“The ground is terrible here. You can’t grow anything decent in this dirt!” Years ago, that was my dad’s pronouncement when he assessed the state of affairs in my sister Janice’s garden close to our house in Florida.
True, in a land where juicy oranges, plump grapefruit, and palm trees flourish, you’re not going to find an abundant harvest of corn, lima beans, and tomatoes, vegetables Dad was used to growing.
“Let’s get some chicken manure in here and see what happens.” And so he roto-tilled the manure into what he saw as pitiful soil, hoping it would yield a hardy, Pennsylvania-type harvest. He and Mother planted squash and beans. “Now, we’re talking,’” he remarked, looking at divots where Mom had sown bean seeds.
Where we live now, pines, palms, and oaks abound. Yet, our soil is still too sandy for veggies, common in the mid-Atlantic. This year in our new community, husband Cliff has put on his farmer jeans and planted beans, surrounding them with marigolds to stave off insects.
Herbs, not beans, are my “thing”!
Chives, rosemary, and mint have thrived in my herb “tray,” sitting by an aloe plant (on the left), along with basil, and a recent addition, the long, green-leafed turmeric, a gift from son Joel.
Recently, I’ve fallen in love with turmeric (right of basil), mostly for its health benefits.
The label on the dry variety says:
Naturally golden in color, turmeric does double duty, adding both heady flavor and golden color. Use to add Eastern flair to traditional curry, rice and chicken dishes.” Turmeric, an anti-oxidant, is widely known for its anti-inflammatory properties and as an aid in breathing.
My son has showed me how to “harvest” the herb, pulling out the green leaves to unearth the bulb, cut off what I need and push the bulb back into the ground, replacing the leafy top. I’ve added turmeric to tomato sauce, garnished with basil for contrast and taste.
Applesauce is a nice pairing with spaghetti dishes, especially topped with cinnamon, which of course I don’t grow!
Last week, still on my “turmeric” kick, I added its taste to trout. The flavors would probably have marinated better baked, but I chose to pan fry. (I stay away from firing up the oven in the summertime!)
Trout Turmeric Lemon
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” so they say!
By most any standard, our beans and my collection of herbs is modest. Serious gardeners would not consider it anything to brag about, that’s for sure. My dad, who farmed acreage, wouldn’t be too impressed.
But it gives us pleasure, nonetheless.
During the pandemic, gardening as a hobby or pastime has flourished: People have time on their hands, gardening expands life beyond the four walls of their homes and is a means of creative expression, which this article from Farm and Dairy suggests.
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By all means, find this refreshing post on Susan Weidener’s blog: Pandemic Gardening and Nature’s Eternal Lessons by Marilyn Gilpin, a balm for the soul.
Here is the recipe for Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake. Thank you, Lorrie!
If you are a gardener, what do you grow?
Your favorite herb? How do you use it?
Any gardening tips to add?
Good morning, Marian! A yummy post! Those beans and herbs look so good. I’ve never considered growing turmeric–I’ve never seen turmeric plants. Thank you for showing how to harvest it.
Applesauce seems an odd pairing with spaghetti, but enjoy!
I love gardens, but not gardening, but Doug plants what I choose or suggest. We have some tomatoes and hot peppers growing in pots, and we have lots of basil. Last year we had some other herbs, but it was more difficult to find things this year.
Here is a tip from one of my friends. You can dry herbs in the microwave. I was skeptical, but it really does work. It’s not the same as fresh, of course, but it does add flavor. I’m even done it with parsley and cilantro that I’ve bought at the store.
Hi Marian.. I also grow tumeric and love it.. Not tried apple sauce with spag bol though.. I love both. We grow many herbs and veg my latest are purple sweet potatoes which I love and Aloe Vera which again I use for many ails rashes and sun burn…
Carol, cooking is your department for sure, but I like to venture into the kitchen to experiment sometimes. I’ve not heard of purple sweet potatoes, but my father planted the golden variety every years. He praised the nutrients in sweet pots to the skies.
