I inherited a crazy yard—really a mini urban farm complete with livestock (the chickens were written into the counter-offer): there are six fruit trees (sadly down from 8), 7 raised beds in different levels of the yard, and untold numbers of flowering shrubs and annuals, not to mention patches of perennial herbs here and there. As you can probably tell from that list, the former owner was a master gardener. I am not. I’ve talked about my struggles with gardening in the past, and they continue unabated. But enough does survive year to year that I always have a range of flowers to cut for the house and make tisanes with. So throughout the summer I try to sit out on the deck at least a couple mornings a week with a beautiful glass pot of whatever’s blooming and edible—to remind me why I do all of this seemingly futile labor, and that there’s hope. This week’s mix is roses, honeysuckle, and lemon mint with a couple sprigs of early English lavender, marjoram, and spearmint thrown in. What does it taste like? Basically mint tea with a nice pink shade from the roses.
The Rookery 