A few years after we planted “Papaws” climbing rose I began collecting a few petals from it. I love the smell of roses, and these had a unique smell to them. For a long time, I just used them as a potpourri. Eventually my curiosity convinced me to look up other uses for rose petals. There were so many, and it was a shame not to use them for something.
The first thing I tried was tea. Several articles I read mentioned that rose petals were high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Beginning by adding them to the tea I already made for my sons we decided to try it. I figured it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add a little vitamin C to their diet. Especially when they were under the weather. The rose petals also added a wonderful flavor to the tea, meaning they were more apt to drink all of it. Often, I now make tea with just rose petals, inhaling the steam. I not only like the taste, but I also love the smell of those roses.
To make tea all you need to do is gather the petals and steep them in boiling water just like you would a tea bag. I dry a lot of the petals and then store them in glass jars for use when the roses aren’t blooming. You can use a tea ball, or you can just use loose petals and strain your tea into another cup. If it is not sweet enough just add a little honey.
Eventually I decided to try infusing rose petals in coconut oil. I am allergic to so many store-bought skincare items that I had begun using plain organic coconut oil on my face. It really helped my skin maintain balance, not too dry but also not too oily. I kept reading that rose petals are good for the skin. I have used this ever since. Last year when my husband was so sick, I let go of self-care much more than I should have to spend all my time caring for him. Although I felt it was necessary at the time, I can really tell the difference from letting myself go. So, I am getting back on track now. The jar to the right is ready to warm and strain.
This is how I make my rose petal oil:
Rose petal infused oil
Choose a carrier oil. I used coconut oil, but you can use olive or almond oil. Crunch rose petals into a jar and cover with oil. Add the lid then swirl just enough to coat the petals without shaking. Warming the oil will help release the scent from the rose petals. I use a coffee cup warmer or set in the sun until warm. Let it sit for 4-6 weeks in a dark cupboard. After it has sat long enough, warm the oil and then strain out all but a few of the petals.
Being fascinated with herbs and their many uses for as long as I can remember, I have grown and used many of them in cooking since I was a teenager. A friend introduced me to Mother Earth News when I was 15 or 16. After reading about organic gardening, I became especially interested in various herbs and their uses. I continued to read and do research over the years and began to make teas from many of them. Eventually I added wild herbs and flowers to my collection.
My first tea was peppermint. It settled a belly ache and our doctor said it was safe for my first baby Charles, who was colicky for quite some time. He was eventually found to be lactose intolerant. Charles will be 26 as of July and still drinks my mint tea. He joined the Navy when he was 18. Last time he was deployed I asked what he would like me to send him. The only thing he wanted was my mint tea and chocolate mint which I also started making during his childhood years.
From the time my youngest son, Chris was a baby he would not swallow pills and would spit out any liquid medicine I gave him. He would, however, drink mint tea. My grandmother used dandelions and was pretty much never sick, so I did research on them. Apparently, it has antibiotic properties. So, I began adding it to my mint tea whenever he was sick. He could have the worst flu ever and would only be sick enough to stay down for one day. He has drunk that tea every time he gets sick for 22 years now. Evan as an adult Chris will come in and say “Mom I am so sick; would you make me some of that tea?
As a child we lived out in the country for short periods of time. My dad would take us on walks or bicycle rides on Sunday afternoons. We often picked berries along the way, to take home and eat the next morning for breakfast. At some point he showed how to pull out the petals of a red clover flower and suck the liquid out of them. It was sweet and we began doing that anytime we saw red cover. This memory gave me an idea and I tried adding it to the mint tea. The tea was not sweet enough for my youngest and I really try to avoid sugar when possible. Red clover was a hit! Both boys loved it. Thus began my journey into foraging.
I am determined to find a way to keep on doing what I do no matter how old, or what obsticles I have to overcome.
