Early Summer Garden Update

I think that it's time for a quick update on my garden's progress.

If you are following my garden posts, you know that I have been plagued by pest and soil born nasty stuff that makes my leaves wilt and die.

I have been a pretty strict vegetarian for most of my life, and am currently a light pescetarian (mostly because I feel too busy to pay close attention to my balanced nutrition as a veg.) I subscribed to Mother Earth News way back in 1978, studied the use of medicinal herbs (the legal ones,) and had a compost bin long before being green was in vogue.

Why do I share all of this? Because I long to be an organic gardener and I don't use pesticides lightly.

The organic methods didn't work...the spray is doing the trick. I hate to say it...but it's true.

Hopefully I sprayed in a super limited area, none of these items are even close to harvest, and I won't have to preform the dastardly deed again. Fingers crossed.


Happy lettuce. We had the wonderful Sizzling Goat Cheese Salad last night. YUMMY!!!

Cabbage is coming along nicely. You can still see the bug damage on the older leaves.

Broccoli looking good. Where are those heads?? They need to form soon as the heat will be too much for a cool weather crop.

Kohlrabi - I grew this for my Dad. He loves kohlrabi. I remember eating it with him as a child.

The eggplant is still struggling. Again, you can see the older damaged leaves - but the new leaves are looking good.

Yellow squash just about ready to be harvested.

The Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes are almost ready to be tied. I do have a few tiny tomatoes on the vines. :)



The Black Beans are coming along too. They should start blooming in a few day.





Muskmelons are trying to come back from the bug attack. They like the heat so we are going to be stalled for the next few days.

Pumpkins - not sure how successful I am going to be.

I am keeping a close eye on the corn. It seems to be doing well.

We are well past the "knee high by the 4th of July" point. Whew!

Now for my sad story - look at my sunflowers!!!! Rascals have eaten them all. All I have left is stubs.

Okay...who did?? Fess up. Was it the deer or the groundhog?

More damage by the critters. My blackberries are looking pretty sad too. :(

And because I always like to end with a happy picture - here is a shot of my flower basket that I planted and that I look at many times a day, just outside my kitchen window. It makes me smile.

SEA GLASS COLLECTING - ANOTHER ADDICTION

I wonder just how many things one woman can collect? I love to collect sea shells, great recipes, miniature chairs, baskets, flowers, dishes, and on, and on....

There are so many beautiful things in the world and it brings me great joy to surround myself with just a touch of that beauty - so I collect.

Sea Glass Lobster by Debara Hafemann - pictured right

Recently, my friend Patti and I have started to collect sea glass. It's such fun to have a partner in crime! When we are on vacation together we hit the beach early in the morning to find the beautiful treasures that the ocean has given forth overnight.

I think that we are drawn to sea glass because the ocean tumbles the glass to a soft finish and the colors are just so wonderful.








Patti just sent me this picture of a Fort Bragg, CA beach that she visited this weekend. Can you believe all the tiny sea glass? Wish I was there!

Picture of yours truly in my usual stance if there is a beach around.

Red is the rarest color for sea glass.

I am just a beginner in the sea glass world. I recently discovered this video on the best sea glass shapes for jewelry.

Sea glass sizes and shapes lend itself beautifully to jewelry making.

Sea Horse Necklace by Sevtlana Rasuleva from Etsy.com.

Sea glass bracelet by Sue Gray.

Optic Sea Glass table lamp by Crate & Barrel.

Aren't these AMAZING!!! Glass Float Junkie on Etsy.com

I love the colors and the way that the glass sparkles. These are another marvelous thing that washes up on the shore - GLASS FLOATS!

NO!!! Not another beautiful thing to collect. :)

Deauville Sea Glass Lamp by Jamie Young.

This glass lamp has the soft worn finish of the real thing.

What to do with all of those pieces of glass???

Here is an idea. You could try making this yourself or...again...visit Etsy.com for this "Light My Way" Hurricane Candle Holder.

How sweet are these? Reproduced in just the right colors and soft finish to imitate sea glass.

Available from Charmed Favors.

Lovely Lavender

The lovely lavender plant has been around for centuries, is a member of the mint family, and with 39 species, its beautiful plants are grown world wide.

Lavender was used in ancient times for mummification, in Roman times for scented bathing, and it is used today for everything from scented water, scented soap, culinary uses, and as a migraine cure.

Pictured right - Illustration from "A Wold of Flower Fairies" by Cicely Mary Barker. Copyright The Estate of Cicely Mary Barker.

Lavender comes from the word lavare, meaning to wash. What a treat to have lavender scented soap! For that matter, I love lavender scented anything....





Today in France, lambs graze in lavender fields to enhance the flavor and quality of their meat.

This year my flower beds are lush with lavender and as I walk the gardens I always break off a piece of lavender and I inhale its lovely fragrance as I tour the flowers and veggies.

My lavender pictured above.

