Farmers' Markets - a summer treat!

Farmers' Markets are such a summer treat.

Fresh veggies, the scent of just-picked herbs and flowers, local live music, homeade fudge...lobsters!

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Our local Farmers' Market is on Friday afternoons....

a perfect day of the week to hold these events, in my opinion!

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When I have the opportunity to be there,

the stresses of the work week melt away and I'm transported

to a serene and peaceful place.

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A lovely way to start the weekend.

Here are some pics from the Hudson Valley market that was featured

in the NY Times...

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Homeade Pesto

Pesto is an aromatic herb paste, traditionally made from fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and olive oil. Pesto has its origins in Liguria, Italy, where people have been making it for hundreds of years with the brilliant green basil that grows wild on the hillsides. Nowadays, flavorful, fragrant variations of pesto can be made with other herbs such as cilantro or mint.

Pesto Pointers:

Fresh basil is very delicate, and will turn brown if it gets very hot or if it's exposed to air for long periods of time. Many cooks use fresh spinach as well as basil in their pesto to help maintain its brilliant green color.

When mixing pesto with pasta, potatoes, or risotto, stir it in at the last minute, just before serving.

Store pesto in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer for about six months.

Keep it looking fresh and green by covering the top with a thin layer of olive oil or with a sheet of plastic wrap directly on its surface; this will keep it from oxidizing and turning brown. (If your pesto darkens in color, it will still taste good. Only discard it if it has been stored improperly.)

One way to freeze pesto in manageable portion sizes is to freeze it in an ice cube tray, and transfer the cubes to a heavy duty plastic freezer bag. (Reserve an ice cube tray for this purpose, as it may discolor and flavor your plastic tray.) Thaw frozen pesto in the refrigerator or in the microwave on medium power just until room temperature.

Serving Suggestions for Pesto
Although pesto is easy to make at home and will taste fresher than the purchased kind, you can also find it at the grocery store in shelf-stable jars, in the refrigerator case, or in the freezer section.

Try pesto:

On pizza in place of or in addition to the red sauce

Added to a cream sauce or Alfredo sauce

Mixed with mayonnaise as a sandwich spread or burger topping

Stirred into mashed potatoes or risotto

Dolloped on soup

Whisked into scrambled eggs or folded into omelets

In pasta salads, potato salads, or salad dressings

Mixed with cream cheese and spread on a bagel

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Simple Garlic and Basil Pesto Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chopped fresh basil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts which are less expensive)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS
Place the basil in a blender. Pour in about 1 tablespoon of the oil, and blend basil into a paste. Gradually add nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, chili powder, and remaining oil. Continue to blend until smooth.

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www.allrecipes.com

Early August garden pics

Chive flowers about to blossom

Knock-out Roses still going strong in August

View of the arbor which was COVERED in red, climbing roses in July

Aloha roses...so beautiful!



Some of the new hydrangea plants waiting for a new home.

I used the layering technique to get these new plants from a single hydrangea.




Container plants on our deck

More container plants

Super sized coffee cup planter with assorted herbs

Love these coffee cans so I drilled a few holes in the bottom and voila - planters!

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Blissful Basil

I love basil.

I love the smell of it. I love it in caprese salad. I love to watch it grow. I love it in pesto.

It makes me happy!

This spring I bought one pack of basil seeds and literally have about 30 blossoming basil plants in my garden, on my deck, in containers...everywhere. I plan to make LOTS of sauce and pesto soon and when my tomatoes are ripe, I'll plan to make many delicious salads.

Some other uses of basil:

• Basil is widely used in traditional medicine and Ayurveda. Basil is rich of hundreds of phytochemicals. It has anti-bacterial, antiviral and immune enhancing properties. Here are 18 wonderful uses for the basil.
• Application of the juice of the basil leaves mixing with a little amount of honey over the eyes twice daily to treat fresh cases of cataract.
• Basil improves the efficiency of kidney. Take the mixture of equal amounts of the juice of basil leaves and honey regularly for 6 months for eliminating the stones in kidney.
• Basil is a good medicine for diabetes. The antioxidants in basil reduce the glucose level in blood. So take a tea spoon of juice of basil leaves daily to keep the diabetes under control.
  Basil leaves improve memory power. The smell of these leaves is pleasant to us.
• Basil oil cures earache, while gargling with the decoction made with these leaves reduces throat pain.
• Taking the mixture of equal parts of the powder of basil roots and ghee can make you romantic.
• Tea made with the tender leaves of basil prevents Malaria and Dengue. Take the decoction of these leaves with cardamom powder for reducing high body temperature.
• Basil can reduce heart diseases as it reduces the cholesterol content in the arteries.
• Mix a tea spoon of honey and ginger juice in a cup of decoction made with basil leaves and take for getting relief from cold, influenza, asthma and bronchitis.
• The decoction made with the mixture of leaves, roots and flowers of basil acts as anti venom for a snake bite.
• The Eugenol in these leaves is a good pain killer. Rub the leaves on the wounds for healing and for relief from pain.
• Place few leaves of basil under the pillow or under the bed sheets to solve the problem of insomnia.
• Massage with basil oil on the affected limbs to reduce the severity of paralysis.
• Make a fine powder of basil flower buds. Mix a spoon of powder to a spoon of honey and consume it for relief from migraine.
• The mixture of equal amounts of yogurt and basil juice with a pinch of cardamom powder is considered to be a cure for venereal diseases.
• Leaves can be used to treat insect stings and bites.
• Wash the hair with the decoction of basil to condition the hair.
• Adding some basil flowers and leaves in bathing water makes the body feel fresh.

