OH HOW SWEET IT IS~~~JACKIE GLEASON
Our growing season this year has been a wet one. July in Upstate New York has had rain for 25 of the 31 days of July. I know this because I counted them but if you want to know this with some conformation check this :
https://www.bing.com/search?q=how+much+rain+in+july+in+mcdounough+ny+this+year&form
It's been a tough year for the farmers that grow hay for their horses and cows. Those bales of cut hay provide so much food for the farmer's livestock, it's a must have. Most years the farmers here have no problem getting two cuttings out of their fields. This year proved to be very different.
Hay needs to be dry to cut. You cannot bale hay that is wet, if you do, expect a fire in the barn.
Damp hay will combust as it dries, setting the entire crop as well as the barn, ablaze.
No joke!
Now I know it may be confusing, but give me a break will ya? I know I started out talking about basil, then quickly veered off in another direction, like the barn, but there is a logical explanation, I promise. Just hang tight.
For the first time since summer began, Beckwith road saw a striking forecast of a stretch of dry weather for 5 days. Time to cut, rake, fluff and bale the hay.
Hallelujah!
On Beckwith Road, when someone needs a hand, there are very few words spoken. It's never a big deal to spend some time on your neighbor's homestead giving them a boost. In fact, we were all praying for the fields.
And so it goes.
All the men folk are gone today to bring the bales of hay into the barn. Oh yes, we had our dry spell and my cousin Lauren was running the tractor as all the guys pulled the bales into the wagon. The stacking of the bales in the barn would take some grit. But I was sure they were up to the task.
Oh, so what did I do?
I was on Beckwith Road, 'bout a half a mile from the balers, at home making pesto.
I had so much basil that I did what I always do, preserve it in some way to use down the road.
I went with making pesto.
Keeping it simple is the best way to go. I use garlic, gotta have garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese.
A small food processer will do the trick. Add a handful of basil, a palmful of pine nuts , drizzle of olive oil and parm cheese to your liking, I liking a generous amount.😁
Presto change-o, pesto.
I used ice trays to freeze the pesto, I find this method very convenient. Once the tray has frozen solid, I vacuum pack the basil cubes. Perfect to pluck out when needed for sauce, soups or sandwiches. I find pesto goes perfectly on panni sandwiches. So yummy!
Now let's see how good or bad basil is for you . We already know it has a wonderful flavor and an awesome aroma, but can it help our bodies to heal or rejuvenate?
"The main use of basil medicinally is as a natural anti-inflammatory. It is similar to the compounds found in oregano and medical marijuana – and may be used as a substitute for the later because it offers the same relief without the “high.” The same compound that makes it useful as an anti-inflammatory is also believed to help combat bowel inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis."
"Many naturopathic doctors prescribe basil in treatment of diabetes, respiratory disorders, allergies, impotence, and infertility. This may be because basil contains cinnamanic acid, which has been found to enhance circulation, stabilize blood sugar, and improve breathing in those with respiratory disorders."
"It is also know that basil is very high in antioxidants, especially when it is used as an extract or oil. These antioxidants can protect your body against free radical damage associated with aging, some skin ailments, and most forms of cancer. Antioxidants have become an important part of keeping our bodies healthy, and basil may be among the safest and most effective sources of these life-giving compounds."
https://www.offthegridnews.com/alternative-health/medicinal-uses-and-health-benefits-of-basil/
Soon after I finish up with this first cutting of basil, I intend to move onto oregano. This lovely plant is also so aromatic when leaves are plucked right from the plant. It's part of my morning routine, I kid you not. First thing I do as I step onto my deck, is pinch some sweet basil and sniff. It puts a bounce in my step as I take my morning stroll.
Upon returning from my walkabout, I grab a few oregano leaves and inhale all that goodness.
SWEET!
I am debating on how I want to preserve the oregano this year. I used a dehydrator last year, which worked great, but I was a little disappointed with the fragrance, or lack there of. So I am on a mission to get the info I need to try another method of preserving it long term.
