Garden, August 4, 2011

We are enjoying the fruits of D's labor.

The Mara des Bois strawberries have given us a generous bowl.

A friend was supposed to visit today.

She had to cancel.

Look at what she missed!

These berries taste best at room temperature and they do not keep.

I'll have to eat them myself!

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D enjoyed this bowl of raspberries as an appetizer before dinner.

And we have our first tomato.

It's a paste tomato - San Marzano - but it will be eaten sliced.

This is what we look forward to when it snows!

The gardens are producing!

We tried a new kale this year. It's called Dinosaur Kale, and it is just lovely growing. It is a blue-gray color. In the morning, the dew beads on the plants and sparkles in the sunlight. The nutrition information indicates this a super food. Lots of vitamins, lowers cholesterol, etc.

Today, I picked some leaves - the big ones went to the chickens. The "small" ones went to be prepared for freezing for soups. I removed the ribs and sliced crosswise. Steamed it.

Well, it makes cabbage smell delicious.

I think I can use it in a strong soup like Italian sausage and bean soup. Otherwise, I have no idea what to do with it.

If you want to try some, let me know.

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The strawberries are yielding a generous portion a week

We have been able to keep the birds away by framing the beds and covering the frames with bird net.

We have protected some, but not all of the raspberries. The raspberries are here in the foreground, with strawberries in the background.

We get onion plants from Dixondale Farms each year. This year we had a wet spring, and the onions loved it. The copra onions are huge and are already done. The red onions are not ready yet.

July gardens

The gardens in July.

This is the corn on May 28.

And here it is in July.

Definitely as high as an elephant's eye.

The corn is an heirloom, non-hybrid.

The strawberries are covered with fencing.

That has bird-netting over it, and it drapes into the walkways.

It is easy to trip over.

In the foreground are this year's raspberries.

Beyond the dog is another garden with beans, watermelon, amaranth, chard, kale, mangles, beets, cucumbers.

The grape arbor frames the entrance to the first garden.

The far fence has beans on it. In front of the beans are tomatoes.

Beyond the fence is the strawberry/raspberry garden.

Standing under the arbor, straight ahead are a row of peppers.

Then a row of swiss chard and kale.

Against the fence are beans.

Tomatoes are in front of the beans.

Beyond this fence is the strawberry garden.

Looking back at the arbor.

To the right are peas.

Straight on is spinach, with lettuce, and a couple of tomatoes.

This is a great year for onions.

You will see garbage pails dotted in the gardens.

They hold water pumped by hand from the well then carried to the pails.

To the left of the arbor is the asparagus garden.

The asparagus is eating the lilies

Everything is being grown organically.

Most seeds are started at home from heirloom seeds.