Some of these eggs really are green!

Indian Cucumbers

Today was our second week of picking up our CSA from the lovely folks at Koch Ranches. After last week’s monster cantaloupe that weighed in at 6 pounds, I thought I was ready for anything. I have to say, however, that when I got my eggs home and opened them up I just sort of stared blankly at them for a moment. The photo above is pretty darn accurate. There’s two eggs in the dozen that are a pretty pastel mint green. I’ve had farm fresh eggs before – my cousins own a ranch and I used to spend summers there, so I’m used to the intensely bright yellow yolks. They even had one chicken that regularly laid double yolk eggs. But green? That’s a new one on me. I’m still waiting to hear from Cheryl as to what kind of chicken they are, but I suspect they’ll fall under the “Easter Egger” label. Green eggs, who knew?
We also got some Indian Cucumbers that are a brilliant gold color. I have no idea what they’ll taste like, but they sure are pretty. I’ve never been a huge fan of cucumbers but I have to admit, it’s different enough to tempt me to do something other than make it into pickles.

Oh, and those round things in the back left corner? Those are zucchini. “What? Zucchini are long, not round!” You say? Au contraire! These are 8-ball Zucchini. This is news to me, although it seems they’ve been for awhile. I can tell you that these are NOT the “tennis ball size” that I keep seeing references too. Once again, welcome to Texas – even our squash is bigger here. You can see them better on the left side of the photo below.

CSA Produce for 7/16/2011

We got lots in our package this week! We got a package of pork chops and a coil of Alsatian sausage (which I’ve never heard of, but is reportedly like a Polish sausage with coriander in it) and of course, those farm fresh eggs. The photo above is, again, just SOME of our produce. We got a bag of onions, a bag of okra, and a bag of jalapeños. Those jalapeños are out on the grill smoking to become chipotles right now, along with some smoked almonds. There was, of course, more crookneck, though this week it’s all smaller, and more pattypan. No eggplant or watermelon this week. There’s also baby beets, fresh basil and vine-ripe tomatoes (one of which is bright orange rather than your usual red). I smell marinara!

We did get another cantaloupe, too. This one actually came from one of the Koch’s friends over at My Father’s Farm in Seguin. I have to admit, this place sounds really cool! They’re part of a program that “focused on building orphanages equipped with schools and organic self-sufficient farms in Latin America” – so I get an extra bit of feel-good with my produce this week.

We signed up with Koch Ranches which operates out Yancey, Texas, which is 12 miles south of Hondo. They’re a family that’s been farming for a long time. We got to meet Tony and his grandson, Kyle, this weekend. Kyle’s quite the budding business and very professional for his age! According to their listing on the Quarry Farmer’s Market, Kyle will be the seventh generation of farmers in their family. They specialize in grass-fed meats; beef, wild boar, venison, lamb and goat. They also have their own orchards and they plant vegetables between the trees, which I suspects help shade the young plants from the direct sun and reduce water use – but that’s just a guess.

So what comes in a CSA Box? How about...

Now, this is just SOME of the produce from our CSA this week. When we were deciding if we should go with a full or half share, I asked Cheryl about how much would be included. She gave me a list that included 1-2 pattypan squashes and 5-6 crookneck squashes, 1 “large” cantaloupe, and so on. What Cheryl didn’t mention is that this is Texas-sized farm-grown produce! That cantaloupe in the back right corner weighed in at about 6 pounds, and some of those crooknecks tipped the kitchen scale at nearly a pound a quarter each. Not shown in the above photo are the eggplant, pattypan squash and three crooknecks that we gave to my mother-in-law, as well as the onions that just kept wanting to roll around. In addition to the produce, we also got a very lovely T-bone steak, a chuck roast, and some ground beef – all naturally raised, grass fed, and animal welfare/humane certified.

The real kicker is that a trip to Whole Foods would break the bank, but this? Sure, there’s an upfront investment. There’s the $50 one-time membership fee and the the 10 week period runs at $550 for a full, mixed share of both meat and produce. Every other week one of my meats will be replaced with a dozen farm-fresh eggs. But that means that the majority of my in-season, locally-grown, farm fresh produce and meat is going to run me what works out to $55 a week. There will be very little that I’ll actually need at the grocery aside of dairy, drinks and things like trash bags and soap. We’ll be eating healthier, eating local, and saving a bundle while helping supporting local agriculture. I’ve gotten to talk to Cheryl via email, and she’s been great about answering all my questions. That’s the other part of a CSA – developing a direct relationship with the very people who are growing the food that ends up on your plate. It’s a winning deal all the way around.

