Hum

We grew Cardinal Climber flower (Ipomoea multifida) specifically to attract hummingbirds and it worked like a charm!

The overall harvest from the garden was plentiful.  This past weekend I picked any remaining vegetables and pulled many spent plants from the ground.  Winterizing the garden, if you will.  A few Brussels sprouts remain as they're still yielding tasty sprouts.  As for the plants I hacked down, I decided to cook the greens from the plants.  It seemed like such a waste to ignore so much of the plant.  I'd not ever eaten Brussels sprouts greens but figured that like collards, kale, chard, etcetera, they'd be super yummy.  Guess what?  They are!  A 1:1 ratio of water and chicken stock, olive oil, two strips of chopped bacon and Penzy's Shallot-Pepper Seasoning (coarse salt, Tellicherry black pepper, shallots, tarragon and bay leaves).  The greens smelled heavenly while they simmered away and they didn't have to cook for nearly as long as I thought they might need to.  After an hour and a half at a rolling simmer they were tender and delicious.

Garlic cloves will be planted this coming weekend for next July's harvest.

I've already begun making plans for next year's garden design and what will be grown.  Without question, less tomatoes and more of an overall variety of vegetables and flowers.  Since the garden plot is established I can focus more intently on what to plant and where.  Compost will be ready, too.  Glorious.

Flower gardens

The weekend before last a long flower bed was established in the backyard. All of the flower seedlings have been transplanted to this space and have already doubled in size! There is plenty of room to add several more varieties of flowers in this space. In addition to adding more flowers, we will be planting a red raspberry bush as well as a few dozen strawberry plants in this space.

Early this afternoon, as I was standing in the kitchen looking out at the garden, I noticed the appearance of scapes on the garlic! Scapes, if allowed to mature, will flower. But we don't want that; we want all of the plants energy to go toward bulb growth not flower growth. So, armed with scissors I headed out to the garden to snip the scapes from the plant.

The scapes smell heavenly. Even if you munch on a portion of the scape you can taste garlic. Not just a hint of garlic either; the scapes are packed with flavor. I plan to dice them and use them when making pesto.

As I was walking around the garlic bed snipping off the scapes, little did I know that I was making a very handsome toad nervous. On my fourth and final walk around the garlic (I took some pictures before actually cutting the scapes) a short *hop-hop* caught my eye. Let the record show that I adore toads and was naturally thrilled to have one hanging out in the garlic bed. I said to the little guy, "I'm not going to hurt you but I will take pictures of you as long as you let me." He obliged me while I inched the camera close and set it on the ground in front of him. He even sat still while the lens moved closer toward him as I zoomed in. The camera had a hard time focusing on the toad because there were so many things to focus on. The result is that the toad is a little blurry but the photo included here still captures a very cute amphibian.

Look at these thighs and the girth of the belly!

The front yard is looking very pretty. The goldenrod plant has bright yellow blooms all over it, and a couple of our iris' have flowered, too. So far, a yellow iris with orange beards and our "root beer" iris. This iris is brown and has rust colored beards. It's scent actually smells like root beer! This photograph isn't the best but it does give you an idea of the flowers wonderful coloration. A second bloom is on the way so we will aim for a more pleasing composition next time.

We hope that you're enjoying the sun, heat and your gardens, too!