Lemony Goodness!

   Imagine my surprise at entering the tumble-down greenhouse (due to Hurricane Zeta and other priorities) to be confronted by a most delicious aroma!  Out of desperation, I had lugged all of the potted lemon trees into the poor greenhouse back before a bad freeze and then promptly forgot about them.  Sad to say, I even forgot to water them for the past month!  How did the trees reward me for being so neglectful?  By blooming, of course!  The trees are covered with blossoms!  Sweet!

  It is not my nature to keep trees in pots for long but these had to be moved due to work on the house.  It was either try to salvage the trees by potting or cut them to the ground.  I tried and the trees are doing well.  I thought this was to be a temporary situation but it has turned into something a bit longer than anticipated.  Today, as I walked among the half dozen trees, I promised to transplant them during next winter as it is too late now.  The season of setting fruit is upon us not transplanting. 

  So, I lugged the trees back outside and gave them a good dousing with the water hose.  That will do for a bit since we are to have stormy weather in two days.  Then, the trees will get the soaking they deserve!  Several handfuls of fertilizer before the rain will assure good nutrients for their roots.  Perhaps a few lemons will set for this fall!  It is all about those lemons!

Flowers and Veggies!

  I have a bad habit of planting flowers in the vegetable gardens and veggies in the flower gardens.  Here on the Bayou, the gardens are one big mishmash of whatever!  Anything goes.  If it grows, then it grows wherever it wants.  I have morning glories and moonflowers in the tomato patch.  I have squash in front of the moonflower fence row.  There are nasturtiums in with the radishes and bell peppers in between the tea olives.  Chives blend right in with the roses and zinnias!  Marigolds are everywhere!  Wherever there is an empty spot, there is a plant of some sort.  That suits me to a capital T!  Perhaps the gardens are fine and it is me that is discombobulated!

  It is this habit that caused one good thing and yet one bad thing.  Bad thing first.  After I put in the new garden fence, a bright idea struck. On one side, tomatoes were planted and on the opposite side, four o'clocks lined the fence.  Wow!  That looked nice! All was well until some moth decided to lay her eggs on the four o'clock leaves.  About a week later, caterpillars were turning the leaves into a lace!  Holes were everywhere!  Not good as these caterpillars simply took the jaunt across the fence to attack the tomatoes.  Oh, no you don't!!!  While I do not mind spraying flowers with insecticides, I am a stickler about keeping the veggies pure.  I do not want to eat a bunch of chemically laden garbage.  It took a while before the answer came.  Wasps! Yep, those same critters that make the nests up under the eaves of the house seem to love caterpillars. Paper wasps were feasting on the tiny leaf-munchers. That was good enough for me!  Wasps are now off the bad list and onto the good guys of the garden list.

  The good thing about my four o'clock/tomato arrangement is the early morning/late afternoon blooms sure make the place smell delightful regardless of the copious amounts of cow poop lying around under the tomato plants.  The sweet-scented blooms fill the air and mask the stench quite nicely.  If you do not know, cow poop stinks when wet.  The nighttime hours on the Bayou are rather humid which gives the manure the idea that it is ok to start reeking.  Thankfully, the four o'clock blooms have that covered.  Four o'clock blooms are stronger than poop!  Their scent completely blocks the otherwise stinky garden smells.  Four o'clocks for the win!

  I am sure Pop looks down from Heaven and cringes when he sees my patchwork gardening style.  His fields were impeccable and his flower gardens were to perfection.  He probably wonders where he went wrong when raising me!  Nah, Pop was easy going and would certainly agree about the four o'clocks.  He may have something to say about the morning glories that have their own tomato crates in the garden but, all in all, he would enjoy seeing the plants regardless.

Bewitching Aroma!

  While Son and I were out and about this afternoon, a strong southeast wind was cooling the air.  On that breeze, there was one of the sweetest scents.  It slightly smelled of peaches no...maybe bananas.  I thought the tea olives were blooming because those blooms have a slight peachy smell.  They were but Son pointed out that the wind was in the wrong direction.  So, I searched.  Following the scent, I headed down to the marsh edge.  Nothing blooming there.  I headed eastward around the path.  Nope, no blooms.  Still, that sweet scent lingered heavily on the breeze.  

  Since I was this far into a hike, there was no turning back.  The path took me down behind the canebrake, through the old peach orchard and far down into the woods almost to the creek bed.  It is always a happy time to be tromping about the woods and a few blooms did surprise me.  First, what I have tentatively identified as sweetspire could be found draping down along the path.  The long, spires of creamy white were beautiful but did not have the fruity aroma of the mystery plant.  Then, I spied what we have always called mimosa or pink silk tree.  The pink, fluffballs are actually albizia and grow wild throughout the woods.  They do have a lovely scent but it is not the one that bewitched me earlier.  