And, yes, every cook needs access to aloe vera, so good for the odd burn or cut. Happy cooking – and baking – my friend. 🙂
They are my most favourite of the sweet potatoes I like the golden ones and we get a white varity here not as golden as the ones I used to get in the UK… But those purple ones very nice a little firmer than the other varieties and lovely mashed with purple carrots… Be well Marian and stay safe 🙏
Merril, I have our son to thank for the turmeric; otherwise, I probably would have stuck with the herb in jars. I believe it was a spur-of-the-moment gift. About the applesauce: It was a fall-back – ha! I didn’t have time to make a salad, my usual standby with spaghetti.
Cheers to tomatoes, hot peppers and basil. And thanks for the tip on drying herbs. Dried herbs are probably more concentrated than the “live” kind. 🙂
Good morning! We’re blessed to have a spot here in the country where we have been able to dig out the rocks from the rocky soil (“more rock than soil!”) and plant an herb garden that the local critters don’t touch. That gave us the courage to try some beans, squash, zucchini. We’re now able to harvest small batches and will expand this next year. So far, deer and woodchucks have left all alone, but squash vine borer took out one vine…….I’m going to try pumpkins too if I can find some seedlings! Love your posts!
Thanks for reading always, and commenting here today, Jack. You mentioned rocky soil. When I was a little girl, Grandma L. would sometimes take me out along old # 230 route to pick up stones. A trolley line went by her house before a road was paved. We’d pick up stones so that later she could plant strawberries. It has never occurred to me that the limestone and calcium (?) may have contributed to the good taste.
I’m glad you are having good luck with beans, squash, and zucchini – and later on pumpkins. 🙂
Beans are definitely my thing, Marian. Since I was a child, I’ve loved fresh green beans. My Mamaw called them “half-runners.” Growing up, my mother always cooked the beans in a pressure cooker…they were so delicious! I’m a huge fan of turmeric and have used it for years. I also take a supplement. Derek is the gardener at our house, but he only grows flowers, plants, bushes, etc. I’d like to try growing cilantro. That sign is hilarious!
Beans were the first thing Cliff had success with when we moved to a house with a back yard. I believe he planted pole beans. I wonder if your Mamaw was referring to those when she called them “half-runners.” Turmeric is good for inflammation which can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, an occupational hazard of the writing life, as we well know.
Cheers to Derek, the gardener, and to you for another great comment today, Jill.
I doubt you grew those limas … right? But your opening line from your father sounds like my dad when we moved to north Florida. He missed the Indiana soil, but sand was good for strawberries and I’m not sure if he raised melons down there but I could use some sand with the watermelon we are trying to raise this year. When they wintered in Sarasota he loved his grapefruit and orange tree, already growing on the lot with their mobile home.
Sounds like you are making the best of the sand with your herb hobbies. I just saw my first tomato finally beginning to turn pink/orange and hopefully settling on red soon! We are loving our cucumbers and onions and had some cilantro and lettuce (now gone to seed). It’s a lot of work and keeps burning calories even while producing calories for the future. 🙂 I felt like farmer Dad as I fertilized our sweet corn yesterday. Enough ….
You are right, Melodie: The limas came frozen from a box in the grocery store. My mother could grow plump limas in the Pennsylvania soil. Thanks for your rhapsody on vegetables you are growing. Of all the veggies you mentioned, my mouth is watering for the taste of sweet corn. Yum! 🙂
I’m all about herbs this summer, too. No way for me to go into a garden center to get a tomato plant or a pepper plant, so I decided to forego them and be an herbalist… so to speak. I’ve got basil and parsley and mint. Oh my! Love the sign.
I like the idea of being an herbalist. It sounds so scientific. My mint disappeared since the photo. One day it was all over the place in my herb box, and the next thing I knew it was g-o-n-e! I think it’s hard to kill mint, so I’m mystified. Glad you liked the sign, Ally!
