How Does Your Garden Grow?

Being our first winter garden and the growing of greens, we are definitely trying to figure out how to best work with these plants as we go along.  So far so good.

Though the harvest is still mostly a bit here and a bit there, we are getting enough to be a good supplement to the greens I buy at the store and farmer's market.

In this post, I wanted to share some of my latest favorite gardening tools/supplies.  First, the above harvesting basket was something I bought a good while back, about the time we put our garden to rest.  While it can't support a heavy load of produce, it is perfect for greens.  I set it over the sink after harvesting so I can rinse off the leaves before I put them in the frig.

I purchased this watering wand in the gardening department of our local grocery store, and what a great tool it has turned out to be!  I can set the water to be like a gentle rainfall and give the plants a good soaking without the water running off a lot.  The long handle makes it easy to reach all the plants.  

Since wet flip flops make for treacherous walking, a couple of years ago I bought these Crocs to use as yard shoes for when I am hauling sprinkles around the yard for watering.  Knowing that bare feet are not very pleasant once the weather turns cold, I checked to see if Crocs had boots.  Sure enough! I ordered some right away.  While I am not generally a person who gets excited about shoes, I was so excited to get these boots.  Up to now I have dreaded watering days in the late fall and early spring when it is chilly and I am dealing with sprinklers.  Now I can put on some toasty socks, tuck in my pants, and brave the cold and wet.  They will be nice when I need to go to the farmer's market on a cold and rainy day, too.  (Hopefully we have quite a few of those this winter.  We sure still need the rain.)  

Winter is coming, and, at least with gardening, I am ready. :-)

Restart

I am not a plant person.  My parents and my brother have lovely green thumbs, but that gene pretty much skipped me.  However, the one botanical endeavor I am willing put time and energy into is a vegetable garden. 

Years ago, my husband and I lived in a more rural area and we planted our first vegetable garden. And I learned to can green beans and tomatoes, make pickles and plum butter, and gained a great appreciation for all the work my ancestors did just to keep food in the pantry.  I also learned that, like making bread, seeing a row of jars of home-canned goods can be very satisfying.  Having said that, it is more of a been there, done that experience that I am not particularly interesting in taking on again.  

A few years ago, we decided to do another garden--small, just enough for two.  We planted tomatoes, green beans, squash, and peppers with varying success.  This was during my food journey, and I learned that most of the above were things I couldn't eat anyway.  With my husband's work schedule being what it is, most of the upkeep of the garden fell to me, and after a couple of seasons, we decided to let the garden space hibernate for a while.  

In the past month or so, though, I had an urge to get things started again, this time with a good handle on what foods are good for me.  My dear hubby gallantly scraped off the wood chips we had covered the garden with to hold back erosion and turned the soil. 

Then he worked in the mulch from our grass clippings.

We made a trip to the nursery and came home with all my greens for a winter garden and planted them together.  That was fun! :-)

Now it is up to me to keep things going, but it is a lovely feeling to see the garden planted again.  We will see how it goes….

Autumn Light

It is hard to describe the special quality of the sunlight in autumn.  Sometime in August, though we are still experiencing hot temperatures, I can usually sense as the sun moves south when it changes from the hot summer light to the warm glow of the coming autumn.  Then I start to anticipate the cool mornings and warm comfort of the sun as the season shifts.  

The sun's light, especially in the mornings and evenings draws me to the window to see it make the leaves and flowers glow.  Partly cloudy days make for lovely sunrises and sunsets.  Though I couldn't really catch the loveliness of the light, I wanted to take a picture to remind me of how much I love the fall.

Sunrise, Sunset

I can't resist a pretty sunrise or sunset.  Enjoy…

Hello, Spring!

It looks like Winter has finally packed its bags and Spring has come to visit a while.  Though we are still lacking in rain, the wildflowers have put on a good show this year, much to everyone's delight.

One of the things I like about spring is that it is true to its name…it just springs up.  One day I will look out the window and see the branches bare from winter.  Then I look out a little later in the day and…

Ta da! 

It is also nice to see the birds coming around once more.  We started filling our birdbaths again and the locals come often to drink and bathe.

Hon! I found a great deal on nesting material.

Spring…such a cheerful season!

 A little sunshine, anyone?

In Like A….

March lion, bold--fierce,

Pounces with frosty breath and

Leaves a crystal world.

