I am very fortunate to have large greenhouses where I can force many bulbs and enjoy their blooms earlier than their time.
Forcing is the process of tricking bulbs to bloom out of season indoors by providing them with favorable growing conditions. Last month, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, potted up amaryllis bulbs in soil, which will erupt with large trumpet-shaped blooms later this season. He also potted up a collection of Eucomis, commonly known as the pineapple lily. This South African native has a very interesting flower stalk that is reminiscent of the delicious fruit. These plants will show off a beautiful indoor display in weeks.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Eucomis, or pineapple lily, is a bulbous species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. Eucomis grow wonderfully in containers and can easily be potted up and forced indoors as long as they have ample light.
These bulbs can be separated and planted in smaller groups in their pots.
For these bulbs, Ryan chose to use these clay pots made by master potter, Guy Wolff. Guy makes all of them himself – they are just stunning.
He stamps the year the pot was made on the side. And, usually he stamps my name, or Cantitoe, the name of my farm above it.
We store many of the empty pots underneath the greenhouse tables where they can be accessed quickly. Clay and terra cotta containers can be stored anywhere where the temperatures will not fall below freezing. Stack pots upside down so that water doesn’t pool in them.
As with all our pots, the drainage holes are covered with shards on the inside to help drainage and to keep the soil from leaking out. We save all the shards from broken clay pots for this purpose.
Ryan uses a potting mix that includes perlite and vermiculite for good drainage. Any all-purpose potting mix blends can be used, as long as it drains well.
We also add Scott’s Osmocote fertilizer – small, round coated prills filled with nutrients. One can find Osmocote on Martha.com.
Here, Ryan mixes it right into the soil – they are the yellow prills. These prills coat a core of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The resin-coating is made from linseed oil and as the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
Ryan fills the pot with soil leaving a hole a few inches deep for the bulb.
Ryan fills several pots at a time – this mix is very light and easy to scoop in a production line process.
Pineapple lilies growing in pots don’t need to be planted as deeply as those in the ground; they need to sink only about three inches.
The right amount of light will urge this tropical beauty to bloom. And when it does, several flower stems will send up spikes of star-shaped blossoms. The flowers that grow should last about two months.
Flower, stem, and leaf colors vary. Sometimes leaves and stems have spots or edging of a darker color.
Eucomis feature a basal rosette of strap-shaped, linear, wavy-edged, dark green leaves which spread upward and outward up to to 24-inches.
Here is one Eucomis potted up with its long green leaves.
Here they are this week – already growing quite nicely. When choosing a location, try to find a spot that gets about six hours of sunlight each day.
The warmer the temperature the faster Eucomis will flower. Planting bulbs in the greenhouse to be forced in January should produce spring flowers. Outdoors, Eucomis usually bloom July to September.
As the flower stalks form the blooms will open from the bottom up. The upright flower stems will be sturdy enough to hold up heavy flower heads and won’t need staking.
And remember all the potted amaryllis bulbs in this corner of the greenhouse? A few are already starting to show off their gorgeous colors. I will be sure to share more photos of these plants once in full bloom.
It's back to winter here in the Northeast - temperatures are only expected to reach the mid-20s today. Despite the erratic weather this season, my fancy pigeons continue to thrive.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I keep a small group of pigeons - Homers, Tipplers, Tumblers, Owl Pigeons, as well as one of the oldest breeds, the Syrian Damascene. They live in a pen adjacent to my peafowl yard and across from my stable. These birds get lots of attention whenever friends and family come to visit - they make wonderful additions to my flock. Pigeons have been domesticated for thousands of years and have been kept by people worldwide for their companionship, their sport, and their loyal service. Caring for these birds is a nice way to pay tribute to these fascinating and intelligent creatures.
Enjoy these photos.
My Bedford flock started with 10-pairs of birds. Many of the birds were featured in the well known New York City “Fly by Night” performance by artist Duke Riley and were members of Duke’s personal flock. Others were borrowed or rescued from pigeon fanciers for the 2016 performance. Now, a group of them lives here at my farm along with others I’ve bred and added.
Fancy pigeons are domesticated varieties of the wild rock dove, bred by pigeon fanciers for size, shape, color, and behavior.
The entire coop is well protected from aerial predators. Here is a group of pigeons enjoying the views from the roof. Notice the protective fencing above them. An adult pigeon is about 13 inches in length and can weigh up to 20 ounces.
During the day, they love to perch on the door to the dovecote. Pigeons are thought to navigate by sensing the earth’s magnetic field and using the sun for direction. Other theories include the use of roads and even low-frequency seismic waves to find their way.
Pigeons are very docile, gentle and sweet-natured birds – everyone at the farm loves visiting them. And they are also well-guarded by the neighboring peafowl, who chase any aerial predators away from the pen.
Pigeons are very observant and one of the most intelligent of all the bird species. These birds also have a remarkable capacity to recognize and remember many things.
Inside is a wall of nesting spaces. Pigeons mate for life and both female and male pigeons share the responsibility of caring for and raising their young. They take turns incubating the eggs and both feed the chicks ‘pigeon milk’ – a special secretion from the lining of the crop which both sexes can produce.
On the other side, we made a ladder out of felled branches found right here at the farm. The pigeons love to perch on it and on nearby ledges. Pigeons also breed all year round with peak breeding periods in spring and summer. This is an Isabella Tippler. The tippler is a breed of domestic pigeon bred for endurance. Some of them have been known to fly for up to 22-hours non-stop.
Pigeons have side-mounted eyes. Because pigeons have monocular vision rather than binocular vision, they bob their heads when they move so they have depth perception. This pigeon is a Damascene. Two of the most striking features of these beautiful birds are the dark plum eye ceres and the big bright eyes.