At the end of the year it is time time to prepare the garden for winter. The last couple days I have gone out in between the rain and storms and cooler weather, to prepare my raised beds for winter. First thing is to clear out the dying vines, plants and weeds. Then I swept up leaves off the pavers and threw them on top of the dirt. As you can see in the picture below, the dirt is dark and rich great for growing anything. I will continue sweeping up the leaves and piling them up thick enough to completley cover all of the dirt. By next spring the leaves will have decomposed to the point of looking pretty much like the soil under them. We will add compost from the bottom door of our bin and the soil will be ready to start all over again.
I leave the tomato cages in the raised beds all winter to keep our dog from digging in them. She seems to think they are a great place to bury her toys. She watches me and tries to help when I plant in the spring and then watches how everything grows, so maybe she is trying to grow some new toys. You never know with that silly thing.
I had a visiter over the summer who told me I should write about how I do everything for my gardens. She grew up helping out on a farm so I thought she probably new all about gardening. So yes they had an acre garden and farm equipment and several people doing the work, so nothing like I am doing. She said she was fascinated with some of the ways I did things. She also said that she bet a lot of people would love to know the little things I do to care for my gardens and how I use what I grow. So I am sharing what I do and you can try some of the different things I do if you want, or you can share some of your tips with me for next years gardens. Just write them in the comments below.
I love to try new things and there is always more to learn. I started hearing about and reading anything I could find on organic gardening when I was 21. I had my first home that spring and so I got to have my first garden on my own. I did Circle Style organic garden and had so much food from a very small area.
The woman who lived behind me had a huge garden all in rows like you would typically see back then and she thought I was crazy. Kept telling me that she had been gardening all her life and her way was the best way. So me being me as always, being the different one in th bunch, (my sixth grade teacher told me that I was unique and I should embrace that) I ignored her and did it my way. So using a method I had read about in an old Mother Earth Magazine my first sister-in-law had given me a few years earlier, I made my circle garden.
First I used a tomato cage in the center, like the one in the picture. The cage was for compost and we threw all of our food scraps, as well as adding raked up grass and leaves all summer long. I then planted tomatoes all the way around the outside so they could climb up the cage and much closer than a normal garden. I then used three long branches and tied them together at the top. Then pushed the bottom of each branch into the ground teepee style around the cage. At the bottom of the branches I planted viny things like green beans.
Outside of the cage area I divided the circle into four sections and planted something different in each section. I had cucumbers, radishes, carrots, and all the things you normally see in a garden, but in much less space. Every time it rained, it washed the nutrients from the compost in the center down into the ground all around it and fed my little garden. I had an abundance of vegetables and canned tomatoes by myself for the first time.
My neighbor came to the fence one day to brag about all the tomatoes she had canned from her huge garden and I politely told her that I had canned slightly more from my tiny garden, which by the way was still producing more. She never had anything to say to me after that. The reason I am writing about my neighbor is not to make myself out to be so great. It is to show that you can always learn more and continue growing as you get older if you are willing. I still research and try new things all these years later.
So about seven years ago I finally decided to try the raised beds. I started having problems with my knees and legs, not being able to bend and stoop as I had always done. Long story short, it took several years to get diagnosed and spiralling downhill with my mobility I thought it would be a good idea to go with raised beds so I could continue gardening until the day I can no longer move.
That year the boys helped me put down the first row of cinder blocks and each year we added a little more until they were three blocks high. Now I can tend to them without stooping. Two years ago I was falling a lot and having to use a walker, so my husband put down pavers so I could use the walker and still do my gardening. Since then working with my doctor and a rhuematologist, I am finally able to get around with just my cane handy in case I lose my balance. I am determined to find a way to keep on doing what I do no matter how old, or what obsticles I have to overcome.
We are just having an extended growing season with beautiful weather.
Today when I went outside it was with the intention of clearing out my vegetable garden beds. I usually do that this time of year, but they were not ready for it this time. The bell peppers are still growing as shown in the first picture top left. The next picture shows that these pepper plants are still getting blooms. I had picked every pepper on them when we had our frost warning. Now besides this pepper that is about ready to pick there are several babies of various sizes on these plants.
Next, I checked on the tomatoes and, as you can see, there are more tomatoes since I picked them last. The one in the picture is the largest that I could see, but there were several of them. We are just having an extended growing season with beautiful weather. Same thing with my red lettuce. I left just one to go to seed for next year. Today it finally bloomed, which means it will go to seed soon. Usually I would have had my seeds and cleared this bed.
