Holiday Baking

Part of our family's holiday tradition is making edible goodies for the neighbors. This year we made the following:
chocolate dipped pretzels
spritz cookies
chocolate mint kiss spritz cookies
frosted sugar cookies
walnut fudge

Normally I make some type of bread and cocoa mixes, but this year we were short on time.

German Queen and Pink Brandywine Tomatoes

Pretty German Queen tomatoes and banana peppers.  We opened the first jar of our pickled banana peppers.  The taste was right, but they were soggy.  I wonder what the key to crispness is???

A beautiful specimen of Pink Brandywine.  Such a pretty pink and creamy color.  Not to mention a wonderful, sweet flavor.

Roma and Roma Grape Tomatoes

This year I planted regular Romas, which I love because they are so meaty.  Of course most use them for sauce, but I love them diced for tacos and salads.

I decided to try the Roma grapes and you can see the size difference in the pic.  They really are basically just a smaller version!

I really wish I had planted some small cherry tomatoes for salad.  A few years back I grew the little white and sweet 'Snowstorm'.  That was a favorite.

Mr. Stripe Tomato - 1st of the Year!

Finally, Mr. Stripey put out his first tomato, well... actually two!

My daughter thought the inside of this yummy cutie was too cool!

Today's Harvest, Mostly Tomatoes = Heirloom Tomato Salad

Today had a pretty decent harvest and much is close too.  I decided with this nice variety of heirlooms that I should make a fresh tomato salad.  Here's my impromptu recipe:

1 Mountain Pride tomato

2 smaller Early Girl tomatoes

1 Mr. Stripey tomato (see next post for cool pic of this cutie!)

1 Pink Brandywine tomato

1 German Queen tomato

1 Roma tomato

1 Roma Grape tomato

Dice all of those, drizzle with a really good (preferably organic) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add a handful (nice, precise measurement!) of fresh grated mozzarella cheese

Chopped fresh basil (I used Thai and Lemon Basils from the garden - so aromatic!)

and a little fresh ground pepper.

YUMMY!

We had this with Lemon Rosemary Chicken & Rice, Steamed Broccoli and Ciabatta Bread.

Mountain Pride and Roma Tomatoes

The Mountain Pride Tomatoes were put in on 5-19 and have begun to produce steadily.  

The Roma tomatoes were also put in on 5-19.  These wonderfully meaty but more pear-shaped tomatoes are starting to get more prolific.    This plant has stayed fairly compact with minimal trimming.  

Early Girl and Bradley Tomatoes

My Early Girl tomatoes lived up to their name.  The plants were set in the garden on 4-18 and I began harvesting on 6-23 and they have continued to produce heavily.  These are good, all around tomatoes.  They don't have the unique flavor of some of my heirlooms, but you can't beat the huge production!  I've used pole and cage supports because they have stayed heavy with fruit.  I've cut them back about every 2 weeks and fed 3 times this summer with fish emulsion.  It should have been 4 times, but the dryness made me slow down my feeding schedule.  I put in 5 plants.  One is looking a little peaked with the lack of rain.  I'm trying to water enough, but can't seem to keep up.

The Bradley tomato plant (only 1 put out on 4-17) has been pretty prolific also.  It has had more problem with stem rot, but I'm trying to stay ahead of it.  These tomatoes are beefy and scrumptious!  This is ONE heavy plant.  Also caged and staked, but it still wants to pull over. I've cut it back a bunch, but it really wants to bush.

Acorn and Butternut Squash

My acorn squash looks full sized already. I planted Early Acorn Hybrid on 6-17 and they do look early! I'm trying to use some supports to keep them from overtaking the yard.  I have such limited space.

The Butternuts have a good start. I planted Waltham seeds on 6-17. They look as though they have a much longer way to go than the acorns, but their expected  harvest is only 10 days apart. Hmmm....

Butterfly

Butterfly....

The other day while my son and daughter helped me in the garden a HUGE butterfly flitted overhead.  I grabbed the camera and went around the house, figuring it headed for the butterfly bush (which I just learned from twitter should be dead-headed....) to snap its pic.  There were two of them; a dark one and yellow one.  I never could get the yellow one in focus without the setting sun glaring in it, but I did get a couple of shots of the dark one.  It's hard to see how big it was, but if you're familiar with the butterfly bush plumes, you have a decent idea.

I really wish I had gotten some pics of the crepe myrtle before it was past its peak...

Fall Squash = Butternut and Acorn

                          
OOOHH, my little fall squashes are doing so well!  This is the first time I've tried growing them.   Acorn on the left and butternut on the right.

I used some little fencing to help end them vertical in an attempt for them not to sprawl out all over the yard.  It was an idea I took from Square Foot Gardening.  I have very limited space yet insist on growing things like squash, melons, sweet potatoes and WAY too many tomatoes!

       

I wonder how it will work...  I still need to put some trellising in the middle and plan on supporting the squash (pantyhose slings??) as they grow.  We'll see!

Last of the Melons

We had to pull the last of the cantaloupes, since the vines were drying up and dying.  The largest one looks like it could have used a little more ripening, but the vine was going to have it!

Also pulled out the last of the summer squash, zucchini, sunflowers and 1 dead banana pepper plant.  That compost pile is piled high!  Time to give it a turn!

We hung the sunflower heads of the deck to dry before removing the seeds.  We're planning a split between the family and the birds!

Cooler Temps and Tomatoes

Praise the Lord, we're finally getting a cooler spell.  I've needed to get out the garden to tie up tomatoes, trim some back, weed, feed and harvest.  It's been so hot, I've done the bare minimum. This weekend with temps in the high 80's I can really spend some quality time there.

