Get in the Garden

Lemon Verbena’s sent can change your mood, Roman Emperor Tiberius ate cucumbers daily and pampas grass was a code in the swinging ‘70s. “Plants with Superpowers” informed me of this just while Southeast Texans are ready to play in the dirt. “The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation” has mad tips on making more plant babies. It’s kind of a free hobby that makes other people happy.

David Domoney authored the Superpower book and Lindsay Sisti is making the babies. These are gateway plant books with great photography and ideas. Here are a few more spring pleasures:

“The 10-Minute Gardener” – Sweet Basil! This woman thinks like me, but has more developed skills. Calikim of YouTube’s CaliKim Gardens & Home has a fun, photo-heavy read on “How to Have a Veggie Garden and a life – 85 Time-Saving Tactics to Be More Efficient and Grow More Food in Less Time. It’s all about routine and blitzes. Got a kettle on? Check your houseplants in that boiling time. Tie up a bamboo trellis in 8 minutes. Plan Fertilizer Fridays and dash-and-snip herbs for all your meals in a quick run. I like the idea of a bin of water for quick container soaks. You can do this and CaliKim can show you how.

“Daffodils” – Dallas, Sir Winston Churchill, River Queen, Sailboat and Trigonometry. The tie, they are daffodils, which I always thought were a far-away kind of flower. They link to narcissus, which I know and love. I used to pretend those stems and scapes were green onions in my mud pies. Naomi Slade’s words and Georgianna Lane’s photos make you fall in love with varieties for home and garden. Look at those precise hues, loose clusters, whorls and flared corona. It no wonder these are Europe’s Easter flowers. Spring is here and I’m ready to bulb.

American Horticultural Society –  Of course these people make it look easy. Maybe it is when you read their Essential Guides, such as the one on perennial gardening. Natives, everybody has ‘em. No matter your zone, this guide gives techniques and know-how for planning, planting and tending low-maintenance plantings. They’ll even help you keep the voles away. But we have deer, so your 6-to 8-foot fence should be opaque. They may still try to jump one they can see over. Read this and garden with passion, like with purple passionflower maypop. Here’s another guide:

“Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening” – What to do with those big net produce bags? They make a colorful sling for upright gardening. Tall guys for your vertical layers include okra, peas on a trellis and corn while shorties include garlic, mustard greens and onion. Try a living mulch, such as clover, under pole beans. Am I a pro? I’m smarter after reading this American Horticultural Society guide with great photography. It covers design, increased pollination, yields and more.

"The Water-Smart Garden"  - Rocks look great in a garden. This book has pages of advice on efficient water capture and use. My favorite page is 129, explains that classic terracotta pots are porous and allow water to evaporate through pot sides. Succulents don't mind, but you'd need more watering in other situations. Glazed or plastic pots work well to minimize water use, but corten steel or galvanized steel planters could cook roots. Wood and half whiskey barrels do the job, but maybe don't last as long as other planters. Try double potting. Keep plants in nursery containers and place them in a large pot. Noelle Johnson @az.plant.lady shares these techniques. 

Mapping Memories - Who would have thought a tea towel would be something to pass down to another generation. Family travels are the tie that binds. Remember Little Beach in Maui, walking the Big Easy or the carousel on the Jersey Shore? Gooseberry Designs has mapped out your memories on tea towels, totes, etc. of your favorite things. It’s a vintage look you’ll love. The Texas design notes mockingbirds and bluebonnets are a big deal for us. An Austin map features bats and a reminder to keep it weird. At www.gooseberrydesigns.com  you’re bound to keep it joyous.” There’s got to be a city that makes you smile.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie playing in the dirt and growing herbs. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Pour Neches is a happening spot

 

Pour Neches is all that! The new Port Neches hot spot on the Neches River is packing them in because in addition to food and a view, it’s a fun place to meet friends and family. There’s pickleball, too. I went on a Saturday afternoon and people were assembled for all occasions. A manager mentioned boiled seafood is all the rage right now, but my eye caught a Korean Rice bowl and some tacos and that was what had to happen. It was delicious. Cheers to Pour Neches.

Air Fryer Love – Can’t live without your air fryer? I love the ease and speed and crispy texture these babies give. Chances are you aren’t even using your machine to capacity. Chicken, pizza, doughnuts and fried rice are some weeknight wins. How about peaches and veggie bites for the health conscience? Get with Cathy Yoder for a cookbook that will broaden your fry. “Air Fryer Recipes: 150+ Yummy Air Fryer Recipes” that will work around the clock from breakfast to snacks to dessert. Crispy Chickpeas Snack calls for a 15-ounce can of rinsed, well-drained garbanzo beans, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon and paprika. Cinnamon is a spicy twist I would not have thought of. Apple chips, beef jerkey, just seasoned zucchini and sauce for some pizza flavor and croutons are all in this book. Cake mix cookies, even easier than they were before. Yoder has eight kids and a site called Fabulously Frugal.

