I think my vegetable garden is almost done for the season, tonight we have a frost alert so I gathered up most of the vegetables that are tender to the cold. I picked most of the peppers, the last of the tomatoes, a couple eggplant, and some watermelon that are just getting full size.

My tomatoes were a bit of a disappointment this year. I had 18 different varieties, some did well, but most did not. I think it’s because our summer was cool, and it never did get very warm.
The peppers on the other hand were in overdrive!  I’ve given …read more

My tomatoes are finally starting to turn red, and blue, and yellow, and orange. I was starting to think the only color of tomato I was going to see in my garden was green. It’s been a cool wet summer, but we finally had some warm, sunny weather the last few days.

The warm sunshine is all it took to put my garden into overdrive. I have tons of peppers, cucumbers, and yellow squash. But best of all I finally have some ripe tomatoes. I planted a whole variety of tomatoes this year for my tomato experiment, so I’ve been extra …read more

I haven’t given you an heirloom tomato update for a while. Not much has been happening yet, at least not many ripe tomatoes. We’ve had unseasonably cool weather here this summer, and I think that’s slowed down my tomatoes (today the high temperature was 68`).
I did have two red ripe tomatoes about a week ago, but a tomato worm ate half of one, and I ate the other one before I thought to take a photo.
I do have quite a few blooms, and green tomatoes going on.
The Roma tomatoes are going crazy with little green tomatoes. I feel some sauce …read more

I’ve noticed a version of Wordless Wednesday that some people are calling Wordy Wednesday. As a long time fan and sometimes participator of the Word-less version, I think think it’s time I give Word-y a try.
Here’s a shot of my tomatoes…
 
I started my garden early and was all set to go the all-natural GroGood way, but nothing was really happening and my front patio smelled like cow poop. Yuck. Dear neighbors, I am so very sorry.
I broke down and bought the MiracleGro plant food. It always works for me. I have a limited space and there’s only so much you …read more

I have a great summer recipe from Gaea to share with you today. You can use the arugula, onions, and fresh tomatoes straight from your garden. I was excited to see how much my garden grew while I was away on vacation. I even had two tiny red tomatoes when I returned. I’ve been harvesting onions since early June.
I like this recipe because you can make it up ahead of time, then let it cook while you go do something else. The actual prep time is only 20 minutes, which leaves you plenty of time for other summer activities. Let …read more

Yesterday, I attended my sister-in-law, Shawna’s 30th birthday party. Her brother, Brandon, brought a Caprese Salad to the party. It was gorgeous and it tasted even better than it looked. He used a combination of cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and yellow pear tomatoes.
Brandon purchased all the vegetables at the Farmer’s Market, so not only was the dish fresh, it was also inexpensive. To find a Farmer’s Market near you, take a look at Local Harvest.

Brandon’s Caprese Salad
5 cups mixed tomatoes
1 cup mozzarella cheese, cut into bite-size chunks
1 bunch Basil, approximately 1 loose cup, sliced into thin ribbons
4 Tablespoons Extra …read more

I thought I’d post an update to my tomato experiment and let you know how the tomatoes are growing. I have to say most of them are looking fabulous! Most are blooming, and some have fairly good size green tomatoes on them.
Hopefully in the next couple weeks if we have some warm nights those green tomatoes will be getting ripe. I won’t say getting red since I have a whole rainbow of colors planted from yellow, to striped, and purple.
I can’t wait for the taste testing! I’ll make sure I share plenty of photos and taste information on the different …read more

Some of them, anyway! We planted one Sweet 100 tomato plant in our little container garden in March, and the beautiful little green orbs are just starting to turn red.
During watering on Saturday we spotted two fully-red tomatoes and decided it was time to try them out. My husband and I each had one and wow, were they amazing. We both really love tomatoes anyway, but these were sweet, juicy and firm — absolutely perfect, and so tiny!
This morning when I went out to water I saw three more and picked them for my daughters to try, who all loved …read more

The obvious answer to the question, How Do You Like Your Fried Eggs? is of course, “fried”. But there are different kinds of fried eggs. They are; sunny side-up, over-easy, over medium, and over hard. I prefer my fried eggs cooked over-medium.
An over-medium egg has softly cooked egg yolk but slightly runny. Having said that, I like my over-medium fried eggs with something extra on top.
Sliced fresh tomatoes, seasoned with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. The latter is one of the top 5 spices I love.
So to answer the question, I like my …read more

I have 18 varieties of tomatoes in my garden this summer. Including 16 heirloom varieties. I usually have three or four favorite tomatoes I plant every year. This year I decided to do a little experimenting. I want to see how the different tomato flavors stack up.

Some of the tomato varieties I’m including in my garden this summer include: Lemon, Golden Jubilee, Cherokee Chocolate, Pineapple, Green and Red Zebra, Ivory Egg, and Vintage Wine.
Some of the varieties I’m familiar with, but some will be new and interesting flavors and colors. I can’t wait until they’re ready for harvest and tasting.
I …read more