Garden Color and Fragrance - Early June Delights

My garden is full of promise...the promise of beautiful things to look at and delicious things to eat.

The daisies are filling in a big spot in the back cutting garden and we are anxious to study them as part of the Outdoor Hour Challenge later in the summer. There are coneflowers, sunflowers, and zinnias as well that have buds so stay tuned for some updates on those in a few weeks.


Some things are already smelling like heaven...the star jasmine is in full bloom and already needed a trimming back from the sidewalk. The cats lay under these plants since they make wonderful shade in the afternoon sun. Wouldn't that be delightful?


Last week when I was working with the window open I could smell this rose on the gentle afternoon breeze. It is a Disneyland Rose and it has been a faithful bloomer these past few years. It is loaded with pink/peach flowers. This rose is what I imagine the perfect rose fragrance would be...a signature scent.


The hydrangeas are bursting open this week and the delicate color of the flowers on this particular bush is one of my favorites.


A few years ago, I used my watercolor pencils to capture the pastel colors of this lovely flower and then used a fine tip marker to outline it a bit. Keeping track of my favorite garden flowers in my journal is a wonderful way to pass an afternoon.


This is something new in the backyard this year and it is really taking off. We added this Jerusalem Sage to a spot that gets super hot and dry in the afternoons up against the house. So far it is thriving...I did put it on the drip system until it is established and then I think I can back off with the water. The texture of the leaves is soft and fuzzy which adds a nice layer of interest to this side of the garden. 


The front yard has been joined by the blooming purple butterfly bush! The hummingbirds have been seen enjoying this particular bush...actually fighting over it in the early evening hours. My cat friend Cocoa is like my garden shadow these days. She seems to pop up wherever I go. You can see my sage growing in two spots in the background of this photo. It is just starting to bloom.


Another favorite of the hummingbirds is the Red Hot Poker plant. This is Mr. A's favorite plant in the garden and he has been eagerly waiting for it to bloom. It looks good this year and I may end up dividing up the plant in the late fall to fill in a few spaces in the front garden.


We have started to see quite a bit of growth in our backyard fruit. The apples are looking like apples! Not too many apples on the limbs but enough for each of us to enjoy a crisp apple come the end of the summer.

Someone asked in a comment a few weeks ago whether we had any lawn left in our yard. The answer is yes and you can see it in this photo. We have a small plot of grass left in the backyard, mostly for the dog to enjoy. We use it as her ball throwing spot and she loves to lay in the shady grass on the hot afternoons. Since it gets so hot here and there is very little rain during the summer months, we do have to water this part of the yard. I have it set on a timer and it waters five minutes a day and so far that is enough to keep it green. (I need to write a post showing how we have cut our water usage to a fraction of what it was two years ago and still enjoy a lush green garden.)


Of course the figs are loaded as usual....this is not my favorite fruit but we eat a bit and then leave the rest for the birds and other critters. We have tried several times to eliminate this tree but every time we cut it down it comes back full and loaded with fruit within a year.


I do LOVE blackberries and we have our little patch just loaded with blossoms right now. This is exciting and it really seems like summer now that the berries are maturing. My blueberries are still all plant and no signs of blossoms or berries. I hope to get a bit of fruit from them this year. We shall see.

We have rain today so the garden is getting well watered but tomorrow we are going to see the end of the rain and be back to our warm temperatures. I am grateful for the rain but I am ready for the summer heat.



Just a few reminders to participants of the Outdoor Hour Challenge:
The first of the summer challenges will post on  June 8, 2012..that is this Friday!

Don't forget to send in your June blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival by Friday, June 29, 2012.

The June (Ocean Beach) edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter has published. You must be subscribed to the blog in order to receive the download link. It is a beautiful and informative edition that I know you are going to want to have in your collection. You can subscribe on the sidebar of my blog. 






Jami's Tuesday Garden Party meme is open from Tuesday to Thursday so there is still time for you to jump in and participate!

