Chamomile flowers for drying. I learned at my Herbal Healing class at Sacred Plant Traditions that it’s good for digestion as well as calming. I’d forgotten The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Monthly Archives: June 2015
Flowers Inside and Out
My pink African Violet blooms are fading as this one starts to bloom.
I think this is Anise Hyssop. A nice discovery in the front yard bed of surprises.
I love the combination of red, purple and white flowers
Yarrow we picked up at the farmers market. I believe only white yarrow has medicinal properties.
This plant started growing late winter/early spring in the kitchen garden. It’s taller than I am. I have no idea what it is. I was hoping the flower would help me identify it.
Shrooms among the Sage
My daughter taught us fungi are good for the soil.
Super Food
Just harvested Bull’s Blood Beets.
We should have thinned these out more.
Thought we were growing for the tender leaves and then we didn’t pick like we should have.
These are lovely – will definitely try these again.
Roast Chicken
Collected some rosemary, oregano and thyme from the garden.
Stuffed two free range chickens with lemon and herbs. Generously salted the birds.
Added some beets to the pan.
Roasted for 2 hours at 350 degrees.
After a delicious lunch, I picked the birds clean. The carcasses are now in the crockpot along with celery, ginger, garlic scapes, water, salt and apple cider vinegar making a nutritious broth.
A Week in Photos
This cilantro plant started as a volunteer last fall and survived our sub zero winter temps. Definitely saving the seeds from this plant.
Our first blueberries. We won’t get many as our three plants are still small-
Elderberry
and Eartha
This elderberry is just starting to flower.
Southern Exposures Insectary mix – fennel, korean mint, garden sorrel, angelica, alexanders, chervil, parsley, chicory, cress, turnip, calendula, amaranth, orach
Spring Harvest II
Cabbage heads
We probably picked these a little early but Dave was hungry for stuffed cabbage. There are two more forming heads and we hope they get bigger than these before they bolt. We’ve had some very warm weather here. They are Early Flat Dutch cabbage and were billed by Southern Exposure as heat resistant.
I made stuffed cabbage with some of the outer leaves and sauerkraut with the rest. The kraut is starting to bubble as it should. Keeping my fingers crossed. I have less than a 50%. success rate making kraut.
Here is how I make Stuffed Cabbage or Holubky (slavic) – just like my mom does-
Combine 1 1/2-2 lbs. ground beef, 2 eggs, 1 large onion diced, 1 tsp. pepper, 1 cup uncooked rice. Remove core of 1 green cabbage. Sit cabbage, core side down, in 1 inch simmering water. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until top few leaves can be removed without tearing. Place cabbage back in water and repeat. Trim thick part of leaf (where it comes out from the core) so it isn’t too thick. This makes it easier to roll. In a large stock pot or dutch oven pour 1 large can of tomato sauce. Place about 1/3 cup of meat mixture in each leaf, roll and tuck in sides. Place in pot. Cover with another can of tomato sauce. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours. Leftover can be refrigerated or frozen.
I think my mom uses Hunt’s Tomato Sauce. I used a can of tomatoes and a can of sauce that we canned last summer so I added some salt to the pot, too.
This photo is a week old. These carrots were picked and eaten last Sunday.
From My Mother’s Garden
Spring Harvest
Cabbages and collards in the foreground, potatoes in the back.
This one has an actual head forming. We are hoping they get bigger before we have to harvest them. It is starting to get hot here. 88 degrees here now and expected to be in the 80’s for the next several days at least. Will have to keep a close eye on these.
These photos were taken a few days ago. We had a lot of rain last week.
More turnip greens that turnips.
I diced and roasted the turnips with some sweet potato. Cooked the greens with pork fat and served with a drizzle of apple cider vinegar.
Rose Trellis
An infected toe really slows a farmer/gardener down. Trying to enjoy the downtime and not worry about the weeds!
Sweet kitty.