Happenings Today

Last year I had a banner vegetable garden year, I had more tomatoes than I could handle.  I made Homemade Marinara Sauce.  I peeled, seeded and froze the extra tomatoes before I found a much easier way to preserve by pureeing them in my blender.  I am still using up my pureed tomatoes that have been in my freezer!

My vegetable garden is off to a slower start this year but I still have plenty going on in other parts of the garden.

 

 

 I'm growing better strawberries this year thanks to a tip I learned in Sunset magazine - spend the first month of growing season pinching off all the pretty white flowers from your strawberry plants.  The berries that grow later will be bigger and sweeter.  It worked!

Hoping for a lot of blueberries, I have 6 bushes but they are still young.

These are baby Golden Dorsett apples which grow nicely here because they have a a very low chill requirement.  I have had this little tree for a few years and it's amazing how many apples I get.  Given my success pinching strawberries I thinned some apples hoping for better fruit but it was really hard to cut off the baby apples...I want them ALL to grow!  I also have a Fuji apple tree which is still young, it only gave me 2 apples last year.

Pole beans

Chives.  I love to put the purple blossom petals in mashed potatoes, they look so pretty.

Pomegranates.  I have two small trees in pots, I thought this one was non-fruit bearing because years went by with no fruit so I got another and then this one woke up!  I only got one fruit last year and it was tiny.  It's covered in blossoms, so I hope at least a few of them turn into fruit.

I also have Fuyu persimmon, Santa Rose Plum, a dwarf avocado, blood orange, Meyer Lemon, Pixie tangerine and a dwarf navel orange.  Nothing much going on there...I have a strangely hard time with all my citrus...but I keep tyring.

And today is Oberon's birthday!  He is one.  This is his serious look.

7 Days, 7 Salads - Day 6 - Spinach with Apples and Cranberries

I had this salad for lunch and ate al fresco in my backyard. It is adapted from a recipe called "Thanksgiving Salad" which has been in B's family for years and is traditionally served on (what else?) Thanksgiving.

for the salad:

spinach

1/2 crisp apple such as Fuji, cored and cut into small pieces

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 Tablespoon dried cranberries

1 Tablepoon slivered or chopped almonds

for the dressing (enough for 1 serving):

2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon style mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients in bowl.  Add all other ingredients and toss until everything is coated with dressing.

This is also fantastic with fresh cranberries when they are in season but needs a bit if planning.  The night before, cut cranberries in half.  Add a generous amount of sugar, enough to coat cranberries.  Let sit overnight.  Use in place of dried cranberries.