Tangerine Dream

There is a lovely citrus fruit that helps me through the shorter, colder days of winter, the delectably sweet tangerine. Its happy flavor reminds me of sunshine on the ugliest of winter days. I’m not the only one who relishes winter citrus, recently CNN ran an Eatocracy piece on one author’s love of Clementine oranges. 

Citrus trees are ubiquitous in Southern California; many homes in established neighborhoods host multiple kinds of citrus. I grew up climbing trees in mini-orchard of that included grapefruit, orange, tangerine, tangelo, tangerine, lemon, and lime. In my current garden, I inherited well-established tangerine and lime trees. We planted a lemon tree that was a gift from my in-laws and this will be the first year we have fruit!

But those tangerines, those lovely, sweet, smiling tangerines – sweet enough to divert attention away from processed sugary snacks and healthy enough to give a much needed dose of Vitamin C during cold and flu season!  Scientists are now theorizing that tangerines can help fight our nation’s obesity epidemic. 

Tree is a little droopy because of all the fruit!

I usually have the first ripe fruit by mid-December, but happily the bounty has come early this year. My tree is so weighed down by fruit that I have been harvesting as soon as the tangerines become ripe! I take them to work to share (very popular with the co-workers) and I leave a bowl of them in the family room for easy snacking. 

Since the turn of the twentieth century, there has been an American Christmas tradition that my family follows to this day: an orange or other sweet citrus fruit in children’s stockings. Historically, fresh fruit was very dear during the winter, especially in areas where fresh food was not immediately available.  It was a small sign of great love from parent to child for this orange fruit contained a promise of health and warmer days to come.

Home grown tangerines don't have the even coloring like supermarket fruits, but they taste so much better!

Time to winterize your garden

Before calling it quits on this year's gardening season there are a few more things that should be done to ensure plants make it through the winter. Remove any debris in your garden, including dead leaves, sticks and twigs and plant tags from annual bedding plants. Cut back dead growth on perennials. These activities will prepare your garden and flower beds for planting and new growth next spring. This will also prevent pests and diseases from overwintering on rotting foliage. Be sure to discard any diseased leaves and don't add them to the compost pile.
 
Remove fallen leaves from lawns. If the grass is still green underneath, it can use all the light available to prepare for winter. Removing leaves also allows water and air to reach the grass. Heavier, thick leaves can pack down and rot slowly. These leaves do not make good mulch for perennials and should be removed from perennial beds.  Place some type of loose organic mulch around shrubs, trees and perennial beds. The mulch helps protect roots from winter's cold and fluctuating temperatures. Don't use more than a few inches of mulch around trees and shrubs. If packed too thick around tree trunks, mulch can smother the trees and cause them to die.

Placing mulch around shrubs, trees and perennial beds helps
protect roots  from winter's cold and fluctuating temperatures.

  

Prevent deer damage to landscape plants

Deer can cause extensive damage by feeding on plants and rubbing antlers against trees. In urban areas, landscapes may become deer's major food source. Damage is most commonly noticed in spring on new, succulent growth.

Because deer lack upper incisors, browsed twigs and stems show a rough, shredded surface. Deer strip the bark and leave no teeth marks. Damage caused by rabbits, on the other hand, has a neat, sharp 45-degree cut. Rodents leave narrow teeth marks when feeding on branches.

Practical management strategies include selecting plants unattractive to deer, treating plants with deer repellents, netting and tubing, and fencing. Placement of plants in part determines the extent of damage. Plant more susceptible species near the home, in a fenced area or inside a protective ring of less-preferred species.

Hungry deer will find almost any plant palatable, so no plant is "deer proof." Also, a plant species may be damaged rarely in one area but damaged severely in another.

In urban areas, landscapes may become deer's
major food source.

Avoid deicing salt damage on landscape plants

Deicing salts can damage landscape plants whether the salt is sprayed on plants from passing traffic or shoveled onto plants near sidewalks. Salts deposited on the surface of twigs, branches and evergreen leaves can cause excessive drying of foliage and roots. Salts can be taken up by plants and accumulate to toxic levels. Sodium salts can also cause a nutritional imbalance by changing the soil chemistry and harming the soil structure.

The most apparent damage is death of buds and twig tips as a result of salt spray. As stem tips die, plants respond by producing an excessive number of side branches. Accumulation damage is more slowly manifested and may not be noticeable for many months. Affected plants might show stunting, poor vigor, die back of growing tips and leaf burn or leaf drop.

