A Great Moro Blood Orange Harvest

I absolutely love growing my food, and cooking from the garden. It gives me so much satisfaction, besides tasting so divine and eating seasonally. I still have a long way to go, or more I can do, but I am getting there.

Vineyards and citrus don’t really mix. I was taught that in my vineyard management classes. Citrus can carry a lot of pests that are pests for a vineyard as well. Consequently, to support the health of our backyard Syrah vineyard, I have planted only a few citrus trees. I do have a lemon and lime tree, and a few years ago, I planted a Moro Blood Orange. If you are going to have one orange tree, make it a special one.

The Moro Blood Orange tree is special, and the most popular of blood orange trees. It is a beautiful self-fertile ornamental orange tree that reaches 12’ to 15’ high when planted in the ground. Blood Orange trees need a warm temperate climate. They can be grown in containers in cooler climates, and moved indoors as the temperature drops. Once planted it takes 3 to 5 years to for the blood orange tree to bear it’s crimson fruit. This year is the first real harvest for me. It was worth the wait.

The fruit is spectacular in appearance—round, medium in size, and has a red tinge color skin. To me it tastes much sweeter than a regular orange, and maybe a bit more acidic. There are only 1 or 2 seeds to each orange, and the juice is a deep beautiful crimson color. When traveling in Italy, it is common to see Blood Orange juice served with breakfast.

Simple Moro Blood Orange Beauty

Eating a freshly harvested Moro Blood Orange is a treat by itself. However, the crimson flesh and juice lends itself to many types of dishes— baked goods, sauces, salads. In fact, where ever your creativity in the kitchen takes you. it reminds me of love, hearts, and Valentine’s Day. A perfect food for February.

Please share if you grow blood orange trees.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Winter Morning Sun over Domaine de Manion

Even though it is wintertime, and not much seems to be happening in the garden—there is. The garden may be somewhat dormant, but it is not. It is resting and storing up energy for the great burst of growth and flowering in spring, and the long growing season ahead.

Structure is prevalent in the garden, and the bones of the garden much more easily seen. Are there changes you would like to do in your garden moving forward, or are you happy with your garden as it is. Now is a good time to take a good, close look at your garden.

Pruning is really important in the winter garden, while plants and trees are dormant. I pruned all of my roses in one day. I went from one garden room to the next garden room, and powered it out. I tipped and lightly pruned some of my Crape Myrtle trees, and a few of my fruit trees.

Newly Planted Sweet Peas on Willow Obelisks

I have added more bare root climbing roses this winter, and bare root roses for my cutting garden. Now is the perfect time to plant roses, water well, and apply compost around them. Apply a dormant spray within a week of your pruning (check with your local nursery for exact recommendations). Your roses will do all the work, until they need a little rose food/fertilizer at Easter.

I added a Chocolate Persimmon fruit tree, and a dwarf climbing Mulberry vine to my berry room. I planted dwarf sweet peas in containers, and climbing mammoth sweet peas for my willow obelisks.

In the potager I have Swiss Chard doing well. I planted some gourmet lettuce, and soon it will be time to germinate heirloom tomato seeds and other heirloom vegetables.

Viburnum ‘Spring Bouquet’ Happy After Our Rains

Although the garden is dormant, there are many surprising plants blooming now in February at Domaine de Manion. Most of them have been planted for a while.

Arctosis (Many Varieties)

Cherokee Rose

Eleanor Roosevelt Iris (Intermediate Bearded Purple Iris)

Landscape Geraniums

Magnolia ‘Black Tulip’

Narcissus Bulbs (Many Varieties)

New Zealand Tea Tree

Rosemary (Many varieties)

Verbena

Viburnum ‘Spring Bouquet’ (Great for using in floral designs)

Domaine de Manion Vineyard Anxiously Waiting To Be Pruned

The winter rains have benefited our Syrah vines which are now approaching 17 years old. We have had to mow knee-high weeds, and cover crop between the rows already. Our date to prune each year is usually around Super Bowl time.

