The Garden and Grill

Death of a pear tree

2011-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Strong winds blew down the pear tree in the front yard today. It had been suffering from fire blight the past 3 years, and now we know the reason: Crown Rot. I'm thankful for a couple of things - it didn't fall down on top of my kids (or anyone else for that matter,) and it fell into the empty street as opposed to on my house or cars.

Can't help feeling sad nevertheless - it was a good tree.

Caprese Salad and Pickled Peppers

2011-10-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on what I did with some of the items as the season came to a close.

Caprese Salad

The fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes make all the difference.

I came across a recipe for pickled peppers in a recent Bon Appetite magazine and gave it a try. I used jalapenos and Santa Fe Grande peppers from the garden. The brine consisted of distilled white vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar, peppercorns and coriander seeds. After simmering for 5 minutes, it's added to a jar containing the sliced peppers. After they cooled in the fridge, these peppers were smokin' good.

Reigning Romas

2011-08-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

So this morning while I was perusing through the garden with my morning cup of coffee, it struck me how very well everything seems to be doing. Granted, I've picked and tortured the occasional tomato hornworm, but I really can't complain. Pest damage has been minimal and the plants are taking full advantage.

I planted two Roma varieties and they are lit with tomatoes. There's nothing like whipping up a last-minute, fresh tomato-basil sauce to go with your pasta of the day. Very quick and very light.

The peppers are finally coming into form and I'm looking forward to tasting the Anaheims. That's a new variety for me, so I'll have to consult the cookbooks to see what else I can use them in besides burgers and chili. Any suggestions?

The poblanos look great.


"Chili Relleno"

I let one of the oregano plants go to flower and I tried to photograph some bees while they were working away. When I transferred the photo to the computer, I noticed another garden helper that I unwittingly captured in the frame. Do you see him?

My version of "Where's Waldo?"

BELT sandwich

2011-08-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

The tomato harvest is in full swing and even after numerous giveaways, I still have enough to can. All of the varieties look and taste great with the exception of the Mortgage Lifter. The tomatoes looked good, but they had a very bland flavor and tasted like a wet nerf ball (or at least what I would expect a wet nerf ball to taste like). This is my second go around with this variety, so it was off with its head and into the heap. In my game of baseball you only get TWO strikes. Mortgage Shortsale is more like it.

Anyway, here's one of the recipes we've been enjoying with the largest of the bunch. It's an improved version of the classic BLT and a slight variation of the one Thomas Keller created for the movie Spanglish (my apologies).

Lightly toast 2 pieces of bread, preferably sourdough. Spread mayo on one side and add lettuce. Fry one egg over medium in some butter and add cracked pepper. Slide onto the lettuce.

Add a THICK slice of an heirloom tomato such as Brandywine.

Add three or four slices of fresh bacon and close.

And there it is! The picture doesn't seem to do it justice, but this sandwich is amazing.

$10 tomato

2011-07-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like the payoff. With the price of heirloom tomatoes going for $5.99 a pound in the local market, I was thrilled to see several giants appear on my new favorite tomato plant: Brandy Boy.

So here's what a $10 tomato looks like. The first picture is what it looked liked on the vine next to several others of equal or larger size. The second picture is what it looked like perched on a 4x4 fence post. That one plant has produced numerous giants already, and there's lots more to come.

Garden update

2011-07-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile- again. Lots of changes in the garden now that the weather has warmed and the tomatoes have set. I've added a Bearss Lime to the lineup and will try growing it in a pot this time. The citrus I've grown in the past never gave me any fruit and I think it had something to do with overwatering. Well, let's try it in a pot and see what happens. I planted it in a cactus mix, which seems to drain better and keep the roots drier. Maybe that's the trick?

I upped the time on my drip system to 90 minutes at three days a week. Seems to have made a huge difference now that summer has finally arrived. The tomatoes all look great and I have begun harvesting the SunGold. Should be a couple of weeks before the big ones are ready. The peppers are running a little behind, but I think was from the watering issue. They look much happier in the last week. Zucchini looks strong and the cucumbers are putting on some growth.

Lime tree

Looking like a jungle

Early Wonder tomatoes

Mortgage Lifter and Brandy Boy

Brandy Boy tomatoes

Blue Lake bush beans

I took the twins up to June Lake during my vacation and we had a blast.

The Fishermen

June Lake

Stevia

2011-05-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight it was off to the local big-box store to take advantage of the 2x20lb pack of Kingsford charcoal for $7.97. That's a great price and even though I have enough charcoal to host my own version of Burning Man, I couldn't pass it up. No trip to the Depot would be complete without making a pit stop in the garden center. You know how some people can't walk through the local animal shelter without taking home the whole lot, I'm the same way in the garden center.