Apples Distracted Us From Our Pear Study

We have been enjoying our "apple time" of year so far with three trips to the apple orchard, fresh apple cider, apple doughnuts, and homemade apple pie. We tried a new variety of apple (Mutsu) which actually made a really good pie apple.




We really meant to do our Pear Study for the Outdoor Hour Challenge but we were distracted again this week with the wonderful weather and decided to take a drive instead. No pears were studied but we enjoyed peach and blueberry dumplings from a roadside stand. Yes, it was heavenly and I don't regret the calories at all.

Apples-Autumn Series Challenge Day

Autumn came this past weekend to our world and we awoke to sprinkles of rain on the ground. It wasn't much so we didn't let it cancel our plans to head up early to the apple orchards to find some apples to sample and use as part of our apple challenge.


Our traditional autumn outing always starts off with apple cider doughnuts....there are plain, glazed, crumb, and cinnamon spice varieties to enjoy along with your big cup of steaming hot coffee. The crumb doughnuts were the first to be eaten. We were early enough to have a good spot to sit to eat and enjoy the mountain air.


Then the real business of the day was at hand, choosing a few new kinds of apples to try. We were disappointed that they did not have Honey Crisp to purchase since I had read on several blogs about their wonderful taste. In the end, we settled on Empire, Jonagold, and Mutsu.



Empire is a cross between Red delicious and McIntosh. 
Jonagold is a cross between a Jonathan and a Golden Delicious.
Mutsu is also known as the Crispin.

Our official taste tests were interrupted when we decided to make the Mutsu apples into a pastry dessert. Mr. B had already created a wonderful dessert a few months ago with some apples and he repeated his recipe for us to enjoy again.


We compared the sizes, colors, shapes, and tastes of the apples, noting the seed patterns, the skin textures, and the skin thicknesses as we cut and peeled the apples for the pastry and some applesauce.


Some of the apples were so large that they would be a complete meal all by themselves! My dear husband announced that although he enjoyed the new varieties that we picked out, he still loves the Granny Smith for eating the best. Go figure.

This was a delicious challenge for our family and we learned a little more about the different local varieties of apples available for eating and baking.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Autumn 2010 OHC #4 Apples

My husband's favorite Granny Smith and my favorite Fuji.

Autumn Series #4

Apples

“The apple is a nutritious fruit, wholesome and easily digested. The varieties of apple differ in shape, size, color, texture, and flavor. A perfect apple has no bruise upon it and no wormholes in it. “ Handbook of Nature Study, page 669.

Inside Preparation Work:

Read pages 667-670 in the Handbook of Nature Study (Lesson 184).  This section is packed full of ideas to use in comparing different varieties of apples. You may wish to view the YouTube video linked below in the additional resources section of this challenge.

Compare Two Varieties of Apples

• Compare the outside of the apples: color, size, stems, blemishes.
• Compare the skins: thickness, texture.
• Compare cut apples: core size, seeds, shape, flavor, crispness

Outdoor Hour Time:

If you can visit an apple farm and observe apples on a tree, this would make a great field trip for this challenge. You can also visit your local farmer’s market or grocery store to observe and choose several varieties of apples to study at home.  This challenge is not specifically about the apple tree but you can complete a study of apple trees if you have not done so in the past. Here is a link to a previous challenge:

Spring Series #6: Apple Tree Study

Use the suggestions above and any additional ideas from Lesson 184 to complete a study of apples.

Follow-Up Activity:

Take some additional time to use your skills of comparison to learn more about apples and the different varieties available in your local area. Complete a Venn Diagram comparing two kinds of apples (here is an example of a Venn Diagram), the notebook page that accompanies the Autumn ebook, or a blank page in your nature journal to record your observations.

Make sure to taste your apples as part of this study!

