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whgille

It was a great party!!!

whgille
9 years ago

Thank you all for coming, the party was so successful because of all the guests that came bring beautiful plants and delicious food. The time flew but we captured some of the moments to remind us again and for those that for one reason or other couldn't be with us...

Scenes from the garden before the party started

And now some pictures from the party, that in no way capture all the fun that we had! Let's begin with the food

The swap in full swing, again thank you all that came with such a lovely plants! Group photo, not all that came are in the picture....

Silvia

Comments (33)

  • AmberBrook
    9 years ago

    I had a fantastic time as always! Great food, great plants and great company! Thank you so much for continuing to host these wonderful parties Silvia! I was very sad to have to leave a little early this time.

    -Amber

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Amber

    I was happy to see you and your dad, it is great to see the regulars and meet new gardeners too. I hope that all of those driving long distances got home safe.
    And of course time flies when you are having fun and after the party we were planting! Everything is on its place now...

    Behind the scenes, Larry came at 9am to help us, he is a lifesaver! Carmen helped with the swap, I bet she was tired, we were so busy!. And we finished cleaning early because of Barbie's and her mom help, they were so wonderful!

    Silvia

  • fairyblooms
    9 years ago

    WHAT A GREAT TIME I HAD! Thank you so much Silva for a wonderful garden party. I met so many wonderful folks and for my first time attending a garden swap I learned a lot too....YOU, your home and gardens are just beautiful. I thank you and everyone for all the plants I got to bring home....and now I can transform this blank yard into hopefully a beautiful tropical paradise. I had SO much fun and will not miss another one. HAPPY GARDENING! :)

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Fairyblooms

    It was so great to meet you! I am glad that you had a good time, I think that we all did and yes! you have to join us for all the parties. So many wonderful gardeners come and I have learn so much from everyone, their experience is better than books anytime.
    Looking forward to October....

    Silvia

  • wallisadi
    9 years ago

    Thank you Silvia and family for a great fun day! We had a really good time, came home with a ton of new stuff to ad to our garden! I like planting plants that have a story or a face behind them. Thank you! M&J

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Mark and Judy!

    You are always the highlight of the party! I have learned so much from you, I forgot to show you my front porch where some of your beautiful plants live happy.:) Thank you for coming and making the party a big success!

    And here is a good picture of some of our friends, someone is meditating after the work...

    Silvia

  • KaraLynn
    9 years ago

    The party was great! Here are some pictures that I took while there.






  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    9 years ago

    Oh, it looks wonderful! It was simply lovely and surely tons of fun! I hated missing it once again, but I have been up to my eyeballs moving my mother from her home of 33 years to a beautiful new apartment (her choice). My sisters came in town this past weekend to help but it really hurt to miss this gathering once again. Thanks for posting all of the pictures and follow-up.

    I will BE THERE at the next one. Put it in stone. :)

    Carol in Jacksonville

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Kara

    What a nice pictures, thank you for taking them, one of them almost looks like the one Willy took before the party.:)
    Thank you for coming and your wonderful plants and tasty pies, you know so many things! it is great to have you with us!

    Hi Carol

    We missed you! one of these days you just have to join us and meet the gang, we always have such a great time. And to let you know a little secret, Carmen can whistle big time! she was the referee at the swap, putting us all in order,lol.

    I had a luffa day today, thanks to Tommy....

    Silvia

  • wallisadi
    9 years ago

    Just home from work, was telling everyone about the swap. Working in a nursery, everyone is all ears.....but, I kept talking about the food, jams, pies, ect.........plants I brought home, incredible.....all new stuff. What a good day.........

  • morningloree
    9 years ago

    Loved meeting everyone, very impressed with the knowledge and plant collections. Can't forget to give the food two thumbs up. Thanks everyone for sharing!

  • featherhoof
    9 years ago

    I regret not going. My mom came home after the party and showed me a bunch of pictures she took. Also, thank you for the preserves. I am a loquat lover. I haven't tried it yet, but I will this weekend. We like to do a nice breakfast every other weekend or so and the preserves will be included. Yum!

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Mark, we have to improve at every party and have a lot of surprises! we welcome new gardeners to our great group of regulars. Everything runs so smoothly and we love to meet and share some good time doing what we like the best, being around plants and good food is a blessing! October will come quickly...

    Hi Dawn, I am glad that you had a good time, it was so nice to meet you and living close to us, you cannot miss our get togethers, they are always fun and interesting with all the experience from the garden friends.

    Here is a reminder

    Hi Miranda

    You should of come with your mom. We also love the loquats and make many dishes with them. This time was the preserves so the flavor of the fruit comes up, it only has loquats, water and sugar. I don't use any preservatives or pectins on anything that I can. The long time that I took was taking the peels of, seeds come easy. I wish that I could take my tree and give it to you because unfortunately we are taking it out for the safety of our pets. In the front yard would of being okay because it makes a nice shade tree.

