Pleasures of Fall Gardening

Fall Gardening: Feeling the Love

Ahhh: fall is here. The air is cooler, the weather crisper. In many areas, fall is an ideal time for a second-chance garden, especially if the summer garden has sputtered out. The energy-sapping heat is gone. Now is the time for an invigorating gardening season.

Now is the time to create a salad garden: many types of lettuces and cabbages. What is more perfect than cutting salad greens mere minutes before washing them and putting them in the salad bowl? Root vegetables are also a great choice this season: carrots, beets, radishes, even parsnips. Onions and leeks, as well as broccoli, are also fine choices for the fall garden.

Fall gardening also is a good excuse to get outdoors for some fresh air and exercise. Fresh vegetables, fresh air, and invigorating exercise: what more could you want? Dream big!

By Srl (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons  Fall Gardening of my Dreams

The Big Shining September Sale!

Your intuition will confirm that this is a fantastic deal! For 30 days only we’re offering a super affordable extended payment plan for the Shining Biz + Life Academy!! From now until September 30, join the Academy with 12 Payments of $49.95

About the Academy:

The Shining Biz & Life Academy is a divinely-guided, wildly-affordable and deeply-powerful success library that’s just a fraction of the cost you see elsewhere.

It is chock-full of programs & resources to help you shine in every area of your biz + life, it’s one of the most generously-priced, powerfully inspired transformational training systems you’ll find, ANYWHERE in the world. Upon joining, you will receive the following:

• Powerful business + marketing training to help you start + grow your dream biz rapidly + happily
• E-courses to supercharge your creativity, wrangle your fears + become a marketing maven
• Illustrated workbooks to create clarity + intention across your life & biz
• Audio meditations to soothe your soul
• Tips to get your house de-cluttered + your inner world in order
• Cleanses to bring your body into health + radiance
• Videos trainings, audio inspirations and workbooks to unlock your abundance, free your creativity and allow your heart and soul to shine

Time is running out for this  special deal  — don’t let it get away!

Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!

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Chives: Herb of the Month

Chives: Mild and Versatile

Chives, or Allium schoenoprasum, are September's herb of the month. Chives are a perennial herb that is completely edible--even the blossoms.

Chives, as with many of the herbs I discuss and use myself, are easy to grow; however, they do need for the weather to cool off a bit (where the highs are not in the 90s). Chives can be grown from seed, but you may find it worthwhile to transplant already established chive plants instead: I know I do.

This herb revels in full sunlight. Water sparingly in order to concentrate the flavors. Divide the clumps every two to three years or so.

In the kitchen, chives are delightfully versatile. Try fresh chives snipped over a hearty potato soup, mixed with cream cheese to top a bagel, added to many vegetables--not just potatoes, and many more uses. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Bon appetit!

By Jerzy Opioła (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Big Shining September Sale!

For 30 days only we’re offering a super affordable extended payment plan for the Shining Biz + Life Academy!! From now until September 30, join the Academy with 12 Payments of $49.95.

About the Academy:

The Shining Biz & Life Academy is a divinely-guided, wildly-affordable and deeply-powerful success library that’s just a fraction of the cost you see elsewhere.
It is chock-full of programs & resources to help you shine in every area of your biz + life, it’s one of the most generously-priced, powerfully inspired transformational training systems you’ll find, ANYWHERE in the world. Upon joining, you will receive the following:

• Powerful business + marketing training to help you start + grow your dream biz rapidly + happily
• E-courses to supercharge your creativity, wrangle your fears + become a marketing maven
• Illustrated workbooks to create clarity + intention across your life & biz
• Audio meditations to soothe your soul
• Tips to get your house de-cluttered + your inner world in order
• Cleanses to bring your body into health + radiance
• Videos trainings, audio inspirations and workbooks to unlock your abundance, free your creativity and allow your heart and soul to shine

This special deal is only for a limited time, so don’t delay!


Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!


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Fall Gardening: A Second Chance Harvest

Countdown to Fall Gardening

In many areas, it's beginning to cool down as we leave summer behind. It's time to plan and plant a fall garden, or, if you will, a second-chance garden. If the summer's heat wave dashed your gardening hopes earlier this year, all is not lost: it is possible to start again for an even more bountiful harvest.

In the more northern regions, this will mean using cold frames and possibly floating row covers to coax along the plants, depending on what has been sowed or transplanted. For these northern regions, it's hard to go wrong with peas (English, snap, and snow), your root vegetables (carrots, radishes, parsnips), cabbages and other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kohlrabi), and lettuces.

