Headed to the weedy garden around 7:30 this morning to see how the new fall broccoli plants were doing.  Plants are about two inches high and not nibbled on yet.  Cow peas are clinging to their fence support and stunning purple blossoms are beginning to bloom.  Deer or bunnies chewed all leaves and blossoms off the Cherokee Trail of Tears bean plants.  We did get a few summer squash.  May get more as the plants are still producing large yellow flowers.  Tomato plants are now sadly resting in peace at the edge of the woods. My visit to the garden lasted three hours.  I started pulling a few weeds which led to the removal of rotting tomato plants, pulling more weeds, planting fall beets, and other garden chores. As I post this tonight, I'm actually surprised my knees and shoulders aren't complaining about the way I treated them this morning.

The hummingbirds frequently visit the garden to drink from the nasturtium.  We're finding nasturtium and dozens of peppers growing in the most unexpected places.  You'd think with all the deep tilling Cliff did in the spring, last year's seeds wouldn't be able to sprout.  These volunteer plants got no nurturing or special care and they have grown better than the new ones I put in this year and fussed over. Maybe next year I should have Cliff till the soil and just enjoy a serendipitous garden.

At our Saturday farmers market I bought purple and green french beans again and zucchini muffins, visited with our lady who makes zucchini and squash relishes and delicious jams, and took Cliff to the meet the English lady who makes a variety of English desserts and meat pies.  He bought her chocolate chip cookies and I got a cherry/coconut cupcake and a blonde walnut brownie.  Before devouring our sweets, we had to stop and chat with my Unaka Soap Lady and her husband.  This time I bought her oatmeal, goat milk & honey soap.  The soap aromas are irresistible.  The whole time I'm talking to them (the vendors, not the soaps), I'm inhaling the different soaps.  From there we headed to Donna, my Goat Cheese vendor, but she wasn't at the market and I'm totally out of goat cheese.  Crisis!!  My afternoon glass of Cabernet is much more enjoyable with garlic herb or cowboy candy or kickin' cajun goat cheese on crackers.  I think this week we'll need to drive to her Hayesville farm and buy some.  I passed right by Salamander Cove Farm and forgot to buy the homemade hummus so today I tried to make my own.  Didn't come too bad.  I'm posting the recipe I used under my recipe tab.

Today we spent the whole afternoon sitting on the back porch relaxing and watching the HBs fight over the nine feeders.