Give Me a W

Enjoy the last days of summer.

Image courtesy of 521 Lake Street.

Garden Meetings

We have never had good luck growing ageratum, aka flossflower, until this year when we received a beautiful specimen with impeccable breeding that was destined for greatness in our container planting.

Wisconsin Federated Garden Club convention speaker David Zlesak had a few tiny seedlings of his latest 

hybridization to give away to some lucky conventioneers. His creation, which he calls Rendezblue, 
may someday be available for sale at nurseries along with his other cultivars: 
First Editions® Little Devil^TM ninebark, American Nursery Landscape Association’s Garden Idol Award as the best new plant of the year; Oso Happy^TM Smoothie rose; Oso Happy^TM Petit Pink rose, 
Winner of the American Rose Society Award of Excellence for miniature roses 2012; 
Oso Happy^TM Candy Oh! rose; 'Tuscan Sun' heliopsis; 
Monarch Mediano^TM and Monarch Grande^TM series of ageratum 
(featured in display gardens outside the horticulture building at the 2012 MN State Fair).

Mr. Zlesak gave thanks to the Garden club for helping him on his way to becoming an accomplished plant breeder and UW River Falls professor of horticulture by giving him a scholarship early on in his education. He also told the story of how he first became interested in plant breeding. 

The story is retold here at the blog of The Plant Hunter.

Clever garden club planners had obtained small specimens of Mr. Zlesak's OSO Happy Petit Pink rose to feature as the evening's table decoration and to give to each convention attendee. This summer's challenging weather has been hard on our own little OSO Happy, but she's hanging in there.

 If she makes it to 2013 you will be informed via a victory blogpost.

Hungary?

Try a recipe from this sweet little cookery book.

Found at a flea market, published in Budapest in 1964, and illustrated in the most whimsical way, this charming book is chockablock with amazing recipes.

We will pass on the Jellied Carp, Pickled Scraps of Sucking Pig, Pancakes with either Crayfish or Calves' Brains, but the Transylvanian Layered Cabbage and Stuffed Pullet sound tasty.

No. 46. Exquisite Goulash seems like the best bet for less adventurous eaters who would like 

a taste of classic Hungarian cuisine. Oh no, we sent the cookery book on to a friend without copying the recipes for recipe No.1. Csipetke! Now what will we serve with the Gulyás?

Thank goodness for the internet. Here is a recipe for Csiptke, aka pinched noodles.

And if you celebrate Farsang you will need a recipe for Carnival Donuts. 

We hear it is impossible to have a carnival without them.

Before Daisy Mae

 L'il Abner must have used these to keep his one suspender up.

Caving to reader pressure Al Capp finally gave in and let L'il Abner Yokum and the woman who had pursued him for 18 long years get hitched. 

Because of the huge popularity of the the comic strip that ran for 43 years it was probably not a coincidence that the image chosen by the TipTop company closely resembled
Dogpatch's most eligible bachelor.

We found no evidence that the company is still in business so perhaps taking a wife really is the most reliable way to keep from losing one's buttons. We acknowledge however that some would say otherwise.

What a Difference a Day Makes

A few weeks back a blessed cold front rolled through on a Friday and left behind a beautiful weekend.

Our wonderful Wisconsin weather.

Kaleidoscope

This magical photo option alone is reason enough to own an iPad.

What a wonderful way to see the world.

Everyday Art

Beautiful and functional.

As it should be.

Please - Don't ever wear clothes with ugly buttons. Call us. We'll help.

Cheddar Wrestling in Aisle 2

Remember these guys?

Well, we recently spotted their carb cousins.

Yes, it's true, we can't get enough of anthropomorphized groceries. You?

Reproducing Provence

Recently reunited Provence Odyssey pals visited the Eau Claire Farmers' Market, 

raided the Abbott -Anderson West Hill Cooperative Garden 

for homegrown yukon gold potatoes,

and then worked together to create a marvelous meal featuring a deliciously creamy

 kale and potato dish based on a Chez Madelaine  recipe for Rapid Potato Gratin.

Subtract the Gruyere and add a bunch of kale that has been de-stemmed and de-veined, 

torn into smaller pieces, and quickly blanched, to alter the recipe as we did. 

Everyone, even a diner who has been known to regard seriously green food with suspicion, 

licked their plates clean.

#17 - #22

Six more reasons Canada is awesome.

(As if we needed any more.)

#17 - They make macaroni and cheese sound classy.

#18 Male chickens get equal treatment in the soup department.

#19 - Five simple words - Ballpark Hot Dog flavoured chips.

#20 - Their cookies demand respect. "That's Mr. Maple to you punk."

#21 - They dare to stew and eat monsters from the deep.

#22 - For your convenience they sell mole meat in a jar.

We want to go to there.