What a way to get Mullein

Any other time you can find Mullein growing just about anywhere you don't want it to grow!  Now that I've tasted it's brewed tea,  I don't want to be without it, especially in the cold months ahead..  After searching and looking for a couple of days...look where I spied it...Up a steep hill that had been mowed (do a close up to see it on the left of that pole). I got my little paper bag out and I was going to snatch me up some...well,
getting closer to the hill, my better judgement said "forget it girlie"all you need to do is slip like you did before and break a leg (or hip). Mullein will have to be gathered someplace else..Not so, Cecil insisted on doing it himself..

Well needless to say, he was up that hill like a mountain climber, stripped two Mullein's of their leaves and started back down again.
He admitted it became steeper than he thought and had to "sit" down to get down, doing a "butt slide" :o)...One thing about us old folks, we will try by any means necessary to reach a goal :o). 

Mission accomplished :o)  Here he comes down the sidewalk, bag of Mullein leaves in hand ..Do you notice his "Manly stride" :o) You would think he was "Superman's brother" :o)...I definitely will have to give him a special treat :o)...
I've got the Dehydrator filled to the top drying the leaves after a good soaking and washing..I had quite a bit from two plants, so I had to do a makeshift hanging place (over the washing machine :o) for these until the others are dry..Well, this turned out to quite an adventure today harvesting  some Mullein leaves. Should I have waited until Monday :o)...
Update:  July6th 
last night I ran out of my sleep prescription and made a large cup of Mullein tea sweetened with Honey...well I slept from 10:30 until 2:40,  then fell back to sleep around 4:00 and slept until 8:15..could have been better , but I was rested :o) Mullein is relaxing for sure.

They almost made it :o(

My Monday Harvest is the Pits!  Here are two Plum tomatoes that "almost made it" . I found them on the ground inside the Hoop house..the wind? I don't know what happened..then walking down to the garden what do I find ...Deer tracks! and and the few tomatoes in Cecil's garden nibbled off!  ugh! He is going to be so disappointed when he finds out about that.
Putting up a wood or vinyl fence would take away the joy of the view and expense I don't want, we will have to think of something!

At least I have something to show that I haven't been idle! I could see that the Boc Choy needed more room to grow, I had done them the same as I did the tomatoes..(put too many seeds for the space to grow).(E.G., didn't tell me about that soon enough).  So I made some little pots out of paper..(while Cecil and I chatted about the coming fall crops we will plant :o)  and this is half of them now nestled in their little pots to grow and then ....Only God knows where I will plant them to be safe from the Deer.. I have at least 20 cans of tomatoes up near the Patio and they don't come this far..(thank goodness). so maybe I'll have to put the Boc Choy into large containers (it works for a lot of people on the blogs, I could name a few

:o)..When I think of all those large containers that I saw at places like Goodwill and I snubbed my nose up because they didn't have the tops :o(  I could slap myself.
Inside my little Greenhouse I have some Jalapeno Pepper seeds in those little paper pots I made.. Those seeds are from some frozen peppers that looked so good and healthy when I cut the pepper..I planted 6 of them, to see if they would grow, my store bought plants didn't do to well thus far..nothing ventured nothing gained. If they make it ...I'll save seeds from them..They were really large and I think I remember them being Serrano's peppers or (something like that).
UPDATE: Last night I had a cup of tea with honey from the Mullein, and let me tell you, it is relaxing! :o)

My Mullein Plant goes to Tea :o)

Today was a good day to strip the Mullein stalk, dry the leaves, put them into the food processor,  pulse them into tea form. (how about that description :o)  I forgot to take the picture before I started the task. Here's a picture of the bottom, the leaves were left purposely, they say tea from them gives nightmares :o(  Just so you know what the Mullein looks like when you see them.It didn't happen all at once , it took a day and into the evening until the morning.

Here is a picture of the Mullein top where the yellow flowers were..(I didn't harvest it soon enough to pick them) they are supposed to be good for ear infections and or salve making. Later I'll try that one.

Next into the dehydrator, instead of brown paper bagging it too dry.
After it dries..into the food Processor to  grind it up for tea making.