Last but not least, my peppermint garden. I started pulling up all the old stems a couple weeks ago, finishing the end of last week. I have Irises growing in the back, which bloom before the mint gets very tall in the spring. The blooms are lavender and have beautiful large blooms. One of my cousins donated them when we first moved here. They have spread all down the side of the house and I have thinned and shared bulbs with several people since then. This time of year, after the mint is thinned out, new growth starts and is perfect for harvesting and drying for tea in the winter. Since I don’t have to clear my garden beds yet, I may start on that this week.
The weather was beautiful today and perfect for spending some time outside. I sprayed the tomato and pepper plants again, with the water and dish soap mix. Still some aphids but not near as many, so I will continue spraying them daily until the end of the growing season. We both spent some time cleaning up the yard a little and enjoying our dogs.
Chief enjoys watching us work
Still trimming out dying and damaged leaves each time I go outside. I think I will plan on have the soap spray ready soon after planting next year. Never had pests hit as early in the summer before, but the hottest weather that brings them out never hit this early since I can remember. I could be wrong, as I do not remember as well as I used to but at least not in recent years. I lost a lot of my greens because of that. Better to be prepared and not have a repeat, than to lose them again.
Man’s best friend helping Charles
Cai tried to help Charles away some of the branches that have grown up between our fence and the neighbors. She follows him everywhere trying to copy what ever he is doing. She was even sticking her nose into the fence area to show him where to work next. Silly thing loves to help us garden and do yard work as long as we do not use the mower or weed eater. If we start them up, she will attack the wheels on the mower and the base of the weed eater, so I leave that for a time when she is inside with Charles.
We plant Tomatoes, among other things, in our raised beds every year. The weather varies from year to year, so we plant early crops and late crops a few weeks apart to be sure we get tomatoes all season long. The pests that hit us vary from year to year also somewhat dependent on the weather. Most years we get the hottest driest weather in early to mid-August. That is when we get a pest that hits our kale and greens the most. This year that came early so out greens got hit early. That was before I decided to start my blog, so I did not get pictures.
This week our tomato plants got hit with aphids. Most of our neighbors already harvested their tomatoes and are done for the season, but we still have quite a few left, so we are doing what we do to try and get rid of or at least control them until first frost. First let me show you what they look like and what they do to your plants. The following photos show first actual size plant that is infested. Then you will see the close-up photos to help you identify if you have the same pests.
We had a couple days of cool and rainy weather, so we were working on other things and did not spend as much time in the garden as usual. That is all the time it took for the aphids to show up. Our first clue was leaves turning brown as they might in hot dry weather, but our hot spell had ended at least for a week so that was not likely. That is when we inspected the plants more closely and found the aphids. Time to take action. As we have continued to grow organically so as not to harm helpful insects, birds, rabbits and any other wildlife, we have found safer methods to control pests.
We have a large sprayer that we are using it to spray them. So, I added about three tablespoons of dish soap that is safe to plants, to the full container of water. During the shadiest time of day yesterday I went out and sprayed all our plants, including the bell peppers. They were not hit by the aphids yet but are prone to be, so I do not want the aphids to just move from the tomatoes to the peppers. A couple hours later I went out and started removing a few of the dead leaves and stems. It was getting dark, so I did not get them all.
Today I went back out to check on the tomatoes. Still have aphids but not near as many as yesterday. I removed several more leaves and stems and sprayed again. It is cloudy today so I will do this several times throughout the day. So far, I have been out to spray three times to spray and continue to remove more of the damaged leaves. There are still several tomatoes and blooms, so it is worth the effort to save them. Each time I go out I see fewer aphids. The soap works differently than harsh chemicals that would kill on contact. As I understand it, they eat the soap and it dries them out. So, it takes a little longer, but it is safe on the plants and the fruit which will be ripening soon.
