Teenie Cakes™

| food, photography, edible gardening & more!

Garden Fresh – Homegrown Herbs and Fruits

Herbs
Garden Fresh – From My Garden
Can you name some of the herbs in this image?

There’s an indescribable sense of pride and excitement when your overbearing fruit trees are ready to be picked and plucked while the fragrant, deep and healthy colors of your own herbs tantalize your senses as you imagine what you have planned for them in your kitchen.

We’ve been lucky to enjoy an abundance of hearty growing rosemary traveling through part of the yard.   Mexican limes and Meyer Lemons have been generous in their fruit bearing cycles with us over the last years.    I used to boast of two Haas avocado trees and a Valencia Orange.  Sadly, only one Haas tree remains.  We lost one tree to the wild fires and the orange tree’s days were numbered when our resident gophers deemed its demise.

Earlier this year, we planted a Babcock Peach tree and a blueberry bush with great anticipation of the desserts and salads we might enjoy with their fruitful gifts.    This year I’m challenging my green thumb at an assortment of aromatic and flavorful herbs.    What’s in store for our kitchen this year?

Herbs
  • Mint
  • Cilantro
  • Sage
  • Sweet Basil
  • Oregano
  • Flat Leaf Parsley
  • Curly Leaf Parsley
  • Golden Lemon Thyme
  • Rosemary
Fruits
  • Blueberries
  • Mexican Limes
  • Babcock Peaches
  • Meyer Lemons
  • Haas Avocados??

Our Avocado tree is proving to be sterile.  However, I’m still hopeful.  I’m preparing to add an apricot and another orange tree to replace the one that the Gopher family stole from us.

Babcock Peach Tree
Babcock Peach Tree

The Teenie Cakes site is not turning into a gardening show. However, because some of these garden residents will play a larger role in baking and cooking endeavors, they will pop up every now and then on how they are being incorporated and how easy…or difficult it is to maintain their contributions.

If you have any tips or suggestions on how to care for them or some tasty recipes to try, please share them with me. I’m looking forward to my first peaches. I already have a grilled peaches, peach ice cream, peach pie, cobbler, tinis and tea in mind for this fruit tree!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Andrea @ Fork Fingers Chopsticks says

    Wish I could have the year-round bounty you Californians enjoy in your backyards. How I long for an avocado tree! I hope to get my tomato seedlings in the ground around Memorial Day (it still snows in May in Colorado). Good to meet you at Camp Blogaway.

  3. Devaki says

    Dear Cristina – I am ‘green’ with envy – garden envy that is! For us who live in apartments, we draw solace from your garden pics and anecdotes.

    Love your blog and will be back for more 🙂

    Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Devaki: No need for envy! =) How about herb pots? As I was sharing with Gisele in the comment before, we have critters that would just love to chow down on the fragrant and tasty herbs so we planted them in wine barrels. It’s working out rather well. How would that work for you?

  4. Gisele says

    What great looking herbs. I’m a little jealous (not especially blessed with a green thumb). I do have some herbs ( mint,rosemary, parsley, oregano) though, they’re essential for any good cook . But please tell me the secret to maintaining cilantro. Some creature ate mine down to the ground the first night after I planted the seedling.

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Gisele: This is my first time working with herbs. Of all the herbs we have planted right now, the cilantro is doing the best. I’ve already cut small bushells of it for salsa and you couldn’t tell. It’s flourishing. We have rabbit/critter issues, so the herbs are planted in large wine barrels in a patio area where the rabbits wouldn’t dare because it’s where the Corgi-kids hang-out. =)

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Hey Denise: …and roses don’t like me! I hope the herbs don’t die out …really makes me sad when I lose a plant, but it has happened more than I’d like to admit to. =)

  7. Roti n Rice says

    I love home grown herbs and try to grow some each spring. My favorite is thyme and basil and I normally have two or three varieties of each. Great pictures!

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Biren: Do you have any suggestions as to the best varieties of basil? My local nursery only had sweet, but I also love the larger leafed basil and I’ve heard there’s a “spicey” variety too. Would like to try that. Maybe it’s sometime to start by seeds?

  8. Patty Price says

    I love your herb pictures, it’s nice having fresh herbs from the garden, I used my fresh mint all winter. I’m planting more herbs today!

