Second Saturday!

It's Second Saturday on the flower farm! We'll be open tomorrow from 9 to 5! To celebrate we have a huge sale on our succulents...only $2.99 (reg. $3.59)! Stop by to see how the gardens are growing and check out the new treasures! Freshly baked Tomato Basil and Ciabatta bread, too! Hope to see you!

Growing Cucumbers In Containers

Have you ever tried growing Cucumbers in a container? A few years ago Squash Bugs and Cucumber Beetles were obliterating our harvest in the veggie garden. We love fermented and refrigerator pickles and came up with an alternative method to insure our harvest of tasty green Cukes!  'Jackson Classic' is a pickling-type cucumber and is perfect for growing in a container! Place 3 to 4 plants or seeds in a large container with a topiary. As the vines grow they can be tied to the topiary making the fruits easy to harvest. Keeping the vines off the ground seems to deter the pests. We plant two of these containers among our blooms on the flower farm and will successfully harvest over 70 cucumbers to enjoy. This is also a great way to grow cucumbers in a small space and it's a fun project for the kiddos! It's early enough in the season to give this method a try! 

You may notice a few tattered leaves on this plant. It was upended in our storm two weeks ago. The cosmetic damage is definitely not affecting our harvest!

Day Lilies!

There are some gorgeous Day Lilies blooming here on the flower farm!

Don't forget! It's time for our July Second Saturday! We'll be open this Saturday, July 8 from 9 to 5! To celebrate we're having a sale on our huge collection of succulents. One day only! Choose your favorites for only $2.99...regularly $3.59! Hope to see you!

Have A Safe and Happy 4th!

This is the closest thing to a sparkler that we're going to have on the flower farm but we're sure enjoying the beautiful firework displays from our vantage point! Have a safe and Happy 4th!

Turnip Time!

Some of our Hakurei turnips are ready to harvest from the garden! These turnips are delicious eaten raw, roasted, steamed...and of course...fermented! We found some beautiful broccoli, cauliflower and carrots while visiting the farmer's market. Perfect for adding a bit of color! A half teaspoon of mustard seed, dill seed and minced garlic will add tons of flavor to each quart jar. A kale leaf from the garden is covering the veggies. Two kale stems are criss-crossed and forced under the shoulders of the jars to insure that everything stays submerged below the brine. The brine ratio is 1 tablespoon finely ground pink Himalayan sea salt dissolved into 2 cups of water (3 to 3 1/2 % ratio). 

I spent a total of $7.00 at the farmers market and yielded 13 quarts of fermented veggies. The last time I checked the price of a name brand fermented kraut it was around $10.00. At that price my 13 quarts of fermented food would have cost $166.40. Fermenting your food at home is economical, easy and an investment into your nutrition and health. If you need some extra veggies to ferment...remember to visit your farmers market! By doing so you are supporting your local farmers who choose to raise their products in a healthy and sustainable manner! 

One more little tip for our veggie gardening friends! We use this adorable antique wire egg basket for harvesting our root vegetables. Makes it so easy to rinse the dirt from our harvest before bringing it inside!

Our next class is scheduled for July 15! Hope you can attend!

Happy Fermenting!

Freeze-Drying!

Roses, Dianthus and Yarrow ready for the freeze-dry machine!

Night Time Blooms!

Our Night Blooming Cereus cactuses are loaded with buds! 

They bloom at night so you have to get out there early in the morning to catch these gorgeous flowers!