Last but not least, my handy little garden helper. Yes the blue bucket that I put weeds in to carry to the compost (not the dead and dying tomato leaves that would infest my compost) is a handy thing, but I am talking about the spider pest control helper. He lives in the back corner above our plants. I also have several Praying Mantis in this garden, but they would not come out for a picture today.
In a previous post I spoke of how many generations in my memory have passed on their love of nature. My Grandmother Grace was the daughter of my great grands that owned the greenhouse. By the time I was born they were farmers. In our yearly trips to visit Indiana, where most of our relatives lived, we would stay on the farm with them. I was very young then and do not remember everything, but the memories of the love of nature and how to take care of the land and the animals was imprinted on me. My uncle and his kids lived across the street from my grandparents. Uncle was a hard worker and helped Grandpa with the farm work. He was quite a character. He had a nickname for everyone and joked around and laughed a lot. If you crossed him it was another thing, he could be profoundly serious, but I remember the joking fun side of him. Grandmas name was Grace Violet. I think all her siblings had a flower name for first or middle name as her parents had the green house and loved flowers. My uncles nickname for her was Gracie Purple.
I think the nickname game started with my Grandfather. He had a nickname for the first daughter of his three children. I have no idea how or why he chose our nicknames and they did not sound at all like our real names. Mine was Penelope. My older cousin was Deke and my younger cousin was Phoebe. I do not remember Grandpa calling me by my real name, but I did not care. I kind of liked my nickname and it made me feel special. For some reason I called him Obadiah. I was so young when I chose that name for him, that I have no idea why, but I called him that until he died and still do.
The Farmer’s Wife
Grace on the right with Dad’s mother
Grandpa and Uncle planted and acre of the farm in a garden for Grandma to put up food for the winter. Most of my memories of her are in the kitchen cooking the next meal and cleaning whatever food from the garden that would be canned or frozen that day. Grandpa went to work at a factory during the day and did farm work when he got home, grandma always had a big meal prepared for him when he got home. While he was gone, she might be cleaning a bushel of corn on the cob and preparing it for the freezer. Sometimes it was green beans to be canned or cucumbers being turned into pickles. In the middle of all that she also baked pies and cobblers from scratch. Mince meat pie for Thanksgiving if we happened to visit that time of year was not my favorite but her berry cobblers were the best I have ever tasted. I asked one time if she would give me the recipe, but she said she did not have a recipe. She just made it. Grandma often shooed us all out of the kitchen while she cooked. I vaguely remember a table where I would sit and draw pictures and watch her so I could see how she did things. If I were quiet and did not get in her way, she would let me sit there. She even gave me one of her knick-knacks to try and draw. Grandma saved all the scraps from the garden and dinner when she was done for the evening. Nothing ever went to waste. They raised hogs, so all that went out to slop the hogs as she called it. Her days were long and busy on the farm.
The Farmer’s Strength Yet Gentle Nature
Obadiah
Grandpa had an office where he went to work on stuff. I don’ know much about that but I think it was mostly paperwork for the farm and doing taxes. The one thing I do remember is how he had papered the walls. Every wall was papered with newspaper articles. I do not remember what the articles were about, but I do remember thinking it was fascinating I enjoyed looking at the articles. We were not allowed in there unless Grandpa invited us, so I did not see it often. I also remember him taking me with him to do the evening chores after dinner. He had a dog named Mickey and his dog went with him anytime he was outside. Grandpa showed me the moon and said there was a circle around the moon and that meant it was going to rain. He showed me lots of things, but I always remember the moon and I think of him anytime I am outside at night and look up at the sky checking what the moon might be saying that night. We went back to bring the cows back from grazing in the fields to the barn for the night. I did not know much about cows before spending time with Grandpa. All I knew was that cows made milk and hamburger. Grandpa would call his cows by name and Mickey would help steer them toward the barn. To me they seemed more like a pet than a food source. They would come to him when he called their name and he would pet them like a big old dog. It was so obvious that Grandpa loved his animals.
What I learned from this second generation of nature lover ancestors is that if you take care of the land and the animals, they take care of you. I have tried my best to take the lessons from the Great Grands and the Grands and apply them to my life wherever possible.
