Delayed Gratification

Over the past few seasons, Len and the boys have taken out some ugly bushes.  Len moved the compost pile to an easy-to-dump-into-from-the-deck location.  Most recently, he and Becca fenced in another spot and planted . . .

seedless Concord grapes!

Seven or eight years ago I read about the recently developed Thomcord, a hybrid of Thompson (seedless green) and Concord (delicious, super-grapey flavor with huge seeds) grapes.  At that point they were only available in California farmers' markets, but the article speculated that they would gradually spread nationwide.

I still haven't seen them in a grocery store, but Len found some planting vines (twigs?) on line.  If they survive our weather and deer, we could harvest our first grapes in two years.

Dreams of Summer

When the girls and I went shopping to replace our bird feeder, we spied the garden seeds and snapped some up.

Every year our perennials return:  chives, thyme, and mint.  Traditionally we add parsley and basil, but last year I got a (too late) hankering for cilantro, and Lauren's Greek dishes have inspired me to try growing dill as well.  Besides, our favorite Eastern black swallowtail caterpillars eat both parsley and dill (and carrot tops).

I was having so much fun admiring those seed packets that I decided to hang them up.  It was that or consignment to the black hole of my desk . . .

I am not much of a decorator, but all my hours of reading other peoples' cool blogs inspired me to create something more attractive than pictures held up with masking tape.  That little garland on my pantry door makes me smile both because it's cute and in anticipation of the growing season to come.

What's your summer dream?

Harvest Time

Last October, I was pleased with myself for uprooting my basil before it froze.  Unfortunately, I didn't soak the dirt with enough water, so much of the harvest dried and fell off before I actually made a few measly bags of pesto.

This weekend my helpers and I picked a big bag full of leaves, ready to process.  Then the basement freezer died, I got distracted, and our basil waited in the fridge.  I pulled it out Monday afternoon, thankful that it looked no worse for the wear.

It was time to assemble some pesto!

I wanted to run the batches through the food processor without delays, so I set up an assembly line.  Each pile of basil needed 8 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of walnuts, and 1/2 cup olive oil. 

I had my helpers peel and crush five separate piles of garlic.

After it's cut, basil turns brown (or at least khaki) right away (one reason I try to make all my batches quickly), so I preserve its color with "Ever Fresh", a combination of sugar and ascorbic acid.  I didn't have enough this time, so we supplemented by crushing vitamin C (ascorbic acid!) tablets.  Easy and cheap--the way to go . . .

I was so focussed that Rebecca was a few minutes late to her nature class, but gosh darn it, we finished the job!  All except the clean up, that is.  Oh well, the mess managed to wait for us to get home.  ;-)

Can you see in the close up how ugly the basil gets if it isn't packed up airtight right away?

So here's my happy news:  ten tiny bags of pesto, frozen flat and tucked away in the freezer.  This will last us till next year's harvest.

Bon appetit!

Too Little, Too Late?

Parsley is one of our doorstep herbs. I grow it for eating, of course, but also as part of our caterpillar tradition.

This year's seeds did not thrive, to put it mildly. (Two separate plantings of basil also flopped. Seedlings from my sister are saving the summer.)

Hoping it's not too late (our caterpillars usually appear in late August or early September), I bought some parsley for replanting.It doesn't look like much yet, but hope springs eternal, right?While working, I noticed that some of our current crop had been . . . cropped.I'm not sure what's been nibbling, so I decided to plant one set of seedlings in the fenced backyard garden. We'll see if those stems are more prosperous.Updated: I just watered both plots, and the backyard group looks healthier today. It may be because I separated those into fewer sections, or maybe the scrawny stems in front didn't get planted deeply enough. Time will tell. Wish me luck!

Frost-Free

Some years I wait too long, then wake up one morning to the blackened leaves of frostbitten basil. Not this time!

Last night I dug it up. The entire harvest is now sitting in a tub with a bit of water, waiting for me to make pesto.I've cut down basil before and kept it flourishing for weeks in water; sometimes the plants even begin growing roots again. Actually digging them up and keeping some dirt is a new technique for me.

Basil Beauty

The backyard garden is growing but is not especially prosperous (a lot of early summer rain, plus an errant vine that sucked the life out of the soil, we think). The herbs up front, however, are enjoying the heat and sun.


The basil on June 28: And on August 12:I haven't made pesto yet (I usually procrastinate until the end of the season) but I've given away leaves and made plenty of tomato salads. We'll put a few plants in pots for Lauren to take to school. And tonight we'll try a recipe contest winner (a finalist, anyway): pasta and tomato with honey mustard sauce. It looks to be quick and tasty. Hurrah!

Basil Beauties

Every year, we grow basil near the front door. It's a nice, sunny spot, and I have an easier time remembering to water plants that I see every day. Once they're tall enough, the plants provide leaves for pasta dishes, tomato-mozzarella salad, and pesto sauce. Yum!

