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Spring Gardening Tips for a Flourishing Garden
As the vibrant colors of spring burst forth and the air fills with the sweet scent of blossoms, it's the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and tend to your garden. Whether you're a seasoned gar...
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Recipe: Candied citrus peel is an old-fashioned favorite
Candied citrus peel is the original sweet and sour treat. Easy to make, this old-fashioned candy uses what normally would be discarded – the outer peel of oranges, lemons or grapefruit. “To me, (it’s) the perfect way to end a large meal,” says cookbook author Mark Bittman, the former New York Times food columnist. Choose thick-skinned varieties of citrus such as navel or Valencia oranges, Eureka or Meyer lemons or grapefruit (especially pink or Cocktail grapefruit). Cara Cara oranges work, too. The peel is simmered in water to soften the bitter white pith and make it easy to scrape off. Then, the peel is cut into long strips and simmered in syrup. After absorbing the syrup, the peel strips are rolled in sugar, then dried. Covered with sweetness, the peel hardens as it dries.
Grapefruit needs a little extra work. Boil it three times, changing the water each time, to remove any bitterness. As for sugar, try rolling the peel pieces in demerara sugar. The large granules add crunch along with the sweet-sour flavor.
Candied citrus peel
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A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.
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Garden Checklist for week of May 19
Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
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