WHAT’S IN SEASON … ONE YEAR LATER EDITION!

  

 Where to begin?!  Not at the beginning. Ain’t nobody got time for that.  If you really want to catch up go to my Instagram account @anne_es_garden_fresh.  In the mean time my apology those who have searched here & wondered if I fell off the earth.  I did… sort of; didn’t we all in one way or another in 2020.  I’d love to hear all about how you have fared in this “year of years”.                     Tell me all about it, let’s sit outside with an iced tea or a lemonade and be social.

    I’ll start here with this week.  We have experienced heat + irrigation breakdowns that have led to rapid blooming & desiccation of blooms.  That resulted in loads of blooms at the moment but fewer than expected for too close to Mother’s Day.  

So please come & get them now while the getting is good!

We’re so excited that we will be able to flower you this week! 

Here’s some rose spam plus a peek at the blooms from the pollinator gardens that will be the chorus to the roses.  Additionally our friend Emily of  @bene_vivendo let us harvest with her yesterday & we hit the jack pot for you.  We will have all colors of Bachelor Buttons, think pink, purple, blue, lavender even bi-color. 😃  We also cut sweet smelling Dara, Russian sage, Larkspur, Calendula, and more!  

Of course we have plenty of our sweet Lemon verbena, Lemon balm, Lavendula, Anemone, Ranuculus and Snap dragons, Mints (chocolate, peppermint & spearmint, a bit of chocolate flowers, scented geraniums, basils, blue salvia, Jasmine & Honeysuckle.  Surely I’ve forgotten something .  Just know we have a love.y assortment to create your fragrant desert cottage garden bouquets. 

    Also being harvested now are our Globe & Italian Artichokes, Garlic chives and Pink Lemons.  Hint:  both are great for cooking with your Artichokes.  We’re excited to about to be harvesting our Cardoons.  They are the cousin to the arties.  The ribs of their leaves are steamed or sautéed & taste like the heart of an artichokes with less work.  The choke does not amount to much of anything to eat but they are lovely.  We’ve even used their leaves to wrap our bouquets! 

We will be adding more photos here & to our IG account @anne_es_garden_fresh.                             because who isn’t a visual learner when it comes to flowers.

SO MOTHER’S DAY BRING IT ON WE ARE READY FOR YOU

HOW TO RESERVE YOUR FLOWERS (no matter who they are for) 

MOTHER’S DAY 2021

We can only handle ONE STREAM of communication 

This will be ONLY EMAIL to azgardenfresh@gmail.com

TELL US 4 THINGS 

TELL US your color leanings SOFT or VIBRANT.  We will try to emphasize your preference.

TELL US if you will be DIY & so will bring your “clean enough to drink from” bucket, bottle, vase.

We will add water when you get here.  

Think ahead about how you will stabilize your vessel once in your vehicle.  With our heat we like to send all flowers on their way in their own little pool of water.    

TELL US your preference time for pick up: 

 THURSDAY EVE

FRIDAY MORN

FRIDAY EVE

SATURDAY EVE

We may have a mid town farmers market pick up as well. 

That pick up option will require pre payment.

We do not use any preservatives in our water or on the flowers so morning & evening pick ups are best to get your flowers to their destination in the best condition.  Due to heat we do not wrap in paper.

TELL US if you would like us to supply your flowers in one of our vessels.                                                   If so we will send you information.  We have classic cylinders as well as two sizes of glass bee skeps!

WE WANT YOU TO KNOW 4 THINGS

PRICING for flowers & chorus start at $25 DIY and increases from there as your budget determines.

 New this year we have lovely FLORAL GIFT CARDS good for flowers, veggies, herbs, rose or garden consults or classes when they resume.  They make a lovely gift we can package with our potpourri & or a vessel if we are sold out, or you want your recipient to make their own choices. Gift cards expire 12/31/21

We accept  CASH or CREDIT with Square.  We do not have PayPal or Venmo type forms of payment.

Unfortunately we are NOT ABLE TO DO DELIVERIES this year.  

We hope that you can find alternatives.

We can’t wait for your orders for our flowers & don’t forget we have Pink lemons, Artichokes, Zucchini & Golden Summer squash.

Bunches of Garlic chives, Mints, Lemon verbena & Lemon balm may be purchased separately for you to enjoy in your cooking, baking, marinades, dressings, teas & tisanes.