Last year we had a record high yield of 1400 pounds, which was unbelievable to us. It was an intense emergency Labor Day morning harvest, because of the intense end of summer heat. Every year is different, and every harvest, and every vintage different. We are hopeful this will be a great growing season, harvest, and vintage.

Even though it might be cool, overcast, sometimes damp, and even rainy, I urge you to get out in your garden now and observe. Make note of any changes you want to make, new plants to plant, or a list of things to do for spring. Your garden awaits you.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Fabulous Bareroot Selection of Fruit Trees and Roses

From time to time I write about “Places to Know” around San Diego. This time of year with bare root season in full swing for garden roses and backyard fruit trees, Green Thumb Nursery in San Marcos is a great place to know. Prices are reasonable. Garden product is well marked and organized. Nursery staff is very helpful.

Recently, I picked up a couple of my favorite climbing rose—Eden, for $24.99 each. That is a very reasonable price for that rose. Besides climbing roses, you can find all kinds of rose varieties for $24.99 up to $39.99.

The fruit tree selection is incredible with many varieties you don’t often see. I splurged on a bare root Chocolate Persimmon, which is a little smaller tree in size than the more well known Fuyu. Chocolate Persimmons are known for their brownish flesh and outstanding flavor.

Besides roses and fruit trees, Green Thumb Nursery offers many varieties of bare root berries, wisteria, nut trees, and a great selection of vegetables and herbs. If there is something you are looking for to plant in your garden now, chances Green Thumb Nursery has it.

Sign up for the weekly Green Thumb Nursery newsletter on their homepage website. Most weeks there is a nice coupon at the bottom.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

An Avocado Stump Becomes a Statuary Pedestal

I love to repurpose things for other functions than they were originally intended. Usually it is vintage or antique pieces, but in this case a tree stump. I love trees, and try and nourish and manage them as best I can. Sometimes severe weather, a tree planted in the wrong place, or maybe just “the end of a life cycle” for a tree dictates that it must come down.

Such was the case with a few of our avocado trees on our property. Originally, I believe, our property was a working orchard with rows of avocado and macadamia trees. We still have our incredible macadamia trees, but the avocado trees were on their last legs when we bought our property. After a few years, I realized these avocado trees were never making a comeback.

Rather than cutting the tree at the soil level, I thought to use it as a base for a high boy table at first, and left a tall stump. This goes along with the intertwining “beauty and function” philosophy of French Country living. “It must be beautiful, and also functional.” The high boy table idea, didn’t work out for me, but ultimately it provided the perfect pedestal for my “life like” horse statuary. A tree stump is beautiful, timeless, and functional in many creative directions. I began to landscape around the horse and pedestal, planting three Italian cypress in 15 gallon pots in the ground to keep them somewhat small, and adding a climbing rose that now has support. It became a small vignette.

A Tree Stump Provides a Perfect Spot for a Resting French Lapin

With another nearby failing avocado tree, I was going to create a little garden chair with a stump, but ultimately decided it was a perfect spot to nestle and elevate a peaceful statuary French lapin. There again it provides beauty and function and a nice focal spot for this particular garden room. All timeless.

If you have a tree that has to come down, think first about what you could creatively make using its stump. It has had a history on your property, and it can continue repurposed in a different way and function. I have seen beautiful wood bars and/or furniture made from felled trees. I mentioned a few ideas, but the possibilities are endless.

My point here is not really about tree stumps, it is suggesting to you to keep an open mind about repurposing objects and things, and keep your creative mind flexed about possibilities all around you in your world. In other words, keep the concept “lemons into lemonade” flowing. You never know what wonderful unique piece or solution could evolve for you with your home and garden.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Our Gite Patio Overlooking Sablet, Provence

Back in 2007, my husband and I rented a gite outside of the medieval village of Sablet in Provence, France. A gite is a small furnished vacation house in France, usually in a rural setting. I rented it online, and was drawn to the spectacular setting nestled amongst the grapevines with the stunning lower Rhône Valley before our eyes.

