For more info: The Picket Fence, 901 Broadway, Mattoon, IL 61938. Phone: (217) 258-6364.

  This hardy, blue geranium will grow in a mound shape and compliment almost any color combination.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saras-Sanctuary-and-Wellness-Retreat/123767677650107?v=wall

New to the Spring Sale at Vanessa’s this weekend is the Indigo Rose Tomato.  Indigo Rose is the first high-anthocyanin tomato commercially available anywhere in the world.   We are so excited to give this tomato a try in our own gardens and want to offer you the chance to grow it too.

For more information about the Indigo Rose copy and paste this link into an internet browser:

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/13098/new_products

If you haven’t made it out to the sale yet, directions are simple.  At the 32/33 intersection (Plant Sale signs will be posted), turn north and follow Route 33 until you see the Plant Sale sign on the east side of the road.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

So for those of you who have resisted that urge to plant – this weekend would be a great time to get started.   The Spring Sale continues at Vanessa’s location this Saturday, April 14 from 8 a.m. to Noon.

Look for Plant Sale signs at the intersection of Routes 32/33 and drive north 1.5 miles on Route 32 – there will be a Plant Sale sign on the East side of Route 32.  We look forward to seeing you there.

This year’s Spring Plant Sale will be this weekend as all the gardeners in our area are clearly ready to go!  New to us this year are the South Beach Wave Petunia mix,  they have marvelous colors, pink, red, and purple.  The other Wave Petunia mix is the Flag Mix, their colors are red, white, and blue. 

Sale Dates April 14 and April 21

Welcome Fall – we hope everyone had some rain this past weekend.  We were grateful to receive a bit on Saturday night, but the gardens are certainly dry -

Fall sale dates are set for this Thursday, September 8 and Friday, September 9 from 4p.m. to 7p.m.

Follow Rt 32/33 west and turn north on Rt 32 – there will be a “Plant Sale” sign.  Drive 1 & 1/4 mile and you will see the fall displays on the right side of the road (more signs here too).

Pumpkins, mums, Indian corn, all the fun fall decorations-

We look forward to seeing you there.

If you have questions, please call Vanessa @ 217 343 7731.  Thanks!

Our coveted sweet corn patch (with Gary’s absolute favorites of Candy King and Silver Princess) have finally been discovered by the local raccoon population.  The deer, of course, had made their presence known as the first ears were ripening at the 4th of July, but thankfully, they aren’t happy with Dad’s “radio in a bucket” response.  Apparently they don’t want to listen to the golden oldies while they munch their sweet corn.

The raccoon are quite another story.  We have considered live traps and have let both dogs run throughout the patch, but it really hasn’t deterred them at all.  My teenage boys have offered various solutions to the problem, but their dad has nixed those “well thought through” plans.

So we are picking the last of the crop this evening and packing it safely away in refrigerators where neither the raccoons or the tremendous heat will ruin what is left of the summer sweetness.

For the rest of the garden goodies though, the heat is our worst enemy.  We have been watching, watering and harvesting as the weather allows…  The greenbeans are holding steady, the okra loves it, of course, and amazingly the daylilies are continuing to defy the heat too.

We look forward to sharing more of summer’s flavors with you.  Check your email for Vanessa’s latest list and order that sweet corn while you still can.  Have a great week and stay cool.

And Jacob’s grilled veggie recipe is very simple.  He slices any veggies we have on hand, puts olive oil in a cast iron skillet and then while the veggies are cooking he adds Fleur de Sel De Guerande or French Finishing Salt (available at Amazon.com just search “French Sea Salt”).  I especially love it when he adds kale to the mix.  Note that if you do add kale, add it only toward the end as it wilts quickly and can cook too long.    This coarse salt is just enough to bring out the flavor of the vegetables without the overwhelming saltiness that our traditional saltshaker produces.  And I may sound crazy, but I, honestly, didn’t know that I could like vegetables this much!

Have a wonderful week and enjoy these cooler temps!  We look forward to seeing you this weekend at the Farm.

The daylilies are gorgeous, the gardens are lovely and as an added fun incentive, Jacob will be grilling vegetables on Friday evening for those interested in trying yellow squash, kale, peppers and onions-

Don’t hesitate to contact Vanessa at 217-343-3371 or vanessa@hisgloriesfarm.com if you have questions or would like to schedule a different time to see the Farm.

We look forward to seeing you soon!  Have a great week.

The gardens are simply picturesque this weekend!  Sweet corn is tasseling- Yay!  Sweet corn for the 4th of July- The daylilies are beginning to bloom and with all the rain the Asiatic and Oriental lilies are simply gorgeous this year.

As always you are welcome to purchase produce, flowers or simply enjoy walking through the gardens.  There is always something new to note -

If you have questions, please call Vanessa at 217 343 7731.  We look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Thank you for your continued support of our fresh, local produce.

We are looking forward to providing you with a variety of fresh vegetable choices this summer and will be working our tweaking our “route” to make the most of the challenging gas prices.

Have a great week, and we look forward to seeing you soon,

Scenes from the Farm recently:

Gorgeous aliums, a member of the onion family these flowers are planted as bulbs and will return annually and Audra dancing with one of the new goats -  Fun times!