  9. Noel Chapman says

    I love having fresh herbs from the garden. They always have such an amazing fresh smell. I was really happy to see they pop back up a few months ago after a crazy winter. I agree about planting more fresh herbs and fruits growing in the garden. We are in the Sierra Foothills of California. 🙂

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Noel: I love the smell of the herbs! Some are more aromatic than the others and overpower, but it just tickles the senses and adds to it’s beauty. This is truly one of the many pluses for living in California, isn’t it? 🙂

  10. Liren says

    Oh, how i wish I had such an abundant garden! For years, we’ve talked about planting more fruits and vegetables, but never get around to doing it. I really must, must, there is no excuse considering we live in California! Thanks for inspiring me to move beyond potted herbs!

  11. Shree says

    beautiful! great pics… I love growing my own herbs and veggies. This year started blueberry bushes and apples! I know the feeling — always feel so proud when the fruits/veggies are ready to be picked. It sucks that you lost your avocado tree to the fires. That must’ve been painful. The only tip I can give you which I’m pretty sure you may know already, is to keep a healthy amount of mulch at the base of your blueberry bush. Blueberries like moist soil but hate standing water. So mulch is necessary to keep em’ cool and moist. Have fun gardening!

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Shree: Thanks for the tip about the mulch for the blueberry bush. I didn’t know that about them. We haven’t seen any blueberries on it yet (actually thinking about getting another one) and we haven’t had it long enough to notice any challenges yet. Will definitely watch for the standing water and make sure we have mulch around it!

  12. The Cilantropist says

    Oh I am so jealous of your garden, I yearn to pick fresh fruit from trees! Now I content myself with harvesting from my tiny garden on my porch but I am making the most of the space with tomatoes, beans, strawberries, and thyme, rosemary and basil. Can’t wait til everything is full grown, maybe I can post some beautiful photos too. Love your photo presentation! 🙂

    • Teenie Cakes says

      OMG Cilantropist! Sounds like you have a wonderful variety and delicious assortment in your garden. I look forward to your posts … I’d like to know how the strawberries and tomatoes are in caring for them. 🙂

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Thanks Dawn: In my next post in relation to the Herb Garden, I’ll share where & how we planted it. I used two large wine barrels and divided them into quarters with plexiglass. The herbs are growing quickly and will outgrown their sections, but I’ll be using them and looking into ways to dry and use them for later. So far, it’s working out very well.

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Emily: It is a great reward and treat when your fruit trees share their fruits. Even more sweet if gophers, squirrels, rabbits and such leave them alone long enough so we can enjoy them too. =)

  15. Tania says

    It’s simply wonderful! I understand you. My mother loves gardening and we have herbs, vegetables, various fruit trees. I especially love herbs, two weeks ago I bought thyme and lemon balm. Your garden is beautiful, congratulations!

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Thank you Tania! I’m going to look into that lemon balm – just read that it’s part of the mint family. It must have a wonderful fragrance and flavor. Thanks for mentioning it…

  16. The Housewife says

    I’ve recently taken to gardening and have a tiny patio garden. I love the fact that you have fruit trees and so many herbs… I strongly believe that when you grow your own food, there is a deeper connection and respect for the earth. Great post!

    • Teenie Cakes says

      We have a lot of “critter” type visitors that take residents here. The rabbits would be an issue with the herbs, so we planted them in huge wine barrels. I totally agree with you about that connection w/the earth. I do at that and life in general. Whether it’s animal or plant – life never ceases to amaze me. It’s an exciting moment when your plants come out of dormant state or when you see your first fruit/vegetables. =)

  17. citronetvanille says

    I love herbs!!! what a lovely garden you have! my meyer lemon tree just died, but I will get a new one, Meyer lemons are so good! I l love all your selection, and your photos are so crisp and vibrant!

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Thanks Silvia! Aren’t Meyers the best? My Hubby overly-pruned/trimmed our Meyer lemon tree and it’s still in recovery. I’m looking forward to enjoying lemons from our tree again soon!

    • Teenie Cakes says

      Oh!! Such a beautiful garden with so much variety. I will be in touch for tips and advice! =)

      Like that spicy basil…I’ll be on the lookout for that type.

[instagram-feed]