Flu Season Already

 

 

Tom Stoppard opens up today’s act with his quote, “A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.” That’s the beauty of gardening. Once people get the bug, they usually carry it to others. How do I know this? When we received a follow-up call this morning from a vendor, he sheepishly admitted he planted three grape vines. He caught the bug when he was here last fall. The grapes were ripening and he took some home for his wife to make grape jelly. Today he wanted advice on what to do with the grape vines growing haphazardly on the ground. A big oops goes out to him and his wife because it sounds like he caught the bug. From here, it could easily become a chronic case of ‘grape fever’.  



So on this rainy Friday morning, don’t let the raindrops stop you from carrying a positive message. It starts with attitude and then takes off with 'example'. What garden bugs are you sharing? Figs; another catchy one, too!

Top image of Figs ripening in the July sun by Ann Bilowz
Image of Vidal grapes(great dessert wine) ripening in the vineyard by Greg Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Tidbits for Thursday

 

Without going too far out on a limb this morning, a simple recipe is in store for this last Thursday of September. For those still enjoying fresh leafy greens from the veggie garden, here's a super easy salad dressing. You can dress your red cabbage (easy to grow, too) chopped up and mixed in with your fresh greens or you can use it strictly as a ‘slaw’ dressing. It’s a great addition for a fall barbeque salad, too! 

It’s a recipe I discovered from CD Kitchen while looking for an ‘easy’ sweet and tangy salad dressing. If you adjust and play around with its few simple ingredients, you can find the right dose of sweetness or tang. With dressings this simple, you should never consider one of those expensive bottled ones from the store. Plus you’ll recognize all these ingredients, unlike the list of unknowns on the supermarket’s version.

Here’s all you need.

¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk together and serve over your salad, it’s that easy. 

With parsley removed from the ‘grow list’ this year, I opted for no herbs with this recipe. But I’m a Romano cheese girl rather than Parm so I did sub that one. I used the precise measurements the first go around but I wing it now and go less sugar, more olive oil to reduce the sweetness a bit. I’ve also added more cheese and tried less, depending on what flavor I’m looking to achieve. There are lots of things to add, subtract or change to this base recipe. But with a dressing so uncomplicated, it keeps things simple on your greens. On that ending note, let’s take a bit of advice from Aristotle. “Change in all things is sweet.” Including your salad dressing!

Why the flower picture when the topic is dressing? Most often times, these are the prettiest shots. Plus, this dynamite perennial, Geranium 'Rozanne' is still sporting some wonderful blossoms in late September. That’s the extra Thursday tidbit. 

Image of Geranium 'Rozanne' by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Making Room

 

As we stretch into the shorter days of fall, it’s time to evaluate and organize how much time was spent in our gardens or our outdoor spaces this year. Making room is today’s wordless Wednesday theme; although it’s hardly ever a wordless Wednesday here. Today’s focal point - as the days get shorter and the garden scales tip toward ‘clean-up’ rather than ‘creative’, ‘tis the season to evaluate your overall landscape/garden objectives. 

The most important objective – did you make room? We’re not just talking about your physical space but did you make room for spending time in your created landscape? Nothing can be as beautiful or as imperfect as the time you spend nurturing something, especially your outdoor space. So the best way to carve time and make room for this hobby or obsession (you choose) is to create a routine. Whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly, if you evaluate where you put your efforts this past spring/summer season, it should be very easy to figure out where you need to make room. If it means cutting back some of those perennial beds or planting less tomatoes but more lettuce, it’s asking yourself how much time can you spend each day, each week, or worse, each month in your garden space. As Napoleon Hill profoundly pointed out, “The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.” It’s the perfect season to make room. Evaluate your outdoor space! 

Image of Grapes still flourishing in the small vineyards by Ann Bilowz

Yes, the grape thing has become an obsession and one that’s eating up all the physical space! And if you missed yesterday’s post, making room is another one of those ‘Running Parallel’ analogies. Enjoy your Wednesday.  

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Running Parallel

 

Mingled in with this morning’s chill and sun, these delicate mushrooms growing on the property captured my attention, resonating with this John Muir quote. “The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing." But enough with the sunshine and wake-up call already; what’s up with this morning’s chill?

