I thought I would spend a little time taking about herbs.

  Every year I plant herbs but somehow I never seem to utilize them to their fullest..mostly because I really didn't know how to.
  This year I decided it was time to learn a bit more about growing, harvesting and storing herbs.  If I'm going to grow them I should be using them right? 

 

One thing I have learned is herbs should be harvested early in the morning.  As the day heats up the herbs release their oils which creates a bit of bitterness if they are harvested later in the day….so early yesterday morning I headed out to the garden with my big basket and kitchen shears.

 

This year in the herb bed I have the following herbs….
Lemon Thyme, Pizza Thyme, Tarragon, Sage, Flat leaf Parsley, Cilantro, Dill , Oregano, Lavender and LOTS of Basil…we love basil here. 🙂

Again because we had allocated a good sum of money for compost and tomato stands I had Ken rig up an herb drying contraption for me instead of buying something.

  What we did was to take an old wooden window screen that had been in the barn and to that Ken cut out a piece of nylon mesh screen that we have for screen repair to the size of the window screen.  We then stapled that piece to the top of the screen on the same side and added a strip of velcro to the bottom and the sides.   This way the herbs can be stored either horizontally or vertically out of the sun and still get good airflow for drying.  The cost was next to nothing…yay!

There are 3 different methods that I use for storing herbs.  I will start off with the herb we use the most…..basil.

Basil is a tender herb and bruises easily, so when I harvest it I try to utilize it quickly.  If you can not get to it right away you can put it in a vase or bucket of water like you would a bunch of flowers to keep it from turning black.

So…what I do is pull all of the leaves off of the stem….fill up my little mini food processor and add a tablespoon of Olive Oil to keep the basil green…..hit the button…chop, chop, chop….add a little more basil…chop, chop, chop chop…and then….

I press the mixture into these little silicon muffin bakers that I have.  These go into the freezer for a few hours..then I remove and put the little muffins into a freezer bag.  Each little muffin is the amount that I use for a double batch of pesto which we eat a lot of.  I also toss this mixture into my spaghetti sauce or soups…yum!

Some herbs in the garden are very prolific, such as Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary.  Cutting herbs back hard every 7-10 days encourages growth and holds them back from flowering, but there is no way that we can use that many herbs in that short of a time frame, so these herbs I dry when I cut them back. 

There are different methods of drying, such as the drying rack that I use for the less prolific growers.  The other method I use is drying upside down in bunches.  In the picture above you can see the fresh oregano that I picked on Saturday.  I stripped the leaves about an inch down from the end of the stem.  Then I gathered about 5 or 6 stems and wrapped an elastic around the end.  These bunches live in my office where I have a shaker peg rack.  It takes about 2 weeks for them to completely dry.  Once dried I slide my hand down the stem and the dried leaves go into the jar….easy peasy. 🙂

With tarragon I do something a bit differently.  Tarragon is another herb like basil that holds a lot of water and has a tendency to turn black, so with Tarragon I strip the leaves off of the stem and chop it finely with a knife.

I then set the chopped tarragon on a dry cotton towel to dry.  It only takes a few days for tarragon to dry this way and the nice thing is…it dries green :-).  Tarragon is my favorite herb from the garden and I love the way it's aroma fills my kitchen as it is drying….mmmm….!!

Lastly and the easiest is storing herbs you know you will use within a week.  Just wet a paper towel and wrap a little bundle in it.  Above you see a bundle of cilantro and a bundle of parsley.  I pop these little bundles into a plastic bag and use them as needed during the week….again, easy peasy!

Drying herbs does take a little time.  I spent my Saturday morning doing all of this, but I will be happy that I did so when I use these dried herbs in my cooking over the winter.  I know that no pesticides were used and I saved a boatload of money …dried herbs are getting expensive in the supermarket!

I hope that these little tips will encourage you to plant an herb garden.  There is nothing quite like wonderfully fresh herbs….and the dried ones that you raised yourself will make you smile in the winter….. 🙂

And now a treat from the perennial garden…one of my most favorites…Rudbeckia.  If you click on the picture you will see the tiny happy bee fly…..buzzzzz…………Thanks Paula for letting me know that it isn't a real bee…who knew!

