Garden Update

It never fails.  For about two months, the garden looks nice, neat and organized in the small patch of land we fenced off for it.  Then, boom!  The plants start to breach their confinement and it gets hard to tell where one begins and the other ends.  Once once small plants transform into a lush, green garden jungle of sorts.  It still surprises me, but at least everything is happy and healthy.

The tomatoes will be ripe for the picking soon, and we have been eating lettuce for some time.  There are little jalapeno peppers taking shape, and the cantaloupe is starting to flower.  Our cucumber plant started to take over the garden, so I had to move it over the side of the fence.  Though huge, it still hasn't produced any cucumbers, which concerns me.  Unfortunately, our pea plants were a bust; they just shriveled up for some reason.   It is an otherwise exciting time in the garden and I can't wait to see what the coming month will bring!

Cherry Tomato

Tomato

Lettuce

Jalapeno

Garden Update

This year has been quite trying for the garden.  Multiple severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings, and flash floods have left my holding me breath as they blow through town.  Thankfully, there was no frost after we made the transition outside.  The tipping point came a week ago when about three inches of rain fell in three hours.

We were out during most of the storm and it was still raining as we pulled into the driveway.  Approaching the door, I looked into the back yard to take a look at the plants, and I couldn't see them.  Thinking my view had just been obstructed by the rain, I grabbed my umbrella to go out to take a closer look.  When I got there, I saw the tomato plants laying flat on their side, being pelted by the rain.  Panic stricken, I ran to the garage to get my tomato stakes.  As it continued to rain, I put the stakes in the ground and gently lifted the plants and tied them up.  I couldn't step one foot in the garden or it would just sink.  Once the tomatoes were staked, I splashed some of the standing water out of the garden and hoped for the best.

To my delight, most of the plants came out unscathed.  I lost some of my little lettuce sprouts, and a basil plant, but everything else bounced back nicely.  The tomato plants were a bit wilted for a day or two, but they look as strong as ever now.  Overall, the garden is looking great!  One of my cantaloupe seeds finally germinated and we were even able to harvest some of our lettuce to eat with our dinner salads.  It's such an exciting time, everything seems to be growing so fast!

Lettuce

Cucumber

Cantaloupe

Tomato

Grounded

We moved our young plants from the safety of the porch to the big world of the garden over the weekend.  I'm always nervous moving them outside because they look so small on fragile.  But, it needs to be done, and I'm sure they will thrive!

Tomato

(Wisconsin 55)

Cucumber

Lettuce

Pea

There are a few other plants in the garden that didn't really warrant pictures at this time, but I'm sure their time will come soon enough.

We got rid of the little wooden fence we had last year and opted for a white metal variety.  We did this to "Walter-proof" the garden since he essentially destroyed the fence we had last year.  It may not look as nice, but I hope it is effective.  I love to watch our modest little garden grow!

Real tomato ketchup, Eddie?

Oh, nothing but the best.

All joking aside, I did make my own ketchup.  Hours of toiling over a simmering pot to make a condiment so abundant and commonplace I could go to McDonald's and grab a handful of packets for free.  So, was it worth it?  You bet it was! 

I never really thought that much about ketchup, it was just always there when I needed a dip for my fries.  A couple months ago, I wrote about my tomatoes in facebook and Jeremy commented about how he used to eat homemade ketchup.  He found a recipe for me to use, and I was all set!

I had forgotten about my desire to make ketchup until about a week ago, and I decided it was time to give it a try.  The recipe Jeremy gave me made a thinner ketchup than what is commercially available, so I altered it a bit to get the result I was looking for.  I really wanted to make a ketchup that looked like the leading brands, mainly because that is what I am used to.

I started with five pounds of tomatoes and pureed them in my food processor.  I then strained them to remove the seeds and skin.  I then pureed an onion and added it to the strained tomatoes and simmered the mixture on the stove.  Once the mixture reduced to about half, I added some vinegar and spices, and continued to reduce the mixture until it looked like ketchup.  I put the ketchup in a jar, then placed it in the refrigerator to cool.  It was really quite easy, though time consuming.

