Gabrielle's Garden

2012-01-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

Enjoying Our Hens

The weather is unseasonably warm for January. Our Easter Egger hens had taken a break from laying, but they are laying again. Their pretty blue-green eggs are lovely.

The new chicks are now about six months old. Our daughter has five and I kept three: a buff orpington, an astrolorp and a speckled sussex. Yesterday I found our first brown egg, but am not sure who has layed it. They were in a seperate house which was right on the side of our Easter eggers. They gradually worked out their pecking order, and now they are happily living together in our large hen house.

I would let all of the chickens out to roam the area whenever I would sit with them. I found this to be a very healing time for me and the hens seemed to love it, also. We got very comfortable doing this until one day last month. I walked a few yards away to get some items to clean the hen house when I heard lots of noise and saw what looked to be a huge chicken trying to catch one of our hens. We have alot of trees and a hawk had been sitting on a limb, waiting to find dinner. All chickens went into hiding and it took about an hour to locate them all, but they were all safe.

I know that this is a natural thing in nature, but I knew that I had to do something to keep the girls safe. I made a chicken run, about 6 by 8 by 5 feet with PVC pipe and chicken wire. It is just high enough that I can get in with them and sit and enjoy their company and take photos. That is exactly what we did yesterday afternoon.

It was difficult to take photos because the three new hens wanted to stay and eat the grass right at my feet! I laughed alot!

This is Blacky, our new Astrolorp hen. She has such beautiful feathers!

This is Goldie, our new Buff Orpington.

And Speckles, our Speckled Sussex.

She is one of our Easter Eggers. They are difficult to tell apart, so they are all called "Girls"

Our hens seem content and I am able to continue to enjoy their company. They are enjoying my harvested chickweed and turnip greens and slightly imperfect pecan halves during this time of the year. This is indeed fun!!

New Chicks

2011-08-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

We currently have five easter egger hens in our backyard. This has inspired one of our daughters and her three young sons to start raising chickens. She built a very nice wooden coop and fenced yard for her three hens, but wanted a few more for her birthday. We decided to split an order of eight female chicks from My Pet Chicken online: two Buff Orpington, two Speckled Sussex, two Welsummer, and two Silver Laced Wyandotte. On shipping day, I was called and told that they were not able to send me the Silver Laced Wyandotte, so I had to change my order for those two. We were very disappointed, but I ordered two Australorp chicks instead.

Our daughter and grandsons decided on which one of each type they wanted and they each named one of their chicks. I am caring for all eight at my home until they are ready to move outside. We will try to gradually introduce them to our hens and hope that they will be accepted into the flock.

Echinacea Seeds

2011-08-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

Our echinacea plants are blooming, but are also busy setting seeds.

I am collecting the seeds of Echinacea purpurea

and Echinacea tennesseesis.

We have enough time to harvest the seed heads which will encourage the plants to make more beautiful blooms before the end of the season.

Fresh Fig Preserves

2011-07-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Fig preserves are so common here, that I had not thought of sharing my recipe. I like to remove the small stem part of the fig, but some people prefer leaving it on the fig.

Fig Preserves

For every quart of fresh figs, I add two cups of sugar. I do this until all figs are measured. So my recipe is one part figs to one-half part sugar. I showly cook the figs and add a little fresh lemon juice to taste. I think this adds a nice touch to the flavor. Slowly bring this to a boil and let the figs cook on a low fire for about an hour or more. Ladel hot figs and syrup into sterilized jars. Enjoy!!

July is Fig Time in South Louisiana

2011-07-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

It is often said that the figs begin to ripen around July fourth in South Louisiana. I was very concerned about our crop since we had been experiencing a drought. Many of our figs were not as full as usual, but we are getting a decent harvest.

In order to harvest our crop, we get up early in the morning and pick some before the birds eat all of the ripe figs. We pick again in late afternoon. We have some for ourselves and some to bring to the Farmers' Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

I love fig preserves and cook some with the whole figs and some with the figs chopped. We do have a tree that produces very large figs and I usually chop these. I personally prefer the chopped fig preserves. Often when filling the jars, I have a little left over syrup. I like to take this syrup and use it to make a pecan pie.

Gabrielle's Pecan and Fig Juice Pie

3 fresh farm eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup fig syrup
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup pecans
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Beat eggs thorougly with sugar. Add fig syrup and melted butter and mix. Fold in pecans. Pour into pie shell and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes. Lower oven to 300 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Cool before cutting. Enjoy!!