Our Desert Cottage Garden potpourri is tied in shimmering creamy organza.  

 All herb & produce prices are available on request.

Our little farm is located in a residential neighborhood of Scottsdale.  

Address is provided when appointment for order is made.  

We have lots of walkers, children, dogs, bicycles and temporary road construction.  

Please drive carefully & observe the speed & detour signs. 

We are fully vaccinated against SARS CoV2 .  We do have clients who are immune compromised.  While we will be outdoors out of respect for them, children & those who are not yet vaccinated we will be masking out of the utmost precaution against the currently circulating aggressive variants of SARS CoV2.  We ask you to do the same.  We are looking forward to celebrating our independence for this miserable virus.

WE CAN HARDLY WAIT TO SEE YOU SOON!

    

                                              

WHAT'S IN SEASON ALMOST SPRING CITRUS EDITION

CITRUS!  CITRUS!  CITRUS!

 This is just a little mixed basket the we shared with our friend Jill from @sweetlifegarden.

The tiny round yellow green balls are our key limes.  Famous for it's sweeter lime flavor with less of the tart flavor of other limes.  Our tree is young and very healthy so we are looking forward to an overload of these in coming years.  Limes an be frost sensitive so it is planted in an area with lots of protection so that we don't have to run out to cover with frost cloth.

MUGS UP MONDAY

“WALK UNTIL THE DARKNESS IS JUST A MEMORY

AND

YOU BECOME 

THE SUN 

ON THE NEXT TRAVELERS HORIZON”

Kobe Bryant

An important thing to know about citrus is that while it is loaded with Vitamin C, that vitamin is water soluble and fragile once it is harvested from the protection of the tree.  What this means to you is that if the nutrients are important to you then you must keep these fruits cool, out of the heat and light.  Also, like eggs, citrus has a "bloom" that can be wiped off when washing.  The bloom protects the citrus from air and light getting inside and degrading the Vitamin C.  This is why when you receive citrus from us it has not been washed.  Our fruits are harvested in the cool of the morning to be as fresh as can be when you receive them, so there is no need to wax them to retain freshness and nutrition.  

Please wash it before peeling or cutting,  just to be safe.  

Then Zest, Eat, & Juice to your heart & body's content.

The deep orange with the knob top on the outer edges are Minneola Tangelo.  These peel so easily and are one of the sweetest citrus with a touch of tart.  They have few seeds.  They can be juiced but peeling is so easy we usually do not juice.

The deeply yellow ovals in the center are the Improved Meyer Lemons.  This lemon is so deeply colored because they have orange in their parentage.  The more mature they are, the closer they color to an orange.  Interestingly the color, like so many fruits, is a clue to how it will taste.  As they mature and deepen in color they begin to taste less tart and lemony and more like an orange, though never really like an orange.  Very few seeds.  Be sure to use the zest to get the most out of these lemons.

The round orange fruit in the bottom corner of Jill's basket and others like it in the basket are blood oranges.  We are growing the Cara Cara and Torroco varieties.  We chose these two after years of volunteering at the annual Maricopa County Citrus Clinics.  They have a tasting table of more citrus than you will ever have the opportunity to see in one place.  

The Cara Cara has naval orange in it's parentage and you can tell on one end how it looks like a naval.   The meat sections inside are a lovely peach color.  The flavor is sweet, not tart  and we think has a touch of cinnamon flavor to it.  The meat sections inside is firm so we love biting into them.  Few to no seeds, not the easiest or worst peeling.  They make fine juice but we prefer to et them.  

Have you tasted a Cara Cara?  How would you describe the flavor?  We love it!!!

Our other blood orange, Torroco, is the more typical deep pink to red color, from which blood oranges get their name.  Think red beet color.  Actually we have found most blood oranges varieties to remind us of beet flavor, a bit earthy.  Have you eaten blood oranges?  Do you know which varieties?  How did they taste to you?  The Torroco has not had an earthy flavor to our taste.  It's actually a similar flavor to the Cara Cara.  Our tree is young and we notice that the meat sections inside have an ombre color going on.  At one end of the orange they are an orange color deepening to the other end into a dark pink/red.  When young the have a red blush to the skin as well. Virtually seedless.  No the easiest to peel.  Fine to juice but they have such  nice firm meatiness , we prefer to peel and eat.