Carpe the Afternoon – What are you doing at 3 p.m.? And, how are you feeling at 3 p.m.? Take a break with soft baked oat cookies with chocolate and almonds designed to balance your energy for the rest of the day. And they’re called… 3 pm Afternoon Bites. Plant-based, the cranberry flaxseed version also has 5 grams of protein with postbiotics. You can read up on that last thing. Both varieties have a good flavor and texture with green tea extract, fiber and low saturated fat. Seize yours at www.3pmbreak.com

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie looking out for new flavors and trends. Share your experiences at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Pack a bag and phone a friend

 

Sometimes we just don’t see enough of our friends, even when they live a few blocks over. One of mine texted she had some goodies that she was wiling to share and we made a patio date. When I saw her big monogramed bag, I knew she was going to pull out some choice morsels. They included Greek olive oil, some homemade salsa and a boudain and bean dip that must be tasted to be believed. All that and a bag of chips. I pulled together a garden bouquet and started an estate sale pewter platter of veggies and the contents of that bag became a fiesta. Pack your bag and phone a friend!

Display Me – Here’s an idea for your kitchen. Display Buddie arrived and I was ready to hang a “difficult thing.” It’s like those wires you put behind plates to hang on the wall, but there’s a cord to make it highly adjustable so you can display grandma’s baskets and 3-D items. For just a moment, I was intimidated, and wished I had extra arms. But the fixer-upper in me said challenge on. I harnessed a large abalone shell I acquired at one of Michelle Bruno’s estate sales and tackled that baby in less than 20 seconds. The Buddie has a lock button to help you adjust that cord and my shell looks “popping” on that wall. www.displaybuddie.com has customer show-offs. Somebody got a skateboard up there. Pardon me while I look for more décor to hang.

 

Foodie Luxury – Foodies who enjoy wine and cheese from the boudoir, get this atmosphere note: Ēla Lane has some king-sized perfection including Signature Sateen Hemstitched Sheet Set in Quiet Gray and Classic Percale Embroidered Sheet Set in White. The No. 1 wow factor is the fit. I’ve not had to tug the corners once. But let’s get to softness and feel. The stitching is a beautiful extra that reminds me of smocking my mom lovingly added to my childhood clothes. What a lovely memory to lull me to sleep. Their mission is to “Create the softest, finest linen without compromising the health of our planet.” The crisp percale reminds me of being tucked into a puff pastry sheet. That’s just where my mind goes.

                               These organic sheets are made with 100% long-staple organic cotton. Ela is a Greek word that means “come.” The word lane means “path.” The people of Ela Lane say their path  includes respecting the makers, honoring the earth and those who choose the bedding ethically-crafted in Portugal. Ela Lane is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, with 1% of its sales supporting environmental initiatives and helping communities in need. Affiliated with Awin.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who prefers to do many things just a bit differently. Share your tips at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Chex fix for a Chex mix

Chex Fix – The food rescuer strikes again. A friend had purchased way too much cereal for holiday Chex Mix. She was making regular and gluten free versions. Months later she asked if I wanted the rest of her myriad boxes of product. I’ve got an air fryer, I was in. I grabbed a scoop full to toast in the air fryer dry, as I didn’t have time for the buttery real thing, as in a big batch toasted in the oven. I realized I had spray oil and jar of spice mix handy, and made an improvised mix that was good to the last crunch. Let’s call this another variation of Texas Trash, Nuts and Bolts, Chex Mix, Puppy Chow and Reindeer Mix. Sweet or savory, we can’t wait for some to show up on a party table near us.

Amuny’s Liquor and Deli – Let me take a moment to again talk up one of my favorite flavors of Port Arthur, Texas. An Amuny’s Original poorboy is a simple pleasure of complex flavor and unique to our area. If you get a sandwich tray, you can share this pleasure with dozens of your closest friends. I still run into locals who didn’t know there’s a thriving sandwich shop in this Gulfway Drive store. But most of us simply nod our heads knowingly at the very mention of an Amuny’s poorboy.

 Take a Shelfy – Come over here and look at these photos of rotting vegetables. Then imagine your future fridge with Shelfy, a plug-in that improves your shelf life, reduces waste and food cost and even odors in your fridge. Charge it up, plug it in and rinse off the filter when you need to. Soon Southeast Texas refrigerators will be full of figs picked from grandma’s tree; zucchini from neighbors and watermelon. Savor every serving with this sleek device that simply charges and does the job of scientifically keeping gross stuff from making your food go bad. I’m enjoying the use of one at home because food waste is much more than a pet peeve for me. Is Shelfy a diet aid? Well, the notion of juicy grapes, fragrant garden herbs and crunchy apples is making me shop down the green aisles. See some videos and you’ll want one, too. www.vitesy.com has other unique products and they all look like they’ll make your life more simple. 

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie trying to snack sensibly. Share with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com