the remaking of a kitchen

i had a long plane ride home through phoenix. because of early morning snow in minneapolis, planes were running late all day. i spent an extra hour and then some waiting around the gate.
this is what the deck looked like when i arrived. all the ginkgo leaves fell in my absence, and the maple tree in front is showing very red while the one in back is just beginning to turn. don brought in all the green tomatoes and to be red peppers that are still green, and those plants now have that melted look that happens with a freeze. our growing season seems so very short!
it was very cold, so i was glad to have several layers under my raincoat and really delighted to find gloves in the pockets!

Labels: home and snow, red peppers, tomatoes and cukes

Lots of action today. david has been working in his garden....planting his fall crops which sounds absolutely foreign to this minnesota gardener. i got some images of his front garden plants....tomatoes and peppers and then caught the gardner at work! david drew out the plan for his back garden plot, purchased the appropriate plants and then put them in the ground in the proper order. if you look carefully you can see the first two ripe strawberries in the back garden plot.
the hydrangea isn't something david planted but i included the photo because it is so very gorgeous right now!

Labels: garden, hydrangea, red peppers, sarah and david, tomatoes

the garden is growing nicely. my first red pepper is ripe and is so pretty. i also picked a cucumber and some tomatoes. actually the haul from the tomato plants is much smaller today than the usual quart i have been picking. we had a nice rain last night.......more than a half inch and that certainly pleases all the plants, vegetables, ornamentals and flowers alike.
the little baggies hold the juliette tomatoes i dried in the oven yesterday....i had two cake racks full of half tomatoes and ended up with about one and a half cup of dried. the dried ones have such a wonderfully pungent taste. i could eat them easily as is. i will freeze them and use them in soups and pasta sauces during the winter.

Labels: dried tomatoes, juliettes, rain, red peppers, tomatoes and cukes

i decided to do an update on the garden and the photos reflect how well things are doing. i planted the hydrangea last year and not much happened, but this year even though it's been so dry, there is a lovely pink bloom that is lasting quite satisfactorily. the veggies are doing well too. there are two kinds of cherry tomatoes, sweet 100's and juliettes and the two bushes are loaded. i have 3 peppers set on and you can see that FINALLY one is turning red. yay! i want to use it in a special chicken salad recipe i found this spring.

Labels: cherry tomatoes, hydrangea, red peppers