Herbal Autumn

There's a feeling of fall in the air. It's hard to believe the summer has passed so quickly. While getting off to a slow start with too much rain and some cool temperatures the herb and vegetable gardens have done well this year. We're enjoying a bountiful harvest. Canning and freezing has become a full time job for Ron lately. It's also time to collect seeds and start getting your plants ready to bring indoors that you want to save. Plants like Rosemary especially need to be moved into a more shady area to get used to lower light before bringing them into the house for the winter.

I hope everyone is harvesting and using the herbs they bought last spring. Your Basil can be made into Pesto, frozen in ice cube trays and stored in zip lock bags, infused in vinegar, or dried. Herbs such as Sage, Thyme, Lemon Verbena and Oregano I like to dry. Hanging them in small bunches in a dark, well ventilated place or lay on screens to retain color and flavor. While you can speed up the process by using a dehydrator or low oven, you will loose some quality of your herbs. I would never recommend using a microwave. Store your dried herbs in jars in a dark location. You'll be glad you did this winter!

Herbal Kitchen Wreath
Right now is also a good time to go out into your garden an make your own kitchen wreath. All you need are some scissors, pruners and some fish line. Harvest enough dill or Silver King or Queen Artemesia to make a small circle (6"-8") about 1"-2" thick. Shape your wreath. Tie on the fish line and wrap around at about a 1/2" apart all around the wreath twice. Using good strong tension - your herbs will shrink as they dry. Now go out in your garden an pick bunches of herb tips. Sage, thyme, oregano, mint, savory, budded lavender, hyssop, etc. (Basil doesn't hold up very well in this application.) Flowers like Feverfew, Tansy, Anise Hyssop, etc. add color. Gather small bouquets in your hand, about 2"-3" long, that will cover the top of the wreath and wrap with fish line a couple times. Place the next little bouquet on top of the last one a little farther down and wrap. Continue until the wreath is covered. Tuck the last bouquet under the first, wrap and tie off your fish line. Hang your wreath upside down on a wire hanger to dry. There will be some shrinkage. Only takes a few days. Fill in open spots with dried flowers by working them in or hot gluing. Your wreath will be a beautiful addition to your kitchen or home - and smell wonderful!

In the Garden
There's still time to divide overgrown herbs and perennials this month. Mints, oreganos, monardas, etc. can be kept under control by digging them up and putting back 1/4 to 1/3, depending on how much they've grown over the summer.

We've had a busy summer this year. Lots of visitors. More to come. The farmers market is winding down, but will continue as long as the weather holds. Locally the Bluewater Shore Herb Guild will be having a booth at the Lexington Days Craft Show September 20th. Lots of herbal goodies. Soaps, cleaning products, baked goods, wreaths, arrangements, cards, more. Stop by and visit if you're in the area.

Get Set to Grow

Spring is getting underway. My greenhouse is overflowing and we're now adding more cold frames. With our crazy weather, going from hot to freezing, it's still to early to plant here. Ground and night temperatures won't be warm enough for a few weeks yet. I know its tempting to see all the pretty flowers available at your local greenhouses, but planting them in cold soil will only stunt them. My herbs and vegetables will be ready closer to the end of the month. I won't start selling at the Croswell market until then. The greenhouse will be open on weekends and by appointment after May 15th, weather permitting. I'm already taking orders for tomatoes.

Herb List for 2008

• Anise Hyssop
• Basils: Sweet, Cinnamon, Genovese, Holy, Large Leaf, Lemon, Rubin, Serata, Spicy Glob, Thai Magic
• Borage
• Burnet
• Catnip
• Chamomile, German & Roman
• Chervil
• Chives: Fine leaf & Garlic
• Calendula: Deja Vous
• Coriander/Cilantro
• Dill: Bouquet, Dukat, Fernleaf
• Fennel, Bronze
• Feverfew
• Horehound
• Hyssop
• Lavender: Hidcote, Lady, Munstead, Rosea
• Lemon Balm
• Lemon Verbena
• Marjorams: Sweet, Variegated, Zatar
  
• Marigold, Sweet Mexican/Spanish Tarragon
• Mint: Peppermint, Kentucky Colonel Spearmint, Orange, Mountain - will have Apple, Chocolate & others a little latter.
  
• Nasturiums
  
• Oreganos: Compact, Ditany of Crete, Golden, Greek, Hot N Spicy
  
• Parsley: Curly & Plain Italian
• Pennyroyal
• Rosemaries: Arp, Goriza, Huntington's Carpet, Salem, Spice Island, Prostrate, White
• Sages: Bergaten, Common, Golden, Pineapple, Purple, Tricolor, White
• Savory: Dwarf winter, Summer
• Scented Geraniums: Apricot, Atomic Snowflake, Citronella, Ginger, Lady Plymouth, Rober's Lemon Rose, Rose, Snowflake Rose & more.
  
