Growing Gladiolus flowers

My parents planted Gladiolus this year and they have bloomed beautifully!

Mom says they take a lot of fussing over but they look terrific on the table.

My parents do what is called square foot gardening.

Everything is in raised beds.

They make their own soil.
1/3 peat, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 aged manure.
They don’t use pesticide or fertilizer.

They hardly get any weeds and the plants love it.

This type of gardening is easy for them to work with.

They planted over 100 bulbs then found out they may need to dig up to winter in the cellar then replant in spring.

If you’re ok with the extra work these are definitely worth it!

Our family rock garden

So the lovely husband and I decided that we needed a garden out front despite the fact that he says flowers come to our house to die since I have a black thumb! Or whatever the opposite of a green thumb is…

We have a huge creek close to the house called dry creek because there is rarely any water and is mostly rocks.

We took the toddler down and picked out rocks of all shapes and sizes.

My son and I played in the yard while my husband put the rock garden up very quickly!

It came out great, it’s a lot better than not having one and I love going in and out of the house seeing the flowers.

A part on the big garden is a little dipped down so needs a few more rocks but other than that it was a quick in project!

We want to our closest home depot in Fairbanks, AK and purchased soil and flowers.

There weren’t too many options for flowers that didn’t need much sunlight which is what we need for this location but that’s ok because we’re pleased with the outcome.

Daddy and toddler road around on the four wheeler while I planted our flowers as quick as possible because rain was about to come!

Our toddler loves the flowers and watching the bugs that come around them.

This was a great family project that we all had a lot of fun with… Who said yard work couldn’t be fun? 🙂

Bacon “BROquet”

I called Mom and asked what Dad got her for Valentine’s Day and vise versa… Well one of her creative gifts was a bacon bouquet!

I’d never heard of such a thing but a hit with the guys indeed!

Mom just rolled thick bacon and put each roll in a muffin cup and baked for 20 minutes!!

 

I also found another way to do this… but seems pretty complicated compared to Mom’s way!…

 

Sarah Tisdale’s Bacon Broquet, Baked From the Heart

1 package delicious bacon (thin or thick both work well)
1 package bamboo skewers
some thin skewers you can break
1 or 2 mini muffin tins (varies depending on if you want to make a traditional dozen or go big)
slotted broiler pan
love
hammer
nails
foil
parchment paper
some sort of tough ribbon
recipient

Start with good intentions. Don’t do it if it’s not what you feel is right in your heart. Bacon should evoke a visceral reaction within you and within your intended recipient, for greatest maximum impact.

Pick out your bacon. I look for the cuts that have the most meat and less fat.

Prepare your muffin tins. Use the hammer and nail to puncture a hole or two in the bottom of each cup. Then set the pans on top of the broiler pan. This allows the fat to drain out while the rosettes are baking.

Preheat your oven to about 350-375 degrees.

Open up your package of bacon and take a moment to bask in its raw beautiful pink glory. Take one strip and roll it up like a scroll and insert it into the mini muffin tin. You can pull the center of the bacon roll out slightly here if you want to make it a little more stylin’ but no worries, it will look great as is. Repeat until muffin tin is full.

Put the whole thing in the oven and bake it until it’s done. Watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn. When it looks dark pink take it out and let it cool a bit. Be careful: the grease will burn you if you spill it.

Take the roses out of the tins and set them on the broiler pan. if they aren’t cooked enough put them back in minus the muffin tin for a few minutes. You dont want to overcook them, or you wont be able to skewer the stems.

Use the fatter skewers as the stems and poke one into each rose. next, use the little skewers to poke the roses together in a bouquet style.

Wrap the whole thing in waxed or parchment paper and then foil (to give it structure and hold it together) and tie it off with a ribbon.

Take a photo of your bacon bouquet.

Hand deliver with a card and smile expressing your unconditional love for the boy (or girl) and bacon. Prepare yourself for an instant marriage proposal on the spot and/or to be ignored for 10-30 minutes as the recipient freaks out over how awesome the bouquet is and starts eating.