Garlic Harvest and more

 

 

Harvesting garlic! I was super exited!

   

                                                  Beets

                                                  Garlic scapes!
  I had no idea you can use garlic scapes in your cooking. I was visiting our local farmers market this summer, and I saw the farmer selling garlic scapes.How awesome is that! I came home and made Pesto.Totally yummy.I will learn to post links next.=)

Isaiah loves helping in the garden!

 

                          Isaiah last year! He had a blast planting.

update!

I have lots to update! I have been crazy busy this past spring and summer.  Gardening, Canning, reading about canning, baking, and lots more.  I have learned a lot.  Still so much to learn.  Always setting high expectations for myself. Good and not so good.I have been really exited about all the things we grew in the garden,  one was the harvest of our garlic!  Beautiful, words cannot describe how I felt about pulling up those big bulbs that were so plentiful.  I know it sound a little crazy...But I get so much joy out of God's creation.  How you can put a tiny seed in the soil and get such a amazing abundance!  We also had a beautiful little baby!  So today Ill just post photos of our summer joys!

                Made lots of Jam this summer! It was such great fun!

                                                   A little sample of my bread

                              A little part of our garden=)

                             Benjamin 10-10-12

   I have lots of great Ideas for next years garden to share with you next time.More Herb knowledge to share as well=) Talk to you soon!

Dreaming of Lavender

Since my last post, I did a little more thinking and a lot of note taking. I'm so exited that May is here and we can enjoy  nice warm weather and the beauty of Gods creation all around us.What I really was looking forward too, was planting our garden!! And I have to say, we did it.We planted lots of tomato's,carrots,peppers,dill,beets,radishes,onions,cucumbers and much more!Once I figure out how to post photos,I will.We also took our first trip of the season to our local farmers Market,(at, Howe Meadow) witch is my favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings in the summer.It was a beautiful morning.We had try ed a sample of raw milk cheese!!It was so yummy,it made me think that I should take a cheese making class!hehe..Anyway, I really wanted to share some information that I am learning about, Lavender.We planted Lavender in our garden last year, and I loved passing by and running my hand threw it.The smell of Lavender is so aromatic,soothing,romantic.
There are many different varieties of lavender.The common lavender,English Lavender.Lavender is a perennial.The flowers are like a mauve-purple,the leaves are a pale greenish gray.

 History  in cooking- historically the Romans first introduced French lavender to Britain when they invaded. They brought the flower heads over dried and ground them to use as a condiment. The use of lavender as a condiment was much more common in medieval times because fresh meat was rare and difficult to keep.Condiments were used to hide the disagreeable flavors and tastes of semi-cooked or half-rotten flesh.(gross.)Jekka's Herb cookbook.
 Queen Elizabeth 1.Loved lavender it is said that she kept a conserve of lavender(a mixture of lavender flowers and sugar) on her dining table and drank sweet lavender tisane,a hot tea made with lavender flowers and honey.yummy.
 Lavender traveled from Europe to America with the earliest settlers and was commercially grown for medicinal purposes by Shakers,a Protestant religious denomination.
 As the world turned from natural remedies to synthetic medicines,it took an accident in French perfume laboratory to bring the original herbal products back to the limelight.In the early 1900s,chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burned himself badly while working in his family's perfume business.Instinctively, he plunged his burned arm into the nearest liquid,which happened to be lavender oil,rather than water.To his surprise, the burn healed with remarkable speed and left no scars.Gatefosse coined the term "aromatherapy" and became the father of the "french model" of aromatherapy, in which essential oils are used intensively in and on the body,like any medicine.from the book, The Maui book of Lavender. by Alii Chang.I love this book.Lavender is good for many things,the oil is antimicrobial and has sedative properties;it is used to treat insomnia,panic,shock and nervous palpitations.And it is the best herb for keeping flys out of the kitchen.Jekka's herb cookbook. I have different recipes for lavender jelly's and jams.Cannot wait to make those and let you know how they came out!

  Here is a easy recipe for Lavender Butter.
  Ingredients
 half a cup unsalted butter,softened(one stick)
1T.honey or granulated sugar
1in a half tsp.of lavender buds,whole or lightly ground (I would buy organic lavender)

   Mix all ingredients. Form into two balls.Refrigerate until firm.Serve with sweet breads.Makes a half a cup butter.
 Here are the books I have been reading about lavender.
 Jekka's Herb cookbook
The Maui book of Lavender
The Lavender garden
 Here are some  great links.
joysoflavender.com
happyvalleylavender.com
hoodriverlavender.com
angelina'scottage.com

   "How miraculous that growing on my own little plot of land are plants that can turn dead soil into a hundred flavours as different as horseradish and thyme,smells ranging from stinkhorn to lavender.
                                       -john Seymour,1914

Mint

I'm so exited about blogging! I have been going back and forth about whether I should do this or not. Finely I decided, I have nothing to lose;).I would love to blog about one of my many passions.Food.... but not just any kind of  food. Good,sustainable,organic food. Health is important in our family,we want to teach our children good eating habits and the love of Gods creation.We started a garden last year and it turned out great! We discovered the farmers market and we are hooked.This year the garden will be filled with more veggies then last year! Beautiful juicy tomato's.Cucumbers that just wait to be picked.I canned a few jars of pickles last year and lets just say....cant wait for this summer.I started all my seeds this year, they are growing wonderfully.I purchased my seeds from www.highmowingseeds.com. I love looking threw their catalog.Anyway not sure  how blogging really works, but It seems simple enough. Today I would like to blog about a nice herb that grows in our back yard. Mint.. also known as Liu Xiang.
  Mint has been in cooking for thousands of years. There are so many different mints out there. Peppermints,Basil mint, chocolate Peppermint,Spearmint.I can go on ... The beneficial properties of mint in cooking are well known, these being as digestive, antispasmodic and carminative. In addition, it also has antioxidant and antiviral properties.Mint attract butterfly's and bees! They bloom in summer, this beautiful purple flower. The flowers have a wonderful mint flavor. After removing the green parts, scatter them over salad or strawberries and other summer fruit, or use in desserts. I love to hang dry my mint and use it for tea in winter. The smell is so relaxing and lovely.I got this beautiful herb cookbook last year from my husband, called Jekka's Herb Cookbook.Great gift! How to Grow mint.
          Most mints are hardy in zones 5 to 9 . They adapt to sun or partial shade and average to moist, well-drained soil. To keep mints from crowding out less vigorous plants, give them a spot by themselves or grow them in pots. ( they are very vigorous) Snip shoots for fresh use;regular picking encourages more leafy growth. For drying, cut stems a few inches above the ground just before bloom.
   Did you know? Mint is a symbol of hospitality,and a mint bed grows by the back door of many southern households. I hope you learn and enjoy with me on my blogging adventure!
 All my info comes from Jekka's herb cookbook and Beautiful Easy Herbs by Laurence Sombke.

                                                                                      -Elena-