Bryan Earl

A discussion about growing Christmas cacti, the new book Garden-pedia, phenotypic plasticity, and a river essay are all on the Zesty Garden today.

Growing a butterfly garden... vegetables to grow indoors...   and coyotes.

Baby Birds that mimic caterpillars? Flowers that trick insects into pollinating them? A sure-fire lure for bedbugs? Boulders that power the landscape? It's all on The Zesty Garden today with USU Extension Entomologist Diane Alston along with Nancy Williams with Petals and Prose.

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Today on the Zesty Garden is a smattering of readings from our Petals and Prose crew along with a recipe for delicious Wassail. 

Aunt Kathryn's Wassail

-1/2 gallon fresh-pressed apple cider (unpasteurized, if possible)

-1 six oz can lemonade with accompanying 3 cans water

-1 12 oz can orange juice with accompanying 3 cans water

-2 more cups water

-1/2 cup sugar

-12 whole cloves

-3 cinnamon sticks

-1 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together. Bring to a simmer. Let steep for a bit and serve.

Ants that act as sutures? The bark of a tree that cures malaria? Napoleon eventually defeated because of insects? On today's Zesty Garden is an interview with Sarah Albee, author of the book Bugged: How Insects Changed History. Learn how insects have changed world history. This is not your everyday history book. 

We also look at Pulsatilla in Going Native! then Nancy Williams reads an essay about acorns and the seasons in Petals and Prose.

In 1661, Louis XIV commissioned André Le Nôtre with the design and laying out of the gardens of Versailles which, in his view, were just as important as the Château. The works were undertaken at the same time as those for the palace and took forty years to complete requiring enormous amounts of work that sometimes took whole regiments. Today on The Zesty Garden, you’ll learn how and why Versailles and its gardens were built.

Click Here for Versailles Web Site

Zombie ladybugs, a butterfly that changes it spots, and daddy longlegs that use glue to capture prey. These aren't tabloid headlines; They are all true! USU Extension Entomologist explains the fascinating insect world and we introduce the new Zesty Garden module, Bug Bytes. We also look at the gymnocalcium, or globe cactus, in The Green Room as an addition to your home, then in Petals and Prose, Helen Cannon concludes her series on Victory Gardens during World War II.

Would you plant your peppers with matches in hopes of hotter fruit? How about a sweeter tomato by watering the plants with sugar water? These are two gardening myths dispelled in the new book by C.L. Fornari, Coffee for Roses and 70 Other Misleading Myths About Backyard Gardening. There are probably more than a few myths that you actually practice on a regular basis.

Utah is home to 18 species of bats. Today on the Zesty Garden, Michael Wolfe helps us understand this often misunderstood mammal. In Yes You Can!, it becomes a little more clear from Adrie Roberts why your jars sometimes don’t seal. Then Helen Cannon in Petals and Prose continues with victory gardens in World War II and the sacrifices everyone made.

Mark Anderson from Anderson Seed and Garden helps you finish up your fall yard task listm  Adrie Roberts from USU Extension has tips for using a large pressure canner, and Nancy Williams reads a favorite essay on Petals and Prose. There's also a recipe below for Wensley Cake.

See Recipes for Wensley Cake and Acorn-Pumpkin Bread Below

On today's Zesty Garden... Tillandsia is a great plant for the bathroom on The Green Room; Take care of field bindweed in the fall (right now!) with Taun Beddes of USU Extension; Plant the Southwestern White Pine in your landscape with Going Native!; Learn how freezing can capture vegetables and fruits at their peak in Yes You Can!; and listen to how victory gardens were essential to sustaining families during World War II in Petals and Prose.

Pressure canners, insects, crows and a Tuscany garden all make there appearance in today's Zesty Garden.

Click Here for Link to Interesting Insect News

Dan Drost discusses putting the garden to rest; Canning tomatoes correctly comes from Adrie Roberts; and Beatrix Potter, Part III from Helen Cannon is on Petals and Prose.

Learn about pumpkins (soup recipe included!), an easy-to-grow dracaena, the pinon pine, and food preservation.

SQUASH & APPLE SOUP

From Too Many Tomatoes: A cookbook For When Your Garden Explodes

(Serves 6)
1 medium winter squash
3 tart green apples, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp curry
Bake the squash at 425ºF until done — 45 minutes to an hour. Halve, remove pulp and seeds. Set aside.
Combine the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Add squash pulp. Blend well in blender. Reheat before serving.

Orange Sneezeweed on Going Native!, how apple cider is made, and Beatrix Potter...today on The Zesty Garden.

Tomato pie, discount plant cautions, and a discussion about bees and the Varroa Mite highlight today's Zesty Garden.

Tomato Pie Recipe Link

USU Extension Vegetable Specialist Dan Drost talks about garlic and ripening issues, then Helen Cannon explores the gardening world of Beatrix Potter and it's influence on the author's writing.

Read USU Extension Article on Garlic

Utah Farmer's Markets

Learn about the Mountain Hollyhock in today's Going Native! Then USU Extension Entomologist Brent Black will help you know how and when to pick fruit. Finally, Nancy Williams reads an essay from Kathleen Dean Moore's essay collection, Riverwalking, in Petals and Prose.

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To view current fruit IPM advisory, click here

USU Extension Entomologist Brent Black discusses new bramble varieties, and the results of public taste tests for locally grown varieties.

USU Fruit Web Pages

In Going Native! learn about the Alpine Penstemon (it's good for dry shade) with Janett Warner of Wildland Nursery.  Helen Cannon also takes another opportunity to discuss Emily Dickinson's love affair with flowers.

Chemicals should be your last resort for controlling insects. There is a lot you can do in your home garden to control pesky predators. USU Extension Entomologist Diane Alston discusses Integrated Pest Management. Then journalist Nancy Williams reads for Petals and Prose.

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Tomatoes, Haworthia, and Little Brown Bats are all on today's Zesty Garden.

Whether you need to know what kind of grass seed is the most drought tolerant, what ferns can you grow in your home, or want to know more about roses, today's Zesty Garden is for you.

There’s nothing worse than finding a growing, succulent peach taken over by earwigs, or the anticipation of digging a sweet crunchy carrot in the middle of winter, only to find only carrot tops...but no carrots! Diane Alston handles your pest questions. Then, Jerry Goodspeed details the dangers of Vinca in Wait, Wait…Don’t Plant That! Then it's on to the rose in Petals and Prose with Helen Cannon.

Gardening can include so much more than plants. Whether you have an apartment balcony or a 20-acre farm, you can create a garden that attracts wildlife and pollinators, and helps restore habitat. Ron Hellstern from the Cache Valley Wildlife Association will help direct your plans for improving wildlife habitat around your home.