In the more southern regions, what's listed above can be planted or transplanted in, say, November. But now's also an ideal time to plant tomatoes, peppers, beans, and summer squash, as well as Swiss chard.

Even with these general guidelines, don't forget to add your favorites; after all, this is your garden and should represent your tastes. Happy gardening!

By WayneRay (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons  A rather ambitious cold frame

The Big Shining September Sale!

For 30 days only we're offering a super affordable extended payment plan for the Shining Biz +Life Academy!! From now until September 30, join the Academy with 12 Payments of $49.95 

About the Academy:

The Shining Biz & Life Academy is a divinely-guided, wildly-affordable and deeply-powerful success library that’s just a fraction of the cost you see elsewhere.

It is chock-full of programs & resources to help you shine in every area of your biz + life, it’s one of the most generously-priced, powerfully inspired transformational training systems you’ll find, ANYWHERE in the world. Upon joining, you will receive the following:

·       *  Powerful business + marketing training to help you start + grow your dream biz rapidly + happily

·        * E-courses to supercharge your creativity, wrangle your fears + become a marketing maven

·        Illustrated workbooks to create clarity + intention across your life & biz

·        * Audio meditations to soothe your soul

·        * Tips to get your house de-cluttered + your inner world in order

·        * Cleanses to bring your body into health + radiance

·        * Videos trainings, audio inspirations and workbooks to unlock your abundance, free your creativity and allow your heart and soul to shine.

This offer is for a limited time, so don't wait: take advantage of it today!


Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!


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Planting a Medicinal Garden

Grow Your Own Medicine Cabinet

As I write this, I am getting over the throes of a nasty head cold. What better time than now to plan a simple medicinal garden?

The following plants would be great additions for an all-purpose medicinal garden. All are fairly easy to grow in either a traditional garden or in a container garden:

Aloe vera: Buy established plants and transplant. Good for treating minor burns and scrapes: just break a leaf and apply the serum to the affected area. 

Calendula: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Made into an infusion, calendula is a good all-purpose antiseptic wash; you can also make a balm.

Cayenne: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Good ingested as a cold remedy and can also be made into a cream to relieve muscle aches. Caution: when handling any hot peppers, wear gloves. Trust me on this one.

Chamomile: Sow from seed. Made into a tea, chamomile is good for treating stomach upset and for inducing sleep. 

Ginger root: Buy the root and cut it up; plant each piece. Ginger root is the number one treatment for nausea and is good for stomach upset. 

Echinacea: Buy established plants and transplant,  or directly sow the seed. Use the root as a decoction at the first sign of a cold. 

Feverfew: Buy established plants and transplant. This herb is great for fevers as well as headaches, even relieving migraines for some people. 

Lavender: Buy established plants and transplant. This herb prefers a slightly alkaline soil, so it's best to plant it in its own container or planter box. Made into an oil or infusion, lavender can be used to heal cuts, stings, and burns, as well as insomnia and not a few other woes. 

Lemon balm: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow directly from seed. This member of the mint family is great for cold relief as well as digestive complaints. 

Mint, especially peppermint: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow directly from seed. This herb is great for relieving gas and stomach upset, as well as relieving muscle pain when made into a balm. 

Rosemary: Buy established plants and transplant. Made into an infusion, this herb is wonderful for digestive issues and headaches. 

Sage: Buy established plants and transplant. Sore throat relief and alleviation of hot flashes are but two of sage's gifts. 

By User:Mattes (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Medicinal Container Garden of My Dreams

If you want to consult an herbal handbook, I recommend the following books:

Culpepper's Complete Herbal: A Book of Natural Remedies for Ancient Ills.

Walter Last's The Natural Way to Heal: 65 Ways to Create Superior Health.

The New Age Herbalist: How to Use Herbs for Healing, Nutrition, Body Care, and Relaxation.

500 Formulas for Aromatherapy: Mixing Essential Oils for Everyday Use.

Check out the Autumn Abundance Sale going on at Sol Luna Enterprises: enjoy 25% off on orders of $25 and over. The coupon code is FALLSAVINGS. This sale lasts through October 31, 2015, so don’t miss out!


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Herb of the Month: Mint

Refreshing, Versatile Mint

If you want to grow an herb that thrives well and is difficult to kill, look no further than mint (botanical name Mentha). The many varieties of mint--peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and other fruit mints, even chocolate mint--are easy to grow and, once established, will produce copious amounts of fragrant leaves.