Until next week…happy gardening and stay green. 🙂

And
I'll see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow
Cyndi Lauper

A few weeks ago I met Terry for lunch in Freeport, Maine.  We try to get together every now and then for a few hours to visit and catch up on what's going on in our lives …. I look forward to these visits.

 Before we headed to the restaurant where we were going to have lunch, Terry handed me a pretty paper bag with this amazing shawl that she knit. (my pictures do not do this shawl justice…it is stunning!)

I swooned when I saw the color and I will tell you why in a moment.  The pattern that Terry knit was designed by our friend Susan from Utah and the wonderful little pin was made by another  friend Romi…and oh. my….I LOVE this little bunny pin!

I started blogging around 6 years ago when my friend, Anne, originally of Spinning At Waldon Farm…introduced me to the world of blogging.  It was a new and fascinating world….I loved peeking into the lives of people that I really didn't know, but respected.  Gathering new and creative ideas from them.

 Since then my dearest friends today are the ones who I have come to know thru blogland. As a dyer I truly do think of them in colors, which may sound silly, but it really is the way I think.

 Anne above is soft and blue…loves pastels…
Terry….of course is always blue
Margene….soft shades of blue, vibrant pinks and subtle reds
Anne…..loves everything green as do I
Carole….loves those hot summery reds
Manise (blogless)…is pretty keen on blue purples

So when Terry gave me this incredible gift and was a bit worried that I might not like the color I had to chuckle. This color is exactly the color I have been surrounding myself with lately….in yarn, roving and even in the bag that I am carrying.  Normally I am not really a pink person but toss that beautiful gold into the mix and I am SO there!  Somehow we friends know the colors of our friendships and that is a special gift. 🙂

I feel so blessed to have made the life long friendships that I have over the years through blogging.  As the years have progressed my time at the computer is not what it used to be, but I am still  so incredibly thankful to have met and befriended those who I hold dear in my heart from blogland.

Thank you Terry…..I LOVE it!!

After completion
Come new beginnings.
To gain strength,
Renew the root.
Deng Ming~Dao

Pattern:  Hayrick Socks
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Pandora
Colorway:  Scottish Heather
Needles:  2.25 mm

Can I tell you how much I enjoyed working on these socks?  I thoroughly enjoyed this knit!!!

Another fantastic pattern from Anne.  Very well written with her typical intuitive flow.  I was able to memorize the pattern after 2 repeats.  I so love this about Anne's patterns!

I managed to catch Hannah in a good mood today, which meant squeezing in a few pictures of finished items.  As you probably can guess Hannah hates having her picture taken, so when she is feeling agreeable I move quickly…LOL.  Hannah's feet are a bit bigger than mine, so these socks don't fit her quite as well as they fit me….and they fit me like a glove :-)  I'm still not crazy about knitting these short row wrapped heels, but I am getting better at them.  The next pair of these I make just may have a flap heel though….just sayin'. 🙂

My only regret is that I did not add a few repeats to the leg portion of the sock.  I typically like a longer sock, but given that this was a test knit for a new yarn I didn't want to push it….but I could have as there was plenty of yarn left over.  Over all I am so happy with these socks.  Love the yarn, love the pattern….you will see another pair in the not too distant future. 🙂 

Whew….did you New Englander's survive last week's heat wave?  My hat is off to our Southern friends who live in this weather more often than not.  I can deal with the heat, but the humidity makes me feel like the Wicked Witch of the West….cranky and melting!

Since I have shown that I am not good with a regular Friday post, the garden reports will happen sometime on the weekend. 🙂

I LOVE garden greens but unfortunately they do not always like the heat, so I try to help them along.  Because I had already spent a lot of money on tomato cages and soil prep this year, I didn't have extra money for hoops and covers.  Being the good innovative Yankees that we are, Ken and I rigged up the tarp that you see above.

