# 420: Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly
Garlic is done, lavender is blooming itself silly, and the happy bees are buzzing!
Garlic Gone
Oh dear, I’m pretty sure that my garlic has white rot, a fungus caused by Sclerotium cepivorum. Yah, I’d never heard of it either so I did a little digging (no pun intended) and what I learned gave me pause. This nasty fungus can live for thirty years in the soil. You read that right. Thirty years! Plus, it can infect plants from where it is hiding 12 inches below the surface of the soil AND even just 1 plant can infect 20 to 30 adjacent plants. It’s particularly active in cool, wet conditions which, for most of the year, is what I have right here on the North Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. This does not make me very happy.
Even though I’ve been growing garlic for over 40 years, I didn’t understand the symptoms … plant pulling apart and rotted roots (which is the head of the garlic itself) … when I saw signs of it in 2024. I brushed it off as planting too close together. For the 2025 crop, I planted with plenty of space and got a fairly decent crop although I did see more rot than I would have liked. When I harvested the 2026 last week I found that I had lost well over 50% of the crop. You’d be very right in thinking that I’m bummed.
The good news is that the fungus only affects alliums; garlic, leeks, onions, shallots and such. I don’t have a plan yet but but I’ll figure out something whether that be bringing in new soil or even possibly moving the garden to another location on the property. I’m in pretty good shape and fairly strong for a seventy-three-year-old but the thought of this is … well … daunting.
On the other hand, it’s been a GREAT run and over the decades I’ve gifted lots of beautiful garlic to others and provided garlic seed for the garden’s of others, too.
And I’m looking forward to the day when I can plant it once again.
I live fairly close to Forks WA where all those vampire novels took place and maybe I’ve grown so much of it I don’t need to worry about vampires showing up at my door anymore!
What else am I up to?
Lavender Blue
Do you remember the song Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly? I sorta kinda remember a recording of Burl Ives singing it when I was a little girl but what I didn’t know is that Lavender’s Blue is an English folk song and nursery rhyme from the 17th century. The earliest surviving version of the song was printed in England between 1672 and 1679 which you’ll see in the photo below along with the one in The Baby's Opera – A Book of Old Rhymes and the Music by the Earliest Masters.
Next weekend is the annual Sequim Lavender Festival and lavender will be the color ALL around the town just fifteen miles east of me. In 1996, I was harpsichordist with an early music group that played at the farm that started the festival which has grown a lot now bringing in tens of thousands of people. I try to visit the craft fair on the morning of the first day when there’s still plenty of parking and the crowds haven’t yet arrived.
Just two weeks later, my e-bike Arrow and I, for the third time, will ride the Tour de Lavender, a 35-mile route that visits seven lavender farms in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley.
And my own lavender is blooming like crazy which means there are very happy bees at Pie Cottage! If you turn up the sound in the video below you’ll hear the birds AND the bees. I love the look of lavender and especially that it requires little care once established. Once a year at the end of the season, I grab a big swath of stems with spent flowers and take them off with a scythe. That’s it! I think this fall I will plant some more around The Little House.
The Little House
Speaking of The Little House. Well, it is still coming along but oh it seems so slow at this very last stage when things just need to be finished up but that isn’t possible until the cabinetry is finished by the person who said it would be ready to install in July (Yay!) but now says it will maybe be August (Boo!). But, heck, what do I know? There may be more things that have to happen that I don’t know about for it’s completion. I had hoped it was going to be done a year ago August. The folks who are working on the project (in-between their other jobs) are great and I’m practicing patience as best I can. «sigh» Send out that good energy and join me in the mantra: It WILL be done soon. It WILL be done soon. It WILL be done soon.
And here’s Burl Ives singing Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly.
Cookbook Collective Starts This Week!
This Friday, July 17, 2026 at 4 PM Pacific / 7 PM EST join Rebecca Blackwell from the galley of her sailboat to make 3 easy summer dishes: A colorful hummus platter, sesame chicken salad, and watermelon and feta salad.
This is the first of 12 sessions that will be held once a month as a perk ONLY for Paid Subscribers. You’ll find the full lineup below. Can’t attend all the sessions? No worries as there will be video replays available!
August: Betty Williams
Friday, August 21, 2026, 3 pm EST: Join Betty Williams for a fermentation primer and learn to make 2 kinds of Korean kimchi: quick-pickled Cucumber Kimchi and fermented Cabbage Kimchi.
September: Anna Vocino
Sunday, September 20, 2026: Join Anna Vocino to cook through some of the best recipes from her new cookbook, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour! Anna will show us how to make some low-carb party food, including Low Carb GF Pigs In A Blanket, Caprese Martini, Dill Pickle Ranch Dip, and Pom Pom Mocktails.
October: Nicki Sizemore
Thursday, October 15, 2026, 1 pm EST: Join Nicki Sizemore to make two seasonal staples — a whipped ricotta dip and a grain-free pumpkin apple cake — alongside simple practices for cooking with more intention and joy.
November: Kerry Faber
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 4 pm EST: Join Kerry Faber to make a cozy fall favorite, Cabbage-Wrapped Chicken Parm Meatballs!
December: Stephanie Hansen
Friday, December 4, 2026, 6pm EST: Join Stephanie Hansen to make three holiday recipes including Baked Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa, and Roasted Shrimp!
January: Rachel Ciordas
Sunday, January 24, 2027, 4 pm Eastern: Join Rachel Ciordas to make Focaccia Pizza, Ice Water Salad, and a Champagne Cocktail, all Gluten Free!
February: Emma Frisch
Tuesday, February 27, 2027, 12 pm EST: Join Emma Frisch to make a Classic Italian Bolognese Pasta with a Frisch Twist + batch-cooking for families, tips for picky eaters, and dietary restrictions
March: Kate McDermott
Tuesday, March 16, 2027, 7 PM Eastern: Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, join Kate McDermott and learn to make a Classic Irish Apple Tart in this virtual session live from her Pie Cottage kitchen. You will receive a bonus recipe for a delicious custard sauce to serve with the tart, too!
April: Lolly Martyn
Sunday, April 18, 2027, 1 pm EST/7 pm Italy time CET: Join Lolly Martyn to meal prep like an Italian nonna: We’ll make the simply delicious family favorite pasta e ceci (chickpeas) and effortlessly whip up some veggie broth and sugo (red sauce) for your freezer or fridge at the same time!
May: Steve Sabicer
Friday, May 7, 2027, 3 PM EST: Buying the Best Meat. Join butcher and sustainable food advocate, Steve Sabicer, for a practical one-hour workshop on navigating today’s confusing meat landscape. Learn what meat labels actually mean, how to buy on a budget, and the questions you should ask your butcher, meat counter, or online vendor. You’ll also learn a few simple at-home butchery techniques to help stretch your dollars with minimal effort.
June: Sheryl O’Connell
Thursday, June 3, 2027, 1 pm EST: Join Sheryl O’Connell for a fresh, summer-themed class featuring legume-based, portable salads.
A SWEET DEAL TO CELEBRATE MY 5TH ANNIVERSARY ON SUBSTACK!
To sweeten the deal, there are just 3 more days of the 50% off ALL new monthly and annual subscriptions to celebrate my 5th anniversary on Substack.
Grab it while you can because there are only three days more to get this screaming deal with stories, photos, Live video sessions, chats and ALL the recipes at a forever discount of just $30 a year or $5 a month!
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