When Worlds Collide (Garden Update)

Several readers asked, when I emerged from the mists last week, "How is the garden?" 

And then a potential new reader -- a valued colleague and fellow CART provider and captioner from Florida (welcome Candice, everyone) -- seems to have noticed on Facebook that I might grow a few things. She'd like to try doing that, and asked for pictures and advice. Well, my climate is about as different from Florida's as can be, but still. I can definitely share some pics! (Holy crap! I love Typepad's new photo editing feature that I just discovered this minute!)

So after I finished CARTing my med school classes this morning, I went out to my "supermarket." 

Yeah, I grow a few things.

Yup, the garden is doing just fine this year.

Composting operation shown behind this grow bed full of chard, Romaine, and kale. More on the new addition to my composting operation in a future post. (like that teaser I casually threw in there?)

Tomatoes are taller than I am, again this year. They got off to a slow start because of the cold, wet WET WET spring we had, but they are as tall as trees now, and full of fruit, which has started to ripen faster than we can eat them. Some canning is in order, methinks. In my spare time, ya know.

Blueberries have been very prolific this year.

As have the pears.

I made a little lunctime harvest today, of broccoli, multi-colored carrots, tomatoes, several types of hot pepper, strawberries, basil, Romaine, green beans, zucchini, cucumber.

20 minutes later, the beans were steamed, the lettuce was washed, the tomatoes and cukes and basil and carrots were sliced, a dab of goat's cheese was added. I made a simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, and the lavender honey I bought at the lavender farm I visited in Canada a few weeks ago, and I devoured it all.

And by 1:12 p.m., I am about to press "post," and get back to work. 

20 minutes, from farm to plate. Not too bad.

 

Comments

[Patty]

Scrumptious! Enjoy the weekend Norma - I believe the troops are arriving!

[Midj]

Welcome, Candice! I'm from Florida, too, and Norma helped me out a couple of years ago when I was having trouble with my eggplants. Who knew that really humid weather kept them from pollinating. Oh, Norma, that's who. A paint brush to the rescue and I was golden! Unfortunately, I've found out that nightshades (90% of my summer garden) inflame the pain in my hands. Being a knitter and a spinner means I had to cut them out... :-( Flowers and herbs are all I'm cultivating now but will put in a small salad garden this fall. Carrots, lettuces and greens go in next month. Here you go, Candice, a reliable resource at UF--
http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/calendar/

[Ellen]

Me, too, on the pears.......any recipe suggestions for the 300 or so I'm seeing on my 2 trees??? I'm planning to try pear butter, made in the crock pot, but if you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them!

[Norma]

Ellen, 

Pear-ginger jam!  That was actually the reason I originally planted pear trees! 

I (thankfully) blogged about it once, so I was able to find the recipe I loved:  http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ubbs/archive/JAMSandJELLIES/Peach_Ginger_Jam.html

On Friday, August 23, 2013, Typepad wrote:

A new comment from “Ellen” was received on the post “When Worlds Collide (Garden Update)” of the blog “Now Norma Knits ”.

Comment:
Me, too, on the pears.......any recipe suggestions for the 300 or so I'm seeing on my 2 trees??? I'm planning to try pear butter, made in the crock pot, but if you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Commenter name: Ellen
Commenter email: [email protected]

IP address: 74.71.208.102
Authentication: None

Enjoy!
The Typepad Team

P.S.: Learn more about replying to comments.

Published

Unpublish

Delete

Mark as Spam

Edit Comment

Typepad, Inc.

180 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107

Manage Notifications |
Support |
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy

[gayle]

You're lucky! Our garden drowned in all that rain.
Pear Ginger Jam sounds wonderful...

[Kristen]

Color me jealous! I've had a terrible garden year. Living vicariously, as usual.

[Seanna Lea]

Your garden looks amazing. I wish I had a garden even 10% as productive.

[pacalaga]

I am hoping for a garden this winter. I may have to get some of those black things.

[margene]

Your garden looks wonderful. Our garden is prolific this year with all but squash. Very little zucchini, but we pick them small and eat them almost as fast as they grow. Who wants to bake zucchini bread? Not me!