Firecracker Grilled Salmon Recipe

It is time to start grilling again. Outdoor garden fountains are out from their storage and running smoothly again. Outdoor wooden furniture has been cleaned with wood preservative applied. I can sit outside and truly enjoy the outdoors for the first time in 2009.

I live in the northeast and it is early for outdoor dining. It will be dipping back down into the sixties again by Wednesday so I had better enjoy it will I can.

These are salmon fillets in a tasty, tangy sauce with a little heat! Serve with rice and a simple stir-fry of baby corn, shiitake mushrooms and snow peas.

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com - my favorite recipe website.

Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon

8 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

• Place salmon fillets in a medium, nonporous glass dish.


• In a separate medium bowl, combine the peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt.


• Whisk together well, and pour over the fish.


• Cover and marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.


• Prepare an outdoor grill with coals about 5 inches from the grate, and lightly oil the grate.


• Grill the fillets 5 inches from coals for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until fish just flakes with a fork.


• Turn over halfway through cooking.

If you love salmon you will find this a nice change to how you normally cook your salmon. Enjoy!!

If you are looking to add to your outdoor yard and garden decorations visit my website. Outdoor wooden furniture, outdoor garden fountains, decorative birdhouses and more

Other recipes for the Grill:
Pork Tenderloin Recipe for your Grill
Another great recipe for your Grill- Cajun Chicken
An Amazing Grilled Shrimp Recipe

Some Spring Birding Spots

As I start spending more times in my garden and backyard. Monitoring my decorative birdhouses and keeping my water in my garden bird bath clean. I also like to get out and about too. So it is time to plan a birding trip. Cape May is the best spot for me but if you are looking for an outdoor adventure too. See information below

Top 10 Spots for Spring Birding

Midlantic Birding

Away network has described birding at Cape May, New Jersey as follows:

The Cape May Peninsula, dangling off the southern end of New Jersey into Delaware Bay, falls dead center in a migratory pathway followed every spring and fall by millions of raptors, songbirds, seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. During migration, Cape May is without question one of the best places in the world to have a good pair of binoculars. If you're at Higbee Beach on a late-April or May morning after a strong cold front has passed through, you may be treated to a "fallout" of thousands upon thousands of songbirds.

If you decide to stay home and want to add something to your backyard. Take a look at my website YourGardenRetreat.com. I have a great selection of outdoor garden decor including garden bird baths, wild bird feeders, decorative birdhouses, yard fountains, garden stakes, outdoor lanterns, lawn and garden furniture and more..

Other articles that may interest you:


Birdwatching activities to do with your children
The Best Places to go Bird Watching..from All about Birds website
Water will attract more birds to your Yard

What to do with those Easter Plants: Lilies, Tulips, Hyacinthins, & Daffodiles

Every year I am so busy planning my summer flower garden, choosing new outdoor garden decor for my backyard or monitoring my decorative birdhouses that I let my Easter plants become neglected and left on the back porch. Not this year..I did some research and this is what I plan to do with my Easter Plants this year!!!

Easter Lilies Put in the Garden

The most popular Easter Flower is the lily, as it symbolizes Easter as no other Flower can.

Most Easter lilies are varieties of Lilium longiflorum and force rather easily, making good outdoor garden subjects for future years. The potted Easter lily will not only bloom ahead of time in the spring, but the same bulb, set out in your garden in early summer, may well flower again before frost.

After The Bloom Fades..how to replant lily into your garden

• Lilies can be planted outdoors once the weather warms a bit, but you will want to make sure they are kept happy and healthy until then. Avoid any drastic departure from the care they have been accustomed to in the greenhouse. This includes proper watering, good drainage and adequate light. If pots came wrapped in a waterproof material, such as aluminum foil, pinch a hole in the bottom immediately to permit excess water to run off. Saucers placed under plants to catch draining water should be emptied promptly.
  
