April 2012

New DNA Combo

by bdunn on April 30, 2012

in Garden

Tropical hibiscus plants rarely fruit, at least in my experience. But you can cross-pollinate their flowers by using a little moist paintbrush, like from a child’s watercoloring set. If you’re lucky, a knobby green fruit will develop from the base of the mother flower. With further luck, the fruit will ripen and dry up, yielding [...]

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Get Back Up On That Horse & Ride

by bdunn on April 28, 2012

in Farm

I’m a big believer in God, but still confess to an indelible streak of superstition – acknowledging curses, bad biorhythms, good juju and all that. Which is why I have until now restrained myself from writing about our latest attempt to latch on to some country property: I didn’t want to jinx it. And even [...]

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Bucky

by bdunn on April 17, 2012

in Brazos River, Critters

The river ran high for a couple of weeks, then dropped back about 12 feet several days ago, again exposing the lower bank where we ordinarily keep a couple of chairs in order to enjoy the shade from a big willow while looking out over the water. Now there’s an extra 3 or 4 feet [...]

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Easter Beets

by bdunn on April 7, 2012

in Garden, Recipes

Here’s the answer to the question Do beets grow in South Texas? These are some of the second harvest of a couple rows we planted in January. Next year, more rows starting in November. A few weeks ago we roasted some individually wrapped in aluminum foil and drizzled with olive oil, then served with crumbled [...]

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Sproing

by bdunn on April 5, 2012

in Farm, Garden, Nature

Spring has sprung hard, and everything is undergoing the sort of giddy-yet-near-scary upheaval that only this season can introduce. There’s a lot going on, and not just field and garden. I shall remain mum on specifics for now, mostly because my time is short and the list is long, but also because I don’t want [...]

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