by Noel | Mar 19, 2013 | CobraHead, Gardening
I’ve wanted an orchard ladder for a long time and I finally got one. They are also called fruit picking ladders or tripod ladders, but there are other tripod ladders out there that are not designed specifically as orchard ladders. The better orchard ladders are lightweight aircraft aluminum and the good manufacturers are just about all on the west coast. That makes it a problem if you are not located near a major fruit growing industry. These ladders are...
by Judy | Mar 16, 2013 | CobraHead
I first tried canned, or shall I say jarred, ajvar many years ago at a potluck. Since then our friend Michael Ball has developed his own recipe and it is his potluck specialty. This Turkish dish has many versions and can also include roasted eggplant. Served with a Neufchâtel/Feta cheese spread on a sourdough baguette it makes a wonderful appetizer or midday snack. Here is my version: Ajvar 4 red sweet bell peppers (I have also used ripe red Anaheims for a...
by Geoff | Mar 11, 2013 | Gardening
Last month I noticed that a two foot section of sugar snap peas had been cut down almost to the ground. I inspected the damage expecting to see evidence of squirrels or some other mammal, but instead discovered that my arch-nemesis, the leaf cutting ant, had returned. I saw them methodically carrying away pieces of pea leaves, bigger than their own bodies. I have a leaf cutting ant nest somewhere on my property, probably underneath my front porch. I can’t...