Sodium salts are the most common type used for deicing, since they're inexpensive and most readily available. Sodium salts are the most likely to cause plant damage. When possible, use alternatives to sodium products, such as calcium chloride or calcium magnesium acetate (CMA).

The most apparent damage from deicing salts is death
of buds and twig tips as a result of salt spray.

Consider drought tolerant plants

This past summer's drought in many parts of the country resulting in water bans or restrictions may cause some gardeners to examine the water requirements of some of their favorite plants. Certain species of annuals and perennials are more drought tolerant than others. Drought tolerant plants still require water to survive, but have the ability to tolerate periods of little water.

All plants require water to become established in the garden. It is a good idea to incorporate compostof organic matter into the soil before planting to increase the soil's ability to retain moisture. Plants may be watered more efficiently by using soaker hoses or trickle irrigation systems. Also, consider applying organic mulches, black plastic mulch or landscape fabric to help reduce evaporation from the soil's surface.

Adding mulch to landscape beds can help
reduce evaporation from the soil's surface. 

 

 

Implement environmentally friendly gardening practices

Home garden and lawn care practices can impact the health of rivers, streams, lakes and aquifers. Whether starting a new landscape or maintaining a well-established one, implement environmentally friendly gardening practices to help protect natural resources. Plus, your garden and yard will demand less time and be healthier, attractive and more productive.

Garden practices that you can impelement include:
* Plant the right plant in the right location.
* Use water efficiently.
* Fertilize appropriately. A soil test can help determine the amount of fertilizer needed for healthy plant growth.
* Apply mulch to moderate soil temperatures, reduce evaporation and minimize plant water needs.
* Manage yard pests responsibly using cultural and mechanical methods that enhance natural enemy effectiveness. If pesticides are necessary, apply least toxic ones.
* Recylce and compost grass clippings, leaves and yard trimmings.

As a rule of thumb, lawns and gardens need
on average 1 inch of water each week.

 

Bringing Back Tea Time

In our fast paced world, I often long for traditions that re-center my day and provide a welcome respite from the turmoil of the modern jungle.  I also found that I needed a late afternoon recharge if I wanted to make it to a six or seven pm dinner time. I often identify with the Italian side of my family more so than the other branches, but I found the English had something to contribute and with American Anglophilia on the rise (not to mention my obsession with BBC dramatic programming), I concluded it was time to bring back tea time.

Tea time goes back much further than its English permutations and has many manifestations from a full meal to a simple snack.  My tea time most resembles a “cream tea,” a hold-me-over snack between the midday meal and supper. It usually consisted of a black tea with milk and sugar and scones with clotted cream. I modernized my tea to include a pastry of the week and an oolong or herbal tea. 

Teapot for seeping loose leaf tea, air tight tea container, tea cups, pumpkin bread and electric tea kettle

Like most American girls, I am usually a coffee drinker through and through. Coffee is well and good for morning wake-up, but less desirable for creating calm in the afternoon. I’m not a fan of green or most black teas; I find them too bitter and harsh. But after some trial and error, I found I liked oolong and white teas. (Herbal teas were already in pantry and used as home remedies for common ailments.) Good tea has become easier to find due to the rise of local tea shops and the ability to find rarer items on-line. I am a fan of going to the brick and mortar store since it is a green place to smell and taste test your tea, especially for novice tea drinkers like me. Teavana has an excellent variety and interesting blends of teas from traditional to more modern blends.  (We are currently drinking the Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong Tea.) A word to the wise, although I like Teavana, they will try to upsell you on everything. Come prepared to purchase a set list of items and be strong about refusing the upsell so you don’t break the budget (they are expensive, especially compared to bagged tea found the supermarket).

When it comes to snacks, I love scones, but I don’t like being limited to them for tea time. I’ve opened up the menu to include quick breads, muffins, and biscotti. We keep the portions small so as to not bust the calorie bank! Hubby and I have experimented with a couple of tea time recipes and these are our favorite so far:

Snickerdoodle Biscotti

Pumpkin bread

Lavender scones

Tea time is decompression time. We sit at the table or outside on the patio and discuss our work days, concerns, and plans for the immediate and farther future. This is a time to slow down, re-center, re-charge and use our senses to enjoy a fragrant cup of tea and a sweet treat, a time to bring back a small tradition to bring calm to our frantic modern world.