Sweet Goldenrod vs Ragweed

Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odora) isn't your common goldenrod. This one has a sweet anise-like flavor. The leaves as well as the flowers make a very pleasant, fragrant tea. It grows in part to full sun in sandy soil along the edges of pine groves and roadsides in northern Arkansas (and is found from...

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40 Thousand Pumpkins

My little pumpkin patch here at Long Creek Herb Farm didn't produce anything this year. Between the squash bugs and the 6 weeks of drought, the vines just gave up. But look what you can do if you have 40,000 pumpkins to play with. This is what I saw being constructed when I was at the Dallas Botanic...

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A Cider Pressing Party

Last Sunday, we participated in a truly lovely fall tradition -- a cider pressing party hosted by family friends  in Willow. It was a glorious day - brilliant blue skies, sunny, and that unique autumn mix of warm and brisk. The party was fun, yummy, and wonderfully photogenic. It was also...

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Butterflies on herbs

Some catching up from the comments on the previous post: First, no, I wouldn't hire an exterminator and spray my garden with pesticides to get rid of the cucumber beetles (I think this may have been a joke from the person who posted the comment). I'm an organic grower, I would never spray my garden...

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Dallas Gardens

I missed attending the Garden Writers of America Conference last year but didn't want to miss this one, held in Dallas at the downtown, Hyatt Regency. I always come away encouraged, inspired, flattered by folks who follow this blog, rejuvenated and refreshed after a GWA conference. Why? Imagine 500...

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Mother Earth

I feel like I've lived in my truck for all of September. Wondering, even, where September went. I remember planning for Dallas and Garden Writers. The 10 hour drive each way, coming back with lots of great new plants to trial, then barely unpacking just in time to pack for the 2 1/2 day drive to southwestern...

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Kingston, NY Farmer's Market

Hello again. Sorry for the long silence on my part. We spent July and August settling into our new home. And then, at the end of August, my dear dad, Joel, passed away totally unexpectedly at the age of just 66. Here's a photo of the two of us at Rahm's and my wedding - one of the happiest days of my...

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