Wellbeing - Fennel and Sunflowers. . . . . . .

via - UK Country Living

I've noticed lately that there are many more articles being published in reading materials such as magazines, newspapers, books etc., and of course online, regarding digestive issues. If you, like so many of us, struggle with any of the many 'tummy troubles' brought on by illness, and especially aging, you will find everything covered, discussion is more open, and treatment offered from every area of the medical field and more. 

I found this little jewel of a herbal treatment, a natural 'digestif' to aid in stomach spasms and bloating - fennel seeds. I purchased a small bag of organic seeds and have been chewing them after breakfast and supper - we usually don't eat lunch. The licorice taste is pleasant and I chew for a while prior to swallowing as they are a bit weedy in the mouth! If you look up fennel seeds you will be amazed at the health benefits. Of course as with anything you ingest always check on the negatives too, and maybe discuss with your doctor. 

. . . . . . . while on the subject of healthy seeds, how about the sunflowers' offerings?

Have to admit they are delicious natural and roasted as a handy, healthy snack, and make such a difference to the taste and texture of many baked items, especially breads. I probably won't be eating mine from the garden as usually the squirrels and birds get there first, but that's fine with me. Growing a few of this awesome, now 10 foot tall, 'wow factor' variety has been beautiful to view. They have brightened the garden and welcomed people coming along the street. 

Soon I may be known not just as "the lady with the huge fig tree" but also "the crazy gardening woman with the gigantic sunflowers".

- Sunflowers today -

A favorite spot in the summer garden right now - under the Japanese maple.

Very hot and humid here.

Not all is perfection. . . . . . . . .

 . . . . . . . in the summertime garden!

Still have some sunflowers blooming, mostly the smaller ones - this spray

 of flowers is actually on one main stem and is beautiful. . . . . . and still

intact today!

Deer enjoyed a late night dinner out on Saturday!  

Sunday morning brought a few choice words from me when I found they had

 attacked the sunflowers and left a trail of petals, seeds and broken heads 

around the front garden! You can see how thick and tough those large stems are,

  however something chewed right through them to get the flower heads to fall to
 the ground, where 'it' (or perhaps 'they') had a real feast.

I stuck the larger heads into the bench seat. . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . and noticed this young male cardinal enjoying breakfast today!

Note: only one of the two heads remaining - wonder if the deer returned in the 

night and dragged the other one away.

On another subject, the squirrels are busy and hungry in the heat and I saw this little

one yesterday scuffling around for seeds under the bird feeder. Couldn't get a good photo, 

but noticed it has a deformed left front paw - it's there but turned backward. The little one

 still manages to dig, eat, and jumped up on the birdbath for water, thankfully.

FYI:  The green leaves are also sunflowers - growing naturally from the seeds

 dropped by birds!

Another member of the family who enjoy our garden looks really healthy

and loves the suet feeder.  We try to use mostly non-melt suet cakes at this 

time of year - the regular ones are so messy to deal with in this intense heat.

As for this year's fig crop, not sure what's happening. Hundreds of little 

green fruits fell to the ground while we were up north, perhaps from lack

of water. Now they seem to be hanging on and perhaps there will be

some to pick later. . . . . . . but none are ripe yet.

As for chores such as weeding, sometimes a weed comes up in just the perfect place. 

Another thing to ponder upon for lack of anything more pressing in the heat of the

midday sun! 

Nothing common about Ficus carica!

Yes, they're back, despite the killing three-day frost in March.
 I truly wasn't expecting much fruit this summer but both my fig trees are loaded!
Yesterday I picked the first ripening figs on the sunny side of the Celeste in the
front garden, and a couple from the Brown Turkey in the side garden.

These trees are now over 15 feet tall - not bad considering they were just 18 inches 
when I gently coaxed them out of their plastic pots and tucked them into the garden
nine years ago. 
Did I just say 9 years ago - good grief how time flies!
This old post will show you my first picking in 2009 and the fun I had
actually making a roast fig dessert.

HERE is everything you need to know about the amazing common fig, Ficus carica.

I pruned the fig trees last autumn and will have to do it again this year - they grow

 so quickly and are really too high for us to reach fruits at the top. Flying birds and
 climbing squirrels definitely have an advantage over us and are already pecking
 into the ripening fruits.

Today I'm sending the official fig picker out with the big green bowl - he can 

brave the mosquitoes, I'll stay in the cool kitchen calmly turning the pages of my
much-loved FIG cookbook for recipes.

Oh deer!

. . . . . . . . you really shouldn't be eating breakfast here!

As you know, I was invited to harvest my neighbor's veggies whilst he took

 a vacation and I was cat-sitting his sweet Ms. Nala the past couple of weeks. 

 He's home now and still so generous sharing cukes, peppers and tomatoes with me.
 I'm giving back to him by way of a nice chilled bowl of cucumber gazpacho, 
after chopping and whizzing those fresh-picked veggies in the food processor.

She arrived yesterday morning just before 8 AM. The sun was already 

brilliant, the air heavy and steamy from the humidity of another 

typical southern summer day.

Heading to pick up the newspaper on the driveway I made a quick return

 to the house to grab the camera. Yes, the crazy lady in her robe was out in

 the garden again and taking more photos.

