wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Day by day, more and more sunflowers are filling the field at the farm. This is the first planting, with bright yellow faces reaching toward the sky and spreading seeds of happiness. Two more plantings are coming along behind this one, and the hope is that the fields will be blooming with sunflowers through mid-September.

Right now the biggest question we get at the farm is, "Do you have lettuce?"

We do not.

Lettuce is a spring and fall crop. Summer heat makes it bitter and tough, so it's just not at its best this time of year.

One day a young man came in looking for lettuce.

"Do you have lettuce? If anyone has lettuce, you guys will."

"Sorry, we don't."

Then the drama began.

"My wife and I are missing our lettuce salads. We like to have a salad every day, and we're going nuts without lettuce!"

"It sounds like you probably have plenty of vegetables at home," I said. "Have you ever tried chopping up a variety of fresh vegetables and marinating them in an oil and vinegar dressing? We carry Garlic Expressions, and it's a delicious dressing. Add some fresh sweet corn kernels to the mix. They're a wonderful addition."

The young man left with a bottle of Garlic Expressions and a couple ears of sweet corn.

Crisis averted. Salad saved.

My neighbor has a fully loaded elderberry tree and invited me over to pick some berries. I've never harvested elderberries before, so she gave me a quick lesson. First, cut the clusters (called drupes) from the tree and place them in a bucket. Swish them around to loosen any debris, strip the berries from their stems, and pack them into freezer bags.

They're tucked away in my freezer now, waiting for cooler weather. When cold and flu season arrives, I'll turn them into homemade elderberry syrup.

We've had a couple of rainy days. I love this bee at the top of its coneflower mountain, with raindrops still clinging to the base of the flower's spiky cone.

pumpkin vine, part 2

You/ve seen the photos of the pumpkin vine taking over my patio. There's another one just around the corner that's now covering a dead bush. We've watched it grow and grow, gradually hiding the bush from view. Even our neighbors are enjoying the Great Pumpkin Adventure. It's not something you see every day in a quiet suburban neighborhood. 

monday's mulling: cyclosporiasis

Cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection caused by a microscopic parasite, has recently broken out in five states: Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia. People can become infected by eating contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, making it especially important to be cautious when purchasing and preparing fresh produce. Health officials have traced the source of this outbreak to a lettuce supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico.

This summer, I have been working at a family-owned fresh produce market, where many of our customers have expressed concerns about the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. A local news station recently interviewed Stephanie Treadway, one of the owners of Treadway Gardens, about the outbreak. She stated that she would eat any of the produce sold at her market because she knows exactly where it comes from. The vegetables are grown either on local Treadway family farms or in a Mennonite community about an hour from Dayton. She has personal relationships with the farmers who supply the market, and she has confidence in their growing and handling practices.

This situation has highlighted the importance of knowing where our food comes from. While outbreaks linked to large-scale suppliers can affect many people across multiple states, buying produce from trusted local farmers can provide greater transparency and peace of mind. Although no food is completely risk-free, supporting local growers who follow safe farming practices can help reduce the risk of food-borne illness while also benefiting the local community.

holy smoke!

Yesterday morning, we woke up to hazy skies and the smell of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The Ohio EPA issued a statewide Air Quality Advisory, and air quality in our area reached the "Very Unhealthy" category with a score of 300. The Miami Valley is expected to see relief beginning Monday.

 

the friday feed: oreo milkshakes

Many years ago, when my house was full of kids, both my own and a steady stream of their friends, Oreo milkshakes were a regular favorite. My blender got quite a workout in those days, churning out those treats for whomever happened to be gathered in the kitchen...like the time the dryer repairman got one! The years passed, the kids left for college, started lives of their own, and those Oreo milkshakes became a memory.

That is, until last week, when the grandchildren came to visit.

To celebrate their trip to Didi and Grandpa's house, I decided it was the perfect time to bring back the tradition. Owen told me he'd already had an Oreo milkshake. "It was from Chick-fil-A." I smiled and told him that Didi's milkshakes were better, especially because he was going to help make them.

I put a handful of Oreos into a zip-top bag and showed him how to crush them with a rolling pin. It was his first time using one, and if he'd had his way, the entire package would have ended up as a pile of crunched up cookies! His enthusiasm and excitement made the whole process just as much fun as the milkshakes themselves.

Needless to say, Owen absolutely loved the cookie shakes, and so did the rest of us. They were the perfect treat on a hot summer day.

Old family traditions bring such joy. A blender, a few Oreos, and little hands eager to help were all it took to bring a family favorite back to life. Judging by the smiles around the table, I have a feeling Didi's Oreo milkshakes will be making many more appearances in the years ahead.

 

the invasion of the pumpkin vine

At the end of last fall I left a small pumpkin in the garden area where you see the orange lilies. As colder weather approached that pumpkin offered food for the birds and other small critters. Fast forward to this summer...look what is taking over my patio! I'm letting it grow and getting a lot of enjoyment and laughs as it finds its way in its little backyard haven.

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

A conjoined coneflower. A fused bloom, a unique curiosity, and a delightful surprise in the garden.

Here's why I didn't post regularly this past week. We had visitors! Andrew, Jennifer, and the little sweethearts arrived Wednesday night, and Thursday morning it was go, go, go!

Owen loved playing with Didi and Grandpa's toys, the ones we saved from when our kids were little. Some were familiar to him - the Transformers, Ghostbusters, and  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They may have looked a little different than today's versions, but he knew exactly what they were, and they kept him entertained.

Hallie discovered a little stool in the living room and quickly became attached to it. My dad made that stool in his high school Industrial Arts class. He was probably 17 or 18 years old, which means he made it around 1951. That little stool is now about 75 years old. That time span was definitely a "wow" moment for me.

Owen was my wonderful helper when it came to watering the flowers. Several times during the visit he asked if they had enough water, and of course, the answer was always that they could use a little more! One more "toy" that kept Owen occupied was the paper shredder. I always shred my junk mail and once he saw how the shredder worked, he was ready to be my right-hand kid. I found some more junk mail in Todd's office and he was such a good helper getting rid of that pile. Another fun Didi activity to keep him busy 😊  Who needs fancy toys when a paper shredder is in the house?

Children's imaginations are just wonderful. They had the best time pretending to be "Bucket Heads!"

Just outside our garage is what I call a hydrangea tree. Its official name is a Panicle Hydrangea. When it's covered in blooms, bees are constantly buzzing from flower to flower collecting pollen. You can hear them before you even see them. Owen dubbed it the "bee tree," and he wanted nothing to do with it. Every time he came out of the garage, he sprinted past it!

I love this tree. Its flowers begin as a creamy white in mid-summer. As the season gives way to fall, they transform into shades of blush pink, rosy red, and soft purplish tan. It's one of my favorite signs of the changing seasons. It is getting too big for the space so it will get a trim in the late fall.