Omelets, Peonies, Oak Galls and Soap in the Garden
This episode will inspire you to make an omelet using vegetables you’ve grown or foraged for. Ellen and C.L. take a deep dive into peonies and all the questions people have about them not flowering, when to move them, how to control mildew and more. Finally, we clue you in about the fascinating (and mostly harmless) round growths on oak leaves, and advise a listener about the use of soap in the garden.
:33 What’s For Dinner Omelet Ideas, Farmed and Foraged
6:36 Eat/Drink/Grow: Peonies They’re finished flowering but you’ve got questions!
21:35 Insider Information: Oak Galls
25:19 Love Letters and Questions: My wife likes putting Irish Spring soap in our vegetable garden…
This is an example of a peony with a fungal infection…probably botrytis. This normally happens when spring weather is cool and wet, although the frequent splashing of plants from irrigation can also cause this problem. After peonies flower, prune off such diseased stems and throw them away. If you’re typically seeing such damage, spray the new stems regularly with an organic fungicide until they flower.
This is one of the common oak galls, often called an “oak apple.” It’s caused by a wasp and no, to our knowledge it’s not edible.