SERENDIPITY

SUMMER!  Sunshine, lush growth, picnics, gathering with friends and family, good food…  Good food flavored with fine herbs, whether out of a jar or from your own garden makes those gatherings a memorable occasion.  Last year I started a practice that I'd like to share with you, especially if you have a leaning toward the serendipitous (n. the faculty of making happy discoveries by accident).  If interested, read on...

Although I love special herb mixes found in our local shops, especially Herbes de Provence that shouts the fragrance of the sun-sizzled herbs from southern France, I was shocked to find that I could replicate such mixes from my own garden--OR I could carry it a step further by mixing my own, ever-changing mixes from my own garden.  Hence, "happy discoveries" all summer long!

Herbs are so easy to grow, so forgiving, that they can grow without a lot of babying; in fact, they do not like rich soil and actually produce their strongest oils with little water.  Picture the dry, hot, rocky/sandy hills of Provence where many of these herbs are "at home".  You need not have a large garden either, for they thrive in pots of all shapes and sizes, even olive oil cans (drill holes in the bottom), or wooden boxes.

I've learned that herbs love to co-mingle, and so I can get greater mileage out of my pots by allowing these herbs to "socialize".

Some are found in pots, and because I happened to find an empty piece of ground nearby, I allowed this nice spearmint to range about and grow toward the chocolate mint hanging out in the pot.  After all, they ARE cousins!

Thankfully my herbs are found just steps from the kitchen door, so I grab my scissors, decide which ones look healthy and might be interesting in an herb mix, and clip away.  Even after a strong rain in the night, I bring them inside and give them a good wash, aware there may still be buggies lurking…

I then fold paper towels over the herbs to get as much moisture from them as possible--this becomes part of the drying process.

A couple years ago, when we were at the coast with our daughter, I purchased from Mossy Creek Pottery the perfect-sized shallow dish to put the chopped herbs in.  The shallowness of the bowl allows the air to get to the herbs and dry them faster.

Today I found a good selection of herbs: lemon thyme, chives, lavender flowers, spearmint, chocolate mint, orange mint, sage, rosemary (go easy on this very pungent herb), golden oregano, parsley, lemon balm…I now strip the leaves from the stems, place them on the block and use the guillotine (or a knife on a cutting board) to chop them into fine pieces.  Hint:  cut up your herbs in small amounts, otherwise they won't dry properly unless you lay them out in a thin layer, like in a pie plate.

Here's what they'll look like when finished.  Toss lightly with your fingers…then smell your fingers: Oooh la la!

Place your bowl of fine herbs next to your stove.  Several times a day (or every time you walk by them) toss again to quicken the drying time.  Take the time to inhale the smells that are in the process of "marrying"; it will make you so very happy.

You will be surprised how quickly they become dry and crisp; at that stage, rub them between your fingers while you add them to omelets, soups, stews, any dish that calls for A LITTLE DASH OF SERENDIPITY!

Happy Note:  As summer advances the increasing heat will bring out more and more of the marvelous fragrant oils in your herbs--it only gets better!

BON APPÉTIT!

I WENT TO THE GARDEN ALONE

There is something of mystery in the early morning freshness of soft light and verdant growth while walking through a garden that has received sustenance and care from one's hands.  The feeling is akin to the intimate nurturing of a delicate seed relegated to the waiting soil, or a young baby held in a mother's arms as she dreams of what that child may grow to be.  Mothering or gardening, both require God's grace and watch care while seeds are planted, watered, tended, knowing the increase can only come from Him.  

Won't you walk with me now, and I'll show you what I found earlier amidst bird song while gentle breezes rustled the plants, giving the impression that I was not alone after all…

Claud has taken up gardening, and last year

he planted a nice peony in the front garden...

and an Iceberg rose from Heirloom Roses*

in the back.  These are the first offerings from

those two plants, which thrilled him.  I see him

several times a day leaning and smelling the

heady fragrance...

A pause here: Speaking of mystery, who would have 

thought that these pods set by last year's

leeks would have feelings for each other?

The Iceberg rose, pulsating with life,

leans against the garden wall.  I noticed it

has now set blooms in every stage imaginable on

a single stem.

