings have become available. You still might have to wait a month or two but you will know that it will be done this year. I have made myself okay will not working in one whole area of my Cheryl's Garden as a number of trees are covering everything. They are all shade plants in that garden so at least they are getting a tiny bit of shade. They are getting a lot of shade from the weeds! It probably will be July before that mess is taken care of and I know the workers are going to have to walk on plants to get the trees removed. The lawn mowing area will also increase once the downed trees are removed from lawn areas. Lots of changes to look forward to. I am willing to bet that most of us did not budget “tree removal” into our 2023 gardening budgets. There still will be plenty of tree removal work to be done at my place in 2024, so I better plan on that.

 

It is a very good thing that ice cube maker is purring along in fine working order. The hot days are calling for lots of ice to cool down my days. June is also Dairy Month so we can make good use of the frozen dairy section. Another highlight of June is strawberry season that will be coming soon. We are lucky to have several pick your own strawberry places available. In addition to fresh strawberries with ice cream, we can start planning on other strawberry treats. How about making your own Strawberry Pie? You will be taking off the stems of  about 1 and ½ quarts of  berries. Part will be mashed and the remaining will be halved or kept whole, your choice. You will need to bake a single pie crust until golden brown and let it cool completely. For the filling, mash 1 and ½ cups of fresh berries with a fork and combine with ¾ cup white granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ cup of water. In a medium saucepan, over a medium heat bring to a low boil, stirring and mashing frequently and cook until the fruit begins to soften and break down – about 5 minutes. Next you will mix 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with ½ cup water in a small bowl. Stir this into the simmering strawberry mixture on the stove and return it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened which will be about 3 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and fold in 4 and ½ cups of fresh berries. Transfer to the cooled pie crust and let cool slightly before placing into the refrigerator to cool completely, usually about 4 hours. Whipped cream or ice cream highly recommended! Enjoy! Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator. Will keep for several days unless you are hungry for pie!

Beatrice Westerberg      bea.in.the.wool@gmail.com.