maybe I should go to La Tomatina

During the last half hour of G-tot's nap today I went out and picked some veggies from our garden. Cucumbers, green peppers, jalapeños, and tomatoes. Good God the tomatoes. I had to go back for a third container I have so many tomatoes. And I'm not talking about big beefsteak tomatoes either. I'm talking little 1–2 inch Cherry & Golden Pear tomatoes along with some Romas.

Need proof? Here's a picture of what I picked just now. The cukes, peppers, and Romas are in the basket. The two bowls are all Cherry & Golden Pear (with the exception of a few jalapeños).

This is not an accumulation of several days harvest. Trust me, there are many more on the counter & in the fridge (cukes & japs only in the fridge) that I picked the other day. Nope, this it just what I could pick in that 30 minute window before G-tot woke up. The gallon of milk is there just for a size comparison. Everyone knows how big a gallon of milk is, right?

It's not like we planted a ton of tomato plants either. Just six. Two of each variety. Now I need to figure out what to do with all of them.

Does anybody have any good tomato recipes?

morning glories

A little update on the morning glory seeds I planted this season. You may remember that the plants are from the seeds that I harvested by hand from last year's plants.

I had never used seeds that were harvested by hand. For that matter, I had never harvested seeds before. I had no idea if they would grow at all. I kept the seeds in a white number 10 envelope tacked to the bulletin board in the office through the winter. When spring rolled around I sorted them into several smaller packets of seeds. I sent out seed packets to four different people in addition to a large pile of seeds that I kept for myself. I'm not sure if any of them had any success with their packets. I think the heat was too much for a couple of them. But here in Toledo growing conditions are perfect.

Let's have a looksy shall we?

May 23, 2008: The little seedlings are transplanted around a small iron trellis. You can see two out of three pieces of twine tied to the trellis that lead up to a small hook at the peak of the garage roof. They give the vines something to grow along in addition to the trellis. Along with the morning glories are a few moon flowers that I grew for evening blooms.


August 3, 2008: The same area from a slightly different angle. You can see the vines trailing up the twine now. The peak is just out of the frame above the wind chime (one of my favorite wedding gifts. It has a beautiful sound and is hand tuned to the Key of E). The two large pots hold lettuce at three different stages of growth (sown every few weeks or so to extend the growing season).


June 5, 2008: To the right of G-tot are a few of the seedlings that I planted along the perimeter of the fence. JQ has some mad trimming skills because not one of these babies were hacked down to little nubs.



July 11, 2008: They climbed the fence nicely but not as fully as I expected them to. When they hit the top of the fence the vines would use each other to climb and get completely jumbled together. I've spent hours unwinding the vines and redirecting them down and back up the fence. It's almost meditative and once you start it's hard to stop.



August 3, 2008: Overflowing and flowering like crazy.

balloon flower

2006 was the year we spent our first summer in our home. I had been dying to finally be able to plant perennials—or really anything—anywhere I wanted on my property. Being confined to a handful of potted annuals on a 4 x 6 foot porch that faced a parking lot for 5 years had really gotten old. Okay, so we also had a view of the Maumee River from our porch, but regardless I didn't have a yard to call my own and the foliage was less than desired. A lawn full of goose crap and a bunch of weeds and grape vines growing on the hill that led down to the river. The hill that was primarily out of view from our place. Let's just say that we mostly saw parking lot and grass. Plus, the gardener in me wanted to spread her photosynthesis-driven wings far and wide.

Click the picture to see the bug up close and personal.
Come on do it. See how much this camera rocks.

That first spring in our home I was ecstatic to be able to hunt for the perfect plants in my yard. In 2006 I found the balloon flower. I had never seen this beauty before but I was intrigued by what I saw on the little flower identification tag tucked along the edge of the pot.


Platycodon graniflorus has not disappointed. What started out as this tiny 5 inch plant has grown into this huge showy display. The branches seem to get so heavy and they just sprawl in all directions. I've been so happy with it that I bought another one this year. It looks so sad compared to the monster I planted two years ago. I know how much potential it has though, so I just smile at its minuteness.

one plant after two full seasons of growth

The flowers are so cool that the whole growing process is something to marvel. The buds start out small and round like an underdeveloped grape. Then they puff up and take on the appearance of a hot air balloon with out the bucket.
When they finally open they look like five-pointed stars with almost all trace of the balloon shape gone. Just beautiful.
They thrive in sun to part sun and come in a variety of colors. Very easy to grow and require little in the terms of maintenance. Plus they add some real visual interest to the landscape. I'm so happy I discovered their existence.

home grown goodness

A quick peak of what I harvested from the garden this morning. I'm hoping JQ, G-tot, and I can go on a picnic this evening and what better way then to eat what we've grown. The two heads of broccoli will be mixed with some sharp cheddar, red onions, and a sweet mayo based dressing for a killer salad. I'll make a big tossed salad for JQ and I out of the Baby Bibb lettuce. The jalapeños will be added with the others I picked earlier in the week, stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled. I'll make some cilantro lime rice—from the cilantro of course. The green onions will get diced for the salad and trimmed to munch on with a little dip. Add some fried chicken that I'll make once I get to the meat market and I'd say we've got ourselves a picnic. I'll have to toss in some mandarin oranges for G-tot—since he can't eat the tossed salad or the jalapeños.

environmentally friendly

Today I watered the flower beds with water from the kiddie pool. I must have filled 20 watering cans up. Back and forth. Good for the arms. Good for Mother Nature. Good for my water bill.

