Breaking Into The Winter Stores

As a gardener I like to stretch the harvest as long as possible. I like to have something fresh from the garden all the time. No small feat in Chicago. This year I grew some things that could be stored for the long haul, into the winter. This last weekend I decided to break into the winter stores for a little boost of mood. What did I break into? The onions? the ristra? No, I broke out a Crookneck Squash.

It looked great three months in. It smelled great. But what to do with it? I decided to break into the winter stores again, and what came out next? Sweet potatoes!

Three months in the store and it looked good, smelled good, was a tiny little bit odd on the texture.

So I roasted the squash in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme (I need to post on my successes with keeping the herbs going indoors so far this winter) and a touch of oil and brown sugar on the sweet potato. Into the oven, and, wow. A magnificent lunch on a cold day. What a joy. I would have gotten a picture, but they didn't even make it off the cookie sheet before they were eaten, still screaming hot, by an appreciative family.

Suddenly, I Find Two Things Are Connected...

On July 3 I posted a picture of an unusual bee. Or so I thought. I submitted it to the Univ. of Illinois to identification (I had more pictures than the one here) and they identified it as a "Bee Mimic". It is actually a fly.

On July 7 I found a young dead rabbit in my yard. We have had a couple over the last few years, and two this year. We have been wondering if someone in the neighborhood has been poisoning them.

Now I find out that the fly that was identified is a Cuterebra Abdominalis. Which is a parasite of the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit. Young rabbits that get a large number of the Cuterebra Abdominalis larvae, which lodge in the throat, can be fatal to them.

I think I have a serious parasitic life cycle going on under my deck.

Serious Thanks to the folks at Bee Spotter.

Bees!! Glorious Bees!!

So this morning I did my every other day morning bee check. Took Buddy out with me and I am down looking at the squash hoping to spot a squash bee and I hear the ubiquitous "Whassat Daddy", look up and my son is about to get ahold of this guy:

Not sure what kind of bee it is, but its about 2 inches long. Sent a photo off to U of I to get some help identifying it. Buddy was trying to pick it up, so I stopped him and grabbed the camera. Then I continued my tour out front and LO AND BEHOLD the BEES HAVE ARRIVED! Here is my first official spotting of a honey bee, they are all over my Delphiniums! Now I have to figure out how to get them to move to my tomatoes.

There are actually a whole bunch of different types of bees out there including some paper wasps, honey bees, a couple of different bumble bees, etc. Now I just need my beloved squash bees to come back!