To see the full original newsletter with all the photos click here to get the pdf: January 2018 Newsletter
NEXT MEETING: JANUARY MEETING CANCELED DUE TO MECHANICAL DIFFICULTIES. Get togeth- er with fellow dahianistas and help dig out, divide or show how to store tubers. Promote dahlia com- munity spirit.
HO HO HOLIDAYS!
What a merry crew of almost forty dahllianeers gathered for delicious festivities. Frank and Pat transformed the audio/visual stand into a terrific bar complete with wine, juices, Jenna’s champagne, Gaensler wine and Maggie’s cider. Deborah ignited the tables with amazing dahlia fireworks including show quality Belle of the Ball, Wyn’s King Salmon, and Arena’s Sunset: enough for 5 daz- zling bouquets. Adding to the floral theme, Devorah’s gorgeous cranberry dahlia mold satisfied the sweet/ fruit/cream category. Appetizers of Gino’s shrimp and cheese and En’s homemade lumpia disappeared down happy gullets. Lola’s entire turkey was devoured in a thrice. Erik and Shelly’s munificent ham joined Tinnee’s samosas on almost all plates. Pat’s Shepard’s pie and Maggie’s spinach quiche utterly satisfied; more daring palates reached for Paula’s spicy tamale casserole or Deborah’s chicken tikka masala. In addition to wisteria starts, John brought cranberry and Fuja which accompanied Leo’s chocolate chip cookies. Who brought the entire box of chocolates???? Too Decadent. Besides her healthy Waldorf salad, Cathy baked luscious fudge. MMMMM! We were tempted by Jenni- fer’s cute baby cupcakes, Jenna’s amazing brownies and Bernie’s home-dried pears.
DAHLIA POTLUCKS ARE SOOO GOOOOD!
So many people asked for recipes, that we will include Deborah’s tikka masala casseroles here. Next month we’ll print Devorah’s cranberry mold and Jenna’s sumptuous brownies. Then Paula’s tamales. Look forward to experimentations in the kitchen.
Tika Masala Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons red pepper
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger • 4 cloves mashed garlic
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup whipping cream
Sauté whatever meat you choose: beef, lamb or chicken; set aside
Using the same pot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add: • 2 chopped onions
• 5 stems celery, chopped finely
• 1 anise/fennel root chopped finely
When well sautéed, add meat and spices and liquid. Let marry for a few hours. I try to let this sit at least 24 hours so all the flavors mingle harmoniously.
Serve over rice or pasta.
PRESENT PREDATION
Surgery elf, Craig, added purple tuber pens to each gift so everyone started out an ipso facto winner. Barry suggested a new twist for our rousing game of larceny: no shak- ing or poking. Rather, once a package was touched, it was considered claimed. The most stolen items this year included an odd metallic green wiener dog, a graceful lantern, sturdy loppers, super bloom, narcissi and a growing Fig tree start. Deborah stole the pecan turtles—twice! Halfway through our revelry, someone announced the democratic victory in Alabama and everyone jumped up and cheered! So San Francisco. Thank you to all of you who stayed to help us clean up.
HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR DAHLIA SOCIETY????
Lou, Devi and Pat have already fired up their cutting program for our Tuber and Plant sale the second Saturday in April. They put their own tubers and pot roots in the greenhouse. BUT they only have a single AA, Collerette and miniball presently. Cathy already donated her winning clump of Pennhill Watermellon to their efforts. What can you give them? The sooner tubers or clumps go into the green- house the more likely they will yield plants for our sale. Please call Devi to let her know what you might donate: 415-831-1221. They need clumps NOW through January.
DSC WEBSITE HELPFUL HINT:
When you go to our website at sfdahlias.org, do you wonder why we print the text of our e-newsletters without the pix? The answer is: So we can SEARCH on it. By clicking “pix,” your newsletter will appear with great moments captured in photos integrated into the whole publication. The text-only version can be used to search for things like home green house, gopher cages, fertilizer, milk carton technique et. al. This will go through all our newsletters currently highlighted and find where these subjects have been discussed. Deborah is currently collecting photos for a new section: Cool Tools. This will talk about things like her electric divider blade, Devi’s transformer kneelie and other favored gadgets we like to use. If you have a favorite go-to tool, send me a jpg pic and a wee blurb and I’ll add it.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL REMINDER
It’s time to renew your annual ADS and/or DSC membership. The dues remain the same: Dahlia Society of California only:
• Individual Membership………………………………$10.00
• Family Membership………………………………….$15.00
American Dahlia Society AND Dahlia Society of California • Individual Membership……………………………..$34.00
• Family Membership………………………………….$42.00
You can get the 2018 Membership Form here
COLORFUL DREAMS DURING THE MUD MONTHS
Oh the weather outside is frightful, but thoughts of spring are so delightful. Here are a few pages drool worthy dahlias to get you though the rainy days.
AC Rows End
AC Papa
Bloomquist Pumpkin
Clearview Jonas
Creekside Doc
Hollyhill Confetti
Creme de Cassis
Ellie Taylor
Sandia Blackheart
Formby Art
Star’s Favorite
Flamethrower
JUMP START JANUARY
Do you want dahlia blooms earlier than last year’s? Try making some late season cuttings from sprouts coming off the clumps you left in the ground. Give them prolonged light during the night—I use shop lights suspended on a bookcase. Devorah lines her bookcase with aluminum foil for maximum reflection. My Idaho brother, Mike, puts a little heater
in his greenhouse to defy the snow piling up outside. Keep these sprigs misted but not wet. I like to start in 2”x2”; Lou pops his cuttings directly into 4”x4” containers. I spritz mine with very dilute fertilizer. Corralitos starts most of theirs from last year’s pot roots, in bottom-warmed greenhouse benches. Last year Phil planted his Corralitos plugs the second week of March; by the end of April his garden yielded lavish bouquets.
A second option for jump starting your spring dahlias is to put your tubers in light potting soil in milk cartons and stash them in a warm spot. I bivouac my beauties in my loft; Paula uses a high shelf in a second story closet. You could choose a warm, sunny window. DO NOT WATER until you see little green sprouts; then begin with just a tablespoon of water at a time. Tubers have no roots; they will rot in the presence of too much moisture.
Start perusing the on-line catalogs. Order some fun new dahlias to surprise yourself and delight your fellow dahlianistas. Check the ADS Classification Book to make sure you are not seduced by dulcet persiflage overly lauding certain cultivars.
Devorah reminded me about plying weed suppression cloth over your plot so you don’t have to rip up interlopers all winter. A lower tech solution I’ve seen them using in Golden Gate Park is flattened cardboard boxes. Weeds cannot erupt without exposure to sunlight. Block off this vital access and you thwart upstarting weeds.
Now is the time to add “hot” amendments to your plot. Chicken or fresh horse manure need 4-6 weeks to mix in with your other soil organisms; it’s great to get them in before our major rains. Nab your neighbors’ leaves and compost those into your ground. Like voracious teenagers, you need to provide a full larder for your growing dahlias come spring. If you’ve left your clumps in, try covering the stalks with plastic bags or tinfoil. I used tinfoil last year and the raven’s turned the shiny coverings into crazy mating ritual sacrifices
Yours in Dirt,
Dahlia Society of California, Inc., San Francisco, CA — Copyrighted
Coming to a tuber sale near you
Like what you see? Visit the DSC for even more dahlia information. And if you are not a DSC member yet be sure to join.
sfdahlias.org
Originally Organized In 1917
In San Francisco the Dahlia was adopted as the Official Flower of San Francisco on October 4, 1926 by its Board of Supervisors
Executive editor and writer: Deborah Dietz
Editor and digital publishing: Mike Willmarth
Web editor: Devorah Joseph
Snail mail mistress and chief proof-reader: Pat Hunter
Photo credits: Arrington, Baker, Boley, Dietz, Ho, Jenson, Kelly