She was calm, watched me between nibbles, and when I said "no, you must

 go to another restaurant" she looked at me and slowly walked away to the next
 house down the street. . . . . . where there are no veggies, but they 

do have lovely hostas if deer enjoy munching on them!

I love this photo with the sun shining through the ears and
illuminating the whiskers. I know she (at least I believe it's a female) has
 apparently made a home in the small wooded area across the street, but
 I wonder where her family are - haven't seen a second deer yet. 

Nature never ceases to amaze. 
There's always some animal, bird, insect or reptile (I don't like the latter, 
especially the dangerous copperhead snakes!) visiting the garden, despite
 the fact we are not in the country and just a block off a main thoroughfare
 north of the city.

Have you had any unexpected visitors - from the animal world -
in your garden this summer?

Reaching New Heights. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . the smiling faces of the now tall sunflowers continue to face toward the east. 

My beauties, for some reason, don't turn to face the sun as it moves across

 the sky. . . . . . .instead they seem to enjoy the view down the street.

Each scorching day, when there's no rain, I'm out there giving them a

 gentle drink, watching the flowers unfurl, and of course taking photos.

Each one is so beautiful whether with fully opened ray flowers (yellow petals),
 or just peeping out from the bright green bracts. Love how they last so long, 

soaking up the heat and sunshine, preparing their awesome number of seeds

 for the bees now, later the birds. . . . . . .and possibly squirrels agile enough
 to climb and cling to them come autumn. 

I too will be gathering some of the seeds in hopes they will grow here in my
 garden next year. These have reached astounding heights, the tallest
are well over six feet!

Looks like the 'sunflower chronicles' are continuing - I just have to share them with you!

Previous recent posts of the sunflowers in my garden, if you missed them,

 are HERE and HERE.

Yesterday was a tad cooler, 91F, and the heavy rain Sunday evening

really helped the garden. Temperature climbing higher again today!

🌻 Enjoy the sunflowers of summertime 🌻

More golden faces. . . . . .

. . . . . .while on the subject of sunflowers (please forgive me if all this is a bit

 repetitious) I just have to show you how they look today, the first one is fully

 opened and the bees, both big and small, seem to be in heaven collecting

 pollen off those hundreds of what will become seeds.  

Oh how we all - humans and animals - seem to love sunflower seeds!

. . . . . . and look at this!  Had no idea until I looked at the photo on the

 computer - a small bee zooming directly in for a landing, wheels legs down,

 feast ahead!

More buds opening soon!

Now I'm wishing I'd planted many more.

Honey bee and bumble bee sharing a meal. . . . . . . . . so beautiful!

Thank you for your kind comments on the previous 'sunflower post' - hope you

enjoy these additional photos also.

Sunflowers are blooming. . . . . . . . . .

Back in early June I planted a packet of sunflower seeds along the low brick wall

 in the front garden in hopes they'd take root and grow before the squirrels found

 them and dug them up!  I've been watching them carefully, fascinated by their 

healthy growth, reminding Bob not to mow over them, and watering them when

there's been no rain and the temperatures have climbed into the 90's.

Just a few days ago the sunflowers were still in bud - the heavy rain from the 

thunderstorm on Thursday evening brought renewal to the garden. 

Funny how rain does such a better job than the garden hoses. How precious

is water falling from those huge clouds billowing across the skies.

Of course they are facing east, toward the rising sun, away from the cottage.

Each morning I pop over and take their picture from my neighbor's side of

 the wall - the same wall I cross to go care for the neighbor's cat Ms. Nala.

Just today and tomorrow remaining as our neighbor returns in the evening.

So, hanging out the 'sunflower flag' this week seems appropriate.

 The gold and green colors of the huge flowers are beautiful and already

 I'm picking other spots where I plan to try growing sunflowers next summer. 

 They will provide late summer food for the birds. . . . . . . . . . oh yes, perhaps

 the squirrels also!

Wishing you all a wonderful summer weekend.

Never enough basil. . . . . . . . .

Basil : Ocimum basilica "king of herbs"

Are you like me. . . . . . . . . never can have enough of the delicious fragrant herb

basil growing nearby? 

 Whether a small pot on the kitchen window sill at easy reach, larger pots outside

 the door (my favorite way), or even a raised bed tucked into a sunny garden spot,

 basil reigns as the "king of herbs" in summer.

After all, what is a warm sun-ripened tomato without fresh basil - in a quick basic

 sandwich, snipped over the mozzarella and best EVOO in a Caprese salad, and

 of course gathered by the bunch to make a beautiful pesto sauce for pasta,

 bruschetta, or spread on a crisp grilled cheese or roasted veggie panini?

I did start off my annual basil with this store bought pot in May - snipped and rooted

 pieces in a Mason jar on the kitchen window sill - just because I couldn't wait for all

 those seeds to germinate!  The other plants are from seed which I sow wherever

 there's a pot with an empty space. The basil doesn't mind sharing with a few annual 

flowers and they do look pretty together.

Do you have basil growing ready for summertime recipes?

What other annual herbs do you grow?  

I'm growing parsley, cilantro, chives, mint, dill. . . . . . . and sage is out there somewhere

 but I haven't seen it yet! I also have two huge old rosemary bushes, they are hardy

 and stay green year round and are often clipped for recipes, or just to make a

 vase of fragrant greenery in the winter kitchen. 

I can't imagine life, or cooking, without wonderful easy to grow herbs, can you?
Pesto coming next!