Oh joy!  My Louise Clements, also from 

Heirloom Roses, reaches up to me with her

first bloom.  Mr. Clements, now deceased, 

bred and named this for his wife.  A lovely,

fragrant, legacy.

 Small, but fragrant and full of flavor, I find

a handful of strawberries from the 

long row of plants just beginning to burst

with red deliciousness.  Future berries will be nice 

with cream and sugar or in 

honey-sweetened yogurt!

Her lovely red limbs supporting finely-

textured and graceful leaves, this Japanese 

Maple, aka shigitatsu sawa, is a new 

favorite in the back garden.  We love to 

watch her rise and fall when the winds

pass through and ruffle her "hair".

You may have heard the phrase to 

"borrow the view"; here, we have "borrowed"

this lovely clematis vine as she leapt over 

the fence and attached herself to our 

heavenly bamboo.  She brings just the right

color and form to a bare spot, as if she "knew".

I can't help but notice the affinity these plants

have for one another; one reaching up, the

other down.  Don't you wonder what 

secrets they share?  (I know, you're wondering

if I have completely lost it !)

Few vines are more beautiful than this 

porcelain vine, reaching for the

morning sun.

I love this unnamed blowzy, delicate,

pink rose waiting in the shadows

for her time in the sun.

This is my dream-come-true: Digitalis purpurea

 foxgloves and Bee Delphinium, with the "cherry on top", a "Dark Towers" penstemon in the background.

  As close as I will ever get to an 
English cottage garden...

The Smoke Tree all aflame.

Our walk ends with a combination that 

makes me happy whenever I glance at it

(which is often), the Gartenmeister fushia, 

 ablaze over the grey furry Mexican sage below,

with solar shooting stars sprinkling
light at night.

We love to eat our meals at the foot of 

our fairy garden,complete with Mr. Toad, 

and crowned by  "Purple Petticoats" coral bells.  

Let's sit down with them and have an ice cold

peppermint tea and a crunchy salad, 
both freshly picked!  

This sharing of the garden was enjoyed in duplicate by having your company today.  SUMMER IS HERE!  Enjoy every moment for too quickly it's gone…you know it's true.  But right now, "June is bustin' out all over!"
(James Whitcomb Riley).

*Heirloom Roses grows and sells a huge selection

of vigorous plants on their own roots.

St. Paul, Oregon

SPRING CLEANING

The earth has moved around the sun in such a way that it is now in a position to receive more sunshine and warmth in our hemisphere.  Something mysterious happens, not just to birds who begin building nests and looking for a mate, but to womankind.  A mechanism begins to churn and burn in them, throwing them into a frenzy of feeling they must air out the house by opening windows, shake rugs, dust flat surfaces, wash, wax, even reposition furniture.  The age-old  ritual of Spring Cleaning has arrived: the old must be thrown out, the new replacing it; the house-bound, dead-looking chrysalis is transformed into a butterfly of purpose and movement!

Not to change the subject too drastically, but have you ever thought of doing a "Spring Cleaning" of your face?  Now don't be offended, I'm talking about the removal of dead skin, cleaning out those pores, bringing a shine to your sweet face.  There is a quick and easy way to bring about this transformation: all you need are a couple clippings of rosemary, a medium-sized pan to hold them in, some water to cover, and a stove to bring the mixture to a pre-boil stage.  Oh yes, and a nice clean towel.  

Once the mixture of water and rosemary are steaming, turn off the burner, place the pot on a front burner and stand over it with the towel making a tent to hold the steam in--be careful not to stand too close!, just to where it's comfortable--have your timer set for 2-3 minutes and close your eyes, no peeking.  Breathe in the fragrant and warm moist air, think of picnics to come alongside a rushing river with birds singing, and ding! the timer goes off.  

Now remove the towel, wash your face with lukewarm water and pat it dry (no harsh rubbing).  Do you see what I mean?  This process has brought the blood to the surface, the warm moisture has washed your pores clean, and you are ready to greet your day with a glowing face!  

This is not the last step to this marvelous cleansing process, because you do not pour out the rosemary-tinted fragrant water.  You take a sieve and pour the liquid into a container.  When this has cooled down, use it as a final rinse when you next shampoo your hair.  Marvelous rosemary is not just good for stuffing your chicken, but it's oils will cut all residue from your hair that dulls it.  The result?  You will have a spring-cleaned face and hair to go with it!  