Growing Mint in the Garden

Again, mint is easy to grow--perhaps too easy. This herb can be invasive, so it's a good idea to plant it in a pot so that it doesn't take over the entire garden. Make sure the herb receives direct or partial sun, as well as plenty of water: it is all but impossible to over water mint. Some people I know plant mint right underneath a dripping water faucet, for example.

By Mokkie (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Harvesting and Using Mint

Pick leaves as needed, preferably before 10:00 a.m.--or before the day's heat arrives-- on the day you need them. Mint can be steeped in tea and enjoyed in its own right, or it can be taken for stomach upset and flatulence, among other stomach ailments. Mint can also be bruised and added into a sugar syrup: this sugar syrup can be added to various homemade desserts and candies, as well as the famed Mint Julep. And let's not forget about mint jelly.

Even sniffing the bruised mint leaves can be beneficial. The other day, the air conditioner in my house decided that it was a good day to die. While waiting for the air conditioner to be fixed, I found that sniffing mint leaves made it seem as if I were cooler: this is a handy psychological trick.

If there is a perfect herb, mint would be it. Happy gardening, and bon appetit!

Top Ten Inspiring Books for Gardening and Cooking

Top Five Books That'll Get You in the Spirit of Gardening or Cooking

It is blazing hot outside, so much that the hot temperatures zap the energy levels. I know that during a heat wave, all I want to do is to curl up quietly with a good book. Why fight it, when you can become inspired by gardening or cooking that happens in books, fiction and nonfiction, for adults and for children?

Claude Monet [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons  

Here is my purely subjective Top-Five list, in no particular order:

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Little House in the Big Woods. Yes, this is a children's book, but adults can get quite a bit of inspiration of the pioneer days as well. The entire series will give you inspiration for the garden and for the kitchen, and leave your mouth watering at many points, but it's more pronounced in this first book of the series.

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Mistress of Spices. This is a novel about an immortal woman who is trained in the powers, healing and otherwise, of spices and who has to choose between keeping her vows of chastity--and her immortality-- and choosing romantic love. The colors, smells, and textures of the spices come alive in this work of fiction.

Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. This timeless children's book is about the blossoming of Mary Lennox: as she tends the locked-up garden that has suffered as much abandonment as she has. As the garden flourishes, so does Mary.

Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Another children's book, Heidi features mouthwatering descriptions of melted cheese on bread, as well as breathtaking wildflowers on the mountainside.

Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Here's a classic nonfiction book that talks about how certain plants will help one another grow profusely.

Happy reading!

Weeding Zen

The Chore of Weeding: Zen? Really? 

Weeding is such a drag. Let's face it: weeding is boring, deadly dull. How in the world can weeding, arguably gardening's most tedious chore, be associated with Zen?

It depends, as with everything else, on your attitude. Weeding can be approached with dread, or it can be approached as an opportunity to relax and reduce stress. 

The next time you have to weed the garden, you might try the following meditation in motion: 

1. Sit comfortably; the lotus position is optional. You might want to use a durable cushion for added comfort.

2. Take three deep breaths. 

3. Think of all the stresses and bad habits you wish to remove from your life. 

4. Touch a weed and think of one of these stresses or bad habits. As you yank out the weed, visualize that stress or bad habit being yanked from your existence, forever. 

5. Keep doing this until you have run out of unpleasant, unfortunate tendencies to banish from your life. If weeds remain, you might think of various social ills that plague the world (war, various diseases, drought) and banish these ills. This strategy should yield you a weed-free garden and plenty of good karma.

By Jakub Kolář (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, another way to add zen to the chore of weeding is to use a guided meditation, with the help of an Ipod or similar device and headphones. One meditation I recommend , the Holy Dinger Uber Deep Meditation, is created by Leonie Dawson, founder of the Shining Biz and Life Academy (disclaimer: I am an affiliate for the Shining Biz and Life Academy: I use, recommend, and heartily endorse its programs).

May weeding chores be an opportunity for Zen-like peace for you. Happy gardening!

Joy of Cold Soups

Cold Soup for a Hot Day

Boy is it hot: really scorching outside. When it's this hot, that means it's time for . . . soup?  What?

Soup in the summertime seems counter intuitive, but that's where cold soups can really fit the bill, for several reasons:

1. They tend to use fresh produce, either from the garden or the farmer's market.

2. They come in savory options, if you want a something remotely traditional for a soup course, or sweet options, if you want a light dessert.

