Late  September is harvest time . The Home Place Fairy Folk and I have been busy gathering vegetables,  late season fruits such as apples and grapes as well as flowers and herbs . Vegetables are cleaned and frozen for consuming during the long cold months of winter. Herbs and flowers are gathered and hung to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit of fairy dust goes a long way to sweeten and ripen fruits and flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helpful children tend the gardens as Fairy’s dust sparkles and twinkles all around them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our greenhouse is filled with tomatoes for ripening just before the frost arrives. A few branches of arctic hardy kiwi rests in the foreground of this photograph. Huge kiwi vines cover one of my arbors with thousands of little fruits; they will be perfectly ripened after the second gentle frost of fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small children gather sunflower seed for birds and wee wildlings; tiny field mice and chipmunks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gardens are like magical kingdoms, they are filled with mystery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Home Place Fairy Folk work hard tending my gardens but always make time each and every day to dance and be merry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At day’s end when the fairies are done with both work and play, they leave the gardens, fields and orchards as they flutter and march one by one into The Enchanted Woodland.  Their home is a beautiful chamber snug and warm, hidden deep within the trunk of a grand oak tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I collect my days harvest as the last fairies depart for the evening and I bless the Little People, forever grateful for the loveliness of this magical world all around me .

In late July thru September until frost we harvest the lovely green wide leaved annual herb Basil tastes especially fine and we traditionally make pesto to freeze for the winter months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I plant our Basil in mid to late April from seed in my greenhouse and transplant the seedlings come late May into raised beds nestled up to colorful Cosmos Flowers; dry seeding Hollyhocks and lettuce. We like harvesting basil to use in salads, tomato dishes, soups, stews and stir fries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing to make some fresh Home Place Fairies Pixie Pesto a granddaughter removes Basil leaves from their stems and sets them aside. Then we begin gathering together our ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Place Fairies Pixie Pesto

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups packed full of fresh Basil Leaves, rinsed if needed, and stems removed.
2. 4-5 cloves of Fresh Garlic
3. 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
4. 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
5. 3/4 – 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
6. 1/2 cup extra virgin Olive Oil
7. Salt a wee bit to taste (and maybe Pepper)
8. Optional you could apply a small squeeze of Fresh Lemon, just a tiny nip!
9. Many folks add a tablespoon of melted butter, I generally don’t but you can

 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or a blender. (I use a food processor) and blend on low speed, then medium, then high. Sometimes the basil leaves bunch up in which case, turn off your machine and rearrange the ingredients with a wooden spoon so blade will move more effectively. Blend until everything turns into a smooth paste. Presto! That’s it! That’s your pesto!

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many delicious ways to serve Pesto. You can simply smear your Pesto on crackers or toast and top with freshly harvested cherry tomato slices. Try topping this with sprinkles of goat cheese and pinched tiny basil leaves and florets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can serve Pixie Pesto over cooked pasta, smear on roast chicken, fish or chops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pixie Pesto can be frozen for a late winter treat. I like to freeze my basil in little heart ice cube trays, or heart shaped baking sheets, or simple ice cube trays will do. Just smear Pixie Pesto into your tray, place in freezer uncovered and wait until frozen then remove and place in freezer proof ziploc bags, return to freezer for later use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We might toss 6-8 (or more or less) frozen or thawing hearts onto a dish of hot pasta depending upon how much Pixie Pesto we are craving.

Yum!

 

 

Fairy Tales are true stories that maybe never happened…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magic happens in every garden, all you have to do is look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the seasons come and the seasons go, here’s something you might like to know.

 

 

 

 

 

There are fairies everywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under the bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So listen, touch and look around, in the air and on the ground.

And if you watch all nature’s thing

you might just see a fairy wing!”

(author unknown)

 

 

In September we harvest peaches from our orchard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fairy Folk and Wildlings come together with children to sample the first ripened peaches.

Little Penelope Porcupine loves peaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As temperatures begin to cool our Wolf River Apples start to ripen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And later our pears…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid October is harvest time in our orchard on the north side of a small mountain in Maine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organically grown with fairy dust our trees bear an abundance of fruit which fills our pantry, as well as supplying a food source for Wildlings and Fairies.

 

 

 

 

 

Adults and children, Fairy Folk and Old Horse,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family, neighbors and friends,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All gather together harvesting natures bounty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turning work into play is the Fairy way and we always take time for merriment.

Old Horse is Guardian of the Home Place Fairies as well as to a mortal girl and her younger sister.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was long ago enchanted by fairy folk and though he ages he never grows old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday we harvested pears, eating as we picked,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later we delivered our pears to the Apple Wizard and his Fair Lady who along with a young wizard in training pressed them into cider.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will dry fruit; freeze fruit, make sauces, bake pies, pastries and tarts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Pixie Pear Tart sweetened with fairy dust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After her belly is full of peaches, apples or pears Penelope heads home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cutest little porcupine I have ever known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer is ending here in Maine.

A brisk chill fills the air as evening approaches and dew is on the meadow.

This morning I caught a glimpse of two hard working Home Place Fairies as they wheeled a wooden cart towards my peach orchard.

The rest of their day will be spent preparing the peaches for winter storage.