Note:  If you don't have a rosemary bush of your own, perhaps a friend would share from theirs with you; or keep an eye out in your neighborhood for one, and if you ask nicely, a neighbor just may consent to you cutting a couple branches…and hey!  maybe you can do a "facial" together!

And in flower language, 

"Rosemary is for remembrance",

and I'm remembering you, my friend,

as Spring descends upon the land.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

FINALLY, IT'S SPRING!

SPRING COMES TO THE LAND

HERE in a quiet and dusty room they lie,

Faded as crumbled stone or shifting sand,

Forlorn as ashes, shriveled, scentless, dry--

Meadows and gardens running through my hand.

In this brown husk a dale of hawthorn dreams,

A cedar in this narrow cell is thrust,

It will drink deeply of a century's streams,

These lilies shall make summer on my dust.

Here in their safe and simple house of death,

Sealed in their shells a million roses leap;

Here I can blow a garden with my breath,

And in my hand a forest lies asleep.

THE SEED SHOP:  

Muriel Stuart

YOU come to fetch me from my work tonight

When supper's on the table, and we'll see

If I can leave off burying the white

Soft petals fallen from the apple tree

(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,

Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea),

And go along with you ere you lose sight

Of what you came for and become like me,

Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.

How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed

On through the watching for that early birth

When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,

The sturdy seedling with arched body comes

Shouldering its way and shedding the earth.

PUTTING IN THE SEED:

Robert Frost

And a garden is a grand teacher.  It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust.  "Paul planteth and Apollos watereth, but God giveth the increase."  The good gardener knows with absolute certainty that if he does his part, if he gives the labour, the love, and every aid that his knowledge of his craft, experience of the conditions of his place, and exercise of his personal wit can work together to suggest, that so surely as he does this diligently and faithfully, so surely will God give the increase.  Then with the honestly-earned success comes the consciousness of encouragement to renewed effort, and, as it were, an echo of the gracious words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

A GARDENING CREDO:

Gertrude Jekyll

"WE GARDEN BECAUSE WE REMEMBER PARADISE"
Passed on by George Lewis 
of Little & Lewis

THIS MAKES ME CRAZY HAPPY

And so does this.



And most definitely this!

No doubt about it:

My gardening blood is 

beginning to rise.

How about yours?

photo courtesy themurmuringcottage

FINALLY, IT'S SPRING!

SPRING COMES TO THE LAND

HERE in a quiet and dusty room they lie,

Faded as crumbled stone or shifting sand,

Forlorn as ashes, shriveled, scentless, dry--

Meadows and gardens running through my hand.

In this brown husk a dale of hawthorn dreams,

A cedar in this narrow cell is thrust,

It will drink deeply of a century's streams,

These lilies shall make summer on my dust.

Here in their safe and simple house of death,

Sealed in their shells a million roses leap;

Here I can blow a garden with my breath,

And in my hand a forest lies asleep.

THE SEED SHOP:  

Muriel Stuart

YOU come to fetch me from my work tonight

When supper's on the table, and we'll see

If I can leave off burying the white

Soft petals fallen from the apple tree

(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,

Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea),

And go along with you ere you lose sight

Of what you came for and become like me,

Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.

How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed

On through the watching for that early birth

When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,

The sturdy seedling with arched body comes

Shouldering its way and shedding the earth.

PUTTING IN THE SEED:

Robert Frost

And a garden is a grand teacher.  It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches entire trust.  "Paul planteth and Apollos watereth, but God giveth the increase."  The good gardener knows with absolute certainty that if he does his part, if he gives the labour, the love, and every aid that his knowledge of his craft, experience of the conditions of his place, and exercise of his personal wit can work together to suggest, that so surely as he does this diligently and faithfully, so surely will God give the increase.  Then with the honestly-earned success comes the consciousness of encouragement to renewed effort, and, as it were, an echo of the gracious words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

A GARDENING CREDO:

Gertrude Jekyll

"WE GARDEN BECAUSE WE REMEMBER PARADISE"
Passed on by George Lewis 
of Little & Lewis