Tomatoes are Ripening

It took long enough...geez!  I've been picking cherry tomatoes for a couple of weeks now, but the large tomatoes have certainly taken their sweet time ripening.  But oh was it worth the wait!! 

I have Martian Giants

Costaluto Genovese (an heirloom)

And the very prolific Chadwick Cherry

You can bet these tasty summer treats will be on the dinner menu every night! :)   I've got a few yummy recipes that I will share soon!

Summer Tanager

Look at this beautiful bird!

We were at our ranch house over the 4th of July weekend and this male summer tanager visited us all weekend long.  He *loved* the oriole feeder and the grape jelly we put out for them.  Such a gift to have this beauty flitting about :)

Tomato Worms

GRRRR...tomato worms are a thorn in the side of every gardener I know.  They camouflage themselves so well that they are nearly impossible to find.  And they can strip a tomato plant overnight.  But over the years, I've discovered a pretty sure fire way to find these buggers and eliminate them from my garden.

Look for the poop...

Then look up and follow the stripped, eaten vines...

And I'll bet dollars-to-donuts you will find the culprit, happily munching away. 

This guy was huge!  At least 4 inches long!  And really creepy looking too :/

I found three worms this size in my tomato plants this morning using this method.  Let's just say these guys didn't make it home for dinner :)

Summer Squash Bites the Dust

Well, it happens nearly every year...the squash vine borers destroyed my squash plants :-(  But this year the bugs got them a little earlier than usual.  I managed to pick some scallopini squash before they petered out, but not as much as I would have liked.  Look at the damage those little buggers (no pun intended) inflicted on my plants.  Just awful...

I'm very disappointed that I had to pull all these diseased plants.  But this experience is very much an integral part of every gardener's life and we must accept it as it comes.  I know I could have injected the vines with BT, but I don't know a lot about that product and to be honest, I really didn't have the time.  So I pulled the plants and in the process I discovered 2 little toads living deep within this garden bed.  Pretty neat little critters who are most beneficial to have.

A lovely little lizard was also scampering about.  These guys are so fast and I was lucky to catch this shot.

One good thing came out of this experience.  By pulling all the diseased squash plants, I made lots of room for my green and yellow beans to spread out and have more room to grow.  Not a bad trade off I guess :)

Summer Pasta Salad

Or I should call it "Summer Vegetable Salad with a Little Pasta" :)  I, like most people, *love* pasta but I really try not to eat too much of it.  So that's why when I make a pasta salad, it is usually mostly veggies with a little pasta :)

But anyway...you saw what I hauled out of the garden a couple of days ago and I thought the best way to use this wonderful fresh produce was to make a pasta salad.  I have a few lovely Italian white eggplant, some scallopini summer squash, a few Chadwick cherry tomatoes and the first Genovese tomato.

I found a good recipe at CooksIllustrated.com and thought with a few adaptations (of course :), it would be perfect with these ingredients.

Pasta Salad with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Basil

2 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds

2-4 medium summer squash (any kind will do), cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to brush on vegetables

1/4 cup lemon juice from about 2 lemons

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1-2 medium cloves garlic, divided, minced or put through a garlic press

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 box short, bite size pasta such as ziti, fusilli, farfalle

2 large tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (I used cherry tomatoes here, about 2 cups)

15 fresh basil leaves, torn

Bring 4 quarts of water in large pot over high heat.  

Meanwhile brush eggplant and squash with olive oil to coat, toss with salt and pepper to taste.  

Grill eggplant and squash until marked with dark stripes on both sides, about 15 minutes. 

 Remove from grill and cool to room temperature.

When vegetables are cool, cut into bite sized pieces.

While eggplant cools, make the dressing.

Whisk lemon juice and zest, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 clove garlic and red pepper flakes in large bowl; whisk in 1/2 cup oil in slow, steady stream until smooth.

Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water.  Cook until pasta is al dente and drain.  Whisk dressing again to blend; add hot pasta, cooled eggplant and squash, remaining garlic and basil; toss to mix thoroughly.  Cool to room temperature; adjust seasonings and serve.  You could add some feta cheese here to guild the lily...which I did :)

Buon Appetito!

Today's Haul

Just a quick post to show what I pulled from the garden today:  Some lovely Italian white eggplant, several golden scallopino summer squash, my first Genovese tomato and my first Lemon Boy tomato. 

 I see a pasta salad in my future dinner plans this week :)

Sweet Potatoes

OK...here is another first for me...sweet potatoes!

My husband and I love them but I've never tried to grow them before.  So I thought, well, why not give it a shot.  I have an empty garden bed just waiting to grow something!

I bought my slips online from a Tennessee company called, George's Plant Farm.  They seemed like a reputable company, had good reviews and so I took a chance and ordered 12 slips of the Vardeman variety.  The description said  "Ideal garden and small space, bush type. Vines good for small gardens."  Well, that's me!

So when the plants arrived, I set them in a glass of water on the windowsill for about a week, letting them perk up and grow a few more stronger roots.  Then this morning, I dug a few holes in my garden and set the plants.  And I guess we'll just see.  It's so hot these days that I hope the plants don't burn up.

little blurry image...sorry :/

From what I've read, sweet potatoes need a long growing season (90-120 days)...well, we've got that!

As I was getting that garden bed ready, I noticed three cantaloupe seedlings beginning to germinate!  I planted those weeks ago and nothing germinated so I thought I had a bad batch of seeds (GRRRR) and dug them all up.  Well, I guess there were a few that were determined to grow, so that's cool!

As I was working, I noticed this little guy watching me intently, remaining very still.  I'm not sure what kind of lizard it is, but he's pretty cool.  I love seeing these little critters in and around my garden.  They eat all the nasty bugs that feed on my plants.  He's more than welcome to stay and hang out :)

Anyway, this garden bed will be very interesting to watch as these little sweet potato and cantaloupe seedlings begin to grow!

I love experimenting with new stuff!  So far this year, all the new varieties of vegetables I've planted are doing well, even my peppers!  As always, I'll keep you posted!

Peppers!

Remember how my peppers were struggling at the beginning of the season?  Well, they are struggling no more!  They are growing well and producing beautiful fruit.  Can't wait for these to be ripe!

 

Corno Di Toro

Red Ruffled Pimiento

 Honey bee having a good time!

Corno Di Toro

Corno Di Toro 

Beautiful, eh?  It must have been that gorgeous compost I added to the bed :)

Summer Birds

These beauties have been visiting my feeders all summer long.  I actually have two nesting pair of Painted Buntings and many (many) lesser goldfinches.  I haven't been able to capture an image of the female bunting but I'll keep trying.  Just thought you might like a glimpse of these lovely creatures.