A Tiny Little Orchard

Since last Friday was our last furlough day, we worked most of both Friday and Saturday to plant a cute little orchard out in the backyard.  We started with an existing cherry tree (which the birds absolutely love), added another cherry, two peaches, and two little apples.  Then we dug up the little apricot (which had only a handful of blooms this year) and transplanted it into the new orchard.  There is one empty spot into which I plan to grow a second apricot.  It is so satisfying to look out and see the trees growing side by side - so full of potential.

We plan to prune the trees to keep them small so they were each planted 10 feet apart.  Since we have not been able to grow fruit without spraying, we plan to use a dormant oil spray followed by the organic spray called Surround.

Of course, I'll keep you posted on the progress of  our little orchard.  Now that furloughs are over, we'll have to re-adjust to a five-day work week.  It has been wonderful for hubby to have this extra time off.  Nevertheless, his work is suffering and it is time to get back to reality.

Aromatic Herbs

Garlic - The Divine Essence of Cookery

Garlic used as it should be used 

is the soul, the divine essence, of cookery. 

The cook who can employ it successfully will be found to possess 

the delicacy of perception, the accuracy of judgment, and the dexterity of hand 

which go to the formation of a great artist.

Mrs. W. G. Waters in The Cook's Decameron,1920

I've been using large quantities of garlic in my homemade pasta sauce, chili sauce, and salsa.  Having just harvested a large quantity of basil, I think I should take a stab at making homemade pesto sauce.  That will require even more garlic. 

I'm not sure why I've never grown garlic, but after having to buy so much of it, I've decided to give it a try.  From what I've read, garlic is planted in the fall, harvested in the summer, dried for a few weeks, and then stored for use and future planting.  It sounds easy enough.

After having a nice conversation with the very helpful folks at Greir's Gourmet Garlic, I placed an order for a 1.5 pound assortment of heirloom garlic varieties - selected for growing in the hot, humid Maryland climate and perfect for making delicious sauces, salsa and pesto.

The people at Grier's recommended we plant the garlic where potatoes have just grown, so after the beans, which we planted after digging the potatoes, are harvested in October, the garlic will go in.

These heirloom varieties are supposed to be far more flavorful that the typical Californian variety which is stocked in supermarkets everywhere.  Only time will tell if I can acquire the delicate perception, accurate judgment, and dexterity of hand necessary to do this superfood justice.

Chili Sauce

Yesterday I put up 8 quarts of what I'm now calling "Chili Sauce."  It was supposed to be another batch of salsa.  However, it was blisteringly hot and not quite salsa tasting....so it has been dubbed Chili Sauce and will be used this winter when making hot, spicy chili.   If, and only if, I can keep my hubby from using it up before winter arrives.

To make the sauce, 40 lbs. of tomatoes were peeled, seeded, and cooked for several hours along with 2 lbs. of jalapenos, 6 chopped onions, 3 tablespoons of garlic, 3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, and big bunch of herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil), 2 tablespoons of salt.

We have harvested 98 pounds of tomatoes from our little 25 foot row and the plants are still laden with ripening fruit.  The next big batch will be used to make more pasta sauce.

Not everything in our 2013 garden has been a success, but the tomatoes have not let us down.

Wow - 62 degrees this morning...

Woke up to a brisk 62 degrees this morning....who needs air conditioning.  This is so amazing.  Thanks be to God for this gift of a mild summer.

Finally...We Have Green Beans!

The First Green Beans of Our 2013 Season

Well it took a long, long time for our green beans to start blooming and bearing, but our efforts finally paid off.  This morning we harvested nearly a pound of our second favorite green vegetable - broccoli is our favorite.  We will have this batch for dinner; however, I do plan to freeze enough to last until next summer.  To do this, they will have to keep bearing until frost.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Oatmeal and Garden-Fresh Berries for Breakfast!

Hot Steamy Oatmeal with Garden-Fresh Berries

It's a cool 65 degrees here this morning and a light rain is falling.  This weather makes it a perfect morning for a breakfast of hot, steaming oatmeal and garden-fresh raspberries and blackberries.  Delicious!

We are so lucky to be getting these golden raspberries and there are many more coming on.  I can hardly believe that these plants were mere sticks when planted this spring.

Berries, fresh from the vine, are so much more yummy than those available in the stores.

Thinking about growing a few berries in your backyard?  Do it!

My Naked Fig

My Naked Fig Tree - Lost It's Leaves

Each garden season brings success and failure.  Unfortunately my little fig tree has plunged headlong into failure.  Over the last week, every leaf turned yellow and fell off.  I have no idea why - maybe some kind of fungus.  All that's left are the figs which I think will fall prey to the same blight which struck the leaves.  Good grief Charlie Brown, that's one ugly tree!

Salsa Success!

27 Pounds of Tomatoes Cored and Ready to be Skinned

Today was salsa making day.  What a job.  First 27 lbs of tomatoes were cored, plunged into boiling water for about 30 seconds and then plunged into ice water.  They were then skinned and seeded.  This took me two hours and I felt like I was stuck in some sort of tomato Twilight Zone from which I would never escape.  But escape I did and the task continued.

Cored Tomatoes Were Plunged,
First Into Boiling Water and Then Into Ice Water 

The tomatoes were placed in a large stock pot along with eight finely-chopped onions, two pounds of finely-chopped, seeded (very mild) jalapenos, 1/4 cup ground cumin, 1/4 cup ground garlic, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, three tablespoons of salt, three tablespoons of ground cayenne pepper, and the juice of seven fresh limes.  A hand blender was used to adjust the texture to the desired consistency - just slightly chunky.   Then the  salsa was simmered on the stove for about three hours, ladled into sterilized, pint-sized canning jars and processed in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.  All the jars sealed themselves immediately.  Hooray!

Twelve Pints of Picture Perfect Salsa

We had just shy of eight cups of salsa left.  This means that 27 pounds of tomatoes equaled 16 pints of salsa.  I am going to freeze a quart of it just to see how it tastes after being frozen for a few months.  Everything I have read on the subject indicates that the texture of the salsa goes downhill after being frozen.  Being who I am, I will have to prove it to myself in order to believe it.

Almost Eight Cups of Salsa Leftover to Enjoy

Now it's time for dinner.  I'm thinking tacos and refried beans...and, since I've worked up a fierce thirst - maybe a Cuba Libra - yes!

Summering in New England? Nope...Try Maryland!

For the next week, daytime temps will be in the 80's and nighttime temps will be in the 60's!  In the 30 years I have lived here, I've never experienced such pleasant weather during the dog days of August.  We may yet get our August heat wave, but the closer it gets to September, the more hopeful I become.  This morning it is 73 degrees.  The Crepe Myrtle blossoms are swaying back and forth in the gentle breeze and the beautiful blue skies are ever so slightly brushed with white puffy clouds!

If this is climate change, I say "bring it on."

Meanwhile, out in the garden, the tomatoes, raspberries, and blackberries continue to ripen and our everbearing strawberries are once again in bloom.  Our fall broccoli seeds were planted just in time for yesterdays gentle, soaking rain and the green beans, carrots, lettuce, and spinach will go in this week.

[Insert contented "sigh" here.]

Buy a Sprinkler and Make it Rain

ContourMaster Customizable Sprinkler
Waters an Area Up to 86' in Diameter

We haven't had any measurable rainfall in over a week and the garden was looking a bit wilted.  The old sprinkler gave up the ghost, so yesterday afternoon I made the trip to Home Depot and came home with a fancy new sprinkler that, if the advertising is correct, should be able to water the entire garden at one time.  The plan was to set it up first thing in the morning.

Guess what?  It started raining last night and has been raining on and off ever since.  The sprinkler will have to wait.

It is just like taking your child to the doctor - nine times out of ten the fever is gone by the time you get there and you've made the trip for nothing.

Oh well, the garden seems to get more benefit from rain than well water.  Thank you Lord for the lovely, gentle rain.

A Morning Harvest and a Homegrown Breakfast

Our Morning Harvest - 20 lbs Tomatoes, 2.5 lbs. Carrots,
1.5 lbs Jalapenos (not shown in pic), and 3 oz. Blackberries

We got up early this morning and spent an hour out in the garden. The guys weeded while I harvested tomatoes, carrots, blackberries, and jalapenos.

We then came in and prepared a breakfast which came 100% from the garden.

Golden Hash Browns

Scrambled Quail Eggs 

with

Sauteed Jalapenos, Purple Onions and Tomatoes.

Fresh Blackberries

We truly did eat 

by the labor of our hands!

Spuds from Our Garden

We harvested 50 pounds of potatoes this morning from a 58 square foot bed!  

Here's what they looked like right out of the garden.

50 Pounds of Freshly Dug Potatoes

I sat on the back deck in the absolutely beautiful weather, and using an old toothbrush, I carefully brushed the dirt from each spud and separated them into three groups.

Group #1

The Pinnacle of Potato Perfection!
25 pounds of mixed, white and red, unblemished potatoes.  

We will try to store these long term.  

I've never tried this before, so we will have to wait and see how it works.

Group #2 

15 pounds of white potatoes.