    Silvia

  • happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
    9 years ago

    Thanks to Willie showing me how to use the GPS in my new smartphone, I made it home without getting lost and I liked the route that he selected for me.

    For those of you who missed it I assure you that it was a lovely garden party. And, thanks to all for the interesting new plants that I got to bring home.

    Silvia -- the canned loquats were delicious. We ate most of them in our oatmeal for breakfast on Sunday morning. I did notice that the loquats were peeled. :) Must have been time consuming. Don't feel too bad for Miranda because I have 2 young loquat trees that are getting large enough to produce a light crop. Within the next few years I expect to have enough to can like you did.

    Silvia, have you ever made jabotacaba preserves before? I'm getting a very good harvest right now. I presume because we had such a mild winter. I'm needing to come up with an idea to do something with them other than to just freeze the extra.

    I saw Mark at the nursery where he works today. He did get to see your hanging plant on your front porch. He was impressed.

    You taught me something new with your new tomato cages - very impressive. I ordered some for myself but not as many as I wanted because of the cost. Thanks again for hosting the enjoyable garden party.

    Christine

  • apapjim
    9 years ago

    I hated to miss it, but my day was not without it's rewards. My grandsons Odyssey of the Mind team finished 3rd (out of 19 teams) in the State competition at UCF. MY grandson is just to the left of the raccoon.

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Christine

    It was great to have you at the party, you know I miss my regulars when they don't come...and I am glad that you had a good time.
    You are going to love the tomato cages! I had to put the extensions on a few tomatoes already and picked some ripe ones on the way.
    I thought that I was going to have some luffa days after the party but no, I got busy! yesterday I had jury duty and today picked squash, cucumbers, beets to pickle. Tomorrow I will be making carrots...I started with the banana harvest, after the loquats and now the rest. I made Moroccan pickled beets, spice pickled beets and I left all the yellow ones to be eaten with marinades only, they were so sweet!..I made a big batch of oriental cucumber salad and made cucumber pickles too.

    I didn't have a chance to give a tour of my small garden, but it is producing an abundance of lettuce, greens and spinach and today I saw pole beans too, there are more cucumbers than I thought and zucchini also.
    Christine, jaboticaba jam for you:
    Remove the seeds, chop the skins, and cook together equal parts of chopped fruit and sugar, with a tablespoon of lime juice to every 3 cups of fruit and sugar. Cook till set and process.

    Hi Papa Jim

    We missed you at the party! but the next time you just have to come.:)
    I am glad to hear that your grandson did very well, you are a happy grandpa and that is how it should be. Handsome grandson! and give him my congratulations.

    Silvia

  • Tommysgardens
    9 years ago

    Silvia thank you and your family for hosting another great garden party you are so generous to open your home to fellow gardeners
    Tommy

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Tommy

    It is a great pleasure for us to have the garden friends at our house, it is not only entertaining but we learn a lot from all of you.

    Today was a carrot day, they were perfect but so big! they are good for the recipe that I made. Also had your peas, they were delicious! and you had different kinds. I keep saying, one of these days I am going to see your garden...

    I heard that you liked the music, we tried to put a blend for all tastes. I was so busy that I didn't hear one song.:)

    Silvia

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I just saw this gratitude video and I thought I share it with you, the author photography is amazing! I saw yesterday about the hummingbirds, the bees, butterflies and flowers.

    And someone at the party asked me how big were the carrots, so I took a picture this morning, they are big!

    And the beans are producing, the pole and the purple are bush

    Silvia

    Here is a link that might be useful: gratitude

  • happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
    9 years ago

    Hi Silvia,

    The tomato cages came this afternoon. As I was just finishing putting the cages in place it started to rain hard so I had to go inside. Since I don't need the extensions quite yet, it was okay that I didn't get them on today. My plants aren't as far along as yours and I certainly won't be harvesting real soon. Lucky you!

    I forgot to tell you that I did have a beet harvest this spring but not from plants grown in the ground. I planted them in wide horizontal containers. They did quite well. I like the look of the yellow beet. Makes a nice contrast.

    I took some photos of your garden so I could look at them as home. I didn't take the time to study what you had growing when I was at the party. Got too distracted.

    I was surprised to see that you had a crop of carrots going. I figured that it was to hot to still have carrots around.Yours surely are beauties.

    Nice harvest of beans also. My pole and bush bean plants are just loaded with blooms. My harvest time will be coming too.

    I was just thinking about making some jaboticaba jam since I have more fruit than we can eat. Thanks so much for the recipe.

    I watched the YouTube 'Gratitude' video. The photography was indeed spectacular.

    Christine

  • derbyka
    9 years ago

    So jealous again to have missed it :(

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Christine

    I saw on tv on an inspirational program the author of the video and it was amazing, to see all the flowers, bees, butterflies and I specially liked the hummingbirds and how they looked like they were dancing in the sky, great work capturing those nature scenes!

