I’m a sucker for red pepper hummus, and I recently came up with what I dub The Best Sandwich. Not only do I get to use my fave hummus, but also my homegrown tomatoes. Without further ado, here is how to make The Best Sandwich. Ingredients roasted red pepper hummus, to taste 3 slices from a small tomato 5-6 dill pickle chips 1 everything bagel Directions 1. Lightly toast the bagel. (this is important – toasting makes the difference) 2.…
pumpkins not mums
October 4, 2019This week I am digging pumpkins! I’ve begun adding them to the garden. Even though it still feels like summer here. A recent trip to the market – what an assortment of pumpkins and gourds! You may, or may not, recall that I swore off mums a few years ago. And this year on a recent shopping trip, I was sorely tempted to break the ban. They are gorgeous! Then I remembered why I gave them up and moved along.…
drought & frost
October 3, 2019I’m not sure when lack of rain technically becomes an official drought, but it feels as if we are in one right now. Which is kind of strange, usually those happen during the summer. However, since the temperatures continue to be in the 90s here into October (we have broken record high temps here this week), weather-wise it kind of still is summer. The outcome of the odd weather patterns we are experiencing is that (1) there is hope for…
garden update
October 2, 2019The veggie garden is looking pretty barren these days. There are a few tomatoes and peppers hanging on. Meanwhile the leaves on the trees haven’t really started to change much, except for the tulip poplars and black walnut. Those trees are almost completely defoliated now. We haven’t had rain in what seems like (& actually is) weeks now. The ground is so dry. I’ve had to give some of my perennials good soaks here and there, especially the ones recently…
october in the garden
October 1, 2019October! The best month of all (not necessarily for the garden, just in general). Two reasons: Halloween and the birthday of yours truly. That said, there are things still to be done in the garden. Here is what we are working on in our Zone 6 garden this month. What’s on your garden plan for October? Hope you have a great week!…
how to: make sage salt
September 29, 2019Having an abundance of sage growing in the garden, last week I harvested a few springs and decided that I would make some sage salt. An article on herb salts from the current issue of Magnolia Journal magazine is what prompted the idea. Surprisingly, it had never occurred to me to make my own herb salts ever before, though off and on I’ve had an herb garden growing here at the house. Here is the sage we currently have growing. It’s…
the little cayenne that could
September 27, 2019This week I am digging this cayenne pepper plant. I cannot believe how many peppers are on this one plant. Here are some of them. I counted at least 18 still on and I’ve picked 5 so far. This was grown from seed from Pinetree Garden Seeds. I love Pinetree! Oftentimes, you can get a smaller count seed packet from them for a lower cost than a full-size one. This works out great when you don’t need a ton of…
what is your garden style?
September 26, 2019I’d love to do a full post one of these days on garden style. Is garden style something that is particular to an individual gardener? Can a gardener have more than one “signature style”? I’m inclined to think that most of us gardeners, while maybe enjoying the appearance of one style or another, love all plants. And though we love all plants, we know that certain plants are more suited to certain styles. For example, when you think boxwoods, you likely…
garden update
September 25, 2019Greetings! How is your garden faring? Due to the warm weather we are still experiencing (yay!), the veggie plants are still going. Anything that was already on the vine is getting a chance to reach its full potential. There are still a few tomatoes hanging on, and the peppers are still going. A few beans left to pick. I lamented the fact that my tomatoes and peppers really failed to thrive earlier in the growing season. Aren’t those the most…
how to: paint garden tools
September 24, 2019I actually painted my garden tools this year! It was on my September garden plan. But in truth, it’s on my radar every year. That’s because I keep skipping this task and it rolls over to the next year, every year… Let me back up – what I painted was the wooden handles of four of my tools. The materials needed for this little mini-project comprised a short and inexpensive list: cleaning cloth and cleaner (I used a bucket of…