If you’re interested in finding a CSA in your area, check out the link for Local Harvest on the sidebar to the left. If you’re in the SanAntonio area and you’re interested in Koch Ranches, you can find their CSA information here.

Just as my baking fell off during my medical hiatus so, too, did anything resembling gardening. Somehow, though, despite my previous black thumb (and forefinger, and other fingers… you get the picture here) it looks like almost everything has survived a month or more of near neglect. In truth, some things seem to have taken off and made my back patio look like a wild jungle while I wasn’t paying it any mind.

I did lose my citronella plant, my sage, my thyme and a few fronds on my black elephant ears, though the latter is already forcing up new shoots. My chives and oregano have nearly exploded out of their pot and can no longer stand upright and the sweet potato vine was reaching for the neighbor’s patio. The dwarf plumbago and the chocolate chip ajuga are both planted in the ground and have apparently put in very deep roots and spread out of their neatly tended rows and clumps. With lots of rain as of late, they’re happy as clams. There’s no real way to bring them in from the freeze so I’m going to have to see about covering them up somehow, or let them go and start fresh in a few months.

When I say “in a few months” I really do mean just that. The planting season here starts in late March and folks have been known to plant a second crop of tomatoes as late as August. My potted rosebush is being left to weather the storm as it’s nearly doubled in size and is far too large to bring in, though I’ll probably go pull it up by the door and consider covering it as well. It’s a hearty wild sort of rose, and in fact it’s still blooming even now! I’m going to call the Rose Emporium tomorrow to see what they advise. Maybe we’ll drag it inside after all and hang the Christmas tree ornaments from it and the rosemary bush that has grown like a weed and leave the big plastic monstrosity in its box.

F. J. Lindheimer

I have always had an affinity for roses. Some of my fondest memories of going to my grandmother’s house as a child were going out with her and trimming off roses to fill the many vases and brandy snifters that she kept around just for roses. I am not certain but I believe she had Chrysler Imperial roses which have a distinct citrus note to their scent and gorgeous, velvety red petals. The bushes were taller than I was. As the years went by my grandparents were unable to tend them and eventually the plants were removed.

It was a sad day when I came to visit and found them gone after my grandmother had passed on. I had always associated her with roses, and now even that was gone as well. One of the few items that I felt it ever so important to bring back with me after my grandmother’s passing was her rose clippers which my grandfather had kept out on the patio where they had always been. They are very rusty after years of such exposure but they still work, and could possibly be cleaned up some but sentimentality has me leaving them as they are.

Several weeks ago my husband and I made a trip to the Antique Rose Emporium in San Antonio, Texas. It’s a gorgeous place, really. There you’ll find literal acres of roses and other plants. The last time I went I came home with a Souvenir d St. Anne, lured by its rather unique cinnamon-y undertones. Unfortunately the Souvenir de St. Anne’s wasn’t really meant for container life, let alone being moved three times with the last being to a place with little direct sunlight.

After a few years I now once again live in a place that can get a good 6 hours of direct sunlight – something roses almost MUST have to thrive. Living in an apartment though means that my options for planting in the ground are somewhat limited, and so I chose the F.J. Lindheimer. This bush will remain compact and so it is perfect for growing in a container.

How to Plant a Container Rosebush

1. Select your rose

I’ve learned in life that when shopping for certain things, it’s best to go to places that specialize in those things. This is especially true of plants. Take a walk through your local home improvement or box store’s garden center on any day but a Saturday or Sunday when they’ve put out fresh plants for the weekend warrior gardeners, and you’ll see a very, very sad sight. It’s a graveyard waiting to happen. The vast majority of employees at these kinds of places have far more retail experience than they do knowledge of plants, soils, fertilizers and the like.

When it comes to roses, then, it’s probably no surprise that my go-to place is the Antique Rose Emporium in San Antonio, Texas. They’re done shipping for the year, but for those of us who are local it’s a year-round rose bonanza. They also have a second shop in Brenham if you happen to be out touring the Blue Bell factory and have time to swing by to pick up a rose bush. Unlike a big box store, roses are the Emporium’s main livelihood. The plants are watered, deadheaded, pruned and tended to as necessary just as plants at any dedicated nursery are. Additionally the roses at the Emporium are generally of hardier stock, not the froo-froo designer modern roses that tend to need babying.