Welcome back from your blogging break, Marian. Those green beans look yummy! I had been wondering how Cliff’s harvest around the pond would be. And, I love your herb garden. That would be more my thing as well. We had a small “pot garden” on our sailboat: mint, basil, and the occasional spinach. We also made sprouts from lentils to add freshness to our lives in remote anchorages.
While I knew about the benefits of turmeric, I had no idea how it grew or that you can actually grow it yourself. At one house sit we did, a container of turmeric was part of the table setting, like salt and pepper, and we tried to add it to our diet. The reason we don’t have it in our spice cabinet is because it stains so badly and we are messy eaters, without a washing machine! 🙂
You are the only reader/commenter here who actually has seen the garden. The blackberry bushes got scorched, but we have two fledgling sunflowers close by. My herbs sit under the shad for part of the day; it’s so HOT here right now.
I’m blown away by the fact of your growing herbs on a sailboat. I wonder if that’s a memoir-worthy detail, perhaps in a flashback. I’m smiling at the idea of turmeric staining clothes. The fresh kind is less concentrated so no worries there. As you can see, I’m back to blogging now, and that means paying you a visit sometime soon, Liesbet.
Love sunflowers! I can only imagine how hot and humid it is over there right now. We’re glad the St. Augustine job didn’t work out after all. 🙂
The only mention of plants on our sailboat in this memoir is that we put them under our cockpit table to prevent waves from dispensing salt water all over them and that they survived the Pacific crossing, I think.
There are so many tidbits and creative solutions that can be shared about the boat life… But, as you know, we have to pick and choose what to put into the narrative and what to leave out!
Enjoyed reading about your gardening wins, Marian! All gardens are different but, without exception, they nourish us both through the experience of tending them and in what they produce.P.S. Welcome back from your blogging break.
Linda, I enjoy observing how gardening complements your writing and often find amazing quotes about gardening on your blog.
Yes, I enjoyed the break, but it’s good to meet my friends here again. Thanks for the “welcome back”!
I’m not a gardener, but my friends and family are really into it. My younger brother and his family have a salsa garden. They love salsa and grow the herbs and vegetables needed for it. Friends are growing watermelons, cantaloupes, corn, sugar snap peas, and other vegetables. Their young sons are really into it!
If there is a “good” thing about the pandemic, it’s that it’s brought families together doing healthy things like gardening. It makes sense to grow ingredients for foods you enjoy – salsa, like your brother. Cilantro would be one staple for that recipe, I would guess. Thanks for chiming in today, L. Marie!
Marian — After seeing all of the delicious photographs in this post, my mouth is watering! We’re huge fans of tumeric, so I particularly enjoyed seeing photos of it growing in the “wilds” of your garden. Bon Appétit!
Your “Bon Appetit” prompted me to think of your amazing menus at La Mandarine Bleue. Your recipes in The Business of Being were certainly mouth-watering. Now, you’re into suspense thrillers. I wonder if readers will find fine food a detail in your new series. Hmmmm
They will, indeed🎈
😀
I’ll have to investigate turmeric. I would love to add it fresh to my cooking. It would have to be an indoor plant in my region, I think. But worth investigating. Thanks for this. I think I have to go eat something now . . .
Blog posts are suggestive, aren’t they, Arlene? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a blog post and then found an excuse for nibbling on chocolate or something else sweet – ha!
Around here people take their gardening seriously. I try, but seriously doubt my abilities to get anything but my roses and barberry to grow. Not opposed to spending time in someone else’s garden, to learn. Next year we are going to try a raised bed or straw bale garden.
Ginger, I’d be proud to have roses grow in my garden. I tried once, but roses don’t do well where we live. They like a moderate, not sub-tropical, climate. Raised bed gardens are so pretty. Good luck with all your gardening ventures!
Love this post, Marian!