Successful in my restraint, I only came home with three plants: Lemon cucumber, Santa Fe Grande pepper and the herb Stevia. I've never seen or heard of it until this week when it was mentioned on two separate podcasts (I couldn't survive my 90 minute commute to LA without that iPod). So there it was, sitting on the shelf.

The leaves of this plant are reportedly 10 times sweeter than cane sugar. When I got home, I tore off a leaf and started chewing. Guess what it tasted like - yup, sugar. Now I have to figure out where it's gonna live this summer. I'm thinking it can be added to fresh tea and probably a cocktail or two. I also read that the aphids can't stand it, so maybe I'll put it next to the cucumbers.

By the way, what to do with all that charcoal?


The new addition to the family

Collector

2011-05-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

My Labrador Maxie is a pooping machine. Twice, sometimes three times a day, the world truly is her dumping ground. Funny thing is, she sees us picking up the poop everyday and I know what she's thinking: "Look, they must really like my poop since they collect it all the time. I love them so much, I'll just keeping making more!"   Lucky for her she's such a great dog.   Why am I writing about poop?
You guessed it: worms.   That's what I'm after with those things, so I figured I'd give you a quick update.

The worms seem to be doing nicely and I'm learning what they prefer (cantaloupe) and what they're not too crazy about (potato peels). I've been real careful not to overfeed them - an all-too-common mistake for the newbie.   I am having an issue with some of the worms who like to wander off into the bottom collection tray. It's just a few of them (maybe the same ones) and since the hundreds of others stay in the top tray I'm not too concerned. I don't know why these rogue wanderers like to slither off into the abyss since there really isn't anything there for them to eat except a few small patches of castings. Maybe they're just tired of the obnoxious giant who roots around the top tray with the plastic rake checking on their status. I can almost hear a collective moan every time I take the lid off, "Uggh, he's back again." I can't help it!


Worm castings - garden caviar

Top tray progress. The black things are banana peels.

I did manage to collect a small amount of the fresh castings and scratched them into the dirt around an eggplant and one of my zucchini plants. I'm interested to see how this "soil inoculation" experiment works with those plants as opposed to the non-inoculated.

Lots goin' on in the garden - too much for one post, so I'll put up some pictures. Busy time of the year with my oldest graduating, baseball playoffs with another, and band performances with the third. Good times!

Black Beauty eggplant


Tomatoes


Garlic


Tomatoes on the left, bush beans in the middle and carrots on the right

I used all of the compost from the pile I started last year and now have a new one cooking on the side of the house. Last week, I threw one of the tomato starts which was still in a red cup and looked nearly dead into the pile. Apparently, it still had some fight left and has come back strong in the compost pile. Maybe I'll let it be and see what happens.

Mojito

2011-04-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

It was sunny and 90 degrees today, perfect weather to do a little work in the garden and sip cocktails on the patio with the wife on her birthday. With a pot full of fresh mint nearby, the mojito was a no-brainer.

Here's what I made:

MOJITO

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
5 mint leaves, plus 1 sprig for garnish
crushed ice
2 ounces white rum
1 ounce club soda

Put lime juice and sugar in a highball glass and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the mint leaves and muddle them with a stick. Fill the glass with ice, add the rum and soda, and stir gently. Garnish with the mint sprig.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Garlic eviction

2011-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

I planted some garlic bulbs back in early November and they have done well. However, I need the space in which they're living for the tomatoes and peppers. I hate to give them the heave-ho, but everyone changes work locations at some point in their career, right? We've had something of a mini heat wave (in the 90's) and the beds are nice and warm. Looks like I'll be planting everything in two weeks.

I thought about transplanting the garlic into some pots, but wasn't sure how that would work out. In the end, I decided to replant them along the fence figuring they will be tall enough by the time the tomatoes grow big enough to overtake them. I really should think these things out in advance, but never do.

I got as much as the root ball as I could, and gave them a good heap of homemade compost, so here's hoping they do well!

The seedlings have been successfully hardened off and now reside outside. They're really starting to put on some nice growth.

Worms

2011-03-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

The county has a local SmartGardening series they put on throughout the region highlighting the benefits of composting. They sell traditional compost bins along with worm bins to anyone interested. I've always been somewhat interested in this endeavor, I have read that worm castings and tea are some of the most beneficial fertilizers one can provide for their plants. Plus, I've always liked worms, especially on the end of a hook.

So for $65 I got a Wriggly Wranch stackable worm bin, which included a coconut coir brick (bedding) and a 1/2 pound of "red wiggler" composting worms to get started. Apparently the traditional garden worm or nightcrawler is not the best "variety" for composting. I was handed a small sack containing the worms, but when I got everything set up and dumped the worms in, I found that the 1/2 pound of worms was really 1/2 pound of castings/dirt and just a handful of worms. I was expecting a spaghetti-ball of slimy goodness, but what I got was maybe 50 or so.

I needed a worm fix, and fast.

