Saturday, August 23, 2014

Wild thing

Here are some more of the ubiquitous carotte sauvage (wild carrot, or Queen Anne's Lace) that is the dominant wildflower out around the vineyards right now. This pink one is growing up through a more common white one. I don't know if the pink one is a different variety or just a newly opening flower head that hasn't turned white yet.

More wild carrot. They're everywhere! Too bad they're not very good to eat.

Summer vacations are ending for schoolkids and adults alike. The television news is filled with stories about people packing up and heading home this weekend, sad little faces saying good-bye to summer friends, the start of another school year, and people readying themselves to head back to work and to the gray skies of Paris. Not to mention all the predictions of horrible traffic in all of the usual places.

None of that for us retired folks. We just keep puttering in the garden, continuing our harvest and processing the produce. We're hoping for une belle arrière-saison (indian summer) since the actual summer kind of petered out at the beginning of August.

7 comments:

  1. It's like fireworks! And you got it right about us retired folks... no vacations for us... we work all the time. (I'm not hearing any sympathy.)

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  2. Lovely pic... as per normal!!
    According to "Food for Free" by Richard Maybe, the wild carrot is very good in "bouquet garni"...
    as, whilst not good eating, the carrot flavour is intense....
    we've pulled some up here that have been pretty big, tho' and probably would provide some flesh is mouli'd...
    but crack that root open and the smell of carrot is very strong.

    We need that Indian Summer to finish ripening stuff in the potager...
    but the cayenne, sweet peppers and piri-piri are all reddening up!

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    Replies
    1. We didn't plant any hot peppers this year (we have a good supply) and our sweet bell peppers have blossoms but no fruit... yet.

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    2. I've been tickling the flowers of our bell peppers with an artist's paintbrush, to transfer the pollen. It seems to work, because we have peppers, but the bees could be doing a better job. The plants are growing with tagetes "Bolero" which attracts the bees as well as looking good. Pauline

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  3. (sings)
    you make my heart sing
    you make everything
    g-r-o-o-v-y
    wild thing
    :-)

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  4. If your August ends up like our August has been lately, you'll have plenty of heat and sun.

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