• Sorrel
• Stevia
• Tarragon, French
• Thymes: English, Lemon Variegated, Miniature, Mother of, Oregano, Silver

Tomato List for 2008
Heirlooms:

• Brandywine
• Cherokee Purple
• Giant White
• Oregon Spring
• Red Oxheart
• Rutgers
• Striped German

Small/Cherry Tomatoes:

• Tumblin Tom
• Supersweet 100
• Sweet Olive (grape)
• Yellow Pear

Other Tomatoes:

• Beefsteak
• Better Boy
  
• Early Girl
• Giant Delicious
• Celebrity
• La Rossa

I'm also growing a large variety of peppers this year. So start getting your gardens ready. It's time to clean them out, amend the soil and plan on a great harvest this year. Peas should be in, mine are already up. Potatoes can go in now too. Spinach and lettuce are also great early crops. We're expanding our vegetable gardening area and will also have produce available in season.

We're looking forward to a great gardening year!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I've always loved this holiday as a harbinger of spring and the wonderful Celtic music everyone plays. Today everyone is Irish! We all done the green of spring, whether our ancestors wore it or not and cheerfully celebrate.

The celebration of St. Patrick's Day began in 1737 in Boston. The city of New York still has the largest parade and celebration. May the luck of this day be with everyone who reads this!

An Irish blessing:
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

I've been doing genealogy research since my grandmother got me started at the age of 14. That's well over 40 years. It's been a fun, challenging and overall interesting experience. I'm not sure why I do it. It's almost an obsession. I enjoy fitting the pieces of the puzzle together, digging up minute details and fitting into the picture. I've met some really interesting distant relatives along the way. I guess I feel that we can't go forward without knowing where we came from.

So for those other researchers who stumble upon this post, here is my family. Feel free to contact me if you're also researching any of these names.

Tipton, Hill/Hille, Wagaman, Byer, Greisher, Armstrong, Aikelbarger, Tinkle, Lake, Defibaugh/Tiefenbaugh, Lantz, Pritchard, MacClelland, McArthur, McGlaughlin, McKinney, McLaughlin, Myers, Winstandley, Heyward, Stewart, Orr, Redman, Baker, Hambleton, Marchant, Wyn/Wynn, King, Dunning, Ebden, Brooks, Cunningham, Ford, Hugh, Fitch, McEwen/McQuown, Clark, Herron, Johnson, Kitchen, Bennett, Dalton, Dinsinger, Hollenbaugh, Staub, Koser, Sicher, Walbert, Mayer, Dietemer, Schwarz, McIntyre, McIntire, Harwood, Marsh, Snyder, Locke/Lock, Bishop, Perren, Gale, Bly, Eaton and a few more.

Ron's family: Houston, Whitehead, Schramm, Kreger, Gregory, Wilson, Borah, Roy, and Cochran.

So many of our ancestors culturally revered their ancestors in some manor, I guess this is just my way of honoring them.

Is It Spring Yet?

We still have lots of snow on the ground. Hard to believe it's mid March. Ron's been busy making lots more wooden bowls and things for his etsy shop. I really like this pear bowl. He always seems to be working on something new.

While he's been hard as work I've been off playing. Went to the annual Herb conference at MSU. It's really nice to visit old friends and meet lots of other herb enthusiasts. Now that I'm back home I'm busy getting ready for spring. Starting lots of seeds and cuttings for the new growing season. I'm planning on growing even more heirloom tomato varieties this year. As well as more peppers and vegetables. I'm also adding a few more perennials. The list of herbs I'm starting continues to grow. Hope I have room for all this!

Our new greenhouse is working out pretty well. We're still having to heat it on really cold nights. But with more sunny days it's heating up fast and I'm seeing lots of new growth on the plants that were dormant for the winter. Some of the seeds I've started are already up. It's always heartening to see that flush of new bright green growth. I'm starting to feel like spring is really going to come, in spite of the snow still on the ground.

Some of My Etsy Favorites

I love this photo taken by Catherine. She's fairly new to etsy and does some wonderful photography. Cat is also our daughter-in-law's sister-in-law - that makes her family. She's very talented and I know she'll do well.
Cat's etsy site: racergirl
The listing for this photograph. Let The Sun Shine
This would be beautiful framed and added to any decor.