I decided to first try my ketchup with french fries.  To my delight, it looks and tastes just like ketchup.  It has a more pronounced tomato flavor, and is really quite delicious. 

The Last Hurrah?

For all intents and purposes, this looks to be my last substantial harvest.  All in all, it's been a good year for the garden.  The move to the back of the yard worked well, and we learned a lot with the new plants we tried.  The trick will be not to forget everything over the winter...

Garden update

It's been a good year for our garden so far, as everything inside that tiny wooden fence is flourishing.  It's a lot to keep up with the constant changes, so I make a point to go out everyday and give it a nice inspection.  I usually go out there after I get home from work, and Ari and Emilie love to come out and look at the plants with me.

Our lettuce has been harvested for the year, and it was interesting to see how it matured.  We picked the leaves off as it grew for our evening salads, and then it just started growing up with little flowers spouting on top.  The artichokes haven't changed much in the last month, either, but I really don't know what to expect from them.  If anything, they have been a fun experiment.  All in all, though, everything else has done really well.

We have three large cantaloupes right now that look like they will need to be harvested and devoured soon.

The Wisconsin 55's are plentiful and flavorful, proving last year was no fluke.  The fresh tomato salsa, pasta sauce, and pizzas are in full swing, with plans for making my own ketchup in the works!

Speaking of salsa, these little jalapeno peppers have been a real treat.  They really gave the salsa nice kick, and I could definitely notice the freshness.  I also made a chimmichurri sauce with them to accompany grilled pork tenderloin.  Delicious!

More peppers!  One of our starter plants we bought after the frost scare was this macaroni pepper plant.  It has done really well, along with the cherry tomato plant (not pictured).  I am waiting for these peppers to turn red for a sweeter flavor.  What a productive month in the garden!

Tomato Basil Pizza

I really like this time of year because the fresh tomato and basil pizzas come fast and furious.  I took advantage of our newly ripened cherry tomatoes and our two abundant basil plants and threw together a pizza featuring the two remarkable toppings. 

I have become a fan of what we call 'brick oven' pizza lately; meaning I bake the pizza on a stone in the oven.  More and more of my pizza cravings are leaning this way.  I used to only make deep dish pizzas that yielded a thicker, doughier crust, but I'm hooked on the brick oven variety at the moment.  The crispy, yet chewy crust of a pizza cooked on a stone is just remarkable.  Plus, the kids really like to watch me throw the pizza dough!

I am also in the habit of letting my pizza dough sit in the refrigerator overnight.  I started doing this out of necessity so I could still make pizza after work and have it ready at a reasonable hour.  I soon discovered that the overnight fermentation added a lot more flavor to the finished product.  It just goes to show, there's always something new to learn in the kitchen!

The freshness of the tomatoes and basil makes this a pizza like no other, and it is a perfect summertime treat.  The fact that I have the ingredients readily available in my garden make it even more special.  Not to mention that I am always looking for a good excuse to make pizza!

Brave the tomato plants!

I've been closely watching our cherry tomato plant as the little tomatoes slowly change to red, eagerly anticipating plucking them off one by one.  At last the day was here, and Ari picked the first tomatoes of the season! 

Our garden basically looks like a little vegetable jungle. It is apparent that I still have a few things to learn about how far apart to space out the plants, especially the tomatoes.  Nevertheless, there were tomato plants to be slain!

Undaunted, Ari plunged into the viney plant and snatched the first red tomato he saw!  He narrowly escaped the clutches of the artichoke plant to give his prized bounty to the fair maiden anxiously awaiting his return.

She gazed longingly at her cherished treasure, realizing that soon she would sink her teeth into its juicy flesh.

She held her prize in triumph knowing all will eat well this night!