Someday

A few year ago, we transplanted an oak that had come up volunteer in our back yard. http://elzbeesplace.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-busy-guy.html  We weren't sure exactly what kind of oak it was, but we hoped it would be one that would give us some fall color.  This is the first year that it has showed us its potential and I am so pleased.  If our crepes myrtles manage to hang in there after these tough drought seasons we have had recently, in a few years, come fall, I may be able to step out into our back yard and get a good soaking of fall color. Happy sigh!

This is my last post for the year.  Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year!  See you in 2014.

Fall Color

What a glorious way to start the week!

Peter Piper Picked...

Well, not a peck.  And certainly not pickled, but definitely some peppers.

I overheard a vendor/customer conversation at the farmers' market about how good these were and decided to give them a try.  Sweet peppers, like bell peppers, and so good!  If we start our vegetable garden again someday, I want to grow some of these, so I need to find out what variety they are. Aren't they pretty!

A Sight Worth Seeing

Recently we had some unexpected rain showers some through in the very early morning. As we got around for breakfast, the clouds were breaking up as the sun was rising.  We looked out through our French doors and saw this:

It has been ages since I have see a double rainbow.  The main rainbow actually made the full arc, but since it was still stormy, I couldn't get out to see the whole thing.  A lovely beginning of the day, both in terms of the rain and the rainbow! 

Summer's Grace

Summer light
Hazy skies
Heat waves start their dance

Cicada songs
Fireflies flash
June bug's aimless flight

Bluejays splash
Robins seek
Earthworms for their feast

Cotton balls
Growing tall
Passing showers bring

Honey bees
Sip the sage
Crepes don jaunty dress

Eyes to see
Ears to hear
The gift of summer's grace

Awake!

Green mist, blossoms fair

Light upon fields and branches

Awake!  Spring had come!

Always Glad to See Fall

Crimsom, gold, copper

Autumn's banners a-flutter

Adieu to summer

Sigh...our fall color may be especially sparse this year, but I will take what I can get. 

Blossoming

Winter art transformed

Glorious summer color

Crowning graceful stems

Blessings

Spring is here!  What a blessing the winter rains have been after the awful heat and dryness of last year.  We are still behind in our rainfall, but the winter rains have been wonderful.  Everything looks so green and healthy.  Everyone is raving about the beautiful wildflowers.  Our crepe myrtles look the best they ever have, and the cherry sage bloomed like crazy.  The honey bees are busy, busy.  I'm so glad to see them back again.  

May you flourish this springtime as well!  Blessings!

A Lovely Way to End the Day

Enough said. :-)

Winter Crepe

Gray leaf-barren arms

Graceful shapes with berry tips

Bring art to the cold

Taste of Fall

It has been hot, hot, hot, and dry, dry, dry around here.  At least something is happy in all this summer weather:

Our bougainvillea is blooming away--a happy spot of color.  The crepes are starting to bloom as well.  Now, if we can just get some rain to green things up a bit, it would be quite pretty in our back yard.  

In my last post I mentioned my "pumpkin pie" that is one of my two snacks.  It is an easy recipe and very tasty so wanted to share it with everyone.

No-crust Pumpkin Pie

1 29 oz. can of pumpkin puree (not the pie filling)
6 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 14 oz. can coconut milk (full fat)
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Break eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat well.  Add remaining ingredients, mixing well (a whisk works well for this).  Pour batter into two 9 x 7 baking dishes.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 10 minutes (set for 1 hour and then test to see if it is done).  Let cool. 


I divide each dish into six servings and place each serving in a small container.  This recipe also freezes well, making it a very convenient snack.

First Harvest

Well, we didn't get a lot out of my potato plantings, but it was still a fun experiment.  I definitely plan to try again next year, and hopefully will figure out better what to do.

First potato crop

The garden is winding down.  The bell peppers were pretty much a bust.  We had a nice harvest of zucchini and yellow squash this year, but unfortunately I had to add them to the "can not eat" list. (more on that in another post)  The green beans are still going and the onions will be harvested later in the summer.  We are getting a few tomatoes now, so my hubby will be able to enjoy those on his salad for a few more weeks.  I love that the garden is mostly finished by this time of year, before things get beastly hot.  Early garden is the best garden for me. :-)

In the next post I will share some exciting news on the quilting front.  Until then...

Down the Garden Path

It was a beautiful spring day with plans to spend time with one of our sons and his wife--the perfect opportunity to stroll through one of our lovely public gardens. 

And a lovely time it was, too!