In the Garden

A bounty of tomatoes, cucumbers, and yellow squash.

Enough to share with others.

Delicious!

Beware the Rabbit Invasion!

Soon after we planted our tomatoes and herbs earlier in the spring, we noticed a flood of rabbits in our yard, our neighbors' yards, and the nearby field. Where did they all come from? These critters feel they have free reign in our yard, and that we are such kind humans that we planted goodies just for them! Ha. 

My first line of defense was to raise up the pots of herbs on tall logs, stood on end. They can't stretch that far and the herbs are safe.

On Saturday we decided that we needed to protect the ripening tomatoes from not only the rabbits, but the squirrels and birds too. So we pounded long stakes into the ground and then staked down bird mesh all the way around and up and over the top. We created a little mesh room, with the tomatoes safe inside.

Stay tuned for updates on how successful we are.

Elsewhere in the yard:

Apparently, squash isn't exactly a favorite food for rabbits as they don't go near it.

 The raspberries have their own built-in defense with all the prickles.

 

And hydrangeas just because they are pretty!

 

The Greens Got Me

In the garden center I was drawn to the fresh, new plants they were unloading. I decided to strike while I could: I bought 4 pots of herbs, 6 tomato plants, a 4-pack of crookneck squash, 7 strawberry plants, a 6-pack of dianthus, and a bag of stargazer lilies.

At home, I finally, finally had more than enough plants to fill up my now-vintage strawberry pot. This pot was a housewarming gift 30 years ago, and I have never filled all the pockets since that first season. It was high time, don't you think?

More Cucumbers

Our prolific cucumber plants keep cranking out the fruit and I keep picking: 10 fat cucumbers yesterday and 11 more today. That's too many to eat fresh, so I made relish. Yesterday was dill relish, and today I decided on sweet pickle relish.

First, I cut the fruit into chunks and then cranked it through my grinder.

I picked up this "Universal" food mill at an antique mall some years ago and I have used it many times. Some people use a food processor because it's quick, but I don't like how a food processor mashes the food to pieces. I wanted tiny chunks.

After the cucumber, I ground up an onion and some bell peppers.

Into a bowl it all goes, along with salt. I covered it with water and left it to soak for two hours.

Rinse and drain several times, cook with sugar, spices and vinegar (sugar for sweet relish only), then ladle into clean, hot jars. I didn't photograph this part because I had sudden company.

Process in a water bath for 15 minutes, lift out, and cool the jars. There you have it! Seven jars of relish for the year to come.

I find that the recipes and instructions in The Ball Blue Book are consistently good. Walmart carries the book in housewares with the canning supplies.

Daisies

For the third time this week the rabbits ate my daisies. So I cut them all off and I will enjoy them in the house. I added the vintage daisy tablecloth, embroidered by my great-grandmother, for fun

Peter Rabbit Visits

One morning last week I walked into our backyard and saw this:It used to look more like this:Overnight, it was de-nuded except for little bits of green on some tips! (It has sent out new leaf shoots since). One quick look told me that the rabbit boom in our neighborhood was out of hand. Peter, his brothers and sisters, his parents and aunts and uncles, and his first, second, and eighth cousins must visit our yard every evening. They methodically nibbled away one plant per night, until I went to war with them. From Google I discovered a nasty recipe to spray on the plants; I call it "Bunny Burn". Let's see who wins.

My four forlorn Indian hawthorn plants hope to recover someday.

Cucumbers Everywhere

We go out of town for four days and come back to an explosion of cucumbers. I picked 17 yesterday and 11 more today. What to do, what to do? I think I see a few batches of pickles coming on.

The cucumber plants don't really belong to me. Our next door neighbor had leftover seeds from last year, and he poked three of them into the bare soil on the side of our garage. (Yes, his seeds but our yard; some neighbors are like that.) I think he waters them because I don't. The plants are huge and happy and producing like crazy. I hope he picks his share too.

Work in Progress

Finally, finally! We are getting concrete poured along the side of the house today. This is a concrete pad inside our little utility yard, and a sidewalk connecting that to the driveway.

I have wanted this done for something like 17 1/2 years. That's all. The pour date was set back two days because of rain, then finally they came today. Soon after they poured and smoothed the pad, it started to rain, and then to hail! They quickly pulled plastic sheeting over all the wet stuff, but they weren't quick enough because we have dings in the surface in several places.

