April 6, 2012

Harvesting Oregano and Bow and Arrows

Hello all!
I am so happy . . . it is just beautiful outside these days!!
The skies are so blue, the sun is so warm, the Earth is waking up, and my herb garden is flourishing already! Here is my first harvest of the year for Oregano!
Can you believe it!


This is from 2 plants that actually never even died back during the winter because of how mild it was. While the plants did stay dormant, the leaves never shriveled and died. With the warm Spring weather and rain, my Oregano just took off and grew about 3 to 4 inches in a matter of a few weeks!




My son and I clipped all of it yesterday . . .washed it . . .drained it . . . and now it is drying. I can't believe I have this much Oregano as of April 6th! I am so happy that I will have plenty to share with friends, family and neighbors this year! I can't wait to make up cute little packages to give away. How fun! Half the fun of growing your own herbs is sharing!




So . . I actually made my son work along side me yesterday. He's 13 and was more interested in . . who knows . . probably wanting to get on his computer or go visit his cousin . . but, Mamma {that's me} wasn't having it. I told him, "You are spending today with me."  He said "errrrrrr" . . whatever that means . . that is his response sometimes "errrrrrr" . . I call it his caveman response. 

As we methodically clipped each sweet piece of Oregano . . him at one plant, me at the other . . each armed with a pair of scissors and a stainless steel mixing bowl for collecting . . I tried to prompt him into conversation . . it was like pulling teeth . . but I didn't give up!

attempt #1

Me:   So, what are you doing in school these days?
Everest:   nothing
Me:   Well, there's gotta be SOMETHING going on.
Everest:   no . . . not really
Me:  Sooo . . . you're not learning anything?
Everest:   No
Me:   Ok.

attempt #2

Me:  So, that book you're reading for school, Skeleton Key, is it?
Everest:   Ya
Me:   Is it good?
Everest:   Ya
Me:   What's it about?
Everest:   A boy who is a spy on an island
Me:   Oh ya, that's cool . . . so what's it all about?
Everest:   I just told you.
Me:   Nuh Uh, all you said was "it's about a boy who's a spy"
Everest:   Ya



attempt #3

Me:   So, who's your good friends at school these days?
Everest:   I don't know, I have a lot of friends.
Me:   Oh you do? That's great! Who are they, what are their names?
Everest:   I don't know, there's a lot of them.
Me:   Ok, so give me a name.
Everest: I don't know.
Me:   Ok, do you have a friend named David?
Everest:   No
Me:   Do you have a friend name Mike?
Everest: Yes
Me:   Aha! What class is he in? Is he nice? Is he funny?
Everest:   Science class, ya, he is.
Me:   Ok

attempt #4

Everest:   This is boring.
Me:   Well, everything doesn't have to be exciting, Everest. Not everything we do has to be as fun as a day at Kennywood. {awesome amusement park with rollercoasters in Pittsburgh}
Everest:   errrrrrr
Me:   Look, I'm really blowing you away . . look how much Oregano I have cut compared to you . . are you really gonna let your 41 year old mom beat you at cutting Oregano??
Everest:   You can beat me at cutting Oregano, I don't mind.
Me:   This may not be exciting but it is the process . . it is the fact that we actually grew our own herbs and we can make our own sauce and make it tasty by adding oregano . . an herb that is common in pizza sauce and pasta sauce . . if you are ever in a situation where you are asked about Oregano, you will know how to harvest it and what it is used for . . probably a lot of kids won't even know that, but YOU will.
Everest:   errrrrrrr

attempt #5

Me:   So, I was thinking . . .do you have any arrows right now?
Everest:   Ya.
Me:   Well, I was thinking that once you and I get all of the Oregano cut, we should go out to the field and you can show me how to shoot a bow and arrow. I have never shot one before and I want to learn how.
Everest:   OK!
Me:   Ok, let's get this done and then go get something to drink, and then go shoot some bow and arrows.
Everest:   Yessssssss!

attempt #6

Me:   So, now tell me about that book again . . . it's about a boy who is a spy? What does he do?
Everest:   Ok, well he lives on an island and he has to pretend to be the son of a man and a woman who are also spies and  . . . . . . . . . {he gives me a long, detailed explanation of the book . . . . yes! I have broken through!!!!}
Me:   That sounds like a very interesting and action filled book. Ok, we are done with the Oregano . . . I'll get this inside and you run and gather your bow and arrows.


Man, sometimes . . . . sometimes it's like pulling teeth! Everest did show me how to shoot arrows. To my surprise, it was more difficult than I imagined! It looks sooooo easy . . . but there is definitely some skill there! My left arm is bruised...which, Everest told me it would be. I told him I am going to make an arm guard . . . he said, no Mom, you just gotta get used to it and also bend your elbow out slightly so it doesn't get hit . . . I say, ya, well, I'm making an arm guard and you can't stop me. LOL!

