This Week

It's been a busy week 'round here.

1. Our tomatoes are coming in. I have to pick them early. VERY early. Our mockingbirds are up to their old tricks. As soon as the tomatoes start to turn, the birds start to peck them.
2. I harvested basil and made a batch of pesto. I need to head downstairs and make a second batch as soon as I'm finished here.
3. The Crepe Myrtle is in full bloom. Color. Glorious Color.
4. Black Eyed Susans. Need I say more?
5. Toad pool. I made a home for the toad and frog that hang out around the front door garden. 

We've been watching a lot of Olympics. I can't wait for the track and field to begin. That's my sport.
Until next time.....

This Week

This week I complained a lot about the heat and the drought. Looking back, I think I probably complained too much. We spent the 4th of July at home and for the first time ever, didn't fire up the grill. We had a laid back holiday sipping Gin and tonics, eating BLT's and homemade peach ice cream. It was a nice change actually, especially since it was 100+ degrees outside.

1. I bought a new pair of much needed Converse. It's been years since I owned a pair of low tops.
2. Our sunflowers that are planted on the south side of the house are in full bloom. The bees and goldfinches love them. We do too. We get a bird's eye view of all the action right outside the window.

3. I laid the soaker hoses that I bought. And mulched the gardens. We're still watering with a sprinkler twice a week. The gardens are suffering, but hanging in there. You can see how dry it is by looking at the color of the grass in the yard.

4. The Rose of Sharon is blooming like crazy. She doesn't care that it's hot or that she's not getting watered. Maybe I should be more like her.

5. The chocolate morning glories are blooming. I love them. And I love the variegated leaves.

6. Our basil is big enough to start harvesting. Note to self: buy pine nuts.

Well, this coming week looks like we'll have some changes in the weather. Rain chances increase and temperatures decrease. Fingers and paws crossed.....

'Round Here

The weather is finally more like Spring than summer. Temps have dropped down to the 60's during the day and 30's at night. We did have a couple of nights with a frost and one with a freeze. Some perennials got bit, but they should be OK. I carried seedlings and houseplants, that were moved outdoors for the season , in and out of the garage.
I put transplanting and seeding on hold for now. There will be plenty time for that as soon as this cold spell passes.

1. Lily of the Valley. Such a wonderful scent!
2. Basil seedlings.
3. Columbine.

Harvesting Basil

Growing basil? Well, if you are, then you too are probably knee deep in the fresh herb right about now. It's an easy herb to put up. Here's a few of the ways that I preserve basil.

Pretty much everyone I know makes pesto. (note to self: buy pine nuts). I spoon fresh pesto into ice cube trays, freeze and store in freezer containers or freezer bags. Freeze. Take them out and thaw as needed.

I'm not a fan of dried basil, so I freeze ours fresh. I chop the leaves and pack them in freezer containers. When I need some for a recipe, I throw it in while it's still frozen.

Basil garlic vinegar is my favorite thing to make with our basil and garlic. It's so easy to prepare and makes lovely gifts!

Here's how I make ours.

I head out to the garden with a clean bottle, snips and a chopstick. I snip basil leaves and pack the whole leaves into the bottle . This is where the chopstick comes in. Push the leaves through the bottleneck and pack lightly.

Add one clove of garlic to the bottle and top with vinegar. I use white, but you could use any flavor. Store in a cool dark place. You may need to add more vinegar because the leaves will absorb some. I let ours sit a few months. I don't take the basil leaves out, but you can if you wish.

Until next time.....

Tips, Tricks 'n Recipes From The Garden

A few quick tips before I head out to the garden.

Making pesto? Was your local market out of pine nuts? That's happened to me before, so now I buy them way ahead of time and pop them in the freezer until I need them for pesto. I try not to munch on them. That doesn't always work.

I freeze our pesto in ice cube trays, same as our tomato paste. After they're frozen, I store them in freezer bags or containers.

Fall's just around the corner. No, really it is. People rake their leaves and put them in bags next to the road for the county to pick up (in Nashville). We go around in our trucks and bring them home. We add them to our compost pile, mulch our beds with them (topped with pine needles), and turn them into our gardens. We stack bags next to our compost pile to use for mulch between the rows in the garden the following year. It's free gold!

Speaking of mulch and compost. We pick up our grass clippings with a grass bag and add them to our compost pile. We also use them in between the rows in our garden, usually layered on top of the leaves. In the fall, it's all turned under. Our garden soil used to be solid clay and now it's incredible dark, rich soil.

I freeze our bell peppers, whole, to use throughout the year. Simply cut off the top, scoop out the seeds and freeze in freezer bags. If you use them for stuffed peppers, stuff them when they're still frozen.

Planting a fall garden? Start thinking about it now. Since we usually have super wet springs around here, we rely on our fall garden for greens for the year. By the end of August, we'll start sowing spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, turnip greens, turnips, beets and I'm sure I'm missing some. Just make sure to keep them watered, if you go through a dry spell.

That's it for now. I've got a long day ahead of me.

Until next time.....