Thursday, August 10, 2017

Lazy time of year

Ah, early August. The days are warm and sunny. The plants are so large they are shading out most of the weeds. This year's rains have been just right, so not much irrigation is needed. I can just sit back and watch my tomatoes ripen! Speaking of tomatoes ripening, during this downtime I am mentally preparing my checklist for canning. Jars, lids, making sure the pressure canner is working properly. In a week or two I will be spending some hot days in the kitchen with quarts and quarts of marinara sauce. But for now, I can enjoy the cut flowers I bring in from the garden, let the chickens romp around the yard catching bugs, and steal a few cherry tomatoes and pop them into my mouth still warm from the sun.

This week at the urban farm

My new favorite cherry variety, the hybrid "Cherry Bomb," started ripening this week. I love the look and it is late blight resistant, too!

Cherry Bomb, Sun Gold, and Yellow Pear cherry tomatoes. Sun Gold are still the sweetest cherry tomatoes I've ever had. Have you found something better?


The 5 hens are laying about 3 eggs per day. No signs of molting yet, but that will be coming up sometime in late summer or early fall.


I planted these blackberries a couple of years ago for my dad, and I have a love-hate relationship with them. They have large, delicious fruits, but they are thorny and birds get most of the berries! Our raspberries are definitely my favorite fruit crop.


I can't say enough about cut flowers. If I have the space, I will always grow them. They bring so much beauty (and so many pollinators!) to our urban farm.


Tuesday, August 1, 2017

After only one week away...

As the days of summer get shorter but warmer, after only a week away from the urban farm I came home to a jungle of tomato plants, huge and heavy with long-awaited ripening fruits. The sunflowers had shot up well over my head, and even with daily inspections from my family, a couple of zucchini squash got away and became sizable clubs, perfect for shredding up and baking into chocolate chip zucchini muffins. It's also time to start canning. This year, Italian peppers are the first to go into the boiling water. I look forward to mixing them with olive oil and scooping it all up with a local baguette this winter.

There should be a walkway in the middle!

The mess is worth it for the great veggies this time of year.

Peppers and carrots + garlic and spices + vinegar and olive oil = love!

Knowing I will eat food in the winter that I put away myself helps me look forward to the cold months ahead.