Good Blue Fun

Blueberries have been getting lots of attention these days as being a superfood.  Apparently they are just bursting with lots of good things for our bodies.  These are one of my personal favorites.  I love the way the little round fruits pop between your teeth releasing all that juice onto your taste buds.  Now that’s good stuff.

Last week Tony & I went to the Berry Bush Blue Berry Farm in Ben Wheeler.  Not only are blueberries good to eat, but they are a lot of fun to pick.  Blueberry bushes mature into very tall shrubs which means that the shrub itself casts some pretty good shade making the job not so hard in the hot summer.  In this area blueberries ripen during June and July.  

At the Berry Bush, the berries are $18.00 per gallon if you buy then already picked or $12.00 per gallon you pick.  I like picking the fruit and it is a great experience for kids to see where the food they eat comes from.  When you walk into the shed by the parking lot, there are stacks of gallon size baskets so it is easy to know how much you have picked.  Tony & I each got a basket.  Of course, being who I am I started competing with him to see who could pick the most the fastest.  Tony was unaware of the contest (it’s easier to win that way) and walked over and dumped his basket into mine.  Oh well.   A few summers back we stopped at a u pick pea patch and I thoroughly thumped him and 2 kids.  Three against one and they still lost.  I attribute this pea picking skill to the summer I picked peas for my Uncle Pat who farmed around the corner from our house.  I was 12 and to this day, I still consider that the hardest work I ever did, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.  Blueberry picking is much easier than pea picking.

Once you have picked what you want and eaten a few (or more), you take your berries back to the shed and the sweet little lady puts them in a paper sack and you pay her the money.  Talk about easy and fun.  By the way, should you feel guilty about eating some berries, the sweet lady told us to be sure to taste the berries from the bush we were picking from to make certain they were good and sweet.  So, its ok to eat along the way making the experience all the more sweet.

Not only does Ben Wheeler have a great blueberry farm, they have a great hamburger joing.  It is located in the Exxon.  Don’t let that fool you, Sam’s makes one of the best burgers I have eaten, cooked when you order it and made from a hand patted patty.  The veggies are fresh and crisp.  You can eat you burger at the soda fountain while sitting on old fashioned bar stools- another great bit of fun for the kids.  The burger is big enough to share and is priced less than the fast food burgers that aren’t good for you. 

So check out The Berry Bush- http://www.berrybushusa.com/,  and Sam’s Exxon in Ben Wheeler- you will be glad you did.  These pictures are from their website.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Lovely Tomatoes, my best harvest ever!!!

For several years I have been trying to grow tomatoes.  It would seem that this would be easy in the south.  After all, according to Shirley McLain in "Steel Magnolias" growing tomatoes is what southern women do.  For me, however, this has not been the case.

The first year I planted tomatoes I planted Brandy-wine.  These are heralded as the best tasting tomato ever.  And they may be, but once the temps get into the 90's they don't set fruit very well ( you will find this in the small print in a good seed catalog).  Well, in Texas we can be in the 90's before April says good-bye.  So, that summer the temps went high quickly and I got no tomatoes, large beautiful vines, but no tomatoes.  To this day, I can not tell you if Brandy-wine lives up to its billing or not.

The next summer, I don't even remember what I planted, but all I got was a few little fruits.  This was quite frustrating to me since it was a desire of mine to can my own tomato sauce from tomatoes grown in my own garden.  At the rate I was going, I would be doing good to make a salad much less can many quarts of sauce.  However, I did get one Black Krim Tomato and it was the best I ever tasted.  It will be in my garden this next year.

But, hope springs eternal in a gardeners heart and the next summer I went at it hard.  I scoured the catalogs looking for varieties that would be good in high heat, mild drought conditions and so forth.  Then I planted like crazy.  Well the season I am talking about was last summer.  Hell turned on its blow dryers and a hideous western wind blew for months, no rain fell for months and the temperatures hit one hundred before May had come and gone and did not come down until the end of August.  So, the little tomato plants just didn't stand a chance.  I did get a few tomatoes from volunteers that had come from tomatoes that we had fed to the pigs the summer before.  Think about it for a minute and you will figure it out.  I must say I felt a bit insulted at the fact that the garden snubbed all my hard work and research in favor of pig poo, but oh well at least I got a few tomatoes.

June Pink sliced up and ready for breakfast.

Now, each season may have looked like a failure in regards to my tomato aspirations, but each season I learned something to apply to the next try.  After all, I could not give up.  Because of the land on which I garden, I have to be shrewd.  My property is a very steep hill that slopes towards the North.  I have essentially a walled garden because of the 80' trees surrounding my 2 acres.  What this means is, not all my property gets enough sun to grow heat loving veggies like eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers.  Of these, the most choosy is the tomatoes. Not only is sun exposure a problem, but the soil temperature is tricky.  The soil takes its time warming to the temps that tomatoes need to thrive do to the micro-climate I have on my place.

