TDN Newsletter 05-26-18

May 26, 2018 Dear Gardening Friends,   ~YOU'RE INVITED~ Please join us for our  "Here Comes Summer" Open House!!    Saturday, June 2nd       from 10am until 4pm at the  Two Dog Home Nursery       914 S. Cloverdale Ave. Los Angeles  90036     No Appointments Needed, Cookies & Lemonade will be served! Bring your Gardening Pals, but PLEASE, not your Dogs... Thank you! Street Parking is Available By Request... here's my Green Bean Recipe again... Usually with 2 EarthBoxes planted, I'll get upwards of 2 lbs of beans per week.  I harvest every day (which encourages production), store them in the fridge, and on Fridays I'm ready to cook a nice "mess" of beans, which will last us most of the week. *First, using a 2-qt saucepan, I saute some of our own homegrown Garlic (maybe 4 nice cloves) in a liberal amount of  Olive Oil, and add Salt & Pepper.  When lightly browned, I turn off the heat, and let the pan cool.  *Then I hand-snap the beans (cutting with a knife doesn't let you see if there are "strings") and rinse them well in a colander. *Put the beans in the saucepan and just cover with water.  I put the heat on Medium, gently bringing it to an easy boil; then I turn it down as low as I can and let the beans simmer for 2 hours...(yes, hours).   *Then I add in about 1/4 cup of Organic White Wine Vinegar and a big handful of Slivered Almonds and simmer another hour or so.  At this slow simmer, the beans honestly don't get mushy or fall all apart but instead are tender and rich with flavor.   My parents used to cook them this way; I don't know if the original recipe came from Tennessee or Indiana, but I've tweaked it for us (no ham hocks, for example!) Please let me know if you try it!!   P.S.  I love to grow all the colors & sizes of Beans, and I'm always excited to see the purple turn to green as the water heats up...if you've got little ones in the house, invite them to watch the magic!   It's been a very busy time in the Nursery, and here's what will be ready for next Saturday's Open House:     Heirloom Tomatoes (a new batch!) Hot & Super Hot Peppers Sweet Peppers Eggplants Winter Squash & Pumpkins Summer Squash Onions & Leeks Melons   Corn Cucumbers Bush & Pole Beans Okra Rainbow Chard Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries & Goji Berries! ...plus lots of Herbs & Edible Flowers!   Fern Leaf Lavender, our all-time favorite! Pacific Beauty Calendula will happily reseed itself! French Tarragon is gorgeous, delicate and perennial!  Dill Bouquet...a Summertime staple! SWEET POTATO UPDATE... Our Grower has advised us that cooler-than-normal weather has slowed their production (we can relate!) We expect to receive our Certified Organic "slips" very soon, and once potted up, they begin to leaf out immediately, so watch for our announcement!     This year we're offering:     "Beauregard"              &    "All Purple"        Supply is always limited, so please don't miss out! Pre-Order HERE! We grow as many as we can because they're super-yummy and "keep" for months!   Check out our "Helpful Growing Guide" to see just how easy it is to grow your own!!

This Tip Really Works!!!     It bears repeating... Simply drenching your Blueberry bushes every two months with a solution of water & Distilled White Vinegar will keep the pH nice and low where they need it to be (4.5-5.5)  Here's the formula:   2 tablespoons Distilled White Vinegar per 1 gallon of water...couldn't be easier! We're having another bumper crop on our own bushes this year; honestly, I think I must eat a million blueberries a day!   Don't forget, we sell the most gorgeous, most mature Blueberry bushes around, and all the materials you'll need to get them growing! Check out our "Helpful Guide" to see how easy they are!  We run like mad to keep them in stock and should have plenty on hand for Saturday's Open House. It’s one of the best investments you can make!! You’ll love them year-round, and most especially during those Spring months where you just stand in your pajamas eating them right off the bushes!   1 gal. water + 2 tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar = Huge Harvest!   A lovely new couple came to the Nursery this week with their little boy... it was surprising how adept he was at identifying the various plants.   He was obviously very happy with his parents' purchase of Blueberries, Raspberries & Blackberries!!   That's it for now, Friends,   We hope you plan to join us next Saturday for our  June Open House   ...Here Comes Summer! Charlie's getting his bath so he'll be ready to greet you!!  He loves to look out into the Nursery from the vantage point of the kitchen sink!!  hahaha!   Many Thanks and Happy Harvests! Jo Anne, Alex, Lalo & Charlie