Additional Resources for Your Study of Apples

Apple Printables with Varieties of Apples: Page One and Page Two

Apple Varieties

Apple Varieties– Printable Cards

YouTube: View some different varieties of apples

Don't forget to enter the special Backyard Birds DVD giveaway! See this entry for more details.

Our Apple Tree Study: Spring Time

Spring Series-Apple Tree Study


Our new apple tree's blossoms. Photo from 4/22/10 taken by my son Mr. A.

Our study took a turn when we had a huge rainstorm and an inch of snow a few days later. Our weather has been very unstable so we had to postpone our plans to observe our own newly planted apple tree and then drive up the road from our house where there are apple orchards by the acre.

We were finally able to do both parts of the study yesterday.


First our tree....this is the first year we are observing this tree. It had blossoms some time ago but now I am assuming these are the baby apples.


The leaves are a nice texture and we found quite a few bugs crawling on the branches. My husband used the garden hose to spray them off and today they were still not back.



This particular tree has had different kinds of apples grafted onto one trunk. Gravenstein, Fuji, Red Delicious, and a Rome.

It will be interesting to watch this tree mature.

Now for our drive to the apple orchard.


The sky was amazing with its white billowy clouds. My boys actually told me to stop and take a photo....as we stopped the car we realized that there was a field of sweet smelling lupine on the other side of the road.


What a delight and a surprise to see this sight right near-by our home.


The orchards are all green and no longer full of blossoms.


It seems as if you could walk down the rows and feel the apples growing on the trees. I love apples.

Typing up this entry and viewing these photos makes me think that spring really is here. I can see it in the photos. Hooray for spring!

Just another note: I have seriously been lacking in my posting on this blog this week because of the time I am devoting to writing the Summer Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges. There is just so much to research and to pull together so we will have a wonderful adventure this summer with the challenges. I am really looking forward to sharing my new ideas with you soon.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

OHC Spring Series #6: Apple Tree

Outdoor Hour Challenge
Spring Series #6: Apple Trees in Spring
(Previous Apple Tree Study-Outdoor Hour Challenge #35)

“A visit to a large, well-grown orchard in spring or autumn will aid in making this work interesting. Any apple tree near at hand may be used for the lesson.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 664

Inside Preparation Work:
Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 661-664, paying special attention to Lesson 182 on page 664. Highlight some suggested activities to complete when you observe your apple tree.

“This lesson should begin with the apple blossom in the spring and should continue, with occasional observations, until the apples are well grown.”Handbook of Nature Study, page 666

Read the section on “How An Apple Grows” in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 665-667. Pay special attention to lesson suggestions #3, #4, #5, and #6.

(If you are using the online version of the HNS, you will find this on page 782 and if you are using the HomeschoolFreebie version it is in the Plants and Trees pdf on page 297. Thanks Angie.)

Outdoor Hour Time:
Ideally you will have an apple tree to observe, either in your own yard or in a near-by orchard.
Note: If you do not have a blossoming apple tree to study in real life, see if you can find another blooming tree to spend some time observing as a substitute for this challenge.

Suggested Observations for the Handbook of Nature Study, page 664 and 666
How tall is your tree?
How thick is its trunk?
What color is the bark?
Does the trunk divide into large branches or does it extend up through the center of the head?
Study the bud of the apple blossom.
Sketch an open apple blossom. How many petals? What is the shape of the flower?

Follow-Up Activity:
Make sure to give time and the opportunity for a nature journal entry using the notebook page from the Spring Nature Study ebook or a blank page in your own journal. Remember to sketch the shape of your apple tree and the blossom if possible. Help you child record some of his observations by having a conversation recounting your outdoor time. Even a few words written with a simple sketch is a great journal entry. Remember that you may need to model how to get started with nature journaling.

Of course you can always eat some apples to follow up your study of apple trees! Better yet, why not have a picnic outdoors under an apple tree this week? The weather is warming up all over the country now so take advantage of a warmer day to eat outdoors as well as have your nature study time.

