Mulch Your FLOWER BULBS in the Fall for a Beautiful Spring Display

Flower Bulbs - Photo: Pixabay

Flower bulbs need a good, long, winter’s sleep. Like some people we know, if they wake up before they are fully rested they get kind of cranky, and then they don’t bloom well at all. 

Actually what happens is during a mild winter, the soil stays too warm and the bulbs begin to come out of dormancy early. They start to grow, and once the tips emerge above the soil line, they are subject to freezing if the temperatures dip back down below freezing. And that’s usually what happens. After the bulbs have emerged, they freeze and then don’t bloom at all, or if they do it’s a very sad display. 

Another reason this happens is that the bulbs are not planted deep enough. They may have been deep enough when you planted them, but as the soil goes through the freezing and thawing process, the bulbs can actually work their way up in the ground. One way to keep your flower bulbs sleeping longer, which will protect them from freezing, is to mulch the bed. 

In the fall just apply a 3-4” layer of well-composted mulch. This layer of mulch will do a couple of things. It will maintain a higher moisture content in the soil, which is good as long as the soil isn’t too soggy. Well composted mulch also adds valuable organic matter to the planting bed. Organic matter makes a great natural fertilizer.

A 3-4” layer of mulch also acts as an insulator. It will keep the soil from freezing for a while, which is good because you don’t want the bulbs going through a series of short cycles of freezing and thawing. Then when the temperatures drop below freezing and stay there for a while, the soil does eventually freeze. Then the mulch actually works in reverse and keeps the soil from thawing out too early. Keeping it in a frozen state is actually good because the bulbs remain dormant for a longer period of time.

When they finally do wake up it is springtime, and hopefully by the time they emerge from the ground the danger of a hard freeze is past and they will not be damaged. If you can keep them from freezing, they will flower beautifully. The extra organic matter will help to nourish the bulbs when they are done blooming, and the cycle starts all over again. 

We also plant annual flowers in the same beds with our spring bulbs. By the time the danger of frost is past and it’s time to plant the annuals, the top of the bulbs have died back and are ready to be removed. The mulch that is added in the fall also helps to nourish the annual flowers, as well as improve the soil permanently. Any time you add well composted organic matter to your planting beds, you are bound to realize multiple benefits. The key words here are “well composted”. Fresh material is not good.

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HALLOWEENn Cooking Ideas

Halloween Party Food - Photo: Flickr

Whether you are cooking for a feast of adults for Halloween or looking for some great kid-approved recipes there are plenty of resources online for some excellent spooky recipes for All Hallows Eve. There are some basic rules that will help the meal preparation and presentation go a little more smoothly if you'll follow them. Hopefully, that advice below will help you get through your spookfest and enjoy a great dinner too.

Most people who have a huge Halloween party will find that they will be interrupted throughout the evening with trick or treaters seeking the perfect treat. While we want to enjoy the ghosts, goblins, kings, and princesses gracing our stoop we also do not want to burn the food we are working hard to prepare. For this reason, we need to select foods that require little attention during the preparation process rather than foods that are quite time-consuming and attention demanding. 

Crock pots are a blessing to have around on a night like Halloween. You can begin the food cooking well before the little goblins begin their appointed rounds and have the dishes you've prepared kept warm while you're waiting for guests to arrive or doling out treats at your front door, whatever the necessity of the moment may be. You can even cook normal favorites in the crock pot or cook them on the stove and use the crock pot to keep them warm.

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Some excellent spooky crockpot ideas include spaghetti brains. Prepare the sauce and the noodles ahead of time separately. Mix the sauce in the noodles and keep them warming together in the crockpot. Meatball eyes are another crock pot favorite. Stuff the meatballs with one stuffed olive eyeball and place in spaghetti sauce. Bat wings (which are actually chicken wings) with your favorite sauce are also excellent in the crock pot. Sloppy Joes can also be prepared and stored in the crock pot then served open faced over buns with small triangle cheese slices for eye and a pickle for eyeballs and a large triangle of cheese for the mouth.

Another great Halloween cooking idea is to prepare as much as possible ahead of time. There are all kinds of frightening and ghastly goodies that can be made ahead of time and stored for the big day. Make your spooky offerings such as dips that can be made cold and used for veggies, which can also be chopped ahead of time, can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for the big day. Cookies can be baked and decorated and stored in advance. Devilled egg white mice can be made earlier in the day and stored in the fridge on waxed paper.

The Internet is full of great recipe ideas for delicious and devious Halloween desserts, snacks, and treats. There are far too many to try them all. However, if you have favorite foods that are easy to prepare and a good party food you might want to search the net for a manner of making the food more appropriate to a Halloween theme. You can make your own pizza a little spookier by decorating it in a manner that is spooky or painting pictures, such as a jack o lantern face with pizza sauce. There are plenty of things you can do to raise the fear factor even on family favorites if you use a little creativity and give it a fancy name (like spaghetti brains).

The most important thing about Halloween as a holiday is that it gives children of all ages the perfect excuse to use their imaginations and play pretend. The food you cook doesn't have to be too terribly spooky in order to be a perfect fit for the theme of the day. A few simple adjustments, a little dash of food color, and a lot of imagination can make any meal so much more Halloween worthy in the end.