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Garden Update

My frost fears in April are all a distant memory as my garden is thriving.  I'm still learning about how far to space the plants since what seemed like a lot of room at the time has quickly been erased by rapidly growing fruits and veggies.  I don't think anything is suffocating, though, and I am quite pleased with has things have turned out so far.

We have definitely been taking advantage of having fresh lettuce this year.  We have been picking mature leaves off the lettuce for about a month now, and they are still going strong.  We haven't had to buy lettuce for so long, and we have been eating salads with out dinner just about every night.  The lettuce us so crisp, fragrant, tender and flavorful.

We are also seeing an abundance of tomato blossoms on all of our tomato plants.  I enjoy seeing these beautiful yellow flowers dotting the sea of green because I know what will soon follow.

Tomatoes!  Along with the flowers, there are also quite a few tomatoes taking shape on the plants.  The plants seem to be a few weeks ahead of where they were last year.  If that means BLT season will start a little early this year, I will be a happy man.

One of the more ominous looking plants in our garden is the artichoke.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's sharp pointed leaves look more suited for Jurassic Park than a backyard garden.

I am so excited about the jalapeno plants, too!  I love these little peppers, and the bright little flowers were a welcome sight, especially since I thought they hadn't survived that frosty night.

Speaking of survival stories, our cantaloupe plant is also thriving.  So much so, in fact, I had to weave it's vines out of the garden and into the yard.  It has it's own pretty little yellow flowers to boast, and I am looking forward to the juicy sweet fruits it will soon produce.

Quite a change in month, if you ask me.  I can't wait to see what the end of July will bring!

The Straggler

As I was pulling weeds around the blueberry bush the other day, I noticed a curious little plant that looked very familiar to me.  Upon closer inspection, I found that it wasn't a weed at all.  It was, in fact, a tomato plant!  Last year, I discarded some rotten tomatoes where this little fellow has taken root.  It is right by the fence post behind the blueberry bush so I will be able to keep it safe from the lawnmower and weed eater.  It is quite a bit smaller than the tomato plants in the garden, and it looks a little beaten up; but I have faith it will grow to produce fruit.  Besides, its a Wisconsin 55, so anything is possible!

Garden update

I've learned a lot about gardening in the last year.  The most important lesson I have learned is to not get anxious.  Two days after transplanting my plants outside we had a frost advisory.  The night of the advisory I covered the garden with two bed sheets and hoped for the best.  The next morning there was frost on the ground and I feared the worst.  Before work, I checked under the sheet and my plants seemed no worse for the wear.  My initial relief was short lived because of the next couple of days, some the plants withered and died. 

I was upset with myself.  I couldn't believe what had happened.  We had one of the warmest springs ever, and two days after I moved my plants outside, we had frost.  My garden was ruined and I had no one to blame but myself.  But, as the days went by, the plants that didn't die right away started to show signs of improvement.  They were growing, and they started to look healthier and healthier.  I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and give those tough little plants the support they needed.

About half the garden was damaged by the frost, so we decided to buy some starter plants to fill the void.  We bought a cherry tomato plant, a basil plant, and pepper plant at a local farmer's market and Valerie's mom gave us a couple of tomato plants she had started from seed.  We added these plants to the garden and it looks really nice.  I feel so much better about our garden, and all the plants are looking strong and healthy now.  Here's a look at the progress so far.

This little tomato plant has had the toughest time surviving the frost.  It couldn't stand up straight, so I tied it to a little stick I out in the ground to help support it.  Hopefully, this will give it the strength it needs.  It's doing pretty good so far.

All the carrots I planted survived the frost.  I planted some more seeds because I don't think this is going to be enough carrots.

All the lettuce I planted survived the frost, too, which surprised me.  It has done remarkably well, and we even used some in our salads last night.  Delicious!

This is our humble garden. 

The best thing I ever ate...

When Ari and I planted tomato seeds back in March, I had two goals. The first, I at least wanted one tomato to be produced from the batch of seeds; the second, to be able to make marinara sauce from my own home grown tomatoes. Well, I am happy to say that I have now achieved both of my goals. Well, I didn't really achieve the first goal, the tomato plants did that all by themselves; but I did make the marinara sauce on Friday.

