I am writing to you from the soaking wet GreenMans Garden in our Florida monsoon season. I am not sure how much it rained last night but I know that it was enough to overflow my boots! I came in from post harvest washing at 10 PM last night and was going to go back out after making dinner but that got interrupted by a nap( since I was up late the night before) and I awakened at 6:30 to the sound of rushing mighty waters as a cloud placed it self right on top of our garden and proceeded to empty its contents into her already waterlogged soil and my boots. I have to admit it was a little disheartening but not enough to keep me in today – I just put on some flip-flops and decided since I was going to be soaking wet all day anyway to just dress minimally– And that’s how I worked in the rain today. Luckily I keep the gate locked and no one can see me because trust me the fashion police would be ranting over this one! With all of the rain we have been blessed to have plenty of absolutely beautiful heirloom sunflowers and we would like for you to share some of these flowers with someone you love. I have had to really stay on top of my game to keep some of these from the deer. Did you know that deer really love sunflower leaves? Yes! These rascals have really done a number on our sunflowers and even totally wiped out our zipper cream pea crop which was interplanted with the sunflowers. I thought since they really like sunflowers I could plant sunflowers and peas together and they would eat the sunflowers and leave me at least some peas – well, it did not work. Bambi and his hoofed friends have methodically removed every single Peavine as well as keeping a pretty good race up for the sunflowers. So needless to say – I will have some gorgeous sunflowers but no peas! I say the sunflowers are my rainbow after the storm.
Chanterelles are a different story, the deer do not eat many of these but they grow sparsely scattered through the woods surrounding our farming spots and it takes a lot of crawling on my knees through some pretty hairy places to lovingly gather these morsels of natures Manna.
Moccasins, rattlesnakes and alligators are about my only large dangerous companions while foraging and I can see them, so we get along fine, Albeit sometimes it gets the hair on the back of my neck standing at attention with an adrenaline rush to boot when I crawl up next to one of them to grab a chanterelle without noticing until the last moment. It is kind of a game of patient quick draw – I don’t move too fast but I never lose Eye contact – we both win and I go about my foraging and the reptiles get a laugh I am sure.
The most trying of all are the tiny pests~ the chiggers~ who are microscopic and burrow into my skin. The mosquitoes~who bite without initial pain but leave a nasty whelp when they leave. Last but not least there are the red fire ants who sometimes make orchestrated attacks only after they have proceeded to climb into every thinkable crevice of my body and all at once they sting! These attacks are almost enough to make me walk out of my clothes BUT then the mosquitoes! Nevermind that option!!!! Other than that its pretty much a walk in the park foraging for edible golden fungi!
If you would like support my Love for The Earth and our amazing piece of paradise then come see me Saturday Morning at The Beautiful Seaside Farmers Market located in South Walton County, Humbly hosting good vibes and The Worlds Most Beautiful Beaches.
If you are not in Florida and you are interested in supporting our Garden them please go to our online store and find something from our garden to treat yourself with and fill your cart with heartfelt Love from The GreenMans Garden.
Just another day in paradise
GreenMan 06-29-2017
Today is a gift ~ Open carefully