  
• When flowers fade, cut them off with sharp scissors, leaving the stalk until it withers naturally. When the leaves begin to yellow and look shabby, reduce watering until finally you are moistening the soil lightly only every week or two. Store the plant in its pot in a cool, dim, frost-free place & continue to water lightly at intervals to prevent the bulb drying completely.
  
  
• Once all danger of frost has passed and when the soil temperatures have warmed sufficiently, you can transplant your lily outdoors.
  
  
• When planting outdoors put in a sunny location that has well-drained organic rich soil (a well drained commercial planting mix, or a mix of one part soil, one part peat moss and one part perlite). Good drainage is imperative for growing lilies.
  
  
• At this point you have to decide between two methods. Planting bulbs or Setting pot into the ground
  
  
1. Plant bulbs 3 inches below ground and mound an additional 3 inches of soil over the bulb. Plant bulbs, about 12 to 18 inches apart and water in thoroughly.
   
   
2. Set the entire pot and plant into the ground until the foliage has died back, then gently remove it from the pot and plant it directly into the ground. Spread the root ball by gently pulling upward and outward from the center to loosen the clumped and matted roots. Plant it a little deeper than what it was growing in the pot.Spread the roots and work the prepared soil in around the bulbs making certain that there are no air pockets around the roots.
   
   

• Water thoroughly after planting. Cover it with soil, mulch, and cut the stems back to the ground. Feed monthly with an all-purpose 10-10-10 water-soluble fertilizer. New shoots should begin to appear in a short time, and with any luck, your lily may bloom again in the late summer
  
  
• Like most lilies, Easter lilies like their roots in the shade and their heads in the sun. Many are killed off by exposure to winter winds and sun. So be sure to provide winter protection by mulching the ground with a thick, generous layer of straw, leaves, evergreen boughs, wood chips or pine needles.
  
  
• Carefully remove the mulch in the spring to allow new shoots to come up and apply a good commercial 5-10-5 fertilizer
  
  
• Remember.. your Easter Lily will not bloom in the garden in time for Easter next year. It's natural blooming period is June or July! Which is about the time your outdoor garden decor is really taking shape and your decorative birdhouses are filled with nesting birds.. Early summer.. is the best.
  
  

Other Easter Flowers Bulbous Plants - Tulips, Hyacinths and more

Tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and lilies-of-the-valley are other bulbous plants frequently forced for Easter flowering. These, like lilies, need proper watering, good drainage and adequate light. If pots came wrapped in a waterproof material, such as aluminum foil, pinch a hole in the bottom immediately to permit excess water to run off. Saucers placed under plants to catch draining water should be emptied promptly.

To plant now or plant later that is the question?!?

• The simplest way is to plant the whole pot in the ground after danger of frost is passed. Make sure you add some bone meal to the bottom of your planting hole to provide phosphorus to strengthen it for next year's flowering cycle. To strengthen the bulbs even more, you might want to soak it with Miracle-Gro about once a week as well. After the leaves turn brown (and not before; they're collecting strength from the sun and sending it down to the bulb for storage) trim them right off. That's it! You won't see them again this year but next spring
  
  
• Another way is to care for the bulb foliage in the pot, giving it light fertilizer and partial sun. Once the foliage has turned yellow, cut the leaves off and take the bulbs out of the soil and store in a mesh bag, hanging it in a dry place like the garage.
  
  Then replant the bulbs in the fall. A small scoop of bone meal stirred into the soil at the base of the hole is a must.Be sure the tulip bulbs are 6 to 8 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Hyacinths bulbs 7-8” deep and 6” apart. Daffodil bulbs 3 to 5 inches deep and at least 3 inches apart. Cover the bulbs and give them plenty of water.

Don’t be disappointed if your bulbs do not bloom the first year outdoors. Those you buy from a greenhouse may take a year or more of growing and storing energy from the sunshine before they are able to bloom again. Tulips often do not come back well. Hyacinths usually come back and bloom again and daffodils come back very well.

