Late-summer garden news...

Wow, over two months since my last post! My garden is much different now than it was back in June. My late-summer garden is producing hundreds of tiny red and yellow tomatoes, and my bell and jalapeno peppers are finally ready to be eaten! The cucumbers are pretty much done though, and the last of the sunflowers are in bloom. Check out some new pictures and check back soon for my fall planting pictures!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Every day when I wake up, the first thing I do is open the back door and take a look at the garden. Now that we're in mid-June, each day brings awesome changes! My poppies, sunflowers and sweet peas (all started as seeds) are blooming beautifully! I also found some cucumbers the other day, hidden under the huge leaves of my cucumber plants, also started as seeds. Check out the new pictures!

Ka-Bloom!

Lots of changes in the garden since I last posted! I now have green tomatoes, beans, tons of spinach, and my sunflowers and sweet peas are about to bloom! I also finagled a way to hook up a hose to my kitchen faucet--it was getting exhausting hauling gallons of water out there in a watering can! Watering is so relaxing now.

Check out the newest pictures...

MOROCCO--here I come!

As of late, I am obsessed with Morocco and am just dying to go there. So, because we are heading to Ireland in August, we're thinking of one other place we could cheaply fly to within Europe. I've spent hours and hours researching it, and I'd really rather go to Marrakech than anywhere in Europe.

Now I just need to talk Artie into it! He's open to ideas but is more inclined to travel within Europe. As of now, my passport bares one stamp; that of the Cayman Islands. I can't wait to add Ireland, England, and MOROCCO--AFRICA!!!

So, I recently had one of Ricki the Cheese Queen's Cheesemaking kits sent to my Mom as and early Mother's Day present. Mom made some mozzarella for the first time yesterday and my parents loved it! Dad says they paired it with some basil and tomato for the perfect appetizer last night. I'm telling you, you've got to start making cheese at home--it is uber-satisfying and also really easy and fun. Not to mention delicious!

Last week I had my first spinach salad from my garden, and it tasted lovely, fresh, and earthy just as spinach should. My cucumber plants are pretty big now; no squash flowers as of yet but the plants themselves are about the size of a small hydrangea. The strawberries are deep red and just waiting to be picked for part of tomorrow's lunch, and today I picked lots of cilantro to compliment my lunch of cold cucumber, tofu, red beans and red onion. Yummm!

On another note, Artie and I have some fun things coming up--Mother's Day at my brother's place, of course, and I'll be bringing Strawberry Shortcake, with at least some of the strawberries coming from my garden. Then we'll be seeing REM at the Greek Theater 6/1, and my family reunion in mid-June. Then in July our 4th anniversery will be celebrated in Vegas, the scene of the crime! We're also planning a trip to Ireland in August to visit Artie's family. Happy Summer!

Having spent the hot Saturday past moving Artie's weight bench to storage, my garden is complete, for now at least. If we don't count watering nearly every day, that is! My sunflowers are really growing like crazy and their stems are as thick as straws. The beans are paling a bit though, and I hope they do okay--I'm really looking forward to the vining bean trees (yes, that's a reference to the amazing Ms. Barbara Kingsolver).

I finally bit the bullet and made the decision to order plans for a cheese press instead of paying $300 for a new fancy one. Our friend Pix calls himself a miracle woodworker, so maybe he can make my cheese press in exchange for some cheese...good deal, right? Once I have the press I'll be able to make all the hard cheeses--cheddar, swiss, gouda, as well as molded cheeses like blue, roquefort, stilton, and edible-rind cheese such as brie and camembert.

My baby spinach is growing up!

Just thought I'd give you an update on my garden--it's been a while! Everything is looking really great. I transplanted my large tomato plant to its own planter, and it seems very happy there. Two of the tomato plants are now sporting little yellow flowers. The cucumbers are definitely holding their own now as well, and each plant has 4-6 leaves now. Check out the pictures of the garden this morning! (As you can see, it's a little crowded. This is due to Artie's weight bench taking up a large portion of the deck! If you are in need of a weight bench, PLEASE let me know! I need more room for the garden!)