Instagram 31 days in the garden

We are posting one photo from the garden everyday for 31 days on Instagram. Check back here daily to find out what it is and why it's in the garden!

01 - Black Seeded Russian Sunflower - We love to eat the seeds and yellow flower petals, and like the Cherokee before us, use the thick stems as poles to support climbing heirloom bean vines!

02 - Thai hot peppers drying in the sun. They will be used in the Butcher Shop for our house-made charcuterie.

03 - Peruvian purple fingerling potatoes - This heirloom potato has a delicious, waxy quality that we like to use roasted and in fresh summer salads.

04 - Sugar Baby watermelons - Like a personal size snack, this very sweet melon is refreshing on sticky summer days.

05 - Hops - The flowers of the hop vine are dried and used as a necessary ingredient in brewing beer. They add the pleasant bitterness to the beer that we love so much.

06 - Lamb's Quarters - This "weed" in the garden could be considered a true super food. Very rich in Vitamins A and C, it is also a great source of Potassium. We pick it in great quantities for use in salads, sautes, purees and gazpacho. Like its close cousin, quinoa, this better-than-spinach green deserves a place in our American palates.

07 - Corn silks - Did you know that for each silk, there is a kernel? The silks act as a conduit to the ears, to allow pollination and development of each tender and sweet corn kernel.

08 - Okra flowers - These showy blooms prove that okra is in the hibiscus family. Sometimes we can’t wait for the okra pods to form, we just eat the flowers. Tastes just like okra!

09 - Cucumber - This tiny cucumber with the flower still attached is incredibly delicious. The flowers taste just like a sweet cucumber!

10 - Mexican sunflower - This bumble has her saddlebags packed with pollen as she lights on a Mexican sunflower. Also known as Tithonia, this flower attracts more pollinators than any other to our gardens.

11 - Elderberries - These dark elderberries are ripening as we speak. The berries have many health benefits, like being an antiviral, and also make a great tasting jam.

12 - Butterfly bush - It attracts a buzzing tapestry of beneficial and pollinating insects. It’s as if the whole plant is fluttering!

13 - Field peas, cowpeas, crowder peas, blackeyed peas….whatever you call them, they’re prodigious and delicious. We can’t imagine Southern cuisine without them!

14 - Thistle - This odd flower is the globe thistle. The spiky, dusty blue blooms are great for cutting and flower arrangements, and are great at attracting helpful insects to the garden.

15 - Cinnamon basil blooms - Even the most fastidious gardener can't keep all the basil from blooming. When it does, simply strip off the flowers and buds, then sprinkle them over hot pizza or corn on the cob. Tasty!

16 - Castor bean - This towering East African native was used commonly as a medicine in decades past. We like the spiky seed pods and purple leaves for flower arrangements. And they drive moles from the garden!

17 - Green Zebra tomato - This heirloom stays green even when fully ripe. These have soldiered on, even in this year's wet weather, and have provided a delicious summertime taste to the menu.

18 - Datura flower - This night-blooming eggplant cousin attracts a host of honeybees, but repels many damaging insects. It deserves a place in every summer garden.

19 - Garlic chive blossoms - The blooms of this flavorful herb add a refined onion/garlic taste to any dish. We like to garnish cold cucumber soup or watermelon gazpacho with them.

20 - Opal basil - This purple variety has a great basil flavor with a hint of licorice. We like to infuse the leaves in simple syrup to create tasty pastries and desserts. Don’t forget cocktails as well!

21- Figs – The end of summer isn’t complete without juicy figs. These strange fruits actually have the flowers on the inside! We can think of nothing better in August than fig preserves on toasty bread for breakfast.

We are posting one photo from the garden everyday for 31 days on Instagram. Check back here daily to find out what it is and why it's in the garden!

01 - Black Seeded Russian Sunflower - We love to eat the seeds and yellow flower petals, and like the Cherokee before us, use the thick stems as poles to support climbing heirloom bean vines!

02 - Thai hot peppers drying in the sun. They will be used in the Butcher Shop for our house-made charcuterie.

03 - Peruvian purple fingerling potatoes - This heirloom potato has a delicious, waxy quality that we like to use roasted and in fresh summer salads.

04 - Sugar Baby watermelons - Like a personal size snack, this very sweet melon is refreshing on sticky summer days.

05 - Hops - The flowers of the hop vine are dried and used as a necessary ingredient in brewing beer. They add the pleasant bitterness to the beer that we love so much.

06 - Lamb's Quarters - This "weed" in the garden could be considered a true super food. Very rich in Vitamins A and C, it is also a great source of Potassium. We pick it in great quantities for use in salads, sautes, purees and gazpacho. Like its close cousin, quinoa, this better-than-spinach green deserves a place in our American palates.

07 - Corn silks - Did you know that for each silk, there is a kernel? The silks act as a conduit to the ears, to allow pollination and development of each tender and sweet corn kernel.

08 - Okra flowers - These showy blooms prove that okra is in the hibiscus family. Sometimes we can’t wait for the okra pods to form, we just eat the flowers. Tastes just like okra!

09 - Cucumber - This tiny cucumber with the flower still attached is incredibly delicious. The flowers taste just like a sweet cucumber!

10 - Mexican sunflower - This bumble has her saddlebags packed with pollen as she lights on a Mexican sunflower. Also known as Tithonia, this flower attracts more pollinators than any other to our gardens.

11 - Elderberries - These dark elderberries are ripening as we speak. The berries have many health benefits, like being an antiviral, and also make a great tasting jam.

12 - Butterfly bush - It attracts a buzzing tapestry of beneficial and pollinating insects. It’s as if the whole plant is fluttering!

13 - Field peas, cowpeas, crowder peas, blackeyed peas….whatever you call them, they’re prodigious and delicious. We can’t imagine Southern cuisine without them!

14 - Thistle - This odd flower is the globe thistle. The spiky, dusty blue blooms are great for cutting and flower arrangements, and are great at attracting helpful insects to the garden.

15 - Cinnamon basil blooms - Even the most fastidious gardener can't keep all the basil from blooming. When it does, simply strip off the flowers and buds, then sprinkle them over hot pizza or corn on the cob. Tasty!

16 - Castor bean - This towering East African native was used commonly as a medicine in decades past. We like the spiky seed pods and purple leaves for flower arrangements. And they drive moles from the garden!

17 - Green Zebra tomato - This heirloom stays green even when fully ripe. These have soldiered on, even in this year's wet weather, and have provided a delicious summertime taste to the menu.

18 - Datura flower - This night-blooming eggplant cousin attracts a host of honeybees, but repels many damaging insects. It deserves a place in every summer garden.

19 - Garlic chive blossoms - The blooms of this flavorful herb add a refined onion/garlic taste to any dish. We like to garnish cold cucumber soup or watermelon gazpacho with them.

20 - Opal basil - This purple variety has a great basil flavor with a hint of licorice. We like to infuse the leaves in simple syrup to create tasty pastries and desserts. Don’t forget cocktails as well!

21- Figs – The end of summer isn’t complete without juicy figs. These strange fruits actually have the flowers on the inside! We can think of nothing better in August than fig preserves on toasty bread for breakfast.