If anyone in community has a new idea for me, please give me a shout.
The last thing I want to share with y'all, are some pictures of my flowers. I know I enjoy #gardeners that display their colorful flower gardens. I hope you like mine!
@dswigle always includes flowers in her posts, much to my delight. The flowers I grow in my gardens never fail to #makemesmile. The #alwaysaflower community does an unbelievable job in displaying #nature's beauty.
So colorful and pleasing to the eye, not to mention the fragrance that fills the air.
It's therapeutic!
As I come to a close I want to recognize the #naturalmedicine community. What a wonderful and knowledgeable group of folks. There's nothing better than knowing how to use nature's gifts to heal our bodies and minds.
Thanks for sharing.
Love and peace to all.
Thanks @riverflows.
🤗
Me! Pick me! I have an idea!!!!
OREGANO PESTO!!!!! It's awesome too! Great for winter soups etc. And - here's a thought - you can do it with cashews or walnuts or any other nut. Mind blown, right?
I adore pesto - I just put a heap of basil seeds in as I want ALL THE PESTO!
Great post, loved the barn story that went along with this!
oooowee, yes great idea, oregano pesto. Why is that sometimes, my brain should have kicked up that thought a long time ago. I guess I just got stuck on the dehydrator.
Hey @riverflows, how's it going? It's been a busy season here, everything is coming in now, just picked our first red tomato this week. Now I am being intimadated by the amount of green ones still to ripen. All can say is, looks like I will have a full freezer again this year. But oh man, lots of peeling and seeding to do. I better make some fresh bread to clean up the dishes with. hehehe
Hahah, my husband with bread and mopping up dinner! I want to get into making sourdough again next year when I have more time.
Yeah sometimes we just don't think sideways with vegetables and dinners. I never forgot the time my friend made tacos with chickpeas and broccoli - my mind was blown as I always thought Mexican was black beans and tomatoes, you know? This made me think pretty out of box for almost everything I did afterwards, and it works. Kale pesto is also awesome!
Sorry won't jump on that kale pesto, don't like kale. You can keep the chick peas also, too dry. Black beans and rice, sooo nice.
Your post has been featured in the Lotus Garden newsletter, which will be published tomorrow.
You've been curated by @minismallholding for Natural Medicine's homesteading newsletter, supporting gardeners, permaculturalists, foragers, environmentalists and other earth centred relationships with the earth.
CommunityIIDiscord
That is so exciting, you know how to make a gal feel welcome.
Thanks so much.
Your pesto looks legit, brilliant Idea for mine!
I also have tons of wild oregano, in front of the window, and I am curious to hear what is the best way to preserve it.
I might just hang it dry on a string, and use at it goes!
Good morning. My pesto is legit! Freezing cubes is a great way to preserve that basil goodness. I hang herbs all over my kitchen to use as I go in the summer months, plus they look cool, add a little ole school flare.
I am thinking I am going to do oregano the same way. A little olive oil, garlic and some kind of nut and maybe some parmesan into food processor then ice cube trays. it works so well with the basil, it's gotta be good for the oregano. But I will still dry out a bunch and put in jars too. I just have so much of it as I am sure you do also.
Boy abundance is wonderful, all my peeps leave the farm with all kinds of goodies including some very sweet herbs.
Life is good! Enjoy it my friend.
No you didn't 😄 (reading your comment section, I Know who got the idea first!!!)
I am actually gonna try today , very good idea my dear(s)!!!
I loved your flower collection...and the farm looks amazing...thank you for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed my flower garden. Good morning!
Nice to see you. You are new on my radar and I really appreciate you dropping by.
Have a wonderful day. Happy gardening.