The soil temps is what was really getting me into trouble.  I was so excited and ready to get gardening, that I would plant seedlings as soon as possible.  However, by the time the soil temps warmed up sufficiently the seedlings would be getting stressed and then be a target for bugs.  So, I learned from the volunteers that my garden needed tomatoes planted in mid-April, this is when they came up on their own.  Left alone, plants do know when they need to come up and greet the new season.

Rambling Tomato Vines

Well, this year I choose the hottest spot on my acreage to till the tomato patch.  Due to the business of the nursery, it was easy to wait until mid-April to plant.  I mulched the seedlings immediately- I believe this is a key to successful gardening, MULCH, MULCH, MULCH!  Well, the tomatoes took their sweet time getting ripe, but I had green tomatoes on the vines very quickly.  I have been harvesting everyday now for about 2 weeks.  I am so happy.  I did not plant enough to have me canning many quarts of sauce, but I have canned 3 quarts and made many tasty dishes.

I chose 4 varieties this year.  June Pink- an early tomato, Cherokee Purple, Arkansas Traveler, and Illini Gold.  I have been very pleased with each of them.  Being Heirloom varieties, I could save seeds to grow next year and the plants are indeterminate.  This means the plants ramble much like a cucumber or pea vine, but they do not climb on their own.  Now, good supports will keep these beauties off the ground but I obviously need to work on the support things in my garden.  I have tomato plants rambling all over, but I am so happy!  The pig is happy too, I toss any tomatoes that have gone bad or been eaten too badly by bugs over the fence to her- who knows what gifts she will leave me for next year....

Homemade Tomato Sauce & Some Ripe Illini Gold & Cherokee Purple

Now For A Little Catching Up...

As I sit here enjoying the view of the pond at Fair Park and the sound of Cicadas whirring in the trees, I am grateful for these minutes of quiet. Wow, the end of May and beginning of June had been busy!  Some very significant milestones have occurred in our family and I am very grateful to have been a part of them.

These cool letters were done by my sister, Windy

The most significant milestone in my immediate brood is the fact that Cheyenne has graduated.  It is so odd to live in a house with a person no longer in grade school.  Now when we talk of the future, it is a future at our doorstep not down the road.  Her party was lots of fun, lots of family and many friends came out to wish her well.  After good food, good cake and gifts, there was a lot of trash talking on the lawn as a friendly game of volleyball went on till after dark.   Most of the trash talking came from Cheyenne's father, Tony.  My husband talks trash regardless of winning or losing.  Which made it all the funnier when he stumbled and landed on his rump!

Also of importance, Savannah turned 17 and Jonathan turned 11.  My nephew Stephan also turned 17, he and Savannah are only2 weeks apart.  Stephen has and is growing into quite a handsome young man.


The same weekend we had Cheyenne's graduation party, JD and Kara were given a wedding shower.  The shower was beautiful.  Stephanie made the cake and all the aunts came together to decorate, it was a lot of fun.  My gandmother's house has seen many things.  Both the wedding showers this spring as well as too many other events to recount, and Christmas Eve at that house for a least the past 40 years.  I know there were Christmas celebrations before my birth, but I have no idea how many....

My cousin Casey married a real sweetheart June 9th, this wedding was so happy and fun.  My family had a delightful time and shared a lot of laughs.  While we all enjoyed the dancing- in our own way- my niece Rylie showed herself to be a party girl.  I laughed and laughed at her 5 year old self.

The following Saturday, my cousin JD married Kara, another sweetie with pretty brown eyes.  We traveled to Houston for the wedding which was simple and beautiful.  Again, the family had a lot of fun and shared a lot of laughs.

I am so happy for both of the new couples.  In July, Tony and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  It is hard to believe that that much time can go by so quickly.  Marriage is not an easy undertaking, but well worth the work.  I pray these young lovers find the security, love, trust, and intimacy in the marriages that Tony and I have found in ours.

As you can see, what a time we have had!  Now, time to settle back into farm life and nursery work.  Savannah is volunteering each Wednesday at the Children's Aquarium @ Fair Park.  She is really happy and is making on baby step towards her dreams of being a Marine Mammal Behaviorist.  So, I am planning on getting all those field trips that I have been wanting to take done.  Since we are coming each week, there is no reason not to.  But for now, I am content to watch the kids feeding the turtles (let's all hope the alligator snapping turtle minds his manners!) and listen to the Cicadas.

Vintage Farmhouse

Love this vintage table

When it comes to decorating inside or out, I love vintage farmhouse stuff.  Whether it be pails, buckets, doors, windows, farm implements, or tables, I love it and the more layers of chipped & peeling paint the better.

 I first began using old doors in our garden center.  Everyday we had folks come in and ask to purchase the doors. At first I said no, after all, I was using them.  But then again, I knew were to get more. So, we began to sell the doors as well as plants.  I am amazed at the creativity that I see when people tell me how they are going to use the doors.  And every so often someone actually purchases one to use as a door- amazing! Truly, the subject of how to use old doors would be a blog post all in itself- and it probably will be.

