Aside – The Salem Garden

Basil Day!!!

Yesterday I harvested and processed basil. It’s one of those jobs that looks kind of overwhelming at first but ends up being fun, with a nice reward at the end. I freeze basil in one or two cup containers that I can pull out about once a month to use as I need it. This year I also tried drying it in the oven with great results. Of course now I want to dry every herb that I’m growing, and I’m pretty sure that I will! I think I’ll love reaching for my own oregano, basil, thyme, dill and sage when I’m cooking in January!

The day started with a trip out to the garden to bring in my first bunch of basil. I like to cut it as I go to avoid wilt and so that it’s as fresh as possible when it goes into the freezer. This also gives me wiggle room if I have to stop to run a kid somewhere or make lunch.

I wash it thoroughly, a handful or two at a time. Sometimes I dry with towels if I’m really flying along time-wise. Usually it can sit for a few minutes to dry off while I’m working on something else.

To take the leaves off the stem I lay it flat and slice in a straight line. I still cut some leaves off individually, but I find that I can get a lot done quickly if I kind of “power chop” it like this.

I fill the food processer right up and add a few tablespoons of olive oil.

I pulse a few times till it’s chopped finely and adjust the olive oil so it’s well covered but not soupy.

I put it into plastic containers to freeze and it’s done! I try to fill to the top to prevent freezer burn and make good use of space. I’ve found that it will keep for up to a year. Experts might recommend less than a year, but I was still pulling basil out in June and it was just fine.

As I mentioned earlier I also ventured into drying some basil. When I started this cookie sheet was covered with leaves (and a few bunches of leaves). I used the “warm” setting on my oven (a GE Profile) to dry this in about an hour and a half. I set the kitchen timer after an hour and checked it every ten minutes or so. It reached a point where it was clearly ready to crumble. There was no moisture left at all!

I simply crumbled it as soon as it came to room temperature and this was the result. It smells great and looks just like dried basil! I’m hoping for great flavor, we’ll see!

I also made a big pot of pesto… we’ll enjoy pasta with pesto and fresh tomatoes tonight.

Have I mentioned that I really, really love summer?

Enjoy everything!

Michele

Dinner Tonight: 15-Minute Pesto (thestitcherati.com)
Backyard Feast: Introducing home and locally grown food into your life (ballardnewstribune.com)

Dream House

When I think of my dream house, it’s this one. I’ve gone by it for years and I’ve always loved it.

It’s right on the ocean, here in Salem.

The borders and architecture are beautiful with just the right mix of colors and textures. Every detail is perfect.

I love the way the pots of flowers welcome visitors all the way up the steps.

Imagine sitting on this bench and enjoying the view.

And turning around to see the beach!

It’s really a little bit of heaven!

What does your dream house look like?

A Great Stop in DC—The US Botanic Garden, Children’s Garden

We were in Washington DC a few weeks ago and I treated myself to a walk in the US Botanic Garden. I would have taken my family with me for my walk but it was literally 108 degrees that day. They stayed in the cool air conditioned Smithsonian while I enjoyed the garden. Needless to say I had the whole thing to myself and it was glorious! I spent about 45 minutes relaxing and taking in every nook and cranny. One of the highlights was the Children’s Garden. It’s a beautiful child friendly oasis in the middle of all of the DC action.

The Children’s Garden is located just outside of the huge conservatory.

The plants are so varied. The shapes, colors, sizes and textures are really engaging.

The posted rules are simple and child friendly.

I saw pots of plants waiting for kids to put into the ground themselves.

Unfortunately I missed the photo, but I loved the concept!

There’s a fountain (pictured on the left) that children can play in and use to water plants. There’s a wonderful green-roofed playhouse!Along with places to hide and run…and to pretend and just “be”…It was easy to get lost in the whimsy and fun.

I hope that next time my children are in the photos too!

They would have enjoyed this… it’s a great place for families to learn, relax and spend time together while enjoying Washington DC.

I could have stayed for hours!

Spring at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden – 2 (gastography.com)
Stornoway serenade the botanical gardens with “I Saw You Blink” (theredradio.typepad.com)
Missouri Botanical Garden Lantern Festival: Art By Day ,Magic By Night (fox2now.com)

What’s Happening In the Garden– July 20th

It’s time for the Rose of Sharon to bloom!

These are everywhere right now.

Mine are extra special to me because my sister sent them in an envelope a few years ago when they were about nine inches tall.

We had two Rose of Sharon trees growing in this little spot. We moved one last fall (more on that in a minute)..

This one needs to be moved out away from the Hemlock tree, centered to the left, and the area cleaned up. Our neighbors took a very large arborvitae tree out of that corner recently.

Sounds like a good fall project!

Just below is a photo of the Rose of Sharon that we moved. It’s kind of hidden behind the swing set and fell off of my radar screen in the hot, dry weather.

Now it’s a bit yellowed and worn. This is a good reminder to water often for at least a year or two after transplanting a tree or shrub!

These are quite hardy so I’m sure it can be saved but I need to get on it and stay the course.

Over in the garden, the carrots are coming right along.

See the little cleome plants in there that are still re-seeding from a few years ago?

Michael put one pumpkin seed in the ground “just because” and here it is!

I saw bees pollinating it recently. I’m hoping that it’s not too late for pumpkins to grow on that vine. I’ll keep you posted…

The snapdragon that I planted in front of the chicken coop poofed up!

The asparagus is now a beautiful fern. We just couldn’t eat any more asparagus and there are other veggies to enjoy.

The red day lily is blooming. I love this color!

The plant in the center is a pretty chrysanthemum. We’ll see it blooming in a few weeks.

And the butterfly garden is thriving. It’s always a little wild and in need of some thinning but the butterflies seem to love it!

What’s blooming in your garden this week?

Share in the comments section… I love to hear about how things are going for all of you!

Enjoy Everything!

Love, Michele

What’s Happening in the Garden – July 14th (thesalemgarden.com)
Summer Blooms (katherinescorner.com)
What Keeps Rabbits Out Of A Garden (naturalhealthezine.com)
Rose of Sharon/Cistus – Oil #12 in the 12 Oils of the Ancient Scripture (shannonziegler.com)
The Hibiscus family, Malvaceae (wolffork.wordpress.com)

Tornados in Salem?

Yesterday afternoon we had a tornado warning here in Salem. Seriously, here, in Salem, Massachusetts…on the coast of New England, where we don’t get tornados.

Blaire sent me this photo from downtown as the warning was issued. Thank you Blaire!!

Just as Blaire sent me the photo above, our cell phones sent my girls and I messages warning us to seek shelter and my husband called to relay the tornado warning that he had also received and to ask me how things were going. Below is a photo of what I think was the cloud as it worked it’s way across our backyard. I took this shot kind of early on as it approached. I should have stayed with the camera as the wind, rain, lightening and hail went through. I really couldn’t though because I was distracted by the nine children who were playing in my house at the time. They were fine, but I was running from window to window trying to discretely keep an eye on things and thinking about where to stash all of these kids should an actual tornado make it’s way through my neighborhood.

The news broadcast later in the day reported that a funnel had been spotted in Peabody and Lynn, less than a mile from here. Yikes, that was a little on the close side!

Fortunately, all is well. There’s no damage to report at our house. The garden is fine and so are the people, pets and property. Some residents of Salem experienced flash flooding, wind damage and power outages. I hope that things are settling down for all of them today.

We are truly blessed. It’s good to be reminded of that sometimes.