taking herb cuttings as they root easily in water at this time of the year. I’ve also sat a few garlic bulbs on glasses of water to allow the roots to grow. Once each clove sends up a shoot, they’ll be ready for planting.
Gathering bunches of Mediterranean herbs for drying.
I much prefer to air dry them as they retain their essential oils. It’s also more environmentally friendly than drying them in an oven. I always freeze the more delicate herbs like basil, coriander and chives.
Enjoying the art of foraging.
The edges of fields often provide a wealth of escaped potatoes and other vegetables. Hubs and I have enjoyed identifying a whole host of edible plants on our daily walks, you never know when they’ll come in handy.
I have a really helpful app on my phone that identifies all sorts of plants and insects. It informed me that this shrub is lesser burdock. Given dandelions were growing nearby, I was wondering if dandelion and burdock pop could possibly be on the menu one day.
Up-cycling.
I’m looking hard at what I can re-use these days. Often, packaging makes the perfect mulch. I used this shredded cardboard to keep my tomatoes moist and suppress the weeds.
I’m also using used tea-bags as a fertilizer on my veggies. They break down and enrich the soil, suppress weeds and keep the soil moist.
Growing micro greens.
I’ve wanted to grow micro greens for years and have finally got around to it. The seeds are germinating really quickly and should be ready for picking in a week or so. It’s a great way to use old seeds and the produce has many health benefits.
Using vegetables that are going over for seeds.
This year I’ve also harvested the seeds from a variety of vegetables. It’s easy to remove and dry them and they will provide lots of free plants next year. Re-planting the ends of spring onions produces more plants as they grow back pretty quickly.
Conversing with random peacocks.
Admiring cows.
Rescuing a racing pigeon.
I’ve had a racing pigeon for a few weeks that I found wandering around by the river. It was pretty weak and easy to catch. It’s been a right old saga trying to keep it away from the cat and dogs, but finally it was ready for release. It flew away beautifully and is still hanging around the neighbourhood. Such a sweet little bird.
Enjoying finally getting together with the girls in my back garden.
Making jam with Victoria plums from my plum tree.
And Finally…
being able to take Littl’urchin out for walks has been wonderful. I hold her hand now while wearing gloves and let her hug my knees. She sits on my knee facing outwards while I read her stories and we play in the garden. She is simply adorable! I do hope the numbers keep coming down as I can’t wait to have her for a weekend.
I just can’t wait to hug her properly and kiss that sweet little face.
Oh yes…it’s just lovely seeing Littl’urchin…here’s to getting back to normal. Hope you get to see yours! Thanks Brenda.xxx
You must have been beyond delighted to spend time with your granddaughter again. Here’s to more of that!
I buy from green companies when I can and they use shredded cardboard as internal packaging, which I spread around the veggies as it’s untreated. How I wish I could shred it myself! Oh, Littl’urchin is a gift! I do feel like I’ve been robbed of her company…Thanks Jason. xxx
How do you shred that cardboard? Your granddaughter is indeed adorable.
Wow, you are so rich with herbs! I do love food foraging too. It’s fun and you get those greens or mushrooms that aren’t easily available in the market.
Love all the pictures; that of the cows and that picture of your family get together at the back garden.
Happy to see you can finally get close to your little darling grandchild. Hope you can hold her like before soon!
I love foraging, but I never forage mushrooms, most around here seem to have a lookalike killer twin. How I wish you were my guide. Yes, the sooner we can all hug the better. Thanks Jade.xxx
Lovely post and photographs.
Isn’t it amazing that things like tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells work wonders in the garden.
I am just so pleased that you have been able to spend time with your adorable grand-daughter, she looks so huggable … but I know we still have to be sensible, hard though it is.
Enjoy the rest of your week and have a good weekend.
My good wishes.
All the best Jan
I love how so many kitchen bits and pieces can be used, I’m always baffled when people put them in a bin that ends up in landfill. Oh…being sensible is so hard, but we have to do it. Thanks Jan. xxx
It is so wonderful to hear that you have been able to spend time with your grand-daughter, you must be so made up. A lovely post with so many interesting and inspiring ideas. I didn’t know many of them, I am definitely going to try the salad onion one as I eat loads of them and can’t seem to get them to grow from seed. Thank you so much!
Oh, yes, just wonderful spending time with Littl’urchin again, can’t wait for real hugs and kisses! Try growing spring onions in a pot, they seem to prefer that, well here anyway. You can also put the roots in shallow water in a dish, they grow back pretty quickly too. I just love spring onions, they work so well in so many dishes. Thanks Sustainablemum.xxx
You have been hard at work during this pandemic..I have never tried putting garlic bulbs into water until they shoot… a really good idea will try that next planting season here. Littl’urchin looks fascinated seeing the horse … so similar to my wee Grandbaby who will be three soon. Melbourne is back in Lockdown so if we go to Melbourne to see my daughter and family we will have to self isolate for 2 weeks when we get back to Canberra. That is not a big problem for us & we don’t want to miss her birthday! 😀..have fun with Littl’urchin and gardening.