Thats ingenious, freeing the pesto in ice trays, I am definitely going to have to try that. I love basil and make a lot of pesto in the summer, it is such an amazing plant. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe and technique with us xx
Curated for #naturalmedicine by @trucklife-family. Come join us in in our new LOTUS CHAT - anyone can join, even without a HIVE account! Check it out here. Did you know that you can earn a badge from @hivebuzz for posting about #mentalhealthawareness? Read more details here!
Good day to you.
The ice cube method works so good . It's a treat to use during the winter months when fresh herbs are impossible to get. Thanks for dropping by, happy harvest!
Congrats on your harvest turn up, i love your flowers im a lover of nature too
Perfect . I love to share my garden do you garden also. Share your secrets
🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
Hey how ya doing? Our summer has been raining for most of July but we are powering though 👍
Hope you are well
hello friend all good, suffering a little with the power outages and the internet. but always trying to be active here. Working here helps me with my expenses so I always look for a way to publish something. Ultimately I can hardly comment due to the lack of internet, but hey is what I have had to live.
Good morning. Those power outages must drive you nuts. What a bummer. All things considered, you still are very active on the blockchain. Hang in there kiddo.
Yeah, hay making has been a problem here. No wonder many have turned to the round bales, wrapped.
I always wondered why I see all those rounds in plastic, but I don't see how that hay stays dry in plastic with the sun beating on it. According to my cousin, any moisture causes mold to grow and I guess she doesn't want her horses to eat that. idk, I have to ask her a few questions.
Anywho, hope you are well. My son , his wife and my two adorable grand-daughters are here for a week's vacation. I am in my glory.
The "marshmallows" (what my son called them) are mostly for fermented hay, called haylage. Like silage. Can't be fed to horses, no more than silage can. Horses have a VERY delicate digestive system compared to other domesticated animals.
If the plastic remains intact, it makes an acceptable mulch for the garden. They are just very heavy and I don't have a way to move them.
Oh thanks for that info. I know my cousin is very careful what she feds her horses. She talks about the first cutting , if done at the right time, the protein content is high, if cut and left too long because of rain, it loses a lot of that protein. It's been a lousy year for haying. Too much rain.
Haven't harvest my basil yet. This is a good help. 💚
Hello, good morning, nice to meet you.
Thanks for checking out my post.
Basil is such a wonderful herb and so healthy for you. I use it in so many dishes. If you get an abundance it's worth taking the time to process it then freeze it. If packaged right, it will last up to a year in the freezer. Of course, mine is gone long before that, it's just so good.
Hope you have an awesome day.
Wow. Nuce to hear! I will try to keep them on the fridge. Thank you!
Wow I LOVE Basil too and now I know I should be eating way more of it!
I bought some Basil from the supermarket (ready to eat fruit n veg section) last year- 2 of them, planted them both in a big pot, 1 died and the other grew.
It's sweet Basil (or so said the wrapping) but it doesn't have much flavour.
I'm really wanting to get some lemon flavoured Basil and then we're talking flavour!
Thanks so much for sharing a great way to save it too!
Love the flowers...I LOVE flowers and colours....🤣
Here's my little nano jungle in the middle of the cement jungle.
Plants at wndow are real, but the rest are fake. Not enough light gets in here...
Hello and Good morning.
Your "jungle" looks beautiful, comfy place with lots of color.
the Ivy stung around the ceiling moldings looks great. Nice idea.
You should try basil from seeds, so much more flavorful than store bought plants, although lemon basil IS the bomb!
Good luck with it.
Thanks yeah I don't mind being in lockdown when I live in this place....😃
Yeah that's a good idea too, basil from seeds. I never thought that it would make much difference, but I'm sure that you're right.
I bought a pot of mixed lettuces and replanted it into a bigger pot and it was doing really well for the first month or so and I got a few nice handfuls of Cos from it but now it's all dying and I don't know why (apart from the fact that I've never been much of a green thumb...)
But I have been thinking about planting Silverbeet, or some species of chard/spinach..) and Kale too, because they have more nutrients and I eat them like lettuce anyway...