Once you’ve found a local or online supplier, start thinking about what you’re going to do with your rose. Almost all roses need full sun. Part-shade just won’t cut it. There are a very few that will tolerate it, but they might not really thrive. You’ll also need to select a type of rose that will remain compact, growing to the 3-4ft range rather than anything that climbs or rambles. The Emporium has made this easy by having a section dedicated to roses you can grow in containers.

2. Select your pot

Big. That’s the main thing you’ll need to keep in mind when selecting your pot. Remember that a plant will put out just about as much below ground as it does above. Half-wine barrels are good for planting roses, and about as small as you want to go if you’re going to plant in a pot, but they’re heavy as is terra cotta. I settled for plastic. Today’s plastic pots are often of good enough quality to pass for more expensive stone pots if you buy a good quality plastic pot. While you may want to buy your plants at a nursery, pots will be much more expensive so now it’s time to go back to the home improvement store, or even to a discount shop like Big Lots if you have one nearby.

3. Prepare your pot

Once you’ve got your holes drilled, give your pot a good rinsing out just to get any bugs or whatnot that might have accumulated inside while it was sitting in the store.

Drainage is key to your rose’s survival. Without drainage, water will settle to the bottom of the pot and, if it’s not made of terra cotta, just sit there. Water will seep through an unglazed terra cotta pot, but not quickly enough to provide adequate drainage. This is the other advantage of plastic pots. One single dime-sized drain hole won’t cut it. I took my plastic pot, turned it upside down, and drilled five large holes in the bottom.

Good drainage doesn’t stop with holes! It’s important to keep the soil from running through said holes or from compacting into them and plugging them up. Adding a layer of filler to the bottom of your pot will improve drainage as well as lightening your pot. There are several ways to go about this, from the expensive to the practically free. While I do like a product called Better Than Rocks, I didn’t have any on hand. What I did have is packing peanuts, so I threw a couple of inches into the bottom of my pot. Should you ever decide to re-pot your rosebush the peanuts can present a bit of a mess. To avoid this, just wrap them up in netting such as the kind that a bag of oranges or potatoes comes in.

If you’re using packing peanuts, make sure that they aren’t the kind made of biodegradable starch by soaking a couple in a glass of water for awhile and seeing if they dissolve. Needless to say, dissolving peanuts aren’t particularly helpful. You can also use crushed plastic milk jugs, bottles, etc. Just make sure to put the lids on so they don’t fill with water or soil. Rocks can also be used, but of course they’ll make your pot even heavier.

4. Fill with soil

After getting a layer of drainage material settled in, it’s time to partially fill your pot with dirt. Choose a good quality, nutrient-rich potting soil. Put enough soil in so that when you place your rosebush’s root ball on top, the root ball has about 3-4 inches of clearance to the top edge of the pot. Remove your rosebush carefully from its container and loosen the roots slightly if needed. If you’ve bought your plant from a good quality nursery it probably will not be “rootbound” (meaning the roots haven’t grown in a tight webbing around the inside of the pot) and you can skip this step. Place your root ball in the pot and fill in around the edges and about 1/2″ over the top of the rootball. DO NOT PACK.

5. Water it in

Once your rosebush is in place, water your pot. The soil will compact slightly and you can now add more soil on top if needed. Do not come too high up the rose bush’s main canes.

6. Top Dress

Add a layer of good wood mulch. This will help keep your soil from drying out too quickly and is invaluable in dry, hot climates. Mulch will also help keep down weeds by making it harder for weed seeds to get to the dirt below. About 1″ of mulch, just enough to thoroughly cover the soil, is enough. If you have dogs, DO NOT use the “cocoa mulch” as this is toxic to dogs.

7. Deadhead and prune lightly

Now that everything else is in place it’s time for a little shaping. Look for any rose hips where blooms have come and gone. Trim these off with a pair of garden clippers. Some people clip down to the first set of leaves, others go all the way to the first set of large leaves. The further down you trim, the more compact and bushy your rosebush will eventually become. Deadheading your roses encourages new growth and more blooms. Look for areas where canes are rubbing against each other and trim here, as well, but for now try and be gentle about it.