  The mystery scent still eludes me.  Perhaps tomorrow, I will search again. It bugs me when there is something new on the Bayou and I cannot find it to identify it.  

*The white blooms are NOT sweetspire but Swamp Cyrilla!  

A Feral Cat, Tea Olives and the Bayou Princess

  This morning's hike was a quick one as I heard Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess Cat, howling like no one's business.  That meant only one thing...another cat was in the yard.  While Ms. Nycto may look huge and may have a loud howl, that is about the extent of her ability to defend herself.  She is after all...a princess....and, well, one of royalty does not tussle.  Her best idea is to climb the nearest tree not knowing that other cats can climb equally as well if not better.  The tree climbing idea is not a bad one except Ms. Nycto has yet to figure out how to get back down out of a tree.  She sits and meows plaintively in hopes that Son will climb up after her.  My idea?  Leave her be.  She will learn that what goes up...must come down.  Her doleful calls pull at the heartstrings, however, so I try to divert the whole event.  

  It was when I went through the east garden gate that I had to stop in my tracks regardless of an impending cat brawl.  Wafting in the air was the sweet scent of peaches...or apricots...or something!  Yep, the Tea Olive was in bloom and the delightful aroma overpowered the urge to rescue a helpless princess.  The tiny blossoms had captured my attention!  Oh, my goodness!  There appear to be enough that I may dry them for future use in tisanes!  

  Tea Olive is a shrub that has the tiniest blossoms but the largest scent.  The one quarter inch blooms can fill an entire garden with a peachy fragrance like none other.  These blossoms are often infused in tisanes to give the tea-drinker a most pleasant experience.  The blossoms can also be added to jellies, baked goods, soaps and, well, just about anything you wish to have a delightful scent.  

  My pause at the garden gate was soon interrupted by the Bayou Princess.  She had come to glare at me as if to say, "Why did you not come when I summoned you?"  She looked none the worse for wear and prissed her way to the front step and demanded to be let back inside.  She had already had enough frustration for the day and needed a nap!  I gladly consented so I could continue my hike in peace.

Just A Trim

  I am slowly getting back into the "have a dog" mode.  Fostering PJ has brought back a lot of memories of Ms. Ezzy, the Bayou Dog and has changed my lackadaisical attitude back to the mentality of a responsible pet owner.  After Ms. Ezzy died but before Mr. PJ came to live at the Little Bayou House, I had gotten out of the habit of walking through the gardens in the evening.  The last hike of the day usually found me just going to the pier to watch the sunset.  Now that the dog is with me, I take longer hikes and find myself enjoying the gardens more.  PJ seems to like sniffing the blooms as much as I do. 

  This evening, as we came back up the hill from the pier, the old dog and I made our way through the vegetable patch, through the garden gate and out to the fig trees.  There a raised herb garden had suffered greatly because of the copious amounts of rainfall this summer.  While the herbs looked a bit ragged, a sweet scent enveloped us.  The Four-O'clocks were in full bloom.  Yep, by this time of summer, those, too should have looked a little worse for wear but, instead, they were gorgeous.  This made me smile and the old dog and I stopped to smell the blossoms.

  The aforementioned smile was evoked by the fact that just three weeks ago, I had taken the weed-trimmer to the plants.  They had gotten so straggly that the bed looked terrible.  While trimming the edges of the lawn, I turned the weed-eater and cut the flower gardens down to about six inches tall. The Four-O'clocks, Zinnias, Marigolds and Purple Basil all were zipped down and left for goners.  All of the plants decided that they were not giving up so easily!  Once again, the gardens are overflowing and the blooms are spectacular!  In the late evening the Four-O'clock blooms send out their sweet aromas to attract pollinating moths.  Those moths might fully enjoy the blossoms but probably not as much as Mr. PJ and I did this evening.  What a pleasant walk we had!

A Favorite of Mine!

  The best part of this time of year is all of the fragrances that fill the yard.  Over the years, I have planted things that bloom at different times of the year. All of these blooms waft aromas over the hillside in waves of sumptuousness! Citrus trees, peach trees, wisteria, roses, jasmine...all leave the yard sweetly scented.  Just this week, the jasmine is starting to fade so it is being replaced by the delightful gardenias and magnolias.  I happen to like the gardenias so much that I have rooted another dozen or so!  This should just about fill the entire yard with their happy blooms and enticing scent.  

  Odd fact....gardenias belong in the coffee plant family.  Now go figure!  I knew there had to be some link as I love both! 

   Odd fact....while gardenia blooms are usually white ( a few are pale yellow), if the petals come in contact with water, they turn "coffee-brown".  While I love coffee, brown gardenia water just does not have the same appeal.