After it was ground in the food processor I found a few stubborn stalks, I just took them out..The ground leaves are very soft and feel like cotton :o)...With one stalk of Mullein dried I got quite a bit for making tea..I tsp to a cup of water is the recipe with honey to sweeten ...it's on the bitter side.. supposed to relax you..I can use that.

Here is what I ended up with! There are a few cups of tea in this container , but if I look around maybe there's another plant and two or three more quarts won't be bad to have to have, takes a little work and it's free :o)...
Update: corrected spelling "MULLEIN"

My Harvest for Monday 6.5 Yukons and Russet potatoes

They may look like a pitiful lot to some, but we are happy that at least we were able to grow something in that spot and it is more than a couple of meals..In fact we had some cooked with string bean for Sunday's meal..they were to small to peel so I scrubbed them and added just the yukons to the pot that had smoked hocks < they picked up the flavor and were delicious..We still have some red potatoes in the garden, and they are looking much better so hopefully we will have a good harvest there...
We went to the Farmers Market on Saturday and bought some delicous "White Queen Corn" they were freshly picked and one bite sent us back Sunday morning ..we only went for 2 doz. but ended up with a bushel :o).

 You all know that corn comes with a brown tassel at the top and a spike at the bottom,well I cut off the brown top with my sissors, turn it around and cut off the spike at the bottom (feel it to find the end) then take off the husk (leaves :o) until you get as close to the kernels leaving layers to continue to keep it protected with a few layers.
Mother Nature protects the kernels in this way, and it's a good way to keep away freezer burn..I've done this and corn was as fresh as when first picked after a year! 

 No joke!  Then I pack them into gallon freezer bags (8 in a bag fits nicely :o) then into the freezer until wanted..you will have to strip them and take off the silks then. You can put them into bigger bags if you want and just take out enough as desired :o)  That's a good hint for this Harvest Monday...I give it free as I got it..passing it on..

What I've been up too!

Can you believe how fast (3 days) the Boc Choy babies came up! I'm hoping for some real yummy treats from it if it keeps on growing up like this :o)

I have been trying to wait for my Oregano in the pot to grow up a bit before trying to clip some for drying..well, yesterday was a busy one clipping it and also some Orange and Chocolate mint for tea's..A cup of Steeped Tea in the afternoon seems to perk me up...and I like it with  sardines mixed with mayonnaise , onions and spices < Cecil hates it, but I grew up on it and it's a comfort food for me when I'm not feeling well, like today!  When he's not feeling well or I want to get him to do something, I fix him chicken and dumplings :o) that's his comfort food.

Now I'll sit at the table and grind up my spices in the mini processor and put them into labeled containers. Of course I'll add the words "Homegrown". :o)  Afterwards I'll have my lunch and try out some tea :o).

Here is my Harvest for Monday! 
(Even though I did it Sat and Sun)
The top holds the onions from the Garden, not too shabby! but kind of small, the middle holds the Garlic from the Garden, and the blue pan is holding the White garlic from the Box..I at first thought they were leeks, (and so did others), however, after harvesting them, and cleaning them up, I remembered they were from two that I bought when I ran out of prepared garlic, I don't what kind they were except they were very white and so is the harvest.
I have them drying on that "sweater rack"  I got at goodwill last year. Not bad for this "Almost an Acre" farm :o)

Garlic planted September 2010 Harvested June 2011

I just couldn't resist showing you the Garlic from last week once it was dried and then cleaned up :o) See photo below,June 6th.
Now I think it's really beautiful and nicely formed ...I've got way more than I planted and that was the idea..Hooray! Now all I have to do is wait a little longer for more drying and I'll skin it and put it in the refrigerator where a Garlic Jar is waiting :o)  Us is Farmers over here :o)

I've just about run out of available land to plant a big spread! So I have to resort to Box Gardening, not that there isn't anything wrong with that...it's just another excuse to beg for a bigger farm :o) you know this is only "Almost an Acre" Farm.  I've been wanting to get into planting some Asian veggies and Boc choy is one I'm familiar with so I thought I'd try that one in a box first..
The other day I went to the Dollar General and couldn't decide which one I wanted..by the time I made up my mind and went  back for two...they only had this one left :o(

On a happier note, in the Tomato Box if you do a click and look at the top, you will see three baby plum tomato's ..they are the cutest little baby tomato's in the world  (to me anyway). There are blooms all over them in the  bed and I'm waiting to see the first
Cherokee Purple bloom. It's so exciting to see seeds you saved blossom into it's fruit. Except the Cherokee Purple plant, I had to buy it this year..

