Magical Mystery Tour

I planted two "fun" plants this year.  And so far both are being a bit mysterious.

I started the Casabanana indoors in January and direct sowed the Luffa Gourd in May.  Both plants are growing gangbusters but no fruit yet. 

The Luffa put out 2 or 3 flowers a few weeks ago.  But then nothing.  Except more vines.  Who needs a beanstalk for Jack then you've got this monster in your garden?  SM wants to pull it.  I say wait.  For what I'm not sure but we've still got lots of time for something to happen.  It has an odor BTW, not a pleasant odor either...In fact it stinks.  Not my cup of tea but if we got some gourds out of it I'd be happy.  Anybody out there grow Luffas?  Is this normal?

I knew going in that the Casabanana needed a long season so I'm not surprised that nothings happening there yet.  Hopefully soon.  It's going on 8 months since it's been planted.  I could make a baby faster that this plant.

I put out my carrot mats this morning, gave them a good soak, and then tossed a wet Surfer Dude on top of them to help keep them damp and aid in germination.  This worked great for me last year.  Fingers are crossed as fall grown carrots ROCK around here.

The winter squash / pumpkin patch is hanging in there.  Some seeds germinated, some did not.  No surprise there either since it was so hot the past few weeks.  I re-seeded last week and it looks like some are popping up.

 That's it!  The tomatoes are winding down so I've been spending time indoors saucing them.  I made a killer spaghetti sauce last night, or at least SM thinks so after 2 helpings.  He's a happy man.

So back to the stove top today and tomorrow.  I've got 'maters to put up.

Doldrums

Every January and February I go through the Winter doldrums. 

It's dark. 

It's cold. 

There's nothing to do but wait for Spring.

I never thought I'd say it but this Summer is really kicking me in the tush. 

As in, I wish it'd be over and done already. 

As in Fall. 

When ya gonna come sweet, cool breezes? 

Cause it's not soon enough for me.

I'm officially in the doldrums.  No witty, inspirational thoughts are drifting through my head.  That's why it's been so quiet here on the blog.  SM is in the doldrums too.  Heat headaches.  Afternoon naps.  Blah...

There's really not that much to say.

Oh...The tomatoes are ripening.  I've been sticking them in the freezer and I've got a huge bag of them to thaw out and sauce and can.  But do I want to blog about it?  Nah.  We've all been there done that countless times.

Scooter has caught and killed 2 rabbits this week.  Way to go old man.

The power went out for about 3 hours on a 100 degree day.  The house stayed pretty cool considering.  Man, I would NOT want to live without electricity.

That's it.

Exciting week wasn't it?  Do you see why I haven't posted anything?

Blah....

Hopefully inspiration will come back around sooner rather than later.  If not, it'll be a pretty quiet month here at 500 Dollar Tomato.

It's A Beast!

The only thing I ever use a microwave for is for reheating food.  Maybe a fresh corn on the cob, but mostly for fast reheating of whatever SM wants for a meal.

The microwave in our house was slowly fritzing out.  It had to be 20 years old at least.  Last week the handle came loose and SM started looking to replace it.  For some reason he thinks that I care about these sorts of things...but I really don't.  If it works and it's a good price then lets do it. 

So he went shopping and found a replacement this weekend and we installed the new microwave yesterday.

I was the brains, SM the brawn.  As usual.

Ginny could care less.

And it's in.

It's HUGE!!!!  SM assured me that all the microwaves were the same size at the store.  When did this happen?

"A turkey could fit in that thing!"  I said, astonished.

"Some people just might cook whole meals in there."  SM agreed.

I just shook my head and wandered away.  SM heated up some frozen leftover enchiladas that I'd stuck in the fridge a few months ago and reports that the sucker works great.

It's weird.  I know I'll always cook in a traditional manner and SM uses the microwave daily (only to reheat things) but is it possible that there is a whole world of cooking going on out there using only a microwave that I don't know about? 

How do you use yours?  I know that there's a lot of controversy out there over microwaves, but I've used them my whole life.  Can't really imagine not having one, it's so convenient.

Wonderful!

Saw this on Rural Revolution yesterday and just HAD to link this on my blog.  SM and I enjoyed this SO much.  Look at the kids and the faces of the audience.  WONDERFUL!

Take A Look At Them Melons!

