Chris and Lisa Cullen of Montecito Landscape Volunteers of the Month

We were honored as Volunteers of the Month by Partners in Education for helping renovate a couple of planting beds at Santa Barbara Jr High. See link for details.Volunteer spot light Partners in Education

George Schnakenberg on Garden Gossip

What a great show today with George Schnakenberg. The secret is in the soil. George has a new service called Soil Care Solutions. Did you know that if your soil has the correct balance, weed seeds won't even germinate? Amazing...it all starts with soil testing. Sort of like getting a blood test to discover your deficiencies rather than buying every vitamin on the shelf. The same goes for your soil. He tests for everything from compaction to humus levels. Humus is digested vegetable matter and that is very important. This was great. I hope you learned as much as I did. And, since no one guessed "Name that Plant" we will continue it next week.
If you want to have a soil analysis done, call George at Agri-Turf. (805) 569-2257.
And, of course, if you have questions about your garden call us for a FREE Home Garden Consultation. Call (805) 969-3984. 
Until then, Fill Your Garden With Joy.

Lisa and Chris

What to do with excess citrus?

Citrus Syrup

Sometimes we get an excessive amount of citrus.
Right now the trees are bulging with Tangerines, Meyer Lemons and Oranges.
Here's what to do:  

Scrub the fruit thoroughly
Squeeze the juice into a large kettle (through a strainer to remove seeds)
Scrape the pulp out of the citrus skin 
Slice the skins into 1/4 inch slices and pop these into a plastic bag and put in the freezer
Put the kettle of juice on the stove over med high heat
Reduce the juice until it is syrupy
Pack in containers and freeze.

What you have is the most delicious tart-sweet citrus reduction on earth (no kidding)
Use it to make salad dressings, marinades, baste chicken, add to Asian-style stir fry, etc.
You'll figure out the rest.
As far as the skins go, save them in the freezer and you candy them later in the year when you are doing your holiday baking..(more about that in a later post).
Happy cooking!

This week on Garden Gossip Radio Show

This Friday on Garden Gossip our guest, George Schnakenberg, will be talking about how to bring the life back into your garden. The secret's in the soil. Garden Gossip is live every Friday morning at 11 and rebroadcast Friday's at 9pm and again Saturday morning at 11. on AM1290 or on the web at
http://radiotime.com/station/s_26742/KZSB_1290.aspx

DigTheDirt

DigTheDirt

There is a great new networking site for gardeners at www.digthedirt.com
Anyone can join. I did. See you in cyberspace.

Shopping for Your Winter Garden

 Winter may not seem like the most exciting time in the garden, but if you know what to look for it is the ideal time to stock up on the best plant bargains of the year. Bare-root season begins in January and is an opportunity to really stretch your plant dollars. Buying plants “bare-root” (before they are planted in containers by the nursery) can save you 50-75% over the prices charged later in the year. Be sure to stock up on soil amendments and  organic fertilizers at the same time.

Here are my top picks for what to look for at your local nursery this season.

1. Bare-root Roses: Bare-root Rose season begins early January at our local nurseries and that means you’ll get the best selection and the best prices of the year. Be sure to follow the planting instructions provided.
2. Bare-root fruit trees and shrubs: Here is where you can really make the most of your plant dollars. Creating an edible landscape is all the rage at the moment and this is the truly affordable way to do it. Plus you will be able to find varieties in bare-root that are hard to find later in the year. Choose from Apples, Apricots, Figs, Peaches, Persimmons, Plums, Pomegranates, Almonds, Walnuts and more. Be sure to select varieties that will grow in your garden. If you are close to the beach, you may not have success with stone fruits so ask about “chill requirements” when you are shopping.
3. Bare-root Berries and vines: Blackberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries, Strawberries, Mulberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Kiwi, need I say more? Again, be sure to consider your location when purchasing.
4. Bare-root Vegetables: Edible gardening is so easy when you plant perennials such as Asparagus, Artichokes and Rhubarb in bare root. Once these vegetables are established they will provide you with joy (and good eats) for many years to come.
5. Spring-planted bulbs: Spring planted bulbs will bloom in summer and fall and begin showing up in your nursery in January and February. Don’t plant them right away, but now is the time to buy them for best selection; Dahlias, Calla, Tuberous Begonia, Gladiolus, Amaryllis, Freesia and Tuberose are just a few of your choices.
6. Cool season vegetables: It’s not too early to plant your favorite cool weather veggies; Lettuces, Arugula, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery and Cabbage as well as Chard, Mustard and Kale can all be planted now.
7. Perennial herbs: Herbs such as Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary and Sage can be used not only in your vegetable garden but make excellent perennial borders for your ornamental garden beds as well. Buy and plant them now and into the spring.
8. Aloe and succulents: For winter color and easy care, nothing brightens up your garden like winter-blooming succulents and especially Aloe in its multitudes of shapes and colors. Many succulents begin blooming in December and continue throughout the winter months. Shop for them now and you will be able to choose them for color of bloom. 
9. Orchids: Santa Barbara has been a Orchid-growing center for decades so it comes as no surprise that you can find beautiful orchids of every color, shape and size and since many of them are in bloom now, you will be able to see what you are buying. The bonus, in Santa Barbara we can grow them outdoors and they stay in bloom for months. Cymbidiums of course are the perennial favorite and with the correct exposure will bloom from November through March. There are other winter-blooming orchids to choose from, visit our local Orchid-growers for expert advice on selection and care of your Orchids.
10. Atlas 370 Gardening Gloves: This is the one item I can’t live without. They fit like a surgical glove and come in every color of the rainbow. These general purpose gardening gloves are available at most local nurseries, and If you are like me you’ll buy two or three pair because you’ll want more than one color. Wear them inside your pruning gloves for extra protection.

