I thought you'd like to see my microgreens.  I planted them on the 11th, and took this picture on the morning of the 14th.  Pretty amazing, huh?

 

Radish seeds on the left and arugula seeds on the right.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Jon prepared the grill to cook a turkey breast, so I went out to get a little lemongrass.  I cut a couple stems to go under the turkey, then I cut off the leaves.  We use the stems under the turkey, and the leaves I twirl into a little wreath, hang it to dry, and we use it in our tea.  Nice and lemony.

 

When I cut these two stems, there was a young praying mantis on them, so I put it back in the lemongrass pot.  I guess it's happy there.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

The blueberry bushes are still giving us blueberries.  They last about a month, and we pick them every day.  They are so beautiful and so plentiful this year;  I guess to make up for the last two years, when we got NONE.

 

We are freezing, dehydrating, and eating them every day.  They are wonderful!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Weird picture, but it tells a good story.

 

This apple tree is grafted with 3 different kinds of apples:  I don't remember the three varieties, but I do understand the theory.  Three different scions are grafted onto one strong root stock, because apples need cross pollination to produce fruit.  We could have bought three different trees to reach that goal, but with this grafted tree, we accomplished the same thing in one tree.  

 

It's not the prettiest tree in the orchard, but it does produce good apples every year.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Apples too!!!   This tree is loaded with Golden Delicious apples.  The squirrels usually get most of them, but we do get some.  And they are truly delicious.

 

Of course the deer get their share, but they can only reach so high, so we get the higher up ones.

 

Funny, there are some things we never buy:  apples, peaches, blueberries, tomatoes.  Store-bought ones just aren't as good as the ones we grow ourselves.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

The peaches are almost ready.  This is just one small portion of two trees.  We planted them almost 20 years ago, and some years we get peaches, and some years we don't.  We are right on the edge of peach country.  

 

If we get a frost or freeze when the trees are blooming:  we get nothing.  But I think this year Mother Nature is making up for the last two years.  Everything seems to be in heavy fruiting mode.

 

And aren't they beautiful?

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

This is so cool.  I took this picture last night about 9 o'clock.  These flowers are Mirabilis jalapa, or four o'clocks.  I got the seeds a few years ago from Rosalie's wildflower garden.  This is the first time I have grown them.  

 

They bloom late in the day (between 4 and 8 pm) and fade when the sun hits them the next day, all the while smelling so sweet.  

 

I read this in Wikipedia:

 

Mirabilis is a Latin adjective meaning "amazing, wondrous, remarkable"  Don't you love it?  I do too.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Whoever heard of blueberry ice cream!?!  Well, we have lots of berries this year, so we gave it a try.  Isn't it pretty?  Tasty too.

 

We have a recipe (that we love) for peach ice cream, so we just adapted it.  We used 3 cups of blueberry purée, and instead of vanilla extract, we used lemon extract and added the zest and juice of a lemon.  

 

I will add the peach ice cream recipe to the recipe section.  It's a good one.

 

Hahaha!!!  I just went to the recipe section to put in the recipe, and found that I added it in 2022.  When I read it, I noticed that it said 4 egg yolks.  We made it the other day with 3 whole eggs.  Whoops!  Oh well, it came out fine.  

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

 

 

 

This is the same deck rail as the tall marigolds.  And that is catnip on the other side.

 

This Momma deer is just a few steps beyond the catnip.  She won't touch the catnip, but we are glad for her to eat all the grass she wants:  less grass to mow.  If only she would stick to grass...

 

Anyway, I guess we don't have any "wild" deer in the neighborhood anymore.  They are all just a little too friendly.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

When I went out one morning to water and check on my plants, this is what I found!!!

 

This ugly green pot is full of (formerly) beautiful tall marigolds.  They reach up to the deck rail.  Well, apparently the goldfinches love marigold seeds, because they have eaten most of the flowers, and sowed the seeds all over the deck.

 

I used to deadhead the marigolds to encourage new flower production, but now I just cut off the "empties."  The goldfinches take care of the rest.  

 

 

STILL A HAPPY GARDENER!!!