RAIN! Happy Dance.

Dear Folks,

With this year being one of the driest in a long time, wishing for rain has become a pass-time for most of us.

The storm last night dumped 1.5 inches on us!! Yippeeeee!!

I could not believe the rain gauge so I checked the second one out and also noted all the bird water dishes were full. Yup we got a great storm, no apparent damage and it meant we could turn off the auto water today (the every 4 days cycle) and save that part of the water bill.

So for the 3 days of this series of storms we have a total 1.9 inches, and the system may still be around for another couple of days.

While this does not help in the long term (we need snow pack for that up north), I would like to see it as an indication we may have the "boomerang" response by nature to an exceptionally dry year.  Some experts are noting the probability/possibility of a wet El Nino for us which could bring not only rain but more snow pack.  Keeping fingers crossed.

Oh and the temps are delightfully lower, hot but not like opening an oven door!

Have a best day,



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Two fun Recipes

Dear Folks,

My vacation brought home to me that I need to take off some weight, ya think!  That is what vacations do, but I have to consider I am getting older. Sigh.

I have a ton of basil happily growing in the garden, so I've been on a Caprese Salad mind-bent and went looking for some variations - and I found a lot of ideas. See the link below.

Aside from the wonderful traditional version of sliced tomatoes, layers with mozerella cheese and sprinkled with basil or the leaves layered in, I wanted some other ways to incorporate them.  I've done the toothpick Caprese version, served on a large lemon leave.  Fun for quick snacks or a party.

I selected this great Orzo Caprese dish to make last night and it is a winner. Originally I was going to make it a cold salad, and I will probably do that in the future (also one of the Caprese variations shows a quinoa Caprese which I will have to try).  But in the end I decided to serve it hot.  I minced the mozerella.  I just kind of eye-balled the proportions to get a nice balance.  I tossed with a bit of fresh lime juice and olive oil.  It was delicious!

Next I am wanting to do more quick egg dishes.  Oh, we love egg salad sandwiches and just grabbing a hard cooked egg, cutting in half and sprinkling with a bit of s&p, and I make a great sunny side egg with fixings for our Sunday breakfasts.  I've also done egg drop soup, but I wanted something FAST!.

Checking the internet for scrambling eggs in the microwave I found a 45 second - yep 45 second, recipe.  This is for one egg, you approximately double it for 2 eggs.

You can do this in a microwave safe cup or a bowl.  The bowl allows the egg to spread out making it easier to do this Egg, cheese, herb burrito.  AND you do not have to grease the bowl.

Microwave Egg Burrito with Herbs and Cheese
1 Serving

1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
Cracked black pepper
sprinkle of salt
about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese
about 2 tablespoons of shredded I'itoli onion tops and basil
1 Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla.

Beat the eggs, milk and s&p in the container you will microwave in.  Microwave for 45 seconds.  Meanwhile lay the tortilla out, put the cheese and herbs down the center and when the egg is done flip on to the tortilla, fold and eat!  It turned out great.

I trailed the microwaving the other day first by cooking in a coffee mug and folding the egg into a slice of whole wheat bread and was hooked on this.  That literally took about a minute and a half to beat the egg, cook it and fold it into the bread.  Love It!

The cooking time creates a moist but cooked egg.  Perfect!

26 Caprese Variation Recipes.

Don't miss the pretty avocado caprese - oh so many good ideas, so few days! :-)

If you enjoy my recipes, consider buying one of my books - available in links on the side bar here.  Even my gardening book has recipes to get you started.

Have a best day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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Back From Vacation, Garden in "Hot" Mode.

Dear Folks,

Back from our vacation with friends on the California coast where the average temperature was HALF of what the highs were here, and my gardens look it.

Some things went nuts - the Roselle and Stevia said bring it on, the strawberries, melon vines and remainder of my celery said "nope."  My Black Tail Watermelon vine seems to be fine, but I do not see any fruit yet, so I made like a bee this morning and went from flower to flower with a q-tip.

Above is the Stevia, a very happy Stevia, which is in its 5th or 6th year, I've lost track.  It keeps coming back year after year and I am careful to not disturb its root area when planting other things.

You can just see the tip of the face of our newest yard critter, a goat, I named Annabelle.  This was another gift of a rustic critter statute for our gardens.  We now have Daisy Mae the Flying Pig and Annabelle the Goat.  Now we decided to look for a chicken or rooster to kind of complete the menagerie.

While the tropical Stevia has settled nicely into a permanent spot, my Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa)  needs to be re-sown every spring.  The picture shows the plant(s) (there are two in there) this morning.  About 4 feet by 4 feet, it will get taller and wider as the summer progresses.  Soon I will start seeing the lovely flowers heralding the Cranberry colored and flavored Calyx for which it is grown.

I started out with 4 plants (seeds sown) because I like to make sure I will have a good sturdy plant.  I also moved the location this year.  I just pruned out 2 to allow for more space for the remaining plants.  In the foreground you can seed garlic chives (a bit burnt from the sun) on the left and on the right a very happy lemon grass.  The lemon grass was almost killed off with my green Sugar Cane, which was dug out this past early spring, and the lemon grass, said "SUN!" and took off.  Now I can use this lemon flavored herb for grilling fish and chicken.  It makes a great flavoring agent along with something like thyme or rosemary in a steaming pouch on the grill (or oven but why use the oven when grilling in the summer is such a great option).


I've been experimenting growing and harvesting radishes into the intense heat and the results are mixed.  Some really nice size ones and others that simply look like a thin root.  However, I think the spot I selected for more radish growing through the winter and next spring is going to work nicely.

I will be posting the September Planting tips in a few days.

I am leaving again to visit family and this summer is proving to be a busy "away" time for me (as I may need to take some time to help with a family medical issue), so bear with me if you send questions.  I will get back to you when I return each time.

Meanwhile, if you enjoy or missed the Back to Basics Bundle sale in January, you will have an opportunity to purchase in a Back to Basics Bundle Flash Sale August 25 - 27th.

The Bundle includes ebooks in categories like

• Cooking From Scratch
• Homesteading
• Preparedness
• Food Preservation
• Growing Your Own Food
• Saving Money
• Natural Healing
• Parenting
• ...and more

Make a note of the dates.  I will be providing the link in time for you to take advantage of the sale.

Have a best day!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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