These are Old German Owl pigeons – a breed of fancy pigeon, and the originator of the short faced German Shield Owls. The head is round, broad, with a well arched forehead and a small full shell crest, which is made of feathers that grow up toward the head rather than down along the body.
Pigeons are very social animals. They will often be seen in flocks of 20 to 30 birds.
A pigeon’s diet contains about 50-percent grain crops, and 10-percent oilseed, rich in vitamins B and E. An average adult-sized pigeon can eat about 30-grams of food each day.
The pigeon is also a granivorous bird – they like to eat seeds and cereal grains, sunflower, wheat, barley, millet, and peas.
Pigeons also have excellent hearing. They can detect sounds at far lower frequencies than humans, and can hear distant storms and volcanoes.
I love the wide range of colors and markings on these birds. Do you know… a group of pigeons is called a flight or a flock. And a baby pigeon is called a squab.
A young bird who is learning to eat and drink on its own is called a squeak. Once it is ready to fly, it is called a fledgling. A pigeon is fully mature at about four to six months of age.
An adult female pigeon is called a hen and the adult male is called the cock. Bonded pairs can often be found perched together throughout the day.
We keep these shelters very dry to prevent bacteria and disease from developing – water and moisture are the enemies. Pigeons can be quite messy, but it is important to keep their enclosures as clean as possible.
This white bird is a Homer – among the most famous pigeon breeds. Homers come in a variety of colors and have a remarkable ability to find their way home from very long distances. Although they love to roost, pigeons can fly at altitudes of 6000-feet or more. Pigeons can also fly at average speeds of up to 77-miles per hour.
In both World Wars, rival nations kept flocks for use as pigeon messengers. The United States had at least 200,000 during WWII. These birds delivered critical updates across the country, saving thousands of human lives.
We “planted” this tree inside their enclosure. The birds love watching all the farm activities from its branches. I always enjoy teaching visitors about the many birds I keep – the peafowl, the Guinea fowl, the geese, the chickens, and of course, these pigeons. They are such captivating birds and I am so pleased my pigeons continue to thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
This weekend is the 56th Super Bowl. The Big Game is the annual playoff championship game of the National Football League. It has been the last game of every NFL season since 1966. And beginning this year, the game will be played on the second Sunday in February. We’re posting game-day food ideas all weekend long on my TikTok page @MarthaStewart, so be sure to check them out.
This is my Martha Stewart Kitchen Four Cheese Macaroni & Cheese. It comes with an indulgent combination of sharp cheddar, fontina, parmesan, and gruyere cheeses with buttery panko breadcrumbs. Click here for a listing of stores carrying my Collection of delicious frozen foods.
One can place the macaroni and cheese in a large baking dish, or in oven-safe ramekins like these. I topped them with bacon, tomatoes, and grated white cheddar cheese.
Lastly, I added a sprinkling of the panko breadcrumbs before putting them into a pre-heated 400-degree oven.
Bake for 30 to 33 minutes until bubbly and lightly golden brown on top. These look so delicious.
This is our Game Day Chili con Carne with Skillet Cornbread from Martha & Marley Spoon. This comes with flour, unsweetened cornbread mix, kidney beans, black beans, tomato paste, taco seasoning, ground beef, fresh cilantro, garlic, and a large red onion. Just add your own wet ingredients salt and pepper. It’s so easy, and one of our favorite comfort foods for cold winter days. Martha & Marley Spoon continues to be a great meal-kit delivery service that’s full of delicious recipes and helpful cooking tips.
While the chili is cooking, make the cornbread in a cast iron skillet and bake until golden and risen.
Another idea is to serve it with a toppings bar – include avocado, diced tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, onion, jalapeno peppers, and of course, tortilla chips.
And here’s the finished bowl – mine with avocado, sour cream, cilantro, chips, and a piece of cornbread – ready to eat while still piping hot.
I also cooked about three pounds of chicken in the oven for our wings recipes. As a general rule, when making wings, allot for about six wings per person, and up to 12 per person if it’s a main dish.
The important thing is to be sure to soak and coat the wings very well. I placed one pound of wings in a large glass bowl of sauce and tossed them until they were fully coated.
This is the maple-dijon sauce. Once these are thoroughly tossed, bake them in the oven until the glaze has thickened.
If you’re making all three types of chicken wings, be sure to plate them in big platters.
Here they are – these Maple-Dijon Chicken Wings are so easy to make. All you need are dijon mustard, maple syrup, and chicken.
I also made Sriracha-Buffalo Chicken Wings. We made these classic hot wings even better with the addition of sriracha, a Thai-style hot sauce. Serve them with lots of crumbled blue cheese and celery sticks.
These Sweet-and-Sour Orange Chicken Wings recipe uses sherry vinegar for a wonderful kick of flavor. Garnish the platter with citrus slices.
This year, I am happy to partner with Goldbelly, the curated online marketplace for regional and artisanal foods crafted by local food purveyors throughout the United States. Order some of my favorite pastries including rich butter croissants, apricot danishes, and addictively delicious cookies. They come in these charming boxes – give as a host or hostess gift, or buy for yourself.
My Collection of cookies includes my daughter Alexis’ Chocolate Chip, Extraordinary Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Pecan, and Kitchen Sink cookies, which are loaded with rolled oats, coconut, dried apricots and cherries, dark chocolate, and toasted pecans… everything but the kitchen sink! And these cookies are so big, you’ll be able to nibble on one all day long.
And don’t forget – for those who need their cookies with milk, serve it in fun glass bottles. Enjoy whatever you serve for your Big Game party. And be sure to watch the annual Puppy Bowl. I’ll be coaching alongside my friend, Snoop Dogg, Sunday at 2pm ET on Animal Planet and Discovery Plus.
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