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Friday, September 30th, 2011
I cannot believe that today is the last day of September. Wow. I also can’t believe that the garden is still going. I am just now starting to pick tomatillos!
Here is what the tomatillo plant looked like in mid-summer.
And now there are little hanging tomatillo lanterns with a tart green fruit inside.
I have been combing through cookbooks and websites to try to find fun tomatillo recipes. And I think tomorrow I am going to try for a tomatillo chicken stew.
I just think tomatillos are so elegant looking.
So fall is definitely here, but we are still having some fantastic warm temps in the 70s. I have been outside running or walking almost every night for the past 3 weeks. And we’ve also gotten our fair share of rain over the past weeks as well, which has greatly helped with growing grass. And now the tomatillos are ripe and ready to be picked. My own little fall harvest.
The garden is still doing its thing, and I take great comfort in that. It greatly helps with my denial that fall is here and that it is pitch black out by 7 p.m.
For reals.
Tags: autumn, exercise, gardening, gratitude, organic, running, tomatillo
Posted in The Daily Balance, The Growing Season | No Comments »
the mid july garden
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Still reallllly hot here today. In the 90s. It’s that very humid, hot, sweaty kind of day. You try to get by wearing as few clothes as possible. I came home from work to find my tomato plants wilting. I watered and gave them a long, cool drink. Here are a few pics of what else is going on in the garden in mid July.
I planted a ton of Bacherlor’s Button from seed back in early April.
The blueberries are starting to ripen!
I cannot keep up with the cilantro. I cut and it flowers. We have been using tons!
About 2 weeks ago, I cut the garlic scapes. Now the garlic plants are maturing and soon will be ready to pull!
Hot hot weather is very tough for the tender lettuces, but they are hangin’ in!
Supposedly this heat wave will break tomorrow. I truly hope so. It has been sticky!
Tags: blueberries, cilantro, gardening, garlic, garlic scape, gratitude, herbs, lettuce, organic, summer
Posted in The Growing Season | No Comments »
raised garden bed tomatoes
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
Somehow in the craziness of my camera not working over the past month, I failed to document the planting of our tomato bed. But fear not! For I am playing catch up and wanted to show you this year’s tomato project.
It all started with trying to figure out what to plant in our back raised garden bed. Last year I had cantalopes and watermelons and green beans in this bed. So this year I thought… tomatoes! And not just any old tomatoes but organic heirloom varieties!
First we had to tackle the monstrosity of weeds in the bed.
This weeding was accomplished over Memorial Day weekend. Once the weeds were out, I turned all the soil with a pitch fork. Then I added fresh heaping amounts of compost.
Craig and I trekked out to our favorite local farm/garden center and perused their amazing long list of heirloom and organic tomato varieties for sale. It was like a tomato menu, and we wanted to try everything on the list!
Photo courtesy of Lull Farm, Hollis, New Hampshire
We finally settled on a few fun varieties and got to planting.
The front of the bed is a Yellow Pear variety and a Cherry variety. The middle front of the bed are two Tomatillo plants and an heirloom variety called Green Zebra. The middle back of the bed are Romas. And the back of the bed has more heirloom varieties including a Japanese Black Trifele, Pink Lady, and my favorite name… Mortgage Lifter. Apparently the dude who propagated these seeds did so well that he was able to pay off his mortgage. How could I not sow a Mortgage Lifter heirloom tomato plant?
Right away the tomatillos started to flower their cute, bold yellow blooms.
After two weeks of on and off rain in the latter part of June, my tomatoes have gone to town, growing taller and fuller each day. I had to stake the matoes over the weekend. I used bamboo stakes that I had bought last year when I tried in vain to create a homemade trellis for my green beans.
I cannot wait to see how these plants do! I am hoping for happy, healthy tomatoes and no diseases this year. Wish me luck!
Tags: gardening, gratitude, heirloom, organic, raised garden bed, summer, tomatoes
Posted in The Growing Season | No Comments »
grilled portobello mushrooms
Sunday, June 19th, 2011
What a great weekend it has been! The weather absolutely cooperated, and it was just beautiful out. Sunny and breezy. We went for a 25-mile bike ride into Massachusetts to explore the lovely town of Groton yesterday. We hung out with family celebrating Father’s Day today. And we grilled! So thrilled to have the grill clean and working and ready to go on hot days like today.
It took hours to clean the inside and grates a few weeks back, but it was well worth it!
One of my favorite things to grill is portobello mushrooms. They are healthy and relatively inexpensive, and they make for such a hearty and delicious salad topper. I start by buying organic portobellos and marinating them. My favorite way to marinate them is to lay them gill side up in a pyrex baking dish. Then I combine roughly 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil with 1/2 cup balsamic and rice vinegar and add some herbs I have on hand (oregano, basil, parsley) and pour over the mushrooms.
Then I squirt a little mustard on each mushroom and a dash of soy sauce. Sprinkle with some dried rosemary, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Cover and put in the fridge for a few hours to let all the flavors soak in.
To cook, preheat your grill on high and then use tongs to place mushrooms on the grill, gills up. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes and then flip and grill for another 8–10 minutes. You can baste the mushrooms with any leftover marinade.
Once they are done, place them on top of your favorite spring/summer salad!
Greens, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, broccoli, red pepper, red onion, broccoli slaw, and grilled portobellos
Did you grill anything amazing this weekend? I am always looking for ideas.
Tags: gratitude, organic, portobello mushrooms, salad, spring
Posted in Cooking Adventures, The Daily Balance | 1 Comment »
pretty potted basil
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
Herbs are a wonderful way to add color and flavor to your meals, but especially in (almost) summer when you can grow your own. We are big fans of having tons of herbs on hand to accentuate every meal. My two favorites are basil and cilantro. We go through TONS! I like to grow cilantro from seed in our raised garden beds because it is so easy to grow right in the soil, and you can plant new seeds all summer long to have a continuous supply of herbs.
As for basil, I tend to favor “starts” which are tiny, ready-to-go plants that most likely begin in a greenhouse. I have spent a lot of time over the years starting herbs from seeds indoors in the late winter and carefully transplanting the seedlings to my garden. But sometimes I just want a hardy, ready-to-go plant. Sometimes it is perfectly okay to want convenience and pay a teensy bit more to have someone else lovingly start the growing for you. Especially if it is organic.
So I bought some basil starts a few weeks back from my favorite local farm stand and potted them in cute pots I had on hand to decorate my front stoop. And they have taken off! Growing big, beautiful, aromatic basil leaves!
I like having potted herbs close by that I can easily water and clip off what I want for salads, sandwiches, stir frys, and more. Basil thrives in semi-shade, too, so you can almost always find a great outside nook to put your pots. Almost anywhere will do. And I love adding color and greenery to the front steps!
Next on my list is to find/acquire a healthy rosemary plant. I want to pot one that I can keep outdoors for summer and then bring inside once the weather gets cold. I am on the hunt!
What are your favorite herbs? Which ones do you tend to use the most?
Tags: basil, cilantro, gardening, herbs, organic, raised garden bed, rosemary, spring
Posted in The Growing Season | No Comments »