Did you do anything today to help reduce your carbon footprint?

the birds are going to be mad

I picked these little gems this morning before the downpour hit. It's 3 quarts, a pint, and an empty mushroom container full. That's pretty much the last of them. I left behind the partials that the birds had already gotten to and a few that were out of reach even with the ladder. I have the batch I picked last weekend in the freezer. I'll probably try a tart with some of those. With this fresh picked batch I'm going to make "spirited cherries". I'm not sure which spirit I'll use quite yet—vodka, rum, or brandy. This venture also requires a canning process—which I have never done before. But it's on my list!

I want to can them this weekend or by Tuesday at the lastest. They're really ripe and I don't want to lose any to procrastination. Especially after I worked so hard to pick all of them. The family went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond today and they didn't have any canning supplies. Sucky. I have a couple of stores in mind that I'll run to tomorrow. If all goes well, the drunken cherry fest will commence shortly.

hand picked

I picked these cherries this morning while G-tot napped and JQ sprayed the weeds in the front bed. The tree in our backyard is full of ripe cherries and I wanted to get to some of them before the birds descended upon the fruit & took off with it all.


I needed the ladder to reach the majority of the little red cherries and even with the 6 foot ladder there are huge sections of the tree that I just cannot reach. My take was two full quarts and I barely scratched the surface of the tree. I could easily get another six quarts—but hand picking them is tedious. What I need is one of those scoop type things they use to harvest cranberries.

These are really tart cherries and I'm not sure what to do with them. I may try my hand at canning some. I may make a cherry bumble (with vodka and rock candy) or soak them in brandy. I may even try a cherry tart (although I'm not crazy about baked fruit). Any other suggestions are welcome.

My Mom stopped by while I was on the ladder, head up in the branches of the tree. Her first words as she stepped out of the car were, "You look like a farmer!". And you know what? I sort of felt like a farmer. Tending to the gardens and the fruit tree makes me feel very earthy and domestic. It's a labor of love and I really do enjoy it. When we eat the food we've grown on our property I get that earth-mother feeling all over again.

animal, vegetable, mineral

I have so many things that I want to write about but it takes forever to compose a post anymore and right now I don't have forever. The gardens beckon—which I will be writing about soon (I know you've missed those posts) and I'm running out of alone time. G-tot (the baby formerly know as G-man—Do you like it? I thought I'd try it out. He is just a wee one after all.) is napping but I can hear him rustling around so I don't know if he is actually sleeping still. I must hurry.

So...here's where you come in.

Favorite fruit?
Favorite vegetable?
Are you growing anything—fruits, veggies, herbs, flowers?
Did you know Coriander is seed of a Cilantro plant? Double the value.
Have you ever raised animals for consumption?
Can you share a gardening tip with us? No? How about a question then?

And of course, a photo. Because, if I'm going to shoot them everyday, I'm going to share them.

Gam & G-tot. taken by JQ

glory be

The morning glory labels are finished and all the seed packets are assembled. I ended up with enough seeds for five groups—plus what I had already planted (which was enough for almost the entire perimeter of the fence out back). I made up four packets to give away. The last bunch I'll plant today to fill in the area along the fence that I missed. They are 4 gram packets—like a commercially sold pack—and the planting instructions are on the back.

Shades gets one. So does Christina and Vegas Princess. That leaves one more packet up for grabs. If you want it, let me know and I'd be happy to send it to you. If multiple people express interest, I'll draw a name. I'm going to try to get to the post office this afternoon to send out the packages to you three ladies. I'm pretty sure I have all of your addresses.

Hope you like them!

here comes the sun...

smelling the flowers instead of touching

My feet find themselves planted on the still dewey grass. I can feel a drop of water on the chair soaking through the leg of my jeans. There is a slight breeze flowing through the air but the sun is shooing it away. I love mornings like this. I don't have to work today and it is going to be beautiful. That's how it has been for the past several days. It is so good to be alive.

Thank you for sticking around Spring. Make yourself comfortable.


When I looked out the window Sunday morning I greeted by these beauties above. The first buds on my tulips had bloomed. You have no idea how happy this made me. Right away I knew I had to photograph them. Two dancers. A mother & child. Welcoming the day.

This morning, two pink blooms said, "salutations".

soiled

It's going to be 78° in Toledo today. I think Spring is finally here for the season. I cannot wait to get outside and start really working on the yard and the garden. Here's just a small selection of items you'll find in our landscape this season. Ahhh, spring.