Putting the tarp up like this is giving the lettuce enough shade during the heat of the day and enough indirect sun for growing.  If I know rain is coming or I am watering, I just peel it back and let it rest on the fence.

 

So far the lettuce crop has been wonderful and with the hot weather the aphids and slugs have stayed away for the most part…Yay!  This batch of cut and come again lettuce unfortunately has seen it's last hurrah though.  After I snapped this picture I cut them back hard.  I will get one more small harvest and then I will pull out the plants.

Last week all of the butter crunch heads were harvested and I planted the new heat hardy Red Sails lettuce seedlings that I started in the house in their place.  With tarp shading the hot midday sun they should do ok and start giving us more lettuce in a few weeks.  I think that I will put some broccoli seeds in place of the lettuce that I will pull the middle of next week for a fall harvest. 🙂

Tomato plants thrive in this hot humid weather, but they also become very thirsty, so one of the things that I am trying this year is using soda bottles to water them a bit more evenly….kind of like drip irrigation.

It's so easy peasy!  To do this just collect a few empty 2 liter bottles of water or soda, cut off the bottom third and then drill a few small holes in the cap.  (Few and Small……ask me how I know…LOL)

I fill them up in the morning and then again later in the day if they are dry.  In between I do use the overhead sprinkler late in the afternoon if the entire garden is looking a bit thirsty.

Another thing I have started doing is covering some of the plants with straw to help retain some of the moisture in the soil.  I don't put a lot down because I don't want to encourage any fungus growth, but just enough to protect the roots of tomato and pepper plants from drying out too much…..

So far it seems to be paying off.  I will admit though after loosing my entire crop of tomatoes last summer, I still worry daily about these babies, but at least for today they are looking healthy and happy.

One of the rewards of this week's heat and humidity in the garden was the blooming and aromas of this beautiful Stargazer.  Such amazing beauty in this incredible Lily……

Until next weekend………….stay cool and stay green!

Hey, my little honey bee
Oh baby, you
been sweet on me
Hey, my little honey bee
Oh, my queen bee
Rock
me to my soul
Rock me to my soul, baby, baby
To my soul, oh…..
Dawn Landes

Pattern:  Les Abeilles
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Abeilles
Colorway:  Perfectly Pear
Needles:  US 4

It's no secret here that The Woolen Rabbit loves bees, so when I saw this pattern of Anne's I immediately set aside what I was working on to start this shawl and I will freely admit that I LOVE it! 

In fact I love it so much that I named the yarn that I used Abeille, which stands for "Bee".  This lightweight bamboo blend is perfect for a summer shawl for the occasional cool night.  Once the humidity drops a little this week I will be dyeing up a bunch of this and adding it to the store. 🙂

 Thank you Anne for such a lovely pattern!!!  Bzzzzz…………..

Lines on the face, tattoos of aging.
Life is proved upon the body
Like needle-jabs from a blind machine.
Deng Ming~Dao

Any avid gardener will tell you that the bane of gardening is dealing with the pests that want to enjoy the fruits of your labor as much as you do and sometimes they win sadly. 

Let's imagine for a moment that we are tiny enough to follow a bee into a hive.  Usually the first thing that we would have to get used to is the darkness……
Exploring The World of Social Insects…

Last month I was merrily knitting along on my Hayrick socks and loving the new Bamboo sock blend, Pandora, that I am now carrying.  Whipped through the first one and then all the way to the heel of the second one, when I caught a glimpse of this…..

Anne, that is SO not fair!!  You know me well enough to know that I would have to immediately stop what I was doing and cast on, for this is "les abeilles" or better known as The Bees.

The above quote from The Secret Life of Bees, is perfect for my post today.  It's been a difficult couple of months for me.  I have been struggling with a bad bout of sciatica, which has been pretty darn painful this time around.  I think that women as a whole tend to have a pretty high tolerance for pain and learn to live with it until it moves to that plateau where it needs to be addressed, which this did last week.

