MYSTERY QUASH ANSWERED...

The mystery squash turned out to be Butter Squash. Unfortunately, the longer I left the squash on the vine, the more of a likelihood that a pesky squirrel would take off with it. Considering how large these fruits got, those squirrels are mighty strong!

QUESTION: Mystery Squash..

Does anyone know what type of squash this is? When I purchased the seedling at Orchard Supply garden center the label stated this was a Yellow Crook Neck squash. It tastes good; however, it's not yellow (more of a light green), nor is it a crook neck. Identification expertise on this variety is requested.

MISC: Lawn Care

Ok, another change to the lawn watering times. Even though the lawn is looking better (the fungus infected areas are healing), the shaded area of the lawn has noticeably grown and the daylight hours have deceased, creating overly soaked sod in the shaded areas. The herbs and bushes need their times reduced as well. The new watering schedule is as follows:

Zone A (all lawn) - Mon, Wed, Fri (7min @ 9am)

Zone B (Herbs and plants) - Sun-Sat. (7min @ 8am)

Zone C (full sun portion of lawn) - Tue, Thu, and Sat @ 8:30am for 7min.

MISC: Lawn Care

Finallly, the lawn looks like it's coming back after applying the Bayer fungicide treatment. However, the shaded parts of the lawn continue to be over watered. I'm reducing the watering times once again for the overall lawn. I'm also reducing the number of minutes for the Herbs and plants on the drip system from 12 to 10min. I will be applying another dose of the Bayer fungicide treatment today or tomorrow for good measure.

new times for lawn and plants...

Zone A (all lawn) - Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat. (7min @ 9am)

Zone B (Herbs and plants) - Sun-Sat. (10min @ 8am)

Zone C (full sun portion of lawn) - No Change; Tue. and Thur. only @ 8:30am for 7min.

RECIPE: Morning Salsa

I named this salsa ‘Morning Salsa’ because it's best for breakfast when dabbed on scrambled eggs with a touch of sour cream. I first had a version of this type of salsa at my local morning cafe, Cafe Barrone in Menlo Park. After experiencing their version, I exclaimed, "Morning Salsa needs to be experienced by everyone!" Although I created the term 'Morning Salsa', below is the recipe Laurie created. This salsa is best if made one day ahead. Salsa should be thick and chunky when served. Juices may separate from ingredients, and need to be discarded.

½ white onion, diced
¼ cup of chopped cilantro
3 ½ medium large (2 1/2” dia.) tomatoes (Heirloom tomatoes preferred)
Juice from one lime
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 medium Jalapeño peppers, diced

Directions;
Mix all ingredients together in medium size bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture sit for one day before serving.

Misc: Lawn Care

Last week I've determined I have Rhizoctonia blight in the lawn. I went out and purchased a pellet-type of sod fungicide (manufactured by Bayer) for the problem. It's been one week now, and I've seen minimal results. The infected areas seem to be doing better; however the high heat this week and, I believe, too much watering have contributed to the spread of the fungus into unaffected areas. I've adjusted the sprinkling system to the following...

Zone A - All Grass; Set to turn on Tues-Sat at 9am for 7min.
Zone B - Herbs and vegtables; Set to turn on Sun-Sat at 8am for 12min.
Zone C - Grass in Full Sun; Set to turn on Tues and Thur only at 8:30pm for 7min.

I need to perform some more research on the effectiveness of Corn Meal on this disease. Rumor is that it may naturally control of the blight.

Start of Journal.

I started this journal to jot down my challenges, ideas and improvements for future plantings, my yield rate, and uses for the produce I've harvested.

I enjoy cooking and I enjoy "farmer's market" fresh produce. In the past, when I first started to cook, I noticed a couple of things. One, fresh herbs always improve the flavor of dishes over dried; and two, fresh herbs from the market are expensive, and the majority of these purchases tend to end up in the trash. After a few years of spending a small fortune on herbs at Whole Foods (A.K.A. 'Whole Paycheck'), I decided to grow on my apartment balcony a few of my most frequently used herbs; rosemary, thyme, Italian parsely, etc.,... That was eight years ago.

Now fast-forward to 2008. I have a backyard in the heart of Silicon Valley where I can garden to my heart's delight. I've redesigned the yard to accommodate edible plants from Full Sun to Full shade. This summer I've grown much more than the usual herb fare. I now have six varieties of tomato plants, summer squash, pepper plants, and of course, the herb garden of my dreams.