YappsCottageDecor, does some really wonderful goat's milk soaps. These guest soaps have the essential oils of some of my favorite herbs. Rosemary, lemon grass, tea tree and orange. I've been using goats milk soap for years. It lathers beautifully and leaves your skin feeling soft. Great in our cold, drying winters!

This lamp from Nonnie60 on etsy has to be one of my all time favorites. You can find it at Stained Glass Lamp 1. You can find more of Nonnie's stained glass and jewelry on her site at: Nonnie60. She does some really beautiful work!





This fussed glass pendant from Chris1, Blossoms is really lovely! Fussing and working with glass is an art form I find really interesting. Chris does some really nice work. Vist her shop on etsy here: Chris1



I have a real soft spot for pottery, especially Raku. This Raku stoneware decorative bowl is wonderful! Pearl is really talented, you can see more of her work by visiting her etsy shop, Fehu Stoneware.

Our Feathered Friends

Every morning as I sit at the computer checking my spam, ah...email, this guy greets me. Ron calls him a Flicker, but I think he's a small, Downy Woodpecker. He always seems so cheerful! He's been visiting us since last year. This week he was joined by a small flock of wrens and other birds. But, doesn't seem to mind sharing. With all the cold and snow their food must be getting scarce. The deer have become quite active this week as well. They've started in on all the evergreen shrubs around the house. Wait until it's dark and the dog is safely inside for the night!

Cabin Fever, Thinking Spring!

It's been below zero degrees two nights in a row now! While our frozen world is quite beautiful, we can't wait for spring! Even Rosie, the lab, doesn't linger long outside these days. We've been managing to keep the greenhouse from going below 40 at night with the help of a kerosene heater. More snow coming today.

I've been pouring over seed catalogs in my spare time. Need to get my orders in soon! Have already started planting some seed flats inside. Can't wait for the seeds to sprout! All that beautiful spring green. But, I'm greatly enjoying all the wonderful Rosemary in bloom in the greenhouse.

Started some more cuttings in the greenhouse too. Over the next few weeks I will be doing lots more. Growing from cuttings is so gratifying and easy to do. I have found most plants will grow from cuttings. Things like the Rosemary that have a woody stem, just take longer to root. Geraniums (Pelargoniums), coleus, and other green stemmed tender perennials root very quickly. Anyone can do it at home. Just get yourself some soil-less potting mix, without fertilizers mixed in. Use small containers, (I use grower flats divided into small cells.) a recycled annual pack or dixie cup with a whole for drainage will work great. Or purchase a domed planting flat. They're widely available at most places that sell seeds. Take healthy tip cuttings from your favorite plants. About 2" to 4". Remove the leaves from the lower 2 or 3 leaf nodes (where the leaves connect to the stem). Insert into the potting mix with 2 or 3 sets of leaves above the soil. Water well and cover with dome or tent with plastic wrap to maintain moisture level. But not too tightly, the baby plants need some air circulation. A great project with kids is to use an empty clear plastic drink bottle. Cut around the bottom so you have about 3" or so in depth for soil. Put a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Insert your cuttings and use the top of the bottle (without the cap) to form a mini greenhouse. Within a week you will begin to see roots on plants like geraniums and coleus. I have found that it is better not to use rooting hormone for these plants. But it does help with more woody stemmed plants. The enjoyment you feel watching things grow is something the whole family can participate in!



Happy Valentine's Day!
Think Green!

It's A New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! It started snowing here a little before midnight. We got dumped on again. Sixteen inches. Then to top it off we lost power from 9 AM until almost 7 PM! We postponed our family dinner until later in the week. We did some shoveling. Played with Rosie, who loves sitting in the snow waiting for something interesting to come by. And, went a little stir crazy without the computer or TV. It's amazing how many things we do that require electricity! But it's so pretty to look at. We got some more lake effect snow this morning. Big fluffy flakes. I hope we don't loose to many more limbs off the trees. It's really heavy wet snow. The evergreens look like they have a thick layer of white frosting covering their boughs while they nod their heads at each other. Smaller trees and bushes are bent all the way to the ground. Beautiful, but hard on them. Still don't have the driveway cleared. Ron's spent today working on it going between using the snow blower and the little tractor with a blade.



While I spent the last couple weeks working on finishing my projects that were to be Christmas presents, (Unfortunately I lost the pictures I took when my mac mini crashed the day after Christmas!) Ron's been busy making more wooden bowls and things. I really love some of the new ones. The pictures don't do them justice. The grains are beautiful and they feel wonderful!










Visit Ron's Etsy shop via the link in the right column to see more of what he's been working on.