Once a bachelor farmer son’s small stone home upstairs, and where livestock often were conveniently sheltered on the ground floor below, this beautiful little property had been lovingly restored and transformed into a very comfortable gite. I will never forget walking into the stone home and kitchen for the first time, finding a waiting bottle of Rhône wine on the wooden kitchen table, a huge bowl of fresh ripe cherries, and a note to enjoy our stay. I was in heaven.

Since we usually travel to France in the spring, I now always associate Provence in the spring with the fabulous seasonal cherries. So sweet and delicious, perfect fresh or in a light dessert.

Cherries at Apt, Provence, Saturday Market

Experiencing fresh cherries in Provence, I wanted to grow spring cherries in our orchard, but cherries typically need a cool climate, abundant chill hours, not normally trees for Southern California. A few years ago, I found cherry trees suitable for Southern California at Green Thumb Nursery in San Marcos, a retailer for Dave Wilson Nursery.

I bought a Minnie Royal and a Royal Lee, two great Southern California cherry trees necessary to pollenize each other. For some reason, I kept losing the Royal Lee tree, twice in fact, and then once with the Minnie Royal tree. Graciously, Green Thumb Nursery replaced each tree for me. I was beginning to doubt it was possible to grow cherry trees in Southern California.

Minnie Royal Cherries in My Orchard

With persistence, both trees are doing really well now. Last year was my first crop, and now this year, an even bigger cherry crop. I eat them off the tree when gardening. I don’t think they will see my kitchen for a couple of years.

Garden Design Tip: I always enjoy spring nasturtium that reseed and self-sow in my orchard which adds a little color and interest. This year I planted multi-color sweet peas at the base of many of my orchard trees, providing a few small stakes close to the trunk of each tree. The sweet peas responded well, climbing up the stakes, some onto the trees, and sprawling around the base of each tree with pretty color. I was pleased, and will continue to do it next year. You can also plant a climbing rose at the base of your fruit tree, and the rose will use the tree as support as it grows. These ideas are simple, add interest, and dress up an orchard or focal fruit tree.

Royal Lee Cherry Tree on the Left, Minnie Royal Cherry Tree on the Right

Do you have a success story with a fruit tree, or your backyard orchard? Please share!

Bon Appétit and Bon Holiday Weekend….Bonnie

Two of Our Mature Macadamia Trees

After 22 years we have a first, my husband John and I, have mined for macadamia gold on our property. We harvested, hulled, and processed a large amount of macadamia nuts from our own trees. It was no simple task, and the main reason we haven’t wholeheartedly done it with a vengeance before. It is a lot of work!

We have five mature macadamia trees, three on our north side, and two on our south side that have survived unknown decades and are still heavily producing. We have been happy to have these wonderful trees flanking our property lines for beauty and privacy, and let the wildlife have the nuts. Please note: macadamia nuts are toxic and poisonous to all breeds of dogs.

Last year I collected nine 5 gallon tubs full of macadamia nuts from the ground, and stored them in my garage to dry. Macadamia nuts are labor intensive to process. There is an outer husk, and an inner shell which is very hard to crack. Hand-cracking them is not an option for the amount we have. Finding a machine online, that works well runs about $1,000.00. Luckily we have friends who have one of these machines, and lent it to us. We wanted to try harvesting our nuts first before investing in a machine, like the Universal Nutcracker. You must wear ear and eye protection, and our masks came in handy for the dust. Not for the faint-hearted, nor glamorous, yet very rewarding.

A Slow Process Towards Gold

Macadamia nuts were run through the machine twice, and sometimes a third time to remove nut meat from the shells. This machine was able to process the nuts well, with some nuts coming out whole or in large pieces. This process took us about six hours, and netted about 20 pounds of gorgeous macadamia gold.

A whole macadamia nut reminds me of a giant white chocolate chip. It is the same shape and it has a tiny point at the top. Nature’s dollop of goodness!

First Time Through the Machine

Second Time Through the Machine

After thoroughly rinsing, sorting for any shells, the macadamia nuts were ready for a light roasting for 30 minutes at 275 degrees F.

