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The Life and Times of Chippy The Duck (2017 Grow-A-Long)

The Life and Times of Chippy The Duck (2017 Grow-A-Long)

Week 1 (7/7/2017 – 7/13/2017) Chippy officially hatched on Friday, the 7th of July. She was given water supplemented with electrolytes and niacin, and provided unmedicated organic (no special reason, was the only feed the store had) chick starter/grower. On day 3, I let Chippy 

Oh Baby! (2017 Muscovy Duck Hatch-a-long)

Oh Baby! (2017 Muscovy Duck Hatch-a-long)

Muscovies have a reputation for being difficult to incubate and hatch, but because the eggs I have are fertile (thanks to my very enthusiastic male), I decided to try my hand at them. It takes on average 35-37 days for them to hatch. A few 

Honeyberry, I’m Home!

Honeyberry, I’m Home!

Haskaps, or Honeyberry, or Edible Honeysuckle (lonicera caerulea) is part of the honeysuckle family (and not all honeysuckles are edible) that produces fruit very similar to blueberries. It’s cold hardy as hell (some are hardy all the way to zone 2!) and unlike blueberries, tolerate a wide range of soil types.

They do need another variety to cross pollinate with as even the self-fertile ones (like one of mine) will bear very minimal amounts of fruit. It can grow in sun and shade (but obviously produces the sweetest berries in sun) and is best used as a shrub under fruit trees (for those who are as into permaculture as I am.) The two I have flank a dwaf 20th century pear tree.
I can’t remember which cultivars I have since I got them at discount at a nursery that had thrown them to the side from last year’s unsold stock. They were rootbound (where the roots are so tightly packed in the pot) so I trimmed away some and got them into the ground. One of them didn’t seem like it was going to survive, but a true testament to their hardy nature, with a bit of coaxing, it has begun to thrive.

They are supposedly very productive and can be used in every way a blueberry can, so I’m looking forward to years of berries (which are quite good, if the single one I nabbed off the bush this year is any indication.)

Lucy Goosey Gooseberry

Lucy Goosey Gooseberry

I was always curious about the taste of gooseberries (ribes uva-crispa syn. ribes grossularia) but had never had the opportunity to try one. It seem financially irresponsible to buy a pie or a jar of jam of something that I wasn’t sure I’d like (and 

Bush Beanie Baby

Bush Beanie Baby

I plant beans every year, and have tried several different types including scarlet runner, snap peas, etc. I found though, that I like bush beans the best as far as taste and utility goes. The bush bean that I have (phaseolus vulgaris) is actually just 

Numb and Fragrant: Szechuan and Sansho Peppercorns

Numb and Fragrant: Szechuan and Sansho Peppercorns

I bought two different types of peppercorn trees (no relation to black pepper) this year: The Sansho peppercorn (zanthoxylum piperitum) and the Szechuan peppercorn (zanthoxylum simulans) for my food forest. The sansho peppercorn is the main flavor you would find in Togarashi Ichimi-Shichimi powder, the little shakers of Japanese pepper flakes that go divine on everything from ramen (my husband PILES it on even though it’s quite hot) to katsudon to takoyaki. It’s flavor is much more citrus-y and delicate than the “in your face” strength of the szechuan peppercorn, though both are delicious for their own applications due to their fragrance.

 My father’s family is from the Chinese province of Szechuan (my mother’s is from Nanking) which is reknown for their spicy cuisine. Both sets of my grandfathers were part of the military/police force, and fled to Taiwan during the communist revolution (to stay meant a prison sentence or death.) Szechuan’s most famous herb is the numbing spice, the Szechuan (sometimes spelled “Sichuan”) Peppercorn, which is not so much spicy as it produces a tingling and numbing sensation on the tongue. Other plants in this genus are often called “toothache” trees for this very reason as it can give short term relief to tooth pain.
Szechuan Peppercorn (zanthoxylum simulans) has larger leaves and is lankier.
I had done some research on peppercorns a few years ago and realized that they can be grown where I am in Zone 7. However, due to a restriction on their importation (they are part of the citrus family and could possibly introduce a disease that is very harmful to citrus crops) that was only lifted recently, plants are difficult to find and expensive to boot. However, I managed to purchase a few and got them in the ground this spring. They are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female plants. I don’t know which one I have yet, but both genders can be used in terms of spice (leaves and flowers), although the female eventual fruit’s outer shell tastes the strongest. They seem to do well in full sun, part shade, or even deep shade, and is tolerant of a wide range of soils and acidity, although they prefer to stay well watered. They get tall (15-20 feet) and are tree/shrub like.
They do have thorns so care should be taken when handling–I’ve gotten pricked multiple times, but love them so much I don’t mind at all.
As Lovely As Asparagus

As Lovely As Asparagus

It was so hard to come up with a pun for asparagus–you know, one that might be family friendly rather than raunchy, but I managed to do so after sleeping on it overnight. Asparagus officinalis (see, even they couldn’t come up with a better name) 

Birds Of A Feather: Ostrich Fern

Birds Of A Feather: Ostrich Fern

Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) has been somewhat of a bane to me–I love it. I want it. But in previous years, I had no luck with it until the one I planted last fall took. I don’t know how it’s possible to do so poorly 

Japanese Spikenard

Japanese Spikenard

I tried to come up with a clever pun for the title of this post, but failed miserably. It’s sad because this is such an awesome plant that I managed to get a hold of here in the United States. Japanese Spikenard (Aralia Cordata), also known as Yama Udo (mountain asparagus), is a delightful perennial. Considered a wild sansai (mountain vegetable) it is foraged for its shoots that come up every spring. Despite being able to reach impressive heights and widths, it is not a tree and will die back to the ground every year.

It fares well in shade or sun, but does require frequent watering especially if grown in the sun. Most people stick this plant in a deeply shady corner where not much else will grow. It’s most commonly seen as an ornamental in the US, but should be recognized for its uses as a food crop.

I haven’t tried it myself yet, as I just got it into the ground this year. However, once established, it will come back year after year. I suppose the English translation of “mountain asparagus” is due to the thick, stalk nature of its shoots. Some people describe its flavor as “resinous” (doesn’t sound good) and others describe it like “fennel” (which does sound good.) Some people say it is bitter–but considering most of Asia treats bitter vegetables as delicacies, so if it is (and few sources mention it) I don’t think it should impede my enjoyment of it.

Grilled, steamed, boiled, tempura–almost every recipe I see calls for it to be cooked (to reduce the natural flavor) but there are other sources saying it can be used raw to add flavor. I haven’t tried it yet so I can’t say which way is best, but next spring I’ll definitely give an update.

Raspberry Rumble

Raspberry Rumble

Raspberries (rubus idaeus) belong to the rubus family which includes blackberries, thimbleberries, brambleberries, tayberries, etc. and can readily cross breed with them, so new varieties are constantly coming out. Some people find them invasive–but honestly, what’s so bad about a fruit that vigorously propagates itself?