The Garden That Wasn't

Let me start by saying that I am am thankful that I was not relying on a harvest this year.  Cuz it didn't happen.  I am also thankful that I didn't count myself in for the Monday Harvest Tally over at Daphne's Dandelions cuz I would have been run out of dodge!  After 40+ straight days of rain in June and July the truth was quickly becoming apparent.  You can't beat Mother Nature.

So rather than cry over what didn't happen, I choose to laugh at what did.  This is the grape "crop".  In it's entirety!

I may taste one but otherwise I'm leaving them for the birds.  This vine is about 4 years old and these are the first grapes ever so at least I know it can produce.  See that....looking on the bright side.

Then there is the snake gourd vine.  This one was new in the garden this year.  The vine went berserk.  During the rainy, rainy days the vine escaped it's "enclosure" and went to visit the grapes.  It climbed up the trellis and intertwined itself amongst the grape vines.  There are several small snakes growing but with the weather being much cooler, I would be very surprised if anything comes of them.  There is just one worthy of mention - about 3 feet long...here it is.

I am almost tempted to OCD on this bugger - make it the object of my affection.  Wrangling and tying it so that it ends up in a more interesting shape.  Hmmm....

Now on to my most successful bounty of the year.  Eggplant.  I picked one and made a nice eggplant parm - mmmm...good. This was another newbie for me.  Very pretty plant.  In addition the one already picked, this one might make it too.  I emphasize might.

All of the tomato plants were yanked yesterday and put in blight bags for my trash man tomorrow.  Not one darn tomato sandwich for me this summer.  Boo-hoo. 

Between the rain, and the critters and other nonsense this summer, the garden and I were not exactly BFF's.   Oh and my absence of more than 30 days over the growing season didn't help either.  Whatever.  There's always next year.  Maybe.  Stay tuned.

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D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G

Ewwwwwwwww!  I headed down to the garden earlier for what I thought would be the end of tomatoes for this year.   T’was not to be.  I was not alone.  There were critters out there today.  Frogs a ‘hoppin’ here and there, and this disgusting creature.  A tomato hornworm I think.  I’ve never seen one before (except in pictures).  It sent me screaming like a little school girl.  Once I regained my composure I was able to snap a few pics.  Of course during the photo session I had imaginary things crawling up my legs and was happy that the macro feature on my camera let me take the pics from a distance.  I’m starting to wonder if I am really cut out for this gardening business.  Silly as it sounds, I’m not sure if this is one of the fears that I want to conquer.

 

Quite the athlete, huh?

Back Home

Been on the road again. Once again my 4 day road trip to Montreal turned into a 9 day trip. Thankfully my husband is fine with it. It's the 3rd time that I've done it this summer.

FARMER'S MARKET
My trip to the Laprairie farmer's market was a quick one this time. I sidetracked from the direct route home to make a pit stop to pick up some delicioso curd cheese (cheese curd??). It's one of the things from home that my family misses. Eaten as is or in the fabulous Quebec staple "poutine". French fries with BBQ gravy and curds.....mmmmm....mmmm. It's not available here in Massachusetts - at least not that I am aware of. It's available in grocery stores back home but nothing compares to the the fresh from the market version.

With the dismal condition of my garden, I wish I could have picked up some fruits and veggies. They had 10 lb bags of beets for $3.50! Pickling onions too. Alas the powers that be do not allow the transportation of fruits, veggies, meat or plants. Doesn't leave much choice at a farmer's market.

SEEDPODS
Sometimes ignorance is bliss. That is the case with the datura seed pods that I scooped up at my daughter's house this past week. These are some gnarly monsters. They bite! Prickly as porcupines! My daughter didn't know what to do with the spent flowers (deadheading) and just let them be. I happily pinched the pods and rid her of those nasty, seed-filled pods! I shall try my hand at daturas this winter. We shall see, we shall see.

Maine Seacoast

This may have been the worst, or best, thing to do with the garden under attack from blight. I took a little road trip. I felt that I could do no more to protect my tomatoes and decided to let nature take its course.

So on Monday I drove to Vermont to pick up my daughter who bussed it from Montreal. And headed for the Maine coast for 2 days. What better to do than head for the ocean during a heat wave of stifling, humid days. The sea breeze was just what the doctor might suggest when the air is so thick. I love how it cools as you approach the beach from the parking lot - the return trip at the end of the day when you are salty and sandy, not so much.