Honey Bees

2011-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

It has really been very hot and dry for South Louisiana in early June.
Wildlife, such as the honey bee are enjoying our small backyard pond. We have a small biological filter, and they are able to sit and drink from it.

My husband plants sunflowers and wildflowers every year. This photo was taken in an open field at our farm. When I viewed my photo on my computer, I was so surprised to see the honey bee. It is a pleasure to watch nature at work.

Cranes Nesting in South Louisiana

2011-06-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

The weather is really getting hot and we are in the mist of a drought here in South Louisiana. I took my camera with me to our farm near Jefferson Island. My husband and I took a ride about a mile down the road to view the cranes nesting in the ponds at Rip Van Winkle Gardens at Jefferson Island.

We were fascinated by the colorful Roseate Spoonbill. They were nesting in pairs in the cypress trees. I wasn't able to get a very good photo, but this one, at the water's edge, shows its fascinating face.

There are many different kinds of water birds nesting together. The varieties and colors were beautiful. Just what I needed to help lift my spirits!!

New Blooms - the Promise of Spring

2011-03-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

We had plans for today to go out to the country and enjoy the early morning. There was a soft shower earlier in the morning, but stopped around 9:00. I took my camera to take photos.
The first photo is of the crabapple blossoms.

Our sassafras tree was popping with blossoms,

So was the pear.
The bluebirds were pairing and making nests in some of our bluebird nest boxes. I found it difficult to get close enough to get a clear photo, but this was the best. A redbud tree, in the background, is beginning to bloom.

One of our daughters came to join my husband and I with her two young sons. We were interested in the bluebirds at the time, and we kept talking about them. Our five year old grandson was trying hard to pay attention to them, also, as I heard him quietly say to himself, "I am trying to see the birds, but I keep getting distracted by all of these beautiful flowers!"

A Day In The Country

2011-02-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

The weather was warm today and a grandson and I went out to our country property to enjoy nature and take photos. The daffodils were blooming profusely.
A son arrived to join us and we went to check on our bluebird houses. We were surprised to find a pair working on their nest in one of the houses.

As the day continued, my husband, daughter and her husband, and son with his wife, along with seven more grandchildren joined us. It is nice to be outside, enjoying nature and the promise of Spring!

Our Hibiscus Sabdariffa

2010-09-02T10:27:00.001-07:00

It was only about ten days ago, in late August, when I went out to check our hibiscus plants to look for signs of blooms. The leaves were healthy, but still no signs of flower buds. Yesterday was September first, and I was so pleased to see that there were small buds covering most of the plants.

Last year, we had one plant that had very narrow leaves, and produced very few flowers. The other plants had leaves that were much broader and were covered with blooms. I have a few plants this year with the same leaf look, and again few or no flower buds yet. The seeds all came from our last year's crop. It makes me wonder if I should possibly sort these plants out before planting. I will observe their production this autumn and take further notes.

Lemon Verbena Hydrosol

2010-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Many of our herbs are enjoying the heat of our summer. This morning was a quiet one so I decided that it was a good time to harvest some of our lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora). The lemon verbena was rinsed and lightly air-dried and set in my wooden bowl to be weighed. I had a little over six ounces of the fresh herb.

I love using my copper distiller to make hydrosols. After filling the distiller and turning on my stove, it was awhile before the hydrosol began dripping. The scent is wonderful and it is such a magical thing to watch. Lemon verbena hydrosol is said to be a powerful mental relaxant and stress buster. The essential oil is rare and very expensive. All of the scent of the herb is transferred into a liquid through the distillation process. The hydrosol is put into a sterilized container and refrigerated until needed.

My lemon verbena plant is still very full and healthy and I plan to dry some for teas and make Lemon Verbena Jelly with some more fresh leaves at a later date. There will still be more for making additional hydrosol before summer's end.

Lavender in South Louisiana

2010-05-22T04:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I began harvesting some of our English lavender buds. We have some difficulty growing lavender successfully here in the Deep South. Lavender is such a beautiful and wonderful herb, so it is a great pleasure to have some success with it here in our gardens.

It was very relaxing and peaceful while I cut the flower stems in the early morning, right after the dew dried. I bundled them with rubber bands and hung them to dry in my herb room. It was a lovely sight, so I took a photo to share with you.

