The Bee-Friendly Garden by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn

This book is a nonfiction gardening resource. 

This is one of the most beautiful and practical gardening books I have ever seen!

Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn are two scientists and gardening experts on a mission to educate us about bees and their importance.  

This book starts by educating us about bees and their role in nature.  They address why they are important and how we can help to repopulate and save them from their recent plight.  

Once we are aware of the importance of bees they open up about plants and gardening practices that encourage the re-population of bees.  This book is packed with beautiful photographs of the different kinds of bees and many kinds of plants and flowers that are both beneficial and harmful.  I love that they identify both sides for us.  

Once they have educated us they share information on designing gardens that draw bees to your yard.  This book is loaded with information, resources, definitions, photos and it is so timely!

If you are a gardener I am sure you will love this book.  I certainly have.  It will become a mainstay in my gardening resources stack for years to come.

I gladly give this book a 5 out 5!

It is published by Ten Speed Press.

This book was provided to me free of charge for an honest review.  It was provided through the Blogging for Books program... http://www.bloggingforbooks.com/

New Veggies from the Garden

Beautiful Purple Tomatillos

This is the first time I have ever grown tomatillos.  I found seeds for the purple variety this year and decided to see how they would do.  I was beginning to think all my efforts were in vein because they grew from about April until July before we saw any fruit starting on them.  From the end of July until now we have watched the little green fruit turn purple and become ripe enough to pick.  I finally have a basket full enough to make something with them.  

I traditionally use tomatillos to make a nice Salsa Verde.  I will use these to do the same and see what color we get as we mix the purple with the cilantro and green chilis.  I am hoping to get at least a few cans of salsa to put up for the winter months.  I was considering not planting them again but the harvest has turned out great and now I will give them their own space in the spring again next year.  I love when a new crop is successful!  

Some other stuff that came in today...

Last of the tomatoes, green Serrano chilies, jalapenos and one little pomegranate.  There will be one lonely little cantaloupe soon, too.  There is a lot of yum in that stash!

To Hail and Back Again...

Saturday April 19 was the Great Hail Storm for 2014.  It was a mess and I stood quietly at the window as I watched the garden getting pummelled.  It was horrible!  I was not sure we would come out of this one without having to buy all new plants and start over.

So not a fashion statement.... I was trying to stay dry as I went out to see what kind of damage had been done.  That white is not snow... it is all hail.  A whole lot of hail!

 

The water was three to four inches deep in spots.  Had to don my wellies to go out in it. 

What a mess... this is the sideyard that was covered in ice and water from the flash flood and hail.

The herbs weathered the storm remarkably well.  All my mint was intact!

I was able to go out and scoop the ice from around the base of the plants to keep it from sitting in the freezing ice for too long.

We thought we would lose all the tomato and pepper plants.

When all was said and done... one week later we have all the tomato and pepper plants still growing with a minimal amount lost.  We lost some of the apricots and peaches off the trees but not all of it.  Our sunflowers seemed to be doing well with only a few broken plants.  We added all the fallen green leaves to the compost pile this week and have not had to replant anything.  I did, however, get another eggplant from my FIL to replace a sad one that is barely hanging on.  I even have tomatillo and squash seeds coming up since the event.

We have started watering the yard again for the grass so the green should be returning soon and the chickens are still enjoying those mulberries as they fall each day.

I think we survived it all and everything is back to normal.

More from the garden later this week.  

Happy gardening to you all!!!

Grow Write Guild #21: Gardener

Write about the moment when you knew you had become a gardener.

My mom is a gardener who grew flowers, plants, shrubs and trees and my dad always worked in the yard keeping it manicured and lovely, so I think I have always been interested in dirt and flowers and trees and such.  I recall a garden in my Meemaw's yard on occasion, too.  I remember playing in the dirt and trailing around through the plants and trees when we lived in the Conroe, TX area and when I visited my Meemaw in Louisiana in the summers when I was small.  My mom always had lots of plants she would tend to.  One of her favorite things was wandering around watering plants and washing off the sidewalk when the pollen and dirt were really covering things.  It is interesting that I find joy in that as well.  I love watering in the mornings before the heat of the day sets in or in the cool of the evening when they need an extra drink in the long hot season of the summer.