Before

After

Easy Dill Pickles

We have a bumper crop of cucumbers this year, all from three little seeds my neighbor gave me a few months ago. I poked them into the soil at my feet when he gave them to me, and then I forgot all about them. They were truly ignored. I was busy with a wedding and guests and renovating two bedrooms. I didn't have time to think about struggling little cucumber seeds by the garage.

Then one day I happened to see a large jumble of leaves crawling across the remains of the woodpile. Weeds...big weeds. I need to pull them, I thought. Was I ever surprised to see little cucumbers peaking through the leaves! Soon they ripened, and their brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and 12th cousins have been ripening ever since. We have too many!

Last week I tried making refrigerator dill pickles. That used up a tiny portion of our supply, which was a good thing. We allowed them to marinade for a week, then we tasted them. They are good, but the spices need a bit of adjusting. Today I made more. They are sitting in a crock until tomorrow, when I will get them into jars and in the refrigerator. Refrigerator dill pickles are very simple to make and a good way to use up lots of cucumbers.

Two Yard Bargains

I found TWO great deals for our yard this past week. First, I found a black iron arbor for the side gate at Pike's Garden Center ~ half off. David helped me install it and The Professor helped me choose vines to climb over it.

A red climbing rose will grow up the right side, and a yet-to-be-planted clematis will grow up the left side. Many years from now they should intertwine at the top of the arbor.

On Friday I found a black iron patio table and four chairs on clearance at Target. I have been dreaming of a set like this for years, so I'm very excited to finally have one. It really should have 6 chairs to seat our family, but I bought all the chairs that our Target had. I plan to look at other Target locations for two more. If I can't find two more, I'm not worried. Many manufacturers make patio furniture in this black mesh style. And two chairs that are a bit different will look fine with what I have.

In the Garden

Our roses:

Between rain storms on Memorial Day we tried to whip the yard into shape. First we planted five Recurvifolium Ligustrum, or wavy leaf Privet on the back hill. We expect these to fill in to a solid wall about 15 ft high to block our view of the neighbors' new three story addition. Starting out in one-gallon pots, they have a bit of growing to do!

Next we planted several Razzleberri Loropetalum, or Chinese Fringe, also on the back hill. These will also grow tall and fill in together. We hope to completely block the ugly fence as well as the neighbors' addition. We want to look like we live in a park! Right now it's hard to believe that this flat little plant...

will some day grow to this...

After weeding, The Professor mowed and edged the lawns, while I tied up the tomato plants. My tomato cages disintegrated two years ago, so this is a new method for me. I'll see how it works.

Cool Salad for a Hot Evening

Fresh tomatoes straight from the garden, layered with cucumbers from the neighbors.

A sprinkle of feta cheese and a drizzle of dressing.

All topped with basil snippets from the pot on the patio. So refreshing.

Signs of Spring!

Ahh, winter seems to be winding down now. We worked outside on Saturday and today, pruning, weeding and fertilizing. Once we finished pruning the crape myrtle, we cut the long, strappy branches into shorter lengths and tied them into manageable armloads. We filled up the back of our van and carted them off to the county vegetative waste dump. Next time, maybe we shouldn't wait three years to do the pruning. Our job would be much easier.

Our winter daphne is in bloom and scenting most of the patio.

Daffodils are popping up all over town; some have actually blossomed, but mine have not.

And our okame cherry is in full bloom...beauty in pink blossoms.

Chutney

I canned eight jars of Green Tomato Chutney yesterday. Chutney is really good as a garnish on chicken curry, and spread on ham sandwiches instead of mustard. Usually it is made with assorted dried fruits; I made this batch with all the green tomatoes left on our bushes after our first frost. I added raisins and chopped apples to it also. Sugar, onions, vinegar, and spices complete the recipe. I didn't have a recipe, so I googled for recipes, combined recipes, and finally adjusted by taste. I'm sure I'll never be able to duplicate it.

Lingering Tomatoes

Our tomato plants are still producing, and tomorrow will be November. My neighbors all ripped out their tomato plants weeks ago, but mine are happily perking along, blossoming, fruiting, and turning red in the sun. The nights are getting cold now, though, and I expect our first freeze could be soon.

These tomatoes are fresh-picked this morning.