Early May Garden

2010-05-08T05:28:00.000-07:00

Here in South Louisiana, we have had a extra cold early Spring and a very dry April and early May. I just came face to face with a humming bird. He just hoovered near me as if to say "Please move. I am trying to feast on these roses."

The cilantro has gone to flower and is so lovely and lacy. I love the look of my roses surrounded by these delicate white flowers.

I was so surprised to see the beautiful white flowers on my tea tree. It has been growing in our garden for about five years and this is the first time that it has flowered.

This is an exciting time of the gardening year. It is so inspiring to walk through the early morning garden paths and view any new surprises that a new day may bring. The plants and wildlife are flourishing with a little loving care from us.

Pecans and Honey

2010-03-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

As I was growing up, my family enjoyed many days of picnics and pecan picking on our grandfather’s country property. I remember the taste and scent of the honeycomb that he shared with us. Now that I am an adult, I continue to share and enjoy these things with my children and grandchildren.

The pecan is said to be the only tree nut native to North America. Pecans have a rich history that goes back hundreds of years, but recent research conducted over the past decade has confirmed that pecans can be a healthy addition to the diet.

There is new research that shows by adding just a handful of pecans to the diet each day, one may help improve his diet. The researchers suggest that this positive effect on the body is due, in part, to the pecans’ significant content of vitamin E – a natural antioxidant. Pecans contain different forms of vitamin E, which protects blood lipids from oxidation.

Honey is one of nature’s energy boosters and is said to help build the immune system. It has been used over the centuries as a natural remedy. Here is a delicious snack made from nature’s delicious pecans and honey.

Honeyed Pecans

Ingredients: 4 cups of pecans
½ cup of sugar
¼ tsp of salt
¼ cup of honey
½ cup of water
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Toast four cups of pecans in an 350 degree oven for three to five minutes. Watch carefully because you do not want to scorch the nuts. Boil the sugar, salt, honey and water, stirring often. Cook until 242 degrees F. Remove from heat and add vanilla and toasted pecans. Have wax paper ready, and stir until the mixture becomes creamy. Separate pecans and cool on wax paper. Enjoy!

Our Dad

2010-01-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

These last five months, I have been very busy spending time with Dad. He was ninety and we learned this past summer that he had acute leukemia. These are times that I will always treasure. He was so appreciative for life and nature and everything that my sister and brother and grandchildren and myself did for him.

He never lost his love for life and nature. Every weekend he looked forward to going to our country property, sitting outside by a fire, and looking up at the sky through the branches of our huge live oak trees.

He was a very religious man and loved the outdoors. Last Saturday, he was very weak and passed from us that night at his home, with his children by his side. We will miss him very much, but still feel his presence and love for his family, friends and nature. I miss you Dad!

Cajun Christmas Organic Soap

2009-09-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

We have just begun the autumn season and are anxiously awaiting the cool weather. Since I cure my soaps for many weeks, I realized that it was time to think about making that seasonal organic soap, made to celebrate this special place and time.

In the deep South Louisiana Cajun land, Christmas is a wonderful celebration full of joy and excitement. Our area is known for our sweet sugarcane and spicy peppers, such as Tabasco. This soap was made to celebrate our Cajun culture. Organic cane sugar and spicy essential oils add to the fun.

We have the natural greens of our cypress trees and the bright red hot peppers. The problem with the cypress greens is that those trees will be bare and beautiful during our winter months. It was still fun to use them as decorations for my new Cajun Christmas Organic Soap.

Hibiscus Sabdariffa Update

2009-09-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

It is almost the middle of September and most of our hibiscus sabdariffa plants are blooming profusely. Last month I was very concerned because of the lack of flowers and contacted Dr. Kit Chin from Southern Louisiana about it. He responded that the actual flowering should be coming in late August to September. Our plants are covered with fruit now!

Fennel and Butterflies

2009-08-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Right out of my dining area window is a very healthy fennel plant. We have been watching the black swallowtail butterflies busy around it. The plant is beginning to flower and set seed but the larva of the butterfly is feeding on it. I will share the plant with the black swallowtail, and hopefully, I will have seed left over to collect and save.

Here is the very young larva feeding on fennel.

The swallowtail larva continues to eat and grow.

The adult butterfly was busy today laying more eggs. I was unable to take a picture when she was completely still - a very active swallowtail!

Tomatoes in the Deep South

2009-07-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

It is the beginning of the end for our summer tomato crop. We had a real long spell with no rain. The insect population seemed to suffer because of that and my organically grown tomatoes were really pretty and tasted great. When the rainy days began again, some of the tomatoes began to split.