We drove Route 1 from Kittery (outlet shops galore) through York, Ogunquit, Wells and Kennebunk. Antique shops, thrift stores and consignment were EVERYWHERE and it killed me to drive by but we were only there for 2 days and with the weather what it was, the beach was more important. We did do the outlets (yuck!) because my daughter hadn't been before. It's close enough that I can take a day trip any time.....probably September or October.

Potato, Pa-tot-ow

As one of my experiments this year, I grew potatoes for the 1st time. Not only that but instead of planting them directly in the ground I bought some "Smart Pots" and gave those a whirl. All were planted in pure homemade compost. So yesterday I pulled the potatoes from 2 of the 3 sacks. Success? Failure? Somewhere in between. Most of the few potatoes that I did get were small but they were nice and firm with no rot. This is a good thing cuz this summer's weather was not co-operative. A resounding success? No. But everything is relevant isn't it...

Tomato Blight Rampage

It's for real now. In the 10 years that I have lived in my town there is a tomato garden that I have always admired. It is a beautiful little garden on a corner lot and always perfectly maintained. Nothing out of control. Several rows that probably add up to 100+ tomato plants. Just yesterday I drove by and saw that things were looking dry and the leaves were curled and dried out - late blight. On one hand I feel comforted to know that I am not alone. On the other hand, I feel for the tomato grower. Mother Nature can be a......bitch.

To Compost or Not to Compost...That is the Question

Any gardener who has jumped on the composting bandwagon knows that it is awesome stuff. When it is ready...mmmm.....the earthy smell. For weenies like me, getting there is a little more challenging. But I did it. And if I can do it, anyone can.

In case you're on the fence about it. Check out your options on the Compost Guy. There has never been an issue with odor or critters. The only critters I encounter are those wild wiggling worms. And that's a good thing.

2008 "Newborn" picture

Just Peachy

In my quest to support local farms, I took a little trip to a farm in the next town Cook's Valley Farm. I try to make the rounds of local farms to "share the wealth". This farm has been worked for over 300 years!

While there I bought peaches. In my absolute ignorance I was unaware that peaches grew in this neck of the country. Who knew! These peaches had major fuzzies - very very hairy. They need a shave! The mottled colors are beautiful.

So time to make some peach preserves. I was flying by the seat of my pants because I am not the "preserving" kind of gal. I have issues with sterilization. Not sure why but it freaks me out. Sooo...I found some plastic "Ball" jars that do not require sterilization! Woo-hoo! I'm in.

So I chopped up my bounty of peaches and threw them in a pot just long enough to break the chunks down a little. Added a little sugar and freezer jam pectin. Voila! Lovely topping for cottage cheese, waffles, etc. And not too sweet! Mmmmmmm!




Then into the handy dandy little Ball containers and then into the freezer. What's not to love?

Beautiful Butterfly

No words...just a pic of a "purty" butterfly.

Pretty Blooms - Peegees?

Picked some pretty blooms in the field at Tangerini's again. They have cut flowers in the farm stand but I just love wandering around the fields and cutting my own flowers or picking my own fruits and veggies.

This is what they looked like when I brought them home......awesome!

Outside bunch

Inside bunch

Rain - Proof!

No doubt about it, rain has been an issue this summer and I have proof. This is a picture from this past weekend.

Today's Babble - Zucchini

It appears that I have time on my hands 'cuz there's nothing doin' in the garden. Time to blog but nothing to blog about! A double edged sword.

Sooo I thought I would highlight a post by someone who does have things to talk about and I wanted to share it. I can't quite remember how I found it. It would be safe to say that I took the usual route....the circuitous one. Basically sheer luck. It's about life on the other side of the pond. You can find it here Thyme for Cooking.

Here she offers some solutions for "that" time of year. When people become zucchiniphobic. Neighbors hide when they see you coming. They run away screaming when you round the corner with an armful of green baseball bats...... "Noooooooo mooooore!" Ya, that's not going to happen to me this year but just in case......I will be ready. There's always next year. But for those of you with a bountiful harvest, here are some ideas in her blog.

Random Nonsense

I don't like posts without pictures. This is one.

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I checked in. I wish I could say it was due to my whirlwind lifestyle but alas that would be a bold-faced lie. I also wish it was because my prolific garden and the harvest thereof was taking up all of my time but that would be another lie. Not! Not! Not! I don't want to sound like a broken record so I will only say one word. Rain.