Please make sure to come back and post your link on Mr. Linky after completing this challenge and writing your blog entry. I always love to come by and see what you are up to!

If you would like all the Spring Series Challenges in one place, I have an ebook gathered for you to purchase for your convenience. The ebook also contains art and music appreciation plans for the spring months as well as custom notebooking pages for each of the challenges. Please see this entry for more details:

Spring Nature Study with Art and Music Appreciation

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Our Signs of Spring: Glorious Spring Flowers

Our world is waking up from a long winter's nap and here are some of our signs of spring.


Dandelions are growing everywhere now in our backyard and even though they are in the lawn, they make me surprisingly happy. I refuse to call them weeds. I love to see them poking up in the cracks of our sidewalk and along the path to the garden. They are like little mini sunflowers in the springtime. If you have some dandelions in your yard, don't miss the dandelion challenge in the new Spring Nature Study Ebook. You can also read all about dandelions in the Handbook of Nature Study.


There is also a nice big mullein growing in the backyard and I know from last year's mullein that this is a plant that grows like crazy. We watched a mullein grow in our garden all summer long and it provided a great source of food for the bees, the hummingbirds, and then later the finches. This plant is listed as a weed in the Handbook of Nature Study too. I can't imagine why.


These are the buds unfurling on my new apple tree. My dear husband brought this tree home and planted it just for me. How did he know I wanted to study the apple tree up close using the Handbook of Nature Study? We are going to be keeping track of its growth as part of the Spring Nature Study Series as well. Let's hope the deer stay away from this tree and we can have a few apples in the fall.


We have a bush on the north side of our house that is blooming with these pretty white flowers. I do not know what the bush is called, but I think it is rather pretty.

We also took a few day trips this week....thanks to an early spring break and some glorious weather.


If you have never smelled daphne blooming before you have truly missed out on a springtime delight. We discovered a garden filled with daphne at one of our state parks. I think it something we would like to add to our home garden.


I was sitting under a tree waiting for the boys to meet up with me one afternoon and look who came to inspect. These Brewer's blackbirds flew into the tree overhead and let me take their photo.


We visited a farm that has thousands of daffodils blooming this time of the year.


I decided that daffodils make me happy.


Once again, I had my son as a companion photographer.


Isn't this a great color combination? I love the mix of daffodils and hyacinths in this garden.


One last sign of spring from our day trips...tulips. Wow! This one was really red and brilliantly colored.

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's signs of spring this week. Thank you to all who have participated.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Apple Cider Time: Outdoor Hour Challenge #35

Our family lives in an area that grows apples and this time of year it is a pleasure to visit the orchards and the apple barns. One particular place sells all sorts of apple goodies and we take the opportunity to indulge in some of their tasty treats.

Before we sampled the apple baked goods, we took a walk out in the orchard to observe the trees. Most of the apples had been harvested but there were a few to enjoy still on the tree.

We focused on the tree trunks this time after reading in the Handbook of Nature Study about how an apple tree is grafted. We noticed that the tree trunks are very different from the other trees we have been studying during this tree focus.

There were a few varieties of apples in this section of the orchard and it was interesting to see the older trees and how full they were.

This particular orchard is known for its apple cider making and we walked over to the cider press to view the process. Here is a load of apples waiting to be poured into the big vat.


After the apples go into the vat of water, they are sent up a conveyor belt and into the press. The photo below gives you an idea of the cider press room where they squeeze the apples through a screen and then into the press.

If you click on the photo, you may get a better idea of what the worker is doing. He is filling the trays with apple goop and then he covers it in cheesecloth. He goes through this process a few more times, stacking the trays up as he goes. Then he starts the press and the juice comes out from there. This is really good stuff and when you visit the orchard you get to taste it right after it is pressed.

We purchased three different kinds of apples and tasted each one. Glorious. It always amazes me how something so simple can be so deliciously good.

I love nature study.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom