What A Difference A Week Makes

I left for the beach on May 7th, and my herb garden was just fine. Five days later?  What happened? The yarrow is out of control and taken the St. John's Wort, and Oregano with it!
All of this needs to be cut back, and the flowers removed. I will use the St John's Wort little yellow flowers as an infusion, but the oregano, should not be allowed to bloom. I think I will cut the

Yarrow



Tansy

 yarrow about a third of the way down.  When you are trimming your herbs, you should only take about a third of the plants.  There is tansy in the corner which was blooming little daisy like fowers when I left, but these have now long died.  Tansy is good to plant beside the steps or patio to help deter mosquitos. In the background is blue salvia, and catnip.  My lavender has begun to bud and bloom.  These will be cut and dried for sachets and bath teas.  Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

Garden Whimsy

 I have had this old black bike for quite a while and the area around the tree was hard to keep weed free.  Three years ago I planted two small pots of ivy, and you can see how it has grown. The area goes all the way up the driveway to the road, and I hope to have most covered with the ivy in a few years. I found the blue stop sign in someones trash on the side of the road and grabbed it up. If you look closely behind the back wheel, you will see Emma, my stray hen, who doesn't want to be confined to the pen. She comes and goes as she wants, and sometimes I won't see her for weeks.  Now that I have the baby chicks in their pen, she meets me down at the barn every evening to go in, eat a snack, and come back out.  Occasionally I make her stay overnight, so that I can get an egg.  I have no idea where she lays them the rest of the time!

Beach Trip and Lower Alabama Caviar

This is the view from a friend's beachhouse at Fort Morgan, Alabama, at Gulfshores. I spent 5 days of fun with some great friends, but was glad to get home, and back to my family. Whenever we go to Gulfshores, we have to eat at Lulu's. Lulu Buffett is the sister of Jimmy Buffet, and has created a great restaurant which is a fun place for everyone in the family.

I had never tried fish tacos before and her Mahi Soft Tacos with Chipotle Sauce were delicious.

I purchased her premiere magazine Lulu's which was choked full of great recipes and I need to order her cookbook to find the chipotle cream sauce recipe and purchase her chipotle taco seasoning to complete the recipe!!!!! Oh well, she knows how to sell her merchandise!

I will however, leave you with the LA Caviar (Lower Alabama) and encourage you to visit the beautiful gulf coast. There was no lingering damage to the beaches from the BP oil spill, and workers were out there daily combing the beaches. My friend Dena who owns the house, reports their beach has never looked better.  Be sure you visit Lulu's while you are there.

LA Caviar
Serves 20-25

Dressing
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Place all dressing ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and shake to
dissolve sugar.  Set aside.

4 (15 oz) cans black eyed peas 
1 cup chopped each green, red, and yellow bell pepper
1 cup chopped red onion, 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered.

Place peas in a large glass or stainless steel bowl
Add peppers, onions, parsley, and tomatoes.
Pour dressing over the top and toss well
Transfer to a plastic bowl, cover and chill for at least 2 hours
before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips or saltine crackers.

http://www.lulubuffett.com/

Karen

Chicks and Weeds and Me, Oh my!

I can't believe it has been a month since I posted!! I had every intention of posting 3-4 days a week, but oh well, well laid plans...... It has been absolutely beautiful in Georgia.  We have set record high temperatures, and the spring rains have made the grass grow, and the weeds multiply at an alarming rate. I could spend 8 hours a day for a solid week, and not get all my weeding done.

You know it is spring because the chicks have arrived at Tractor Supply. We purchased 5 pullets that lay brown eggs and a questionable pullet or rooster from the straight run batch. We hope it is a hen, because it will lay blue or green eggs.  These were with me under a watchful eye from the cats in my perennial garden.  Later they will go back in their box in the kitchen under a light.



The last month has also brought the worst month for allergy sufferers. I have never had many allergies, but this year I have had a hacking cough and sore throat for a month.  Our front porch is currently covered in yellow pollen.  I live in the Chattanooga Tennessee area, and it is one of the top 5 worst areas for pollen in the nation.


Do these azaleas make me look fat?



Happy spring!

Karen

Foxglove, Foxes, and Fairies




 

There is a legend that bad fairies gave the blossom of foxgloves to the fox that he might put them on his toes to soften his tread when he prowled among the roosts.

Mrs. M. Grieve, A Modern Herbal

Last year I bought two foxglove plants (digitalis purpurea) from the local high school's plant sale. I had previously hesitated planting a foxglove in my garden, since they are poisonous and I have animals and two granddaughters. The minute a plant blooms, they want to pick it and bring it into the house. (The granddaughters, not the cats!)  I knew they would not be able to resist these beautiful plants. But I bought them, and they went into my herb garden.  They survived last year's scorching heat, and I found them peeking out from under their mulch this morning.

Foxglove shouldn't get such a bad rap. It was one of the first medicinal herbs used widely in traditional medicine, and is still used today.  As a cardiac nurse, I am well aware of digoxin which plays an important role in the treatment of congestive heart failure.

Don't be afraid to add these pretty flowers to your garden. Be aware of any flower or herb you plant which may be poisonous,and if needed plant them out of the reach of children and animals.  And especially if you have chickens, be on the watch for those mean fairies and crafty foxes.

Karen


Foxglove photo courtesy of http://www.types-of-flowers.org/  

Top 5 Reasons for Choosing Heirloom Seeds

I won packets of Heirloom Seeds from the Grow it Forward Heirloom Seed Contest .  Woo Hoo! The contest was sponsored by BakerCreek Heirloom seeds, and Your Garden Show.com to promote perserving our heirloom plants.

There are many great reasons to choose heirloom seeds, but here are MY top 5.

• Heirlooms are antiques. They have been around for hundreds of years.
• Heirlooms are open pollinated. This means you can save the seeds from your heirloom plants, replant them again the next year, or give away to your friends to plant. 
• Heirlooms have great names like mortgage lifter tomato, french breakfast radish, and big momma lima bean.
• There are thousands of varieties available.
• Heirlooms are much tastier.

Backyard gardeners and organic farmers have a wonderful opportunity to keep these seeds alive or they will disappear altogether.  This gardening year, be sure you include heirloom seeds in your garden, and "Grow It Forward" for generations to come.

Sprouting Seeds Don't throw those old seeds away!



click on picture for directions on checking germination of seeds



About ten days ago, I placed some old seeds on moist paper towels to see which ones would sprout.  Out of all the seeds, the Four O'clocks, Shasta Daisy, and Wildflowers all sprouted. All were about 2 years old. The older seeds were as old as five years and none of the moonflower or evening primose would sprout.  If you find some old seeds and and don't want to throw them out if they are good, try testing the seeds for germination.