Happy Holidays

 Fill your homes with greenery, bring in some branches or sprigs from the garden to lighten the darkest days.  The history of bringing in boughs of branches goes back to olden times when it was dark and cold and people spent more time indoors, evergreen boughs both disinfected and freshened the air.    In these short days with colder, wetter weather I encourage gardeners to take a well-earned break.  The earth likes a rest also.  

 My seed catalogs have started to arrive. If you tend to buy all your starts or buy seeds from the store, I recommend checking out some seed catalogs.  They give you lots of information, inspire you for the year to come, and give more options of varieties.  Starting plants from seed also can save money.   I love to take rainy days to look through catalogs and see new varieties, read tips and expand my horizons. 

 This is the time of year when I know I don’t live in Colorado anymore.  Kiwi’s, pineapple guavas and persimmons coming in still.  And then the greens in my garden are taking off.  My all time top producer in the garden right now is my perennial Kale, sometimes called Walking Stick kale, it does not go to seed and can grow to 5 feet tall.   You have to find someone who has some and get a branch of it. This time of year just stick it in the grown and it will root.  It is hard to find commercially.

 Here is a recipe if you have access to Persimmons.   You want to use the Hachiya type, which are the larger type that get all mushy before they are edible.  If you have a tree you often have more than you can use. 

Persimmon Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup persimmon pulp mixed with 1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp.  Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice

1 3/4 cups white flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt.

1 cup nuts ( any kind)

1 cup dates or raisins

Mix butter with the sugar, then add egg.  When well blended add the persimmon pulp.  (It is important to mix the soda into the pulp, it reacts with the acids of the pulp.)  Combine dry ingredients.   Mix wet with dry, and when well mixed, add the nuts and dates.  Cook on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. 

Oh yea if you just have to get into the garden cuz sitting around isn’t your thing, prune back your perennials, mulch them with compost.  Keep the weeds in check with mulch or by weeding.  Redo your irrigation with drip while you have time.  Happy Solstice!