Yesterday was a day filled with activity in the garden. The glorious sunflowers that brightened our days have made way for the vegetables being planted for the fall. It used to bother me to take a plant out of the garden before it was absolutely finished. I guess it brought forth a certain melancholy for the end of the season. After so many years of gardening, now I find that I am eager to move on to the next season. There’s  a perceivable change in the air when it is time to remove the old and make way for the new. So, out I go using a yoga posture (lazy triangle) to support my back, as in the photos here. Leaning with one elbow on a knee, with an open stance I am able to move freely – reach, pull, turn and toss!

Echinaceas

After attending a workshop at the Gardens at Heather Farm on herbs this week, I am inspired to divide my plants more regularly and now I know which ones do best from seed or division. Rose Loveall of Morningsun Herb Farm is a great presenter with a wealth of information. Part of yesterday’s project was dividing the echinaceas. A surprisingly easy job. Now I have a nice section in the garden for next year instead of just a  pot. A great herb for cutting – the flowers are so lovely.

Another fun piece of info that I learned at the workshop was that if you infuse fresh rosemary into honey it makes a great cough syrup!

Rosemary Honey Cough Syrup Recipe

Presenter Tammi Hartung told us to loosely pack a clean pint jar with rosemary. Warm the honey lightly on the stove just to the point of liquifying. Pour the warm honey over the rosemary. Stir well to cover the herbs thoroughly with honey. Let sit for three days. Rewarm the honey and strain out the herbs. Return the infused honey into a clean jar and keep for next time you have a cough to soothe!

After a busy day working in the garden, the summer evening beckoned. So, the early evening was delightfully spent relaxing in the new swing we have in the garden (Thank you, Eileen!). It’s always fun to have company and I had plenty. First Lao came over to enjoy the cooling ground.

Gradually, one by one, the cats came over to try out the swing.

The triad of willow, juniper and fig

The view from the swing was marvelous. With chickens quietly clucking in the background I found myself marveling at the trees. The majestic willow is a huge presence in the garden. She fills the sky with her branches. In the early years, she held a rope swing for us to play on. Her partner, the junipers that volunteered to grow next to the willow. Each one with a different personality. Tall and strong, standing near them I feel grounded and secure.

Ripening figs

The fig tree in the foreground brings me pure joy. The delight of being with this tree is felt by all who come to visit the garden. According to Tarla Fallgatter, “The ancient Hebrews looked upon the fig tree as a symbol of peace and plenty.” This is exactly how we feel each year as the figs begin to ripen. Definitely full of peace and plenty of them!

The early fall is filled with wonderful flavors. Picking the last of the summer peaches, the first of the fall figs and grapes and mixing them all together for a juicy fruit salad is a pleasure only available for a short time. Delicious as is for breakfast or served with vanilla yogurt and honey for  dessert.

fall fruits salad