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Tomato harvest and fun in the kitchen
It has been several summers since the tomato crop has come up this abundant and delicious. This means instead of immediately devouring each small, cracked, sad piece of fruit we pick, we can do a little cooking and storing. Several days of picking builds up in the dining room before the fun starts This Dutchman pink tomato passed the cheddar test. Brandywine! After I lost the first plant, I wasn’t sure we’d get any this summer. Tomato basil soup has…
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In Bloom: Bi-color Dahlia
This dahlia is very slowly opening. I wish I could tell you what kind it is, but I honestly don’t know. It could be one that I got on clearance last year, or it could be some bulbs I picked up in late spring. Either way, I’m happy it has made an appearance! The dahlias in the front yard fall over once the blossoms open. Any tips on that? I don’t want to have to stake them all, and I…
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Bolted, Pulled and Planted again!
Yesterday afternoon, Scooby and I were pulling weeds out of the gravel at the crawl space access, when I noticed there was a bed of baby arugula. I didn’t plant it there, but back in the spring when I relocated a bed to add the gravel, there was an arugula plant that had already gone to seed. It turns out that all those seeds were dropped in the gravel. It’s somewhat of a dream of mine to have a self-planting…
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Peak of the Garden
We’ve had several days of rain, and the garden is just booming with life and growth. I don’t know how many squash vines I planted, but it was definitely more than we have room for. They are growing up the teepee, spilling over the fence and trying to take root in the neighbor’s lawn. I’m about ready to pull out some cherry tomato plants as I can no longer keep the ten or more plants picked on time. There are…
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In Bloom: Cantaloup
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Persimmon Tomato
This is our first summer growing Persimmon tomatoes. The description from Burpee’s was spot on: “A heirloom originally from Russia, this beefsteak type has very large, persimmon-colored 1 lb. fruits. Uniform and blemish-free, the tomatoes have high flavor, low acidity, and a small cavity. Performs well in short-season areas. Indeterminate. Harvest about 80-96 days after transplant.” The color is really beautiful, and my husband actually thought I was making peach cobbler when he saw the pan of chopped tomatoes. I…