With most of the country in the worst drought the US has had in 50 years, what I'm about to say will make most of you want to give me the stiff middle finger.

Try to restrain yourselves...But I'm tired of rain.

We must be the ONLY place in the US getting rain and we're getting it everyday.  Yesterday, I had to deal with flash flooding on the way home from work.  A storm dumped 3 1/2 inches in 1 hour in the South Charlotte area where I work.

We've had rain everyday here between 5-7pm.  Don't know how much...don't really care.  As usual the tap is either full on or shut off completely.  The grass is really HIGH.  The dogs high step through the back yard.  Except for Scooter, who just plows through.

Even the cat looks at me in reproach..."I may be blind lady, but don't you think you can get out and mow this stuff?"

The garden is in chaos.  Weeds abound.  They're everywhere and I don't care.  My pumpkin plants can grow around them.  The tomatoes are in blight.  I just shrug.

But will you take a look at them melons!

These are Ambrosia Cantaloupes (Hybrid).  I had wandered in to our local nursery last month wanting to see if they had any sweet potato slips (they had sold out) but I felt obliged to buy something, so I bought these. 

Holy Moley are they happy!  Fruit is setting right and left and the bees are happy pollinating!  This comes as a total surprise to me as last years melons were a fail.  I haven't made it to harvest yet but my fingers are crossed.

I do know that you have to be really careful with melons.  If the skin is in anyway cut by bug or rot the entire melon is bad and you shouldn't eat it.  I've read horror stories of people who got REALLY sick after eating a melon that way.

 

I can remember my Dad putting melons on cans to keep them off the ground to try and prevent rot.  I had a few cans but grabbed some coffee mugs to set some of them on too.

I'm a newbie with melons so if any of ya'll have got words of wisdom, toss em at me.

After you're done flipping me off, of course...

Embracing My Inner "Me-Maw"

When you're young your life stretches out in front of you forever.  I knew in my head that one day I'd be "old".  But now that I'm turning that mid-life corner, I'm finding that it's a weird place to be. 

It's all a matter of perspective though.

When I was a teenager I said to myself "Dear Lord, please kill me before I turn 30."  Back when I was a kid, 30 did seem old.

As I was closing in on 30 though, I started back peddling.  "Dear Lord, ignore that young stupid kid.  She didn't know what the heck she was talking about." 

I kept my fingers crossed as 30 came and went and was glad that God has a sense of humor.

So now I'm 50. 

It hasn't been as bad I thought it might be.  As my 70 year old retired surgeon friend said to me "You're a spring chicken compared to me." 

Perspective.

Living in a world that embraces artifice and perfection, modern women (and men) are inclined to fight the aging process tooth and nail  And while I refuse (for now) to Botox myself into Barbie smoothness, I will admit to paying a pretty penny for skincare products and quarterly hair color applications.

What I haven't been able to prevent has been my ever increasing spare tire.  You know, that weird little roll that pops up above your waistband.  Some women will gain weight around their hips and thighs.  Some women gain it in their midsection. 

Pear vs Apple.




Well, I'm an apple for sure.  A few years ago I gained 5 lbs.  Didn't phase me a bit.  I've always eaten pretty much whatever I've wanted to.  Oh, I'd diet from time to time but once you hit middle age you tend to shrug off a few extra pounds here and there. 

Then I gained 5 more over the next year. And then this year?  You guessed it, another 5. 

Crikey!  I'm about 15 pounds heavier than my "usual" adult weight. 

So I figured I'd do what I've always done.  I'd just cut back a bit on the sweets.

Nothing.

OK, lets cut out the wine.

Nothing.

Portion size?

Nothing.

Are you kidding me?  This stuff is like super glue.  It's bonded with me!

Rats! 

I've discovered, just like a lot of you, that if I want to lose weight, I'll just have to exercise.  Or at least that's what they say.  (sigh.)

"But it's HOT..."  I whine to myself.  "My feet hurt."  "My back aches."  "Who has the time?" 

I've got a LOT of excuses.  But I either have learn to embrace my "inner Me-Maw" or I need get off my duff and do something about it.

Mind Over Fatter.  That's what I keep telling myself. 

But being a "Me-Maw" ain't necessarily all that bad either...is it?

God Bless Scrubby Sponges

I can handle the heat.  Red faced and sweaty...Well, that's Summer.

