Flying through Nature (Air boat Tour on Lake Garcia)

     The contrast of the angry skies, the bright green lilies and the grasses were so spellbinding. Read on to fully grasp the allure of this amazing adventure...

        

    Last Monday while visiting some friends in Vero Beach, we had the grand opportunity to take an Air Boat ride on Lake Garcia in the Blue Cypress State Conservation Area. When our kids were younger, we went on an Air Boat Ride in the Everglades. Quite honestly, I do not remember much about the ride other than it was fast. This trip I will remember for a long time! 

    First, I want to establish where this adventure took place. Lake Garcia is part of the Upper St Johns River Basin Project. The list of the environmental benefits of this area are numerous, please visit sjrwmd.com for all the details or google Lake Garcia Fla. It is approximately 3,149 sq acres in size  Kudos to the State of Florida for maintaining the waterways and for caring about the native wild life, flora and fauna.

    I was immediately worried that these fast boats zipping in and out of the lilies, cattails and grasses would destroy what looked like to me to be a fragile eco-system. I was quite taken with the Spatterdock, which is a species of Pond-lilly. Also referred to as Large yellow pond Lilly, Broadleaf pond-lily, or Cow Lily. (Nuphar advena) I loved their yellow, bud like blossoms. My worries were quickly put to rest when Captain John mentioned many his patrons had expressed concern about the boats destroying the plants. But no, the boats are Air Boats, a technology that I do not understand, but they literally glide over the water, plants and all. Indeed as I looked back over our path the lilies were still smiling. 

    Our ride was a private tour (there were 8 of us) with the Stumpknocker Group (stumpknocker.com).The Captain and owner of this boat was Captain John Smith. Of course, I loved this naturalist who grew up near this spot and was obviously connected with the area. His knowledge and subtle humor immediately put us at ease (we did have a few who were concerned about the closeness of the gators) Captain John made sure we had a great experience. His knowledge  allowed us to peek into the hidden nature, including over 20 alligators.  

    In closing I would highly recommend this adventure. We saw too many alligators to count, right next to us. Yes, we were warned to keep our hands in the boat over and over. These guys move fast and they were close. (The gator mug shots were not zoomed in rather right next to our boat)  Osprey, one of my favorite birds were abundant. Some that had been mating and growing family together for 17 years. Plus so many other beautiful birds. 

    Osprey Nest that had been there for many year silhouetted the panorama. They were so many Bald Blue Cypress trees of which many were filled with life long Osprey Nesting Pairs.

    Can you find the bird in this photo below?  Nature is hiding her well. She does have gators lurking all around her. 

    So if you are near Vero Beach and need a break from the beautiful beaches and glorious sunshine...look up Captain John. You won't regret it. 

WINTER SOWING

    

If you are feeling garden withdrawal and sadness due to not being able to get your hands in the soil in January, here is the answer:  Winter Sowing. 

Winter Sowing has been such an enjoyable and successful way for me to start multiple plants. I love this easy and prolific way to garden in the dead of winter. 

I have successfully done this for over five years. This method seems to work best with perennials seeds that need stratification, which includes many natives. Winter Sowing mimics natures way of reproducing plants. 

Winter Sowing was a great boost for me when we first moved  to Indiana. I started milkweed and many other natives  and had a bountiful harvest. It allowed me to start establishing  pollinators gardens early on in my garden planning. 

This year, I have winter sowed a variety of herbs, perennials and veggies. They are happily sitting on our back porch enjoying the snow, rain and cold air of an Indiana winter. I love that I use recycled containers and do not have to baby these guys. 

Previously I have written two articles on my blog on Winter Sowing. I went into  great detail about the process of Winter Sowing. I am not going to go over it again but if you go on my blog and enter Winter Sowing it will pull the blogs up for you to enjoy.  In addition, if you google Winter Sowing, there is an abundance of information on the Internet. I also have really enjoyed the Facebook groups on this subject. Or please feel free to ask me any questions. I am so happy to share my experiences.

I can not encourage you enough to try this fun, effortless and fruitful way to sow so many seeds. It is just one step in my seed starting, but by far the easiest. In addition, I will still begin many more seeds the traditional way starting in about a month. 

Growing my veggies, herbs, annuals and perennials from seeds is so rewarding and I am loving this learning adventure. One of my favorite podcast and websites: Joe the Gardener has so much information plus many classes line to help anyone interested in seed starting. 

If I had to say what is the most important step with Winter Sowing,  however, I would emphatically state; label, label and label again. Plus make sure you have great drainage in what ever containers you use to start the seeds. Thankfully, my husbands commands his knife and does all the hole poking and cutting for me.

