"You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt." ~anonymous
I am pleased with how my garden is coming along this year. It seemed like it took awhile to get going, probably because it took a little longer to warm up this year. But now we are underway and I am totally excited to take care of my new baby till havest time. :)
I'm growing (with God's help!! I'm not a big green thumb) zucchini,
cucumbers (to pickle for Ariana, who loves pickles and used to pronounce cucumber "pu-mumber),"
broccoli,
lettuce (just ordered a more heat-resistant summer variety (Batavian) and a cooler-weather variety for fall (don't remember off-hand what it was exactly),
green beans,
strawberries, peppers, watermelon (althought my parents just told me that cucumbers and watermelon tend to cross-pollinate and that the cucumbers turn out tasting kind of like watermelon...we'll see!), tomatoes...I think that covers it....I also have noticed some pumpkins growing out of what's left of the old compost pile from last fall's pumpkins rotting in there.
"Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was." ~Anonymous [And what was done to it or put in or on it I would add!]
I also have a nice selection of herbs growing: lavender, dill, basil, cilantro, parsely, mint, green onion, rosemary, thyme.
"When I was a boy in the countryside...people [gardened] for self-sufficiency, for it would not have occurred to them to do otherwise. People were self-reliant because they had to be; it was a way of life. They were doing what generations had done before them: simply carrying on a traditional way of life. Money was a rare commodity, far too valuable to be spent on things you could grow or make yourself...They would have laughed at a diet of store-bought foods." ~John Seymore, in The Self-Sufficient Gardener, 1979 as quoted in MaryJane's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook by MaryJane Butters
We have several varieties of birdy visitors each day: yellow
and house finches, a woodpecker, a pair of cardinals, a blue jay who
makes a funny laughing sound. They keep Snowflake thoroughly
entertained.
She definitely didn't like this guy showing up the other night:
Here's my latest project (you inspired me to sew Lynda! Think I could sell these on Etsy?? ;) ) I got the idea from a book then went to Hobby Lobby and bought the floursack towels, iron-on patterns, and thread and went to work. At first I wasn't satisfied with my work, but I quickly got the hang of the stitch and I am happy with how they turned out! Well, they are not completely done..the "Sunday" towel needs the arm sewn and the flower middles (I need to buy some flesh-colored thread and I had to call my step-mom to find out how to make a French knot) and the "Gardening Day" one needs a bit more too (this pic was taken yesterday). I found this activity to be wonderfully relaxing and found myself picking it up every chance I got. I only bought 2 towels to start with, and now that I finished the second one tonight, I'm itching to go back and get more so I can start another one!
I love sitting in my nice big comfy chair in the evenings with the window opening, listening to the birds sing their good-night songs as I sew.
Now I also have my sights on what I'm going to do with all the delicious things that come from my garden. Here
http://www.pickyourown.org is a great website, not only for finding out places in your area where you can pick your own produce, but also loads of info on canning and preserving...even ice cream making! I plan to make some yummy gelato and start some canning in the late summer/early fall. I have my sites on this canning set:
http://www.canningpantry.com/ball-home-canning-basics-kit.html. I also have a dehydrator so I'll be experimenting more with that. Ahhh the older I get the more I want a farm.
Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
how does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
and pretty maids all in a row.
How does
your garden grow?
Comments (1)
I love your hand towels! You're inspiring me to want to do the same. :)