My little lettuce is waiting patiently for me to put into it's place, but it's been so hot morning and evening I've hesitated moving it..also there was a tomato seed that got into the box (guess I was careless) and it started doing so well I hated to disturb it too. First good rain I'll do something for it, but for now best to let it "shine where it's planted "  :o)  next to it is a few tomato's that I promised someone and they didn't come back for it..I think they forgot...it too will stay in it's place and let it survive.

My Harvest for Monday :o(

 This is my harvest of Garlic that I planted in September of 2010 , I consider it a measly lot for all the effort that went into it's planting. :o(  Not that I'm not grateful, just extremely disappointed :o(  A few of them grew more than twice the size I put into the ground..I have to accept it was my first time and I got the "seeds" from a large garlic at the grocery store..

I didn't have any place special to hang it  ..
In some of these houses they have a "string" that you pull down the attic steps..so I figure that's as good a place as any..you can see it as soon as you walk into my Studio, Hey! that's were the works are thought of :o)..it's not in the way and I will be reminded it's there....I brushed most of the dirt off the bulbs now I guess I'm supposed to let them sit and dry. I have them on a sweater dryer I bought at Goodwill for $1 or $2 . Anyway  How long does it usually take 1-2- weeks?

I did get two nice sized beets of which I ate the leaves cooked with a pat of butter :o) and I'm cooking the beets for Cecil with a little vinegar and sugar..We are both getting the part of beet we like the best. :o)...I'm happy I was able to grow beets :o) maybe next time it will get better..

I'm so pleased with how the tomatos in the box are doing ..they are really tall and have blooms on them, I can't wait to bite into the first ripe one and save the seeds :o)  On the way to tomato alley you have to pass the "canned tomatoes" (my idea of a pun :o). I didn't have room to plant these so I stuck them in a can and they are thriving very nicely. Around the bend to the Side garden as I promised to show you is "Tomato Alley" :o)  Below at the "Side Garden".

Then onto onto the "cabbage patch" :o) I don't think, or should I say I won't run out of cabbage if the bugs will just behave and leave them alone..So far with the seven I might be able to make some Kraut from my gardens after all. As you walk pass "Tomato Alley" and the "Cabbage Patch" you come to the front of the house where I have incorporated more cabbage :o)Behind the flowers I planted a row of cabbage, they are on sort of a hill since the land slopes there..so it has a two fold purpose of my own making ...it holds the land and 

it should give me a couple of meals :o)  I didn't realize you could get so much
cabbage from one pack of seeds :o)..I know the neighbors are drooling waiting for the Harvest :o) The peppers at the end of the  "Cabbage patch" aren't doing well ;o  but the mini ones in the back box are doing nicely..being shadowed by those tall tomatoes.

Question

Can anyone explain why for two years in a row our Large and beautiful Squash Vines bloom up pretty big flowers and then the flowers  disappear and there aren't any squash? What are we doing or not doing wrong!  ugh!

SCAPES ? :o)

These are what I cut this morning from the box garden, that I asked all what did they look like, because I forgot what I planted (duh!)   Some said they looked like leeks and or onions..can you now tell ? or do all onions, leeks and garlic have "scape's" ?  These smell like onions and I intend to put them into some eggs :o)...I'm just a couple days late for Harvest Monday :o)..I wanted to take some pictures of the advance of the crops especially the "Side Garden" but it's just been too hot for me to get involved..Today they expect it to be 95 again, whew!
You have to admit these are some nice looking scape's :o) I noticed all of the plants didn't have them..unless I have to wait for more..and I also think that Garlic in the garden is nearing ready ..I'm noticing the leaves are kind of getting brown and falling :o) yea! I'm hoping for some nice looking garlic  (even if they are wimps, they are my babies, and the cutest in the world).