Littl’urchin loves the horses, she was waving to that one. Goodness, your grandbaby is almost three, where did those years go??? I can just imagine how wonderful it will be celebrating her birthday, and as you say, self isolating is not an issue for you both. Looking forward to hearing all about it! Thanks Gerrie.
Oooh, micro greens! What a great idea to grow them indoors. My dear aunt has tried to set me up with garlic starts several times. They’re even already planted and sprouted but I think I must over water them.
What a nice collection you already have for drying! I’ve had not great luck with basil this year. Are yours all from seed?
Here’s to a future (coming soon, we all hope!) full of hugs for you and that darling little one.
I would fear for micro greens outdoors, one heavy shower would see them off. It’s fun watching them grow indoors and misting them. I love the fact they are all old seeds, most
of which have grown. Garlic is a fussy plant, lot’s of my friends have problems with it.
Yes, I always grow basil from seed, it would love your climate, hot and dry floats its boat!
Oh….Yes, here’s to a future when we can all hug! Thanks Anne.
I love your positive and creative attitude to all growing things – especially lil’ urchin, who looks utterly adorable and who will have a wonderful time with you, because you’ll show her all sorts of fascinating sights! xx
Ah, thanks Gill, Littl’urchin is utterly adorable. I’m sure she’ll enjoy what I show her until it’s no longer cool, but until then, I shall power on! xxx
I remember my Mum drying sage in the boiler house (this was the dark ages,1970’s, we had an oil heating system). Oh and putting the tea bags around the roses and the tea leaves (sometimes she preferred loose leaf tea) around something else. Trying to throw the dirty water after peeling the potatoes and putting the peelings on the mini compost heap. Then finding tea bags and peelings all over the back yard because some creature had gone scavenging through them. If I had been good I was allowed to crunch up the dried sage to put in the jar and if I had been really good, I could make the breadcrumbs from the stale loaves for making stuffing. (Before you say it, yes I could be good, sometimes, ha-ha).
Hahaha…I’m sure, like me, as a child you could be good sometimes, I was utterly feral! I loved this, I too remember scattering peelings on the compost heap only to find them all over the garden next morning, Your parents seemed very environmentally friendly, maybe everyone was back then. xxx
Great post and images.
Thanks Peter, hope all is well with you and yours.xxx
I’m so pleased you’re able to spend time with your gorgeous little granddaughter again, it’s been so hard being parted all this time from loved once, especially little ones who seem to change overnight. Lots of good tips there, we save used coffee grounds and spread them around the blueberries, they’re good for acidic loving plants. I thought you’d managed to attract another peacock when I saw the photo.
Thanks Jo, it’s sad missing out on all those months, when as you say little ones change so quickly. I do wish we had grounds, I don’t drink coffee and hubs uses instant…I may get a coffee machine just to help the blueberries out! I have to admit that when I see peacocks now I avoid eye contact and slowly back away!!! xxx
What a garden you have! Me? I confess I’m just as happy going to the market and buying what I need from the industrious sorts who do the same things you do — including a new farmer who’s bringing micro greens now! I’m so happy that your pigeon was released successfully, and that you’re getting to spend more time with Lil Urchin! Step by step, we’re creeping back toward normalcy! And hugs!
Lovely to hear you have a new farmer growing micro greens, apparently the young plants taste different from the adults, more intense and utterly different. I used old seeds, I’m surprised to see 99% have grown. Here’s to creeping back to normalcy and hugs!!! Thanks Linda.xxx
I don’t have much success growing garlic so I’ll have to try your method of starting them. You do seem to attract peacocks don’t you?
I hope the garlic grows for you. Come to think of it, I do seem to attract peacocks! Thanks Sue.xxx
oops typos… …racing pigeon isn’t being sought. and ….On the subject of birds.
It’s that time of night!!
xxx
Oh, I get that time of night!!!xxx
It must be so lovely having little one so close by. We’ll have to resolve to live with Facetime. Travel won’t be on the cards anytime soon.
Your horticultural pursuits are really doing well. I wonder the racing Pigeon is being sought. It does look like a sociable wee thing. One the subject of birds, I wondered whether the Peacock was one of the offspring of you-know-who.
