Picking Peas
I always grow garden peas, they’re a wonderful thing to have in the freezer in the middle of winter. This year I planted a 25 foot row of shelling peas. We’re on our second harvest so far, there will be one more before the plants are done.
The peas are blanched and layered on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Then I freeze them and put them into gallon freezer bags. I like being able to scoop out a cup or two as needed. One of our favorite ways to enjoy these frozen peas is pureed and eaten as a side with seared scallops. The recipe is from River Cottage Every Day, it has become a favorite.
We don’t eat a ton of garden peas in the summer, mostly we stick to the vegetables that can’t be frozen and that are best fresh, like fennel. My two favorite varieties of garden peas are ‘Green Arrow’ and ‘Little Marvel’.
Do you grow garden peas? Do you have a favorite variety?
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Learning New Crafts
I’ve been wanting to learn how to dye with indigo for quite awhile. In fact, I was signed up for a class last summer, but it was cancelled at the last minute. When I saw that Halcyon Yarn had a class this summer I signed up. The class was taught by Jackie from Forage Color, it turns out she lives not far from me. Here are a few of the items I made during class:
Our class included four cotton napkins and one silk scarf, we were also able to take a few items of our to dip into the vat. I took an old white skirt that had a stain, a white tank top, and a white swiss dot sheet that I got at the thrift store.
The skirt turned out beautiful, I’m excited to once again be able to wear it as it’s one of my favorites (you can see my post about how much I love this skirt here).
I’ve been buying white sheets at the local thrift store for a few years now, my plan was originally to make white curtains for the back porch. Now I’m thinking indigo curtains might be a fun project. I won’t have time to do it until fall, gardening takes up way too much of my summer time. It’s always fun to learn something new, especially a new creative endeavor.
What new creative things are you pursuing at the moment? Or what have you always wanted to learn how to do when you get a little more time in your schedule?
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Dwarf English Box
Two weeks ago I ordered 10 True Dwarf English Box from e-bay. They arrived and I put them in the nursery area. Boxwood is one of my favorite shrubs and I’ve been collecting different varieties. I don’t have many, but a few.
These will eventually line the pathways in the potager, I’ll need a lot more than 10. I plan on letting these grow a bit then start propagating more. Box are so easy to propagate, I have 20 new box plants growing on, a few in pots and a few in the nursery area.
Have you gotten any new plants recently?
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Friday Favorite: Found Flowers
I spotted this little columbine blooming in the back border, behind a few other things. It’s quite a looker, with it’s double flowers. It may be Aquilegia ‘Barlow Bordeaux’, I’m not positive since I didn’t plant it.
My other columbines are all singles. There’s a a deep purple one blooming by the back door that I brought from Ohio and a very light pink that I found growing under the porch. I’ll be saving seeds from all three varieties to see what I get.
Do you grow any columbine?
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Back in the Garden
This past weekend we were off camping up in northern Maine, then we were back for the fourth and a boat parade and afternoon of sailing. Now it’s back to the office, housework, and garden work. It’s amazing how quickly things can grow, even when you’re only gone a few days. When I left the peonies were in full bloom.
When I came back they were all gone. That’s OK though, peony season is glorious, even if it is very short. We now move on to hydrangeas, peony poppies, and a flush of other blooms. Even though perennials offer a short season of bloom, they can be staggered to provide color and interest throughout the summer. As I drive around I’m always noticing things blooming in other gardens that I might be able to incorporate into my own.
What’s blooming in your garden this week?
