Fried Green Tomatoes

Nov 17, 2008 | 1:10 PM PST

Yes, it is that time again. How I love those first few and last few tomatoes. Fried.

Fried Green Tomatoes

That is MY way of fixin them :D

Either way, that has been something I have NOT had in some time as I no longer have space for tomato plants. I gave that space up to a smoker grill, lol. That is headed to storage here in about a week when our firepit gets here! FIREPIT! WOO!

I thought about asking around the farmers market, then got distracted, then I thought, hey...I COULD make room. And got distracted. Maybe I really did not want any? haha. Not so much. I did zucchini instead. I make them the same way as I do in that recipe and they were SO yummy. Guess maybe I should write that out. And Okra. I do my Jalapenos different, though. I can get okra, no problem, from the store around the corner (Heck, I can get White Truffel there!). Maybe what it is...is I just love FRIED stuff :D

Nice and rainy

Oct 3, 2007 | 11:11 AM PST

So, I have a new cam, so pics will be forthcoming. We have been getting rather a bit of rain (about time) but it is finally the end of the 'real' gardening season. If I can figure out a way to do it with minimal dirt (I know I should use at least a 5 gallon container but am willing to take a risk) I may cold stratify some of the tomato seeds I saved and start them up here in the office. That would be kind of cool, having some fresh tomatoes here. I kept some Black Prince and Brandywine seeds, although who knows what they will end up being as there were a few different varieties of tomatoes out there and I did not bag them so they are no doubt cross pollinated. I really don't mind, as long as they are fresh! I am planning on starting up some of the Jalapeno seeds I saved, I know it will do fine in a relatively smaller pot. I have all this sunshine here at my desk so I might as well take advantage of it, right?

I brought a couple Schefflera's in to the office.

My favorite story about Schefflera's...A pal of mine owned a hotel on the NC coast and the hurricane wall they had put in was coming down after a particularly nasty storm so the hotel had to come down. The people who were hired to take all the furniture and whatnot out and put it in storage really were not all that smart as they put all the plants in the storage unit as well. Three months later we opened up the unit, having already assumed the plants were living in the movers homes (nothing to quibble about, this all had to be done fast so the owner just figured a home is a home) and there they were. No water, no sun, three months...they were fine. They were Schefflera.

Time to get going on some winter gardening. I got seed for Walla Walla sweet onins, Garlic cloves, Purple Kohlrabi, Brussels Sprouts and Spinach so far. I have cleared the sugar snap pea bed so now all I need to do is take down the trellis (I used screws so it is basically collapsible) and recondition the little plot o'dirt and wait for the maters to finish up, collect the radish seeds from the early radish's that I let bolt and do that soil as well. I want to put in garlic, onions, Brussels Sprouts and Kohlrabi. They are very neat looking plants.

I will plant the spinach and plan on several lettuce varieties for this fall and come early spring in my tomato and radish bed, yum!

Fall goodies

Sep 11, 2007 | 11:28 AM PST

I got excited about doing some cold weather planting, now I just have to figure out what else to put in when the tomato's are done! I know I will be planting some Walla Walla onions in between the maters as they need to be there now, and then get some of the best sweet onions in the world come spring. But for the other spot, there are the sugar snap peas that are done, and I need to go pick the seed off of them and the early radishes I forced to bolt for next spring and clear it out. So, I will clear it, take down the trellis and stir in some compost and manure. I got some broccoli and brussel sprout seed, and there was something else! And I can't remember! OH! YES! PURPLE KOHLRABI! I love this, love tasty stuff that has odd appearances, these will suffice, hehe. As the tomatoes are finishing (I have time) I will probably throw spinach in..fresh spinach, yum! I am on the lookout for some material to make a cold frame as that is move able, I may lease on for the next year but if not I want to be able to move it! That would be great, having fresh lettuce all winter!

My Itty Bitty Maters and the Weird Radish

Aug 15, 2007 | 10:03 AM PST

So, we had some odd weather a bit ago...got to like 90 in the day time then would shoot back down to 60 at night (the sugar snap peas HATED it) and it seemed to do some odd stuff...hasn't rained in FOREVER, my lawn (well, the RENTAL lawn, hehe) is so dead it is developing dirt instead of just the browned grass. The only watering that is getting done at all it the veggy patch and my little tree's, to hell with the lawn. Anyways, to get back to my point. The cherry tomatoes did the strangest thing, the first ones decided to just not grow. The rest of them did, but then they started ripening...I am looking at them thinking wtf? Either way I ended up with a few handfuls of the CUTEST maters EVER!

And, well...this really needs no explanation...

New Family Members...

Jun 11, 2007 | 12:52 PM PST

I got two new family members and am so excited! I got a....wait for it...BLACK PRINCE TOMATO!!! WOO HOO!!! Not just that, but I got a Brandywine! Of course I got them at the Farmer's Market. They are not the most attractive things but damn sure are when you are eating them. I bought a couple of Black Prince that were so wonderful, and I enjoyed a guilty pleasure of mine for dinner, tomato sandwiches. Next it will be drizzled olive oil and herbs on halves, covered in mozzarella or parmesan and a bit of breadcrumbs then Broiled, hehe...oh it is going to be grand to have REAL tomatoes this year!

I also got garlic curls, sugar snap peas, baby bok choy and some broccoli and am going to stir fry them up, hehe...

Plantings.

Apr 24, 2007 | 11:38 AM PST

I sowed Triple Curl Parsley (some will go between my tomatoes, they really do have a great effect when planted together) Garlic Chives, Spicy Globe Basil and Genovese Basil (salad leaf-like) yesterday. I like to use cardboard flats to do this with, then transfer the sprouts as they start going...but I had that classic problem. Too many seeds...so...looking around the yard I realized that I could just put them 'here and there'...so I did. On another note, I love Lavender, so I grabbed a Provencal Lavender and put it is a spot close to the back door on the patio.

Halfway there!

Apr 24, 2007 | 11:25 AM PST

So, 2 days of work. The first day clearing half of the overgrown mess, the second day tilling in some worm castings (vermicompost). This is all hand done, due to lack of space & equipment, haha…I worked it all with the garden fork. Weeds, grass, various bulbs that I have no use for…some volunteer blackberries (bane of the PNW) and spiders…and here I have some garden space. This is only half done, but the hardest part has been done, IMHO. I planted some Tomato’s, an Early Girl, Beefsteak and a Cherry. I plan on putting in some Sugar Snap Peas after I build a trellis for them. Personally? I think I should have a ‘Get Out of Hell Free’ card for doing this…it IS a rental house, after all! Check out the pics, tell me what YOU think! This spot does get FULL sun, so at least it will produce!

Before:

After:

Tomatoes:

Ow.

Apr 23, 2007 | 9:38 AM PST

Ok, so...grass, and a garden fork. Bulbs that do not need to be there...LOTSA spiders, knowing that SPIDERS ARE GOOD, I am the organics kind of gal. I am still like...ok...um...spiders good, fine but don't make me touch them! Haha. I did enjoy the ladybugs though, happy happy JOY JOY, I have breeding ladybugs! There is nothing is better than baby ladybugs! Well, maybe some baby praying mantis...my next want on my list. I will get a couple of Mantis egg sacks (love hatching them). So, after a nice back breaking session, the spot is HALF done and not completely done. All I want to get DONE right away is the spot for a couple of Tomato plants...I have not had fresh tomato's (at least out of my OWN yard) for quite some time. As soon as I get the pics downloaded (killed the batteries taking pics, hehe) I will post them. This spot, omg....way too left alone, and it looks like the only thing that has been planted there has been flowers and I want veggies, so if I have to recondition a garden spot at a rental house, I am GOING to have VEGGIES, dammit. lol. All I can say is. Ow. If it were not for the garden fork, I would not have gotten anything done, lol. Would have been POTTED maters. I got a Jalapeno that will be in a pot, just haven't decided how big of a pot. So, next week, maybe I will get that overgrown MESS finished.

Here is the Jalapeno,

Got the house!

Apr 5, 2007 | 11:07 AM PST

So I get a veggy patch! WOOT! I move next weekend so I won't be much online for about 4 days (I won't be able to help but to login now and then, keeps the work email lighter and I am going to get Clearwire). First thing I will do is weed it, till it and work the vermiculture (worm poo) in. I plan on tomatoes, runner beans, some peas and maybe corn. If I have room left, I will put carrots in. I can't wait to get started, but my Bonsai's will take precedence as the move will not be kind. I have a lot of white wisteria cuttings that will have to be babied after the move as they will most likely shift in the transfer. I plan on sitting in the back seat with them to minimize this from occurring, but figure it will take a bit more than just the move to harm them for wisteria is notorious in it's hardiness! The maples will ride well, I am sure...the real fun part will be to find a new spot for the African Violets, there are two really healthy ones and they love where they are at, but I understand they are rather picky about their permanent living spot, so I bet I will have to move them...alot...till I find the perfect spot for them ;) I do have a few schefflera cuttings that 'followed me home' recently, but it is almost impossible to kill them. The one cutting I worry about at this time is a prayer plant cutting I have. It is alive so that is all that matters right now, right?

New Yard

So it may be a rental, but it does have a garden area. Looks like I have decided to take the more expensive place, but I will have room to vegetable garden and I will have plenty of space to keep my Bonsai's. The only real downfall of the 'mature landscaping' is it has massive junipers and rhododendrons. Not particularly my favorite, and I will not have much option on how the yard looks...it does have two fireplaces and a great kitchen ( I GET GAS!!!). Good news is the side of the house that has the veggy patch is in FULL sun, so I may be one of the only people who has ever had success with tomatoes in the Seattle area! If I get this house, I will so be taking pictures! Maybe I will be able to talk them into letting me plant one of my Japanese Maple Bonsai's...set it at FREE, it would be such a boon to a yard as 'simple' as this one is, at this time.