Thursday, August 16, 2012

Gardening Woes

This summer has been a hard one for those of us who like to garden.  The ongoing drought, continuous 100+ degree temperatures and hordes of grasshoppers have really taken their toll on the plants here at the ranch. 

Most years we usually have a bumper crop of fresh green beans, okra, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and basil.  By this time of the summer people usually run the other way when they see us because they know that we will be trying to unload yet another mess of squash onto them.  (Any gardener knows that one squash plant can feed an entire community.)  Barbara Kingsolver and Garrison Keillor both tell the story of growing up in small towns where the only time the townspeople locked their homes and vehicles was during squash season.  They weren't worried about anyone stealing something, they were just afraid they would be the recipients of MORE SQUASH.  This year has been the exception to that rule!!

Here are pictures of our house and garden in wetter, cooler years!


The garden has raised beds with gravel walkways.  This picture was taken in the very early spring two years ago.



At either end of the garden we've planted grapes. 



The only problem is......the horses and cows like grapes too!!



Here's our mare "Darlin'" enjoying a sweet snack of grapes.  My husband, Victor thinks that this is funny!!!  Me.......not so much!   But I do love Darlin'!!

One of the benefits of having a garden is having lots of fresh tomatoes and basil to make marinara sauce.  Here's what a normal year's harvest usually looks like:




My family likes marinara sauce in lasagna, on spaghetti or in chicken parmigiana.


This is our favorite recipe.


In a large, heavy, non-reactive skillet combine:

1/3 cup olive (approximate measurement)
2 cloves chopped garlic (amount can be adjusted to taste)
Pinch of red pepper flakes ( also can be adjusted to taste)
Cook at medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add:
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of Kosher salt
Large batch of fresh basil, washed and chopped
6 cups of fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (can substitute 2 large cans of tomatoes)
2 Tablespoon butter
1 cup of red wine (optional)
Cook at medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 1/2.  Although the addition of wine is optional, I prefer to add it as it gives the sauce great depth and body.





It's as easy as that!  A loaf of warm, crusty bread and a crisp salad and you have dinner!





Here's to the hope that next summer will be wetter and more temperate and we'll have a garden that looks like this again!

That's life and style at Rose Hill Ranch!
 

  

Friday, July 27, 2012

Getting Started.......Again

I can't believe that it has almost been two years since I started this blog and made my first (and last) post.  As a friend of mine says, "Life comes in lurches!"  I have certainly been lurching along for the last two years!!  Let me fill you in.....


Shortly before I started this blog, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  It was particularly agressive and she was given 18 months to live if the chemotherapy was successful and 6 months to live if it was ineffective.  She fought bravely, but ultimately lost her battle with cancer on July 21, 2011, just one week shy of a year from her diagnosis.  Since her death, as the executrix of her estate, I have been working to resolve her affairs.  With the sale of her house, at the first of this month, I feel that I have reached a point where I can finally take a deep breath.  


Here's a picture of my mother-in-law, my daughter, and my Mom at our house during Christmas 2010.  We used to tease my mother that she was the Grinch because she didn't like to decorate, cook or shop, especially during the holidays.  We love and miss you, Mom!!

Let me show you around our house and ranch.  Here are pictures of our house and yard.





These pictures were taken in late fall several years ago...I will include more recent photos in a later post.  The last two years have been extremely difficult for those of us who are gardeners.  Last year we had over 100 days of 100+ degree weather and wildfires that burned a large portion of the state of Texas.  This summer we have only had 20+ days of 100 degree weather but the drought has continued.  San Angelo, the nearest town, currently has less than an eighteen month supply of water.  

I love to garden and so it's easy to get discouraged when everything you plant withers under the hot, dry conditions or gets eaten by GIANT grasshoppers.  The jumbo grasshoppers have eaten my garden this year!  Then they ate my grapes, then my flowers, and now they are working on the landscape plantings.   I hate grasshoppers!!! I try to limit my use of pesticides, especially in the garden, but the milder forms are completely ineffective on grasshoppers!  In fact, I think the pesticides I tried made them grow!!!

                   Here are some pictures of flowers from Rose Hill Ranch in cooler, wetter years.


                                                                
Back door greeters!




Of course, roses are our favorites!

                                                                   
 Pretty patio posies.


                                                    
Mums are such happy flowers!


                         
Some of the lavender that I harvested from the plants at Rose Hill Ranch.
                                                                More about that later.

I hope to make this blog about things that I am passionate about.  Family, decorating, DIY projects, sewing,cooking and entertaining, and the joy of living the domestic life.  It really is the simple things that enrich our lives. 

So come on in and let's get started!



Sunday, August 8, 2010

About Rose Hill Ranch

Rose Hill is a family owned cattle ranch located nine miles northeast of San Angelo, Texas.  San Angelo is located ninety minutes from Abilene, TX and three and a half hours from San Antonio, TX.  This part of West Texas is composed of cotton farms and ranches that raise any combination of cattle, sheep and goats.  My husband's family has lived in or around San Angelo since the 1880's. 

Living on a ranch on the edge of the desert is not for sissies.  Every native plant has thorns, every insect has stingers, and that's not even mentioning the snakes.  It rains an average of 20 inches per year here and the temperatures have been over the 100 degree mark for the last several weeks.  In spite of these drawbacks, this region does have it's own beauty, not the least of which are the people who live here and their generous hospitality and remarkable creativity. 

When the environment is this harsh I think that it is particularly important to have a "soft place to land".  That "place" would be our home and that is what this blog is all about: how to make your home a comforting, stylish place for your family and friends using what is available to you in your environment.  It's an age-old craft that women have been honing since time began, and one that I think  has not been given the credit that it is due.

I hope that this blog will be a source for ideas and inspiration to make your home and gardens a sheltering haven for family and friends.  I also hope that the process will provide you with a deep sense of satisfaction as you create a lifestyle that nurtures you and your loved ones!