Olivia’s garden
Olivia joins me in the garden to seed and transplant seedlings into the cold frames. I give her a package of radish seeds and she shakes them like a rattle. I place a few seeds into the palm of her tiny hand. She looks at them and then removes them by rubbing her hand on […]
Careful watering
Hand watering the garden can be done with either a hose or can. Both have their place, but watering with a can is more contemplative for me and more necessary this season given the drought. Just filling up a container from my one of my water barrels has a soothing and calming effect. Cracking the […]
Flavored and mothered vinegars
The threat of rain forces me to transform my garage into classroom for my Ann’s Place clients. Given the heat, it turned out to be a good decision for my session on flavored vinegars. “Before we start with flavored vinegars, I’d like all of you to try some of the artisanal vinegars that I make […]
Flower press
Even though I needed to cancel my class on flower pressing a few weeks back because of the heat, I don’t let the materials go to waste. Both Charlotte and Juana decide to take material (and pens) into their own hands to customize a set of presses for their own use. I think they did […]
Hungry, hungry caterpillars
Looking to grab some parsley for dinner, I spot a pair of black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars munching away. They have done a pretty good job at consuming the dill and coriander, leaving only skeletal remains. Approaching them, I can almost hear them crunching away. I grab a few leaves on the outskirts of the plant, […]
Hops flowers
The fence at @annsplaceinc is full of hops flowers and foliage softening its appearance. As hops are wind-pollinated, few bees and other insects are attracted to it. Will I ever get around to making beer with them?
Blackberry time
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) have just started to ripen as the blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are giving us their last fruits. We are fortunate as the progression of different berries takes us from late May to early September with fresh fruit for our morning breakfast just steps away. There is always a tendency to pick the fruits […]
Flower presses
Many of my horticultural therapy classes require lots of upfront work. My class on pressing flowers requires more than normal as I decide to give my clients a nicer flower press than I have in the past. But I admit I enjoy the challenge as it often brings out my inner Macgyver and engineer to […]
Colorful beans
Our beans have started to get too old and tough to eat the pods so Juana is shucking them to remove their coverings. She is a bit puzzled when she discovers that the red noodle beans have white beans inside and the green bush beans have red ones. No matter, I’m sure they will cook […]
Summer saunter and repast
I’m lucky that the oppressive heat of the last week has taken leave for my horticulture therapy class. Usually the Summer solstice celebration happens around the summer solstice, when the weather is nearly perfect in New England. But after catching a bout of Covid, I had to delay the class and change its focus. “. […]