Thanks, Karen, for visiting today. Someday, maybe in the fall, we can actually see each other when the CRA convenes. We have a lot of catching up to do. 🙂
You have made your garden grow beautifully, Marian. In the past we had a small veggie garden, but here we only have a few tomato plants and flowers. The hydrangeas were prolific this year. I have a morning ritual of watering flowers and the few veggie plants. It seems like a spiritual practice. We also have a HUGE pumpkin patch that grew up on its own when we put our porch pumpkin on the mulch along the side of the house last fall. It’s fun to see what happens without any effort on our part. The power of reproduction through seeds alone!
Shirley, here’s my chance to tell you that I’ve actually seen your hydrangeas. Sometime this month I tuned into your service at Community Mennonite and saw you reading scripture by your lovely bushes. I also remember that you were wearing purple (or lavender).
I like your story of reproduction; I just wish it wouldn’t happen with weeds in the concrete on the driveway – ha!
And, yes, I agree that watering plants can seem like a spiritual practice, setting a calm tone for the day.
Looking at your yummy pictures made me HUNGRY. Well, no wonder, I have been up for hours but haven’t stopped to eat yet. Must remedy that, right away.
I have never done any gardening. But I am very thankful for those who do. I take a turmeric supplement, it does wonders for arthritis.
Hungry… gotta go eat something now.
I’m glad this post prompted you to eat. I never have problems with remembering to eat, but I often forget to stay hydrated, which in this climate is a MUST.
Thanks for the tip on using turmeric as an arthritis treatment, Linda Lee! 🙂
You can’t beat growing and cooking your own and I find gardening very therapeutic. We are on a road trip again, but have brought one chilli pepper plant, one pot of basil and 2 of parsley with us that were on my kitchen window sill! Your food looks gorgeous, Marian, and that look on Cliff’s face is priceless! Enjoy! 👍❤
First thing this morning, I saw a Tweet showing you and Peter on the road. I believe it was France. Right? You look so happy and healthy. The pots of herbs should certainly help!
Thanks for the compliments and the comment here, Fatima.
Sorry about delay in reply, but for some reason, I can only respond to your answers to my comments on the laptop. I can access them on my mobile phone, but cannot reply there. It is really buffling. I spent ages with WordPress customer services a while back trying to fix it, but they couldn’t. I don’t use the laptop so much when we travel and rely mainly on my phone.
I understand about internet gremlins, Fatima. No need to apologize. You are such a trusty reader/responder. Sorry bout the glitch though. :-/
What Shirley Showalter wrote in her comment resonates with me. Watering my plants every morning feels like a spiritual practice. I grow potted flowers and plants in our little back yard and on the deck. I love watching them grow and thrive. I’m about to harvest my first tomato! I take turmeric as a supplement but have never grown it myself. Apparently it works best against inflammation if pepper is added to it. Loved the sign about wetting our plants!
Elfrieda, I enjoy using cracked peppercorns, and I’ll have to remember to use it with turmeric as you suggest. The art of cooking, after all, is getting the chemistry right.
I’m glad you enjoyed the sign – ha!
I love your herb garden! I have a small one here in Spain with parsley, basil, mint and a recent addition, cilantro. I have never thought of growing turmeric. I must look into it. Your meal looks delicious and obviously hubby is enjoying it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the herbal flavor to this post. I wish I had fresh parsley, but I don’t care much for cilantro although I know it is often featured in recipes for the Spanish palette. Thanks for stopping by again today, Darlene!
We do garden and love having fresh veggies and herbs. We have lots of herbs, Cilantro among them and we use it in so many ways. A few of my favorite herb/spices are turmeric (yes, always added to rice), Paprika for so many things, Rosemary and Thyme especially for seafood. Happy gardening and eating, Marian!
It was good seeing you yesterday on the ZOOM call, Bette. Wow!
Yes, I agree, turmeric adds both flavor and a beautiful color to rice. I’m glad your garden is thriving with veggies and herbs. 🙂
With no green thumb I was nevertheless fascinated about harvesting turmeric! During this pandemic I came across a recipe for a lemon turmeric cake and have made it several times. I will share it with you.