Here is the list of seeds I have sowed for my 2024 garden. Now I will rest up until the first of March to start sowing seeds inside, at my growing stations. The hard part is going to to be staying away from the temptations of the seed catalogues and ordering more seeds. Believe me I do not need more, I have more than enough. But does anyone ever have enough seeds? 

What I am Winter Sowing for the 2024 Garden

HERBS ( I have promised several friends, I would help them establish Herb Gardens. So I wanted to make sure I would have plenty to share) 

Chives (common)

Parsley (Tripe Curled)

Parsley (Plain or single Italian)

Parsley (Moss Curled)

True Greek Oregano

Rosemary

Sage (Broadleaf)

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Thyme English (Thymus vulgaris)

Fennel Finocchio (Foeniculum volgare var. Azoricua)

VEGETABLES

Creme Brûlée F1 Onions (2)

Bunching Onions (Flavor King)

Onion (Red Burgundy)

Broccoli Seeds (Calabrese)

FLOWERS

Pansy (Swiss Giant Blend)

Pansy (Got the Blues) 

Violas (Cool Summer Breeze)

Butterfly Snapdragons(Chantilly)

Snapdragons (Doubleshot orange bicolor)

Blackberry Lillies (collected seeds)

Hardy Hibiscus (collected seeds)

False Indigo Baptisma( collected seeds) 3 containers

Calendula - Pacific Beauty

Sweet Peas (Sweet Dreams)

HERBAL VINEGARS

        Making Herbal Vinegars has always been one of my favorite fall harvesting tasks. I am fascinated by the beautiful colors that the leaves of herbs produce as well as the flavorful taste the herbal vinegars impart to any recipe.

        I try to collect interesting bottles all during the year. That way I have an eclectic collection to fill with all my unique vinegars. They make wonderful gifts, especially when a recipe using the vinegar is included. 

        For this blog, I m going to focus on the actual process of infusing the herbs into the vinegars. I always try to do this step right after I harvest the herb.  It is so enjoyable to be in the kitchen with the sink and counter full of the smell of freshly harvested basil filling the room. 

        My favorite herbal vinegar is Opal Basil Vinegar.  The red color of the leaves almost instantly turns the vinegar a jewel red color. The only problem with giving this as a gift is that it looks like a beautiful bottle of rose wine, but this is better.      

      I use distilled white vinegar for this infusion. I bring a pan of white vinegar just to boiling. I have already stuffed a jug full of the cleaned basil leaves. I pour the hot vinegar over the leaves filling the jar. I then place the large container in a dark area so the sunlight does not leach out some of the color flavor.   I use approximately 4 ounces of leaves in a quart of vinegar.

    It is important even though vinegar is a natural preservative to still make sure each jar is sterile. The herbs need to be clean and dry. Tip: Rinse the herbs in cold water, because any heat applied can steal some of th precious oils of the herb. 

        After at least two weeks, I will strain the vinegar and pour it into the decorative jars. I also add a sprig of the herb, preferably with a bloom on it into the jar. Then I will cork and seal the jar. It is a good idea to place a tag or a label on the finished product, especially if you are doing a variety of herb vinegars

        This year I had a bumper crop of Opal Basil. So I made many jugs of Opal Basil Vinegar. They quietly waited, mellowing and imparting more favor into the vinegar until the harvest season was over and the gift giving season began. Then it was fun and easy to strain the vinegar and put it into the gift jars. 

Here is the recipe I include with my gift of Opal Base Vinegar:

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

1 head cauliflower      1tsp salt

1 bunch broccoli.       2 tsp dry mustard

2 stalks celery           1/2 cup Opal basil vinegar

1 cup sugar.               1 onion finely diced

2tbsp poppy seeds.    1 1/4 cup oil

Break veggies into bite sized pieces. Add celery. Mix all the rest of the ingredients  and add to veggies. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  

    

    If I am making a flower herbal infusion such as Nasturtium Vinegar,  I would use a higher quality vinegar such as a white wine vinegar. (I made this vinegar this year and it was so beautiful, with a nice peachy color and had a peppery flavoring).  Rice Vinegar is a good one to use for maybe a lemon grass vinegar, or for any herb used in Asian cooking, 

 Here are some of my other favorite herbal vinegars. 

Tarragon is great when infused with a Champaign Vinegar.   A white wine vinegar is wonderful with a fish dish and great on chicken was well.

