SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 272 • March 16, 2013

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Welcome to spring, well, almost. We are enjoying St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow and a couple of days after that we will be welcoming spring too. The last few warm days have really gotten everyone excited for the even warmer days ahead. Still, you don’t want to ‘jump the gun’ on the seasons. It is still too early to do a lot of planting in the garden. In this week’s show we visit with Jan McNeilan for her tips of the month and talk about taking it slow with projects around the garden. We also celebrate St. Patty’s Day with shamrocks, corned beef, and setting a ‘Lucky’ table.

We would also like to announce that Dramm has become a presenting sponsor of the GardenPalooza event. We all know and love their watering tools, pruning tools and Drammatic Fertilizers. Dramm products are available at your local independent garden center including Ace Hardware, True Value, and Do It Best stores as well as many online sources including Amazon.com. We are excited that they want to support the local gardener and local gardening events. Look for their colorful display of products where you shop.

And we are just 3 short weeks away from GardenPalooza! Mark your calendars for April 6th.

This week we featured...

Jan’s March Tips

Jan’s March Tips

Jan joins us for our first tips for 2013 and since it is the start of the new season we wanted her first tip, and that tip was slow down. The warmer weather has gotten us all excited for the sunny days of summer, but it may be too early for you to plant. Most seeds planted now will just sit in the ground until it warms up or they will rot. That is not true for all seeds and the best way to find which seeds you should plant now would be to check out the OSU extension website. On the OSU site you will find a ton of information about gardening and they even have a catalog of research papers that you can access. Check them out at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/, and you will find that a lot of them are free or at a low cost! We also talked about the first signs of Lace Bug. This is a pest that has become a huge problem in the garden. It can literally suck the life out of your azaleas and rhododendrons. You may need to apply preventative measures to control them or you just might have to replace your plants. For more information about any of your spring garden activities, be sure to go over to the OSU website and have your questions answered.

Gartner’s Spring Grill Tips

Gartner’s Spring Grill Tips

It is starting to warm up and I have noticed the smell of grills firing up in the neighborhood. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to light the grill with a house full of guests and it just won’t work! Because of that we decided to check in with Jerry Yost of Gartner’s Meats (503-252-7801). Jerry is the grilling expert and he had a few tips for us. First, inspect and clean your grill. Look for rust and anything that looks worn. Make sure you replace or repair those parts. Next, inspect your burners. It they have cracks or holes, replace them. Finally, make sure you have fuel. It is really hard to grill if you are out of fuel. So get your propane, pellets or charcoal and you should be ready to go!

Next, we talked about what to serve. Jerry had a selection of different meats that you could use on that clean grill. We started with their sausages and bratwurst. They have almost 40 different varieties to choose from. Then we saw their signature marinated short ribs and they also have baby back ribs and steaks as well. We are also celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this weekend and that means corned beef. Gartner’s pre-seasons all their corned beef so you don’t have to worry about adding packets of seasonings. Also, Easter is just a couple of weeks away and it’s not too early to pre-order your dinner for the holiday. You can get their cured hams (including peppered and sugared hams) and smoked turkeys, and don’t forget the side dishes. They have salads, breads and desserts too.

Not matter what holiday or special occasion you are celebrating, stop by Gartner’s and they can help you out!

TOAST Cocktail #2

Early Spring Color

The TOAST event is only a week away. To learn more about it we stopped by the Bull Run Distillery (503-224-3483) right off of 23rd street. This event is one of the largest craft spirit and distillery tastings in the world. The Oregon Distillers Guild is behind this event and they are responsible for promoting the craft distilling industry in Oregon. They just brought on-line a new website called the Oregon Distillery Trail. This website features tours and destinations for fans of distilled spirits. They also sponsor the TOAST event. Ryan Csanky met with Judy in the tasting room of Bull Run to share a great cocktail called the ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ as Patrick Bernard filled us in on the event. The TOAST event is taking place March 22nd and 23rd at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland. This year the cost has been dropped to just $20 and they are now featuring food carts to take care of your taste buds. There is also an on-site liquor store so you can take home a bottle or two of a spirit that you like.

The Preacher’s Daughter cocktail was delightful! To make it yourself, click here, and we will see you at the TOAST event!

St. Patty’s Table

St. Patty’s Table

St Patrick’s Day is here and even though it is known as a ‘drinking’ holiday, people still get together and enjoy the traditional corned beef dinner. To learn how to set a table fit for a Saint, we stopped by Geranium Lake Flowers (503-228-1920) and talked to Kim Foren about dressing the perfect table. Kim started at the top and worked down. We started with a piece of drift wood hanging from the ceiling. This was the anchor for all the decorations over the table. Kim had taken small glass terrariums with small sprigs of maiden hair fern in each one and attached them to the drift wood. Above the table was a banner (which is hot this year) that read ‘Lucky’. Then, for the table, she had a center piece of mono-chromatic green. Every thing was in St. Patty’s colors or close to that. For the place settings she had birch bark mats and a burlap table runner under simple plates and birds nest decorations. There were also lit candles and cups of wheat grass to accent the theme. Finally, she had little gold coins and shamrock decorations sprinkled around the table. The best part of this table is that, with a few minor alterations, you could have a spring or Easter theme table too. To get more ideas for decorating, stop by her shop in Downtown Portland or check out her website.

Shamrocks

Shamrocks

St. Patrick’s Day is close at hand and the traditional plant for the day is the shamrock. For most gardeners the shamrock is a nasty reminder of the clover in their lawn, but the plant you will find in your garden center right now is slightly different than that garden visitor. The plant you find now is Oxalis regnelli, also known as Wood Sorrel. This small bulb loves the full sun and is in bloom right now. Don’t be alarmed that you see it die back in the next couple of months. It goes dormant and ‘sleeps’ through the late summer. Just leave it alone and set it in a cool, dry place. When fall returns you can pull the plant out and start to water it again. For right now, enjoy this early spring bloomer and hope it brings luck to your garden this season. There are also ‘clovers’ that you will find in your garden center, but they are not the same kind that you find in your lawn. We found a great selection of these wonderful plants at Portland Nursery (503-231-5050). Check out either of their locations.
 

 
main page this week

plant of the week

tip of the week tool shed how to gardens to see sponsors events calendar the happy spot
streaming video read our blog join our twitter e-mail us archive press relations links to other websites
 

Website design and content ©2006-2021 Gustin Creative Group.  Please send website inquiries to gustingroup@comcast.net.  This page last modified July 30, 2021.