May Flowers

 Here's what blooming in my garden this month, coleus and begonia.

 yellow poker

 scabiosa

 beard tongue or penstemon

 salvia

 sedum, salvia, lantana

 red poker

 hardy geranium'

 petunia in a pot

 paprika yarrow

 mixed border of shrubs and herbs, lavender, thyme and chives

 catmint

a lone weed I just couldn't pull up

Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Planting

The other day I was at the hardware store and noticed all the bulbs were on sale. I decided to try growing some shallots in this bin that Gary painted for me.

After I planted the shallots, I read on the internet they need 30 days dormancy at temperatures between 35 and 50 F. The package said nothing about that. We shall see if they come up.

I've already planted six tomato plants and several mild to hot peppers and some basil. The parsley I planted was eaten down to the ground by some critter. Perhaps a rabbit. I also got a huge packet of sugar snap peas reduced to two dollars. Now where to plant those. We don't have much growing ground around here unless it's straight up and down. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Smokey Spicey Meatballs, Gluten Free

The other day I had a hankering for gourmet sausages. I even thought about making my own. When I saw how much work they were and how much equipment I'd have to get like a meat grinder and a sausage filler, I decided to make meatballs instead. These meatballs are so moist and delicious.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place pork and sauteed onion, garlic, ginger, and peppers in a bowl and sprinkle with the spices. Mix with a spoon. Add shredded cheese and flour and mix well. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls; then roll in cracker crumbs. Place on olive oiled baking dish or pan. Bake for 15 minutes, turn and bake for another 15 minutes. Drain on a paper towel to absorb and excess fat released in cooking. Makes about 15 meatballs. Next time I think I'll raise the temperature to 375 F.  I wish I had an instant meat thermometers especially when cooking pork. I have a regular meat thermometer but it's too large to insert into a meatball.

one pound of ground pork (unseasoned)
3/4 cup of smoked gouda (you can substitute cheddar)
3/4 cup of gluten free baking flour
1/4 onion chopped fine and sauteed
3 garlic cloves chopped fine and sauteed
1/2 inch fresh ginger chopped fine and sauteed
2 mini bell peppers chopped fine and sauteed
1/2 teaspoon dried ground chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
1/4 cup gluten free cracker crumbs (reserve till the end)

I rarely have anything with this much fat in it (you know how sausage is) but I figured one time every few months wouldn't hurt. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Wall Pockets

Today I worked on some wall pockets. These are meant to be hung from the handle on the back of the pocket. I made two of these last year and they sold right away. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.