  Odd fact....gardenia blooms make great flavoring for ice cream!  The fresh blooms can be used as an ingredient in making homemade ice cream.  The ice cream tastes "flowery" and smells just like the bloom.  I have made this and it is really tasty!

  Odd fact....after the bloom fades, a small fruit appears.  When ripe, this fruit is used to make a yellow dye that can be used in food or fabric. This I have not tried!  Maybe I should!

  Odd fact....some herbal concoctions use the gardenia fruit as a fever reducer.  Another thing that I have not tried.  Maybe I should not.

  Odd fact...ok...enough odd facts about the gardenia bush.  Trust me when I say that this is a wonderful addition to any garden.  The dark green foliage and brilliant white blossoms add visual pleasure while the fragrance will knock your socks off!  If you are wearing socks and are not barefoot like I usually am.  Then there is the added bonus of using the blossoms as air freshener inside the house!  A vase of gardenias makes everything smell better!

Garden Walks

  If one wanders about the garden at night, he/she might just be treated to a sweet aroma.  The flowery scent wafts about on the gentle breezes that come off the Bay.  It is strengthened by the heavy dew that, here lately, settles in just after the sun sets.  This aroma is not noticeable unless one walks through the rose arbor and on towards the greenhouse in the back. 

  I first noticed the sweet scent the other evening as I took Ms. Ez out for a late walk.  She has not been feeling to pert during the heat of the day so a leisurely stroll through the garden seemed to settle her a bit. Once we eased through the arbor and made our way near the fig trees, the scent suddenly was present.  Hmmm, this was nice but I felt the urge to discover just what was the source.  I did not think any plants were blooming.  

  Up in a raised garden box that hangs on the back fence, a few seeds must have been dropped by a bird.  In amongst the oregano, lemon balm and sweet basil, a few Four-O'clock seedlings sprouted.   It was these young plants with their first blooms that filled the garden with the most delightful scent!  Ahh, yes!  Four O'clocks are some of my favorites!  The old Bayou Dog and I stopped for a few minutes just to enjoy the welcome interruption of our hike.  Ms. Ez actually sniffed the air like she was enjoying the flowers as much as I was.  

  These small plants will make fine tubers which will allow me to transplant them into a more convenient spot than the herb bed.  I must remember to collect a few seeds and sow them in amonst the petunias. Then the old dog and I can enjoy many more such delightful walks!

Old Time Beef Stew!

The day was perfect for a big pot of beef stew, so out came the dutch oven, stew meat and veggies! It is a bit crazy I suppose that I love to cook soups and stews on my old woodburning stove, but there is just something about it that makes things taste a bit better. Whenever I cook on this stove, the aroma fills the entire house and even wafts out into the yard. I have had people tell me that they know I am cooking on the old stove even before they enter the house. It just makes things good. I believe it has to do with the idea of slow cooking. In this day of "hurry..hurry", a good slow home-cooked meal can be so soothing..comfort food! A microwave is great for warming things but sorry, as for cooking..no way! Also..prepared packaged foods..again..no way! Give me some good meat or seafood and a few fresh vegetables and I am in a dream world! I will admit that all the washing and chopping of the vegetables was done in the kitchen. Just the cooking was done on the old stove. Also, it takes a while as the heat is not consistent, but if you think of the stove as a huge slow-cooker or crockpot then there is not a problem! My husband and brother were out in the yard and came bustling in to check the bubbling pot of scrumptiousness! Men and beef stew seem to go together! The men in this family can demolish an entire dutch oven of stew in one sitting! Throw in some Cajun cornbread and they will love you forever!

Old Time Beef Stew

2 pounds stew meat

3 tablespoons oil

3 cups water (1 cup to be reserved to mix with the cornstarch later)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 large onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/2 teaspoon allspice

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 cup broccoli tops (chunked)

1 cup broccoli stems (chopped, discarding tough ends)

2 cups carrots (chopped)

2 ribs celery (chopped)

2 cans mushroom slices (4 ounce cans)

In a large dutch oven, brown the stew meat in the oil. Sear it well on both sides. Pour in two cups water and add the onion, garlic, Worcestershire Sauce, black pepper, salt and allspice. Let this simmer for about 1 to 2 hours . Add the broccoli stems, potatoes, carrots and celery. Again let simmer..this time for about 30 minutes. Add the broccoli tops and mushrooms. In a small bowl place the remaining cup of water and add the cornstarch. Stir well. Scoop out about a cup of the liquid in the pot and add to the water/cornstarch mixture. Mix this until thoroughly blended. Pour back into the pot, stir well and cook until thick and bubbly!

This is a quite hardy stew and will feed about six people unless you have big eaters like the men in this family! If so..ladle out yours first!..or you might not get any!!!