Everywhere we have lived I have had some kind of flowers or plants that I have worked on but it was not until we moved to Kansas that I really found my niche.  I grew this raised bed of vegetables the summer we were there and it was the most wonderful thing I had grown, up to that point.  It was wonderful to grow something I could actually eat instead of just decorative plants.

Before we moved to Kansas we had been in a small little church in a town called Paluxy, Texas.  It had a church, a post office and two houses up on the little hill that were marked by the city limit sign .  People came from out of the woodwork to come on Sunday mornings.  It was a little farming and cattle community.  I think it has been my favorite church we have served in since I have become an adult.

There was this little old lady, Mrs. Macrimmon (Mrs. Mac for short), who took me in and nurtured this young wife and mother in the most beautiful of ways.  She encouraged me and taught me and every summer she had the most magnificent home garden full of lettuces,  root veggies, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and a variety of squashes.  She would send something home with us every weekend when we were there for services.

After we left Paluxy we moved to Kansas and it was the time I spent with her that drew me into the idea that I could even grow vegetables in the first place.  We had this little patch in our backyard that was walled in with lumber and we pampered that little space with chicken manure from a local church member, fertilizer, compost and then we planted.  We took an old tire and filled it with good soil and grew strawberries in it, too.  It was the first moment I picked a fresh tomato and zucchini out of that garden that I knew.  I knew I would be a gardener.... a vegetable gardener... in some capacity for the rest of my life.

That summer we had fresh veggies and salads on the table almost every day.  We had local farmer and gardener friends share things with us from their gardens, too, and it was the first summer I tried my hand at canning.  I canned bread and butter pickles and gave a ton of jars away with plenty to spare for my husband to enjoy a plethora for himself.

That summer made me brave.

It made me aware of the possibilities.

It made me a vegetable gardener.

Pumpkins almost ready...

Some green still on a few of the pumpkins but they are turning orange quickly now since the weather has cooled.  The leaves are dying off and there is no new growth... only seven lovely little pumpkins almost ready to be harvested and used.  We lost two in the rain storms due to mold but it happens and so we moved on to care for the 7 left.  They are beautiful!

Just about another week or so and we will clear the brush to plant for winter.

We are ready for pumpkin bread and pie and soup and any other yummy treats we can concoct from our most sincere little pumpkin patch.

We are also still growing carrots and the last of the summer tomatoes are turning red.  There is a fresh planting of lettuces and onion that we put in and there will be garlic planting soon.  I am looking at some more carrot and beet seeds to plant.  If I can find broccoli and/or brussel sprouts we still have a bit of time to put those in for winter growth.  This will be our first winter attempt and I am so excited for that!

Some Homestead Resources I Use

Over the years I have collected a small library that have served me well on the topic of homesteading.

From the bookshelf above you can see...

*  Gardening Without Work by Ruth Stout

*   A Full Life in a Small Place by Janice Emily Bowers

*   Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich

*   Barnheart by Jenna Woginrich

*   The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

*   Bringing It to the Table  by Wendell Berry

*   Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens

*   Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

*   Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods you can stop buying and start making by Alana Chernila

*   Farmstead Chef by John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist

*   Winter Harvest by Lane Morgan

*   Modern Homestead by Renee Wilkinson

*   Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine

*   Storey's Basic Country Skills

*   The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket

*   MaryJane's Outpost - I also have MaryJane's Journal, too.

and from my Nook books collection...

I have a few more on my Kindle and some paperback ones stashed away in a box that I have already read.  

What really started this whole journey for me was this little BBC series called "Good Neighbors" or in the UK it is called "The Good Life"  It is about a couple who endeavors to homestead in the suburbs in the UK.  It is funny and poignant and just a lovely show!   It is my very favorite Britcom.

I also have a weakness for seed catalogs...

Territorial Seed Company

Pinetree

Johnny's Seeds

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company

Others not shown here...

Seed Savers Exchange

Seeds of Change (I have even found these at Walmart!)

Annie Heirloom Seeds

The Cook's Garden

Irish Eyes Garden Seeds

My favorite Desert Gardening book is this one... I also have the Month by Month edition and it is the most helpful book I have found for our part of the country.