    I think we were all so busy looking at different things at the party, especially me that I had to coordinate a lot of things...Lucy, my rescue dog was socializing too.:) this is her first party.

    I meant to show the new spinach that I have growing by the fig, it is called red cardinal and is so good! I think so far is one of the best!

    The carrots are from a second planting and they are still sweet, time to harvest them and most will be frozen shredded in the food processor. They keep the best like that to be used in recipes and for my pets.

    I made carrot, orange and cardamom recipe that is one of my favorites

    Hi Derbika

    You should try to come to one of the garden parties and have fun with us, they are very educational, I know I always learn a lot of things from everyone. Great group of friends and gardeners! I look forward to see them all...

    Silvia

  • tomncath
    9 years ago

    Sure looks like you all had a great time, hopefully I won't miss the next shindig :-(

    Tom

  • happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
    9 years ago

    Hi Silvia,

    The photo that caught my eye the most in the Gratitude video was the one where there was an image within the image. A reflection in the water droplet.

    Your Red Cardinal spinach does look good. I'll give that one a try too. I'm impressed that the spinach hasn't bolted yet. The Bordeaux grew well but it wasn't as tender as I would have liked. Yeah, I did figure that it was the second planting for the carrots since the foliage looked so good.

    When you shred your carrots for freezing do you steam them first?

    I see you have been doing more canning. I bought some limes this evening so I can make that jaboticaba jam. I picked more fruits today. The last picking for a while.

    Christine

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Tom!

    You are always missed at the get togethers and I hope that you can come the next time and see old friends and meet new ones...also check on your plants and seeds that are growing so well.
    A lot of people asked me about the cucumbers, and I could not remember that moment. The first by the trail was Corinto, the middle was Sweet Success from Tom' seeds, the third was Katrina. I have to tell you that they perform different depending on the seasons, this time my favorites are: 1- Katrina, 2- Sweet Success, 3-Corinto. I do prefer a smooth skin cucumber and I love the taste of my favorite. Diva is also good but sometimes it does not do well.
    Amber, one of the people asking was your dad, please let him know, there is a link on where I bought them.

    Hi Christine

    The spinach and the lettuce will be bolting soon with the heat but I will have all those greens

    I don't cook the carrots, the same moment that I harvest them, I shred them and put about 2 cups in freezer bags, this way they can be used later for soups, breads or my pet's meals.
    I am doing zucchini pickles the way Jamie Oliver does, they are pickled for few minutes with vinegar and after they are put in olive oil to cure for a few weeks, they are delicious!

    Silvia

    Here is a link that might be useful: cucumbers

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Tom, those sweet alysum smell nice, they are doing good by the beans but they sure took a long time...

    One of the things that they said in the program that I watched the other day, is that we can all be photographers these days, capturing moments in nature anytime and I remember Mark's picture of the begonia that you could actually see the hairs on it or the snake coming out of the birdhouse, those are great shots!

    Silvia

  • inulover (9A Inverness, Florida)
    9 years ago

    I always learn something new at Silvia's. I'd never heard of aerobic septic systems. Pretty cool idea.

    And I always come home with some plant that I would never have thought to try. My yard is more fragrant and enjoyable thanks to Silvia... and Mark. That Rose Cactus is one mean little plant.

    This year Silvia gifted me some breads. Pretty imaginative stuff. Silvia is quite the food artist.

    Larry

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Larry

    You are my lifesaver! We really appreciate your help and I agree with you, our yards are turning beautiful thanks to Mark, he is our teacher and benefactor.:)
    I am glad that you liked the breads, I used so many recipes to come up with a different ones to use the harvest.
    Everything was perfect at the party because of all the help we got and our most wonderful guests!

    Silvia

  • wallisadi
    9 years ago

    My veggie garden .......:)

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    M, you had it under wraps:), those tomatoes look good!

    My lunch today was zucchini ribbons and Moroccan carrot salad and I used the aji amarillo that Doug gifted me, it is so good! with just the right spice for me, I even tried it by itself and has a nice crunchy flavor...

    And I used my favorite cucs for this Asian salad

    Silvia

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    My red cloak is getting big! thanks Mark

    Silvia

  • happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
    9 years ago

    Hi Silvia,

    Thanks to you I did make jam with my extra jaboticaba fruits. It was so delicious that I made a second batch the next day. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, just slow getting it posted.

    Christine

  • whgille
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Christine

    Those jams look good and I am sure they are very tasty! We went to pick blueberries to the farm near the house, they are getting better and better every year, we picked as much as we could handle.:) I made muffins for the freezer, jams, pies, ate them fresh and tonight I am making a blueberry cake to take it to a Kentucky Derby party, I am also making pickled vegetables and shrimp to bring...

    Silvia

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