See you next season and happy gardening!

Lisa

Fire Safe Gardens

Today someone called me from the Painted Cave area asking about creating screening from his neighbors. He wanted to know what to plant that wouldn't be a fire hazard, but would be fairly fast growing and provide decent screening. After some discussion and research I settled on fruit trees as his best option. Citrus, Pineapple Guava, Strawberry Guava and if possible, Avocado are great screening material that also create great firebreaks. There are other food-producing plants that create good screening Pomegranate, Persimmon, Plum are a few more suggestions.
If you are looking for firebreak and screening, why not plant edibles?
That is what I suggest.
Lisa

How Homemade Pasta and Backyard Chickens Just Might Save the World

It all started with a book I was reading, “Heat”, by Bill Buford. He was talking about making fresh pasta and how the best pasta requires really good eggs from nearly wild, local chickens. Eggs whose yolks are a particular brand of orange, not pale yellow, and whose whites stand up tall when you break them into a pan. My quest had begun; I became obsessed. Where to find the eggs of my dreams? My research began.

It seems that “industrial farming” has taken over our food supply and in order to get more eggs in less time, the “folks in charge” have developed breeds of “super chickens” that mature faster and produce more eggs than any chickens in history. And, because of the unhealthy conditions in which they are raised, the birds are susceptible to disease so they are given powerful antibiotics and growth hormones. They are fed animal parts (including chicken) as well as GMO corn. This was enough for me to swear off supermarket chicken and eggs for the rest of my life. (For all the facts, go to www.sustainabletable.org and be sure to check out the award-winning film “The Meatrix” while you are there). 

As a result of my research, instead of shopping at the grocery store, I bought eggs from every vendor at the farmer’s market and though they were good, they just weren’t the eggs I was looking for. I was looking for eggs with deep golden (almost red-orange) yolks, small eggs that were so fresh you could barely break the shell, eggs that would make the perfect homemade pasta I was striving for.

Finally, I determined the only way I could make perfect pasta was to raise my own hens. Thus, I could control what they ate, their exercise routine, etc.  (I did say earlier that I had become obsessed, did I not?)

The foremost local authority on raising poultry is Katherine Anderson of Blue Oak Ranch in Goleta and she became my source of all things chicken. She told me about “Heritage Breeds” and how the safety of our country’s food sources rest in the hands of small farms and the “backyard” farmer. Why? Heritage Breeds are old breeds of animals that are the animal equivalent to Heirloom seeds. They are bred naturally; they still have natural instincts, like foraging, nesting and they lay a superior egg (in the case of chickens). And, as a bonus, they are beautiful and their eggs come in every size, shape and color. I asked Katherine to pick out a nice assortment of heritage breed hens for me.  Meanwhile, I needed a coop. I found the perfect man for the job in Loren, a permaculture designer and chicken coop builder. Using all the construction “left-overs” at our house, he constructed a coop, nesting boxes and run for my future brood.

Eventually, my chicks arrived and after about a month of living in a large cardboard box, they moved into their new home. I had heard about “watching the chicken channel” in fact I had read somewhere that one of the advantages to raising your own hens was “hours of entertainment”, but me, I didn’t believe it. Though, in a few short weeks, we were spending any of our spare time “hanging with the chicks”. I can’t explain it.  This was entertainment! After a while certain ones were obvious favorites, Coco (of Coco and Channel, the two French Marans) would jump on my knee or my shoulder, Jayne and Marilyn (the Gold Sexlink duo), Georgia and Teddy (the pair of Speckled Sussex) Polka and Dotty (Silver laced Wyandotte) to name a few and the crazy thing is they had distinctly different personalities!

Was there something wrong with me? Even if I had a rough day, going to see the chickens was sure to bring a smile to my face. Had I gone mad? Apparently not, according to what happened next. I began to discover that there were others, just like me right here in Montecito. It seemed like everyone we met either had a few hens or knew someone who did. The excitement grew! People wanted to show us their hens and their coops. There are chicken lovers out there that I had never noticed before. One of the most amazing stories was of the woman up on Coyote Road who lost her home in the Tea Fire, but somehow (and miraculously) the fire fighters had saved her chickens by covering the coop in fire foam. Her chickens survived the tea fire, unscathed.

But, I have meandered off the path, or have I?  In fact, what began as a quest for the best eggs and thus the best fresh pasta on earth, ended in a kooky form of entertainment, loads of fun, companionship, preservation of the gene pool for future generations and yes, the best eggs on earth and some really great pasta.

Pasta Recipe
for every 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
One really great egg
put the flour on a board, make a well in the middle and add your egg (or eggs)
beat the egg with a fork and gradually mix together.
knead until smooth
cover in plastic wrap or plastic bag and allow to rest for at least one hour
then roll out by hand or with a pasta machine.
Note: Be sure to use lots of flour when rolling so the pasta doesn't stick together