No pictures in this post. Because, well, everything is ugly. I went out to do some gardening a couple of days ago and it turned into a rodeo. Tomato wrangling. A horse and lasso would have been helpful. Some tomato plants are 7' tall with the beginnings of flower clusters and a few microscopic tomatoes. Not good. I am pondering the possibility that my greatest hope now for garden fresh tomatoes this year is my good old local farm. Being more of a "half full" kind of girl, I am OK with that. Mother Nature is a powerful chick, huh!

Oh, and P.S. It's August!

Pretty Blooms - Snapdragons

I just wanted to add one more pic from Tangerini's - pretty flowers picked from the field. I have never been a huge fan of Snapdragons but these were just so pretty out in the field. All pretty and obedient standing in a row.

Butterfly - How Beautiful!

Tangerini's Farm

One of the fields

Yesterday, like today, was a hot and hazy day and the air was thick with humidity. What an odd summer. Rain, rain, rain. We'll be rolling into August soon and it feels like summer hasn't even begun. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the garden. Lot's of lush green foliage but that's about it. I will be pleasantly surprised if I get any harvest by the end of August. Time will tell. On the bright side, I picked a good year to be an experimental farmer. Experiments are "tests" and tests sometimes fail. Oh well.

This is the current shining star in the garden. And I do mean the only one. Sad but true.

So back to the hot and humid day...... I wanted to see how other local harvests were doing so I hopped in my car to go to a local favorite, Tangerini's Spring Street Farm. It's a great place - especially for kids. There are goats and chickens and cats wandering around which kind of baffles me because given the opportunity, my cats would not leave those darn chickens alone. The city girl side of me thinks that felines and foul just don't mix. Obviously that is not true on a farm.

So here is what was available tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, beans, zucchini, yellow squash and U-pick raspberries and blueberries. I guess real farmers are just that, real.

The farm stand and ice cream shop.

One of the residents.

The greenhouse wall. Pretty.

Piggy pottery. Very cute.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

The "good" requires few words. A pretty Hydrangea bouquet with.......guess what? Leek scapes! Who knew they would add such great contrast!

The scapes are so cool! These are the same scapes that were cut a couple of weeks ago and are not showing any signs of dying off anytime soon. Awesome!

The Bad & The Ugly

In this case they are one and the same and I have no clue what it is.

I discovered this creature on my deck today. From a distance, I thought it was a turd! It was fat and fuzzy'ish and very very dead. It looks like it's part fish, part bird, part I dunno????

Then along came Mr. Ant hoping to bring home dinner for what surely would provide meals for the "next month of Sundays". He moved left, right and over but alas this monster was just too much for one little ant. But you must give him A+ for effort.

Damn Marigolds

There are not too many flowers that I don't like although I do tend to prefer those that stand tall and strong. Some I like for their foliage, some for their flowers and others for their uniqueness.

Then there are Marigolds. Yuck! They have no redeeming qualities. They smell gross. Even bugs hate them apparently. That's why I have them in my veggie bed. Rumor has it that they are supposed to keep the bugs at bay but someone forgot to tell the bugs in my neck of the woods because they have been decimated. Just straggly little skeletons at the feet of the tomatoes, etc. Not a success in my experiments.

Huggy Bug

A good bug post happens from time to time with a picture of something that does not freak me out. This is one of those.

Look at this guy! He seems completely enamored with the squash flower. Perhaps drunkenly in love with the sweet pollen. It certainly looks like love!

Veggies - Keeping Track

Finally a little progress in the garden - not what it should be but c'est la vie.

Zucchini Babies

Purty Pumpkins

I was very pleasantly surprised with these. I pulled my leeks more than a week ago and decided to put the scapes in a vase with water. What a beautiful sight! They make an excellent bouquet and last really long. Very very interesting.


My cauliflower is showing it's first bud. The brassicas sure have to put up with a lot around here. The critters are brutal. Last year was my first year growing any and in absolute frustration over the constant attacks, I yanked most of them. I left a few to see how they would do and surprisingly they recovered quite well.

Although they are under siege again this year, I will be patient and let nature take it's course.

I try to keep organic and that makes it more difficult but I am committed. Go cauliflower!

Cape Cod Mystery Shrub

I was down on Cape Cod a few days ago and the old Cape standard, Hydrangeas, was making it's annual appearance. Profusions of blue blooms were enjoying the salty air. Just gorgeous.

This year I noticed another shrub that was blooming blue'ish and didn't recognize. Perhaps another type of Hydrangea? Here's a pic:

I must do my homework on this one......