The fairies will fill jars of cling peaches; they will make peach cobbler, peach crisp and even peach pie!

 

 

Most days in Fairyland everything is harmonious and as it should be. There are rare occasions however when things in the fairy realm can become rather upside down, when no matter how one looks at the world, things appear out of sorts and sideways.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When this happens, (which is very rarely) it’s no longer just another day in paradise. All of the residents of Fairyland must come together to restore balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

High flying fairy folk are generally the first to notice when things become amiss. Members of Fairyland have a lot of patience and are very optimistic by nature,

Their first tactic is to go about their business while keeping their eyes and ears wide open waiting for things to sort themselves out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The residents of Fairyland know from experience that under usual circumstances everything settles down and the world becomes right again. Rarely has there been an occasion when their world becomes so out of balance that it doesn’t right side up of it’s own accord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, lately things in Fairyland have become a bit more upside down and very sideways, more so than the inhabitants have ever experienced or known before. Fairy Folk know that this is a time when special measures will be required to set things right. In order to correct this imbalance they will need to join all the different clans of fairy folk in the kingdom together and become a diversified unit of one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inhabitants of Fairyland, (which includes, Sylphs, Sea Selkies, Goblins, Leprechauns,  Fairies, Pixies and Trolls….to name just a few.) trust in the wisdom of their leader, a wise Old Troll King who reigns from secret chambers hidden deep within the Earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entrances to Trolldom are numerous and each is a secret portal only the initiated can see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There are secret entrance portals to Trolldom hidden in Caves, Ancient Oak Trees, Pines or Ash; under Steep Granite outcroppings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are entrances beneath secret woodland waterfalls,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And beneath water falls where humans go but but cannot see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However the most direct as well as most secretive and heavily guarded portal to Trolldom  is hidden deep within the Enchanted Forest where only fairy folk and wildlings dwell. (and on rare occasions those humans most in tune with nature go) This portal is beneath what appears to be a derelict Stone Bridge out of view. It is guarded by two large Trolls, one Cautious Coyote, a Boisterous Bear, a Heralding Hawk and a Curious Crow. The entrances to Trolldom are many and all are hidden from view.  Seldom are these portals entered by those seeking Troll King’s council, as Fairyland is generally a most harmonious place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Troll King has the knowledge and wisdom of his ancestors, he is open minded and a scholar up to date on the diverse citizenry of Fairyland, including Wildlings, all those scaled,  furred and feathered, such as turkey, snake, frog, butterfly, coyote and deer folk to name just a few. As Seamstress to the Faires, I am invited to speak on behalf of my kind. Troll King’s wisdom combined with his ability to see into the future by learning from the past, reassures all the inhabitants of Fairyland when things become out of kilter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Representatives from all factions of Fairy Kingdom join together in Troll King’s vast chambers deep within the earth where all knowledge is firmly rooted and wisdom grows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Together as a team these representatives confer until a resolution forms and harmony is restored. The sincere selfless efforts of each and everyone in Fairyland working together is necessary for harmony to be maintained and balance restored.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the Fairy Folk and Wildlings, the tall and the small, the winged, the webbed, the scaled, the furred and the blue know exactly how to do just that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And once again, all is as it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The incredible strength of  dreams and hope coexist in this magnificent world filled with possibilities.

 

 

 

 

“Magic really does happen, all one has to do is look.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fairy sweetened apples on our farm here in Maine grow.

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of Summer on the edge of Fall, Home Place Fairy Folk sweeten ripening apples with fairy dust.

During the late evening hours our orchard is all a glimmer as it twinkles and glows.

 

 

 

Every garden has a story and mine in large part began here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every gardener hears and answers to their own song, has their own vision and every garden is unique.

A long time ago on the south side of a small mountain in a woodland glen I cleared a bit of land bit by selective bit and built a small sunlit house. I gathered together divisions of old plantings from the tiny house I had been living in which sat nestled at the foot of a blueberry hill bordered by a stream, an enchanted forest and one large Apple Tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I dug divisions of Bearded Iris, Monkshood, Monarda and Primrose; Old Roses and Solomon’s Seal, Feverfew, Hostas and Rue. My goal was to rescue as much of this garden as I possibly could as the tiny house was to be demolished, the apple tree cut down and the site leveled. I worked long days into the night to better my woodland soil for transplanting and seeds. I wandered deep into the surrounding woodlands filling and gathering together buckets of old composting tree stumps, which I used to lighten and enrich my future garden beds according to what fairy folk say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I planted flower seeds, Delphiniums, Cosmos, Bells of Ireland. I transplanted Ferns ,Violets, Forget me knots and Bluebells. I planted Arctic Hardy Kiwi, a gift from a Lonely Magician who lived by the Sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Grandmother Catharine ; gardener extraordinaire, traveled a great distance to come view this garden that had always lived inside of me. She came to me one midsummer and shared her secrets of gardening, she whispered to me, “It takes courage to plant roses.., that which you have…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes someone comes along who visits my gardens and becomes so moved by the flora, the peace and the strength that a creative spark begins to seed itself deep inside of them and a vision of their own internal garden begins to take form, to sprout to blossom and eventually grow.