There are also a plethora of homestead magazines and helps popping up out there.

MaryJane's Farm is a huge favorite as well as my bi-monthly subscription of Hobby Farms.

Capper's Farmer is one I recently discovered and have enjoyed.

No gardener's reference library is complete without the legendary Farmer's Almanac.  I also have the Gardener's Guide companion this year and it has been a valuable resource.

This is one of the books I am reading right now...  Backyard Farming on an Acre (more or less) by Angela England

Also enjoying Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich.

She has a new one out I picked up on my Nook... One Woman Farm.  It is not from a Christian perspective but it has lovely stories and beautiful artwork in it.  I love Jenna's adventures.

Lastly, there is one book I want but have not gotten yet.  It is released in a few short weeks.  It is being released by a fellow blogger at Chickens in the Road and the book is titled the same.

Cannot wait to read Suzanne McMinn's adventures!  You can read the first chapter for free here.

Check out her promo video, too... those goats are adorable!!!

Saturday Blog Reads...

I have been blog hopping a lot lately so I thought I would share some of my favorites for those of you who love blog reading.  Not sure you guys have noticed the changes but this is still a food blog, I promise.  I am just doing food differently these days.  I am trying to get back to more whole/real food and gardening and chickens are part of that process for us.  In finding my voice I realized I need to share the whole life we live instead of just the food we eat.  Food is such an intricate part of life and I want to share that bigger picture.  

Oh, I did not tell you.... we are getting chickens... TODAY!  

There will be blogging about chickens.  We are getting five 6 month old chickens from a family that cannot care for their chickens anymore.  We will be adding to our little flock come spring and as we need to over the coming years.  I am looking forward to this grand adventure!

Anyway... here are some blogs I love and have been reading as I prepare to write more in October and about life in the garden and with chickens.

The biggest questions on my mind today (besides chicken stuff) is the 31 Days of Blogging coming in October and what I will write and who is joining me?

With that in mind, here is what I am reading lately:

31 Day Reads

Here is the link to The Nester (Nesting Place)... the host for this 31 Day challenge.

Here are a few links regarding the challenge ahead...

13 Reasons Why to Write a 31 Day Series

31 Tips for a Great 31 Days Series

31 Days Categories

Gardening/Farming Reads

You Grow Girl

Mary Jane's Farm

Northwest Edible Life

Chickens in the Road 

(she has a book coming out in October!)

Cold Antler Farm 

by Jenna Woginrich 

(whose books I am devouring right now)

Chickens

The Chicken Chick

Fresh Eggs Daily

Keeping Chickens Newsletter online (this is FREE)

My Pet Chicken

Backyard Chickens

Stay tuned for upcoming chicken news and if you did not know it.... 

TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN!!!

Fall Gardening...

I have recently shared my herb garden, pumpkin patch and the end of summer bounty of zucchini that is in my yard but I am working on a fall garden right now, too.  I have carrots that are growing and, to be honest, unless I was growing an acre of carrots it is probably not a very good use of my time and resources but it is the first time we have tried carrots and it is a learning experience.  I tried to plant beets, too, and they are not doing well.  I think I planted the seeds too deep.  I will try again and see how those turn out.  

I put in some other herbs and onions and they did not do well.  I think those did not take because they were older seeds and that truly does make a difference for some things.  Again... it is all a great big experiment for me at this point.  

I am already thinking about spring planting, too, and scouring seed catalogs to price everything so I can save my pennies and order around Christmas.

Now, what does one put into a fall garden in the desert southwest?

I am adding a new attempt at beets

I am hoping to get my hands on some broccoli seeds and definitely Swiss chard, collard greens, radishes, garlic, leeks, spinach and a few other lettuce greens and maybe adding a new batch of carrots and onions.  I will plant more herb seeds in October to prep the bed for the spring.  I have basil and mint going to seed over the next month so they should come back in spring, too.

The pumpkin count this morning was 9 that we could see in the growth of vines.  There could be more but we won't really dig around and see them until everything starts to turn orange.  We got 12 last year and I planted about the same amount this year.  I tried my hand at planting some harvested seeds from last year's crop to see how they would come back but I don't see any pumpkins on that plant right now.  It could change at any time but no luck yet...