The varieties that I grew this year were my usual ones plus a few new heirlooms. Jetsetter, Celebrity, Oregon Spring and Juliet plus the heirlooms Cherokee Purple and Creole are favorites in my garden each year. New varieties for me were the heirloom tomatoes: Aussi, Black Cherry, Italian Tree, and Black Plum. Of these, my favorite is the Black Cherry.

Aussi grew into a beautiful plant and is still growing. It did not suffer from disease at all and the tomato was wonderful, but it only produced one 9 ounce tomato. It did not split after the rain. I just recently picked it. We will continue to monitor the healthy plant in hopes that it produces a little more.

Italian Tree Tomato produced some nice fruit, but they split bladly after the rains came. Black plum was nice, but the plants died early in the season. Black Cherry was excellent, although the ripening fruit that was on the plant when we had a heavy rain, tended to split.

The tomato varieties pictured are from top: Black Cherry, Creole, Cherokee Purple and Aussi.

Hibiscus in July

2009-07-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

We have had an unusual hot and dry month of June. It is July 5 and we have had one good rainfall in the past 30 days. Our hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle) plants are growing, but we have only harvested one calyx from the plant from Horizon Herbs. None of these seedlings have produced fruit yet, neither.

The Roselle plant from Southern University was slower to flower, but it is now beginning to set many fruit. This plant was chosen by them because of its ability to grow nicely here in Southern Louisiana gardens.

Busy Birdfeeder

2009-06-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

It has been very hot here in Louisiana and very dry. Right out of our large kitchen window, we have a bird feeder in a small courtyard, filled with cracked sunflower chips. Yesterday was busy, as usual, with the birds and we took some photos through our new insulated windows.

First Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower

2009-05-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

The first flower has opened this morning. One picture has a quarter next to it to help show the bloom size.

Hibiscus Sabdariffa

2009-05-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

We have many beautiful hibiscus plants growing here in South Louisiana, but I have had an interest in the type of hibiscus that is used in teas and herbal products. It is called Hibiscus Sabdariffa and grows in zones 9 and 10. Many parts of the plant are used in cooking, but the fleshy red calyces are the most popular. They are used fresh for making wine, juice, jam, jelly, syrup. gelatin, pudding, cakes, ice cream and flavors and also dried and brewed into tea, spice, and used for pies, sauces, tarts, and other desserts.

A workshop was recently given by Southern University on growing and using the wonderful Hibiscus Sabdariffa and each person was given a plant. Before this, I had ordered a plant and seeds from Horizon Herbs. Both plants are growing nicely, but there is a slight difference in the leaf shapes. We planted the seeds, and they almost all grew, so we have high hopes of a very nice harvest!

Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Horizon Herbs)

Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Southern Univ.)

A flat of our seedlings.

Monarch Butterflies

2009-04-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I was out in the herb garden checking on my plants with my three year old grandson. He called his mom and was so excited about what he found. Attached to a branch of my flowering rosemary plant was a Monarch butterfly cocoon or chrysalis. It looked like a beautiful jewel in the garden.

His mom noticed that very close to rosemary was a milkweed plant with more Monarch butterfly larva lunching on it.

We explained to him how the butterfly lays its eggs on the milk weed. The eggs soon hatch into caterpillars and these caterpillars are very small, but they eat the milkweed and grow.

It doesn't take long before the caterpillars mature and they attach themselves to a twig and enter the next stage called the chrysalis or cocoon. It is in this cocoon where the larva undergoes metamorphosis. From the chrysalis emerges the beautiful young butterfly.

I look forward to sharing these photos and this story with Danny when he comes back to visit!

Lavender and Bees

2009-03-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

I went out early this morning to harvest some

of my lavender. I noticed the steady hum of bees

doing their own harvesting.

Quickly, I went inside to get my camera. It was a little difficult getting a clear photo of a busy bee.

My basket of lavender wasn't filling up very fast as I found myself too busy with the bees.

They discovered my harvested flowers and

were just as interested in those, too! The bee

is about in the center under the basket handle.

It wasn't very long, it seems, before another joined in the photo session! I wonder what he was hunting.

It wasn't easy, but I was able to get a decent picture of two bees in the same photo.

My plans changed as the morning progressed, but I found much pleasure and relaxation in watching this marvelous adventure.

Tomorrow is another day, and I will try to harvest much more lavender this time! This was fun!