Fall Planting

Fall Planting - Photo: Flickr

Most people don’t think of Fall as a time for planting new landscaping and garden plants. To most, it’s time to put garden ventures to sleep until Spring. While it may not seem so, Fall planting of trees, shrubs, Perennials, bulbs, and cool weather grasses like Fescue is a very good idea.

Roots of newly planted plants and trees can continue to grow and become established in temperatures as low as 40 degrees. And since the roots don't have to supply the rest of the plant with energy to grow, more energy is focused on root production. Come to Springtime, because of an established root system, plants shoot out of the ground with plenty of energy for top growth.

Soil Temperature

Planting in the fall, soil temperatures are still warm from a long Summer. The warmer soil temperature encourages root growth.

In the Spring, the soil is still cool from the Winter and roots are very slow to become established. Even if you grow plants from seed indoors and transplant outside when the temperature warms, new sprouts still don't have the advantage of Fall planted plants.

When Exactly Is Fall?

The Fall season officially begins with the equinox in late September. However, Fall weather varies considerably from one part of the country to the next. Basically, the best period for fall planting is around six weeks before the first hard frost in your area. You can get an idea of the average first frost date near your area from here: http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php. Just keep in mind that the roots need to have time to become established before Winter sets in.

Autumn Bloomers

Fall isn't just a time to put the garden to sleep and start getting ready for Spring. The growing season isn't quite over yet. You can add color and new life to the garden by replacing dying Summer Annuals and Perennials with Autumn blooming plants like Pansies, Chrysanthemums, and Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Marigolds, and others.

It's also the time to plant spring flowering bulbs and divide Perennials.

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The Beginning of NACHOS And What They Have Become!

Nachos -  Photo: Wikimedia

Nachos are one of the most popular snack foods. They can be found at home, festivals, and sporting events. They do not take much effort to prepare. People add different toppings and enjoy the warm cheese. It may be a surprise to know that nachos came about less than 100 years ago. It all started in 1943 at the military base, Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass, Texas. A few military wives decided to take a visit to Mexico, which was not far away at all. The wives grew hungry, so they stopped by a restaurant, demanding food and drinks. The only employee available, who was nicknamed "nacho",   brought out tortilla chips. He melted Wisconsin cheese over it and cut jalapenos for a topping. The women enjoyed the snack so much that they went back to Texas and it spread like wildfire. 

Texas was the only area that knew about this special dish. It was not until 1977 when a man named Frank Liberto decided to sell nachos at his concession stand. He found a way to keep the cheese soft and served it with tortilla chips. One day when it was Monday night football, a few of the hosts tried the nachos and fell in love with the new snack. Whenever the hosts were on the air, they would talk about nachos any chance they got, which spread the word all over the United States. 

These days' people all over the United States enjoy this snack. There is a never-ending variety of toppings that can be served on the nachos. Some include guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, and ground beef. Some people enjoy the nacho cheese so much that they put it on other foods. Have you ever tried nacho cheese on ice cream? How about on sausage, and fish? Maybe these people enjoy the cheese a bit too much.

Different parts of the United States serve nachos differently. In the south, you can usually find nachos at barbeque restaurants. The toppings include barbequed beef with the sauce on top of the rest of the toppings. Restaurants in other parts of the country refer to some nacho platters as "loaded nachos". It is usually an appetizer. Loaded nachos are abundant in toppings. You can find these at bars and restaurants. Outside of America also enjoy nachos. If you go to Ireland you will find "Irish nachos". Instead of tortilla chips, they use French fries or potato wedges. The rest of the toppings are the same as regular nachos.   

  

Nachos are simple to make from your own home. There are many different recipes available. Some include chicken instead of beef. Others have many different vegetables with a dab of sour cream on top. Let your imagination go wild. If you would prefer to have it already made, some grocery stores have the nachos pre-packed with the nacho cheese in a separate container next to the chips. A great way to have authentic nachos is by having lunch or dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. The nachos can come really big and piled with many toppings. It may be messy, but it is worth it!  

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Household Plants And Pests

Houseplants in a room - Photo: Wikimedia

Household plants are used to add beauty to the indoor environment. The term "household plants" does not mean that the plants have to be in a home, they could be used to decorate a hotel, lobby or an office as well.

A lot of care needs to be taken of these plants and prevent pests from infecting the plants.

Plants are usually infected with pests when they are put outdoors for sunlight or they may come infected with mites, insects or their eggs.

Many pests are easy to get rid of with non-chemical means, however, if you are having a problem with your household plants being attacked by pests you could get an insecticide spray that is quite easy to use and rids the plant of the pests in a couple of days.

It is always better to prevent infection rather than let it happen and then look for a cure. It is always better to inspect plants before you purchase them.

Even after you examine the plants it is possible for you to get a plant with a disease or pest infestation. So when you get a plant to the house or office, keep it isolated for a couple of weeks to observe any infection. This will prevent the pest from infecting the other plants as well.

To prevent pests from infecting your plants it is best to insect them periodically and sprays the plants with fresh clean water regularly. Never use a feather duster to clean the plants; this is a sure way of

transferring insects to the plant. Spray your plants at least once every two months.

