Can you identify this edible flower?

I was in my garden last week and noticed this cute little flower blooming from a plant that I never would have imagined would bloom and to bloom such a cute little petite flower. I was equally surprised when I researched this plant and its delicate foliage to learn that the flower is actually edible. So, do you know what plant produces this flower? Hint: It is an herb.
 Give up?

Well here is the plant. Can you identify it now? 

If you guessed chives, you are right. Chive is a mild herb used for seasoning dishes. It belongs to the same family (Allium) with onions, leeks, garlic, shallots and scallions. They supply the same healthful nutrients as their cousins; although in smaller amounts. The antioxidant compounds present in chives may help boost immunity and protect you from chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Chives go well with potatoes, fish and egg dishes. It makes a flavorful seasoning for homemade salad dressings and dips.

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Chives

 

• Chives, when finely chopped and consumed with food, are said to aid digestion and stimulate appetite.
• Consumption of chives has been found to be beneficial for the respiratory system of an individual.
• It has been seen that chives can help the body in digesting fatty foods, such as cheese.
• For those suffering from tiredness and fatigue, consuming chives can serve to be a good remedy.
• Since chives have been known to have diuretic properties, they can reduce obesity and fluid retention.
• Researches have revealed the result that chives help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, by as much as 50 percent.
• Chives have been found to comprise of mild anti-inflammatory properties.
• The oil of Chinese chives is believed to help heal bruises and kill germs in the intestines.

If you are considering starting a vegetable garden or an herb garden, this would make an excellent addition. It is easy to take care of and grows well in containers.

Here's a recipe I plan on trying real soon to use some of the fresh chives in my garden. This recipe is from a site that I absolutely love! The recipes are delicious, easy to make and most importantly healthy. If you are on Weight Watchers then you must visit this site. The whole premise behind this site is that the author take recipes and convert them to be Weight Watchers friendly. She even gives the point values. I don't do Weight Watchers so I'm not that into the points but I am into healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.

                                     http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/02/baked-potato-soup.html

If you try this soup, let me know how you like it. There is also a Chicken Enchilada Soup that looks amazing. I don't know which one I want to make first. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/crock-pot-chicken-enchilada-soup.html

Peaches

If you were a follower last year, you may recall that we planted a peach tree in May. It was a very young tree and as the grower explained to me, the first year do not expect any fruit because its energy is being spent developing a root system and getting adjusted to its new environment.

Well, this year the tree has produced tons of fruit, so much so that the branches started to bend and came close to breaking. I had to remove some of the branches. I kept waiting for the fruit to get larger. I noticed that they were getting their color but not really getting any bigger. My research taught me that I should have removed some of the peaches when they were small buds so that they would not be so cramped on the branches. Also, as my husband pointed out the other day, at this stage the tree is not strong enough to carry really large fruit.

So, after picking a couple and trying them out, I realized that they are ripe. What I decided to do because there are so many is to freeze some of them. I have a new vacuum sealer; which I absolutely love, so I can freeze these for use this fall or winter and they should taste like fresh ones.

Actually because the vacuum sealer pulls all of the air out, these should be fresh for at least a year. I also use it for my meats because I hate pulling out freezer burned food to serve my family.

My daughter wanted me to use them to make a peach cobbler, however, I would have to use so many of them because they are so small I opted not to use them for that purpose. I'll just buy canned ones until the tree gets larger and produces bigger fruit.

Rosemary

Last year I purchased a few herb plants because on the Food Network and also when chefs visit The Today Show, they are always talking about using fresh herbs. Now mind you, I am not much of a cook and so this is all fairly new to me. But because I am very interested in cooking healthier meals, I'm trying to learn as much as I can from the experts. Anyway, I was just looking at my rosemary plant this morning and noticed that it is really starting to spread and I realized that I have not used it at all for cooking! Not good. So, I did a Google search for recipes using rosemary and naturally found a bunch. This one in particular caught my eye and I plan on cooking it this week:  Black Lemon Chicken
Here's my rosemary. The aroma is so divine.

Health Benefits of Rosemary

Note: This information was obtained from NaturalNews.com

Rosemary contains caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid, both of which are potent antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory agents. Rosemary is also a good source of antioxidant vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) and other important antioxidants.

In addition, rosemary contains 19 chemicals with antibacterial action and a number of volatile oils which reduce the airway constriction induced by histamine - the chemical culprit of asthma and other allergy symptoms. Notably, rosemary has long been used to treat asthma.

The volatile oils in rosemary also help reduce inflammation that contributes to liver and heart disease. Herbalists think that rosemary may also help ease breast pain by acting as a natural drying agent to
 fluid  filled cysts.

Some other important health benefits for rosemary are:

*Due to its antioxidants, rosemary can help prevent cataracts.

*The natural acids present in rosemary help in protecting the body`s cells and DNA from free radical damage.

*Rosemary stimulates liver enzymes which help inactivate estrogen hormones, which can  cause breast cancer.

*Rosemary extract helps prevent age-related skin damage such as wrinkles.

*Rosemary encourages enzymes which flush harmful toxins out of the liver and the body.

*When consumed on a daily basis, rosemary extract can improve kidney functions, increase urine flow and preserve essential minerals such as sodium and potassium.

*Rosemary oil is used to stimulate hair growth, boost mental activity, relieve respiratory problems and pain, and reduce disorders in menstrual cycle, menstrual cramps, peptic ulcers, urine flow, prostate, gall bladder, intestine, sperm mobility, leukemia and kidney stones.

Cautionary notes:

*Medical professionals have recommended to not exceed two 400 mg rosemary capsules up to three times a day.

*Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid large quantities of rosemary. Rosemary has been known to affect the fetus and lead to miscarriage.

*Rosemary oil can be allergic, thus it would be advisable to consult with a qualified naturopathic professional before using it.

*People who suffer from high blood pressure or epilepsy should not take rosemary supplements.


Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/030814_rosemary_herbs.html#ixzz1vRIEbmOL

A New Season

Hello all:
It's been a while since my last post. I was pretty pleased with my first serious year of vegetable gardening last year. I learned a lot and have some new ideas that I want to implement this year in hopes of having more success than last year. I just completed a 170 page design project. I am relieved and ready to get back to my gardening and blogging. One of the things that I have done which I'm hoping will really help is that I got rid of this bush that was not very attractive and took up a lot of useful ground space. I now have an area to plant my zucchini's and tomatoes in the ground. Also, although we were not very happy when our neighbors behind us had to cut down some really tall trees that provided so much privacy for us, my garden is now getting all of that morning sun that it so needs.
In case you missed the post last summer, I planted a peach tree. I thought that I would have peaches last summer but as the grower explained to me, the tree spends the first season developing it's root system in its new home and that's where all of its energy is focused. This year I am happy to say that I have tons of peaches! So much that I had to cut off a few branches that were loaded with young peaches. The reason for cutting them was that they were so heavy they almost broke the main branches. This morning I also had to place a net over the tree because the fruit as it matures is getting softer and now the birds are getting to enjoy them before we can. The peaches don't seem to be getting very big, my guess is that in a season or two as the tree matures they will get larger. (I will have to do a google search for more details on growing peaches.) I'm looking forward to fresh peach smoothies and I also saw on the Today Show once before a chef was grilling them. Sounds delicious, huh? Here are some photos of my little peach tree.

The tree in early February started blooming. 

These are the fruit in April.

Lots of color. Getting sweeter, so the birds
are enjoying.

Placed netting over the tree this morning to
 protect from birds and possums.