September

Hello and happy September from over here at the Wren’s Nest,

Our late summer garden is in full bloom with a variety of interesting herbs and vegetables. There is the African basil, which I do not use culinarily but is proving to be a fantastic pollinator plant. It attracts a variety of dragonflies, bees, and butterflies daily and tolerates the Florida heat as well as my sporadic watering habits. The marigolds are still doing well, and are adding a splash of autumn color to the garden. We harvest a small batch of okra and cherry tomatoes weekly. A few days ago, we enjoyed our first homegrown watermelon, and we are waiting on two more to ripen completely. One Genovese basil plant is thriving in a shady spot of its own. I enjoy its sweet, herbal aroma reminiscent of licorice. We are still patiently waiting on the eggplant and pepper plants – new additions – to begin bearing fruit. For a short lived season we had a spectacular view of sunflowers. Those are drying out now, but I planted a wildflower garden that is beginning to show promise. I am, if anything, persistent.

In other news, I have finished a few inspiring books: Be Water My Friend by Shannon Lee, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and Unflattening by Nick Sousanis, and I’m currently reading Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. I have pulled out most of the autumn themed books for the kids, as well as some of their collections of children’s poetry, so we have been enjoying reading those lately as well.

As far as a kitchen update goes, I have been struggling to find much energy to cook lately. All of us have been recovering from a nasty cold. I did, however, enjoy making a delicious mushroom and sausage pasta dish from Six Seasons Cookbook by Joshua McFadden fairly recently. I’m looking forward to trips to the farmers market when we have regained our strength. The fresh flowers – air – sunshine – colorful fruits and vegetables – good coffee – friendly people (and their dogs) are all balm to a weary body.

That’s it – a little update for now, and hopefully a few more soon before another four months go by! Hope you all are well and enjoying the last bits of summer. Cheers to beautiful fall days ahead (even here in Florida).

W.