Pretty little Johnny-Jump-Ups

David Grann writes on page one in his book Killers of the Flower Moon, “In April, millions of tiny flowers spread over the blackjack hills and vast prairies in the Osage Territory of Oklahoma. There are Johnny-jump-ups and spring beauties and little bluets… In May, when coyotes howl beneath an unnervingly large moon, taller plants such as spiderworts and black-eyed Susans, begin to creep over the tinier blooms, stealing their light and water. The necks of the smaller flowers break and their petals flutter away, and before long they are buried underground. This is why the Osage Indians refer to May as the time of the flower-killing moon.”

The Flower Moon through the pine trees in eastern NC.   Photo by Robert Lethco

My Beautiful Spiderwort

I did not know that my beautiful spiderwort flowers were killers. Just as these flowers of the spiderwort plant are beautiful, they are killers.  And my black-eyed Susans and spiderworts are thriving; alas, my Johnny-jump-ups are gone – smothered of light by these killers of the flower moon.

The full moon of May 2019 was different. It was called a Blue Flower Moon. To the Algonquins, the full moon of May was when the flowers bloomed and were abundant. A blue moon usually means that two full moons occurred in one month – well, not this time. This blue moon is the third full moon in a season, the season was spring.

Algonquian native Americans and the early English settlers often gave different moons and phases of the moon certain names. They called the full moon that occurs in May the Flower Moon; the Old Farmer’s Almanac calls it the Full Flower Moon. Many of our moon phase names are from the Algonquian tradition, June’s full moon is the Strawberry Moon.

My beautiful Black-eyed-Susans come back every year

I have a greater appreciation for all the special flowers that grow here on the farm at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast. There is a time to thrive and a season to die. I will save the seeds and wait for the next season. And, did you know – my spiderwort is edible…and so are my Johnny-Jump-Ups.

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast, Williamston, NC 252-792-8787

Chloe’s Rain Gutter Garden in July

Basically the Rain Gutter Grow System is a self-watering container gardening system “on steroids.”  Plants grow in pots or bags in either a gutter or pipe or even a kiddie pool. 

My garden this year is phenomenal – there were ripe tomatoes in EARLY June, a full month ahead of time. I used Miracle Grow potting soil for my tomatoes; for the other plants I mixed my own potting soil. The fun part is that I do not have to water the plants…it is automatic. There are no weeds to pull. Oh, my goodness, this is wonderful.

This growing system was started by an old Hippie, well, maybe not, but I assume he is. He makes you listen to a song about the northern lights before  the “how-to” video starts. My mind went to Crosby, Stills and Nash and their “Southern Cross” and my sailing days.

Larry Hall is his name and he has started a gardening revolution. Larry has a huge following on Facebook and folks all over the world are doing the “RGGS,” as they call it. He was tired of coming home from work to a bunch of weeds in his garden. I agree.

Larry usually uses an open gutter for his watering system. A friend, Don, helped me install my system and he suggested I use a new 5-inch sewer pipe (made in USA) instead of the open gutter. It works great. I chose to plant in 5-gallon buckets, but you can use grow bags to hold the growing mix.

The idea is that there is a hole in the bottom of the bucket with a net cup (strainer) that fits through the hole and sticks into the “gutter” to wick up the water from the gutter or pipe. You drill a 3-inch hole in the pipe where the bucket sits. If you use the gutter instead of the the pipe, this step isn’t necessary. Don did the engineering part — I did the gardening part.

Don Drilling the 3-inch Hole in the Buckets

A water pipe is inserted into the end of the sewer pipe and there is a float (rather like in a toilet) that will turn on and off the water supply as needed. See my video below.

This is the first video of Larry’s that I watched and it is my favorite. Get comfortable and listen. After you watch this, tell me that you don’t think he is one of “us.” He gives a link in the description where you can find more information and tips.

By the way – I think I have the most photographed garden in eastern North Carolina. My guests love it, but none of them have seen it before.

This gardening system is a science and Larry has it figured out. Thanks, Larry!

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast, Williamston, NC 252-792-8787

A Family Squabble

In March, a Purple Martin scout would come and sit on the bird house – these are special houses or gourds. Then in mid-April, if the scout approved of the accommodations, the “family” of Martins would arrive. By this time, you had better have your Martin houses or gourds ready!

The houses must be built to certain specifications – my Martins seem to prefer painted white gourds. They demand a clear flight path and a water source. Of course, they like to have a good supply of bugs. If the Martins arrive early and we have a late freeze, they will suffer because there won’t be any bugs.

A Sleek Purple-Black-Martin Sits and Waits

Years ago, in late afternoons when we came in from the fields, we would sit and watch these purple, forked-tailed beauties as they darted through the sky eating bugs.

Purple Martin in Flight

And here is where I drop the bomb … Purple Martins do NOT eat all those mosquitoes we heard they did; this myth-buster is according to the North Carolina Purple Martin Society.  They do eat other bugs – forsooth.

One day in mid-July when I’m walking in the garden, an eerie, dead quiet will greet me. My Martins have left, heading back to Brazil I suppose. But next year, they will return here to their nesting site. And Big Mill “Bird” and Breakfast will welcome them home.

All photos and this splendid video are by Guy Livesay of Livesay Photography

Big Mill “Bird” and Breakfast, Williamston, NC 252-792-8787

Big kids and little kids like to dig in the dirt. When I was growing up on the farm here in eastern North Carolina, if we dug deep enough we could find a fossil. It was so exciting to get those remnants from the past and to know that right where we were digging was once under water.