Did I tell you we have tomatoes... FINALLY!?!?  My poor little tomato plant struggled all summer and I refused to pull it out but with all the rain and cooler temps it has picked up and we counted about a dozen little green tomatoes on it this morning.  We are very excited, especially my youngest who LOVES tomatoes.

Speaking of rain... thought you might like to see the results of our five full days of rain last week.

So, we end with this... the view around Thursday (day four of rain) from my back window.  The small pond under the Mulberries was fun.  We have the furniture airing on the lawn today in the sunshine.  Everything is drying out nicely.

Growing Pumpkins

This is our second year growing pumpkins in our little backyard.  One thing we learned last year is that pumpkins really need a place to stretch out and grow.  They send off vine shoots and then little tendrils that wrap around things to stabilize it.  

They start out green and they do not turn orange until they are grown and have been out in the sun a good long time.  They do take water to maintain but that was expected.  I watered them daily... and am watering daily again this year.  For good healthy gourds I knock a few of the little pumpkins off so that not more than 2-3 are growing on a shoot at a time. 

The best time to plant pumpkins is sometime around Father's Day in America (June 17th or so)

I have not tried it yet but I hear from culinarians that the pumpkin blossoms are good eats, too.

One would pick them and then use a light batter to bread them and fry them.

The big yellow blossoms are open and ready for pollinating in the early mornings and typically by noon they are closed up and started to wither.  I seem to have a fresh dose of those blossoms every morning and the bees just swarm to them. 

I love having a pumpkin patch. We are trying to have the most sincere pumpkin patch again this year.  I do believe we shall make it... it is my favorite place to be as I stroll through the garden each morning to discover what new thing has happened overnight.  I just wonder, though... why did I wait so long to grow a garden in the first place.  It is a very rewarding hobby for me. 

In the Autumn Garden

I know it is not Autumn yet but I have a producing garden far past July this year and that makes me pretty happy.  I am sad I never had tomatoes make it but next year we are putting them in their own bed on the back wall with cages in hopes of giving them their own space to stretch out.

We are still enjoying the bounty of zucchini every few days.  My yellow squash is spent but the zucchini is still going strong and the bee population in my yard seems to have picked up, too, so there is lots of pollinating going on.  We... my littlest and I... also spotted a Monarch Butterfly this morning. So lovely!

I also have some pumpkins popping up and I will share more on those later but here is a little starter.

I am attempting some carrots and beets but they are so tiny still... not sure how they will do as the season progresses but I am watching them and watering them so we shall see.

The herb garden is doing nicely.  I have an abundance of mint and rosemary and hope to be drying some of that before the end of the season when it all goes to seed.

Rosemary shrub! 

My basil is heading to seed now but I still have time to gather the leaves and dry it for us during the winter.  

Ball Herb Jars... I love these.  They are brilliant!

Slower Days

I have to admit I am truly enjoying a slower schedule lately.  I am trying not to put too much back into it.  There is joy in puttering and routine.  There is joy in slow starts in the mornings and slower evenings with time for movies and games with the family.  

I am spending my mornings here lately...

Outside in the garden... under the trees.  This particular shot is taken from my sunflower area.  I am sad that I only have one sunflower this year because none of my other seeds came up.  I chalk it up to the fact that the package was a few years old and we had horrible heat during June that just killed so much of my garden this year.  We were not able to keep up with the water on the garden due to some serious drought conditions we have endured this year here in the Southwest.

But, we have since had a bit of rain... not earth shattering, record breaking rain but rain... enough to green up some things.  The mornings for the past two weeks have been very nice.  We have started our days in the mid to upper 60's and a few mornings I even needed a light sweater to tool around in the garden in.  

I am enjoying my purple Adirondack chair and table set this year more due to the coolness of the mornings.  I spend time reading... in my Bible and in whatever book I am reading at the time.  I recently finished a book called Barnheart by Jenna Woginrich.  

I enjoyed it very much.  So much, in fact, that I picked up her prequel called Made From Scratch and hope to start it this weekend.

