The Rural Voice, 2001-05, Page 46about 5 minutes or until onions are
softened. Stir in rice, chicken stock,
tarragon, basil and milk; cook,
stirring. until mixture boils. Reduce
heat to low; cover and cook for 10
minutes. stirring frequently. Uncover
and cook, stirring, for 5 to 10 minutes
longer or,until thick and creamy. Stir
in parmesan cheese, parsley. pepper
and reserved asparagus. Serve
immediately.
ASPARAGUS -CHICKEN
PAELLA
1 Ib (500 g) asparagus
4 chicken legs, separated into
thighs and drumsticks
salt and pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sweet red pepper. cut into strips
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and
chopped
1 cup (250 mL) parboiled rice
pinch saffron, crushed
2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock
Wash asparagus and "snap" off
ends (the ends will break off exactly
where the woodiness stops and the
tenderness begins). Cut spears into
bite -sized pieces, reserving tips
separately. Dry chicken; season with
salt and pepper.
In large skillet, heat oil over
medium-high heat; in batches, brown
chicken pieces on all sides, then
transfer to large shallow casserole or
paella pan.
Drain off all but 2 tbsp (25 mL)
drippings. Cook onion, garlic, red
pepper and tomato, stirring, until
softened. Stir in rice, asparagus
stems, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and saffron
until rice is well coated. Stir in stock
and bring to boil, stirring to scrape up
any brown bits from bottom.
Add rice mixture to chicken; cover
and bake in 375°F (190°C) oven for
30 minutes or until rice is tender and
juices run clear when chicken is
pierced. Add asparagus tips; cover
and bake another 10 minutes or until
tender.
Let stand 5 minutes.
(Alternatively, if using paella pan,
simmer on top of stove for 20
minutes; add asparagus tips and cook
5 minutes.) 0
42 THE RISRAL VOICE
Gardening
Dealing with winter's damage
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
By now you will have surveyed
your garden and started making lists
of perennials and shrubs that you
can't live without or that have to be
replaced atter last winter's heavy
snow. This just may be the year for
you to try propagating some cuttings
to replace some of your badly broken
shrubs.
Pick your location carefully;
cuttings will need some sun to
maintain photosynthesis but provide
Tight shade with either slats,
cheesecloth or other light retarding
material. The leaves should not
become overheated; cool
temperatures combined with enough
air circulation will help avoid rotting.
Your growing medium should retain
moisture but not have the cuttings
sitting in water. Look at sand or a
mixture of sand and vermiculite or
peat moss.
Now to the cuttings. Softwood
cuttings of herbaceous plants such as
chrysanthemum, phlox, and
delphinium are taken from the plant
and inserted in a rooting medium in
early spring and at any time during
the growing season when young
shoots about three inches are
available. Softwood cuttings of
woody plants are mad; now in May
until early July.
The most important rule is to not
let the cuttings wilt. Don't be
distracted from your task with other
jobs or by visitors. Gather your
cuttings early in the morning. Put
them in a plastic bag or container
lined with wet newspapers. Find a
shady place to work and make your
cuttings anywhere from two to eight
inches long. Cut just below a joint
and remove the lowest leaf or leaves.
Treat the cuttings with a rooting
hormone dust and insert into the
rooting medium and water well.
When buying your rooting
hormone select the one appropriate
for your cuttings. One is for softwood
and another for hardwood. Use a
pencil or slender twig to make the
hole in the growing medium for the
cuttings to avoid wiping off the
rooting hormone when you insert the
cutting. It is important to keep the air
continuously humid. Sprinkle the
cuttings several times each day. Keep
them in a light shade. Be prepared to
coddle these cuttings along. Once
rooted they should be potted up and
carefully tended for the first year.
Bury the pots into soil or peat moss
tG keep them from drying out and
protect them from heavy deep frost
the first year with mulch or pop them
into a cold frame.
You can fairly easily root
buttonwood, catalpa, poplar, willow,
Russian olive, and fruits such as
blueberry, currant, and gooseberry.
Consider ornamentals such as
shrubby dogwood, euonymus,
forsythia, hibiscus, privet, rose,
spirea and tamarix. I took a few
cuttings from some unusual lilacs and
ENIBE
Ott
F•A•R•M
* Nursery Farm * Garden Centre * Landscape Design and Installation
• Great Quality Trees • Great Selection
• Competitive Pricing
Nursery is located 1 km. east of Bornholm.
Open 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Mon. — Sat.; 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Sun.
. ph/fax 519-347-2725