Life in Aurora, NC 17 million years ago – when these creatures died, they left their bones.

If you don’t have a creek or a farm for digging, don’t fret – you and your children can dig in the big pile of sand at the Aurora Fossil Museum in Aurora, NC, opened in 1978.

Beaufort county has phosphate reserves, so companies like the old Texas Gulf and Sulfur (now PCS) dig huge holes in the earth to mine the phosphate. In these pits, are many sharks’ teeth;  in times past  this “marl” dirt from these pits was used to fill holes in the road.

Oh, What Large Teeth You Have, Mr. Shark!

You will see all sizes of shark’s teeth, dinosaur bones and some really old shells. Some of these items are as much as several million years old.

The Fossil Museum is on Main Street in the tiny eastern North Carolina town of Aurora. As you enter, you will see a case of wonderful jewelry made from shark’s teeth and fossils. Jewelry sales help support the museum.

A fun thing to do while you are in the museum is to get your picture taken in the jaws of a shark!

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The Fossil Guy lists 14 sites to dig for fossils in the mid-Atlantic states, and Aurora is on this map. He suggests a good book Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States for folks who want to learn about this fascinating hobby.

DISTANCES FROM:
135 east-southeast miles of Raleigh, NC
153 miles south of Norfolk, VA
29 miles south and east of Washington, NC
44 miles east of Greenville, NC
50 miles south and east of Big Mill Bed &Breakfast in Williamston, NC 252-792-8787

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Aurora Fossil Museum:

400 Main Street, Aurora, NC 27806
Phone: 252-322-4238
Admission: FREE
Open Monday – Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Edible Flowers are all around you

I grabbed my Edible Flower book and wandered around the yard, tasting. I eat whatever is in the yard that I KNOW is edible, including  pecans, blackberries, mulberries, blueberries, tomatoes, wild cherries, figs and cucumbers.

Now I have added Edible Flowers to my “Okay to eat” list. I don’t use these flowers as a main course – they are too pretty blooming in the yard! I pick them as garnish and they add a special pop to any dish.

Freeze Edible Flowers in ice cube trays to give your beverage special pizzazz

Some edible flowers are tastier than others. As I was walking around Big Mill B&B, I found that I have many edible flowers already growing here. So far, my favorites to eat are chive flowers and nasturtium flowers. The Nasturtiums are in the watercress family and have a peppery taste; they are great in salads.

I also serve pansies, Johnny-Jump-Ups and even Spiderwort. They really aren’t so tasty, but they are pretty and my guests love the presentation!

Pansies perk up any salad

Before you go snacking in the gardens and fields be sure to find out which plants are safe. Good sites to test this are the “edu” sites. Just type into a search engine edible flowers site:edu. This will give you search results from academic and research-based sources. Also, do not eat flowers directly from the nursery or near roads. These might have been sprayed with toxins.

Many of our favorite flowers are edible

If you don’t have any edible flowers, don’t fear – you can BUY edible flowers from Amazon.com.

I grow every flower in these photos, even the Elderberry, which grows in the ditch here on the farm.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you know what you are eating and eat in moderation. Many flowers can make you sick and some can be lethal. 

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To try all these wonderful Edible Flowers come see us at Big Mill B&B  or give us a call 252-792-8787.

Woodpecker enjoys suet meal at Big Mill B&B

I was snowed in so I created this easy, new Suet Recipe with foods I had on hand in the pantry. The birds LOVE it! And children love helping you make it.

There are two items you really need: grease (either lard, bacon fat or any meat renderings) and peanut butter.  All the other ingredients are optional.

Chipping Sparrows love the Suet at Big Mill Bird and Breakfast – photo by Guy Livesay

The Old Farmers Almanac suggests that we use any seed or grain mixed with bacon fat or lard and peanut butter. That is a good basis and then I add whatever I can find in the pantry. I have added dried coconut, corn meal, dried cranberries, fresh blueberries, oatmeal, any nuts and any dried fruit and even grits. The idea is to make it stick together. Sometimes I roll the stuffed pine cone in ground up nuts or seeds.

If you are missing ingredients, make it anyway just as long as it sticks together. The only musts are the lard or fat and the peanut butter. My birds seem to love it all!  This recipe is one that can use lots of substitutions so you don’t have to go to the store. Of course, I didn’t have all the ingredients that my Big Mill Innkeeper’s Suet Recipe called for, so I just made up this suet recipe and the birds LOVE it. Growing up on a farm and living on a boat, I am used to substituting.

Make Suet at home from items you have in your pantry.

The Basic Suet Recipe:

You will need 1 large Pine Cone and string for hanging
1 cup lard, bacon fat or any meat renderings that you have
1 cup peanut butter, either crunchy or smooth

Add to this all or part of these ingredients:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup seeds  (bird seed or sunflower seeds are ideal)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup whole wheat or plain flour
1/2 cup of nuts, chopped  (If you want you can process in mixer to make them easier to use)
1/2 cup dried fruit, dried cranberries or raisins

Mix all of these ingredients together. If it is crumbly, you can add more lard, peanut butter or even honey. If it is too gooey, add more cornmeal, oats or flour.

Press the suet into a pine cone, tie a string around the cone and hang in a tree.

Children love to do this. If you are in a real pinch you can use just peanut butter. The birds will love you!

Woodpeckers seem to like this especially if you add coconut.

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Big Mill Bed and Breakfast 252-792-8787