8. Water regularly

Plants need to be watered regularly when first transplanted. They have undergone quite a lot of stress during the process and some withering is normal. Just trim off any leaves that turn yellow as they appear. Keep the soil moist to encourage root development with regular deep waterings for the first week. After that you can cut back.

Every now and then give your roses some extra food. This can be either in the form of food stakes or the kind added to their water. Read the package directions and follow them carefully. Some people like to dust their roses with Sevin dust to keep the bugs away but I’ve never really had many problems in that area and so have refrained.

Rain is a funny thing around Texas. When traveling through a storm one doesn’t gradually come to a softening edge of precipitation. No, it’s more like a wall of rain where visibility goes from clear to zero and things go from dry to wet. As funny as it sounds there are certain places where it’s not uncommon, due to whatever surrounding conditions influencing such matters, to see a storm on one side of the yellow line on a two-lane farm-to-market road while the other remains perfectly dry.

In typical fashion this storm had come out of nowhere with enough power to blow the electrical equipment at the top of a power pole right near us as we were stuck in traffic on 1604. Also in typical fashion the edge was a sort of demarcation line and so, rather retreating the full distance back to the house we stopped at Milberger’s. Milberger’s has been around pretty much forever, to hear my husband tell it, and if they don’t have it, you probably don’t need it. Potted plants, vegetable starts, water fountains, bird baths, pots, potting soil, top soil, mulch, shrubs, trees and tools, they have it all and in huge abundance. They had more hibiscus than you could shake a stick at. Just row after row after row of them in bright pinks, citrusy orange and scorching reds.

They had plenty of Esperanza as well, limbs drooping beneath the weight of clusters of sunshine yellow trumpets. This plant is literally everywhere, and it seems like it will grow in almost any condition. I’ve seen it in the ground, I’ve seen it growing in half wine-barrels, and I’ve seen it clinging tenaciously to the embankments on the side of the highway. As a native Texas plant, you just can’t go wrong with a tolerant plant like Esperanza, so long as you give it plenty of room and some well-draining neutral soil. It’s blooms seem to stay about almost year-round as well, livening things up from Spring to Fall.

As much as we’d like to have stayed awhile longer, the storm caught up with us within the hour. I did get a few more beautiful shots, however, which you can catch in the gallery.

For one, I know who I am supporting. I’m supporting that person, that person right there who handed over my produce and took my money with hands that have rich dirt still permanently embedded in their cuticles. I’m supporting them, and the cute tow-headed kid who’s counting my change on his fingers and wearing a money apron that’s four sizes too big because he’s out helping Mom and Dad with the family business.

I also know what I am supporting. Often the things you buy at a farmer’s market are organic, which is part of the price. You can always tell by the fact that you’ll find a couple of bug-gnawed leaves, or it may be oddly shaped. I’m supporting sustainable practices that don’t destroy the earth we’re taking our sustenance from. In the case of the Pearl Farmer’s Market I’m supporting less pollution from shipping as everything there comes from within 150 miles. I know that under 100 is ideal, but in Texas we’re fairly spread out.

I often buy produce from farmer’s markets and I find that it stays fresh either on the cabinet or in my refrigerator for many days longer than produce bought at a grocery store. This is probably not too surprising as most of it was likely picked the day before. It’s usually quite gorgeous, too. I even got my husband to eat beets recently due to the product being so pristinely cleaned and displayed in such an appetizing cornucopia of produce.

It’s for all of these reasons I was very happy to come across LocalHarvest.org. By putting in your zipcode you can get a list of local “farmer’s markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.” They also have a catalog, which seems a bit contradictory, but it can get you started growing your own garden with things such as heirloom tomatoes and varieties of vegetable and fruit seeds you just don’t find at Lowe’s or Home Depot. There’s plenty of other small-producer items as well. I just found dried unsweetened cherries, with free shipping even. Unfortunately I can’t think of a use for four pounds of them, because the price undercuts even SunHarvest on a per-pound basis by quite a bit.

Right now we are at the beginning peak of fresh produce, and the best of the best is going to be at your local farmer’s market. Sure, you’ll have to get up early as most start at 9am, if not earlier, but the trip is worth it and it’s a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. Most, but not all, are on weekends of course, but you can often find one or two that run during the middle of the week. Just be sure to get there early! Most farmer’s markets close by noon, or earlier if the vendors sell out!