Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Nov. 18

Hi, everybody! Getting ready for Thanksgiving? Got anything left in the garden?

We have some artistic folks in The Horde, and some of them get creative with materials from the garden. You can decide whether or not this constitutes "puttering", but it's lots of fun.

Plus Thanksgiving Cactus!

Hi KT, I dried out the Alliums after they went to seed and painted them with various colors of spray paint. Kind of a nice effect, I think. Also a picture of my Christmas Cactus. Dang cactus always blooms too early! I was joking with a friend that I should rename it a "Thanksgiving Cactus". Turns out, that is exactly what it is. There are Easter Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus, and Christmas Cactus! Who knew?

Thanks for your great threads on AoS!!!

Admirale's Mate

More Art

Hi, KT . . .
these elements were found on a charred board by the Self-Serve BBQ(TM) area in November of '19. There wasn't a lot needed in the creation of the image - all that was necessary was a proper framing of the subjects that had already arranged themselves quite nicely. If this fits with the theme of any post that's in-process, feel free to use as needed. Enjoy.

(Dr_No)

Lovely.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Making anything special with fruits or veggies for Thanksgiving?

Via Bird Dog at Maggie's Farm, Rhubarb grown in the Dark

Why Some English Rhubarb Is Grown Entirely In The Dark

Rhubarb's roots run deep. The first record of rhubarb (that we know of) dates back to the 3rd century A.D. That text, "The Herbal Classic of Shen Nong," discusses the "Divine Farmer," who is believed to have lived sometime around 2800 B.C. They were the first to identify rhubarb as a "cure" for stomach ailments. In the 9th century, Arab doctors also used rhubarb as medicine. By the 1500s, France was using it as folk medicine. It was four times as expensive as saffron and ten times more than cinnamon. Russian even attempted to monopolize the European rhubarb industry in the 1600s, but it was smuggled into Britain during the 1700s. It wasn't long afterward that rhubarb caught on as produce and became a popular dessert ingredient (via South China Morning Post).

Rhubarb is naturally sour, but there is a way to grow it sweetly. In 1817, gardeners in London covered leftover rhubarb crowns with soil, and then weeks later, the plants grew pink stems with frilly leaves. That's how it was first discovered mature rhubarb roots could be replanted indoors with low light where the plant instead uses stored glucose to grow. This process makes the rhubarb a lot sweeter, per BBC Travel. Such a revelation created a new market for rhubarb. According to Fine Dining Lovers, forced rhubarb became a winter crop, which was especially useful in the 19th century before fridges were invented. There were 200 forced-rhubarb producers at one point, but logistical issues born from World War II put a stop to much of that.

Nowadays, only a dozen producers grow forced rhubarb in the nine-square-mile "Rhubarb Triangle," as reported by Fine Dining Lovers. . .

Think you could force some in a pot?

Ah, Nature

There is an old mulberry tree approximately150years old in the village of Dinosa in Montenegro. This tree has been gushing water since the 1990's

It sits on underground streams and its hollows act as a relief valve for the pressure that builds up after heavy rainfall… pic.twitter.com/1IFOztmXlF

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) November 18, 2023

Puttering

Have a long weekend coming up? Have some puttering in mind? Maybe visiting a ranch to do some puttering?

These Boots Are Made For Quilting 2023 Reap What You Sew quilting retreat at Bison Ranch. 50 beautiful women sewing, laughing, sharing life, making connections. And yes, we sleep in bunkbeds, but only the bottom bunk!

Thinking about the next generation? Know anybody with a forest?

Landowner David Hampton planted larch pines in a douglas fir forest in Oregon in the shape of a giant, 300 feet smiley face 🙂

Every autumn the larch pines turn orange and the smiley face stands out. pic.twitter.com/bslwJI9IzF

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) November 15, 2023

Adventure

Gardens of The Horde

Anything going on in your garden? Harvesting anything for Thanksgiving?

Doing any decorations?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend and a great Thanksgiving.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, November 11

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.