Your plums look good enough to eat! xxxx
It is lovely having Littl’urchin and daughter so close by, here’s to you seeing your grand soon. Thank goodness for facetime. The racing pigeon is still around so clearly has got lost. Usually racing pigeon owners don’t want failed birds back sadly. I left the rings on in case it went home. Peanut has had several chicks survive, three to date so maybe this is hers! She’s turned out to be a great mother! Thanks Menhir.
Time is a bandit.
It flows fast and the weeks chase each other.
In the garden, things are going well for us too… lots of snow peas and black beans, 4 or 5 kg of potatoes, while tomatoes are a bit late.
Not being able to order/buy the seedlings, we had to do everything from seeds. Even the miniature gherkins pro rare species are coming up big. I will make several kgs of pickles to give away 🙂
For aromatic herbs, I dry them in a special “dryer”, very fast, and with little expenditure on electricity.
This evening I collected a couple of kilograms of wild blackberries (in the meadows near the house) which I put under rum and honey, which has already been done with raspberries from our garden. And in about ten days I will also have to put the kumquats under grappa since the new flowers are blooming… There is a lot of work, but since I spend all my free time at home, I’m not bored! Hug and kiss,dearest Dina, shared to all the family :-)c
Your garden certainly is producing for you now! You just can’t beat home grown can you? Oh, I love what you are doing with the berries! I could spend my life in the garden too without ever being bored. Love and hugs to you all.xxx
Oh, what a wonderful post, Dina! I LOVE all the news and ideas. And seeing Mr. Buddy looking so princely on top of the table was a great way to start.l andl
I love foraging, too; have found many edibles about, including wild strawberries, wild asparagus, plantain, of course dandelions, and many more. It’s so much fun to discover something new. We have morels everywhere in spring, too.
I have to confess I’m not so environmentally well-behaved as you…I do dry my basil and dill in the microwave on a dinner plate, but only for a few minutes. I freeze my rosemary and sage and even go outside and cut sage sage leaves all winter for meals and for tea.
The peacock is beautiful and how dear is that racing pigeon??! Thank you for saving it. dear one.
Soooooo happy you’re able to sit with your wonderful friends and spend hours with your darling Babe…how good for the heart and spirit! Makes me smile to imagine you sharing such merry visits. Hooray!
Thank you for this beautiful post; made my week, as always. Love to you.
xoxo,
K
Thanks Kitty. Oh yes, foraging is great fun, it’s also comforting to know there is food out there! Oh, seeing friends and Littl’urchin is just wonderful, it’s so strange being separate from people! Ahhh, thanks for such a lovely comment Kitty. Love and hugs to you all.xxx
What a happy wonderful post from the header image on down.
So pleased that you have been re-united with lil Urchin…even in her stroller I can see that she is growing fast.
Yes tea bags are great for plants…as are coffee grounds.
Continue to enjoy and yes let’s hope it wont be too long before you can have the little angel for the weekend. Janet xxxx
Thanks Janet, it is lovely being that much more closer to Littl’urchin, I can’t wait for kisses though. She has grown up so much in the last few months, she’s chatting away now. xxxx
A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. It all looks and sounds good, and you’ve mentioned plenty of good growing tips. xx
Thanks Flighty, I am trying to be more environmentally friendly, it’s surprising how much can be recycled. xxx
Some great ideas for getting plants and edibles for free. We do a lot of that too. Coffee grounds from our morning espressos, used tea leaves and crushed up egg shells go onto the soil in the veg beds. I freeze basil too and I’ve noticed that Mr P is drying out on a plate some tomato seeds from his favourite variety of plum tomatoes. How lovely to have friends around once more and to be able to take your little granddaughter for a walk! Social contact is so good for everyone’s well being even if it has to be done by social distancing at the moment. Take care Dina xxL
Thanks Linda, you can’t beat free plants can you? We don’t have a coffee machine so no grounds sadly, I always crush the eggshells though, they are also great for keeping slugs away. I like to keep the seeds of a good tomato. Yes, we do need a little contact don’t we, it is lovely seeing more of Littl’urchin, how I hope and pray this virus dies a death soon. xxx
What a great post with so many lovely ideas. How do you shred your cardboard? I’m not sure my hands would be up to sitting there for ages with a pair of scissors. Does it fit through a shredder? It must be really hard to resist hugging and kissing Littl’urchin. At least you can take her for walks now. I’m off to London at the weekend to have a picnic/BBQ with my eldest. I haven’t seen her in person since lockdown began and I can’t wait! Happy foraging! xx
Thanks Veggiemummy. I only use the shredded cardboard that are inside parcels, quite a lot of companies are using it as packaging now. I do wish I could get cardboard in the shredder! Oh, it’s almost impossible not to hug and kiss Littl’urchin….hopefully I’ll be able to sooner rather than later. Oh, how lovely that you’ll see you daughter soon. It’s a strange old world these days. xxx