Chive Blossoms turn the vinegar a lovely pinkish hue. It is great when used as part of a vinaigrette. If you make a vinegar using Garlic Chive Blossoms, the vinegar imparts a mild garlic flavor. 

Salad Burnet Vinegars made from the blossom of this wonderful and little known herb. The leaves and blossom of this herb impart a cucumber flavor to any dish, so the vinegar has that same flavor. It turns a lovely pink color so is beautiful to display. 

Hot Pepper Vinegar was a new one I made this year. It is so beautiful. I have not taken out any peppers so I am afraid it may be very hot! 

Wild Violet Infused Vinegar...  This one is a nod to my dad. As he aged he became obsessed with wild violets and would transplant them all over our yard and gardens. This makes a beautiful sweet vinegar. The color fades over time but the taste remains strong. 

    I hope this might inspire you to take your herbal flavor into the winter by preserving them in vinegar. I am sure you will not be disappointed with the taste and you will be charmed by the beautiful bottles of vinegar. 

        

    

BASIL, BASIL AND MORE BASIL.What to Grow Next Year?

        

        It should come as no surprise that of all the plants I grow, basil is by far and away my favorite. I love everything about this herb from its interesting history to the versatility of its culinary uses. 

    However, since we moved to the lake, I have struggled to have a significant basil harvest. In Kentucky, I simply scattered seeds and voila basil seedlings everywhere. So the first growing season in Brown County I followed the same pattern. Sadly I barely had enough to make a batch of my famed Opal Basil Vinegar. Also I had no success with different varieties. 

    The second growing season, I once again did direct sowing with the seeds but in grow pots. I also amended the herb bed with compost and better soil. However, I experienced the same sad result in the herb bed but did achieve a better harvest in the grow pots. But still I was not able to have the diversity and quantity that I so desperately yearned to accomplish. 

    This last season, I went down a different road. For the first time in my 50 years of going basil, I started all my basil inside under my grow  lights.  Since Basil is one of the last herbs or flowers to go in the garden, I was able to space out the timing so I had plenty of open spots on the seed trays (Basil can not go in the garden until the night time temps stay above 50 degrees). Starting basil inside was totally new for me. I will continue to do a bit of direct sowing of basil but the majority of my basil plants will be started inside.  

    Bingo! Summer Growing Season 2023 was a very successful Basil Season.  In addition to starting the seeds inside, here are a few of the other factors I believe upped my game. 

#1 Brown County Indiana is about 1/2 to a zone colder than my gardens were in Shelbyville KY.  Basil is so finicky. It is super sensitive to temps; not only day and night temps, but also soil temp and wind speed. I think in the past two years, I was rushing to plant the seeds too early and they never adjusted. I was more patient this year. 

#2 The condition of the soil in the garden was very poor. I have worked hard to remedy this situation and planting more in raised beds and containers also became valuable tools.  

#3 I tried several new stronger varieties and was amazed. (You can teach an old dog new tricks)  I am in the process of ordering seeds for the next years growing season. This year I am trying very hard to be mindful of what I order. I tend to get so excited with each new arriving catalogue and order and reorder.  I am trying hard to order smart vs emotional binge seed ordering. New basil varieties are a particular weakness for this gardener. 

Ok... which basil varieties were the most successful. Therefore making the list for 2024.  Here we go!  

  #1 In all categories is Everleaf Emerald Towers (Ocimum basilicum)

This is the best basil I have ever grown. The seedling transplanted easily, and quickly. It shot up into a tower of close, glossy, emerald green, smallish leaves. It had no mildew whatsoever, and no blooms until the very last couple weeks of the growing season. It provided me an endless supply of leaves for salads, fresh tomato dishes to pesto. The more I cut, the more it grew. I purchased the seed from Botanical Interests. 

In the same large container, I grew my #2 favorite. They were a beautiful combo. Pesto Perpetuo (Ocimum basilicum citriodorum).The variegated leaves (cream and light green) made for stunning contrast in the container. It never bloomed and provided me with a wonderful collection of leaves. They added an interesting color contrast to salads.

#3 BasilBecky has a love affair with purple basil. I make a beautiful Herb Vinegar out of the leaves and dry the foliage and blooms for arrangements. I found that Basil 'Red Rubin' and Basil 'Dark Opal' kept the dark purplish red color best in my garden. I also plant some basil that has hints of the purple in it, like 'Cinnamon' basil or 'Sweet Thai' basil to have a blended contrast. I did try 'Blue Spice' basil but was not over whelmed and will probably not go that direction again.

