Summer Keepsakes

Yesterday's post was rather hurried and this one will be too, but I couldn't wait to share some of the photos from today. I managed to snatch a few moments in the garden throughout the day, which was a real blessing.  I'm focusing on drying herbs and flowers for winter use, and saving seeds...

Goldenrod, Yarrow, Mugwort, and Basil

A bouquet of 'Corsican' Basil before I hung it up to dry. It smelled sooo good!

I'm so thrilled that the Castor Beans are ripening seed!

Catching Valerian seeds at just the right moment can be quite a challenge! Cleaning all the fuzz off isn't easy, either! :D

This afternoon I settled down on the swing to shell some more Lupine seeds...

Well, after about half an hour of tedious work, this was all I had done, and I got to thinking there must be a more efficient way!

And then I had a rare "Aha!" moment. I found an old board and laid the pods out, and then, to the amazement of passersby, I started jumping on them! It did the trick and they were all shelled in no time! It also helped that it was a breezy day, so it was easy to blow off most of the chaff. 

That's better!

Anyone care to guess what this is? (And don't worry, it's not blood)! I'll be writing a post about it soon. 

I'll close with a glimpse of the seed garden this evening. But this is taken at an angle that hides the other half which I never got around to preparing or planting, and so is full of weeds! I do think this garden has a lot of potential, though!