{"id":278,"date":"2011-12-23T19:39:20","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T19:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/?p=278"},"modified":"2011-12-23T19:39:20","modified_gmt":"2011-12-23T19:39:20","slug":"isnt-borage-an-annual-and-other-lessons-from-a-first-year-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/isnt-borage-an-annual-and-other-lessons-from-a-first-year-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"“Isn’t borage an annual?” and other lessons from a first year garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s two days before Christmas, and I have officially brought in my last handful of tomatoes from my garden.\u00a0 I’ve been waiting to post that for almost two months, but mild weather and a crop of strong producers has kept me in tomatoes.\u00a0 Many of the ones I brought in today will have to be pickled green, but a few will still ripen into tasty red grape tomatoes.\u00a0 Not as good as those I picked ripe over the summer, but still far superior to what you get in the store.\u00a0 Most of my garden is looking withered (I’m still looking in my gardening books to see if it is better to wait until I need to plant to pull the old plants, or if I should do it now), but my borage is enormous, and green, and still flowering.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“What is borage?”\u00a0 I get that a lot, I guess it’s not a common herb in the US.\u00a0 It is a Mediterranean herb.\u00a0 My sources all say that it is an annual, but I’m guessing it’s pretty hardy because I’ve lost my basil and my tomatoes, but this hasn’t been touched by either of the light frosts we’ve had.\u00a0 Borage has a cucumber-like taste when the leaves are young, it is hairy so it is usually only served in salads when it is very young.\u00a0 Otherwise, it can be boiled and sauteed with garlic like any other green.\u00a0 I have eaten the leaves raw, but I haven’t yet tried cooking them.\u00a0 The flowers are blue and star-shaped.\u00a0 Supposedly they are sweet and are used to decorate desserts.\u00a0 Again, I haven’t tried it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I planted it, not as a food plant, but to ward off pests which it is supposed to do.\u00a0 Whether it did or not, I can’t tell you, not having anything to compare it to.<\/p>\n

The onions and garlic I planted this fall are starting to send up shoots.\u00a0 I thought they weren’t supposed to do that until spring.\u00a0 I hope the warm winter doesn’t turn on them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The clover, by the way, are not weeds, they are adding nitrogen to the soil over winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s two days before Christmas, and I have officially brought in my last handful of tomatoes from my garden.\u00a0 I’ve been waiting to post that for almost two months, but mild weather and a crop of strong producers has kept me in tomatoes.\u00a0 Many of the ones I brought in today will have to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/author\/admin\/"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2gp05-4u","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":112,"url":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/a-tisket-a-tasket-i-made-a-little-basket\/","url_meta":{"origin":278,"position":0},"title":"A Tisket a Tasket, I Made a Little Basket","author":"admin","date":"October 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"A-tisket a-tasket A green and yellow basket I wrote a letter to my love And on the way I dropped it, I dropped it, I dropped it, And on the way I dropped it. A little boy he picked it up and put it in his pocket. Maybe it's because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Baskets"","block_context":{"text":"Baskets","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/category\/baskets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/smbasket093011.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/pickled-tomatos\/","url_meta":{"origin":278,"position":1},"title":"Pickled Tomatos","author":"admin","date":"October 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"An embarrassment of riches this summer in the form of my very first attempt at growing tomatoes, caused me to have to search out new and creative uses for grape tomatoes.\u00a0Fresh off of pickling the few measly cucumbers that I got off of the vines before they withered prematurely,\u00a0(Still haven\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cooking"","block_context":{"text":"Cooking","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/category\/cooking\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/tomatoes.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/tomatoes.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/tomatoes.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":288,"url":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/repurposed-christmas-tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":278,"position":2},"title":"Repurposed Christmas Tree","author":"admin","date":"January 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I am always a little bit distressed when it comes time to take down the tree. Here is this beautiful tree that we picked out with loving care, (Actually, I usually leave it to my daughter who has a wonderful eye for symmetry and the correct size for our house),\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "gardening"","block_context":{"text":"gardening","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":828,"url":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/828\/","url_meta":{"origin":278,"position":3},"title":"It’s that time again…","author":"admin","date":"April 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"It's spring break here, and for me that means that my children and my husband are both home for an entire week.\u00a0 That's a really good thing for my garden, but first, unfinished business!\u00a0 Last summer we received from a Freecycler, a porch swing.\u00a0 The fabric was the worse for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "gardening"","block_context":{"text":"gardening","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/20120402-185108.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/20120402-185108.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/20120402-185108.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/20120402-185108.jpg?fit=896%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":292,"url":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/taco-cake\/","url_meta":{"origin":278,"position":4},"title":"Taco…Cake?","author":"admin","date":"January 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"My son turned four this last week, and when asked what kind of cake he would like, he responded immediately and definitely, \"A taco cake!\"\u00a0 I have no idea what he thought he meant by this, but this is my interpretation.\u00a0 The \"tortilla\" is sponge cake; the \"beans\", chocolate mousse;\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/taco-cake\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/tacocake.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/tacocake.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/tacocake.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":944,"url":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/long-time-no-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":278,"position":5},"title":"Long time no post","author":"admin","date":"September 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ok, ok, I know it's been almost 2 months since my last post.\u00a0 Summer traveling and back to school has kept me too busy to post.\u00a0 Not too busy to craft, as you will see.\u00a0 A girl has to have her priorities.\u00a0 :)\u00a0 (don't ask about my poor garden.\u00a0 It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3D"","block_context":{"text":"3D","link":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/category\/digital-graphics\/3d-digital-graphics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/render2resize.png?fit=973%2C556&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/render2resize.png?fit=973%2C556&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/render2resize.png?fit=973%2C556&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/render2resize.png?fit=973%2C556&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaliastudios.com\/squirrel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}