I can handle the bugs.  Avoid em if I can...Long sleeves and pants if I can't.

I can handle the dirt too.  I used to hate the feel of dirt on my hands when I was a kid.  Now, I inspect it every chance I get looking for signs of healthy soil.

But put all three of these together and I turn into a full fledged wimp. 

Yesterday morning, when I pulled the bean plants up, I was clothed head to toe, sweating bullets and of course covered in dirt and plant matter.   80 degrees, 95 percent humidity, bugs everywhere...and I was really questioning why I even bother with gardening.  YUCK!!!!! 

Then I felt a tickle...then an itch (uh oh)...and then my bug paranoia hit full force and I raced in to shuck my clothes and jump in the shower to get whatever was chewing on me off.

I then went back outside to toss some fertilizer on the soil, rake it in and plant the squash and pumpkin seeds.

While all this frenzy of activity was going on, SM was sitting on the back porch swing, sleepy faced with a cup of coffee in his hands, eyeballing me.  "Why did you take a shower if you're not done?"  He asks, safe from the nasties in the garden.

"I thought something was chewing on me.  I had to wash it off but I also need to get these seeds planted."  I said, zipping by again.

By this time I feel super gunky.  You know the feeling don't you?  It feels like you're coated with 3 inches of sweaty, greasy filth.  Your skin feels like it'll never feel clean again.





That's when washcloths just don't do.  There's something about a bath sponge scrubbed hard over all that itchy, caked on crap that really makes a girl feel human again.  Thank God for scrubby bath sponges!

And St Ives Apricot Scrub!  I've used this stuff for years! 





My skin can breathe now!  Yeah me!

So confess...How filthy can you stand to be before you snap? 

Now Or Never

I pulled the green beans this morning. 

I picked enough to split a sack between me and my good friend Deb, but you could see that we were at the end of production. 

The Golden Wax are always a big hit here.  Tender, easy to see and with a quick maturity date, Yellow Wax will always find a home in my garden.





The Royalty Purple were fun to grow and easy to spot for picking, but I don't think I'll grow them again.  Just not enough beans that come to harvest to give up the space in the garden.

I also don't think I'll grow Blue Lake again.  SHOCKER! 

I know, I know...How can I NOT plant the most popular green bean on the planet.  Well...I think I can do better, that's why. 

The plants looked amazing, and I had high hopes for them but since they need a longer time to come to maturity, they are in a race with the sun and heat here in NC.  They literally stopped producing beans.  I can't blame them.  It's just too freakin hot here by the time mid June/July rolls around.  Oh, I got plenty of beans all things considered, but the Golden Wax still beat them hands down.

So I yanked everything up this morning.  I have PLANS for the green bean beds, you see.  (I'd thought that all the beans would be finished by the end of June.)

And I've been "hemming and hawing" about whether or not to plant pumpkins and winter squashes this year.  (Freaking SVB's!!!!!!!!!!!!)  But I just can't do it.  I've GOT to try.

Now my first frost date is November 8th.  I expected to have the pumpkins and winter squashes sown by July 1st.  About 100 days left more or less.

The clock was ticking...It was now or never. 

So into the ground went my Winter Squashes:

Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia
Tennessee Sweet Potato
Sweet Dumpling
North Georgia Candy Roaster
and of course Waltham Butternuts

Into the pumpkin patch goes:

Marina Di Choggia
Omaha
Jarrahdale
and Connecticut Field

It's kinda hard to believe that you need to start thinking about fall produce during the height of Summer.  But I learned my lesson my first year out.  I planted WAY to late my first year.  And WAY to early last year...(squash-wise anyway).

I also need to get a move on with my carrots seed mat's.  Last years July sown carrots were wonderful.  Perfect timing if you can get them to germinate.

The raised beds don't freeze so you can leave them in the ground and the cooler fall temperatures made some sweet delicious carrots that we ate all winter long!

Are you starting to think about Fall planting yet?

North Carolina Soup

Well, it seems we're back to having our usual North Carolina Summer. 

A few weeks of 100 degree temps are pretty typical.  And now we're into the "soupy days of Summer."  Imagine wrapping yourself in a warm, wet blanket and try breathing through that.  

We're in a pattern of 90 degree weather with rain everyday.  Nothing really dries out.  The grass is high, the garden is boggy.  But we need the rain and it does make it nice for pulling weeds. 