Simply Golden After Roasting

I roasted the macadamia nuts in the oven the next day. I cooled them, and vacuum-sealed them in 4 cup bags. Slightly toasting them gives them a nice flavor. Completed bags were put in the freezer until needed, and keep nuts fresh until use because of their high fat content.

Macadamia nuts are high in good fat, monounsaturated fats, a type of fat that may boost heart health by lowering your total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are also loaded with antioxidants.

I was very encouraged by the process. It takes patience, but very rewarding. I think this is something we will continue to due, and invest in a machine of our own.

Now I am thinking of the all of the recipes using macadamia nuts that I have saved over the years. Macadamia Crusted Halibut, Macadamia Nut Ice Cream, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Macadamia Nut Toffee Tart, Chocolate Macadamia Clusters, and more!

Bon Appétit and Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Kumquat-Cardamon Tea Bread, Perfect for a  Gift

If you are lucky to have a kumquat tree, you must have this recipe, Kumquat-Cardamon Tea Bread from Bon Appétit November 2005. The secret ingredient is 2 cups of kumquat puree and maybe another secret ingredient, crushed pineapple in its own juice. Wow! Such a moist and delicious tea bread. This recipe makes 2 large loaves, or several mini gift loaves. Topping each tea bread with a citrus glaze and slices of kumquat makes this a beautiful presentation! Enjoy!

Kumquats are very versatile and can be used in meat sauces, salads, and sweets. Kumquats can easily jump between sweet and savory, and beckons you to use your imagination. 

Kumquat Trees Can Be Grown in a Container

Digging into my archives here is my post on Knock-Out Kumquats, from November 2008, for more information about growing kumquats in your garden. Do you have a kumquat in your garden?

Espaliered fruit trees are an art form which are fun and add a special touch to your garden. Espaliered fruit trees have many great characteristics: 1) they can take up less space then normal, 2) by virtue of their design they allow more sun and air to circulate promoting better fruit production, and 3) harvest is generally easier due to their size and design. For more detailed information click on my previous post, The Art of Espalier Fruit Trees. For centuries, the art of espalier fruit trees has been very popular. As space continues to be a premium, I see more espalier trees in garden designs in this country.

The photo above is an espalier Fuji fruit tree which I have had for many years. It makes a nice fence along the side of my chicken coop. This winter I purchased a bare root 'Ein Shemer' apple variety, which is a great low chill variety for Southern California and a good pollenizer for 'Anna' and 'Dorsett Golden' apple trees which I also grow. I wanted to repeat the low espalier fence along my chicken coop. Apple trees are one of the easiest fruit trees to espalier. Buying fruit trees as bare root is a great time of year to begin your espalier design.

Steps to Create a Simple Espalier Apple Tree:

1) Find a bare root tree that has a nice defined straight trunk with lateral branches coming off of it or numerous buds swelling on the trunk.

2) If you are lucky to find a tree that has lateral branches started where you want them, carefully trim off the rest of the lateral branches. Secure your lateral branches with a bamboo pole and garden tape or other structured sturdy material. Young espalier trees will need some type of espalier support until the trees mature and can hold their design.

3) Next trim off the top of your trunk to 8-12 inches above your lateral branches you are keeping. Make sure there are buds on the tree trunk below your cut. Buds grow into potential lateral branches, and eventually cordon arms.

4) The art of espaliered fruit trees is all about directing the energy and growth of your fruit tree for your desired design and form. The lateral branches you have left will bud and grow on the ends. This will create your first set cordon arms for your design. Once you have gotten the length of your desired cordon, usually 6-7 feet in width for an apple tree, then you can let the buds on your trunk grow upward until the tree trunk reaches another desired spot for a second set of lateral cordons. You can even try for a third cordon over time if you like.

5) As you apple tree continues to grow, pinch and trim your apple tree to keep creating your first set of lateral cordon arms, and second set.

6) It is as easy as that. Be sure and water deeply once a week your apple tree. As your apple tree matures, you can easily prune and shape your tree in the winter when it is dormant, and again in the summer, as long as you are careful not to prune the fruit spurs.

Please share if you have tried to espalier a fruit tree.