A basket of nightshade

Yesterday's harvest was plentiful.  We've picked a few tomatoes here and there, but yesterday there were several pounds of tomatoes that were ripe.  The majority of the ripe tomatoes are Costoluto Genovese (the red tomatoes with "cleavage") with a few each of Black Icicle (thin plum shape) and Mama Leone (large red plum shape), and a single Djeena Lee's Golden Girl.  All four are heirloom varieties and, boy, are they scrumptious!

Djeena Lee's Golden Girl has mild acidity with a sweet and slightly fruity flavor.  Costoluto Genovese have a fantastic deep flavor.  Mama Leone tomatoes have a wonderful earthy flavor.  They are a paste tomato so they contain very little seed.  You can make a tomato sandwich with them, using the slices of tomato as the bread.  Tuck a basil leaf and a slice of fresh mozzarella between slices of Mama Leone and you'll have a tasty summer lunch.  Finally, the Black Icicle tomatoes have a robust, almost black pepper, flavor.  The flavor is so rich it is hard to describe.

Included in the harvest were many cucumbers that are the perfect size to be pickled,  jalapeno peppers, green bell peppers and enough celery stalks to include in a pot of turkey soup.  Celery stalks have been picked as we need it.  Otherwise, there are five celery plants growing in the garden.  Gardening makes me so happy!

The melons and squash are coming along wonderfully as well.  A muskmelon or two or three will be fully ripe any day now.  They look so lovely and are beginning to smell great, too.

The watermelon aren't far behind.  Although they are green now, as they begin to ripen the skin will turn a golden yellow.  They'll only be about three pounds as well.

This tiny pie pumpkin looks like a Flamenco dancer to me.

A nifty potters table was given to us by our pal Judy.  It fits perfectly on the side of garage across from the garden bed, between a patch of Lamb's Ear and Queen Anne's Lace.  Thanks, Judy!

Queen Anne's Lace being illuminated by the setting sun.

"All gardening is a landscape painting." -- William Kent

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero


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Fresh and fruity with a side of mantid

The weather is perfect and everything is growing vigorously.  It seems like in the course of one week everything in the garden has doubled in size.  With the exception of the French green bean seeds and the soybean seeds, everything else that was planted in the garden has sprouted and is doing well.

The tomato plants each have numerous flowers, and even the okra plant is sporting a couple flowers.  Two handfuls of red raspberries have been pulled from the bush (the first handful on Sunday and the second today) and boy are they sweet!  A couple strawberries will be ripe and ready to eat before the end of the week, too.  Many of the red raspberries will be turned into jam.  In fact, our kitchen will be a part-time canning factory throughout the summer.  Whole fruit and vegetables, sauces, jams and pickles will be canned and stockpiled in the basement.

Sparkle strawberry

Burgundy Okra

Toro blueberries

Red raspberries

Jam-in-the-works

Spencer found the strawberry bed comfy.

Garden friend - Twelve-spotted skimmer

The butterfly bush started blooming late last week!  We're eagerly awaiting our first butterfly and hummingbird sightings.

Mantids are everywhere!  They're becoming easier to spot now as they've doubled in size.  They're still relatively small by comparison to how large they become but they're growing fast.  

I wish this blog had a zoom feature because the second mantid photo is crystal clear.
When zooming in on my laptop, you can see the mantid's details, including his pseudo-pupil!
It was very brave and patient while I moved the camera closer and closer to snap this photo.  I thanked it and then left it be.
We love these amazing creatures.

We hope you're enjoying this amazing weather, having great success with your gardens, and discovering wonders of your own.

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Garden friend