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Anchovies in ITALIAN FOOD

Still Life with Anchovies, 1972, Antonio Sicurezza - Photo: Wikipedia

Anchovies are a very important part of the flavor of Italian food.  However, many people, even fans of Italian food claim to not like anchovies.  Some people have bad memories of smelly little fish on pizza that have forever tainted their view of Italian food that includes anchovies.  Unbeknownst to many of these people is the fact that anchovies are widely used in Italian food and it's likely that some of their favorite Italian food dishes are made with anchovies.  

These small and often misunderstood fish are used extensively in Italian food and there comes a point when it is impossible to enjoy Italian food without running into these little guys.  Anchovies are a small saltwater fish.  They are only about three inches long but pack quite a flavor.  There are six different species of anchovies that are used in Italian food.  From April to September is the Sicilian anchovy season and these species are lighter in flavor than the Spanish anchovies that make up a bulk of the anchovies used in Italian food.  

Anchovies must quickly be preserved in order to keep the flavor that is wanted for Italian food intact.  The most traditional way to preserve anchovies is packed in salt.  This is the best way to guarantee an authentic Italian food flavor.  Soon after the fish are caught they are cleaned and washed in salt brine and then set out to dry.  The fish are then layered in round tins with sea salt in between each layer.  The tins are then left to season for up to two months.  A weight is placed on top of the tins in order to compress the fish and remove any extra fluids and fat from the fish.  After the curing time is up they are sealed up and shipped off to be used in different Italian food dishes around the world.

Another way to preserve anchovies is to pack them in olive oil.  This is similar to the above method of preserving, except that after the seasoning period is over the fish are again washed and the scales, skin, and bones are removed before placing the fish in jars or tins of olive oil.  There are other ways to preserve anchovies for use in Italian food, but none are as popular as these first two.  Anchovy paste is readily available, however, this paste does not have the anchovy flavor that is desired for Italian food and instead ends up tasting just plain salty.  

When using anchovies in Italian food it is important to rinse them first.  They are much too salty the way you buy them and you want to wash away some of the excess salt.  If you are shopping for anchovies to use in a specific Italian food dish, make sure to buy just enough for the meal you are planning.  Anchovies do not last very long once opened and should be used right away to ensure the flavor.  If you have leftover anchovies then wash them and put them in a jar of olive oil.  Seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator.  This will only buy you five more days but if the fish are left in the tin after opening they will begin to get a metallic flavor that will ruin your Italian food.  

Now you know a little more about this Italian food favorite.  The next time you see anchovies listed as an ingredient at your favorite Italian food restaurant go on and give it a try; you might be surprised at how good it is.     

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ECHINACEA

White Echinacea - Photo: Pixabay

Echinacea is an herb that is extremely effective and holds multiple purposes. There are nine different species of Echinacea but the one most commonly used and referred to is the Echinacea purpurea. Many people take Echinacea every day to prevent colds, flu, and any other types of infections that might be running rapidly at the time as Echinacea has been known for strengthening the immune system. Some people also use Echinacea for the treatment of acne and boils. The entire Echinacea plant including the roots is dried and made into teas, juices, and tonics. 

While many swear by the power and strength of Echinacea there is no scientific backing that gives these claims any validity whatsoever. The Natives used to use Echinacea for many different things including the treatment of poisonous snake bites and insect bites. Back in the 1800's Echinacea played a very large part of United States medicine and then spread to Germany where they too used it for many medical purposes.

It was then used as an antibiotic and continued on until better antibiotics were made available. For years Echinacea sort of lost it's pizzazz but more recently gained back its popularity. Many think the reason for that is because there is still no cure for the common cold.

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There are many various parts of the Echinacea plant that are used to make medicine but most often it is the roots that are of the most value. Echinacea can be administered in many different ways such as in a tablets, capsules, juice, tea, extracts, and tinctures. Some are made from the flower in full bloom and others are made from the root itself. Echinacea is also available in a topical solution or cream that many use for creams, lotions, mouthwashes, ointments, skin washes, and toothpaste. Further, it is becoming quite common to add Echinacea to particular cosmetics as an anti-aging remedy but that claim has no validity at all as there is no relationship between anti-aging and Echinacea. 

Echinacea is an extremely beneficial herb for helping the body rid itself of microbial infections. When combined with other herbs such as Yarrow and Bearberry it is said to work great combating cystitis, however, Echinacea has yet to be endorsed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness. Those who use Echinacea for the common cold swear by it and it is recommended that for the most effectiveness you should begin taking Echinacea when you notice the very first symptoms of a cold and then stay on it for three weeks and stop taking it for one week.

There are some who would be at risk if they took Echinacea such as people with multiple sclerosis, white blood cell disorders, collagen disorders, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune disorders, or tuberculosis. Heed caution also if you have any plant allergies; take other medications or herbal remedies. Children should not take Echinacea, nor should pregnant women or nursing mothers.

Also, people who are on steroid medicine including betamethasone, cortisone, hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, azathioprine, or other immune system suppressants should avoid the use of Echinacea.