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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Just a little salt, please.

Glorious!  

Jalapeno

Georgia Flame, nearly ready.

Beautiful bells.

Pumpkin bloom.

Diēs Caniculārēs

A basket full of dill and cucumbers, and our first ripe tomato!  A Costoluto Genovese.  These cucumbers will soon be bathing in brine and on their way to becoming garlic dill pickles.

This Black Icicle tomato is nearly ready for our mouths.

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been

 the two most beautiful words in the English language.”  

-- Henry James

A mantis of a different kind.
This wonderful garden stone was made by my pal Judy.

Zinnia

Cosmos

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine

was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”  

-- Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Muskmelon everywhere!

The pumpkin vine is healthy and loaded with dozens of flowers.
I can't wait to make pie and other various baked goods with these squash come fall.

Butternut-ty goodness

The first watermelon.  It's so darn cute!

Burgundy okra.

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience,

everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.

Gardening is an instrument of grace."  

-- May Sarton

Hopefully you're enjoying your summer as much as we are.  Recipes for garlic dill pickles, salsa, and potato salad are coming soon to the recipe blog.

Oh!  In the event you aren't already aware of this yourself, you can click on all of the photos included in each blog post to see them in a larger view.


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Luncheon with a praying mantis

Yesterday afternoon I spotted a praying mantis in one of the flower beds.  Assuming this is the same mantid that's been seen in this general location before, it's about three inches in length now.  It's eyes have taken on more of an amber color as well.  

After spotting this leggy creature I dashed inside to grab the camera.  By sheer luck I happened to take a picture of the mantid just after it caught a tiny caterpillar in its left forearm.  Of course, I didn't realize this until after I uploaded the pictures to my laptop where I can really zoom in on small details.  

I did, however, notice a nub of a tiny tube shaped object stuck to the tip of a leaf that the mantid took a bite out of.  Enjoy this video of the praying mantis eating its catch.  It's so Sci-Fi the way its jaws move sideways versus up and down.  

Darn it!  Why can't I upload videos?!

The Clearwing Hummingbird moths have been busy 'round the butterfly bush.  I'm so glad that I learned about these creatures last summer.  I no longer mistake them for bumble bees.  

I love their shrimp-like bodies.

We have muskmelon!  This afternoon I noticed five small muskmelon growing on the vines.  The largest is about the size of a mango.  The smallest is quite fuzzy and walnut sized.

The watering hole for the bees is always busy.  I enjoy watching the bees land in the center of the cells and float on the surface of the water with their legs spread wide as they drink.

While I sit on the front porch creating this post, I'm in the company of Spencer and Chet.  They're both happily napping and enjoying summer's warmth.

Pigs dangling everywhere.

Chet laying in a typical sprawled fashion.

Cheers!

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Independence Day

These are the kind of summers I like.  HOT.  Today is the first day that I haven't been able to walk on the driveway without the bottoms of my feet cursing loudly at me.  In fact, I knew better than to even try.  Yesterday the driveway made my feet sting a little bit, so I knew that today even my hillbilly hooves would need protection.

I spent several hours outside earlier this afternoon puttering around in the garden and planting seeds in pots while sitting on the floor of the garage.  (It's the heat I like, not sitting in direct sunlight, as evidenced by my fair complexion.)  Now that the garlic is out of the ground, lots of garden real estate has been opened up and I intend to put that good Earth to use.

Being started in pots are Pasilla pepper, Serrano pepper, marigold, a Cardinal Climber Morning Glory, and two each of red, yellow, green and orange bell pepper.  There are already bell pepper plants growing in the garden bed, but there's no reason not to grow a bazillion of 'em and stock our deep freeze with homegrown bell peppers.

Two of the transplanted hot peppers (Pasilla and Serrano) didn't make it in the garden bed.  When I transplanted the seedlings at the end of April, the four hot pepper plants looked great and continued to look good for the next couple weeks.  One day, I noticed the Serrano plant was gone.  Another day, about two weeks later, the Pasilla plant was missing, too.  Hopefully, with so much sun and warmth, these newly planted seeds will grow quickly, be healthy plants, and produce many delicious peppers.

While planting the seeds, it occurred to me to share the system I use to easily recall what seedlings are growing in flats and, ultimately, what is growing where in the garden bed.  Seeds of more than one variety are planted alphabetically.  For instance, the hot pepper seeds were planted in the flat (as well as in the garden) alphabetically - Georgia Flame, Jalapeno, Pasilla and Serrano.  The tomatoes were planted alphabetically as well.  The bell peppers were planted according to color: red, yellow, green and then orange.  Like a traffic light, which is easy to remember.  Yes, you can write down what you planted and where, but this system is easy to remember when everything is still small and all looks alike.

Mama Leone tomato just starting to blush.

Yellow cipollini onions

Strawberries are growing strong.
The main plants have sent several runners in all directions.

The herb bed includes sage, dill, thyme, marjoram, basil, tarragon,
chives, oregano, rosemary, bay laurel and bergamot.

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, 

for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”  

-- Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

The Eastern Redbud is growing nicely.

The latest addition to the backyard is a tiny Blue Spruce, given to us
 by two nature-loving friends.  This little tree smells like Christmas.

A spent flower gives way to fruit.
This odd looking bit will soon be a black raspberry!

Both black raspberry plants are doing excellent.  They've literally gone from being sticks to plants that are a lush green with many broad healthy leaves and additional branches.  The newest growth on the plants are thorns.  The thorns are a sure sign of the plant's good health.

Beetastic!  Harvested today.
Tomorrow they'll be supper: Beet, Dried Cherry and Red Wine Risotto

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, 

listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, 

is by no means a waste of time."  -- John Lubbock

Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace silhouetted against the late afternoon sky.

Cheers!

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