3. They are refreshingly delicious.

4. They can be made ahead of time, in the cool of the morning, and chilled for several hours.

By Gila Brand at en.wikipedia (Own work) [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

For savory cold soups, you can choose from vichyssoise, gazpacho, borscht, or cold cucumber soup, among others. You might try this cold Summer Squash Soup I made recently:

Cold Summer Squash Soup

4 medium yellow squash, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 TBSP butter
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cayenne, or to taste
1 cup plain yogurt

Melt the butter and then saute the squash and onion until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken broth; let the mixture come to a boil and then simmer it for five minutes. Let cool and then add the cayenne pepper.  Blend the mixture and return it to the pan. Whisk in the plain yogurt. Chill for at least one hour (preferably more) before serving. Serves 6-8.


For sweet soups, fresh fruits will play a starring role. Try strawberry soup or cherry soup: yum! You can even go old-school and make traditional Fruktsoppa (Swedish Fruit Soup).

To beat the summer heat, it's hard to beat cold soup, whether as a main dish, side dish, or dessert. Bon appetit!

Gardening and Grief

Gardening and Working through the Grieving Process

My father died May 1, 2015. He hadn't planned to do so, of course. Ever since then, I have been working through the five-stage grieving process--or seven-stage, depending on which model you choose to observe.

While I've been tending the container garden area, the main garden lies almost dormant this summer -- except for the asparagus plants and what I affectionately call "mystery squash": various squash seeds were started, and I failed to label them.

While I have been mourning my father, the main garden, sadly, has suffered from neglect: the weeds have taken over, the soil has not been enriched lately, and I've not planted anything new. Yes, El Niño has certainly played a role, with the torrential downpours that have occurred until recently, but still: grief has invaded the main garden.

By Angelsharum (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

As I move into the acceptance phase of grieving, it is time to reclaim the garden.

In the cool of the morning or in the evening, accompanied by the cool, reassuring presence of Spirit, it is time to pull weeds. Yes, Ralph Waldo Emerson did say the following about weeds: "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." Be that as it may, as I cast away weeds, I cast away regrets, the "might-have-beens," to be left with the good, loving memories of my father.

It is time to feed the soil, to nourish it, for fulfilling the promise of a vibrant, vital autumn garden: a second harvest and a second chance.

It is time to begin today.

By tending the garden, I tend my soul as well as my father's legacy: the lessons of love I have learned from him and his contributions towards making the world a better place. In his memory, I till the ground and plant the seeds of a promising tomorrow. Namaste and Blessed Be.

Sensual Pleasures of Summer

Summertime Pleasures through the Senses

Ahh: summer-- a bountiful time in the garden and in the kitchen, in the yard or on the front porch. This is a season of riches: of plentiful produce, of longer days, of increased opportunities to fulfill our wishes.

I can hear you now; "Are you crazy? It's so hot: it's 98 degrees in the shade, and the humidity makes it even worse. It's hot and sticky out there, sapping my energy. And did I mention that it's hot?"

Yes, it is hot--for part of the the day (okay, a good part of the day). Even so, this precious season brings certain sensual pleasures to enjoy: you may just have to enjoy some of these gifts in the early morning or late evening hours.What to do during the hottest part of the day? That's what siesta as for.

Sights

Summer is a time for rich color: vibrant greens, blues, pinks, yellows, oranges, and reds--seen in trees and flowers, fruits and vegetables of the garden. At the beach, the water seems bluer and the sand seems more golden. In the evening the fireflies dance in the air. Everything seems to shimmer brightly at this time of year.

Sounds

Summer is a glorious time for the sounds of birds chirping, or squawking, as well as the sounds of cicadas and crickets. What can compare to the sounds of waves lapping the shore at the beach or lake, or of the occasional summertime rain shower?

Textures

Summer is practically synonymous with being at the beach or lake and feeling the sand between the toes, followed by a cool dip in the water. In the summer, the gardener gets to enjoy the feel of succulent, ripe fruits and vegetables, ready for harvest.

Smells and Tastes

Summer tantalizes the senses of smell and of taste. The scents of flowers blooming, ripened produce, the smell dinner cooking on the grill (so as not to heat up the kitchen) are almost intoxicating. The taste of ice cream, homemade or store bought, tastes more refreshing during this season. And certain drinks -- iced tea, margaritas, and mint juleps -- truly make a summer afternoon or evening.

Enjoy the sensual pleasures of summer!

By Alfons Mucha [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Add even more to your summer experience with the Creative Goddess ecourse, courtesy of Leonie Dawson's Shining Biz and Life Academy. Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of the Shining Biz and Life Academy and its programs because I believe in them and endorse them wholeheartedly.