Get up, and

Get outside!

By Peggy Walker, R.D.

Put your rubber boots on and grab a jacket, there are a few things that need tending to outside right now! This won’t take long and the exercise is good.

Winter’s not over. At this writing the weather man is saying the “s” word for today.  Last year at this time we had eight inches up here in Tennessee.

A time to cut

Because we’ve had such mild temperatures jonquils and daffodils are already pushing up here and might even be possibly be blooming in Mississippi.  That also means that your liriope (monkey grass) will be putting up new growth soon. And, that means it’s time to cut down last year’s growth.

If you delay, you’ll risk cutting off the new with the old and end up with ragged looking monkey grass all summer.  (But don’t cut back dwarf nor variegated varieties.) Rake up the cuttings and throw them away but not in the compost.   Liriope can harbor funguses that could contaminate your compost.  And try to avoid cutting daffodils that might be coming up in your monkey grass, too.  And while you’re out there, trim other ornamental grasses down to less than a foot from the base.

Removing last year’s dried growth just makes them look neater in the new season. Out with the old!

A time to pinch 

My grandmother had busy fingers.  Besides crocheting, her strong and nimble fingers embroidered pillowcases and made beautiful bows for packages.  GaGa made the very best biscuits ever, combining the flour, milk and lard all together with just her fingers.  Her thumb and index finger could deliver a vicious thump to a wiggly granddaughter in the bed with her, too.  And she was a fiend for pinching back faded flowers, using that thumb and index finger.

She taught me that you just didn’t pull the bloom off the stem, but that you follow the bloom back to the main stem of the plant and pinch it off there.  So, get your pinchers going and deadhead the pansies.  That little chore will keep your pansies going until it’s time to replace them with summer bloomers.

A time to fertilize

After you get the pansies cleaned up feed them with a 10 -10 – 10 fertilizer.  If you have pansies that are growing where they don’t catch much rain, like in a window box, keep a check on them and water them before they totally dry out.  Pansies take the cold well but not as well if they get dehydrated.

A time to clean.  It’s a good time to get outside for some clean-up after the Christmas decorations are back in the attic.  Pick up sticks.  Snip off dried hydrangea blooms.  Maybe add a little more mulch to flower beds to prevent winter damage to shrubs.  And, while you’re out there sweep the porch and sidewalk and enjoy the fresh air.  And if your forsythia has started budding, snip off a few branches to take inside.  Place them in a pretty vase with warm water.  Change the water and re-cut the branches every week and watch them bloom.

A time to feed

  Need some color in your yard? Feed the birds. They’re always hungry.  Cardinals like sunflower seeds, gold finches love thistle, and blue jays and mockingbirds will gobble up a dab of peanut butter in no time.  Such a delightful way to brighten up a dismal January landscape!  Keep fresh water handy for them, too.

A time to dream

  Back inside with outside chores done we can snuggle back down with a garden catalog or two.  But really, whether we’re only dreaming or getting inspired, just looking at pictures of fruits and flowers and dreaming of sunshine and warm days is a good thing to do on a cold January day.

Recipe of the Week

White Chicken Chili

Tasty, healthy, easy and just right for a cold January day.

1-pound cooked chicken breast, shredded

1 clove garlic, chopped

1¼ cups chopped onion

1  4-ounce can chopped green chilies

1 can diced Rotel tomatoes, original

1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes

1 ¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 cups chicken broth

3 cans white beans, drained

¼ cup Monterey jack cheese, grated

Sauté onion and garlic until tender. Mix all ingredients, except beans and cheese, together in large pot. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans, continue to cook on low for another 15 minutes or until heated thoroughly.  Top each bowlful with grated cheese and serve with Mexican cornbread.  Serving suggestion:  arrange a platter of other toppers to serve alongside: chopped onion, jalapeños slices, grated cheeses, Doritos or tortilla strips, sour cream, etc.