So when we get out of lockdown (and I make some money again) I'll be back to the nursery to get some and find that Lemon basil too.
Where are you? Here in the USA, there are no lockdowns at the present, but if the cases keep rises, which they are now, we may end up there again.
Lettuces have a short life span, keep picking and watering. If time allows in your area, plants some more seeds for a second crop.
Thanks for the feedback. Have a wonderful day.
In a highrise apt right in the middle of Melbourne, Australia.
So the lettuce are in a big container (actually it is a baby bath I found..) and right behind the window in the sun (well it's winter..)but they still get light from sunrise to late afternoon and all the other plants love it there and then they'll all go back out onto he balcony when it starts to warm up..
Well Sydney's cases are growing by the day and hit nearly 360 today and that's not a lot compared to the rest of the world, but we don't have a huge population here like most other countries do..so Sydney's had 11300 cases since Jan and 90 deaths and we here in Vic go into lockdown at the drop of a hat- which I don't mind cause it gives me a chance to rest and do the things that I need to catch up on.. though I have zero income when this happens..its just lucky that I know how to conserve everything and live very frugally...and since I have a rare heart condition, I know I'd cark it if I get the virus...so I like to be careful and am happy talking to myself...lol...though I'm not anyway, I'm here on Hive talking to so many amazing people from all over the world.
Yeah I think I'm going to try the Silverbeet and Kale or the chards...like I said, more nutrients than lettuce and I use it like lettuce anyway..
Wonderful blog @farm-mom, I didn't know that Basil had so many health benefits, thank you for sharing that!
Life on the farm looks so good!
Good day Lizzy. Sorry I did not get back to you sooner, but we had company over the weekend , my brother and sister-in-law were here and we hadn't seen them in a long time, so it was non-stop, catching up. Great time.
My #3 son, his wife and my adorable granddaughters are here for the week. I am in heaven.
I am glad you enjoyed my garden journal basil is so good for you, most herbs are , so I try to grow and preserve as much as I can. At my age ever little bit helps.😁
Now while I have your ear, oh no wait, your eye, I must apologize. You know I love silver bloggers but I am not going to able to do #bow this week, just too busy. But rest assure, I will still be as supportive as possible with the community. Wishing you the best!
You sure have an abundance of basil says the fellow pesto lover!
I'm getting all the pesto I want this year too so I appreciate you sharing all the health benefits I'm getting along with that marvelous flavor!
Good morning @porters, what's not to love about basil, I have thought about making sachets with it, I love the smell so much ,hehe. Basil fragranced panties, that's a new twist...hahahahaha
All kidding aside, basil not only tastes and smells wonderful, it is great for your health.
Enjoy the week my friend.
Hi @farm-mom, Silver-Blond Lizzie here, couldn't find you on Discord, wanted to thank you SO much for the generous hbd, but it was sent twice to SBC, is that correct or should we return the one transaction?
Hi there. Funny thing, it was a double hit by mistake but @thebigsweed was going to do the same so it worked out perfectly. Just so you know it’s from both of us. It’s a beautiful community and it gives us pleasure to support it.
Have a blessed day, now I am going fishing with my granddaughters.😃❤️👏😍
You guys are just awesome thank you❤ Enjoy your grandkids!
What a fantastic day it was. The weather was perfect. The kids caught some fish and we swam like fishes. So cool. Lovin' life.
You & @thebigsweed certainly are living your dream retirement @farm-mom, keeping busy with all the things you love, enjoy💞
Hola! Mi papá toma el orégano y lo deja secar al sol, se deshidrata por completo y una vez así lo pasa por un colador de jugos y lo pulveriza. Así dura muchísimo, pero igual se me ocurre que podrías agregarle sal para prolongar su duración si así lo prefieres. Sirve para agregar al final en ensaladas, guisos o panes, es delicioso el aroma que aporta y el sabor. Saludos!!
😀🖐👍