CULTIVARS CURRENTLY IN THE GARDEN: Harmony French Marigold (mahogany and orange) Grow it!    Cook it!    Learn the History.  Image by A. Shultz for Murfreesboro Community Garden Description of photo: Dark orange and yellow Marigold flower on blurred green foliage background. HISTORY Marigolds, Tagetes in Latin, are native to the Americas and have a long history of use in ceremonies, decorations, medicine and agriculture. Mesoamericans Even before the Aztecs, marigolds were used in ceremonies by the Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures to a ..read more

CULTIVARS CURRENTLY IN THE GARDEN: Red Noodle Beans Asparagus Long Beans Kentucky Wonder Green Beans Grow it!    Cook it!    Learn the History.  Image by freepik Description of photo: Small horizontal bundle of green beans wrapped in twine on a brown wooden background HISTORY Pole beans are annual vining crops in the legume family. They probably originated in Central America, but have been cultivated for at least 6,500 years. As one of the three plants used in the Three Sisters plantings (corn, squash, and beans), pole beans are believed ..read more

CULTIVARS CURRENTLY IN THE GARDEN: Rabbiteye Grow it!    Cook it!    Learn the History.  Description of photo: Ripe and ripening blueberries on plant stem against a light green background. Image by Martin LaBar via Flickr HISTORY Blueberries, native to North America, have been part of life here for 13,000 years. The first highbush blueberry bush was successfully cultivated in 1912, and today, we grow nearly 1 billion pounds of blueberries in North America each year. Before that, Native Americans used the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fr ..read more

CULTIVARS CURRENTLY IN THE GARDEN: Romanian Red - Porcelain hardneck. Rich, very hot garlic with lingering aftertaste when raw. Originated from Romania. High allicin content. Chesnok Red - Beautiful purple striped bulbs. Medium garlic flavor great in olive oil and salad dressing. Ivan - Porcelain hardneck with rich, garlicky, strong, robust jumbo cloves are easy to use in the kitchen Metechi - Purple striped hardneck. Known as one of the HOTTEST garlics raw! Grow it! Cook it! Learn the History. Description of photos: Left: white and purple striped garlic bulbs in wicker basket. Ce ..read more

CULTIVARS CURRENTLY IN THE GARDEN: Arugula Mesclun Mix Grow it! Cook it! Learn the History. Description of photo: different types of green, red and purple lettuces on soil Image by ,Gardening Chores.com HISTORY Lettuce has been eaten for over 4,500 years, but it was not always known as a leafy food. Lettuce was first used by the ancient Egyptians for its seed oil. This oil was used for cooking, hair regrowth, mummification, and medication. The plant was probably selectively bred by the Egyptians into a plant grown for its edible leaves, with evidence of its cultivation appearing as early a ..read more

The flower of the dead Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by fer gomez on Unsplash Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a two-day Mexican celebration where the living reunite with deceased loved ones. They set up special altares (altars) with ofrendas (offerings) to celebrate and remember lost souls. November 1st honors lost children, and the 2nd is for adults at midnight with a grand festival at noon. The devout offer marigolds (Tagetes erecta), and some believe this is a beacon for lost souls. Cempazuchitl or Mexican Marigolds are often misnamed African Marigolds, but they derive from cent ..read more

A sacred herb of the druidic tradition Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash Today, I share with you how to cleanse your sacred space for Samhain — a Celtic festival for the dead. They celebrate four “sabbats” on the solstices and equinoxes, but there are four “cross-quarter sabbats” halfway between those. You pronounce Samhain as saa-wn. Halloween originated from Samhain over 2000 years ago, and the Celts of NW Europe practiced it. They perceived the veil between this world and the next to be thinnest at that time. Samhain marks the end of harvest and beginning o ..read more

An Abrahamic myth of the onion family Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Image via Wikimedia Legend tells of the fall of Lucifer Morningstar from Heaven — cast down to Earth after Archangel Michael enacts God’s judgment against the once premier demi-being. In Muslim and Christian traditions, folk tales associate the onion’s origins with the devil’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Let’s explore further. Archangel Uriel guards the garden with a fiery sword, and he was likely the one to chase out Morningstar. The myth goes that as Lucifer ran, garlic sprang from his left footprints and onion from ..read more

The tale of Apollo, Daphne, and the laurel tree Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash Welcome to Wizzard Wednesday as part of The Daily Cuppa’s Witching Hour series! Allow me to guide you, and we shall recount a harrowing story. Today let’s talk about Greek myth. Apollo loved Daphne, though she dedicated herself to Artemis’s chastity. She was a woodland huntress, and Apollo looked fondly upon her. He lusted after her free spirit and wild woodland life. One day Apollo chased Daphne through the woods. Desperate, she called upon her father, river god Peneus, to ..read more

How do you plan for a winter harvest? Grow nutritious food across the seasons with these ideas. Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Earth tilts on its axis and creates four seasons as we spin around the sun. Thus, we experience cyclical weather patterns, and this tilt inspires diversity across ecosystems. Most farmers focus their efforts around one primary growing season. But gardeners may like to produce food throughout the cold season. Demand builds for local, seasonal food, and many want to know what winter crops to grow. You, too, can grow fresh vegetables as ..read more