#4 Traditionally I always plant a row of the 'Bush Spicy Globe' for several reasons. Firstly, I love the small leaves. They can be picked and used for example in a caprese salad without chopping.  The plants make a very impressive border as they turn in to a unique round ball shape and remain short. I did try Basil 'Purple ball' loving the idea that I could alternate the 'Spicy globe' and 'Purple ball', however I did not have good luck with the 'Purple ball'.  I love the thought of it so I will try again. 

#5 Of course, I will always have Basil 'Genovese' or some version of large leaf basil handy. I had one whole birdie metal planter full this year. Yummy basil always at my fingertips. 

    Lastly, but by far one of my favorites is 'African Blue Basil'.  I have had this beauty in my garden for about 5 years. The thing is you can not start this plant by seed and it is hard to find. So I started taking cuttings a couple years ago from a mail order plant I purchased early in the spring and the results were excellent. I even had enough to share. 

   Although I do not eat this plant, I am enamored by its beauty and value. It has a special place in my pollinator garden and is allowed to pretty much bloom freely during the summer.  It is absolutely stunning in the garden and attracts so, so many pollinators. In fact it is hard to cut because I have to dodge all the bees. 

    So there you go. I am not sure that this helps me take some varieties off next years list. But it helps me organize my thoughts and perhaps focus in and avoid falling in the seed ordering pit as all of the tempting catalogues start arriving daily in my mailbox. 

Gardening In Brown County ...Loving the Difference

        Three growing seasons are now under my belt at our house in Brown County. Has it been a challenge? Yes indeed and I am ready to share differences. I have not listed them in any particular order because all of these "differences" have been at times overwhelming. However, coming up with the solutions has been educational and fun. This blog will be a brief synopsis of the last couple years realizations. My intentions are to actively share more details about my new gardening life, horticultural knowledge and adventures. So keep checking my instagram and blog for gardening, nature, travel and adventures. 

         However, for now here are a few of the basic differences

#1 Lack of areas with full sunshine. When you live in the woods, any patch of sunshine becomes a potential garden spot. Obviously my mom had the same issue so she designed gardens beds behind the house that maximized the backyard sunshine. I am reviving these beds, but the process has been slow. Sorry Mom, the apple mint that has been growing for 60 years has got to go. 

        One solution for the search for sunshine has been using the amazing back deck. The space is wide, goes  all around the back of the house and faces south with sunshine and warmth even on winter days. This great area has been taken over by Grow Pots, and various other large vessels with some success. I am slowly learning the ins and outs of container gardening. However I still have been able to grow enough fresh veggies and herbs for us to enjoy without a big vegetable garden.

#2 The pressure from critters has been staggering. Deer, turkey and raccoons all find my attempts to grow anything green  nothing but a yummy daily feast. We love the wildlife and put out corn for the deer and turkeys and feed the birds, but we have had to employ many different  humane tactics to control the population who are driven to eat and destroy.

#3 Invasive species such as Stilt Grass, Oriental Bittersweet, Burning Bush, Autumn Olive, Russian Olive, brambles and Apple Mint have had their way on this land for over 60 years. The more we clear the more natives pop up. For example after clearing briars in an area we discovered a large patch of trillium. Future blogs will focus on this subject.

#4 Wildflower Meadows that I envisioned all over this property have been a struggle. I keep working, reading and studying and someday I will have native meadows where possible. 

        Increasingly along this journey, I have learned that I need to listen to the land and nature. I have discovered the amazing world of starting all my plants by seed. Podcast have become my best friends and teachers as well as gardening groups and zoom seminars.  I now have more garden books than ever and I cherish my growth plus the  reinvigorated enthusiasm that it has birthed.  

         My small little greenhouse built by my mom  has opened  many new avenues of growth. It is currently packed with herbs, plants to save and starts. My two seed starting stations have further sparked my seed starting obsession. (They were great Valentines gifts)

        The most important take away and my mantra for the future is that I am a smarter, wiser and more gentle gardener. My love for nature has been reinforced by the understanding that I am now gardening for the pollinators, the bugs, native bees, birds, butterflies and nature. I am letting nature guide me and no longer trying to change my environment to fit my gardening wishes but allowing the native habitat to show me what it needs. 

        All of this has made me very happy. I will forever hold dear the  love, memories, friends and blessings from my gardening life in Kentucky.  It was over 30 years of positive gardening life with great friends. 

        But I am content and ready to write, explore and share this new chapter in my gardening life. Please join me in this journey. I appreciate all of my garden buddies and friends. Thank you for helping me come to this peaceful journey