Southern Gardeners

The trick here is that you can’t put them outside because you don’t get the 12 to 16 weeks of cold weather the bulb requires to set the bud. You have to grow the leaves in the pot until they yellow and die. Yes, you have to grow the leaves first in order to get the energy into the bulb or you won’t get flowers next year. Then you have to let the pot and bulbs dry out. You can dig them up at this time if you like and clean them off. Store them in a dry, well-ventilated area. Twenty weeks before you want to see flowers (you have to count backwards) you want to put them into a pot and water that pot well. Then you have to get them into a cooler (like a refrigerator) for 16 weeks so they will get their cold treatment. If you put them into the freezer you will kill them. Roughly four weeks before you want blooms, pull them out of the cooler, start watering and giving light and within a few days you’ll see leaves sprouting.

If you need any outdoor garden decor for your backyard such as outdoor wooden furniture, decorative birdhouses, deck birdbaths, squirrel proof birdfeeders, tuned wind chimes, outdoor garden fountains

Other articles that my interest you:
Darn those Rabbits are eating my tulips
10 Spots for seeing Wildflowers and more..
Early Spring Garden Chores

10 Great Spots to See Wildflowers & More..

Springtime is the best!! My flowers, shrubs and bulbs are coming alive.. I walk around my garden imaging how it will look in full bloom. Deciding what new flowers I should buy this coming planting season.

The perennials I separated and moved last fall are looking great in their new spots.

But my garden is far from its peak. So I wonder.. where are gardens in full bloom?

I found a list of the 10 Best Wildflowers-Viewing Spots. I wish that I lived closer to one of those spots but I do not.

So I will have to check out Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania soon and it will be magnificent.

You can find gardens open to the public in your area.

Get Outdoors!! This is one of the best times of the year to celebrate amazing gardens.

If you are looking for something new to compliment your outdoor space.. take a look at my website YourGardenRetreat.com

Big Problems with the Invasive House Sparrows and European Starlings

Both European Starlings and House Sparrows are not native to the United States and both can cause serious problems for Backyard Birds. In a previous post I addressed the ways to discourage these birds from feeding in your backyard.

The more serious problem these birds present is their aggressive nature of nesting that will cause problems for your purple martins and bluebirds. Choosing the right decorative birdhouse or nesting box becomes more critical when dealing with these birds

This is a problem which as I researched I found very disturbing. I am having difficulty writing this post. This is the best information I could get without getting into areas of poison and killing.

European Starlings

European Starlings were first introduced to the United States in 1890. The story is that one hundred starlings were released in New York’s Central Park in hopes that all of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works would become established in the New World.
In the hundred years since those starlings were released the population has grown to an estimated 150-200 million birds. Today starlings are considered pests more than anything else

What is the problem?

• When purple martins are away, starlings will destroy any eggs or young they find in the nests. Often, if a starling is able to capture or trap an adult martin in its' cavity, they will even kill them. Once they evict the owners of the compartment, they often slip from cavity to cavity, destroying the eggs and young in the other cavities. They drive the returning martins away and prevent them from nesting in the house. On occasion a pair of starlings will build their nest right on top of baby martins that aren’t even dead yet
  
• Northern Flickers population decline is partially attributed to the European Starling taking over their nesting cavities. As secondary excavators, European starlings rely on flickers to do the work of finding a suitable site & excavating a cavity. The starlings then move in to over take the flickers and then seize the nesting cavity.
  
• Starlings also steal chicken feed and corn silage, and they eat seedlings in fields of grain.

Eliminating them:

• One of the major discoveries in the last few years to control the starling infestation is the crescent shaped (Starling Resistant Entrance Holes) SREH's. 99% of all starlings will be kept out of martin housing with this shape entrance hole. If starlings are a problem in your area than a gourd birdhouse with oval entrance hole is one of the first things you should look for. Starlings hate them.
  
