Gertrude, Patsy, and Beatrice join me in wishing all a very Happy 4th of July!
Finally!
A day with 0% precipitation! Finally…a day that feels like summer. Hope those tomato plants take advantage of all this beautiful sunshine! They have some catching up to do!
The girls are settling in...
and they all have names…Gertrude, Beatrice and shy Patsy! They’re 5 days old and the cutest Barred (Plymouth) Rocks on record!
Chilly!
The weather here continues to challenge growers. Greens and roots are thriving, but I’m not sure that I’ll be harvesting any tomatoes and corn this summer! Our radishes are beautiful and John is on a mission to add 15 new ways to add these beauties to our meals. Joshua McFadden, in his recent book Six Seasons, has a wonderful recipe for a salad in which he pairs radishes with spring onions, mint, and lemon cream, on a bed of baby Romaine….yum!
Spring is finally here....
and that means 12 hours and 16 minutes of daylight today! Although first light is at 6:27, this morning’s official sunrise was at 6:55:50 AM
Buttoned up for winter....
and just in time, as those cold winds are starting to blow through. The trees dropped all of their leaves this week. Have been busy planting garlic and mulching each of the beds. Now, I can turn my attention to what’s happening inside…in the greenhouse!
I found him!
My little friend (a Cope’s Gray Treefrog or Hyla chrysoscelis) has not been seen since July…when I hung that impressive snakeskin on the bulletin board in the greenhouse. And I’ve missed him! But yesterday after taking lavender cuttings ,in an effort to “make more plants” (thank you Ken Druse!) I found him perched on top of the saran wrap keeping my new cuttings moist. Welcome back!
Days will be getting shorter...
as the Autumnal Equinox arrives today! And that means it’s pumpkin time! Love this Jack Be Little from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. The plants have been so prolific this year - possibly the perfect pumpkin weather?
OMGoodness....
Just learned that I have a grandson! Edward Boone Charles...and I can't wait to meet him!
Who knew....
you could grow rice in Wisconsin? Not the traditional paddy rice, this is an upland variety called Duborskian, a Russian heirloom. I planted it in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Thailand. Hopefully there are enough weeks of good weather ahead for the outer husks on the rice grains to turn a golden brown. Then all I have to do is figure out how to thresh it! As always, more questions than answers!
First melon ever....
and it's called the Pride of Wisconsin! We're pretty proud of it, too!
It's that time...
tomato time! And we're rolling in them!
Every urban gardener should try this!
Just harvested our first ear of Hudson Valley Seed Company's Organic Blue Jade Dwarf Sweet Corn and it is stunning! Haven't had much success with corn in our raised beds, but this one is so compact, beautiful and truly unique!
What to do with a large celery harvest?
Calihan Catering's own Chef Payson turned some of it into candied celery. Who knew you could candy a vegetable? It is said to be delicious over roasted pears or certain fresh cheeses. John and I are waiting for our pears to ripen to crack open this jar. Thank you, Chef!
Finding the hornworms is easier at night....
if you use a black light. They "glow" in the dark! I was able to pick off 8 tonight. Here are a few of them in my bucket! The damage they can do to a tomato plant in just one day is incredible!