The doctor put me on a round of prednisone which I really hate because it is one of those good/bad drugs.  Takes care of the pain, but the side effects are challenging.  I have to say that the feeling of euphoria from the release of pain is worth the current sleepless nights…well almost. 

I realized I have been living in that darkness of pain for much too long and am so grateful to feel part of the human race …standing tall again and able to pick up little Miss Goose without feeling like I might keel over…so YAY for that!

Once again my little winged friends have found me at just the right time.  Late at night while the house is quiet and I am still wide awake this beeutiful pattern has been my constant companion.   The pattern has Anne's typical intuitive flow which I love.  I am nearing the finish line with this shawl which I am doing in a new lace weight bamboo blend that I will start listing in my shop soon. 

Knitting this shawl for me has been like reading a good book that you hate to see come to an end, therefore I am going to immediately cast on a second one in my linen blend, Muireann, as I know this is going to be a shawl that I am going to enjoy wearing and wearing and wearing.  Thanks Anne!

Storm breaks into pieces,
Clouds charge the horizon.
Revolving of the heavens.
Generates all movement.
Deng Ming~Dao

A few years back I spent the summer doing Friday's flowers. It was something that I really enjoyed doing.  I thought however that I would do something a little different this year and post about my different gardens on Fridays.  This will include "the good", "the bad" and the "down-right ugly"…all of which I have already experienced even this early into the season.

So even though this is Thursday, I am planning to do this each Friday throughout the growing season.  We can learn together!

Perhaps you may remember my disappointing tomato loss last summer.  I lost the entire crop to blight.  Some of it was due to the weather conditions and some of it was my own doing.  

 



One of the things I did wrong was to plant the tomato plants too close together and I didn't prune them enough.  That combined with the damp, cool rainy season spelled disaster for many tomato gardeners here in the Northeast.  I am reading that they are seeing this blight again already this year….I am praying that it won't get this far northeast.

One of the things I did differently this year was to buy some sturdy tomato cages.  Originally I was going to buy some of these, but after reading the comments, I decided to go with these instead.  They are a bitch to put together, but I think they are going to be worth the effort.  The smaller metal cages I have used in the past are just not big enough for most tomato plants.

 

I'm hoping with better spacing, the new stands and this product I will have better results.

I also spent some time learning the difference between indeterminate and determinate tomatoes given that I have both in my garden and the pruning methods that are unique to both types.  There are some GREAT videos on this website.  I see now that I should not have been pruning back the suckers on my Roma's which are determinate tomatoes.  On a bush type tomato such as a roma, you should pinch back all of the suckers and leaves beneath the first set of flowers and then let the rest grow un-pruned.  With indeterminate tomatoes, such as Early girl, Better boy and most of your cherry tomatoes you want to let one or two stems grow and prune all of those suckers that grow where the leaf and stem meet.  More energy goes into producing better fruit this way.

I was going to talk about a few of my other garden issues, such as my never ending battle with fornicating cucumber beetles, but I think I will save that for next week.  Instead I will leave you with a picture from my other garden…the perennial bed…so much prettier than those pesky bugs. 🙂

Coral bells…………

Until next Friday………..happy gardening!

With the craziness of graduation weekend over and company gone I can now sit down to congratulate Courtney on a job well done. 🙂

What a whirlwind of a month it has been here at Casa Woolen Rabbit.  Proms, exams, college orientations and finishing up with a picture perfect weekend for graduation.

The day was sunny and warm…actually it bordered on being hot, but that is better than rain, right?…even if most of us ended up with sunburned noses and ears. ;-). 

The crowd sat proudly waiting for the moment when their graduate walked across the stage and accepted their diploma, marking the end of one era and the start of a new one.

…and the pictures

………pictures of good friends……..

 

and boyfriends….

I have to admit, I am going to miss having Courtney around when she leaves for college this fall.  She is a chatty soul and good company with a kind heart…not afraid to dance to the beat of her own drum.  I think Hannah is going to miss her as well, although she probably won't admit it…yet. 😉

Congratulations Courtney….we are very proud of you!