Good-bye, Minneapolis. Good-bye, Palin, McCain, Giuliani. See you in no sooner than 4 years. (fingers crossed).
(In way of explanation, they made confetti out of their nominee's head. Uh huh.)
Got on airplane; got off airplane. Slept for 16 hours.
At home, I found these:
-- and a bewildered nest of tomato plants. They've grown so fast as to outstrip their girth and support. When I checked on them, they were all doubled over, hanging their (tomato) heads looking very depressed. Their malaise, coupled with a forecasted tropical storm, prompted me to whip out the twine and bamboo sticks. Malaise, no more! Now they're trapeze artists.
Oh, this is exciting: remember the overgrown cilantro plants that were too pretty to kill? This is what they looked like several weeks ago:
Now the have seeds!
Cilantro, as I sort of knew, is three herbs in one: the leaves used fresh, the roots (when dug before the plant has gone to seed), and then the mature seeds (coriander). I say sort of because it's all just book learnin' until I could prove it in dirt.
I didn't know when to harvest the seeds, so .34 seconds of research online told me this:
Harvest the seeds when they turn a light brown and the entire plant is dried, usually 2-3 weeks after flowering. Cut the stems before much shattering has occurred, and hang the plants in a a warm, airy place to dry. Because many of the seeds will fall out, place the cut stems over a cloth to catch any that fall, or put the stalks inside a paper bag. Make sure the fruit is thoroughly dried, which develops the flavor of the seeds. To save seed for your next crop, just store the whole pods in a cool, dry location. For culinary use, rub the pods to release the seed from the seed coat. The dried seeds can be stored for months in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
The pole beans are happy, and have jumped to the top of my list of favorite plants to grow.
The squash are all simultaneously dying and reproducing. I don't get it.
The cantaloupe are galloping along, which makes me sing with delight. If I manage to grow a cantaloupe, a block party will be thrown, mark my words.
And the yippee-radishes are growing up. Half of them were wiped out by a varmint (again, great word), but these are the hardy survivors.
And the peppers are still popping.
That's the garden update, but I have more news . . . stay tuned.
To prepare my garden for these boxes, and for last night's frost, I had to pull up the red pepper plants and hang them to dry in the garage.
And then we moved the frames onto the gardens in front:
Today, there's much to do:
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