Last Carrots and Signature Veggie

I harvested the last of my carrots for the season. Today is a beautiful day, sunny and warm. As a Minnesotan, I know the snow could come any time, so I'm taking advantage of today's good weather. The carrot varieties are Atomic Red and Rainbow.  Today's entry will end with a unique signature--a carrot in the shape of an L.  

Garden Review

Looking back that this gardening season, I can recommend Indigo Rose tomatoes.  Those I shared with fresh tomato eaters liked them tremendously, and since I tend to eat my tomatoes cooked, they did well in a sauce, which had a purple tint to it.  It was a bad year for my pea pods, since disease took over partway through the season.  I'm not too worried since I'll rotate my crops, as I do every year.  Slenderette green beans were amazing once again.  Overall, my garden reflected what the weather conditions gave it--and sometimes the weather wasn't so good.  But I got plenty of delicious veggies for my family.  The cool weather herbs are still looking good as is my second crop of lettuce and greens.  The photo above is a native maple tree footsteps away from my front door. Below is a photo of Haralson apples, which were prolific this year ( and yummy!). 

My Morning Walk

I'm one lucky gal because this is the view on my morning walk as I leave our driveway. The leaves are beginning to turn colors now, and the mornings are crisp and cool, perfect for walking. This walk is good for my body and even better for my soul.  

And here's the lettuce that I planted mid-summer.  This fall crop is so good because it doesn't have the bitterness that happens when that summer crop gets too hot.  Delicious! I recommend planting a second crop for anyone who loves lettuce. 

Plums With No Puns

The last entry probably had too much wordplay for some. (Not for me.)  I'll have some straightforward information here (though the branches in the photo may be crooked).  These are wild plums, and they're almost ripe.  I took the photo because once they are ripe, they fall off the branch easily, and wildlife usually wins the race to see who gets the most plums. Someone surmised that wild fruit must be sweeter, but to be honest it seems that cultivated fruit wins that award. But wild fruit is an interesting taste adventure. These plums are tiny with a thick, tart skin and a juicy, sweet interior. Honestly, there's more pit than fruit, and the appearance won't be featured on a magazine cover.  But I'm proud to say that we have wild plums growing a few steps from our garden.  That's pretty amazing.

Delicious Puns

No, this is not a plum.  It's an Indigo Rose tomato. It could be a plum tomato. Not really.  Plum, or paste tomatoes, are oval and more meaty. This is smaller than a slicer but bigger than a cherry. The color is so amazing.  The almost black color is immediate and the bottom begins green and ripens to a pinkish red.  I guess you could say it's plum delicious. 

Bonus Potatoes

You know how sometimes you forget about those last few potatoes in a bag?  Once they sprout and shrivel, they're inedible. This spring I was heading to the "hot" compost pile and was ready to dump a handful of sprouted potatoes into it, but I changed my mind.  I buried them in a mostly finished compost heap (no room in the garden). I have no idea what variety they are because the package said "yellow potatoes."  Also good to note, they're organic potatoes.  Conventional potatoes are sometimes treated with a chemical the prevents sprouting (which means they won't grow if you plant them). This is a delicious bonus!

Second Crop Planted

Last week I planted some lettuce seeds after harvesting the garlic. I could show you a picture of the dirt, but instead here are a Persian carpet zinnias.  With the nice bit of rain we had, the lettuce seeds have sprouted, so we should have a nice fall crop of lettuce (depending on the weather and critters and ...). Below is one single blossom from a delphinium.  The rain that was so good for the lettuce seeds was not so good for the delphiniums.  Thankfully I got a photo first. August can be an excellent month with clear days and cooler nights.  And beautiful flowers.