Homesprout

Garden Haul

This is the week my garden really, really is starting to show why I've put in all this effort. My onions are ready, the tomatoes are blushing, and my peppers are bigger than I've ever seen in years past. The onions are drying on the porch as I write, and the pumpkins are hanging out there also.  I've also started to see some yellow zucchini and I've been collecting jalapenos for days now.  I'm wondering how much I'll be able to put by in the coming weeks before school starts.  

Many of you have started to produce gigantic hauls also!  From the flickr pool this week:

Wow, those blackberries are gorgeous Natalie! Our eggplant is still tiny, but it looks like yours is doing really well. See Natalie's blog post here.

Liesl again wowed me with her gorgeous carrots! I've had some as of late, but I don't think the weather this year was very carrot friendly. Many of mine seeded before they really produced. Liesl blogged about here haul here.

Joyful Lova shared some peaches. She noted that they'll get about 30 this year.  (we had one - yeah.)

Cara, a newcomer to the garden haul, post a beautiful picture of her haul. She blogged about her garden here.

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Remember, if you'd like to to join in the fun, add your picture to my flickr pool. I'll be posting everyone's haul every week here on the blog. Please add a description to the picture that includes what's in the picture. If you're growing any neat heirloom varieties, please include that information also. Finally, if you have a blog, make sure to share your address. I look forward to sharing your photos, and learning about what you're growing! (please see my original post on this topic if you'd like more details.)

Friday Favorites - August 10th, 2012

Make sure to click on the above photo to view the sources.

My favorites from this past week:

• cheese, bacon and jalapenos!
• This recipe for homemade veggie bouillion sounds like a really good idea.
• I think I'm going to grow my cucumbers vertically next year.  It's this point in the year that I'm reminded that my plants will grow, and that they will probably grow much taller than I expected.  I need to get a better trellising system.  

Milo Vest

We're back from Pittsburgh, and I've just started to catch up on all of our responsibilities around here.  I did bunches of knitting in Pittsburgh.  I created one big item, and one small.  This little baby vest, from the pattern Milo, was my small knit.  I knitted it for a friend of mine who recently gave birth to the sweetest, most beautiful baby boy.  

I modified the pattern a bit.  I didn't bother with the cable stripe, and instead, I added a green stripe across the middle.  I also only switched to stockinette more quickly.  It still needs to be blocked, and I'd like to soak it in some lanolin to make it more soft.  The size is for a three month old, so it should be a good fit in the fall.  

My bigger knitting project is almost complete.  I should be able to share it in a few more days...

Garden Haul

We're still in Pittsburgh, so I can't share any haul from my own garden.  However, I thought I would still share the bounty you're all bringing in these days.  After all, it is that time of year!

My Rural Garden said - This week in the garden was a little out of control... seven squash, a small bowl of cherry tomatoes (we got a gallon of them two days later), 4 onions for relish (see the recipe on the blog), 26 cucumbers in this photo and another 25 three days later, and another gallon of beans.

Natalie @ remembrances noted that this was the first cabbage she has ever grown. I still haven't been able to produce a successful cabbage, I'm going to try again for fall.

Wow, for a container garden Joyful Lova's sure has produced lots of potatoes! She said about her haul - potatoes (charlotte and desiree), the last of the longpod broadbeans, a few purple shiraz mange tout, a few strawberries (july has given me a small harvest compared to the bounty in june), the first sungold tomato, and the 1st peach.  Very nice!

Jaz on Tour said - The garden got away from me in the last few days. seem to have trouble keeping up with it these days! My first big tomatoes finally ripened! They may not be the prettiest, with all the cracks, but I'm not bothered.

Liesl's garden is continuing to haul gigantic amounts of food! She blogged about her garden haul here.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Remember, if you'd like to to join in the fun, add your picture to my flickr pool. I'll be posting everyone's haul every week here on the blog. Please add a description to the picture that includes what's in the picture. If you're growing any neat heirloom varieties, please include that information also. Finally, if you have a blog, make sure to share your address. I look forward to sharing your photos, and learning about what you're growing! (please see my original post on this topic if you'd like more details.)

Friday Favorites - August 3rd, 2012

Make sure to click on the above photo to view the sources.

 There will be no links this week; I haven't been on the internet much.  The Olympics are on, we're in Pittsburgh, and I've been knitting like crazy.  

Labeling Plants

During my first couple of years of gardening, my plant labeling usually fell off by the mid point of the year.  Plants would finally produce their fruit, and I would have to guess what they were.  For some crops it was easy, but with my tomatoes, it was always a guessing game.  This year, I finally got it together, and consistently labeled my plants.  With heirloom varieties, it's particularly important to label, as the differences in production can vary drastically.  

The above melon is a Noir Des Carmes, from Seed Savers.  It's a variety of cantaloupe.  Since it was planted in the spring in the grow box, it just took off.  I already have quite a few melons growing on it, and I'm pretty sure I'll have some fruit this year, if the chickens don't get to it first.  