The large yellow balls are our Oro Blanco grapefruit.  Don't be fooled that it is not pink, which are pretty.  Oro Blanco grapefruit are so sweet they do not need sugar yet leave sticky wherever their juice has fallen.  They can be peeled and eaten as you would an orange.  We struggle to get the watering just right on these so our may have a thick pith.  No problem except the the actual fruit is smaller than what one may think due to the thick pith. 

Unseen are the tangerines, of which we have plenty!!  They are so easy to peel, make the best juice and have the most intense and sweet flavor of all of our citrus.  We have three of these trees and the flavor is similar among them.  Sometimes you get 6 seeds other times there are none.  Tangerines make addictively sweet and tangy juice.  The zest is thin but worth the effort, just be sure to be gentle.

Pictured above are the citrus we currently have available for your enjoyment.  Starting in the upper right corner are tangerine, Improved Meyer Lemon, Cara Cara blood orange, Oro Blanco grapefruit, Minneola Tangelo, Torroco blood orange

Has our description of our citrus sparked your interest in eating or planting citrus?  We hope so!  Let us know how we can help you.  If you would like to place an order for a custom harvest please contact us by email or DM on Instagram @anne_es_garden_fresh.  Sorry we are all out of Key Limes.  As the season continues and more of our fruit ripens we'll post more about our juicing oranges and pink lemons.  

WHAT'S IN SEASON WINTER 2020 EDITION

 To put you in the mood here's a brief video of what's going on at Tre Soli

This is one of our white nectarines that give us some of the most supreme fruit we grow.  One of our interns after tasting al of our fruits all season in order to learn how to detect ripeness said, "Now This IS The Best I've Tasted!"  Unfortunately they are very sensitive to the warm days of winter and so have been known to loose early blooms and therefor later fruit.  Makes them more precious?  We'll keep you posted on their progress.

Most of our stone fruit pruning is done.  We still have some fine pruning to do.  

If you are an experienced fruit tree pruner and have some spare time we could use some extra hand power to boost ours.  Send an email or DM our Instagram.

This is what we have started to harvest now.  OMG citrus!!!  No filters and on my computer screen, the color is accurate.  If you've never had fresh from the tree

oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, limes or tangelos then you haven't really had citrus.  Like a home grown tomato compared to a winter hot house tomato there is no comparison.  And of course has been grown for almost 30 years with only organic inputs.

Our citrus has flavor, sweetness and just a slight tang that is addictive.  Our grapefruit is not sour and doesn't taste like aspirin.  You never need to put sugar on it to enjoy.

Did you know that Vitamin C is fragile?  The rind is a semi permeable membrane that allows heat and light and air to enter once it leaves the tree.  Consequently once picked, citrus to retain it's nutritional value, should always be kept out of sunlight, and heat.  A bag of citrus in the sun by a road side makes me cringe.  More importantly it will not have as much flavor or nutrition as when it left it's tree.

We are doing custom harvests per your request.  Harvest will be on the chilly morning that you choose to pick up to ensure the freshest, tastiest, most nutritious citrus.  

If you'd like to order drop us and email or DM on our Instagram.  

Above is Koko Loko.  

Not a new one but a young rose that takes a while to establish.  We only sold a few last year.  It was prolific but still small with short stems.  Her fragrance is so soft but sweet and a bit cinnamon to my nose.  Stay tuned because she may take off this year & if she does we'll put them in your hands. 

We are still fine tuning the pruning of our roses and though we keep saying we won't add more we did.  Just a few.  An old favorite that has been off the market for years is "Betty White"  Nobody doesn't like Betty White!  This rose is a lovely blush with a sweet fruity fragrance and just saying it's namesake brings smile sand laughs to everyone who meets her.  We can't wait to have more of these available this year.

We are continuing to create smalll batches of botanical infused items.  Last fall we used our fresh cut lavender.  This spring our items will be rose centric.  Rose hydrosol is a favorite of mine in the warm seasons.  It is made purely of our rose petals grown with only organic inputs and H2O.  

Let us know if you are interested in knowing when it becomes available.