• For your other nesting birds the best ways to keep the European starlings away is to make sure your birdhouses are the right specifications (see chart) which will be too small for starlings to get in. Make your bluebird nest box entrance holes no larger than 1 9/16” and have good portal protectors.
  
• Remember to not feed them as I discussed in previous post
  
  

House sparrows

First you see one cute little sparrow chirping. Then, a few weeks later you notice several more sparrows have joined the first one. Now a year later, the House sparrows have seemingly taken over the trees surrounding your property and signs of their nests protrude from siding, gutters and every other available crack and crevice of your house.

House sparrows are prolific nest builders that never are satisfied with the size of their bird accommodations

What is the problem?

• House Sparrows are probably the most important causes of Bluebird decline. House Sparrows not only destroy songbird eggs, they kill the adult and the young birds by attacking them in the nest box and scalping the birds with their hooked beaks. Then to add further insult, they often build their nest over the bodies of their victims.
  
• If you can’t find a safe place away from House Sparrows for your nest boxes or undertake a sparrow control program, you are probably causing more harm than good to your backyard songbirds.
  
• Sparrows also will invade purple martin houses. First they make their home in one cavity which is evident by the overflowing nesting materials bulging out of the box. Once they are settled in, they too go from compartment to compartment, 'pinning' (pecking holes in) the eggs in the entire house. Like the European starling a house sparrow’s motive is to prevent the raising of other bird’s young so that there is less competition in the future. Sparrows will eventually fill all the cavities of the house, making it un-inhabitable by martins

Eliminating them

• Filling in the cracks of your house where the birds are gaining entry using 19 gauge hardware cloth.
  
• Unlike the European starling where the entrance hole modifications and precise birdhouse dimensions will take care of the majority of problems. The house sparrow can get into an entrance hole as small as 1 3/16 which enables them to get in almost any nesting box or birdhouse.
  
• There are traps from PMAC available for the specific purpose of capturing sparrows. All of these traps catch the birds, and then hold them, unharmed, until you deal with them. If you just can't seem to bring yourself to dispose of them and you will need to drive them as far as 20 miles to get rid of them. The birds you trap can also be given to local bird rehabilitation centers to feed to injured raptors.
  
• Since House Sparrows don’t migrate, you may be able to keep them away by trapping and getting rid of them in your area.
  
• House Sparrow nests must be removed and destroyed immediately when found. You must also destroy the eggs and young.

The alternatives for getting rid of the birds are endless. All you have to do is type in bird control in Google and see the numerous choices. What really works is another story. A company that receives referrals from Audubon society is Bird X whose policy is to provide non-lethal, non-harmful, environmentally safe and ecologically sound products. Of course contacting your local pest control company is another alternative. These birds are not protected by law so they can be killed but this is an area I still feel very uncomfortable about.

Additional information on some of the trap products available from PMAC

• There's a wire cage called a Repeating Bait Trap. With the correct placement of this trap, you can catch sparrow after sparrow.
  
• If they are bothering a wooden house where the front is removable for access, they have a simple little trap called the INT-1, Insert Trap, that you attach inside the access hole and upon entering the house, the sparrow is trapped until you retrieve it.
  
• If you have an aluminum house, they have a device called a Spare-O-Door. Again, the sparrow enters the house, is trapped and held in a plastic bag until you retrieve it.
  
• For bluebird boxes, there is a Nest Box Trap that has the INT-1 installed in it to catch the ones that won't leave your bluebirds alone. All you have to do is temporarily replace your bluebird box with it until you catch the sparrow, then replace your bluebird house.
  
  
  For more information on these non-native, nuisance species, go here: North American Bluebird
  Society

If you are looking to buy a decorative birdhouse or nesting box.. visit my website

Some other articles you may be interested in:
Get Rid of those Bully Birds- Stop Feeding Them
Concerns for Birds in America
What you need to know about the 39 Most Common Birds in America

Darn those Rabbits they are Eating my Tulips!!