Calendula officinalis - Remarkable Calendula

2009-03-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

There are many wonderful herbs growing in my herb gardens, but one of my favorite is the remarkable calendula plant. Here in South Louisiana, I start my seeds in late summer so the can be ready to put out in the garden in the fall. They grow steadily during the autumn months and begin flowering during our winter months. Today is March 2 and the flowers are really beginning to bloom heavily. The flowers are beautiful, but I go out with my basket and scissors and cut them regularly. They are dried and then used in my soaps and balms.

Calendula flowers can brighten the garden with its outstanding yellow and orange blossoms. The blooms are not only beautiful, but they have been used historically, for their healing powers of helping to promote skin repair. The part of the plant usually harvested are the flowers. They can be dried and stored in an airtight container, away from light and heat. The flower petals are edible, but are used in the kitchen often for their pretty color. I have added them to muffins, rice dishes and to salads. The flowers are also sometimes used as a dye plant or in potpourris.
I love infusing my organically grown calendula petals in sunflower or olive oil. My Calendula Blossom Soap is made with an olive oil and calendula infusion.

We have one brand new baby boy and one more baby boy due next month. Our daughters are very concerned about the environment and their children. I decided to infuse some organic sunflower oil with my organically grown calendula petals.
The new Organic Calendula Salve was made with our two new grandbabies in mind. I used organic beeswax and a light touch or organic lavender essential oil. A welcome gift to our two new grandsons!

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

2009-01-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

I had been on the hunt to find jewelweed growing in our woods for a few years now. I read that it often grows along side poison ivy and we have areas with lots of that. After searching and finding none, I planted seeds and watched the doves in our back yard walk around and feast on them. No seedlings appeared.

Last spring, I put a request up on a native plant group list. I was so excited when Bill Fontenot responded that he had some. He and his wife own a native plant nursery in Carencro, Louisiana. Husband and I went on a road trip to find my jewelweed!

After bringing the young plants home, I checked on them many times daily and was able to eventually save one that thrived. Here are pictures.

I took cuttings and infused them in sunflower oil. The oil turned a beautiful dark green color. The jar on the left is the infused jewelweed. The right jar contains infused calendula oil.

I made some salves which worked great on stopping the itch of bug bites and the itching for my husband's allergies. Because the salve contains oil, it didn't do good on a moist patch of poison ivy rash. It seems to be much better before the rash gets bad. After that, it needs something to help dry it.

So, this morning I made my jewelweed soap. I just put my batch to rest. I added tea tree, lavender and lime essentials oils and oatmeal to enhance the soap to help clean the skin and nurture it after being exposed to poison ivy or poison oak. Now I just have to wait for it to cure. What fun!

First Freeze of the Season

2008-12-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Our temperature dropped below freezing in the early morning. Our basils have wilted and it is time to plant the new seeds in the warmth of our planting room. Our patchouli plants are resting in the greenhouse and new plants have rooted. The skies are a deep blue. The scent of cooking sugar is in the air since the sugar cane mills are working overtime.

It is a time for reflection and quiet. Life for some has ended but the seeds are ready for a new beginning. We are thankful for for the warmth of our homes and family. Mother Nature will again work her magic.

My Etsy Shop

2008-11-14T06:10:00.000-08:00

The weather outside has been rainy for the last few days. The rain was needed and appreciated. During this time I decided to try to set up a shop on Etsy.com. It is another learning curve but has been rewarding. The shop is called Herb Friend's Shoppe and the web address is www.herbfriend.etsy.com. It has been fun.

The cold weather is on its way, so I plan to take alot of herb cuttings for rooting today!

Arnica montana

2008-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

In my dreams, I would grow and harvest all herbs that are used in my products. Most of the time this is done, but arnica is one herb that has not been successfully grown in my garden. I do have the arnica plant, A. chamissonis, but it has not flowered and has not been looking good since the last two hurricanes passed.

So, I ordered a pound of arnica montana wildcrafted dried flowers and started two infusions with extra virgin olive oil. One infusion is being done in a crock pot set at a very low heat, and the other is outside in the front courtyard, letting nature work her special powers on that one. What fun!

Very First Blog

2008-10-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

On this early autumn morning, I have decided to give blogging a try. The air is crisp and the birds are singing outside of my window. In a little while, I will go out to the country property and work on clearing under some of our pecan trees that have held on to a small amount of nuts after going through the last two hurricanes.