Time in the Trenches

Yesterday afternoon was spent catching up in the garden and checking out how my experiments were doing.

Les Pois
Peas were one of the NKTB's (aka New Kids on the Block). Must say, love them! The peas that is. My daughters were the ones who loved NKTB. They were pretty much pest-free, grew like the dickens and were very very yummy. I never even bothered to cook them - just pop 'em open and pop 'em in.

Today the last bunch was picked and I learned something new. Young sweet peas really are better. This bunch had gotten pretty big and were not as sweet as the ones picked earlier. (Note to self.) So today was the day to pull those babies. All in all I was very impressed and plan to have peas in the garden always.

Garlic (or as Emeril would say "Gaaah-Lic")
The garlic was planted last fall from kitchen garlic 'cuz the seed store was out of it. It was looking all shabby out in the garden today so out it came. I was happy with the outcome. Rather small but it's hard to be disappointed when you have no expectations. Haven't tasted it yet but it grew.........and that's what matters.

Les Tomates
This years tomatoes are rather obnoxious if you ask me. Just behaving very badly. Growth is all over the place. Some are huge and skinny - some are short and fat. And only a few itsy bitsy tomatoes. June was a bust with relentless rain so I guess I should cut them some slack. I have to remind myself that it is only mid-July and there is still time but I. am. so. damn. IMPATIENT! Hmmmmf.

More Grossies in the Garden!

It is abundantly clear that I hate creepy crawlies. I wish I were not such a woos. But I am.

Through the wonder of the web, you "meet" all kinds of people. One such person is EG. He has no issues whatsoever with bugs. He keeps a running total of squished squash bugs (whew that's a mouthful - say that fast 3 times!). He also likes to include videos in his blog which is kind of cool because you get to see what's going on in other parts of the country. And mostly feel twangs of envy 'cuz his garden is miles ahead of mine. Come to think of it, he hasn't posted in over two weeks and that's not like him. I hope he's on vacation. Check it out at Engineered Garden.

Back to my creepy crawlies. I'm not quite sure why I am including this picture. Perhaps to face my fear. Cue music - theme from "Jaws" please.

Ewwwwwwwwwwww. Can't wait until this post is archived.

Ugg...Bugs...

I HATE BUGS! I really go all psycho-girly when it comes to creepy crawlies in the garden. You would think that after 20+ years of gardening I would get over it - nope. I am not a girly girl in any other way - except when it comes to bugs. I wish I would get over it but I don't think it's even a remote possibility.

Today was a particularly "buggy" day. Squash bugs, cucumber beetles, worms galore and this big bugger who has pinchers. Ewwwwwww. I was kind of getting into pyscho mode - a tomato branch brushed me and I almost jumped out of my skin. This is not right. Get a grip girlfriend - get a grip.



To date I have never come across a snake - thank you God - cuz that might just be the end of my gardening days. In all likelihood Iwould become the girl in the bubble.

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Look! A Vineyard in Training!

I love the look of grapevines. I don't know anything about growing them but I like 'em. That's why I have one growing out back - it's completely unruly and a vintner would chastise me for such a wild thing but I like it. It's been growing out there for 5 years or so - just living la vida loca. Never saw so much as a single grape on it. "Saw" being the operative word - past tense my friends.

Now I have not quite achieved vintner status yet but hell if things keep going as they are, I believe I will be the proud owner of 4 bunches of grapes! At this rate I might just be pulling a Lucille Ball a few years from now. Likely for a single bottle of wine but that's OK.

The Pea Post

You may or may not know that I have never eaten a fresh pea before. Well today was the day! Wow! Have I led a deprived life! Yummmmmmmy! The pea experiment was a success. They will become a staple in my garden. Quite frankly, I don't know that I will ever eat another pea unless it is picked fresh from the vine.

So, back to today, as I picked the peas I noticed that the 2 young boys (4 and 7) next door were out playing and I offered them some. To my great pleasure and quite unexpectedly, they said "yes". They were popping them like candy!

I was so obsessed with this wonderful little veggie that it turned into a little game. Squeeze along the seams to pop the pod open......reveal perfect little green orbs......pop the slightly crunchy little orbs in mouth. And oh how pretty for pictures. I was glad that my kids were out and hubby was visiting the neighbors cuz a pea photo session was a little over the top for them.

Who knew how delectable peas were? (Probably everyone but me but that's OK. Better late than never.)
From this.....

To this....

To this.......awesome!