Late Summer (OMG) Garden!

The native monarda (Monarda fistulosa) is blooming nicely.  It is leaning a bit trying to get the most sun.  We propped it up with some sticks and strings this afternoon.  We had some blooming when Jekka was here in June and now the late summer (OMG) plants are blooming away.  Having a long vacation in the middle of summer has thrown me completely for an herbal loop!  I'm slowly finding all of the weeds that were just about to bloom.  They can disguise themselves very well.  There was one weed in the raspberries that was at least 7-1/2' tall and had a stem like a small tree trunk.  Had to make sure I got that one out before it sprang forth and multiplied!  Rain tomorrow.  Hope to get my handouts for Seven Springs finished.  Will show you more garden photos tomorrow.

Always Glad to See These!

We usually have an early crop of raspberries from last year's canes.  Between our July trip and the heat though, there were very few or no early raspberries.  These were delicious!  So I have been in search of jelly jars to make sure I have enough for the incoming crop.  Yippee!  Have to get back to my handouts for The Zen of Making Herbal Jelly.  I'm not so sure there will be much zen, but hopefully there will be a lot of good information exchanged!  Beautiful day outside.  Should be out there!  It's been one of those years!  Hope you are having a great day everywhere you may be.  Talk to you later. 

Sunday, September 25, 2011, Mother Earth News Fair, 3:00 PM

Well, it's official.  I'm going to be at Seven Springs on Sunday, September 25, 2011 on the Eating Well stage at 3:00 PM at the Mother Earth News Fair demonstrating how to make herbal jelly and you will get to try some as well!  So if you are in the area, please come and join me.  You can click on the photo in the upper right hand corner where the jelly jar is to get a list of speakers who will be there over the entire weekend.  My name will be added shortly to that list.  The weather outside is very pleasant and I'm in here on the computer.  Something wrong with that.  Well, hope you are having a good day.   St. Fiacre has taken Mary's place guarding the herb garden.  More about that in a later post. Talk to you later.

I Think Peggy R and I Have the Same Idea!

My blogging friend PeggyR from My Affairs with Art & Daily Life and I have the same idea and it's all good, PeggyR!  I know that they are tiger swallowtail butterflies and they have just been everywhere for us this year.  They seem to love our butterfly bushes (good thing!) and there were about seven or eight the other evening flying around.  You might have to click on the photo to get a better look.  Hope you are having a great day!  Need to go work on my list of things to do!   Talk to you later. 

We Do Have Figs!

The brown fig is usually the last one to give in a season.  This season our green figs lost their leaves when they spent July in the garage.  Do you blame them?  The brown fig held on to its figs and it has started to produce.  You can tell they are ready when the ants are rummaging the fruit.  We have been having them in our morning fruit salad.  Delish!  Got another day of weeding in the garden today.  Tomorrow looks like the laundry may get down because the rain is going to move in.  Hope you have had a great day wherever you may be.  Had to get more storage for my photos for this blog.  Changing my banner photo tomorrow.  Have a changing of the guard to talk about.  Stay tuned.  Talk to you later.

The Zen of Weeding!

It was such a beautiful yesterday and today in the garden.  I spent some time weeding before I mowed today.  Makes it so much easier.  Here is an article I found in the latest issue of The Herb Companion magazine.  I could swear it was called "The Zen of Weeding."  It's called Garden Maintenance Methods online by Tammi Hartung who wrote a book called Homegrown Herbs.  Have it on my wishlist.  She will be speaking at the Mother Earth News Fair on September 24 and 25 up at Seven Springs.  I think I will be speaking there as well.  Hope I get to meet her.  Well, in a nutshell, she says to embrace weeding because in the end, it helps you and your herbs.  Hope you had a great day.  Sorry this is so late in the day.  Been really busy.  Talk to you later.

This Poor Tree-Herbally Speaking!

This poor bay tree is on life support!  It has been in the living room until we came home from Europe.  It probably should have been outside sooner.  Although it might not have made it with the heat we had while we were gone.  The good news is is that it is growing new leaves and if any plant can make it, it would be this one.  The Herbal Husband has had some herbal miracles happen on his watch.  We had a Kaffir lime get down to one solitary leaf and survive to be big and beautiful.  So expect nothing less than that from the bay!  It was a beautiful day in the garden.  Was out weeding and will talk about it tomorrow after I mow!  Enjoy the day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

A Dutch Breakfast

Well, I really don't eat much chocolate any more, but I had to try what my Dutch hosts sometimes have for breakfast.  The top photo is shaved chocolate that comes in a box.  You butter a piece of white bread and then shake the chocolate on to the bread.  Devine! The second photo is of a spice cake or gingerbread.  It was very good as well and very Dutch.  Everything in moderation!  The heat has broken here.  We ordered our doors yesterday.  Yippee!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

The Egg, My Favorite Dutch Herb and The Special Gift!

Rooster and Possibly the Chicken That Laid the Egg!

One of These Eggs is the One I Saw Laid!

My Favorite Dutch Herb, Basil!

Dragonfly on Rudbeckia

I have so many stories to tell you of our fabulous vacation.  We only had a few short days in The Netherlands and I got to see and experience so much including a chicken laying an egg!

Our Dutch hosts keep chickens and one rooster.  I was relaxing on the back patio when one chicken came up to the corner of the garage and fluffed her feathers out and squatted down and laid an egg!  It is one of the two in the second photo above.  Can you believe it!  It was amazing.

Then that cutie in the third photo is my favorite Dutch herb named Basil.  He is quite a character and for his age still a puppy!  He even tried to be a lap dog the same day the chicken laid the egg!  You see where I'm going with this!  The final photo is of my new garden ornament Dragonfly on Rudbeckia by Marjolein Bastin.  You see Marjolein Bastin lived in the same city as our Dutch hosts do and at one time our host did her accounting work for her.  I decided to put it in my herb garden surrounded by my favorite, lemon verbena.  I'll post a better photo of it later.  Well, there are more adventures to come.  I seem to be moving at a snail's pace, but I don't have much to report in the garden at the moment!  I have a couple more Dutch stories to tell.  Hope you had a great day. We are supposed to have rain tomorrow.  Maybe we'll order our new garage door and back door.  Really need new ones.  Talk to you later.