Basil info from www.healthmed.com

Love of Lavender

I have always had a fondness for the sweet scent of lavender and when we moved into our current home I planted six lavender plants along our driveway. They blossomed beautifully all summer and I dried bunches of lavender that I gave away to friends and family. At the time, I was fairly new to gardening and at the end of the summer I cut the plants back to the ground thinking it was the right thing to do. When they didn't return the following spring, I realized hard pruning of lavender is not recommended. Lesson learned..

A couple friends of mine recently gave me a gift certificate to a local nursery and among other things, I bought 8 new lavender plants, mostly Provence. Tonight's project will be to plant them and hopefully see some new growth in August.

On a recent trip to Colorado in June, my friend Erica's mom gave me a beautiful sachet filled with lavender from her garden. I keep the sachet on my nightstand.

My most vivid memory of the scent of lavender is when my mom would keep it nearby to comfort my grandmother when she was sick. We then comforted my mother with the sweet smell of lavender as she grew tired and weak from cancer. She loved the scent as well.

If you share my love of lavender, keep reading...

10 Uses for Lavender

The hardy yet humble lavender plant embodies healing properties that benefit the mind and body. Find out how this garden favorite can help relieve stress, aid insomnia, fight depression and more!

1. Lavender flowers (fresh or dried) emit a strong, aromatic, uplifting scent when crushed between the fingers. For a quick mood pick-me-up or instant stress relief, crush and roll between your fingers a few of the flower buds and inhale the scent slowly and deeply. The combination of breathing deeply and inhaling the lavender scent will calm nervous tension, anxiety and panicky feelings within minutes.

2. A relaxing, soothing tea can be made from the flowers. Just put one heaping tablespoon of the fresh or dried flowers in a tea pot, and pour boiling water into the pot. Infuse for about ten minutes. This tea calms the nerves, settles the stomach and “butterflies” and induces sleep.

3. Add several drops of lavender oil to your bath for a soothing soak, or just add a generous handful of the fresh or dried flowers if you don’t have the essential oil.

4. To make sleep more restful, drip a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow. Another option is to wrap a handful of the dried flowers in a cheesecloth sachet, tie and throw in your pillowcase.

5. To soothe a sunburn, add a few drops of the essential oil to water in a spray bottle, and mist sunburned skin.

6. Wrap a handful of lavender flowers in a square of cheesecloth and tie with a string. You can also drip a few drops of essential oil onto the sachet for an extra aromatherapy boost. Throw the sachet in your dryer to make your clothes smell great. This will freshen up to 25 dryer loads!

7. Apply lavender essential oil to insect bites and stings, cuts, scrapes and abrasions. Lavender is very anti-septic and helps destroy germs that can cause infections.

8. Infuse fresh or dried lavender flowers as if to make a tea. But instead of drinking it, let it cool down and use as a hair rinse.

9. Pulverized lavender flowers can add a unique and delightful flavor to salads, custards, jams, jellies and cookies, especially sugar cookies. It is a culinary relative to mint, sage, marjoram and thyme and can be used in the same fashion as these herbs. Lavender is so versatile in the kitchen, that virtually any experimentation with it will yield favorable results.

10. Lavender essential oil can be applied like a perfume to the hair, neck, ears or other body parts. Smells delicious!

http://healthmad.com/alternative/10-uses-for-lavender/

Flower and garden pics

Clematis



















Climbing rose



This is how I like to end my weekends.

This makes me happy.

Love the light in this picture. This is our farmer's porch.

Hydrangeas

I have 10 small hydrangea plants that are ready to be transplanted into their new homes.

If you'd like one, please let me know. They're from the above plant are are very small but will grow into large plants over the next few years.