I do not know about you but my battle with the rabbits in my flower beds have begun.

I planted tulips for the first time in the fall and had no idea that rabbits loved this plant..oh my what a disappointment.. I still see the buds so I am hoping that they will bloom. But my hopes for them coming back next year are significantly reduced with so much of the foliage eaten.

I try to spray rabbit repellent as often as I think about it but those rabbit get to my tulips faster than I do sometimes

For right now I am spraying rabbit deterrent every two weeks and also after a good rain. I am not ready to fence in each tulip but maybe after this year I will.

Following are some sites to visit they have information to combat this problem.

Ron Smith, Horticulturist, NDSU Extension Service

Gardens Alive

Green Bytes

eHow article


Here are some blog positng that may be worth sifting through

Rabbits vs bulbs

Northscaping.com

I can garden

Good lucK.. If I discover anything new I will let you know.

If you need anything for your birds or to sit on out in your garden take a look at my website-YourGardenRetreat.com

Amazing Birds and Amazing Birds 2

I was stumbling around on Stumble Upon and found these postings. Love love it.

Take a look and enjoy the information about some truly amazing birds

Amazing Birds..Fastest flying bird, Bird with biggest nest, Only bird to fly backwards, & more


Amazing Birds 2.. Smelliest Bird, Most skilled nest builder, tallest bird to fly, heaviest bird to fly and more..

Have a good week

4 Tips on Getting Your Outdoor Fountain Flowing Again this Spring

Inspect Where You have Put or Plan to Put Your Outdoor Garden Fountain:

• Clear away any debris from area
• Check the ground for signs of shifting or settling. Determine if it is still a sound location for your outdoor fountain
• Make sure your electrical outlets are in good condition and do not need to be repaired or replaced. (see more information on safety guidelines for outdoor sockets)
• If your fountain did not perform optimally last year, check to make sure your outlet is the correct voltage required for your fountain. Your fountain should be plugged into a GFCI protected outlet. When using an extension cords many townships codes require it to be plugged into a GFCI outlet.
• These steps should be done even if your fountain was not moved inside for the winter and is currently in the location
• If problems exist with outlet or ground choose a new location for your fountain. Your fountain must always be plugged into

Inspect and Clean the Basin, Jets and Channels of your Outdoor Garden Fountain

• This is everything but the pump
• Whether your fountain was brought inside for the winter or left outdoors you should have protected against moisture. This will significantly reduce wear. (See here for full details on how to winterize your fountain this coming year)
• Inspect your fountain there should only be slight signs of weathering. If not you may need to replace or repair those parts.
  
• If your fountain has been out all winter make sure there is nothing blocking the water flow such as leaves or ice.
• Thoroughly clean the fountain.

Check the Pump of Your Outdoor Garden Fountain

• Check it for wear and tear.
• Your pump whether your fountain was indoors or out should have been kept inside over the winter therefore shouldn't need much attention.
• Get reacquainted with its specifications to make sure you put it back in your fountain properly and your electrical source is correct
• In many cases you can buy a new pump to give an older fountain more energy.

Start Your Outdoor Garden Fountain Up

• When weather conditions permit start up your fountain and see how it works
• Note any unusual performance in its flow.
• This could come be due to one of three reasons
  1)a blockage in the fountain’s body,
  2)an issue with the pump
  3)an issue with the power supply.
• Check these in order to determine the problem.
• For solar garden fountains, remember that the light level will affect power and flow.

Once you have it running properly, follow the normal operating instructions for your garden fountain. Then sit and enjoy the effect of your outdoor garden fountain. Your outdoor living space comes back to life as your centerpiece ushers in the warm season.

If you are looking to purchase a new outdoor garden fountain, visit YourGardenRetreat.com for a great choice of lightweight fiberglass and resin fountains.

Other articles that may be of interest:
Various articles on Fountain Care and tips
Make sure Fountain Pump is in Good Working Order