The Rhythm of August

There's been a lot of doing and not a lot of picture taking this week. I've been putting up green beans, tomatoes and squash at least every other day. I've gotten into the rhythm of August. Wake up early. Drink a cuppa. Head outside and get the gardening done before the day gets too hot. Head indoors and put up the day's bounty.
I continue to have one eye on the Dixie Speckled Butter Pea bed after seeing a groundhog in the garden last week. The have a heart trap is set with fresh cantaloupe daily. We spring it at night because the last thing I want to wake up to in the morning is seeing Peppy (we name all the skunks that come around here that) sitting in the trap! I'll keep this up until the corn and peas are harvested or until the groundhog is caught.
Pictured above:
Cleome or Spider Flower. I've carried seeds from these flowers from house to house for quite a few years now. They were given to me by an old, old friend.
Celebrity tomatoes. Seven of the twenty three survived the July floods. We've been eating a lot of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
Roma tomato plant. I don't know how they grow for everyone else, but we average 100+ tomatoes per plant. We go through a lot of pasta sauce, tomato paste and plain Roma puree in a year.
Here's to a productive week for all and maybe a bit more picture taking for me.
Until next time.....

Garden Notes ~ Late June

Wait. What? Late June? Already? Please slow down there summer!
It's been a busy week in the garden. I finished mulching everything, then spread wood ashes and manure. Now all we need is an afternoon thunderstorm.

The garlic is harvested. We put it under a tree atop wooden pallets to dry. I've got one eye on the sky because if it starts to rain, I have to get them into the garage.
Rattlesnake pole beans are starting to climb.
Tomatillos, resembling paper lanterns, are floating throughout the plants.
Cucumber blossoms. I'm eagerly awaiting my first cucumber sandwich. I live on those in the summer.
A section of the Roma tomato bed; staked, suckered, mulched and fed.
Dixie speckled butter peas. Excellent shelling peas.

I need to spend the afternoon in the studio, packing orders that are scheduled to ship tomorrow. Guess I better head that way.
Until next time.....

This Week

It's been a busy week 'round here.

1. Our tomatoes are coming in. I have to pick them early. VERY early. Our mockingbirds are up to their old tricks. As soon as the tomatoes start to turn, the birds start to peck them.
2. I harvested basil and made a batch of pesto. I need to head downstairs and make a second batch as soon as I'm finished here.
3. The Crepe Myrtle is in full bloom. Color. Glorious Color.
4. Black Eyed Susans. Need I say more?
5. Toad pool. I made a home for the toad and frog that hang out around the front door garden. 

We've been watching a lot of Olympics. I can't wait for the track and field to begin. That's my sport.
Until next time.....

This Week

This has been an excellent week. After the rain that we had, the gardens came alive once again. And I was able to get a lot of work done, that I couldn't do because of the drought. Last night it rained again. 1 1/10" to be exact. There's nothing like sleeping with the sound of thunder and rain in the background.

1. The sage is bushing out like mad.
2. The morning glories are scrambling up the shepherd's hook. I'm considering running them up the siding of the house. Not sure though, but I'll have to do something with the vines. They'll grow into a tangled mess if I don't.
3. The purple fountain grass is kicking in. I love any kind of ornamental grass. They all remind me of sea oats.
4. The ground was finally soft enough to pound the tomato stakes in. The plants might not be as big as they usually are for this time of year, but they're alive. I know a lot of folks that lost much of their crop due to sun scald. I feel very fortunate that our tomatoes were late and not staked.
5. Happy tomatoes. Tonight we're having fried green tomatoes with dinner. I need to make the horseradish sauce as soon as I'm finished here.
6. The second planting of summer squash is coming in. 'Round here, we just pull the plants when the squash bugs get so bad and replant squash seeds in a new bed. I've tried every remedy under the sun (organic, that is) and they simply don't work. At least not in TN.

Well, there's a wee bit of what I've been up to this past week. Here's looking forward to another busy one.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We finally got a REAL rain! Two hours worth. That makes for one happy garden and gardener.

I hope you're getting the weather that your garden needs. Now to lay some mulch down.

Pictured from top to bottom are:

1. Garlic blossoms with bumble bee

2. Fried green tomatoes anyone?

3. Clematis

4. Tomatillo starting to climb

5. Lavender, astillbe and hydrangea

Until next time.....

Happiness is.....

Spring!

Until next time.....

Sunday's Peace

Harvesting tomatoes~

Wordless Wednesday

Somebody is in Trouble!