Old buckets have so many uses

Obviously, pails & buckets lend themselves to be planters, whether inside or out. The buckets and pails are also great for holding extra toilet paper or extra towels in the bathroom or napkins in the kitchen. Windows have many uses such as message boards, simple decor, or picture frames.  Really, there are no rules just let you imagination take you there.  I guess if you have large enough room, you could use farm implements inside, but mainly I use those to accent flower beds.  I especially love to plant pole beans around the implements.  Once it gets really warm the beans start blooming and the display is beautiful.

Lately I have been smitten with old tables. Painted wood has had my eye for awhile, but the wood ones with the porcelain tops are awesome.  They are very durable and the little dings and worn spots give them character. The porcelain tops are just great in and of themselves.  When the wood in the table has seen its last days, the tops can live on as message boards and such.  Magnets stick to the metal, paint pens work great for adding a quote or Bible verse to them, and dry erase will wipe off of them.

Many of the older folks would say that these things belong in the trash heap, but I so disagree.  By re-using and re-purposing things from the past, we can create a unique style and reduce waste at the same time.  Not to mention the sentiment attached to many of these items.  The look and feel of a galvanized bucket reminds me of summer and my Great-Grandmother's farm.  The old farm implements remind me of my earliest memories in the "fields"- that is what my family called the 5 acre garden where the produce was grown to take to the Dallas Farmer's Market.  I loved running barefoot and feeling the sand between my toes and digging a hole and burying my feet in the cool soil.  I like having items around me that pull these sensations from my memories.

Dill Crisps, Yum

This is a tasty addition to a veggie or dip tray.  It makes good use of that fresh dill in the garden.  After all, even though I love to feed the Swallowtails, I love to eat it myself also!

Dill Crisps

2 Whole wheat pitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 400'

Slice each pita into 8 triangular wedges.  Seperate each triangle in to two at the seam.  Set the triangles, crumbly side up, on a slotted broiler rack.

In a small dish, combine the olive oil, dill, and cheese.  Use a pastry brush to paint the mixture lightly onto the triangles.  Bake in the center of the oven until just brown a the edges and slightly curled.  about 5-7 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Growing Dill

Dill is so pretty when it blooms

If your looking for an easy to grow herb, Dill is a great choice.  For beginner gardeners there is nothing to boost the confidence the way Dill can.  Not only is it easy to grow, but it makes your fish and tarter sauce taste wonderful.

Of course, there are many more ways to use dill.  Dill goes great with cucumbers, it is a key ingredient in pickles.  Many dips make use of dill as well.  I have also found that the bags of lettuce that had a sprig of dill in them stayed much fresher longer.  I can't document the science behind it, but it works.

The first year that I had my garden boxes I planted dill in the bed with other herbs.  The dill grew easily and went to seed.  The seed dried and then fell to the ground.  The following fall, the seed sprouted and I had fresh dill until the first frost.  The dill had time to seed before the frost so I had dill the next spring.  Now, I have lots of dill.  This is not a problem since dill is not an invasive plant, it grows quickly and then dies back.

Another reason to plant lots of dill is to feed the Black Swallowtail Butterfly babies.  Black Swallowtails only feed on dill and other members of the carrot family as caterpillars.  I love seeing these beautiful butterflies fluttering around in my gardens.  So, I plant enough for me and for them. 

The caterpillars I love to feed

The Beautiful Black Swallowtail

Not only do butterflies feed on dill, but many other good bugs love the dill blooms.  Dill fits in nicely with gardens planned to attract pollinators and good bugs.  Last but not least, I love the scent and the beauty that dill brings to the garden.  Dill is a favorite of mine and will stay in my landscape as long as I garden.  My mother says whenever she smells dill it reminds her of summers spent at the farmer's market selling produce with her grandmother.

Dried Dill Seed Heads

Rub the seed heads and drop the seeds into the envelope

Another Great Recipe for Green Beans

Nothing beats veggies from the garden.

With green beans coming in at least twice a week from the garden, I love to find different ways to cook them.  This recipe comes from my in-laws.  Being both filling and light, this dish is excellent in both the summer with fresh produce and then in the winter from produce frozen from the summer.  It is also a one dish meal which just amps up the perfectness...







Stewed Green Beans: 

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 lb of ground meat (beef, turkey, or lamb works great)
1 lb of green beans.
1 16 oz can of stewed tomatoes

In dutch oven, heat oil and then add onions.  Cook until soft and add garlic.  Stir for 2-3 minutes.  Add ground meat and cook until brown.  Once brown, add green beans and stewed tomatoes plus one can of water.  Boil until green beans are tender. 

It doesn't get much easier than that!

Stewed Green Beans

When using fresh beans, break off the tips and then snap in half, this makes for easy eating.