Meanwhile I checked on some of heirloom tomatoes on 8-5, there just starting to ripen as I planted them on 5-19 vs. the Early Girls and Bradley that were planted 4-18.

The Pink Brandywines are starting to ripen up nicely.  The plants are full of green fruit.

The Mountain Prides have already given about 4 tomatoes and plenty more are getting close.

The German Queens are just starting to ripen and some of them are HUGE!

Looks like spaghetti sauce and salsa are in my future!

Cantaloupes

The rest of the melons look like they will all ripen at the same time.  I wish it was going to be a little more spread out, but I'll take what I can get!    

The Beginnings of My Fall Acorn Squash

I planted seeds on June 17th for Acorn and Butternut squash for the fall.  Both sets of vines are getting large.

And then this is one month later

This is 7-24  and 7/29

And now the beginnings of the little squashes themselves!  This is from 8-5

So exciting!  I've never grown fall squash before!

Sweet Red Pepper

My Sweet Red Peppers are finally turning red.  It seems to have taken forever (it's been the same size for a LONG time)!  Sometimes I'm just SO impatient

Whew....the heat......

Wow, another scorcher today.  More watering tonight.  I've been putting off fertilizing in this heat (fish emulsion) hoping for a slightly cooler day, but I really am getting behind schedule.  There's a slim chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow.  I'll pray for it to happen!

The happy looking sunflowers continue to tower over the fence as though looking out at the road!

Cantaloupes, Peppers and Tomatoes, oh my...

We have now picked 3 melons from the garden and ate 1 today for lunch.  Very sweet!

Also picked the first Pink Brandywine tomatoes of the season.  I had to slice one right away and eat it with a little salt!

Still getting boatloads of peppers too.  I think I see more canning in my future.

We will probably get the dehydrator running today to dry some herbs and maybe some of the veggies too.  I've never dried many veggies so this should be an experience!

Using the Garden's Bounty

I made 4 1/2 pints of salsa today with the help of my teenage boys.  I prefer the uncooked variety.

I'm just refrigerating it now, maybe I'll try freezing a jar and see what happens.  I'm sure I'll make it several more times during tomato season.  This salsa has 4 kinds of tomatoes (Early Girl, Bradley, Roma, and German Queen).

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I've been trying to use up my produce, but I can't keep up with the garden.  I've made 2 quadruple recipes of zucchini bread (in loaves and muffins, some with pecans).  We canned banana peppers previously and have tried cooking summer squash every way possible!

Still after all the baking and cooking the last few days, there are still green bags full and a garden in need of another harvest.  A couple of friends have taken some off my hands, but I'm still looking for some new recipes.  Especially for yellow squash.  If you have anything new and interesting, post it!

I wouldn't mind if the green beans started coming a little quicker.  I sure wish I had planted more 'Contender' bush beans.  They've been my favorite this year.

Butternut Squash

I love how pretty squash blossoms are.... Before the plants start sprawling everywhere.  I think I may put up some supports and grow these vertically so I don't have them going into the yard!

Pruning the Tomatoes

It's a bit difficult to reach in to prune and sneak a camera in there too!  Just trying to show how to reach in and prune back the suckers and extra branches.  Some sites recommend very mild pruning that will still leave you with overgrown tomatoes that can't get enough sun and air circulation.  I cut back heavily (some would say severely) yet I get heavy production.  The plant puts its energy into the fruit instead of the leaves!

Always prune near the main stem with a clean cut.

Let me show you why I chose today (before the rain!) to get this done:

  Before

  After

Tomato plants should be watered from the bottom as their leaves are susceptible to rot when wet.  Getting the air circulating around them helps them dry out faster.

More harvesting

Today I went out and harvest tomatoes (4 varieties), green beans, banana peppers.

I also found our first cayenne pepper and a cantaloupe.

The heat has forced me into working in the evenings when the mosquitos are out, thus limiting my time in the garden.  I desperately need to cut back the tomatoes.  They are getting quite overgrown.  I didn't realize that not everyone cut back their tomatoes, but I find they are easier to manage, have less pests and give more fruit that ripens quicker if you cut back the suckers periodically.  Just be sure to cut at the V of stem and try not to cut ones with blossoms already started.

I've made 2 fish emulsion feedings of the garden, but I'm ate on the third.  I'm considering using a different product (that is still organic) Vegetables Alive.  

Thirsty garden

Even though we had a little rain yesterday, my garden was bone dry today.  One banana pepper plant and the squash and zucchini all began to wilt.  I spent quite a while watering this evening (It's after 5PM and still in the 90's!) but there are a few that might not pull through.

I picked about 15 tomatoes tonight - mostly early girls but a few bradley and roma.

I think this week will be a salsa week!

Pickling Banana Peppers

I finally broke down and pickled some peppers yesterday. I used 2 separate recipes, one with apple cider vinegar. So many of the ones picked last week were already squishy so I only made 4 quarts.

7-24 How Does My Garden Grow

The melons are looking so great, but I'm sure they are not sweet yet.  I'm so excited!!

The fall squash is looking great.  Rather than thin it too much, I'm thinking of going vertical with them as in square foot gardening.

The Early Girls are starting to ripen more quickly.  The Bradley is still slower, but picking up speed.  So far the tomatoes from it are extremely tasty!  I took a pic of my 2nd oldest between the Bradley and the Early Girls to show how tall they are getting.  They are taller than the fence now.

Flowers From the Backyard

The hydrangea bush wasn't very profuse this year. I don't know if we cut it back to late in the season or what it was. Here are a few pics.

The first sunflower bloom peaks out over the fence. More are getting ready to bloom soon.
I love the pic of the sun setting in the background behind the fence.