It has been a completely psychotic few weeks.  If I were to be granted one wish, I think I’d wish for life to slow down just a wee bit. I’ve been trying to convince Chris that I could be a great stay-at-home kitty mom, but I don’t think he’s buying it.  It is the most intense time in garden land and I haven’t written in over a week!

When I was little, I wanted to be an author. Though that dream still lingers somewhere in my subconscious, I have a new dream.  When I grow up, I want to own my own vegetable farm.  I can imagine picking fresh veggies and herbs on Saturday mornings and working my stand at a farmers market, selling beautiful organic tomatoes, celery root, string beans, and more.  I can also sell herbs (both potted and cut) and gorgeous summer bouquets.  Not the overly-flashy types of flowers you’d see in a flower store.  I mean the true summertime flowers like zinnias, dahlias, amaranthus, loosestrife, black-eyed susans, sunflowers (I could keep going…calendula, Queen Anne’s Lace, delphinium, yarrow…).  These bouquets make me feel giddy and they are the epitome of summer.

It is a lovely dream that I do see coming true eventually.  We all need a dream to work towards.

In the meantime, I think I found what might just be a slice of heaven in Peterborough, New Hampshire.  I can at least visit this place as much as possible on my trips to New Hampshire and pretend I own the joint. This place of wonder, Rosaly’s Garden, almost didn’t seem real when we visited about two weeks ago.  I could have stayed there all day.  In fact, if Rosaly herself came out and asked me to work there for nothing, I’d say, “what can I do first?”

All I knew prior to our arrival was that it was a farm and my father (who shares my dream) couldn’t wait for me to see it. 

I first saw the hydrangeas.  There was a long row of them and they were as tall as I am.  I love the limelight hydrangea and I tried to grow one a few years ago.  It didn’t winter over.

Then I realized there was a big sign that indicated I could actually pick my own flowers?  What crazy (and amazing) concept is this? 

Scissors in hand, my mother and I set out to create our own bouquets.  But what to choose…

I ended up with a mixture of blue delphinium, white/pinkish yarrow, bachelor’s button, little white flowers in the mum family, and something else that was yarrow-ish, but I’m not sure what the name of it is.  And here I thought I could name nearly every flower.  I have much to learn.

What topped the whole thing off was actually in the herb garden– a few lovely sprigs of red bee balm.

So, the herb garden.  Wow.  It was nothing short of amazing. 

We ended up taking home chocolate mint, shiso, and tarragon because they are something we haven’t grown (yet wanted to try), catnip for the kitties, and parsley because I planted my parsley seed very late at home.  I believe parsley belongs in every possible food.  I also grabbed some just-picked garlic.

I highly recommend this place.  They sell to some of the smaller markets in the area, but nothing beats going to pick your own great stuff.

I made some new recipes that I’ll share very soon: tarragon and porcini mushroom pasta in a (vegan) cream sauce, tomato and shiso salad, and the best summertime drink: mojitos.