Don't give up....

First, let me say, I've been Berry, Berry bad.

Just about 2 months have passed since the last post. We have a trellis. We have a trellis. Refresh button. We have a trellis. Still a trellis. 

So I ask you Chive me no more . . .

And Lettuce be friends . . .

. . . and put the Chard times behind us . . .

. . . and Peas

peas, 
PEAS! Forgive me for my inattention.

Believe me, it's bugged me too.

It's no excuse, but I've been Romaine around the globe pursing other adventures.

Specifically, I went to Kenya for a couple weeks to direct a documentary on people stretching.  (And I know that's not Romaine.)

Also, my work life has been tumultuous (New York Times want to shut us down? What?) to say the least, and my Papa had to get surgery (he's A-OK now).

In short, I've Bean busy.

The good news is that our gardens haven't suffered, only the garden of www.citylovescountry.com. And the garden of your curiosity about this patch of Medford, MA dirt. And the garden of my really bad puns hath become overgrown like the garlic,

 -- nay, it hath blossomed into this ridiculous apology post.

There is much to write about and show now that spring has spring with such force.  Consider this a preview postcard of things to come. I won't abandon you again. Until I do.

Feline any better?

Overdue autumn garden update

Wowee. Is anyone else ready for this election to be over? When that happens, maybe I can go back to Massachusetts and remind myself what my husband, cat and garden all look like. Until then, it's pretty much all work and travel, all the time. At least it's been fun.

So I have Erik to thank for this update that he lovingly wrote for me to keep me connected to my, ahem, roots. Here 'tis:


I went out this morning in my role as surrogate gardener and I'm here to report that your garden is happy but it misses you.

As for the front garden. Your peppers are happiest of anyone out there. As you will see, you are continuing to get color on a couple but the majority seem to be pretty certain they're just going to be green. I had to stake up a few as they had been loosing the battle with gravity in our absence. None appear to be over ripening so I'm leaving them up for now.

Parsley and radishes all look great. Basil and chives are continuing their reliable presence. Lettuce is coming along nicely although at a seemingly slower rate than in the spring. The squash plant is still trying to pump out fruit despite the fact that it's support system is withering up.
And I've come to the conclusion that our brussell sprouts are just going to be small. The biggest ones at the base of the plant are all starting to bush out a little bit rather than staying in their compact little head of leaves. Maybe I should try to cook up a few? They're still no bigger than a quarter.
And finally, the sad news, the remaining cantaloupe won't be waiting for your return. Its stem somehow got disconnected and the fruit has turned a ripe-looking whitish orange. I don't know what order that happened in but I'm guessing it was somehow prematurely disconnected from the vine. It is currently the size of a softball. A little rot had set in and it had become home to a number of fruit flies but i took it inside anyway and cut it open. As you'll see it looked quite nice. In it's honor i did try some but to be honest the flavor was so so and it was pretty over ripe and soft.
To the back garden now. Turning the corner of the garage, I found the back garden awash in red. Lots of tomatoes are getting close to ripe and a number had ripened and returned to the ground while we were away. I assume you took down all the squash vines in the back corner because they are now gone. Carrots all look happy (at least the their little green head tips). Purple bean plant is still spitting out purple beans (see the picture of the husky little bean I found) and it has currently got the neighboring tomato plant in a convincing sleeper hold. It is hard to tell where the bean plant ends and the tomato plant begins. And there are some new pink flowers in the bed by the driveway. Compost has been added to and turned. The back compost looks great. Not smelly and I could only identify the most recent additions. The front has a ways to go though and is still very full.

I think that is it.


(Thank you, Erik! - This is what I've been up to here in Ohio.)

Union Square farmers market

Happy days.
Erik asked me yesterday if the Union Square farmers market (in Somerville, MA) is my favorite. I reflexively answered, 'no, they're all my favorite.' But this is not true. I love this one for no particular reason except that I love the vibe, the people, the vendors and the nearby coffee shop (Bloc 11 cafe).

That, and they don't seem to mind when I dig through their compost bins and score 25 pounds of squished peaches (as I did yesterday).Next year, I'm growing cherry tomatoes because these taste like candy:But the coolest find yesterday was this bizarre flower that looks like pretty brains.
It's called celosia.

And this is hilarious:

It is traditional fare in countries of Central and West Africa, and is one of the leading leafy green vegetables in Nigeria, where it is known as ‘soko yokoto’, meaning ‘make husbands fat and happy.’

(It's true. I found it on the internet.)

The wildflower maven, Ellie, at the Drumlin Farm booth, will explain just about anything to you regarding flowers or produce.
But the real reason I went to the farmers market was to buy as many tomatoes as I could for as little money as possible. I succeeded, thanks to Steve from Parker Farm in Lunenberg, MA. I gave him a $10 bill, and he gave me an empty wooden crate with the invitation to take as many as I wanted.
Today, I regret this feat, if only a little.

30 pounds of tomatoes, 6 pounds of onions, 1.5 pounds of garlic and 24 hours later, I've made 8 quarts of tomato sauce.

Was it worth it? Don't know, really, but I think so. Recipe post to follow.

(that) Party's over!

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.