We usually start our plants from seed, but they've been sprouting and growing poorly lately. Last year we even had to take a "do-over" with seedlings from my mother-in-law the gardening whiz. I gave my sister the leftovers, and hers which were kept in a pot with my mil's dirt prospered while ours struggled after being transplanted.

That was the final straw/diagnosis, so this spring Len overhauled our little patch of dirt, adding manure and peat moss. As you can see, we still didn't get many sprouts (I haven't taken any out), but they look much better than some years. I did move a few around for a more even distribution. Marianna's grandparents gave her a garden angel for Christmas. Since her flower patch is thickly planted with tall specimens, she has graciously set the angel to look over the herbs.

Hopefully in a month I'll have a picture of the angel with much taller basil in front of her! To her left the chives and spearmint are visible. We've also got parsley, thyme, and peppermint. Most are perennials; we only plant the basil and parsley each year.

How Does Her Garden Grow?

From this:To this:

Follow Up Photos

How are the room transformations going, you ask? We're almost done with all the sorting and moving; there's still one desk in the hallway. Lauren's room has undergone the biggest change. She painted it a lovely blue (which doesn't show up well here) and stencilled glossy black medallions on one wall. Len painted the ceiling, too, which really helped freshen things up. Note the coordinating (not matchy-matchy) comforter set.


Len has planted basil and parsley, and the chives are about to blossom. Here they are on the way. A fully open flower looks like a purple pom-pom. The blossoms are edible (but with a sharper onion-garlic flavor than the stems), and also last a long time in a vase. I'll get another photo when full bloom has been achieved.

Marianna's cutting garden was planted this weekend. Note the tiniest of brick pathways, leaving plenty of room for flowers. This is not a very sunny part of the yard, but hopefully she'll have some success anyway. Of course, the full anti-deer fence has also been installed.

Returning Friends

"Make new friends, but keep the old: one is silver, and the other's gold." I sang this countless times around Girl Scout campfires, and today it's reminding me of our herbs. We grow them right outside the front door where the light is bright and I'm most likely to remember to water them. ;-)

Every year we start parsley (for us and the Eastern black swallowtail caterpillars) and basil (for tomato salad and pesto) from seed. But before either is even planted, I have the excitement of welcoming my "gold" friends back.

Chives have a mild onion-garlic flavor that makes them a great sprinkle on potatoes or in pasta/rice/pilaf type side dishes, or with eggs. I just snip a handful, rinse, then snip or chop. They're so reliable and prolific that I've downsized from 4 clumps to 2, and last year was still able to divide and give some away to other gardeners. Here in Virginia they grow from spring through fall. Chive blossoms look like purple pom-poms, and last a long time in a vase; I'll try to remember to post a picture when they appear. We have peppermint and spearmint growing in separate corners. I hear tales of mint taking over gardens, but ours is enclosed by the house and sidewalk, so it has not been hard to control. I am actually not a huge mint fan, but we do like it in iced tea, and it's fun to casually munch on the leaves. Last year Len bought me three different types of thyme, and I am so pleased to see some of them back this year! I didn't know they are perennials. I really enjoyed using thyme last summer, mostly with chicken. I also made a pasta side dish with a mix of fresh basil, parsley, chives, and thyme. Yum!
I very much enjoy the flowers of spring, but these returning bits of green bring me a different (quieter?) joy. I am so happy to have them back.

P.S. Sue B. at Attaining Virtue is hosting the Loveliness of Spring Fair--Flowerpots.

Garden Addendum

Marianna has read "In the Garden", and says it is mostly true. In the interest of accuracy, I would like to mention some of the other inspirations for her flower garden. She wants to enjoy more pretty colors in the house and yard. She thinks Lauren (who recently took an oil painting class) would like to paint the flowers she grows. And, finally, Marianna will be able to give her leftover seeds to Mrs K., our "most beautiful garden" neighbor.

In the Garden

In case you've been living under a rock, I'll let you know that Webkinz is the latest stuffed animal craze. Each one comes with a special code that you use to join an online site with games and activities (like decorating your pet's room or "buying" toys for it). Marianna received a white terrier for Christmas (Thanks, Mimi and Granddad!), and likes playing on the website and checking Snowy's status.

One of Marianna's favorite parts of the site is the garden she created for Snowy. She's often checking on the progress of her corn, watermelon, etc. This fun along with the example of a gardening neighbor inspired Marianna to ask for a flower garden.

Mom the distracted, non-commital procrastinator would have said, "Maybe," or "We'll see," but her devoted father (aka the man of action) made a plan. Friday they bought peat moss, seeds, and fencing materials (We have deer, deer, and more deer here.). They dug up grass and rocks, turned over the soil, and added peat moss.

The plot is ready, but planting is supposed to wait until all danger of frost has passed (April 15-May 1, depending on who you ask). While they wait, the fence will go up.

This is to be a cutting garden, providing flowers for vases for us, and, knowing Marianna, for many friends and neighbors as well!