And . . . that's my Oregano harvesting, bow and arrow shooting story!
It was an awesome day.
The sun was shining.
The sky was blue.

P.S. Funny side note:
We only had 2 arrows to use.
I told him that we could go to the sporting goods store later that evening to purchase more arrows.
He asked if we could also get some Mt. Dew. {soda pop}
I said, sure.
We laughed . . . well, we need arrows and Mt. Dew . . . sounds like we are up to no good.
Later when my husband came home from work he asked if we could also pick up some gas for the tractor while we were out.
Great . . . our shopping list now . . . arrows, Mt. Dew and gasoline . . . that REALLY sounds like we are up to no good!

Laughter!
:)


16 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yes, Patti, how old are you??? hahahaha! Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce to you my sister-in-law Patti! LOL!

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  2. You're young yet! :) I'm a couple of years ahead of ya...

    Sounds like conversations at our house too...but isn't it amazing how it changes when we are interested in what they like? Way to go Mom!

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    1. Thanks Alica! I thought I was young too! LOL! Just my sister in law having a little fun with me! Ya, that conversation with my son was just going no where for the longest time!

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  3. THat's hilarious!! Sounds like my boys. .Usually they feel annoyed if they have to help me do stuff. .just like Everest ;-) I wore an armguard when I first learned to shoot. .actually, cause I got a big ole bruise kinda like yours. .it HURTS!! I didn't wear it long before I could remember to keep my elbow turned out some!! I think that my oregano plant didn't survive the drought last summer. .or the heat. .cause I did manage to keep it watered!! I'm excited for your huge bounty!! Homemade pizza on the grill. .can't be beat!

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    1. Melanie...I'm so curious how to make pizza on the grill! Hope you check back here to see my reply here...cause I want you to do a tutorial on how to make pizza on the grill!! :)

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  4. I was laughing so much at your conversations with Everst. "Errrr". I love it! You got so much oregano. Is there a trick to drying it? I have tons of parsley, chives and rosemary. Like you, it never died off last winter with our mild weather. I don't know about the rosemary and chives, but I think I could dry the parsley.

    Be careful with those bows and arrows. Your bruise doesn't sound good. I'd make an armguard too.

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    1. Hi Kathy!! To dry oregano, you can lay it out on a screen in a clean, dry area of the house, or you can lay it out on a couple of baking sheets. One time I tied small bunches together, like little bouquets...I used some sewing thread...and I hung them from one of those drying racks that you would use to dry socks or t-shirts on...I kept the rack in my walk-in closet because it is warm and dry in there...no humidity...just a constant temp. It dried beautifully. You can dry the rosemary and the parsley the same way. Tie them up in little bouquets and hang them upside down to dry. It's just a little more challenging to tie the oregano in little bouquets because the stems are not that long!! As for the chives, my personal preference is to dice them and freeze them in a big Ziploc bag...I take out little bunches as I need them...since they are so tiny, they thaw in an instant...especially if you are putting them on hot food! I also like to freeze my sage leaves whole. When I use them to cook with, I pull them out and break of a bunch, roll them up on my cutting board and chop them up.

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  5. I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face. My husband asked me what was so funny and I re-told your tale of woe. He thought it was pretty funny too. Good for you! I work with teenagers every day and I know what you are talking about. I'm glad you stayed strong and found a way to break through. Thanks for the laugh. I'm with you on the herbs. I had tons of parsley last fall and I love it. I use it on everything. I appreciated the story. I'm so happy you see it for what it is.

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    1. Oh man, I am so happy you liked my story and cracked up! I thought it was pretty amusing myself!!

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  6. I forgot to say how much I liked the photo of Everst at the sink. What a great picture!

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    1. awwww, thank you, I appreciate that! My cute little boy...well, he's taller than me and not so little!! LOL!

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  7. Hi Bonnie

    I'm really new to your blog but I love it & I just wanted to say that this is one of the loveliest post ever!

    I have a boy who is 12 & we often have conversations that go the same way as your's. Ive learnt to ask minimal questions & eventually a story will emerge....most of the time.

    Your post me made smile.....

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    1. LOL! Too funny! I can relate. I really never had to much problems talking to my boys. However talking to my daughter is another story. Just like pulling teeth. Wow! Lots or oregano! Wish I was there to share in the bounty. :)

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    2. Reannon, welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed my post...that makes me happy. I love to find out that I have connected with someone..that is the joy of blogging!

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    3. Hi Peggy! Glad you can relate to my story!

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