This is the other variety of melon I planted, a Charentais, also from Seed Savers.  Do you see the difference?  These plants have been pretty sad throughout the season.  The have some flowers, but I don't know if I'll get any fruit, as none have started to grow yet.  Melons have to be on their way at this point in the season, otherwise, they don't generally produce in the Northeast.  

Obviously, one of these melons I'll probably plant next year, and the other will not be used again.  Lesson learned...

Fall Wardrobe Plans

I recently bought bunches of fabric from Denver fabrics with the plan of sewing a fall wardrobe.  I love Denver fabrics.  The fabric I order is always nice quality, and you can order matching thread.  

When ordering fabric, I've found that it's a really good idea to match it to the pattern I wish to sew.

The first three fabrics are going to become Wiksten tanks.  I've found a simple tutorial to modify the pattern to reduce the size of the back.  I also found an amazing tutorial that explains bias facing.  I never understood that this was different than bias binding.  I recently sewed a second Wiksten tank, and it made an incredible difference!  I would also like to modify the neckline and arm holes a tiny bit.  I think I'm going to cut a second version that's an extra small, with a small length.  I'm so excited to see how they turn out.  I might even make some short sleeves for one.

The gray chambray is going to turn into the Colette Crepe dress.  I might actually make a muslim for this pattern, as I want the wrap to fit correctly. 

The pretty blue twill is going to turn into a Wiksten tulip skirt.   Honestly, I cut this pattern with another fabric, and it was just wrong.  I don't know what happened (the paper printed it in the right size).  However, the pleats were much smaller than the ones pictured, and the waist size was crazy small.  

 

 The jean will be turned into a Ginger skirt, also from Colette patterns.  I haven't ordered this pattern yet, but it looks pretty simple.  As long as it fits in the waist, I should have no problems.  

What do you think?  Do you have other pattern suggestions that might help me out?  

 

Garden Haul

So again, this week is all about cucumbers. There are also some beans in the basket, but they were buried. We're going to be taking some to our in-laws in Pittsburgh this week. They had theirs attacked a groundhog (they think), and they don't have any.  I made some bread and butter pickles (and I'll be making more), and I also made some sweet relish.  Do you have any ideas as to what I should make next?  I'm not really into dill pickles, so I don't plan on lacto fermenting any.  I'd love some recipe ideas.  We just made some plain cucumber water the other day, and it was delicious.  

My potato plants are starting to die off, my pumpkins are turning orange (wow!), and my peppers and tomatoes are getting really big!  I'm sure to have more variety in my basket soon.  

Your gardens have really been hauling it in lately!  

From the flickr pool:

A spring like garden haul from Thimble Nest (talk about a different climate!)

A gorgeous haul from Liesl!  I'm jealous of those purple peppers.   I always see them around, they seem to turn early.  Do you know what variety that is?

Some gooseberries from mentos2 (I've honestly never grown or eaten gooseberries, but now I want a plant.)

rattlesnake pole beans, "white wonder" cucumber, brandywine yellow tomato, and okra from Restoring the Roost  What do you do with your okra?

Jaz on Tour's first big haul!  I'm curious, are those black beans in the corner?  I'm wondering what variety of seeds I should purchase so I can grow those.  I LOVE black beans.  

My Rural Garden's gigantic bowl of peas (and some tomatoes, cucumbers, and a squash). I've decided to grow more in the fall, but I'd like to get a wooden ladder to act as a trellis.

_______________________________________________________________________________Remember,

If you'd like to to join in the fun, add your picture to my flickr pool.  I'll be posting everyone's haul every week here on the blog.  Please add a description to the picture that includes what's in the picture.  If you're growing any neat heirloom varieties, please include that information also.  Finally, if you have a blog, make sure to share your address.  

I look forward to sharing your photos, and learning about what you're growing!  (please see my original post on this topic if you'd like more details.) 

 

Friday Favorites - July 27th, 2012

Make sure to click on the above photo to view the sources.

 

My favorites from this past week:

• I love the texture of this tank, although I think I'd knit it longer...
• I love this idea of turning a jam into a vinaigrette from Grow it, Cook it, Can it, and I also love this recipe idea that she posted
• A fantastic recipe for mayo from Green Bean Gardens

Window Box Seats

Today, Tim was able to install new window boxes on our bee hives.  The window boxes allow us to peer in on the progress of the bees without disturbing the hive.  

While it was open, he was able to check on the hive's progress.  It looks pretty good, both boxes were full, and they were heavy with honey.  

To fit the new box on, Tim had to pry the lower box off the bottom, and carefully fit the new box into place.  It's a bit complicated.  Tim had to move swiftly and carefully at the same time so as not to disturb the bees.  

The window doesn't show much now, but once the bees decide to move in, I'll have to share the view.