On this first day of summer I am taking a moment to appreciate the gifts my small garden has to offer.
~ Flowers for cutting
~ Fresh blueberries
~ A wide variety of herbs
I am learning that you don't have to a have a huge garden to still enjoy a steady stream of bouquets for the house. I think it's more about making careful selections with what you plant.
While it would be lovely to have enough blueberries to add some to the freezer, I am content to be picking a handful here and there to add to my breakfast cereal and overnight oats. Perhaps as the years go by, the harvest will increase.
As I continue to learn about the many health benefits herbs have to offer, I am making a better effort to use them daily. Above is one of two jars of dried oregano. In the early spring, it was apparent that the plant was out of control. Rather than toss the excess, I dried most of it. I gifted my sister-in-law with the other jar. She has been enjoying it in her spaghetti sauce and homemade pizzas.
~ Spring Oregano Harvest ~
The deviled eggs we had for Easter tasted so good with dill and chives sprinkled on top.
As I'm finishing this post, Brett has just come in with 3 more tomatoes. That makes 7 so far. Not bad for two plants on the patio and plenty for the two of us.
Is there anything thriving in your garden on this first day of summer?
🌞🌞🌞
I had some strawberries out of my garden on my breakfast cereal. Planted eggplant but they aren't doing well at all. There is just not enough sun in the woods.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your garden is doing great.
Happy Summer to you. :)
Happy first day of summer! It is HOT here in the Chicago suburbs - 106 with the heat index! My herbs are all doing great, but it will be quite awhile before we have tomatoes and peppers. Your deviled eggs look so good with the fresh herbs, especially on that beautiful plate!
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that you have tomatoes and blueberries already but I suppose because we're so much farther north everything is later. I am very interested in how you dried your excess oregano. I have quite a big clump of it but I've never found it to have much flavour. Recently I found out that oregano grown in poor soil has more flavour. Mine is right in a flower bed. No wonder it sprawls and grows too tall. Guess I'll plant some in a less hospitable spot.
ReplyDeleteI tried a new method this time and it worked very well. This is what I did: Cut sprigs of oregano in the morning after the dew had dried. Rinse the sprigs in cold water and let dry completely. (the picture above is the sprigs drying on the counter). Once dry I put the sprigs into a paper grocery bag leaving room for air space around them. I folded the top of the bag over once and held it in place with a binder clip. Put them in a cool place (for me it was the guest room closet). Check periodically to see if they have dried. For me, it was about 2 weeks. (maybe less). The most tedious part was stripping the leaves from the stems. I had learned about this method from a YouTube video. She said the paper bag is the best air drying method as it helps to absorb any moisture, thus preventing the herbs from getting moldy. Also she recommended leaving the leaves whole and crushing them when adding to a recipe.
DeleteHope this helps.
Thanks for that tip!!
DeleteHow lovely to have tomatoes and blueberries ready to eat now. We have awhile to wait. But we are enjoying fresh spinach and lettuce, lots of radishes, and strawberries.
ReplyDeleteI've been drying oregano, too. I like to dry two quart jars to use over the winter. Love the deviled eggs!
Home grown tomatoes are the very best! And I'm glad I can pick a few blues and blackberries on the Florida trails! I don't have any growing in my flower beds.
ReplyDeleteOnly some chives and a few very green blueberries 🫐. I usually have to fight the birds for them. You seem to have a lot in your TASTE dish. It is wonderful to have enough. Happy summer, Kim!
ReplyDeleteBorage is growing in my garden. I forget what it's good for, but it's pretty! I bet that homegrown oregano is very good!
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