A Gardening Carnival-December 24, 2008

Welcome to the December 24, 2008 edition of a gardening carnival.

Erika Collin presents Back to Nature: Top 100 Herbal Medicine Blogs posted at NursingDegree.net.

flowers

makingthishome presents Shopping for Locally Grown Poinsettias posted at Making This Home, saying, “Thank you for hosting. Hope you enjoy our greenhouse discovery.”

gardening

Susan Morris presents Bonsai - An Exercise In Patience posted at Bonsai Tree, saying, “Some tips for people caring for their plant.”

Giorgina Devereaux presents Garden Party Decorations posted at Home Decor Blog.

Sarah presents How to Properly Mow Your Lawn | Winter Lawn Care - Lawn Care Tips posted at Lawn Care Tips, saying, “Many people mow their lawn too short and effectively kill it in the process.”

Susan Morris presents A Quick Introduction To The World Of Grow Lights posted at Bonsai Tree, saying, “An intro to hydroponics for our bonsai trees”

M.D. Creekmore presents Tire Garden posted at Survivalist Blog.

organic gardening

Julian Pollock presents Compost to Reduce Trash Bill and Turn Garbage into Garden Soil | Organic Family Circle posted at Organic Family Circle, saying, “Here’s an other view on organic recycling and composting to share and perhaps inspire new methods and techniques.”

Tomato Lady presents Fall Garden Tour posted at Little House in the Suburbs.

vegetables

Hortois presents Grow Early Potatoes posted at The Compost Heap.

Nora Dunn presents Gardening Down Under posted at The Professional Hobo, saying, “learning to Garden in another country always presents some challenges and opportunities. Here is a personal and humorous recount of my own (foreign) veggie garden.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of a gardening carnival using our carnival submission form.

The next issue will be hosted at my new gardening blog, My Gardening Patch, on January 28, 2009.

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Today’s post is courtesy of my husband, Gary Emmett.  This piece ran as a column in our local paper on December 4, 2008.  For those who don’t know, Gary has a degree in Horticulture and has worked in the field, both retail and for a Gardening Chemical Manufacturer for the past 15 years.  He is MY secret source for information.  (The recipe is mine.)

It has been exciting to be back in Lovell and especially for the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was a time to see family and friends and also a time to reflect on how we are blessed in our lives and what we are truly thankful for.

It is also a time for the tradition of getting a family Christmas tree. It actually would be the first time I took my family to the mountains to cut our own Christmas tree from the forest. Having worked in a greenhouse/nursery, all we had to do was walk into the greenhouse and pick out the best looking, flawless trees that we could find, that had just arrived from Oregon. Oh the ease of shopping for a tree.

Moving back to Lovell has definitely brought changes and adjustments to our lives with the way we used to do things. Some adjustments I just shake my head at and have to say this is Lovell. However, I was looking forward to going to the Big Horns and cutting our family Christmas tree: a first for my son.

When I got the permits from the Forest Service office, I received an informational guide about what trees were able to be cut, how to cut the tree and also where they could be and couldn’t be harvested from. No problem!

As the day came and the holiday turkey and pies were all taken care of, we as a family, along with my brother, Alvin and his family, headed up the mountains to cut a tree. Having a saw in hand and the right permits too, we were on the prowl for the perfect mountain grown tree.

Trekking through the snow didn’t detour my desire to find the perfect tree. But I just wasn’t finding it, however, I did find next year’s tree. I know that sounds funny but I did: Now to get everyone to leave it alone. Thank goodness for my niece, Marianne, she found our tree: The perfect sub-alpine fir tree that would fit in our new house.

I prefer the characteristics of the sub-alpine fir tree to that of some of the other native evergreen trees. But my likings might not be the same as yours, because I am sure your family has the perfect tree too.

There are some very important tasks that should be followed to help ensure a fresh cut Christmas tree stays just that: FRESH. The most important is water. Make sure that your tree has plenty of water and that you put it in water as quickly as you can. My tree drank a gallon of water in the first 24 hours. Check the water availability daily. A tree will seal itself off, if not given enough water, thus the tree will then dry out prematurely. Also leave the aspirin in the medicine bottle, the soda drinks in the fridge and the Vodka in the liquor cabinet; these are all “home remedies” that don’t work. Water is still the best solution. Don’t add anything to the water.

If there is a ceiling fan overhead, or a heat register near by, reduce the air movement around the tree. This will help prevent premature drying out of the needles.

And don’t place your tree close to a wood burning stove, open fireplace, or near your entertainment systems. Excess heat will dry your tree out very quickly.

For the last couple of years, we got away from a fresh Christmas tree in the house and went with an artificial tree. They really aren’t the same. What fun and joy and memories we have missed out by not having a real tree for Christmas.

I am writing this passage while sitting in the front room, under the influence or the spell cast by the mesmerizing lights and sounds of the season. Yes I am fortunate to be back here in Lovell. Family, friends, and even the changes that life can bring, should always be a part of what we are thankful for no matter what time of year it is.

Party Sausage Dip

2 lbs Jimmy Dean sausage

16 oz Sour Cream

16 oz Cream Cheese

1- 4 oz can of Green Chilies

2 Lrg Tomatoes

In a large skillet, brown sausage and drain grease off. Reduce heat; add cream cheese and sour cream. Stir until blended together. Add Green Chilies.

It is best to allow the mixture to blend and mellow together in a slow cooker for a couple of hours. Just before serving, dice the tomatoes and stir into the dip.

Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy

I like to use a combination of plain and spicy sausage (1 lb chub ea). If you like black olives you can add those too.