Balsam Camellia

Impatiens balsamina

 

Pre-1870 heirloom. Beautiful rose-shaped blooms in many colors: pink, lavender, red, rose, white and more. Short bushy plants have large bright green leaves. Very easy to grow. A must for fans of Victorian gardens. 

 

I ordered my seeds from http://www.rareseeds.com/camelia-flowered-mix-balsam/ and started about half of the seeds in starter pods in the greenhouse during the last week of March.  Then in mid-May, I finished the packet of the remaining seeds by planting in a second seed starting tray.

 

After repotting the seedlings, I planted them in pots placed around the yard and I've also shared transplants with family and friends.  I am excited to see the results in different settings.  Hopefully, everyone will keep me posted with photos and the progress of the flowers in their own gardens.

 

And once tropical storm Andrea decides to leave the area, I'm planning to get the second batch planted directly into a corner of my herb and vegetable garden to attract the butterflies and bees.

 

If you are looking for more information on growing this impatiens variety, here is a great link http://www.growinginstructions.com/fa105.html to check out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year, my hostas are really suffering from our chickens and the visiting deer munching on them. So hopefully the Balsam Camellia is a plant that they will not all be wanting to snack on, too!

 

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Dinner -- Organic Veggies & Eggs



I purchased some organic vegetables from the
Millgrove Farm Market in Georgetown.

Gathered some fresh eggs from the hens' nests.

 

 

I mixed up a chilled salad of raw sliced bok choy greens and stalks, cucumbers, radishes and miniature carrots marinated with a dijon mustard, olive oil and red wine vinaigrette dressing -- all combined with cold pinto beans and steamed turnips from last night's dinner and straight out of the refrigerator. 

 

 

 

The hubby had cooked up some fried eggs earlier

in the evening; so when I came home that night,

I feasted on the velvety eggs, marinated veggie salad

and a glass of California zinfandel from Redwood Creek. 

 

All of the flavors and textures were absolutely divine!

 

 

Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe

 

To make a vinaigrette dressing, just remember the simple rule of a 3 to 1 ratio.

 

In other words, 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar and then you can add any other ingredients you may like to suit your individual taste.

 

For this recipe:

2 TBSP of vinegar, 1 or 2 tsp dijon mustard &

6 TBSP of olive oil  

 

I also add just a touch of honey to mellow out the flavors. 

 

Shake all the ingredients up in a lidded jar or bottle

and then pour the mixture on your salad, vegetables and meats etc.

 

 

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Madagascar Granola



A bowl of dark sweet cherries topped with Kim's Madagascar Granola!

 

Today seems like the perfect day to begin getting the house organized and maybe do a little cleaning while I’m at it.  So with a cup of coffee in hand, I decided the first place to start is in the pantry by gathering up some of the loose bags of rice and grains.  

 

 

Note from the package… “Bob’s Red Mill 5-Grain Rolled Hot Cereal is freshly milled from a unique and complimentary blend of premium quality whole grain oats, wheat, rye, barley, triticale and flaxseed.  It is low in fat and a good source of dietary fiber . . .”

 

Well that was a mistake because the first bag I come across is an almost empty bag of Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain Rolled Hot Cereal.(check out this link - http://www.bobsredmill.com/5-grain-rolled-cereal.html) With about 2-cups left inside the almost empty bag, I decided that this would be a good time to try out a made from scratch granola recipe.

 

 

 

I did a little research and found a recipe that I adapted to my liking and then gathered some of the other ingredients I already had available in the pantry.  Using some sliced almonds, coconut oil, local honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, this is what I made today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim’s Madagascar Granola

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill 5-Grain Rolled Hot Cereal (uncooked)

1 cup sliced almonds

3 TBLS Organic Coconut Oil

3 TBLS Honey (local honey preferred)

1 TBLS Organic Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

A Pinch of Sea Salt 

 

Combine grains, almonds in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate small bowl (I use a small jar) blend together coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.  Add and stir in liquid ingredients to give the grains and almonds a glossy coating.  Onto a baking sheet or pan (lined with foil or wax paper) spread the mixture out evenly.

 

Bake approximately 40 to 45 minutes.  Be sure to check, stir and turn the mixture around the pan every 8 to 10 minutes to avoid over baking or burning the granola.  Ovens vary, so be careful not to overbrown.

 

 

 

Remove from oven and transfer the baked granola onto another baking sheet or pan in a single layer. Allow the granola to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.  

 

Enjoy the granola tossed over yogurt, fruit or ice cream.  Also great to use when creating trail mixes or snack bars.

 





Yummy, this is so good for you and as you know . . .  it is always made “Best from Scratch!"

 

Final observation:  So much for getting organized, I now have more to clean up.

 

 

But it was well worth the effort!

 

 

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Confederate Jasmine

 

 

I just love the fragrance of the Confederate jasmine as it drifts throughout the yard. And the chickens just love scratching around it to look for bugs and worms.

 

 

 

Trachelospermum jasminoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia. The common names include star jasmine, Confederate jasmine and trader's compass.

 

This hardy vine is pretty easy to grow and fills in quickly when you have something that you want to cover up. It worked well for us because we used the vine to cover up a post that was installed to hold a huge satellite dish that was long gone when we bought the property.  Instead of removing the pole, my husband used a panel of wooden lattice that he had left over from another project and so he just attached the panel to the pole with some screws and wire to hold it up.

 

We then planted the jasmine in front of the pole and within just a couple of years we had the deep glossy green leaved vine covering up the lattice.  It stays green all year, blooms in the spring and the birds just love hiding within the mass to build nests inside.

 

The statue of the girl was added later. And because I always knew that I wanted a statue or something there in front of the planting, I was always on the look out for the right accent.  During one of our trips up to Tennessee to visit Roger's mom, I happened to spot some yard art for sale at a house located out on the highway near her home.

 

So on the way back home, we stopped and bought it. And my sweet husband obliged to load it in the back of his pickup truck and bring it back to South Carolina for me.

 

If you are interested in starting a vine in your yard, check out this link http://www.wikihow.com/Plant-Confederate-Jasmine for several methods and tips for planting.

 

 

 

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Garden of Lovin

 

Inside the Garden of Lovin greenhouse with the vegetable and flower seedlings.

 

 

After many days of rain, it is so nice to see the sun shining again and to get the chance to get out into the greenhouse and yard to check out the plants.

 

 

Even though we live on 2-plus acres, there are so many shade trees and not a lot of sunny spots are available in the yard to plant a garden.  So we have resorted to planting vegetables and herbs in pots out on the back deck.  And because the plants are elevated it also helps keep the visiting deer and our flock of chickens from eating our produce.

 

 

 

 

I just spotted the first blossoms on the tomato plants and I'm  looking forward to harvesting the fruit and a fresh 'mater sandwich.

 

 

 

Oh well, so much for the sun . . . it is raining again!

 

 



 

 

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New Day, New Blog!

Rocky the Rooster

 

Finally, I took the plunge . . . to attempt blogging again!

It always seemed more like bogging, because I could never get it going and was always stuck in the mud. 

And so with a little coaxing from my husband and some good friends,  I thought it was time to start it up again and that it should be the "Best from Scratch"!

So I will use this space to share some of my own DIYs,  recipes and true life experiences.