Since we planted those seeds, I envisioned a meal consisting of fresh pasta and home-made marinara. The time was finally right as we had an abundance of tomatoes taking residence on our kitchen counter. On Thursday night, I prepped the tomatoes by quickly blanching them in order to remove the skins. I then crushed the tomatoes by hand and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. I used about twenty tomatoes.

After work on Friday, I hurried home to get started on dinner. I shredded a couple carrots, diced on onion, and sliced a few cloves of garlic and sautéed them on a saucepan. Then, I added the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and some dried herbs. I brought the mixture to a boil and then let it simmer on the stove while I started on the pasta. The marinara had a lot of reducing to do, so I saved my final seasoning adjustments for when it was at the right consistency.

The meal came together rather easily, aside from the final fluster of cutting and boiling the noodles. I had a few hiccups with my normally reliable pasta roller, but that's another story. Once the marinara was at the desired consistency, I added a little olive oil and some red wine vinegar. I don't normally pat myself on the back, but I have to say that dinner was the greatest meal I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I think it was the freshness of all the ingredients that really set it apart. The marinara had a subtle sweetness to it unlike anything I have ever had. The noodles were so delicate and flavorful, I just couldn't get enough.

To my delight, the tomatoes keep coming and coming, and I am saving some for another batch of marinara. The twenty tomatoes I used was just the right amount to feed the four of us and the kids on Friday night. It was such a memorable meal; and simple, too. I can't wait to make another batch!

Bounty

The sun was shining and a gentle breeze cooled the air. Ari & I went outside for our daily tomato inspection. Some tomatoes were starting to turn red, so we were hoping to finally be able to harvest a tomato or two. Ari looked down at a beautiful plump red tomato and asked me if it was ready. I told him it was, and he picked the first ripe tomato of the season.
He held it up with pride and quickly took it inside to show Mommy & Em.

I sliced the tomato and we all delighted in the succulent summer treat. It was quickly devoured in no time at all, and I have never had so much satisfaction from eating a tomato. Our first gardening adventure is officially a success.

Tomato update

My tomatoes have really taken off since my last gardening update. I am really surprised how big the plants have become. Since this is my first attempt at growing my own tomatoes, I didn't really know what to expect, but I am pleased by the results so far.

I was pleasantly surprised when we returned home from vacation to see little tomatoes starting to take shape on one of the plants. Since then many more have been popping up throughout all the others. It is so much fun to see them grow and begin to produce fruit. I can't wait until harvest time! Stay tuned...

Looking ahead

My tomato plants have really taken off since the last time I posted about them. I enjoy seeing them grow and it got me thinking about how much fun it will be when I start seeing little tomatoes starting to take shape. The seeds we planted are of the Wisconsin 55 variety from a Seeds of Change packet we got at The Sunspot. I didn't know what to expect from the Wisconsin 55, except that they were going to be red, so I looked them up on the internet. Here is what I found...

Bred by the University of Wisconsin in the 1940s, the Wisconsin 55 is an excellent and versatile tomato with great flavor and lots of sweetness. Smooth, large tomatoes are about 8 ounces and as pretty as can be. Plants are extremely productive and thrive in a wide range of growing conditions.

Reading this got me excited and I know I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch, but I can't wait to start harvesting tomatoes!

Tomato, you say?

I am quite pleased with the progress my tomato plants are making. I was just asking Ari if he remembered planting the seeds, and when I told him these plants were the result, he looked baffled. He must have forgotten or not have made the connection. It was a good look nonetheless.

I thought it would be fun to do a progression of posts so I'm providing links to the other gardening posts I've done.

Here's the post from March 30 - seeds
Here's the post from April 7 - signs of life
Here's the post from May 8 - gardening update

And now...

My how they have grown. It looks like I've been posting updates just about every month, so stay tuned for the July update!