This is a favorite Cornishware mug.  I chose a group of striped mugs for a Christmas set and had them personalized with all sorts of words.  At the time I was thinking about the Spirit of Christmas but I find I steep my tea in it when I want to believe in many things...

that the world is full of good people,

that a friend's health will return,

that my seeds will germinate,

that Spring is on it's way

In what do you want to, need to BELIEVE 

These mugs are made in the UK by a couple who is repatriating this classic pottery.  It's a great "local" story that I have adopted.  Delightful Instagram posts if you are interested...@cornishware

Please let me say a few words about when I post about a business.  I am never paid, never have been.  Often they never even know that I have posted about them.  It isn't to get a 'bump".  I just like to support other people who I respect and who create things that I enjoy and use.  

OK!  Hope to hear from you or see you soon.  Please let us know what you'd like to know about or have us grow for you.  We are here to serve and please lovers of good clean things from the earth.

WHAT'S IN SEASON: NOVEMBER EDITION

So Much!  So So Much!

Hey Stranger!  We're so glad to be back!  
And Just as glad to see you here!

KOKO LOCO ROSE

Out in the East 40 the roses are recovering from their Summer siesta, grapes have frosted revealing their beautiful vines and the "pumpkin/squash/gourds" have been harvested.

If you enjoy crafting your own wreathes, we have supple grapevines for you.  If lots of tans and greens are your decor things we have dried roses and these "pumpkin/squash/gourds".  They were volunteers so we do not know their heritage.  They may be edible.  They may be dryable.  We're not sure yet.  They are carvable and paintable.    You could also plant them with succulents and/or cut flowers.  A large glass vessel, twinkie sized lights and some of these may be your thing.  Or a simple line of these down the middle of your table with garland snaking in and around.

What we do know is that we are offering them "free to good homes".  Stop by our Little Free Library to pick some up.  We replenish them daily and over half have gone to new kitchens and homes already so don't wait too long.  Like Cinderella's chariot they will go poof & be gone before you know it.

We've invited some local makers of beautiful, practical and nourishing things.  First off this coming Thursday, November 14, from 9 to 11, Kristin of Vim and Vigor Candle Co will be here to guide you through creating your own custom scent to add to a candle or two.  Her line of pre made soy candles will also be available for purchase.  I met Kristin at just such an event and was amazed at how much work and complexity is involved.  It's not just fragrant flowers the capture me but candles as well.  The copper vessels that will hold your custom scented candle will go on to a new life after you finish burning it.  Add cut flowers, plant succulents, hide treasure, herbs or teas in your lidded coper vessel.  The choice is yours just as the scent is.  This is a great opportunity  to make a very special gift for someone and yourself.  Maybe bring them with yo so you can ask if they like the scents yo are creating?

Registration is required, which you can do at Kristin's website. 

https://vimandvigorcandleco.com/products/candle-making-workshop?_pos=1&_sid=5b959357d&_ss=r

Also on that morning we hope to have sample flowers for holiday pre orders.  We are especially loving the deep gold and dusky pink colors of some of the roses pictured on this post.

If you have been to visit us at Uptown Farmers Market the last couple of years, you no doubt met Emily of Bene Vivendo, a fellow Maricopa County Master Gardener who excels at edible flowers and wreathes for all seasons.  She is also a very knowledgeable teacher with a wry sense of humor about many things gardening in our desert.  Emily will be here the same morning as Kristin with wreathes of fresh and dried flowers for purchase and order.  She grows most of her wreathe ingredients using organic inputs.  Uniquely her arrangements includes edible flowers, fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs.

Don't you love the deep colors of this dried arrangement grown & created by Emily!  This particular dry bouquet includes Blue Wheat and Dill Weed!  Bet you can't get that anywhere in town! 

This wreathe!  It even has artichokes, millet & oats! 

If we ask really nicely she may even bring some of her delicious dried Hibiscus sabdariffa aka Roselle.  This has become my favorite hot infusion.  Come to think of it we drink it cold with sliced oranges in the summer.  We add a stick of Ceylon Cinnamon and honey from local friends to get what tastes like hot or cold  cherry juice!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Maker on our calendar, is  Terry Parvan of Winnifred Street  with her Art in the Garden workshop.  Terry uses mixed media combined with words to create beautiful inspiration and affirmations.  You can find her at Junk in the Trunk twice a year and monthly at Sweet Salvage in addition to workshops around town.  She will guide you to create two different canvases.  Tears may be shed, by me anyway.  Samples of previous canvases are shown below.