Hello, if you aren’t paying attention, now is one of those times to understand your property and its microclimates. We’ve talked about this before and it may seem insignificant to most on this sunny fall day, specifically if you didn’t notice any frosty spots on your grass. But these tiny cold pockets are paramount to understanding where and what to plant. This link on microclimates from Cornell University http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/weather/microcli.html (used in past blog posts on this subject) offers large and small scale examples; plus it is easy for a beginner 101 gardener to comprehend. 

But here’s an interesting parallel. Knowing and understanding your property and its microclimates are similar to the principles one learns in yoga; knowing and listening to your body. Just like your property, if you find an area that has one of these mini-microclimates, you don’t fight it, you don’t resist it. You work with it. Are you still with me here? I realize some minds are still stretching and waking up. 

And BTW – if anyone is looking for a great yoga teacher who helps you understand those microclimates and resistant places in yourself, check out this link http://breathehere.com/Welcome.html. Yoga is a great practice for keeping those gardening muscles stretched and limber, especially for those upcoming winter days!  

P.S. Thanks, Stephanie for your kind words. Always welcome. Namaste! And if you want some past links on microclimates, just type in ‘microclimate’ under the search button to the left hand side of the blog page. 

Image of mushrooms growing in the landscape (most likely poisonous but pretty) by Ann Bilowz

 If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Where Color Follows

 

It’s a quick Monday morning snippet highlighting some fall color in the perennial garden accompanied by a profound C.S. Lewis quote. “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Wherever you go, whatever you do, regardless of your industry or profession, true humility is paramount to building good relationships; a good way to jumpstart the week. When in doubt, plant fall flowers!

Images of ‘Aster laevis 'Bluebird' and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

At Summer’s End

 

Ryunosuke Satoro’s quote fits perfectly with this last full day of summer. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

As we say goodbye to strolls on the beach and spending lingering days in our gardens, we welcome fall! Lots of plant talk, color details and design tips around the bend. Ironically on this 21st day of September, it's also our 21st anniversary. So that whole team thing really means something with us! We appreciate all that follow us here in the social media world. Time to celebrate summer's end.

Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

The Grand Finale Days

 

Here it is the last of the summer days and my trusty watering can is soon to be stored away. So what’s the topic for these in-between days? There’s an interesting read I just delved into called ‘The Mobile Wave. How Mobile Intelligence will Change Everything’ by Michael Saylor. Although briefly into its beginning chapters, on the back of the book there’s a quick list of perspectives that grab the reader’s attention. Here’s one that may interest some of you. “Cars, homes, fruit, art, and more will be “tagged” so they can you tell you about themselves.” So while an app telling me more about the fruit we eat is appealing, I wonder about the farmer growing the fruit. 

Mobile intelligence is changing the global landscape and how most if not of all us work, live and run a business. But how will it change what we know as our private and intimate landscape, our garden space? I’m tempted to contact the author because this reminds me of a conversation on a plane last October with a young urban individual who worked in a company that was revolutionizing how diabetes was tested. It was an interesting concept and certain to have its place in helping the individuals who live with this disease. But when the conversation turned to his country of origin and how this once flourishing agriculturally based area shifted all of its efforts toward technology, a sudden pause loomed when I asked, ‘But will you be able to eat a smartphone?”

While I expect mobile intelligence shifts to bombard us and change the way we live, I shall keep the trusty watering can nearby and continue to promote locally grown, produce your own and always keep yourself surrounded with a beautifully designed space. On that note, Aldous Huxley provides the quote for this day. “There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that’s your own self.” Never lose touch with creating your own wave!

Thank you, Carol for yesterday’s wonderful feedback and for your loyal readership.

Image of the trusty watering can by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

In Between

 

Yes, it is wordless Wednesday. Susan Smith gives us a perfect quote for today. “Living in process is being open to insight and encounter. Creativity is becoming intensively absorbed in the process and giving it form.” Where do you stand today? Are you like the seasons in transition – somewhere in between? Just a little tidbit - experiencing both sides of this process equals beautiful outdoor living space!

P.S. These daily blog posts should inspire and engage all of you with the creative process of landscape design, horticulture and connecting with the earth. It can be a tall order to fill every day. Some of you like tidbits on veggies, while others like the quotes. Some look for design ideas and helpful planting tips but I’m all ears to your comments, questions and thoughts! Consider me in between seasons.

Image of Portulaca grandiflora still growing in between the rocks by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

The Annual All-Stars

 

As we transition from summer into fall, here lies the reason to plant annuals that linger in those garden spaces between seasons. What annual did you plant this year that is still performing? Jeanette Winterson’s quote sums up transition best. “In the space between chaos and shape there was another chance.” Look for those annual all-stars that are still in bloom. And if you can’t find them, remember to plant a few select annuals in next year’s garden. Post your favorite annual!