After a bit of online searching, I found this "dealer," Steve, located in Northridge. I came across a blog post by a woman who went to Steve's house to buy worm castings ($1 a pound,) but then wrote about how unkempt and dirty the guy's house was. She talked about how nice the old man was and how he allowed her in to his backyard to show her his setup (at her request), but then talks shit (and not from the worm) about him in her post. Not cool.

I send the guy an email inquiring about his prices and he promptly gets back to me with his price: $25 a pound - cash. He explains that he works out of his house (like most dealers I've arrested) and that he is available at all hours (also like most dealers I've arrested) - provided I give him a couple hours notice to get everything ready, oh and don't forget - bring cash!

Please don't tell anyone I spent $25 for worms, but his price was actually very reasonable compared to what I found online. One place was selling them for $40, plus shipping! However, you get approximately one thousand worms per pound, that's alot of hungry garbage chewers.

So after a visit to the mall and dinner at Claim Jumper, I called Steve and told him that we were 5 minutes out. "I have them ready for you," he told me, "remember to bring cash." We swung by his house and he met me at the door. He hands me a damp pizza box containing some of the bedding the worms were living in, and I hand over my cash. He then produced a coffee can full of worms and spread them out into the pizza box. A spaghetti-ball of slimy goodness. He tells me, put the pizza box in the wormery, they love to eat corrugated cardboard.

I told Steve my wife probably wouldn't appreciate the worms slithering out of the unsecured box and into our brand-new car during the ride home, so he generously offered a couple of plastic bags to contain the mess. In all, Steve was very nice and answered a few of my questions before I left.

We got home and I dumped 'em into their new home. They've got plenty to eat and lots of work to do. I will keep you posted on their progress.

Seedlings and more

2011-03-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

I've enjoyed everyone's photos of their seedling progress, so I figured I'd put mine up as well. I'm growing some new tomato varieties this year including Mortgage Lifter, Caspian Pink, as well as Brandy Boy - a hybrid variety of my favorite Brandywine which promises better yields and disease-resistance compared to the heirloom. I'm a bit skeptical, but have read rave reviews. We'll have to see how it turns out.

I started my seeds in the Bio Dome again as I was very pleased with how it worked out last year. It's time to break out the red cups for the tomatoes!

The compost pile I started at the end of last summer is nice and dark now, and will be ready for the spring planting. I added some to the pot of lettuce still growing and it made quite the difference. I really enjoy the convenience of snipping fresh, homegrown lettuce from the pots on the patio.

Sweet Mint

Romaine and Spinach

The Swiss Chard is ready and the colors are phenomenal. They say Swiss Chard is good for the brain, but why do these leaves have to look like little green brain hemispheres?

Swiss Chard

Garlic

I planted some garlic last fall among the lettuce and chard and while it seems to be doing okay, I'm concerned it won't be ready before I have to make way for the peppers/tomatoes for the summer. Let's see if we can get it done before the end of April!

How to dry herbs

2011-02-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've got tons of fresh parsley growing in the garden that I just can't keep up with. The kids are getting pretty fed up as well, after all, who wouldn't want their peanut butter and jelly sandwich garnished with a little sprig of parsley? I listened to a Gardenfork podcast episode in which they demonstrated how to dry your own herbs.

As I was making Sunday Sauce today while watching the Daytona 500, I brought in some of the parsley to add to the meatballs. Having a bunch left over, I decide to give the drying process a try. This works well with basil and oregano as well.

After washing the leaves, cut or rip them from the stems and spread out on a piece of wax paper. Put them into the microwave and cook on high for 50 seconds. Open the door and give them a little stir and then microwave a second time for 40 seconds. You might have to experiment with the times depending on your microwave. You may hear some popping or crackling while they cook, but that's normal. At this point, all of the moisture in the leaves should be gone and the leaves will be nice and brittle. You can crush them in a mortar and pestle, or just rub them in your hand to get the desired texture.

As you can see in the pictures, the herbs maintain their original color.

Fresh parsley after drying and crushing

Quite a contrast from the store-bought

This process also works well with fresh bay leaves. Since I cook alot of Italian food, I go through a bit of bay. I came across a bay laurel plant at the local nursery last fall and snatched it up.

Bay leaves. The fresh ones are on top

The whole process took 10 minutes at best. Easy stuff.

Raptors

2011-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Given the rodent problems I experience each year, I've decided to switch to the big guns.


Sager Hawk

Goshawk

Eagle owl

Vulture

Actually, a friend's neighbor is an exotic birds handler/trainer and is in the movie business. He has numerous trained raptors at his home and he was kind enough to show us his beautiful birds. The vulture, Dexter, is the third largest flying bird in the world, and has an 8 foot wingspan! He's been in several movies including the last Indiana Jones release.

