and it’s beautiful! Better yet, it was delicious! I couldn’t resist!
An entire bed of lavender...
is John’s pride and joy. It is planted so densely that there is little weeding to be done! Although he is interested in the culinary uses of the blooms, I have planted many different varieties, some better suited for medicinal applications. In either case, the fragrance at the front door is delightful!
Walnut Hill Farm's first CSA program...
is washed, packed and ready to go. This unbelievably hot weather has created real challenges, as our spinach has started to bolt. Hard to believe that last weekend we experienced freezing temperatures and lost a dozen tomato and pepper plants to the cold!
What is it about a peony?
It’s a flowering plant in the genus Paeonia, with over 30 different species. But it is those tissue-like blooms that delight….and their fragrance, their variety of colors, and their plentiful flowers. But you will only enjoy them for a few short weeks! When I see peonies, I think of May crownings, schools out, and summer has begun.
Getting ready for Burning Man?
Not quite! Getting ready for the weekend’s frigid temperatures! Tomatoes and peppers are all at risk. Beats me why anyone in Wisconsin would plant before Memorial Day. Note to self…next year, just be patient and wait!
Mary Lee's medicinals?
Maybe! It’s comfrey, or Symphytum officinale. Besides having beautiful blooms, it attracts pollinators, provides habitat for beneficial insects, and can enrich the soil with its leaves being used as mulch. But my interest is in its medicinal uses. The active substance is allantoin, which may increase skin smoothness, aid in wound healing and promote cell proliferation and longevity.
Jason's Garden....
…the annual plant giveaway in memory of a former employee and special friend, was an unqualified success! Although it was unseasonably cold on the loading docks of Calihan Catering, we had enough “customers” to take home the over 400 tomato and pepper plants! Some went to gardens as far away as Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, and Madison! Thank you to all who helped in packing cars for delivery, setting up display tables and tearing it all down! We miss you, Jason!
A soft shelled egg?
What a surprise to find a deflated egg in the nesting box this week! At first I thought an old balloon had somehow gotten in! But it turns out that Lady had laid a soft shelled egg! Apparently this can happen due to calcium deficiency, age, or stress. In that both hens share an identical diet, and are just a year old, I have to think it may have been predator stress. Lots of rabbit fur was scattered around the girls’ enclosure, and this kind of stress during the night can affect egg production! Thankfully, her eggs have returned to normal! More questions than answers!
Spring has officially arrived....
and the basil is having none of this social distancing! Onions, leeks, kohlrabi, celery, peppers, and tomatoes have all been started and seem to be thriving. The fig trees and kiwi, which wintered down in the basement, have broken dormancy and are sending up new shoots. (How do they know it’s time?) And even though the entire globe is in crisis mode, Mother Nature is quietly doing what she has always done - providing a new season of life for our planet.
Found a peanut...
or several! This is such a fascinating plant, flowering above ground, but the peanut (a legume really, not a nut) develops underground! It totally upends my mantra…the fruit forms around the flower! What was most interesting was when harvesting the plants, the incredible number of worms I found in and around the roots. Now, I need to soak for 24 hours in a salt water brine, then roast for 30 minutes. Makes you appreciate that bag of peanuts we take for granted at the ballgame!
It's mid-August...
and that means it’s time to go back to school! Cook County’s Master Naturalist Training Program kicked off its first session at the Dan Ryan Woods. Feels like I might have jumped into the deep end. This will certainly be a “more questions than answers” experience.
Magic brooms...
that stand on their own? No, it’s not a Disney cartoon, just a well made broom! How to construct a broom is just one of the many exhibits at the Brodhead Museum.
Echinacea purpurea...
or coneflowers, are a great addition to any garden. They’re colorful, easy to grow, heat and drought resistant, and bloom into the fall. But the real reason I intersperse them throughout the beds, is that they are tremendous pollinators!
Onions...
left behind last year…make their appearance in a bed of garlic. And they have bloomed! Onions are biennials and don’t set seed until their second year. What a lovely sight, and the pollinators are very grateful. Could I save the seed? Farm life is always about “more questions than answers!”
Switching things up...
on Saturdays, when I volunteer as a tour guide at the Brodhead Museum. Great displays and very child-friendly!