Image of a Coral variegated Geranium by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Not the Every Day Occurrence

 

Thomas Fuller reminds us that “Harvest comes not every day, though it comes every year.” Are you keeping up with this year’s bounty from your summer garden? These baskets of produce are just a small snippet of our Saturday harvest. What a busy weekend, enjoying and prepping and storing for the winter season. Here’s an ‘Annie’ short list of cooking and storing ideas for your summer harvest:

Potatoes galore; none go to waste. Any with a few bad spots are chopped off and then roasted with olive oil, a cup of chicken broth, a sprig of rosemary. Ready to eat! The remaining stash (along with some earlier picked potatoes) gets stored in a cool location for a mid-winter treat.

Butternut squash tastes best roasted and stored in bags to keep throughout the week. Same with eggplant and peppers! Roast, roast, roast; get most if not all of your  menu prepped for the week.

Butternut squash bisque -Yummy for this chilly weather and freezable, too. With so many recipes and simple to cook, there’s no excuse not to whip up this delectable treat.

Sundried tomatoes are easy to make with your San Marzano splits. Slice and toss in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, cook overnight in a slow oven and store in the fridge for a week or two. Don’t want short-lived? If you can them, this adds a zesty lift to one of those winter evenings, ‘What do I cook?’

Try freezing your herbs. Lots of folks do this with spearmint and basil. If you like to cook with fresh leaves rather than dried, this is the next best thing to garden-fresh during the mid-winter crunch.

We can’t forget the grapes in its first stage of wine. Here’s a small batch de-stemmed before crushing. With this year’s hot, dry weather, the grapes are exceptionally sweet. Hoping it melds together into something wonderful to taste. If we look on the bright side, there’s always next year’s harvest.

How do you keep your summer bounty lasting throughout the year? Share your ideas. Below are the best ways to post. Enjoy this magnificent Monday; it’s the last of the beautiful summer days. Time to go!

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Inside Out

 

Do you like changing up your interior with what’s trendy and hip? Check out these new fall paint colors. Some bright, some muted; these shades are perfect to match on the inside out. And with fall just around the corner, the clock is ticking. It’s time to step up your landscape plantings and outdoor decorations before frost hits. 

Check out these close matches.

Pumpkins hit the target with the Tangerine Tango.

The Aster novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’has a subtle hint of Rhapsody.

If you look closely, you might see some of these same colors unfolding in your garden. Take a peek at this color chart. See if it helps with a fresh lift of vibrancy to an otherwise dull outdoor space. 

Fall is the perfect time to think inside out. And as Darren L. Johnson points out, “Long-lasting change that will help you create new habits and actions requires an inside-out approach, as well as two very important tools: the mirror and time.”

Image of Pumpkins by Ann Bilowz and Aster novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’ by Greg Bilowz
Image of Fall color chart from: http://www.chicagonow.com/design-sense/2012/09/and-the-colors-for-fall-2012-are/

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A Garden Composition

 

In honor of Clara Schumann’s 193rd birthday today, let’s take a quote from this musical prodigy. “There is nothing greater than the joy of composing something oneself and then listening to it.” Ah, and so the same applies to our garden composition.

For all who have delved into the dabbling of gardens, whatever the shape or size, no matter the amount of time you spend in it, your garden is composed and to be listened to. As the summer season of our gardens come to an end, take fifteen minutes to scan your work. Review your accomplishments. Listen to the last sounds of summer and take the beauty in.

 

P.S. Squint your eyes and see past the weeds; there is still beauty there! This may seem like a repeat message but too often we forget to listen.
Images by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

From Grapes to Butternuts

 

A simple image of grapes ready for harvest, some even to taste! Bob Blumer reminds us on this sunny Wednesday, “In the abstract art of cooking, ingredients trump appliances, passion supersedes expertise, creativity triumphs over technique, spontaneity inspires invention, and wine makes even the worst culinary disaster taste delicious.”   

And to answer a question sent in yesterday from a loyal blog follower, how do you roast butternut squash to get that nutty taste? It’s very simple; cut in halves, clean the innards and brush olive oil, salt and pepper for flavor, place on a cookie sheet and bake. Just in case you need specifics, here’s a link that gives the low-down http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/10/28/how-to-roast-butternut-squash/ with a ton of butternut squash recipes. Enjoy this sunny Wednesday and the final transition from summer to fall days.

