Halloween 2010

I thought I would never have tomatoes this year, and it's true that I didn't get my usual bounty because of the weird growing season, but these came on Halloween, the latest I've ever picked tomatoes and after a number of nights of light frost. I'm particularly proud that this year's crop grew from seeds I harvested last year, except for Aunt Ruby's German Green, which I grew for the first time this year and will never miss again.

Below is a gorgeous purple cauliflower, an orange one, a mammoth carrot, kohlrabi and radicchio, of which I have so much I'll never be able to eat it all before it freezes too hard.





Last weekend it rained hard so I stayed inside and did the deep cleaning that this time of year requires, putting up plastic on all the windows after washing them, washing the curtains, shampooing the carpets and moving in all the houseplants. These pics I took to demonstrate the "greenhouse effect" of my winter quarters - and I have since added even more plants.





At the end of cleaning last week I treated myself to a little drive out to my favorite little haunt for a glass of wine and some conversation. On the way back I caught this breathtaking sunset in the west, with the rainbow in the east. Two great weekends in a row at Fat Bottom Farm.

Fall and Food Preservation

Fall is my favorite season, especially here on the high desert where it lingers through most of three months.  Part of that experience is preserving the harvest from my garden.  Here's a bit of this year's production.  The small jars are the best pear butter I've ever made or tasted.  The larger jars are a marvelous cream of zucchini soup I've concocted.  Unseen are the "muffcakes" I made from a zucchini bread recipe, baked in muffin pans and topped with a lemon glaze (kinda like muffins, kinda like cupcakes).

An extra step this year was to fire up the woodstove and use it in the process, like our grandmothers used to do.  It was really fun as the weather has been quite cool.  I use the electric stove for the pressure canning so I can maintain a consistent temperature, but the woodstove was great for warming the jar lids, keeping extra water hot and lending historical accuracy and atmosphere.  

Late Summer at Bully Creek

I love the late summer look of this country, my garden, my yard and the surrounding area. Lush, green, mature, full of life. So I took a stroll yesterday to capture some of it so I could share the effulgence and ripeness of this season.

The picture below is the garden, looking southwest. The sweet corn is evident, and the pole beans. In front of the beans are a mixture of bush beans and potatoes. And in front of that, partially obscured by the shade of the peach tree is winter squash.





Summer squash is in the foreground here, flowering cosmos, pole beans, sweet corn and tomatoes evident in their "rooms."

Below is a glimpse of the abundant broccoli and cauliflower of this year, winter shelling beans in the foreground.  You can see the tomato ladders 'way in the background.
More broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage as well as lots of radicchio and kohlrabi. The red is orach, a really tasty salad ingredient now going seed (it self-seeds beautifully.)
A shot of the elderberry bushes which are just loaded with black fruit.

The upper orchard with vineyard in back.

The Italian plum is loaded this year.
And so is the Granny Smith apple tree.
Lots of grapes this year. These are Thomson seedless.
I learned this year that Thomson seedless turn a purplish color when fully loaded with sugar. Mmmmm....
The "vineyard" at a distance - with my helpers, Daisy and Zeke.
Upper orchard.
Lower orchard.
The creek adjacent the lower orchard.
The recovering Asian pear which went into the beaver dam with blossoms and baby fruit early in the spring. Note cage to keep beavers away.
The path down to the launching place for the creek float.
The launch area, as inspected by Muffy.
View through cattails of the creek from the launching spot.

Goldenrod with guests.

The breached beaver dam with teasel in foreground.
Creek behind the breached beaver dam.
Lawn in late summer.
Honeydew melon.
Yellow doll watermelons.
Tomatoes with basil in front.


From tomatoes toward yard, new strawberry bed in mid-ground.


Winter squash.

Shaded seating area.
My summertime station after the work is done.

 

Garden Glimpses and Features on a June Day

I thought I might share a few details or aspects of the yard and garden that seemed enchanting to me on a late June day, this having been an unusual year for both cool and rainfall. What caught my attention first, and sent me scurrying for the camera, were the unusual clouds in the afternoon sky which were so moisture laden they were acting as prisms for the sunlight and the rainbow hues were in each cloud. I don't know that my pictures capture it as dramatically as it appeared to my eyes, but I tried. From there I just got carried away with enjoying the beauty (stopping to smell the roses, perhaps?).  The first 8 photos are of various flowers here and there - Bishop's cap mixed with columbines, purple salvia and salmon poppies with a butterfly (they were dancing all over the salvia that day), my birthday primrose which is blooming for the THIRD time since it was given to me on my birthday in February, a cheerful pot of violas, lovely peas blossoms in two colors, and a ruby cabbage set among the peas.

After that I just strolled around the paths among the perennial beds, trying to capture the beds and paths as well as individual beauties.

Then below the garden my eye caught the curve of the olive trees that I deliberately let arch low for magical paths to invite the exploration of children.

I took a few of the garden areas - the cool garden, maturing nicely; the path through the raspberries; the path from the asparagus bed, past the greenhouse and along the herb garden, as well as the view back the other direction.

If you look closely you will see the slight bit of prismatic color in the clouds.  Of course, the stone path to the house and the sitting area in the shade.  Last of all my never-ending cylamen blooms that are enjoying a shady spot outdoors this year.  Hope you enjoyed your visit!