State of the garden in Fall October 19, 2008

We’ve had some good ole fall weather lately, so the garden is changing and we are preparing for winter.

Remember these bushy flowers than ran wild all summer?

Obviously they love to propagate, and seeded to create tons of tiny ones in the pots they used to be in:

So I tried replanting some to see if I an keep some alive through the winter for next year. I’m not very optimistic. If anyone wants a seedling, let me know!

The lavender has spread as well:

Anyone want some sage? If anyone can tell me what to do with this, please give me ideas. I’ve already dried a whole bunch. I don’t want to waste the rest.

It’s Harvest Time! August 31, 2008

Our garden has grown a bit wild, so today we decided to start thinning our herbs and vegetables. The basil had flowered weeks ago and I had tons of leaves to work with, so naturally, I made pesto.

The first batch was mostly basil with some spinach to fill it out and make the color greener. I used two cups (packed) of basil and spinach leaves, 1/2 cup of olive oil, a handful of almonds (cheaper than pine nuts), 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. The process in photos, from start to finish, is below. Matt helped to cut the whole stalks and dodged the hundreds of bees and after I picked the leaves, I put the pretty flowers in a vase.

The second batch was a mixture of the purple basil and sage. It was…interesting. Not sure yet about the taste. The sage was so strong that I had to add a little extra olive oil and even about a tablespoon of honey. The color is much darker:

Garden Update: we have red! July 24, 2008

Finally our tomatoes are turning red! Our garden(s) are also getting a little out of control. I’ve already pulled out some herbs that went to seed, and we prune back the tomato plants almost every day, and still the plants keep a’growin’.

Bursting from the seams!

What do you think–is the lavender taking over? And maybe the sage, too? Pretty soon the mint will also be competing for space! We had no idea!!

The bees love our garden.

Matt is training the grape vine to wrap its cute little tentacles around horizontal pieces of twine:

And in the back we have a tropical jungle:

My favorite part–the mint I use for my minty ice water!