Roswell Adventures

I love our straw bale garden! OK, I love the asparagus/beet bed, too, but most of the action (including caterpillar plucking) goes on in the bales. This has been a very different year for several reasons... We brought in 40 bales and placed them all over the place Nearly all of our plants were started from seed (by us) We tried a lot of new things We have had a ridiculous amount of rain (15.3" as of 6 PM last night, and I don't think my sidewalk has dried out in a couple of weeks). Said rain has brought about prime conditions for tiger moths to breed...and boy howdy are they having an orgy this summer! So, without further adieu, here is the pictorial update of the garden (including our xeriscape garden), the good, the bad, the ugly, and the "Wow, that's awesome!"   Behold the tiger moth! Producer of thousands of voracious caterpillars with an appetite for anything we plant (except tomatoes).   Bale collapse! This bales are seriously listi...

We are suffering from a condition known as "Holy cats! What are we going to do with all this squash?!?!" Having lived here more than 3 years, I figured it was time to venture into the realm of Calabacitas, a New Mexican dish that has as many variations as Grandma's Chicken Soup. I hunted around, compared recipes, then played around, and this is what I came up with... Chop your onions and saute them in olive oil until soft. I don't measure the olive oil. I just swirl some into the bottom of my 12" cast iron skillet until it looks like it will be enough. Medium to medium high heat will work to start. I used zucchini and another summer squash. In the past I have used patty pan. Any type of summer squash will work just fine. If there are large seeds, however, you may want to get rid of them. Add the squash to the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium low. Add in the green chiles and garlic. Stir well and cover. Somehow I missed a picture with the chi...

Heading east on I-10 on the way into Las Cruces, the road-weary traveler has an opportunity for a stretch break at a rest stop that overlooks the Mesilla Valley and the striking backdrop of the Organ Mountains. On a stormy day with the flashes of lightning brightening the sky, the view is awe-inspiring. On a partly cloudy day, it is uplifting. On a clear day, it can take your breath away. On this partly cloudy Tuesday afternoon, we are rolling into Cruces on our way home from semi-annual dental visits in Tucson. We don't need a stretch break, we had just finished an amazing meal at El Mirador in Deming and would be stopping for gas shortly, but we do have a compelling reason to exit. On our way west we had noted an old friend was back, and we needed to stop for a visit. We can't see him from the east-bound freeway until we pull off, and then yup... there he is. We follow the parking lot around, anxious for a better view, and then we pull into the closest parkin...

Last year we quickly went from "Oh, look, a squash" to "Holy cats! What are we going to do with all of them?!?!" When we were visiting a winery in Nebraska last summer, we bought a jar of squash pickles and thoroughly enjoyed them. So, I set out to hunt down a recipe I liked. After more than a little tweaking, I came up with these beauties...  As you can easily see, there is more in there than just squash :) I add in red & yellow (or orange) bell peppers, onions, and jalapenos.  Now to get started...   Slice your squash and onions, put them in an enamel-lined pot. Sprinkle with pickling salt, cover and let sit for an hour. These are our dried chiles from last year's harvest. I rinsed the dust off a couple then tore them into strips - totally guessing about how much to use. If they are too spicy for me, Chuck will still love them :)   I use about a half a bell pepper and 3-4 jalapenos for each batch. The ja...