Dan and the boys cleaned the yard up this morning and cut the grass.  I always love yard cleaning days.  I am drawn back to the Adirondack on those days following because it is so lovely out when everything is cleaned and properly in it's place.

I have also had a lot more time for birdwatching.  We put this cute little "Coleman Lantern" birdfeeder out and the birds come by the double digits to partake.  It is just outside my dining room window so I can watch as I enjoy a meal.  They are so curious to watch.  They take turns and if one is taking too long of a turn at the feeder another will gently nudge them to get their own turn.  The feeder is designed to be for smaller birds so the finches tend to be the ones coming regularly.  Occasionally a rather large dove or quail will show up and they cannot quite get to the feeder.  They will try several different angles and then fly away in frustration.  Sometimes they sit longingly watching as the finches enjoy their meal.  Such curious animals, indeed.

I am longing more and more for something in the way of a farm out in the country but for now, I am making this little suburban homestead a place of peace and enjoyment.  

As I sit here typing at the dining room table I have just spied my first orange hummingbird of the year.  We have had a plethora of hummingbirds in our yard this year.  We have seen several nests around our yard.  One is even perched in one of our climbing rose bushes up close to the house.  They are fascinating birds.  We have been thrilled to see a mama nesting and then the babies learning to fly.  We still have a nest of swallows on our front porch and we cannot bring ourselves to get ride of the nest once they leave for the season.  They always come back and use it the next year and we get the privilege of watching the cycle happen over and over again.  

Well, I have become intrigued by this little orange hummingbird.  I need to go see more.  

Until next time... take time to slow down and enjoy the little things.

Blessings,

~Leann

From the August garden

 We put cantaloupe in a little late so we are just getting some but they are the SWEETEST I have had all season!  I saved seeds from them and dried them for planting next year, too.

These are sunflowers... also planted a bit late but are ready to bloom, none-the-less.

Here is our sunflower bed.

The birds have been pecking on our first pumpkin but I am hoping it will recover if we leave it.  I check it every day and have been keeping a garlic/pepper spray going on it to keep stuff away from it. I hope it makes it!

 This is one of the prettiest of our plants this year... it is a garlic chive and I got it from my friend Pat.  She was lovely enough to share some stuff with me mid summer and all her stuff is doing well... adapting... to our yard.

 Close-up of the garlic chive flower.

and I have been using it in the kitchen to season some of our cooking.

Food From Our Weekend

 Sunday dinner is a big deal in our house.  We eat at the church once a month and at Dan's parents at least once a month and then we have our meals at home.  When I was a little girl we had traditional Sunday Dinners every week, too.  We were usually one of two places... mostly at my parent's home in east Texas and sometimes at my grandparents home in Louisiana. 

Sunday Dinner has always been a very big meal with a meat entree and lots of veggies, potatoes, rice and it was ALWAYS followed by some kind of dessert.  When I was at my Meemaw's house dessert was most likely pie.  I adore pie!  The pie above is a Rhubarb/Berry Pie.

 We enjoyed another Kale Salad today with avocado and lemon juice.  Dan loves this one and it is SUPER HEALTHY!

 I steamed broccoli today just until it was slightly softened.  I love my veg with a little crunch to it.

 Tilapia is a favorite in our home... and so simply made with a little lemon/olive oil vinaigrette and a bit of salt and pepper.

 Gold Yukon Potatoes were boiled on the stovetop whole and 

then we add a bit of real butter with salt and pepper.

 We got to enjoy the Butter Bread I bought at the Middle Eastern Festival we attended.

It is sweet and so lovely with a little butter spread on top.  

Another use I could see for this particular bread would be in a simple bread pudding or as French toast.

 Here is that pie!  So amazingly fresh with the seasonal ingredients.  

I have a little more Rhubarb but my next project is using apricots from my little "orchard" in the back yard.  Our two trees are LOADED this year with fruit.  I am very excited about this.

I also have apricots already donated to our family by a friend, too.  I will be playing with these first.  They have been washed and refrigerated for some experimenting this week.  I think I want to try my hand at some apricot jam this year.  It has been a long time since I have canned and I have been wanting to do this with some of our garden bounty.