Green Acres

I've talked about Deer Creek Farms before.  Love that place.  And they have way more than just strawberries.

Like squash!  Which I bought and used to make Pasta Primavera the other night when Spencer went to a Braves Game.  I've gotten him to eat zucchini, but not squash.  Not yet at least.

They do have zucchini, though.  And not just any zucchini, mind you.  Henry and Lewis were all too happy to show off their gargantuan find.  Sadly, it will not fit on my grill.  No ma'am.

And then there are these babies.

No, they aren't raspberries.  They're blackberries!  Big, beautiful blackberries.  That served as the inspiration for the Pocket Pies I blogged about over at Healthy Happier yesterday.

When Mom and I stopped by, Amy mentioned that when they had been picking the day before, she and the kids had found tiny little blue and brown speckled eggs in a nest among the vines.  So of course I wanted to see.  But instead of eggs, here's what we found.

{ Can you see? }

{ MOM.  The meatloaf! }

Teeny, tiny baby mockingbirds!  Less than 24 hours old and no bigger than a chicken egg.  I took about as many pictures as I could, trying not to disturb them.  And then their Momma came back.  I don't think she liked us lingering around her babies.  Guess I don't really blame her.  If I (a) had babies and (b) saw a godzilla-sized creature wielding a large black object near them I'd be squawking, too.

Does anyone know of a place like this in the metro Atlanta area?  I'm all about fresh, local produce and I've never been to DeKalb Farmer's Market or anywhere like that.  Recommendations gladly accepted!

How does your garden grow?

When Spencer and I went to Disney a few weeks ago, we spent a day at Epcot.  The nerd in me was super-excited about Future World and the World Showcase!

{ Love that this hasn't chagned a bit. }

Now, my memories of Epcot as a kid involve Spaceship Earth, a light-up Captain EO visor and Goofy in a space suit.  { For the record, Captain EO is back in all its 1986 George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola glory.  Complete with moon-walking MJ and the original special effects.  Oh my. }

{ Poster cpyright Disney, of course. }

But what amazed me about Epcot this go around was that we were lucky enough to visit during their annual HGTV Flower and Garden Festival.  Given the recent demise of my rosemary, I'm no professional gardener.  But, I figure, I started off buring stuff in the kitchen before I was a halfway decent cook.  I guess you've got to kill a few plants to figure out how not to.

The festival provided inspiration on a multitude of fronts.  First, the topiaries:



{ Minnie's dress is made of begonias! }

{ Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater }

{ Look at sweet little Dopey! }

{ Love the Tick Tock Croc and the plume on Hook's hat }

But as much as I can aspire to a garden like my mom's { or like the pros at Disney, same difference }, we live in a townhouse.  With no yard.  So maybe topiaries aren't in my future.  Besides, if I had topiaries, they'd probably be of the "Eat More Chicken" cows.  Not sure my HOA would like that.  Nor do they like the dead rosemary.

So if I can't pull off an elaborate topiary, and the dead rosemary has to go, how about something a little more along these lines?

{ Maybe this I can do.  Maybe. }

With a little help and encouragement from Mom, I emptied the rosemary's pot and added pea gravel for drainage.

{ Take that, root rot. }

It's no Disney masterpiece, but I transplanted the Creeping Jenny { that somehow survived a winter on the deck } along with a new honeysuckle vine Mom propagated.

With the random Creeping Jenny now on the front porch and my feeling inspired { and again, encouraged by Mom }, we now have two red white and blue planters on the deck, too.

If this 95* weather doesn't kill them and I manage to water regularly, perhaps these will survive the summer!

How does your garden grow?  Any tips for a beginner?

Oops

I thought it was impossible to kill rosemary.

{ Stupid root rot. }

Well, I stand corrected.

You Pick 'Em

I love where my parents live.  There's just room to breathe.  If it wasn't so far from the office and from civilization... we might just live out that way.

One of the perks: Deer Creek Farms is nearby.  Not only can you stop by for some of the freshest, most delicious produce around... you can actually pick your own!

Today's crop... strawberries.  The smaller, the sweeter!

The growing season has been unusually short because of all the cold we had this winter, but these were some of the best berries I've ever eaten.  Blackberries will be ripe and ready to pick toward the end of the month, so if you're in Macon, Forsyth or the vicinity... stop by Deer Creek!  Last year's blackberries were unreal, and I'm sure this year's will be just as good.  { And if you don't have time to pick, they have them pre-picked, too. }

Now, there are some things I don't like about middle Georgia.  Like these little boogers, for example.

{ Guess he wanted a strawberry, too. }

Cicadas.  And not just your garden variety summer cicada, either.  Meet Brood XIX.  These dudes lay in hiding for 13 years and make one heck of a racket to let you know they're back. { When these bugs last saw the light of day, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were big.  And I still had braces. }

Their welcome wagon sounds nothing like a cricket chirp.  We're talking all day, every day, I-think-it's-a-burglar-alarm-down-the-road wailing.  When we first heard it on Easter Sunday, Dad and Spencer drove around the neighborhood trying to figure out who's alarm was going off.  People were calling 911 because they thought it was a tornado siren.  It's supposed to last through most of the summer.

Maybe you get used to it.  But I haven't.  At least they hush at night!