July Bouquets & Randomness in the Garden

The zinnias have bloomed and are perfect for making weekly bouquets.

 

Any combination of zinnias and other flowers for fillers is a welcome addition to the cottage table!

Taking the camera to the garden during a cooler spell, I noticed the Scottish moss was starting to bloom. 

The nasturtium is also in full bloom, and it is so pretty! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Roses in Bloom

 
The roses have continued to bloom. I have added fertilizer and deadheaded and been rewarded with repeat blooms! 

Strolling to the garden to cut them has become my favorite pastime this summer.

In Victory,

Sherry

Strawberry Tea In the Garden

When the weather is nice, there is nothing better than heading to the garden in the evening and enjoying it with a cup of tea.
 

I have this little spot set up in the only shady spot left in my garden for just the very purpose of having tea.

Sherbet-colored flowers are now coming from the garden for weekly bouquets.

A sweet little niece who was just turning 11 came to my house this day and made a birthday cake with lots of sprinkles! The tea is strawberry lemonade with orange blossom.

Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought; our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. ~Samuel Johnson

In Victory,

Sherry

Razzleberry Pie

The Razzelberry Pie has long been a family favorite. It is simply a mixed-berry pie. The berries in the pie are now at their peak, so I decided to make one from fresh berries. 

I have made this pie from fresh berries and fresh frozen. Either way they are incredibly juicy. So juicy in fact that the pie is swimming in juice. I have put 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in this pie and only used 1/2 cup of sugar and that seems to be the trick to lessening the juice.

 

Mixed Berry Pie (aka: Razzelberry Pie)

 

double pie crust

16 ounces of raspberries

16 ounces of blackberries

10 ounces of blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

egg white 

1 tablespoon sugar to sprinkle on crust

Prepare the double crust recipe of your choice. Press the first layer in the 10-inch pie plate.

Prick bottom with fork. 

In a large mixing bowl place the raspberries and set aside. In another large bowl put the blackberries and blueberries with the 1/2 cup sugar and let macerate for 60-90 minutes. When the berries are finished macerating save 1/4 cup juice and discard the rest. Toss together the raspberries, the berry mixture that was macerating, 1/4 cup reserved juice, lemon juice, corn starch, and salt. 

Pour berry mixture into the pie crust. Roll out the remaining pie crust dough and make a top pie crust. Seal edges by turning under and crimping.  Be sure to cut vents into the top of the crust and then brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes, until top of crust begins to brown. (Here I use a silicone pie crust shield to prevent the edges of the pie from burning. You could also use aluminum to shield the edges.) Turn the oven down to 375°F and bake for  30-40 minutes more, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is a deep golden brown. (I take the pie crust shield off about 10 minutes from the end of baking.)

Let cool for 1-2 hours.

Serve with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Herb Posy

 
Foe June my herb project was to create an herb posy. 

If you have followed along, I have taken this book, The Herbal Yearbook, picked out a project for each month, and created it for the blog. It was a great way for me to use my herbs more, and it got me inspired.

Does anyone know what this herb is? I am sure I planted German chamomile, but it is a bit larger than I expected, and I just love it.

Here is my herb posy. I used chamomile, feverfew, a rose, pineapple mint, and lavender.

I styled it on my flower drying rack, but after the photos, I took it inside, and it lasted in a vase for a week. I was impressed it had that long a vase life. The rose is 'moonlight in Paris'. A new favorite rose of mine! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Sunset & Sweet Peas

It has started to get hot, so sunset is the best time to get in the garden now. I grew sweet peas! An old-fashioned flower I have always had on my list to grow. This year, I made it happen. 

The reward was such fragrant and beautiful blooms for the vase and nostalgia for sweet peas I remembered from long ago.

My crystal suncatcher is in the foreground, and the Indian summer black-eyed susans are in the background.

I created a bed just for the lily-of-the-valley and put this lantern planter beside it for a romantic look.

Some more of the sweet peas are growing up into a lantern.

My favorite combination to date of petunias and salvia for my elevated beds. The salvia is blue Victoria.

The petunias are pink fusion. I grew both the salvia and petunias from seed.

A peach trailing verbena.

The long shot of the container.

A new rose to me this year is Carding Mill, a David Austin rose. I am growing it in a pot. 

I transplanted some black-eyed susans here last year, and they are now blooming. 

In this cloche are pow wow echinacea and apricot fusion zinnias, all grown from seed by me.

How is your garden growing? It has now gotten vey hot here, and keeping it all alive will be a labor of love. 

In Victory,

Sherry