This past week was oh so busy! We got a visit from Grandma Yoli (who came to visit after a trip to Tennessee) bearing googoo bars and lots of them. The kids and I had never had one. Apparently, it is only made in Tennessee though I am sure it is sold all over. I think Matthew had much more than his share due to so many siblings sharing theirs with him. We all enjoyed her visit so much that we are hoping she will come back very soon. Between shopping, eating out (what a treat) and visiting with her, it encompassed every minute we had.
The day after she left we spent outside (all day) working on so many projects. We have been clearing more land, poison ivy, weeds and brambles. The more time I spend outside, the more impressed I am by the amount of plants out there that I have little knowledge of. Everyday I find myself researching a new plant or just trying to identify the different “weeds” out there. We have encountered thousands of wild strawberry plants. The berries have absolutely no taste and are mostly seeds but it has not stopped the kids from eating many of these raisin sized berries. I think there has to be a use for them. They fill our front 3 acres where there is rarely a spot you can walk on that there is not a wild strawberry plant. They grow so low that the mower does not touch them so they really thrive like little lawn jewels.
Luckily, besides the wild strawberries, the wonderful family who nurtured this land prior to us planted a few strawberry plants which I mulched in the fall and really spread to provide so many tasty strawberries in the past week. I have planned to completely weed that bed this week and spread out some of those plants so they can fill the bed more evenly.
We have gotten much of the garden planted and even though it is a bit late, I am not beating myself up about it. We are just enjoying the process of starting over and that is that. I have a few dozen perennials waiting for the food forest part of our farm to be done where we will plant them in their new homes. So much to do but there is time yes? The mornings here are still cool as well as the evenings and its such a pleasure to work outside without the heat beating us down.
We are also rehabbing the two small garden beds that were already here, close to the house. This is quite the undertaking as the beds are covered by a thick mat of creeping charlie (ground ivy) and more of those wild strawberries. We have been drying the creeping charlie to use as an addition to our teas for the coming year but there is oh so much of it. It roots anywhere that it touches and mulch only seems to deter it for a little while. Luckily, it has a faint mint/oregano smell being from the mint family and has a pretty little purple flower so I will let it be a ground cover where it won’t get in the way. Below is a before and after picture of that small bed, the after is the one with Erica raking the dirt. I am having quite a hard time keeping shoes on the girls. Since there are no prickly plants in the grass here like there are in Florida, I am generally letting them garden in their barefeet and they are loving it.
I have been enjoying tea everyday. First our own tea blends made of blue spiderwort (we have 3 colors of spiderwort here, blue, pink and white) and lemongrass. Lemongrass is the flavor since the blue spiderwort flowers mainly lend color and little flavor but its so much fun to have blue tea again since our favorite blue pea vine would not survive the winters here.
The other teas were a present from Grandma Yoli from Teavana. Have you ever been to this store, I adore it but can’t really afford to shop there too much. I am so grateful to my mother in law for this present as well as the beautiful new tea cup she bought me. If anyone has a good source for delicious bulk loose teas, please do post!!
The front garden is alive with so many flowers and different types of perennials. Everytime one type of flower stops producing, the next kind comes to life to entertain us with its colors and scents. I think the flower garden is Matthews favorite place to be. He loves to walk the little pathways and pick the flowers.
What you have been up to this past week? Tomorrow I will be scouting for more wild edibles. Won’t you come back and join me?
Hi Tricia,
I just found your blog. Being Catholic I had to find out about the "crunchy Mama" thing….maybe I missed something in religious ed?
I'm sorry about the baby. I'll be praying for all of you, that includes baby too.
The wild strawberries you mentioned may actualy be a noxious weed, Waldsteinia temata. We put them in as a ground cover several years ago and they took over the landscape. After a lot of digging, we finally routed them out. You might want to call your local County Extension office for advice on how to deal with them.
A real wild strawberry is about 1/2" to 3/4" long and conically shaped. They're sweet and the flavor of strawberry is intense. They're refered to as Alpine Strawberries. The white variety is the sweetest of all!
Glad to have found your blog. You've a beautiful family one can tell not just on the outside but the inside as well.
Looking forward to more posts and pics!
God bless,
Linda
Tricia, your pics of the garden are great-don't you love that transformation from little spindly twigs to the lush jungle it all becomes? Every year it makes me so thankful to God! We just started winter here in Australia, so i'll just have to garden vicariously w/ you & my family in VA-they've got pumpkins, that i'll be using for soup in a few more months. So care to share, what is a food forest? Pam
Pam, A food forrest is a garden planted much in the way that the forrest is planted. There are layers but in this case, everything is edible and you are planting perennial plants and trees that can feed you for many years or have medicinal qualities. So, we are planting a food forrest with edible trees and a garden for all the annual veggies and fruits 🙂
Try Mountain Rose Herbs for good varieties of loose tea – they are great! Glad your garden is going well too. We have been picking our strawberries and lettuce leaves this week, with beets and peas to follow soon.
Sonrie, Do you ever grow just pea shoots? It is my favorite green and you are eating pea greens in less than 2 weeks from the day you planted.
Tricia, I love seeing your updates! That little one of yours is divine. I really miss you posting recipes, any chance you might be posting any new ones. I finally made your popcorn and now I wish I hadn't been so skeptical and waited so long!! My kids and their friends inhaled it and asked me to make it like that again next time. I don't mean to ramble but just wanted to thank you for sharing your life with us. You might not know this but you inspire me and I am sure lots of other people.
Claire, Thank you for your words 🙂 I do need to share some recipes, you are right 🙂 So glad you liked the popcorn!
I have a ton of creeping charlie, but didn't know it was edible. How are you using it? Recipe/instructions please! Oh I mentioned we were thinking about moving and not being sure where this year's garden would be… We decided about much thought to stay. The things we like about this place outweigh the downsides. So my garden is going in here and I am late too, but taking it as I can and getting it done with the help of the kiddos. Your garden looks lovely! Julia
Julie, We are using it for tea but there are so many uses even as a green, raw or cooked. I have read not to be consumed if nursing or pregnant but not sure on that. Here are two articles: http://www.motherearthliving.com/plant-profile/an… and http://www.commonsensehome.com/creeping-charlie/
Thank you for the update and the beautiful pictures. Do you have any tips for identifying plants online? I don't know where to start with that and with identifying spiders, for example, that we've seen here in our new house (Florida) – I can't just take a picture and paste it into Google and I don't know what text to type that would help me identify it. Sorry if that is a dumb question.
I enjoy red raspberry leaf tea for my female system and I also drink Traditional Medicinals tea for colds when needed.
Happy summer and belated blessed Ascension!
What kinds of tea do you like best? We have an excellent source for tea here and we have a good collection at home, so I may have to send you some.
Charlei, I love them all I think, floral, fruity, vanilla, green, white, momotaro. I guess the teas I am not so crazy about are the earl greys and that type. Of course you would have a good source, because you are awesome like that.
LOVE IT! The flower garden looks like it "just came up" all by itself this year? Full of perennials? Always so grateful that where we are here in FL there is very very little to step on that is uncomfortable. Many other places I've been are comfortable also. Glad your girls are reaping the benefits of barefooting in ways they (or you) may not even be imagining! 🙂 and <3