Even in winter one can enjoy beautiful fresh flowers - some of my orchids are blooming so wonderfully right now.
On many mornings after checking the greenhouses, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, brings cut flowers or blooming potted plants up to my Winter House for display - whatever looks best at the time. Yesterday, he brought me some gorgeous cut Cymbidium orchids. Cymbidium, or "boat orchid," is a genus of evergreen flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. They are prized for their long-lasting sprays of blooms. In another few weeks, the greenhouses will also be filled with flowering Dendrobiums, another type of orchid, with abundant pastel-colored flowers.
Enjoy these photos.
These are some of the white Dendrobium orchids in my greenhouse. These are just beginning to bloom.
I have them in pink and white. Native to Southeast Asia, the genus Dendrobium is among the largest of all orchid groups. Blooming times vary depending on species, light, temperature, humidity and watering practices. All my orchids are so well maintained.
And soon these Dendrobiums will all be flowering.
But right now, Ryan is cutting lots of other gorgeous orchids – my Cymbidiums.
Cymbidium orchids are prized for their sprays of long-lasting flowers.
My orchids live in the temperature and humidity-controlled greenhouses where they can be monitored closely every day.
Here’s Ryan with some cut Cymbidiums ready to bring up to my Winter House.
Ryan places the sprays of blooms in a large box tray with a wire bottom. They only go a short distance to my home, but if going a longer distance, be sure they are well-protected and secured during transit.
The colors can vary from shades of pink, white, yellow, red, green, and brown.
The flowers typically have three sepals and two petals each with a prominent three-lobed labellum making them appear “boat like.”
These Cymbidiums are creamy white with dark pink markings.
As soon as they came up to my Winter House, I brought them into my servery to arrange them.
I use my favorite finger vase, also known as quintal flower horn because of its typical five spouts.
I often display flowers and other potted specimens around my home. I put these in my sitting room, which is one of the first rooms I walk through in the morning.
Depending on the variety, Cymbidium orchids can bloom from four to 12 weeks.
Some of them are also very fragrant. Their scents can range from subtle to strong and often with hints of jasmine, vanilla or even citrus.
When displaying cut Cymbidiums, be sure to change the water frequently – every couple of days – and avoid placing them in direct light.
On the other side of my sitting room are these cut Cymbidiums in shades of pink. Always space Cymbidiums appropriately as overcrowding could damage them.
These Cymbidiums are in my servery just off my kitchen. Be careful when handling the stems and flowers to avoid bruising which can also shorten the flower’s vase life.
Cymbidium orchids have exceptional beauty and longevity. I hope you can enjoy some of these impressive flowers this season.
I am using these long days of winter to clean, reorganize, and reset my home. Are you?
Over the years, basement storage spaces can get very disorganized - items are mixed up, shelves are confused, more pieces are added without thought as to where they should be placed, etc. My housekeepers recently tackled one area where I keep my stainless steel sheet pans, tube, tart, and bundt pans, my chocolate and candy molds, giant bowls and cookers, and more. For this clean-up, the shelves were emptied and wiped-down, like-items were grouped together, and finally, everything was returned where they could be found easily and quickly. It's a tedious chore, but it’s always rewarding to see the end result.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Do you have an area where you store all your less used pans, pots, and baking supplies? These shelves in my basement are used for storing many of the stainless steel items I do not use regularly.
It’s not a large space, so one by one the shelves are emptied and then wiped down thoroughly.
These are industrial warehouse racks. They come in various sizes, and configurations to suit different storage needs.
Enma wipes down a collection of enamelware trays. Enamelware includes items covered with a porcelain enamel finish.
I have a lot of enamelware pans. Once they are cleaned, they are stacked appropriately next to other enamelware bowls, cups, etc.
In the shelf underneath the enamelware are other metal trays of various sizes.
Enma removes each one and wipes it thoroughly before returning. It is a very tedious job.
Loaf pans are also wiped clean and stacked neatly on a shelf.
If you’re an avid cook or baker like I am, you probably have a lot of sheet pans. Sheet pans have raised edges on all four sides to prevent spilling – don’t confuse them with cookie sheets which typically have no sides for fast cookie removal.
Do you know the difference between tube pans and bundt pans? Tube pans have straight sides and a central hollow tube – ideal for light, airy cakes. Bundt plans are more decorative with fluted sides and a central tube and used for denser pound cakes.
