News from Bob's Market & Greenhouses, Inc.

Issue 12.14

April 5, 2012

The Amazing Journey of
Your Easter Lily

Did you know that 95% of the Easter Lilies in the US come from just ten farms along the California and Oregon border? Growing Easter Lilies is a very tricky process since Easter falls on a different day each year, dependent upon celestial bodies. The first Sunday that follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox, Easter can be any day between March 22 and April 25. Crop scheduling and timing is critical.

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How to Plant Your Easter Lily

With Easter coming up, you may have a beautiful Easter lily at your house. With a little care now, you can plant these bulbs to enjoy for years to come. After the last bloom has withered and has been cut away, you can continue to grow your Easter Lilies, and even plant them outside in your garden to enjoy them for years to come.

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Something Pinteresting

Our team of highly trained internet chimps have been at work once again. We are proud to announce that we have now joined Pinterest. Pinterest is a social media site that allows users to easily post photos, links, videos, and other great ideas. Pinterest lets you organize and share things you find on the web using "pinboards". Check out our Pinterest pinboards by clicking on the button below.

APRIL 2012

1st-4th Grub Out Weeds, Briars, And Plant Pests.
5th-7th First Day Good For Planting Corn, Melons, Squash, Tomatoes, And Other Aboveground Crops. Last Days Favorable For Planting Root Crops. All Days Favorable For Sowing Grains, Hay And Fodder Crops, And Planting Flowers.
8th-9th Good Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Peanuts, And Root Crops. Also Good For Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kale, Celery, And Other Leafy Vegetables. Start Seedbeds. Good Days For Transplanting.
10th-12th Barren Period. Do No Planting.
13th-14th Favorable Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Turnips, Radishes, Onions, And Root Crops.
15th-17th Excellent Time To Kill Weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, And Plant Pests.
18th-19th Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops, Extra Good For Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants. Good Days For Transplanting.
20th-21st Poor Planting Day. Break Ground Or Cultivate.
22nd-23rd Favorable Days For Planting Beans, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Peppers, And Aboveground Crops.
24th-25th Poor Days For Planting, Seeds Will Rot In The Ground.
26th-27th Plant Tomatoes, Beans, Peppers, Corn, Cotton, And Other Aboveground Crops. Plant Seedbeds. Start Flower Gardens.
28th-30th Grub Out Weeds, Briars, And Other Plant Pests.

Uncle Jim's Almanac is based on the age-old method of using the moon as a planting guide. It can be applied to any region of the US where planting is favorable.

"God heals, and the Doctor takes the Fees."

-Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1736

Peeps Nest Cake
by: Nancy Brown

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

2 -1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

7/8 cup boiling water

Directions

Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan or 2 (8-inch round cake pans). In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Then add 2 eggs and beat well. In a medium, and separate, bowl, add the whole wheat flour and cocoa together. In a small bowl, add the buttermilk and vanilla together. Then add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Add to mixture the baking soda. Finally, add the 7/8 cup boiling water all at once and mix thoroughly. Pour immediately into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes if using a 13 x 9 x 2 pan or 25 to 30 minutes if using the 8-inch round pans. Frost with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Blend together 3/4 cup room temperature butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3-4 tablespoons water. You may need to add extr

a water, depending on how thick you want it. You may have extra frosting.

Making the Nest

For the chocolate nests, just blow up a balloon and melt some chocolate in the microwave and then spread it on the blown up balloon and invert the balloon on something so that it can dry. Remember when you are melting chocolate in the microwave, be very careful because chocolate can burn quite easily. Just melt in 10-15 second segments and then stir inbetween. For the top of the cake, make sure you don't blow up the balloon too large; you just need a small nest. We just used semi-sweet chocolate chips.