Also nice for growing mold.  Earlier this spring, I posted about having to "bleach" the house in order to remove the mold off the siding.  A lot of you out there have never heard of having to do that.  It's quite a problem around here though.  I should take some pictures of some of the houses around here that have got a visible green mold growing thick on the siding of their houses.  ICK!  (I'd be freaking out if I saw that on my house.)

Anyway, I went out this morning to check out my world and thought I'd take the camera with me and give ya'll a garden tour.

I had to laugh though...When I pulled these pictures up on the computer, I thought "What the heck is that smear?  That fogginess?"

It's SO warm and humid out there that the camera lens fogged up with condensation.

We're still getting beans and the monster Luffa plant has finally put out a couple of blooms!

I hope to head out in a bit and do some gardening.  Hopefully I'll move quick enough that the bugs don't get me and the mold won't start growing.

Scratch Me Daddy!

Oh yeah....Someone's a very happy girl!

A Nice Sweet Meat

Babe is one of my favorite movies of all time.

There's a part in the movie where Mrs. Hoggett is looking forward to the fine feast that Babe will become and says..."Pork is a nice sweet meat."

SM and I use that "Sweet Meat" phrase a lot around here.  You see, I'm Sweet Meat to any bug within a 5 mile radius.





SM will get the occasional bug bite, but where he might get one or two, I'll get ten or more.

Fleas, spiders, no-see-ums, skeeters...They flock to me like someone is ringing the dinner bell.

The past few weeks have seen me pop outside to gather veggies from the garden. I never feel the attack. Once inside, I'll be cleaning stuff and feel a "tickle" and brush it off. Then a scratch...then an itch. Pretty soon I'm shucking my clothes off and running to snag a quick shower only to find I've been snacked on.

Two weeks ago I got nailed by what we assume was a pissed off spider after picking beans. 16 bites on my back. Took about a week for the welts to go away. 

Yesterday, I brushed up against a large bush (didn't think anything of it) and proceed to get bit again over the course of several hours.

The dogs don't have fleas (Thank God) and just got a bath this weekend. I'm fine if I'm in the house, but if I go outside for any length of time..."Chomp, It's Dinner-Time!!!"

Is it possible that some people are genetically more prone to be Tender Vittles than the next? Inquiring minds want to know!

Turns out that there are some people whom bugs just find more attractive than others.

Figures. I never used to have this problem.





Can I blame it on menopause?

"A" For Effort

Gotta hand it to the garden...It hung in there through the worst of this heat.   I picked our first Blue Lake GB's today.  The majority I picked were looking pretty good considering.  There was a handful that I tossed in the compost as you could tell they were dry inside.  Not a whole LOT of production considering the size of the patch but I'm grateful for what we did get. 

Perhaps with the cooler weather things will pick up a bit.  I do see more blooms coming on.

The yellow wax beans are NOT worth picking right now.  I think I'm just going to let them dry on the vine and "BINGO"...my first seed save of this year.

Tons of cuc's to give away to the neighbors and I'll be carting a box load of the cured sweet onions (that have been out in the garage) to work to let anyone who wants some take some. 

While the onions were a fun experiment, I'm not sure I'll grow them again unless I can find someone to split the order with.  Maybe I can talk Debbie or Mrs R into splitting some next year.  (We just don't eat that many onions.)

I've picked a few tomatoes.  Birds are big problem around here, pecking at the fruit, so it's a rare day indeed that anything ripens on the vine.  This year is a sucky year for tomatoes.  (My own fault and a good lesson learned.)  Some had BER and a few were sun scorched or had bug damage.  Those were tossed into the compost pile too.  I think we'll have enough good ones to keep SM happy.

That's about it around here...July and August are just not good around here for much production other than tomatoes, peppers and corn.

But peaches are in..:)  Maybe I'll get SM to pick up a peck this week.

Thinking Cool Thoughts

I've got absolutely nothing to say other than "It's hot...Damn hot!" (79 degrees at 6am!!!!  What the freak!)

 I thought I'd tag onto Punkin's Patch and offer up some cool relief with Winter pictures from the past.  

Maybe if we ALL think cool thoughts we get through these last 2 days without throwing ourselves face first into a half gallon of our favorite ice cream. 

Come to think of it that might be the only way to cool off!

What does your favorite ice cream flavor say about you! 

