Caviar on Lettuce

 

Caviar anyone?

 


















Caviar on lettuce? I wish - no, turns out this is old fashioned caterpillar poop, of all things. Out harvesting greens for my salad and found these. Wondered if the caterpillars had a preference of one type of lettuce over another but seems like they like them all.


The caterpillars grow fast - in proportion to what they eat. Best to catch them small if they are there. More salad for me to eat than them. I wonder if caterpillar poop makes good compost?

 

Another sign of a visitor in the garden. Chewed up lettuce leaves.



 

 

Garden Detective Tips
(or what I learn by doing - best way for me)

• Look for telltale signs of bites out of the leaves, or caviar on lettuces.
• Inspect underside of each leaf.
• The green caterpillar is easier to find on the darker lettuce leaves than on the green leaves.
• It is easier to detect signs left from the green cateripillar on the green ones cause of the contrasting droppings they leave behind.

Bug Detail
Sunday afternoon and want am I doing? Trying to ID an ugly bug in my garden to figure out if it’s a good one or bad one. Can’t decide if it’s a wheel bug (good one) or a leaf footed bug or ? I did find a good link of different photos of bugs at True Bugs.

I have the Texas Bug Book by Malcolm Beck and Howard Garrett to check if they are good or bad bugs. This books has some great stories of Malcolm's experiences with lots of bug pictures.

 

Feel like a kid again checking out what’s close to the ground. Now with the super raised garden beds I can really get up close and check things out. Will try and get a photo for next time.

 

I know if I leave most things alone, nature will step in and take care of it for me anyway.

Easy Herbal Drink Refreshments

I apologize for taking so long to post these much requested recipes that I serve at our garden parties.
Secret Garden Rosemary Tea
• 46-oz can unsweetened pineapple juice
• 2 T dried rosemary or 6 T chopped fresh – best flavor fresh
• Dash of Salt
• 1/2 to 1 ½ Cups Sugar depending on your preference – Best to add little at a time and taste (one time I accidentally got the sweetened pineapple juice and didn’t need to add sugar and another time I used grapefruit juice and that was good too)
• 1 ½ Cups Lemon Juice – fresh squeezed or bottle concentrate
• 1 Qt. Water

• Combine 1/2 can pineapple juice w/CHOPPED rosemary in a pan.
• Bring to boil, cover.
• Remove from heat and steep 10 min.
• Strain out rosemary. Stir into above decoction, along with the remaining half can of pineapple juice. Cool; pour over plenty of ice.
• Float thin slices of lemon, lime and sprigs of fresh rosemary on top.
• Can also float slices of star fruit (Carambolo) and Australian violets. Looks very nice in a big glass carafe or punch bowl.

I don’t add the water. Instead I add lots of ice and let it melt.

Adapted from the Penn Cumberland Garden Club, Fairy Folk Tea Party

I took the above recipe and put a twist on it - using our wonderful Magic Valley fresh grapefruits!

Rosemary Grapefruit Lemonade
• Six freshly squeezed grapefruits (or 46 oz. canned grapefruit juice)
• 2 T dried rosemary or 6 T chopped fresh – best flavor fresh
• 1/2 to 1 ½ Cups Sugar depending on your preference – Best to add little at a time and taste
• 1 ½ Cups Lemon Juice – fresh squeezed or bottle concentrate
• 1 Qt. Water

• Combine juice of three fresh squeezed grapefruits (or 1/2 can grapefruit juice) w/CHOPPED rosemary in a pan.
• Bring to boil, cover.
• Remove from heat and steep 10 min.
• Strain out rosemary. Stir into above decoction, along with the remaining three fresh squeezed grapefruits (or with the remaining half can of pineapple juice)
• Cool; pour over plenty of ice

• Float thin slices of lemon, lime and sprigs of fresh rosemary on top.

• Can also float slices of star fruit (Carambolo) (also sold at the Farmers Market) and Australian violets. Looks very nice in a big glass carafe or punch bowl.
I don’t add the water. Instead I add lots of ice and let it melt.

Bona Fruitee - Enjoy!