This group was either too small to keep or blemished in some way 

which made them unsuitable for long-term storage.

Group #3 

10 pounds of red potatoes.

This group had the same size/blemish problems as the white potatoes mentioned above.

This is only the second time we have grown potatoes.
Our first crop had potato scab which made the potatoes soft and mealy - not very appetizing.
  This crop looks (and tastes) much better.
Not bad for our second attempt.

The Jalapenos are Ready!

Our First Jalapeno Harvest - 2.6 Pounds

In May we planted Senorita peppers which are a mild jalapeno hybrid - delicious with just a hint of heat.  The plants are laden with peppers!

So this morning we picked approximately one half of our crop.  The remaining half will be left to mature - I especially like them when they are bright red and fully ripe.

Fresh from the garden - we now have fresh onions, tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos.  Time to make salsa - Ole!

So Beautiful....Sauce on the Stove

No Sauce is Complete
Without Fresh, Spicy Basil

Oops - Almost Forgot the Parsley 

Well the tomatoes are pureed.  We started this project with 33 pounds of Big Mama sauce tomatoes (with a few Celebrity tomatoes thrown in for good measure).  After picking the thyme, rosemary, sage, lemon balm, and oregano, I remembered that I had forgotten the basil and parsley so we were back in the garden only to discover five more pounds of ripe tomatoes!

Tomato Seeds, Skin and Cores
Ready for the Compost Pile

We had a big bowl of seeds, skins, and stems leftover and this has been added to the compost pile.

Beautiful Sauce Simmering on the Stove

The 38 pounds of pureed tomatoes filled my 16-quart stock pot to the brim.  The fresh herbs were added to the sauce which must now simmer for a day or two.  Since the pot is full, I will let it cook down a bit, and then add three cups of parmesan cheese, five minced onions and a few cloves of garlic.

The CD carousel has come full circle and
Mr. Joe Cocker is once again keeping me company.  As I gaze at the beautiful pot of sauce simmering away, I find myself agreeing with the lyrics.... you are so beautiful to me.....

Taking a Break - Gathering Herbs

Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Lemon Balm and Sage
Fresh From Our Garden

Well Joe Cocker and Sly got me to the half way point in the tomato puree process.  My arms were getting tired, so I took a break to gather fresh herbs for the sauce.

Meanwhile, my family has returned and my son is proudly sporting a shiny, new learner's permit.

Time to get back to the tomatoes - Sergeant Pepper will be keeping me company for the last half of the job.

It's Sauce Day and I'm "Feelin' Alright!"

It is a beautiful day here in Southern Maryland.  My Hubby and sons are off to swim practice and then to the MVA to get our youngest (now 16) his learners permit.  There is a lovely breeze blowing through the house.  Joe Cocker  is blasting through the speakers.  He and I are "Feelin' Alright" while I puree the 33 pounds of sauce tomatoes we harvested yesterday.

Soon there will be sauce simmering...life is good.

First Big Tomato Harvest of 2013

We have picked a few ripe tomatoes for salad, but today was our first big harvest - 33 pounds of ripe, juicy tomatoes.  Time to make sauce!

Our First Blackberries

First Blackberries of the 2013 Season

There is nothing like walking to the garden and picking your breakfast.

I've been eyeing the berry bushes for some time now as they are loaded with ripening berries.  This morning we were finally able to pick a ripe, deliciously juicy handful.  They only lasted a moment.

Yum!

Happy 1st Furlough Day!

Our Very First 2013 Tomato and Our Onion Harvest

It was a great day yesterday when we harvested our very first ripe tomato along with a total of 106 lovely onions.

The Season's First Broccoli

The First Broccoli of the 2013 Growing Season

We waited for what seemed like forever for this year's broccoli to "head up."

Truly, I was beginning to think that something had gone wrong and feared we would not get any broccoli at all.  However, nature prevailed and we finally have our first broccoli harvest.

Can you guess what we are having for dinner tonight?

Rose Petal, Lavender Blossom Tea

My Lavender Bush in Full Bloom

 Oh how I love the clean, fresh scent of fresh lavender!  Last year I planted a tiny little seedling and it grew and grew.  This year it is blooming for the first time.

Since the lavender is blooming at the same time as my newly-planted, extremely fragrant, climbing rose bush; and because it is blisteringly hot outside, I decided to try making lavender/rose petal tea.







I placed the petals from one rose, four sprigs of lavender blossoms, and four cups of cool water in a mason jar and placed it on the back deck in the blazing hot sunshine.

It did not change color - perhaps because I did not use boiling water.  However, it was highly fragrant and very refreshing over ice.

We don't use air conditioning because....