The lavender that I started from seed last year is growing like crazy this year and it is just stunning to see. The fragrance is wonderful!!

While perusing the web looking at all the wonderful information on lavender I discovered this nice video on how to start a lavender farm. It's a fun idea....

With 39 species and multiple mutations within those species, how do you select the best lavender variety for your climate?

Click here for a guide from Mountain Valley Growers to assist you in selecting the right species for your location.

Here in northern Ohio we are fortunate to have a wonderful lavender resource, daybreak lavender farm.

During the summer, daybreak lavender farm hosts a lavender festival where you can picnic, pick your own lavender, or purchase lavender products, such as soaps and culinary treats, from their company store.

daybreak lavender farm

9292 Market Square Drive

Streetsboro, OH 44241

For more information on the Lavender Festival click here

I have only cooked with lavender a few times in the past but plan on experimenting this summer with my new bounty. I think that I will try the recipe below for Lavender Creme Brulee from What's Cooking America.

Food Sytlist is Chris Russell

Photo by Carrie Russell


Lavender Creme Brulee

4c. heavy cream

1 tbs dried lavender flowers

8 egg yolks

3/4 c. granulated sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter (6-ounce) custard cups and set them in a glass baking dish.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and the lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse with cream for 5 minutes. Strain cream mixture through fine strainer to remove lavender flowers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 c. of sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Divide evenly among the custard cups.

Bring the water for the bath to a boil. Add just enough water to the baking dish to come half way up the outside of the custard cups.

Bake 60 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center.

Remove from oven. Leave in water bath until cooled. Remove from bath and refrigerate 2 hours to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle with 2 tsp. each of remaining sugar. Using small torch or broiler, cook until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8 depending on custard cup size.

Williams Sonoma Herbs de Provence

I used these Herbs de Provence from Williams Sonoma when cooking meat. You can see the lavender when you rub the seasoning on the meat.

Most intriguing to me is the use of lavender in pillows. Lavender is thought to produce prophetic dreams. I don't know if the dream part is true but lavender is certainly a lovely scent to enjoy while falling asleep.

Buckwheat and Lavender pillow fill

Buckwheat is a wonderful pillow fill - try it!

Buckwheat and Lavender pillows from Lavender Fanatic.

Pictured right is lavender from my garden. I tied the lavender together and placed it on top of our headboard.

I don't remember any interesting dreams last night, but I will keep you posted if there are any of note.

Click here for instructions on how to make your own lavender dream pillow.

I have a flush crop this year and would love to try any lavender recipes that you have - please share.

I hope to visit daybreak lavender farm during July while my niece, Claire, is visiting from New Hampshire. I think it will make for a memorable outing. I will be sure to take some fun photos of the fields of lavender and I wish that there was a way to share the beautiful scent that I know we will experience in the fields.

What a powerful link there is between scents and memories. I look forward to making a few memories with Claire this summer.

War in the Garden

That's it!! I declare war in my garden!!

While I was out of town for four days, count them FOUR days, the garden was decimated by cucumber beetles. I returned home and toured the garden - I am heartsick.

How quickly these *%$!@*& ravenous bugs can wipe out a garden!

This is not the first time that I have to do battle with these pests. I tried to be proactive this year and sprayed with a "green" pesticide spray when the little seedlings emerged. I thought I was safe - HA!!

The cucumber beetle LOVES to eat cucurbits. They are difficult to battle as they winter over in the soil. Previously I purchased beneficial nematodes and released them in the garden in my quest to be green. The nematodes supposedly eat the cucumber beetles.

Results from the nematodes - not so good!!! The cucumber beetles laugh at the nematodes.

One year I tried making traps by painting a few boards yellow and applying a sticky substance. The bugs are supposed to be attracted to the yellow and get stuck in the tanglefoot. HA!! I got a just a few in the trap and the rest merrily chomped away on my veggies.


So after much insistence by my fellow gardener, Steve, out comes the sprayer and the big guns. :(

Well, the hope is to get this under control before the plants die, if they are not dead already, or before they bloom. Can't spray when the bees are present. What a conundrum!!

I am sick about it. I WANT to be an organic gardener. What if I was a pioneer, without the local grocery down the street, and I had to depend on what I grew? Could I afford the risk of loosing my whole crop? I am not crazy about wasting all of my time preparing the ground, planting and weeding just to be foiled by the bugs.

What do you do when the bugs are winning???

Eggplant

Squash




See the dead little $%#*&@# cucumber beetles on the leaf

Butternut Squash

Muskmelon

Pumpkin

Corn

Looking healthy from a distance

Upon closer inspection you can the the beginnings of Stewart's Bacterial Wilt

See the curled and brown leaf? It's starting.

On a brighter note...happy radishes for breakfast

My Hydrangeas - love all the colors!!

Doesn't that just make you smile?

I need something to make me smile after the morning tour of the garden.