I never heard of using turmeric in a dessert. Well, that takes the cake! (I’ll check my email for the recipe and maybe find a way to share it here.) Thanks so much, Lorrie.
Just shared it at the end of the post above. Thanks, Lorrie!
Garden centers were well-picked over by the time I got there but I bought a pepper plant, envisioning red bell peppers. What I bought in more akin to cayenne peppers. Needless to say, I’ll be searching for recipes to make but I won’t be sampling any myself! lol I’ll start harvesting apples from our tree (wormy though they be) next week. Why do they have to ripen in the heat of summer? lol
Red peppers can make pretty centerpieces – ha!
I do have a good idea for those apples. Cut out the wormy parts and put a few slices into your tea. I’m picturing a robust Roiboos, perhaps. Good luck, Jenn. 🙂
Marian, your beans look delicious! There is nothing like fresh veggies from the garden which we enjoyed in abundance for years. Now Wayne has a raised bed in the community garden for tomatoes and cucumbers. I can’t wait for juicy tomato sandwiches and cucumber and tomato salad!
I’m happy to hear that Wayne has his fingers in the soil again. I know it was hard leaving the Pooler Farm, a way of life for so many years. I love tomato sandwiches too, especially if the bread is toasted.
Cheers to happy eating, Kathy!
I never appreciated gardening until that first year we sad lent in chincoteague, waiting to leave for peace corps. Now, here in Vermont, it’s become a way of life. Radishes feed my ego (who can’t grow radishes?), while garlic keeps me humble (I’ve yet to get a decent harvest). Your dad certainly knew — it’s all about the soil. But turmeric! I love it but never thought I could grow it. Is it a perennial down there? Perhaps I could grow it indoors. You’ve sent me on a mission, Marian. Fresh Turmeric Or Bust. Thank you.
I don’t think Florida soil is very kind to radishes, but I have some for salads in my crisper. The turmeric pictured came from my son. He grew it in his urban garden, so perhaps what I’m harvesting is the next generation.
Well, Janet, I’m glad these photos were a goad. Maybe I’ll hear “mission accomplished” sooner or later. 🙂
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ve always had some sort of garden. My favourite veggie is beets. I grow it mostly to make beetniks (beet leaf rolls) and borscht.
Irene, I share your love for beets. My mother was a fan of Harvard beets, and she soaked hard-boiled eggs in beet brine for a ruby red color. I have one every morning for breakfast.
I’ve never heard of beetniks, but I have tasted borscht. Before our trip to Ukraine, I made a batch, and then ate some in Kiev. My recipe was SO different from theirs, which I liked better, in fact!
The last time I was in Ukraine, I would have borscht for lunch at every place we visited. Each restaurant made a slightly different version, but they all tasted good.
Wonderful! 😀
Marian, loved the tour of your garden. Our biggest problem is not enough sun. Our yard is shaded by 25+ fir trees and a few cedars and yew trees. We have one or two spots that get a bit more sun than others but not enough to grow a nice garden spot. One year we planted tomatoes and they grew so tall reaching for the light that if they’d produced tomatoes, I don’t know that we could have reached them to pick ’em! But there isn’t anything that doesn’t taste better fresh. Mmmm good!
I love your tomato story, which sounds like a tall tale – ha!.
Certainly I can relate to your too-much-shade predicament. We have 3 oak trees in the back yard, good for begonias and impatiens, but not for hibiscus. A few weeks ago Cliff cut some limbs off the holly tree, and now I’m seeing some hibiscus buds. Yay!
Thanks, Sherrey!
There was no space for me to leave a comment Marian so I’m just jumping in here. Your garden is wonderful! We’re also growing our own veg, plenty spinach fresh or wilted it’s delicious! From seed no less! Lettuce, parsley, Chinese cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are recent additions to the veg patch. I’m amazed at the both of us: my basil is in two pots on the balcony. I’m not sure I planted my garlic and turmeric properly – will be trying again I reckon. Congrats to Farmer Cliff and son and you! Have a lovely weekend 🌺
How could there not be a space here for you, sweet Susan. I’m glad you joined the conversation here. I’m so amazed that you are planting produce from seeds. You should be proud of yourself. I wish I could grow Chinese cabbage and all the other ingredients you list for a fine salad. 🙂
When we grow things on our own, we know there are no contaminants, just pure sun and rain, and a dab of fertilizer (or manure) in the beginning. I’ll pass the congrats on to “Farmer” Cliff and you too have a great weekend!
