Hello my Tuesday friends and others. :0)
The big news here is we finally got rain... a lot of it but not too much. The temps have been much more tolerable also.
So the garden is going nuts and Clyde is on vacation.
First here's my drink so I don't forget it again :/ It's a new drink for me... it's a soda sweetened with Stevia. I don't drink much soda at all but my husband does and we just found out that he is diabetic. So we're looking for diet soda's that don't have aspartame in them. He likes these but they are pricey. So far Shasta is winning out with flavor and price and no aspartame.
Here I have asparagus on the right with thyme and bolted parsley in the middle the end and back are sweet potatoes. They are going everywhere. You can barely see the some of the straw bales in the background with the tomatoes in them.
I have herbs drying everywhere :) Soon I will be mixing teas and cooking blends. ♥
The Chocolate mint has gotten so out of control that tomorrow I am taking the hedge trimmer to it. I spent and hour pulling my hand and cutting off the roots today and barely made a dint. Tomorrow it's speed drive :)
Echinacea's and Black Eyed Susan's ♥♥♥
Next week I'll show you the shade garden I am trying to rebuild. It's still sparse but looking better. :)
SO be sure and check out the other folks over at
Elizabeth's
Today's Random Thought
♥
It will be tomorrow before I can visit... it's husbands turn to use the internet.
Your garden is really growing, lovely to see all the flowers, herbs and veggies, and sorry that the bugs are causing you problems, that's not nice! You already have a rich harvest of herbs for teas, enjoy! Glad you found a drink that you like, too. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteyour garden Looks like a lot of work, but joy also. you have an incredible assortment of herbs.
ReplyDeletelove your lynx sketch! happy t-day to you!
Wow! Your garden is fab. Lots of work though I can see that. But you love it, don't you!
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to find drinks without aspartam. We buy stevia as a herb (dried leaves) locally. There is a herb dealer in the village and I sweeten my drinks with it. In summer I make ice teas or fruit juices. The leaves steep best in hot liquid which I then cool to make a summer drink. With all that produce in the garden perhaps you could lay your hand on a juicer. They are fab. Your hubby will slowly get used to drinking less sweet things. I learnt to drink all the herbal teas without sugar. It took a while though. Does he miss his beers? I know my hubby would.
Thank you for visiting,
Happy T-Day,
Lisca
I planted a Stevia plant this year. I got it at Ace Hardware where I bought everything I didn't get on herb day at the extension office. Now I have it, but don't know what to do with the leaves. I'm not much for sweet drinks, so I probably should not have purchased it.
ReplyDeleteTalk about bolting. Everything (herb) I own has bolted. I can't believe it. You have lots more space than I have, though. Love your garden and the flowers are doing well, too.
Thanks for sharing your lynx and your new drink with us for T this Tuesday. I hope your hubby finds something he likes and you can afford.
Your garden looks so healthy with all the lovely vegetables you have growing Bugs are a problem for everyone, we are all looking for organic answers. Your flowers look lovely as well.
ReplyDeleteHappy Tuesday.
Yvonne
I wish my garden was doing half as well as yours!
ReplyDeleteNo watering by hand can do what a nice rainy day can.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some wet stuff on your wonderful gardens.
WOWEE so much to enjoy.
It was squash bugs years ago that ended my veggie gardening efforts. What a mess they made. So I have herbs and flowers and the deer are being pretty naughty with alot of that. Nature is a force to be reckoned with isn't it hah.
I was sad our cilantro didn't last long at all because of the heat.
Happy T Day dear Carol.
Oh your lovely linx drawing made me think of a cute video on FB where there is a a double sink with two linxes enjoying a soak. SO cute.
oxo
Hooray for some rain! Your garden is looking fabulous-but I don't know how you keep up with it all. Have a great day and happy T day too!
ReplyDeleteYour linx drawings are amazing! How wonderfully your garden is growing, the veggies and flowers are looking so healthy and fabulous. Wow your garden also looks so well maintained, it must keep you busy. I love that you dry and store all your own herbs too. Happy T Day! J :-)
ReplyDeleteYour garden is gorgeous, and I know about mint. It is so invasive. Good luck removing it, and happy T day. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteCarol, hurray that Clyde gets to take a vacation! Rain is such a wonderful thing, I always take the time to sit on those new red chairs of ours and soak it all in. Well, the plants soak it in, I just soak in the gratitude. Your garden is looking amazing, but the bugs are a huge challenge, I know. I buy sweetleaf stevia in little packets and in bottles as flavored drops because I have a hard time controlling my sweet tooth, too. At first I wasn't fond of it but now it's ok. Love the lynx sketches, you're so talented!
ReplyDeleteWonderful garden pics! love the cone flower and black eyed susans! best wishes to your hubby...I cope with type 2 diabetes every day and it IS manageable! maybe he can find a local support group or go to a specialist? i honestly think it is more helpful to talk to people who have diabetes than the doctor sometimes! Happy T day!
ReplyDeleteYou have such a great space for a garden :) I don't know what I'd do with so much squash lol. I know you're enjoying the summer flowers. Coneflowers and black-eyed susans are among my favorites, and the butterflies they attract. Happy T Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteWe got rain too! And we are getting rain this morning.. Yay! It IS the Battle of the BUGS!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning!
What a wonderful garden you have - I am always amazed with your garden posts - so much work but such a joyful place!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat!
Happy -Day!
oxo Susi
I do so love seeing your garden! Such a lot going on! Hope your hubby finds a drink that suits him - I missed sweetened drinks at first but it gets better as time passes! If I do want anything sweet now it's something that I really will enjoy (however small it is) so I can pass on sweet drinks! Have you looked at Walmart own brands - our Asda has a good range of flavoured water and I think they sell Walmart brands (worth checking maybe!) Hugs, Chrisx
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful garden you have. I'd love to have some of those herbs. You can grow stevia too. I'm not a soda drinker and don't even sweeten my tea but a few stevia leaves does the trick for those who do.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks great! Any tips on drying basil? I have a dehydrator but it's taking forever...I almost feel as if I've used more electricity at this point than it would have cost to buy the basil from the store.
ReplyDeleteHappy T day....a day late!