"We don't use air conditioning because it makes it too hot outside."  Anonymous

We have yet to turn on our air conditioner this year - except for about 20 minutes of run time about two months ago during a bout of extreme humidity - I am determined to make it through the summer without it.

Mind you - I'm not bragging about it.  We have had an unusually mild spring, with evening temps consistently in the 60's and sometimes even 50's.  This has made it relatively easy to resist flipping the thermostat switch from "off" to "cool."   It has also helped that the upstairs AC unit isn't working.  My husband turned it on about two weeks ago to "test" the system and nothing happened. [ Insert evil grin here - and no I did not sabotage it - but fate took a firm hand. ]

Most nights, the boys have been sleeping in the cool basement.  Hubby and I are doing fine upstairs with the windows open and with the ceiling and circulating fans running.

Funny thing - our body thermostats seem to be adjusting to the rising temps.  Twice in the past two weeks, while outside in the evening, I've had to don a light jacket.  Seriously - I was shivering in the cool night air.  We went to a movie a few weeks back and I remembered that the theaters are heavily air conditioned, so I brought along my windbreaker.  Thanks goodness I did.  My boys have even commented on how cold the grocery stores seem to be.  Take my word for it - none of this would have happened if we had been living in an artificially cooled home.    Yes indeed - we are adjusting.  Since we will have to work outside in the garden whatever the outside temps, this internal thermostat change is welcome indeed.

Can we make it through the oppressive heat and humidity of July and August in Maryland?  Only time will tell.  But when we started this experiment, we were sure we couldn't sleep comfortably if the bedroom was above 80 degrees.  Last night it was 84 degrees when we went to bed and we managed just fine.

Today I purchased a new book entitled, "Losing our Cool, Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air Conditioned World, and Finding New Ways to Get through the Summer," by Stan Cox.  Hopefully, reading it will provide us with an extra measure of motivation and increase our determination to persevere - even as the temperatures (both outside and in) continue to rise.

It's around 5:00 p.m. and a thunderstorm is approaching.  Perhaps it will cool things off?  

For further reading, check out these links:
The Unchilled Life, NY Times
Living Without AC and Liking It

The Chicken vs. Asparagus Beetle Experiment Comes to and End

Our Four Happy Hens Have Been Sold

If you've been following our war against asparagus beetles, then you know that we purchased four young pullets from a Mennonite farmer and let them run among the asparagus beds.  They did their job admirably and all the beetles are now gone.  Unfortunately, keeping chickens in our neighborhood is against the covenants, so today all the chickens were sold.

The hens cost $27.50 and the bag of feed was $14.50.  We sold the pullets for $15 each.  The experiment was an outstanding success.  The beetles are gone and we came out $18 ahead on the endeavor.

I sure will miss seeing them scurry among the asparagus ferns.

Anticipation, Green Tomatoes, and Baby Figs

There is a time during the late spring, after most everything is planted, when I do nothing but weed and wait.  It is a somewhat stale period when things are growing but not quite fast enough to suit me and during which I resent every tomato, onion, and green bean I'm forced to buy from the store.  But grow they do and the anticipation builds.


This morning I wandered out to pick a few strawberries (their production is starting to pick up a bit)  and to pull a few more weeds and lo and behold I spy green tomatoes all over our tomato plants.  Not just a few tomatoes, but loads of tomatoes forming on what just a few weeks ago were those first few tomato blooms which made me dance a jig.

Upon spying the first pale green globes, I paused and I swear I could smell the sauce cooking down on the stove, pungent with my homegrown rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley - and I could taste the fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato salad which I love so much.

The tomatoes would have been enough for me, but there was more to behold.

Waltzing over to the fig tree to give it another feeding of whey, I spied the first tiny little figs beginning to form.

Life is good.

Our First Quail Eggs are Here!

Our Very First Quail Eggs

Yesterday we got our first quail eggs and two more this morning!  So "eggciting."

Garden Update

Leave them alone and they'll come home...

Missing Filbert
that found its
way home!

I walked out on my front porch this afternoon and there stood my missing filbert tree.  It was dried out a bit, which is weird because it has rained at least four inches in the last two days - but it was definitely there.  I brought it in - set it in my wet bar sink - gave it a good soaking - and left it there to recover from its trauma.

What the heck?  Does anyone think this is funny?  My son and I spent at least 45 minutes searching the yard for it the other day and now it is back - sitting innocently on the front porch.  No sir - not a bit funny.

Since losing it the first time, I planted its partner lest it disappear as well.  I'm keeping this one in the garage until it is planted.  Either I have a prankster in the neighborhood, or a very determined guardian angel.

Either way - I'm still stumped.