Simultaneously I'm holding onto summer with a firm, red knuckled grip, while eagerly anticipating fall's cool sigh of heat relief and renewal.


Martha Stewart's lengthy series of recipes for summer crop canning is taunting me. Haven't I canned enough!? Over the past month I've put up 2 types of tomato sauce, salsa, tomato jam, spicy red pepper ketchup, blueberry vanilla basil jam, pickled green tomatoes, pickled celery sticks, and whole figs packed in vanilla honey syrup. I'm planning on adding roasted red pepper and heirloom tomato soup to the list, but now I want to pack peaches in a fruit juice reduction, make a giant batch of pickled okra and...and...and...


Considering which leafy greens to fill the garden beds with this fall. While filing this recipe away for the day after the first frost.  (Am I really typing that? Am I actually somewhat excited about the first frost?? I haven't had my fill of tomatoes and squash yet!)

Ready for a Permaculture Primer?




Registration is now available for the fall Permaculture Primer. This beyond-the-basics course will teach you the methods and means behind the practice of permaculture. Friday evening we'll kick things off with a potluck and introduction. Saturday and Sunday will be 2 full days of learning. Our guide and teacher is North Carolina's own permaculture leader, Patricia Allison. She'll cover a brief history of permaculture, ways to reduce waste and reduce petroleum consumption, among many other timely ecological topics. You'll leave with a great deal of knowledge and tools to implement change. Course cost: $150.

Interested? Sign up here!


Some topics we'll cover include: building mulch beds so your garden will be ready for spring, no tilling necessary; creating a polyculture in your landscape to minimize pests and maximize sustainability; and interesting, atypical crops that grow well in the area.




Another weekend passed by too quickly.  There was time spent in the community garden, 5 minutes spent in my own garden, too much take out, and no time at the gym. We also went to Hi-C's first softball game where Mabel cheered him on like a champ, "Go Papa, go! Go Papa, go!"



In the gardens things are growing strong, and I'm not just talking about the plants. There are Japanese Beetles to contend with, ladybugs (thankfully), and some other critters that haven't wreaked too much havoc. The community garden is about 50% tomato plants right now, but this guy seemed to prefer sweet potato leaves. After much screaming and freaking out by a fellow gardener who shall remain nameless, she took it to the creek to let it sleep with the fishes.

If you're not familiar with hornworms, read more here.

Seasoning Summer

from Drinking the Summer Garden

I've been anxiously awaiting my copy of Drinking the Summer Garden since I first heard the announcement it was available to order. It's the first of a new series of You Grow Guides by Gayla Trail and Davin Risk, the dynamic duo behind all things fluffco. I'm a paper kinda gal, I like to have the tangible page experience, but for those of you who are better suited for the ages, they've got you covered with a digital version, too!

If you've been reading this blog throughout the years, you know I'm a fan of everything they do. This guide is no different. Drinking the Summer Garden arrived at the most auspicious time; several days after I bought a large bundle of celery from a local, organic farmer. I have plans to pickle and can the stalks so I can pair them up with Bloody Mary mix for holiday gifts, but wasn't about to waste the delicious leaves.


I'd already had it in my mind to make celery salt, but hadn't quite gotten to the actual making it part.

When the book arrived I dove right in. Filled with gorgeous photos, in depth instructions* for creative ways to drink up the summer bounty,  and snack sized recipes to keep hunger at bay.

from Drinking the Summer Garden
Then and there the celery salt recipe jumped off the pages and forehead slapped me (duh!) with a message, "Go to the kitchen and do this before your celery rots from good intention!"

And so I did, leaving me with a new hope the freshness of celery will last me through the off-season.  So it goes, the girl and the celery were guided to happy.

Read more about it on You Grow Girl, buy it through Blurb (also linked to Blurb on YGG), and also available as an e-book to suit any type of fancy digital device!



*To be truthful, this particular recipe is very similar to the 101 Cookbooks version I'd been considering.  Either one will get you where you want to go, but there are a few differences, and without giving the instructions away, the You Grow Guide version seems a little more foolproof with a few thoughtful details on flavor preservation.