Hi Marian – I didn’t know that about Florida soil – yes the image of oranges and grapefruit made me think that everything grew there! I haven’t grown vegetables in a few years but I still grow herbs. My family grew very tired of green beans but I do miss fresh cucumbers!
I’m not sure where you live, but I certainly hope it’s not as HOT as Florida is right now. Here’s to good weather (inside or out) for growing herbs. Thanks, Barbara!
I enjoyed your lovely garden and how you use your tumeric, which is so beneficial in many ways. I loved the dinner menu. My kind of eating. And glad you’re keeping busy and safe staying at home. <3
As you know, I’ve taken a break and am coming back strong and healthy, hoping to keep it that way. I’m happy to see your books being promoted and that you are now working hard on the next production. Wow!
You are awesome, Debby!
Thanks Marian. I have noticed your absence <3 Glad you are doing well. 🙂
Taking a break is better than burnout. Ha Ha! Thanks for noticing.
Yes it is. 🙂
Your herbs are doing well! I love turmeric too (in small doses).
Good too hear from you, Fiona. Thanks for joining in the chat! 🙂
I think lockdown has turned us all into enthusiastic gardeners hasn’t it . I became the owner of a greenhouse. I’ve always wanted one but didn’t get around to it . We always had one when I was a child full to the brim of tomatoes.
Then last year my nephew offered me one that he didn’t want anymore . But when we got it home we didn’t quite know where to put it . There it sat for twelve months making friends with nature till just before lockdown we decided on a good place . So we set about the task . We now have tomatoes, chillis , peppers , lettuce growing .
I adore all herbs , have them all growing and use them regularly. My favourite has to be basil the most difficult to grow in our climate and when you do something eats it 😂
Lovely post .
Cherryx
There you are, Cherry. And with a g-r-e-e-n-h-o-u-s-e. I would say “Lucky you,” just before the lockdown and just as the growing season in Wales kicks in. Your crops sound like perfect ingredients for a salad, so yummy.
How odd, basil is one of the few herbs I can grow well. My mint disappeared, and my rosemary is barely hanging on. I guess it’s not us – probably the weather, and/or the soil!
So good to hear from you! ((( )))
Aww,! Marian , my mint is in abundance and rosemary lives summer and winter through . It’s the climates we live in lovey …enjoy what you have ❤️
Cherryx
I DO! We have lots to be thankful for, indeed, my dear.
Somehow in the heat wave and lack of usual patterns in my life, I missed this one. Good for you two. I’m your dad’s kind of gardener, but I’ve let a lot go in the small vegetable garden and now get a weekly organic farm share delivered to my house on Fridays. I still grow lettuce, some tomatoes, basil, snow peas (earlier), zucchini (because I love the tiny ones), and cucumbers which struggled against insects this year. What I don’t have, I can get from my son, and I have about a peck of tomatoes ready to make into sauce. I’m not enthusiastic. I never got into cooking for one, but I take good care of my butterfly garden and the Monarch nursery. They’re my favorites now.
You have a pantry at your beck and call – store delivery, your son, and what you like from your garden.
It’s okay to let things “go,” as you say. At our age, we can’t be bothered with too many “shoulds,” especially if it feels like work. I can tell you delight in your butterfly garden and Monarch nursery. They give you wings, and I’m glad of that. Elaine! 🙂
Thank you for the link my blog post, Marian I visited it the first time round but love the addition of the turmeric Cake it sounds most delicious…i:) x
Thanks, Carol. You are the best cook I know, and probably the most active! 🙂