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Herbin' Renewal ~

Category: Zuzu's Bloomin' Blog | Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 5:40 am

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One of the rites of spring, for me,
is my first trip of the year to Meg's herb farm.

Of course, my friend's business has grown over the years
(yes, I'm painfully aware of the bad pun)
and they sell much more than herbs these days,
but that's how she started out, back when I first got the habit,
and so it will always be "the herb farm" to me.

This trip has become something of a pilgrimage.
A gal pal and I get together for brunch first,
honing our appetite for the event over scrambled eggs and coffee,
comparing shopping lists and catching up on each other's news.
Then we pile into the SUV, and drive the 20 or so miles to paradise,
chatting happily along the way, both of us admiring the way
the landscape is coming back to life after winter.
The day is perfect, bright and warm enough for T-shirts.

Now, I want to explain that I really do try
to approach this project with an orderly and organized plan,
I've made a list of things that I think I need,
plants that have performed well in previous years,
which I want to repeat, and others, which have not done so well,
and need to be replaced.

The problem is, I begin to lose interest in "the plan"
before my feet can ever touch the ground.
As my friend brakes to a stop, I'm already scanning the goods.
We both grab our checkbooks and sunglasses and get going.

As I grab the handle of a little rusted Red Flyer wagon,
a "shopping cart" that has seen many seasons of service,
logic falls into a deep coma and something more primal takes over.
There's no use fighting it, I may as well enjoy the ride.

If I were able to divert my attention to the other shoppers,
I'm sure that most of them would have the same glazed eyes
and euphoric grin that I know I am wearing,
I am not alone, I am with kindred spirits, all is well.



Everywhere I turn, there are so many temptations.



Red and green lettuces with flat, ruffled or curly leaves,
countless varieties of mint and thyme,
more types of oregano than I ever knew existed.



The numerous greenhouses are filled with tender treasures
which cannot be exposed to the still chilly nights of mid-March.



Pepper plants and Basils, Nasturtiums, Salvias and even citrus plants,
row upon row, lush and blooming, it truly is overwhelming.







I'll bet you think I spent a ton of cash and overloaded my friend's SUV,
But something sort of strange happened,
maybe I was paralysed by the sheer magnitude of choice.
By the time it was all over and my tab was totalled,
I came away with everything I needed in the way of salad greens,
which were the primary things on that forgotten list of mine.
I also found that I had bought the two Turkish Basil plants I'd wanted,
and I only had a few impulse purchases,
including a Lemon Bergamot that I just couldn't resist.

I'm rather proud of myself . . . considering.

But, that was a couple of days ago, and I have found myself thinking
of making another trip back out there already,
there are a few things I just can't seem to get off my mind.





Anyone feel like brunch and a drive in the country?









Last edited: Sat Mar 17, 2007 6:09 am

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A Spring Outing ~

Category: Zuzu's Bloomin' Blog | Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:53 am

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Today's weather couldn't have been better,
the weatherman predicted perfection, and that's just what we got.
The temperature hovered around 80°F and the sky was like crystal,
so I couldn't resist spending the day out,
and for once, I remembered to take the camera along.



The Star Magnolias are blooming


and the Tulip Magnolias, too.




Everywhere I went, the landscape was splashed with color,
Forsythia and Quince




drifts of Daffodils and precious little grape Hyacinths


and, of course, my favorites, the Camellias,
are still blooming their ever-lovin' hearts out.


How can you not love a shrub that gives such a profusion of
lush, rose-like flowers so early in the season,
and continues for months on end?


I was fascinated by some of the older homes that I saw
while I was out today, too. Some of them were a bit ramshackle
but still quite charming, in their own way, I think.





This one has had a recent make-over.


There is so much new construction around this area,
it really warms my heart when someone rescues one of these old gals.

The fine weather isn't going to last,
a cold front is headed my way and it may get pretty stormy when it arrives,
but that's okay, I made the most of today,
and all those lovely flowers need the rain.

You should have stopped by earlier, we opened a really nice Beaujolais,
and enjoyed it out on the patio.







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