A little background first. For those of you that don't know or forgot.....our Spring garden rotted or washed away. Twice. The Summer garden was late getting in the ground due to all of the Spring rain. That means that our tomatoes are late this year. Last week, they finally started ripening. I am so ready for my first tomato of the season.

We have an Eastern Box Turtle that has a Summer home in the main vegetable garden. He's been there several years. Last year he returned, but was not alone. I know that the Dude and his Mrs. eat tomatoes. I've caught them with seeds on their face and juice dribbling down their chins.

We have several families of mockingbirds that live around us. We love them and look forward to the day each year when they start singing again. (usually around Valentine's Day). We put out apples for them. They bring their young to the swing, where the apples are. We got along fine for years.

Yesterday, I was working in the garden and what did I see? This!

I also saw a bird fly out of the tomato patch, but wasn't really paying attention, so don't know what kind of bird it was. We never had a problem with birds eating tomatoes in the garden, but I did catch Bill (the bird) eating this one, after I brought it up to the house. Coincidence? I don't know who's doing this, but it has to stop. One dozen tomatoes, mostly green with just a splash of color, pecked on. Even though I hate to do so, I may have to start picking the tomatoes way under ripe.

Honestly, I don't mind sharing, but I'd like to eat a ripe tomato already.

Somebody is in trouble!

Until next time.....

Tips, Tricks 'n Recipes From The Garden

Tomato Paste:

The Roma tomatoes are coming in now. Time to start making pasta sauce, tomato puree and tomato paste. Thought I'd pass along my tomato paste recipe. Tis very easy and oh, so good~

I quarter raw Roma tomatoes and put them in a large pot. I bring them to a slow boil and heat them up just enough to get the juices flowing. As I'm doing this, I mash them slightly. I then run the puree through a food mill to separate the skins and seeds from the meat.

Now, I ladle some of the puree into a metal, mesh colander. The colander sits above a large bowl or pot (this catches the tomato water). Ladle the puree in the colander slowly. At first some pulp will wash through, but eventually the puree will stay in the colander, with the water draining to the bottom container. I add all the puree and let it drain for several hours or until there is no more water draining out. At this point, I spoon the tomato paste into ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen, pop them out into freezer bags.

You can also freeze the tomato water, if you have freezer space, to use in soups, etc.

Until next time.....

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Things are moving along quite nicely. The tomatoes, although late this year, look fab! They are loaded with green tomatoes. I may have to fry some up.

The cucumber vines are starting to climb, blossom and produce tiny cukes. Soon I'll be eating cucumber sandwiches. I tend to eat at one a day when they're in season.

The Lima beans are starting to run. I never knew that I liked Lima beans until my husband insisted upon growing them. He said that fresh beans tasted nothing like the dried ones that they sell in grocery stores. He was right. Picked green, shelled (by John while he watches football), blanched, frozen and stored in freezer containers. Love 'em!

Now, we're waiting on the rain that is predicted for tomorrow. If that doesn't happen, we'll turn on the soaker hoses. A little sunshine. A little rain. A lot of happiness.

So, how does your garden grow?

Until next time.....

Bring On The Rain

Yeah, yeah, I know. How can I be wishing for rain after so many days of it this past Spring? Tis the nature of gardening though. But after this weekend, my garden is ready for a light dose of it.

We got the garden weeded, fed and mulched. Now all it needs is some moisture. And according to the local stations, we're supposed to get rain later today. Insert eye roll here. (They're rarely correct).

Here's what happy tomatoes look like after being staked, tied and mulched with leaves.

Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Planting an Eco-Seed

Long ago, my mom planted an eco seed in my head; long before either one of us ever heard of the term ‘green’. My mom was a no frills kind of girl. What you saw was what you got. She didn’t wear makeup and she wasn’t a shopper. She passed our used or unwanted things on to others.

Ma was a DIYer. When we were young, she stayed home and took care of everything around the house. She did all of the interior painting and would end up painting our bedrooms the wild colors that we chose without complaining.
My first gardening experience was in our small backyard garden in New Jersey. Every summer she would work a small patch of earth and harvest the best tomatoes that I’ve ever eaten, even to this day. Jersey tomatoes are known for their flavor. I’d give anything, except moving back north, to be able to grow tomatoes like that.

I see a lot of my mother in myself and it makes me smile. My eco-friendly lifestyle, a lot more extreme that what she would have ever imagined, is in most part due to growing up around such an amazing woman.
Neither one of us realized back then how her lifestyle would affect my future. I guess that means that children ARE listening and watching what we do, even when we think they’re off on another planet.

The first picture is one of my tomatoes. The second one is an old picture that shows my ma's tomatoes.

Until next time.....