How does my garden grow? Typically, not very well.
Behold my attempt at gardening…
- 1 lavender plant
- 1 sweet basil plant
- 1 little planter with seeds for basil, parsley, and chives
A bit pathetic, eh? But I’m trying.
I’ve never had very good luck with plants. Outdoors, I tend to forget to water them and they wind up baking in the hot sun. Or I get lazy about weeding and they get choked out. Indoors, I manage to put plants who need partial sun in direct sunlight, and those that need direct sunlight inside closets. Not to mention, I recently discovered that my cat has a love for shredding houseplants apart as well.
But I’m giving it all another go. Thanks to MyFolia, I’m learning about what type of lighting and watering-schedule different types of plants need to thrive. I’m doing my best to keep to a consistant schedule and keep my plants healthy. And so far? It’s working!
Just look at those happy little sprouts!
Now I’m really wishing that my husband and I lived in a house where I could plant more things — zucchinis, squash, pumpkins and tomatoes — but unfortunately, living in an apartment really limits you for outdoor space. So I’m container-gardening. There’s a group on MyFolia specifically devoted to container gardening, and a few people there pointed me in the direction of McGee & Stuckey’s Bountiful Container, which is apparently the guide to container gardening. It’s on my Amazon wishlist now, so hopefully I can order it soon! (And hopefully it’s not too late in the season to plant a few more things…
Look what I found growing wild in the field beside our apartment…
At first I mistook them for black raspberries, but upon further research, I determined they’re in fact blackberries. I’ve never had blackberries before! I’m so excited and I’ve been planning all the things I can do with them…
I was able to pick just over a cup of berries yesterday. The bushes are absolutely loaded with berries, but most of them aren’t ripe quite yet.
I went out last night and bought the supplies I needed to make blackberry freezer-jam. My mother has made strawberry and black raspberry freezer jam, and I’m thinking that blackberry should be every bit as good. I’m also considering attempting mixed-berry jam with blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
Here is the recipe I’m planning to use.
Blackberry Freezer Jam
3 c. blackberries, crushed
5 1/4 c. sugar
1 box Sure-Jell fruit pectin
Measure berries into large bowl; thoroughly stir in sugar and let stand 10 minutes. Mix 3/4 cup water and Sure-Jell in small saucepan. Bring to a full boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. At once, stir into fruit and continue stirring 3 minutes. Immediately put into prepared containers (freezer jars or cartons that have been scalded), leaving 1/2 inch space at top.
With a damp cloth, wipe any spills from containers. Cover at once with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store jam in freezer until ready for use.
I’m also looking for other recipes to try with my blackberries — pies, muffins, etc. So please feel free to share!
You might be asking yourself, what IS a ‘farmgirl’, exactly?
I asked myself the same question when Miss V. started talking about it on Plurk. (And subsequently began the Plurkette Hencricle, which I’m proudly a member of!)
Well, taken straight from the farmgirl’s mouth:
A farmgirl believes in the strong arms of friendship, community and the just plain fun of being together. A farmgirl takes joy in the quiet satisfaction of making things with her own hands. She exudes kindness, grace, humility, gentleness, patience and generosity, and loves the simple pleasures in life. A farmgirl is loyal and caring, especially when it comes to her family, friends and community. She gives generously of her time and talents. Farmgirls love to get together to share their ideas. She can be with or without fields and stock. Farmgirl is a condition of the heart.
This struck a chord with me.
I can’t say that I’m a true “farmgirl” in the sense that I was not raised on a farm. My mother lived part of her life on a farm, and I loved to hear her stories about it when I was younger (actually, I still do), and I’ve always dreamed of living on a farm someday myself. It’s still my dream to buy an old farmhouse and have a “hobby farm”. But that’s in the future…
Though I wasn’t raised on a farm, I was raised in a family that did lots things that we always termed “old fashioned”. It was always kind of a joke among the women in my family, that we were a few generations behind the rest of the world — but I never thought it was a bad thing. Together with all our female family and friends, we bake, canned fruits and vegetables, made jellies, planted gardens, sewed, quilted, crocheted, and knit.
Like most teenagers and twenty-somethings, I lost interest in these activities for quite a few years. But now, at the age of 26, I find myself drawn back to it. I’ve taken up knitting avidly. I sew. I cook and bake. I want to go back and have my mother teach me to do canning and things that I helped with as a child, but never really learned to do myself.
I suppose it’s because now my husband and I are planning our own family and I realize just how much all these things meant to me, and how they were so important in shaping the person I’ve become. I want that same experience for my children: the simple life, far from the “rat race”, where a person can appreciate the pleasures of all things handmade and home-grown and hopefully live a life of peace, love, happiness, and health.
How does my garden grow? Typically, not very well.
Just look at those happy little sprouts!