I also have a number of chocolate and candy molds.
These molds have a western theme with horses, cowboys, and covered wagons.
And do you recognize these? These are five cup turkey molds I use from Nordic Ware. They can be used for cornbread, cranberry sauce, or even cake. I use them every year for Thanksgiving.
The molds are kept near other tart pans and springform pans where they can be found and accessed easily when needed.
They’re heavy, but cast iron cookware is well known for its ability to retain and distribute heat evenly. They have been used for centuries and are some of the most durable cooking items.
In a back corner – giant bowls. I use the biggest ones for ice at parties – oftentimes with delicious shucked oysters on top waiting to be devoured.
This is a paella pan – a wide, shallow cooking vessel for making the popular Spanish rice and seafood dish, paella, from the Valencia region of Spain.
Enma came across this vintage nut and meat chopper. These are designed with a glass jar base, a metal lid, and hand crank.
The shelves look so much better after cleaning and organizing.
It may still be winter, but it can never be too early for some thorough spring cleaning. I hope you’re inspired.
It's always so great to start off the new year growing healthy, delicious, organic greens.
Now that it's winter, attention is turned toward planting and maintaining my vegetable greenhouse, so I am never without fresh produce. I already have lots of wonderful vegetables thriving inside. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, also transplanted young cucumbers and tomatoes started from seed.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This large structure has 16 raised flower beds. Some beds were just seeded. Some include plants that have just germinated and are in the beginning stages of growth. And some beds have young, but already established plants.
This structure uses minimal artificial heat, where many cold hardy crops, such as root vegetables and brassicas, can be grown and harvested through the winter months. I also installed grow lights specially designed to substitute natural sunlight, stimulating photosynthesis, and provide the right color spectrum for thriving plants.
Ryan and I make sure to plant in succession, so there is always something growing. Lettuce always grows so well in this greenhouse. It’s a real treat to have lettuce like this all year long. I always grow lots of varieties of lettuce, so I can share them with my daughter and her children.
I use spinach for my daily green juice. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2.
The radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, and mostly eaten raw as a crunchy salad vegetable.
These are the leaves of turnips. The vegetables are not ready yet, but when harvesting, I always gently remove the surrounding earth first to see if the vegetables are big enough. If not, I push the soil back into place. Turnips are smooth flat, round and white vegetables that mature early and are best harvested young – when they are up to two inches in diameter. The flavor is sweet and fruity, and the texture is crisp and tender.
This is my bed of arugula, directly planted from seed a couple of weeks ago. Arugula leaves, also known as rocket or roquette, are tender and bite-sized with a tangy flavor.
One cannot miss the Swiss chard. They are so vibrant with stems of rose, gold, orange, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets.
Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
And do you like dill, the herb grown for its aromatic leaves and seeds which are often used to add flavor to various dishes? It has a distinct anise-like taste and can be used fresh or dried.
I also have a bed of young cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, growing nicely. Cilantro is also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular micro-green garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes, and soups. Everyone here at the farm loves the cilantro, but some don’t. Do you know… some even say it tastes like soap? For those, the issue is genetic. These people have a variation in a group of olfactory-receptor genes that allows them to strongly perceive the soapy-flavored aldehydes in cilantro leaves. Among those who strongly dislike cilantro – the late Chef Julia Child.
I also grow bok choi, a type of Chinese cabbage and widely used in Asian cuisines.
At one end of greenhouse, I set up bean towers from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. These can also support the growing vines of cucumbers.
After the soil is fertilized, Ryan digs the holes close to corners where developing vines can find the vertical strings stretched from top to bottom.
Ryan places one plant per section.
We used these 60-inch towers last year and they worked wonderfully.
Here, Ryan places heat mats down on the gravel floor for the tomato pots.
As an experiment, Ryan will keep potted tomatoes on top of the heat mats to keep them a bit warmer through the season. Let’s see how they do.
He fills the pots with Miracle-Gro All Purpose Garden Soil.
And then tops them with Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed specifically for tomatoes and other growing vegetables.
He plants two per pot and will monitor to see which plants grow stronger. As they develop, he will remove those that seem weak and unproductive.
Finally, he secures a 48-inch tomato cage, also from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, on top of each container.
At 4pm exactly, all the grow lights turn on as scheduled. I am so pleased with my vegetable greenhouse and how productive it is every year. I am looking forward to a season filled with bountiful harvests.
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