New Path

Years of lusting over cottage garden gravel paths finally came to an end. Well, I'm sure I will still gawk, now I can at my own. While it isn't complete, phase 2 is done. Done for now because it is pumpkin season and they have grown large over the next area to be graveled.

With permission from the local granite countertop company I was able to score waste pieces from their dump pile to create a stepping stone effect. I flipped the granite upside down, even though it is less showy due to not being polished, but it is also less slippery.  I've seen many pictures of people who have made paths with waste granite, but kept them shiny side up and I think this is a huge mistake. That stuff is super slick. Who wants to walk gingerly staring at each step to make sure they don't fall when there is so much eye candy around to look at? So, here it is.

The path turns right onto phase 1, which borders my newest bed. This year that bed has a mix of perennials (mostly native) and annuals (mostly zinnias, salvias, tithonia).

 

 The rusty blue chair is one of my new coffee or beer

enjoying places. So many bugs, butterflies and hummingbirds

are enjoying this new bed. This morning it was already

so sticky to sit and enjoy hot coffee it motivated me to blog instead.

 To the left the path takes you into the gated and fenced in 

orchard/chicken and bee yard. 

The gravel is 3/8 inch chip. It was $20 per scoop (truck load)

and the entire path so far has required 3 scoops, so I feel this is

a pretty reasonable price for a mostly permanent surface. It's cheaper than

mulch. It will reduce weeding/mowing, while allowing for water to penetrate 

and bonus- the cats seem to really like laying on it. I'm happy with it. 

Food Stuff

Summer veg coming in. Had my first decent harvest of tomatoes. They seem a wee late, but the plants are loaded so there is lots to come. 

 Blue cheese, parmesan, parsley, mint, white wine vinegar,

olive oil, S & P. YUM. 

Pistachio Pesto pasta- parsley, mint, romano cheese, pistachios

Very good. 

Feta pesto- basil, garlic, feta

with pan seared eggplant steaks

Oh, yum.

This past week was pretty nasty with temps in the mid to upper 90s on most days. Before that we only had one other really hot week so I'd say this has been a relatively nice summer. Next week looks like more days in the upper 80s. We had a 3 week dry spell in June, but otherwise have had adequate and periodical rain. Last Wednesday, July 13th we had a crazy wind that took the power away from a lot of the area, including my workplace. Lots of trees and branches came down, including a 40-something year old Pin Oak, planted by my uncle, at the park down the street. Sad. 

In the basement I've already started a few fall things- kale, mustard, lettuces, chard because I've felt like I was often behind on them in years past. Hopefully they will survive my vacation away. 

That's all I got. ; ) Happy Gardening. 

It Has Rained.

A lot lately.

People complain, but I know two things- it makes for easy weeding and I've done a lot of planting without watering. Weeding and watering were both challenges we faced last year with the heat and drought.

Even with not doing the tomato sale this year I still haven't gotten the plants in the ground, but the ground is saturated and cool yet. It's so wet  you can hear the earth sucking in the water- for real.

Good Eats: Things I'm eating now

Parsnip Pancakes

2 eggs, 1 lg parsnip grated, chopped chives, oregano, parsley, 2 Tbs flour, S & P

Stir it all up. Heat some EVOO in a pan and fry pancakes on each side until desired doneness.

Yum. Almost everything was from the garden or chickens.

Salads

Since we are on the topic of food, gardening and cooking...

My mom surprised me with tickets to see Michael Pollan, lunch and a signed copy of his latest book, Cooked. I love this man's brain. 

MP and I

In bloom:

The Gorgeous Allium

Red Buckeye- Aesculus pavia

I saw a small bumblebee of sorts go to these flowers

Deutzia, Red Buckeye and daylilies in the Biergarten.

Viburnum

Black Chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa

Miss Kim Korean Lilac- my favorite of the lilacs. 

The smell was almost nauseating this morning in the heavy air. 

Bridal Veil Spirea 

I once used these for Barbie bouquets. 

Up close with Daisy Fleabane:

Scenery:

At the back steps.

Transplanting alyssum.

The Potager

Biergarten in back. Potager in the front. Seeds starts in the middle.

Deutzia (white shrub) Korean Lilac (purple)

And a closer look

Shhhhh. The babies are asleep.

Baby Chickadees are in this purple bird house!

Love in a Mist (Nigella)- reseeded and getting close to bloom time

The snails are quite happy with the weather we borrowed from the Pacific NW.

Waiting for transplant:

Tomatoes, Balsam, Nasturtiums, Zinnias and more

Native wildflowers, Petunias, Flowering Tobacco, Alpine Strawberries and more

Chives blooming in the Potager.

I transplanted several species of Milkweeds today (from seed I started in the nursery). I'm trying to grow more milkweed due to the dire situation with the Monarch Butterfly population. Some of the varieties I transplanted into the front prairie and under the Maple include: Asclepias exaltata, A viridis, A. verticillata and A. sullivantii. 

Projects:

I ordered two varieties of Oyster Mushrooms- Elm & Phoenix from The Imaginary Farmer

They come as mycelium growing on wheat. In addition, they give you a bag of sawdust pellets and a growing chamber (aka bag). All you do is add water, hydrogen peroxide, used coffee grinds and churn it all together. I chose these two varieties because I am hoping to inoculate my garden with the leftover growth once the first flushes of mushroom has occurred indoors. 

Here is the Elm Oyster mycelium (white mold) growing on wheat.

Here is the prepared growing chamber:

"E" is for Elm

Just for Fun: My students and I spent our last day of class together walking the campus grounds looking for examples of the ecological concepts we have covered. 

We were lucky to see a Leopard Frog along the way.

Hoppy Spring Ya'll.