Image of September grapes growing in the vineyard by Greg Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A September Flower Break

 

Mary Oliver’s words sum up today, this September 11, 2012 because too often we are reminded just how short life really is.

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.” ~ Mary Oliver

Image by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

A Sea of Herbs

 

With this upcoming week of spectacular fall-like weather, this is the time to consider drying your herbs. You can create an extraordinary culinary experience when dried herbs from your garden are available year-round. If you plan on tackling the herb drying process and you want it done right, pick the ideal weather conditions; when there’s no humidity in the air. As John Wooden stated, “If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” 

Image of Sage growing in the garden by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Butter-nut Squash Them

 

September is harvest time and one of the tried and true staples of the produce garden is the Butternut Squash. Picked late last night, this sweet but nutty-flavored veggie is still producing despite the abundant weed patch. One of the major benefits of growing Butternut Squash - these beauties can store well into the colder months.

So butter nut squash them from your produce-to-grow list. As David Bly reminds us as we wrap up our first week of September, “Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted.” Butternut Squash – part of a successful harvest with just a few plants and a smidgen of hard work.

P.S. What’s your favorite way to cook Butternut Squash? Hope to hear from you. Roasting them intensifies the sweet, nutty flavor.

Image of Butternut Squash from the garden by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Renovations and Additions

 

Don’t let the feel of September lull you into thinking there’s no time for renovations and additions in your garden space. As Jim Rohn reminds us, “If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree.”Just like Pop-Tart gardening; a few quick renovation and addition ideas for your September garden list.

Give your perennials, especially the newbies and any recently transplanted ones a quick lift. Add a shot of fertilizer to perk them up before the cooler weather hits. 

Want a healthy lawn? September is the month to renovate. Make time to core-aerate, thatch, and top-seed to make a greener space.

Finalize your bulb order. Forgot to order mid-summer? You can still get an order placed and planted before the ground freezes. Come spring, this addition perks up any colorless garden space. 

Divide your perennials and spread out to new borders and beds; mass your plantings for color and texture adding garden oomph to unused or empty space. 

It’s the perfect time to formulate and detail your ideas; think new garden rooms with softscape and hardscape. Add or renovate a terrace, the kitchen garden, the sitting wall - whatever you felt was missing this year from your current place. 

And don’t miss the second best time to plant your woody trees and shrubs.

With one last reminder that evergreens should be planted by mid-October; deciduous trees and shrubs can be planted into November or before the ground freezes, whichever comes first.

Whether it’s a small touch-up or a large undertaking to your landscape, September is the perfect month to change the things you don’t like. It’s time to add or renovate!

Image by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Olivia’s Pumpkin

Walt Disney once said, “Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old.”

Need a picker-upper for a rainy Wednesday? It's time for the ‘kids’ to pick out their pumpkins. Don't miss your moment to fall decorate!

Image of a pumpkin growing in the garden by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Finding Chicken in the Woods

With this week’s prediction of moist and humid weather to kick off our September, there’s bound to be additional things growing in our gardens besides our plants. But let’s move outside our own backyards and into the woods; it’s always worth the trek at this time of year. Why? Well, here’s an interesting sighting we spotted this weekend. Although the camera shot is a bit blurred, (I’ll bet money on it but take a pass on eating it) that this is ‘The Chicken of the Woods.’ Supposedly delectable for the wild mushroom connoisseur, this fungus grows (according to the experts) in this neck of the woods (Eastern North American hardwood forests).

So if you’re itching to expand your hobbies this fall, enroll in a local mycology course or at least take a late summer walk through the forests to see if you can spot ‘The Chicken of the Woods.’ In the meantime, I’ll use this unknown author’s definition of what to include should a recipe call for any type of mushroom. “Recipe: A series of step-by-step instructions for preparing ingredients you forgot to buy, in utensils you don't own, to make a dish the dog wouldn't eat.” Unless you’ve been trained to know if a wild mushroom is edible, I’m sticking to this recipe rule!

Image of a wild mushroom in the woods by Ann Bilowz

P.S. Calling all mushroom/mycology experts - is your money on this being 'The Chicken of the Woods?"

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. You can like our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/abilowz or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/annbilowz (where there are even more shared tidbits) or subscribe on the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com Happy Gardening. Annie P.S. You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/