This workshop also requires pre registration & seating is very limited.  Last day to register for her workshop is November 25.  You can go to Terry's Etsy shop to register, this link should get you there.  This is a great workshop to invite a friend or loved one to attend with you and maybe surprise them with a canvas you made.  We are thrilled to have Terry come do her first outside workshop during our beautiful Autumn under our olive trees.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/743944803/art-in-the-garden-workshop-at-the?ref=shop_home_active_7&frs=1

***For both workshops fees are non refundable.  All of the makers plan, grow, harvest and create for weeks before they come to the garden for these events.  We understand that life happens so if you have a last minute reason & you're unable to attend, you may substitute by giving your registration to a friend as long as you let us know who we will be welcoming instead of you.***  

***If you have not been to Tre Soli before, home of Anne E's Garden Fresh farm, address will be disclosed 48 hours before your workshop.  Nearest cross streets are Scottsdale Road & McCormick Parkway.***

***The workshops are being held in a residential neighborhood so PLEASE drive with great caution.  Put your phone in your back seat.  This time of year many people are out walking and biking with dogs and children.  Sometimes roosters & hens are also out for a stroll.  So please do not be distracted.***

Just after Terry's workshop is ...

...back by popular demand.  This is always a sell out so don't wait too long to get your tickets.  Our friends Becca of Farm Yard and Jill of Sweet Life Garden are again collaborating on this event.   There are some wonderful new gardens on the tour this year including a beautiful school garden of eatin' & learnin'.  Also new this year is a very creative family of builders and bakers & their unique back yard garden made for entertaining.   For detailed information & tickets you can go to 

 https://myfarmyard.com

Jill is posting peeks and previews on her Instagram @sweetlifegarden

So!  Didn't I say there's a lot ''in season''.  We can't wait to see you at some of these events in the gardens during this 

most beautiful time of year!

Still Koko Loco

WHAT'S IN SEASON APRIL EDITION

"The Future Looks Rosey"  Kinda

"Everything's Coming Up Roses" Sorta

"Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses" Definitely

For those of you who follow us on Instagram, Thank You!  For those of you who do not follow us on Instagram, that's ok.  We still try to make some time for our orphan blog but we'd love to have you over at Instagram too.  We want to be growing our best for you and that does not leave enough time for all of the social media available today.

With Rosapalooza about to begin we are working hard to get 

as many roses into your hands as are blooming on our bushes.

In the mean time this is a special Spring holiday weekend with both Easter and Passover.  

We hope you spend it enjoying those who mean the most to you.  

You are important to us and we'd honored to help you celebrate 

by adding some of our flowers for your celebration.  

HOLIDAY

FRONT DOOR HONOR MARKET

THURSDAY & FRIDAY

8 -11a.m.

&

PRE ORDER TODAY

$20 minimum

We are teaming up with Jill of @sweetlifegarden and Shanti of @whipstone to add their flowers to our roses and green chorus.  

This will be some kinda wonderful.  

Check our Instagram account @anne_es_garden_fresh for the last time we teamed up with these two flower farmers and see what one very capable @chefinthegarden did with our flowers 

for a Slow Food dinner with Alice Waters.

Sweet Peas & Roses from Jill's @sweetlifegarden

What can you expect?

 BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN BLOOMS EXCLUSIVELY GROWN 

BY ARIZONA FLOWER FARMERS!  

While we can guarantee they will be chemical free 

we cannot guarantee you won't find a lady bug among your petals.  

Not to worry there is no charge for them.  

When they are finished dining they just fly away to their next meal.  

This guest never over stays her welcome, she's a lady after-all.

We will be making mixed bouquets that you may

PICK UP AT THE FARM THURSDAY & FRIDAY 

8 -11 a.m. 

email your order to azgardenfresh@gmail.com

or 

DM our Instagram @anne_es_garden_fresh

You may also arrange for delivery Friday afternoon for an extra fee. 

We will NOT be at the farmers market this Saturday.

Pre-order is strongly encouraged because when they are gone they are gone.  

We have been selling out all Spring at the farmers market.

Here is a bit of the parade of what may be in your bouquet.  

Roses of course

Along with Anemones  

And More Roses

Plus Daffodils/Narcisuss

A Few More Roses

Some Ranunculus

And Some Tulips

More Roses, of Course

More Tulips, yippee

And Yes more roses

With Some More Tulips

And Finally More Roses