it won't be easy, you'll think it strange

[pensnest]

I have had a very housewifely and productive day today. I made another loaf (in the Aldi breadmaker, to be sure, not by hand this time), and made sausage casserole with sourdough dumplings for lunch, worked on a phone pocket for Beast,and spent an hour or so weeding and mulching another raised bed, sweetcorn for the use of. And, one of my recently sown climbing yellow courgettes has BURST into life! \o/

Also received an early birthday present of seeds from manna! I had never thought of growing celeriac, but I like eating it so perhaps that should be a Thing That I Do. We shall see. Thank you!

The fat ball thief is hard to thwart. I spotted a squirrel dangling upside down on the fat ball holder, nomming happily. Shouted at it and it ran off. Hmm. Swapped the fat ball holder, which is a wire grid, for the mealworm holder, which is a plastic tube. The squirrel came back, and did its trick of bending one of the slender branches into the vicinity of the food holder, only to be horribly frustrated by the smooth plastic tube. Then it fell off, and there was raucous laughter from the two of us in the dining room. However, it has since managed to bend its branch even further so that it can still reach the fat balls. A squirrel's brain is small, but contains such an Obtain Food imperative, the little buggers are ingenious and determined.

I await the arrival of the water pistol with impatience.

It will also be deployed to defend our back door against the skinny cat, a black tom which insists on spraying the door. The stink comes in through the cat flap.

Comments

[cathexys]

OMG, you just solved a problem I'd had for decades! I grew up in Germany with celeriac (Sellerie) and when I moved to the States, i only ever saw celery, so I used that instead. But my base soup staple kind of missed the root...and I never knew that it was a different name!

I was today years old.... :)

[pensnest]

Hah! Glad I could help! I only discovered celeriac a few years ago, I think when I got some in my Abel & Cole veg box and had to figure out what to do with it. I love it roasted. But I'm not particularly keen on celery....

[frausorge]

I hope you get lots of delicious corn!

This is going to be the squirrel's villain origin story.

[pensnest]

I hope the corn will grow! I have picked out a patch, and put compost on it in preparation. So far, only the courgette seeds have sprung into life, but I must be fair and give them a fortnight to show.

Squirrels are a lot of fun to watch, really. But I think one of them murdered a tulip!

[wenchpixie]

I am very much enjoying the squirrel war 2021 (I am gardenless, but my folks are having a similar battle. I must put dad onto the waterpistol plan)

[pensnest]

We used to have a water rifle of tremendous range, but it needed priming, which alerted the intended victim. My Beast has selected one that works a bit like a bicycle pump and should deliver a short, sharp shock! I am quite looking forward to it, perhaps your dad will experience similar glee!

[turps]

Your squirrel was very bold!

I'm enjoying hearing about your gardening. I've only ever tried sweetcorn once, but it was a total failure. I suspect my garden is much too small for it really.

[pensnest]

The squirrels are very acrobatic about it. Sigh.

Sweetcorn apparently needs to be planted in a block, for fertilisation, as it's fertilised by wind. I know you don't have much space, so it might just be too difficult to fit in—although apparently you can plant it with other things to share the bed.

[turlough]

You're being so productive, go you!

I didn't know you could get seeds for celeriac! I think I've only ever seen seeds for carrots and turnips and parsnips. Good luck with them!

Squirrels are horrible little thieves but they're so cute it's hard to get really cross at them.

[pensnest]

It hadn't occurred to me to try growing celeriac, so I'm grateful to manna for the prod. We'll see. You're absolutely right about squirrels!

[ephemera]

Your gardening sounds most productive and full of tasty things.

I have another celariac in the veg box this week - what are some of your favourite things to do with one? *is nosy*

[pensnest]

I like to peel it, cut it into chunks about half the size of how I'd roast a potato, put the chunks into a bowl and stir them with olive oil, smoked salt and garlic pepper, then roast them. Very yummy!

[ephemera]

I shall have to give that a try! (I like it in soup, but there's only so much soup one person can eat, and I have been underwhelmed by he work/reward ratio of the last couple of recipes I tried with it)

[pensnest]

I sometimes make a roast vegetable soup, but I don't put celeriac in the mix because it makes the whole thing taste like celery, and I don't particularly like celery. But as a roasted vegetable to do with other stuff, it's definitely worth a go!