A Weekend at the Farm 07/25-26/10

I picked some wonderful, sweet cantaloupes from the garden. Delicious!

I also staked some okra that I planted about two weeks ago. This is an heirloom burgundy okra, and it is a little spindly. It will be ok. I planted some of the seeds about a month ago, and they are about three feet tall now and substantial.

I picked about 15 tomatoes. There are a few green ones left and then tomatoes will be gone. I'm going to cut them down to the ground and try to get a fall crop.

Pulled weeds in the Vegetable Garden.

I planted Henna in the Infinity Garden. I thought it would be fun to grow. I also planted Lemongrass. Actually I planted both of these in pots - the Henna because it is a tender perennial and the Lemongrass because it can get very, very big. No space for it in the flowerbed.

I trimmed and cut back plants in the Star Garden. In the summer the lushness and rapid growth in the gardens is really something to witness.

Swam in the pool and drank Bud Light.

Drove around the property and looked at the beautiful woods.

Watched the butterflies and the birds. Everything seems alive. There is movement everywhere - grasshoppers, spiders, butterflies, bees, birds, squirrels, insects of every color and shape.

Deadheaded the roses in the Rose Garden.

Weeded in the Long Border and pulled up a lot of the Cleome before it set its seed. Cleome can really become a pest if all the seeds are allowed to drop to the ground.

Watered the fruit trees in the The Orchard and the shrubs in the Greenhouse Garden.

Admired the Shade Garden - the 4 varieties of Elephant Ears I planted this spring and the 4 varieties of Hosta are amazing looking. But particularly the Elephant Ears. What big, goofy plants they are!

Summer in the Star Garden

A Weekend at the Farm 07/17-18/10

Max, Blake, and Josh at the Lakehouse for Josh Hamilton's birthday.

It's getting unbearably hot at the farm.

Deadheaded my roses.

Weeded everywhere.

Staked lots of zinnias.

Moved some evergreen violas from a neglected garden into the Shade Garden.

I planted some new herbs in my Infinity Garden (where my medicinal herbs are located). I found some good ones! I found some others that I didn't acquire and I'm mad at myself for passing them up: Henna, Lemongrass and Roselle. Damn!

• Aztec Sweet Herb - Used by the Aztecs to treat coughs, colds, and other lung ailments. Leaves are 1000 times sweeter than sugar, but they contain too much camphor to be a sugar substitute. The fresh leaves can be eaten like candy or added to fruit salad, however they may be toxic to young children.
• Jerusalem Artichoke - is an edible tuber. They are an important source of fructose for the industry. They are used widely in Germany to make a liquor called Topinambur. High in potassium and iron. Best eaten steamed or raw, they get mushy if they are boiled.
• Germander - It used to be used to treat gout , but now it is used exclusivly as an ornamental, evergreen sub-shrub. Pretty grayish color.
• Winter Savory - Savory is a diuretic and said to be good for respiratory problems. Chew the leaves or add to food as seasoning. It is an excellent seasoning in beans. The flowers attract bees. The foliage is dark green and lacy.

Other herbs (I've collected quite a lot of wonderfully useful plants) in my medicinal garden include:

• Toothache plant
• Vick's Plant
• Lavender
• Sorrel
• Foxglove
• St. John's Wort (2 varieties)
• Gotu Kola
• Wormwood
• Pennyroyal
• Yarrow
• Daylilies
• Violas
• Sweet Myrtle
• Nicotiana
• Thyme
• Tansy
• Mexican Mint Marigold
• Hyssop
• Peppers
• Parsley
• Stevia
• Scented Geraniums
• Sage
• Mallow
• Lime Balm
• Rosemary
• Santolino
• Lamb's Ear
• Horehound
• Goldenrod
• Bay
• Bouncing Bet
• Mint
• Bee Balm
• Aloe Vera
• Curry
• Echinacea
• Catmint
• Chicory
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Pleurisy Root
• Borage
• Basil
• Lemon Tree
• Feverfew

Medicinal Properties Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)

Feverfew is an annual or short-lived perennial. It prefers morning sun and afternoon shade.

When preparing tea, pick, dry, and store leaves and flowers in glass containers. Pick the leaves before flowers form. When preparing tea from the flowers, pick the flowers before they open and hang then upside down to dry.

Tea from the flowers alleviates headaches and muscular tension. Tea from the leaves can also be used for migraines as well as menstrual cramps.

Feverfew should not be used by pregnant or nursing women.

Start Feverfew from seed in late winter. I have also started Feverfew in the early fall and late spring with less success.

Feverfew seeds may also be listed in catalogues as Chrysanthemum parthenium.

Picking Wild Grapes on the Farm 07/05/10

There are wild grape vines growing all over our property. The grapes were ripe so we went grape picking. The window of time between 'ripe' and 'gone' is very brief. Between the deer and the birds there are only a few days of picking time. We were there at the right time.

It was about 98 degrees outside. We would have had to be set on fire to feel any hotter. But we had packed a bucket full of beer and ice so we suffered through. This is not easy work. It sounds quaint. But climbing up on a ladder and reaching into itchy leaves and vines in that heat was not fun. I was determined to pick enough grapes to make jelly. My husband was with me every step of the way.

I made 4 jars of jelly. Woo Hoo!

What's Blooming Now - Joe Pye Weed 07/03/10

Joe Pye Weed is a root hardy perennial. Bees and butterflies are very attracted to this plant. It is considered a must-have for a butterfly garden.

A Film of Me and My Pineapple Lilies (Eucomis Comosa)