Garden Fuss

I'm currently looking at the last of the 2015 raspberries in the GardenFuss Garden. When the dog days of summer lift up a sultry hot foot to kick off what I call sweat, fatigue, and lethargy-gate. Partly due to my Myositis but equally rivaled by parenting, married life, and just being an adult. [ So much to do in such a short time ] Basically I go into a raspberry funk. Seriously, as soon as I have picked, washed, and packed up the first couple gallons I begin to get overwhelmed from just walking past the small, ruby, garden jewels. This is probably because I'm waiting not so patiently for a much needed family vacay. It doesn't help to have acquired a bad case of NOT asking for extra help in the garden when I need it. **cough cough** ::blushing::. But Alas I am not going down that road right now. Aren't we all a work in progress? 😊   Todays post is about not succumbing to the berry picking fatigue despite busy adult life. It's ...

Got Borage or Starflowers? If not get some quick! 🐝 Bees love it and so do I. Borage is one of few plants with naturally occurring true blue flowers. It is considered an herb and the leaves, blossoms, and stems are eaten in many places. My daughter and I have tried brewing it for tea but because of the high gelatinous mucilage in the leaves (think okra slime ewwww) we've decided to dry the leaves first before trying again. Besides tea I have only researched but yet to try other recipes using borage. I'm excited to try one that calls for blending it with braised greens and cheese for ravioli filling. When this happens I will be sure to post pictures and talk about our results. An interesting fact about Borage is that it's supposed to cure melancholy or make you feel courageous. I can't say that this really works but I know I feel better watching the interesting critters flitting about and flirting amongst one plant to the next. I'm growing it as an annual in...

I could probably talk endlessly about not using and avoiding pesticides and insecticides; especially those containing Neonicotinoids. I won't do that today because there are so many documentaries, cartoons, newspaper articles, nightly news stories, and so on and such that speak volumes about why bee populations are on the decline and the ramifications for our SHARED planet. I am a fixer by nature and I want to focus on providing my top three preservationist tips for abundant-bee happiness. So take this as my tiny but comprehensive and super easy to do, Get Bees To My Backyard-Patio- Community Garden plan. Keep in mind that there are approximately 400 native bee species in Minnesota. I cannot speak for 400 species but I've witnessed 4 varying types in my garden space. These include Bumblebees, Honeybees, Carpenter bees, and tiny but busy Stingless Bees (dill flowers are their JAM). I have at least two neighbors in a quarter mile radius keeping bees so honey bees come and go from...