Me?  Bryers Natural Vanilla.  Oh yeah!  I'm a simple gal...

Yawn

No motivation.

It's so hot.

I feel like I'm just walking around sleepy all the time.  Is that what the heat does to you?

Not interested in cooking.  Could care less about the dozens of projects that could be done. 

All the Ikea shelves in SM's office are still bare.  I can't get him motivated either.  The deCrapification has come to a screaming halt.

Think I'll take a nap.  Casey's got the right idea.

Yeah...a little snooze would be nice.....

SM says that we just have to get through today and tomorrow.  100 degrees both days.  No rain, so the sprinkler has been employed to keep the garden from spontaneously combusting. 

Next week though we get a break.  Highs in the 80's with a 60% chance of rain everyday.  It'll be nice to break this pattern.  Don't be suprised to hear the collective sighs of everyone on the East Coast come Monday. 

Till then...(yawn...)

Voice Of Experience

After introducing me to her husband, Mrs R took me out to her backyard. 

She doesn't have any fencing around the property and her whole garden is still inground, no raised beds.  They have a rototiller and one of those turning barrel composters.  She gives most of her produce away to neighbors and friends.  She doesn't can.  "Stopped that years ago." She says.

"You have to understand that this year is our worst garden that we've had since starting 10 years ago."  Mrs R explains before starting her tour.  (Mr R is in failing health so it's just her out and about right now.

"We're getting old."  She says looking at me in the eye.

I wanted to ask how old but that's something you just don't do in polite company.  I think they're  both in their mid to late 70's.  Mrs R is my height but slender and gets around easily still.

Their backyard is in the part of the neighborhood that has the wooded section.  Great big old trees.  They took a few down to allow for the garden sunshine, but I note that her garden is in the shade during the worst heat of the afternoon.  That's something I don't have.  Shade.

We stroll down amongst her tomatoes.  Huge, unlike mine.  She buys all her plants from a local nursery.  Mrs R says her secret is to dig the hole deep and back fill it with mushroom compost and aged cow manure.  Many years ago, Mr R built tomato cages from cattle panels. 

"Those weren't cheap to build," she points out "But they've lasted forever."  These cages are 5-6 feet high and heavy duty.

This year the squirrels are eating their tomatoes.  "20-30 of them a day" Mrs R says exasperated.  "They pull them off green, run them up the tree and take a bunch of bites out to them and then toss them back into the yard."  Nothing stops them.

I asked her about SVB's and her squash.  She only grows summer squash, no winter or pumpkins, but has had SVB's every year except this year.  This year she bought a Spectracide Triazicide granular insect killer that she sprinkled around the base of the plant while it was still young.  No SVB's this year. 

(Geez.  That's what I was starting to think.  Chemical intervention was the only way to avoid these suckers.)

She grows okra (yuck) and eggplants that she gives away.  Like me, shes tried the cole crops...broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts..."Too hot."  She says shaking her head.  I asked her if she does a hoop house in the winter.  "No.  I just put in greens.  Lots of turnip greens and kale."

She points out the bean trellis Mr R built for the pole beans.  "We've never had a bean harvest in 10 years."

"Never?"  I ask, eyebrows raised.

"Never"  She replies.  "Must be doing something wrong with the soil.  We get beautiful vines, but no beans.  We've tried pole, bush...nothing."

We wander over to her sweet peppers.  "Now here I tried something different this year.  I planted them farther apart.  Big mistake.  They like to be close to each other.  The leaves protect the plants better."  She kicks at the dirt. "I won't do THAT again."  She also points out the black landscape fabric that she put down to supress the grass that (like me) "You just can't kill it."

I told her about using cardboard.  She got really excited with that suggestion.  "I can see that...Keeps the moisture in and blocks the weeds and grass."  I even told her my favorite dumpster diving site to get it.  (Uh Oh...competition)

She has a small herb garden that's over run with weeds right now.  I asked her about fruit trees.  "Yes, we had them but the squirrels ate the fruit before we could get it maturity so we cut them down.  Same with the pecan tree.  Can't get any."

Funny how we ALL have our issues.  At least I don't have squirrels. 

Yet.

We spent about an hour and a half chatting.  A wonderful morning.  I made a new gardening friend and got some great advice.

Thanks Mrs R!

Snaps From A Hometown Parade