Now if I can only get them to swing by the house,,,

Random thought

2011-02-12T23:47:00.000-08:00

Should I be embarrassed that I woke up this morning and actually got excited about heading out to my local nursery to listen to an hour-long lecture on Organic Vegetable Gardening? Geek that I am, I did just that. The representative from EB Stone organics put on an informative presentation complete with coupons for fertilizers at a substantial savings. I stocked up for the upcoming season and it was nice to revisit some of the concepts I've been through before, but somehow forgot to employ along the way.

Funny, I couldn't get the kids to tag along.

2010 Results

2011-01-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

I meant to put up the results of the last year when the last plant came out of the ground, but since that was over a month ago I guess it's better late than never. I've been trying to come up with a good excuse as to why I haven't posted for a few weeks, but alas, I have none. Much has happened since my last entry - Christmas and the New Year, a freak snowstorm in Southern California, and the seed catalog porn has been devoured and filed away.

So here's what worked for me last year:

TOMATOES
SunSugar - Excellent
Paul Robeson - Excellent
Virginia Sweets - Awful, no fruit
Rutgers - Small, didn't care for the taste
Early Wonder - Small, early but nothing to get excited about
La Roma - Poor, small fruit/ scrawny plant
Amish Paste - Great taste, large fruit, light production
Celebrity - Great, as always
Zapotec Pleated - Very late season, but the taste was great as well as the production

PEPPERS
Jalapeno, Carmen, Lipstick and Relleno all did excellent. Very productive and the fruit tasted great.

The zucchini did well as usual. The cucumbers sucked - again. I swear the plant grows great, but I can't keep those damn aphids away. Whatever fruit formed was bitter as well. This was the first year with the new drip irrigation system and I was very pleased with how it all worked out.

Here's what the winter crop looks like now:

Cabbage

Cabbage and Cauliflower

Swiss Chard

Romaine lettuce and Garlic

Last tomato/Winter garden

2010-11-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone, and here's hoping everyone had as great a time as we did spent with family and friends. Lots to be thankful for, indeed. Despite the bruises and pulled hamstrings from the flag-football game with the kids earlier in the day, I still managed to drag my knife through the turkey and the rest of the trimmings.

There's a turkey carcass underneath

As long as we're talking turkey, here's a photo of the turkey stock brewin' away on the stove after the last of the guests have left. It's become something I look forward to making each year, even though turkey soup isn't high on my list of favorites. This year I made it with fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley (all from the garden) in addition to the usual odori that go into the pot. The parsley looks great this time of year.

Look at that knife blurr - mad knife skills!

I've got the winter crop all set now that the weather has turned cold. My apologies to my friends up north and back east, but we've been experiencing some rather brisk weather in LA, and when I say brisk, I mean it's been in the low 30's at night. Apparently the result of some Alaskan winds caught up in the jet stream, this cold weather is teasing us with the promise of a third season (winter) that we never seem to experience. The cabbage seems to be enjoying it.

Cabbage

I also put in some Brussel Sprouts (never grew them before) and cauliflower. I dug in some onion and garlic bulbs that I hope will be ready before the summer garden goes in. I'm growing seedlings of Swiss Chard again, along with Romaine and other varieties of lettuce. Let's see if I can coax the carrot seedlings to sprout as well.

Swiss Chard, Romaine, Head Lettuce

On a sad note, I picked the last tomato of the season. You guessed it, Celebrity. I'm actually thrilled that I was able to harvest a tomato after Thanksgiving! Ever the one to share, this one was offered up on the the altar of my cutting board and added to a pot of Chili I made for the Notre Dame - USC game (ND came through after eight consecutive losses to those Trojans). Way to go Irish! I'm sure my November tomato made all the difference.

The last tomato of the season

Garden Sentinels

2010-11-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

The dogs finally make an appearance after all these months. Here they are standing watch over the earthbox, which is still doing quite well with basil and parsley. Don't let their tough looks fool you - trust me, the only thing standing between them and the burglar is a drool-soaked chew bone presented at the foot of the thief, followed by a submissive offering of the soft underbelly in hopes for a good scratch.

The summer crop has been removed from the main garden despite some hanging fruit for which I don't have the patience to wait to ripen in the cooling weather. I roasted the Chile Relleno peppers, which have been seeded and stored in the freezer for future use. The Jalapenos finished well and I'm bummed I didn't have the time to make pepper jelly this year. I'll put the last of the tomatoes in a bag to ripen and keep my fingers crossed.

I'm into bonus time with the basil, which looks great this far into the season. The Sunday sauce comes out so much better with fresh basil and oregano. I put four cabbage plants into the ground a couple of weeks ago, along with a direct seeding of Swiss Chard and Spinach. The seedlings emerged a week later only to be cut down by slugs or some other bandit. I'll see if I can get my hands on some 6 pack seedlings at the local nursery.

Smokin' Baby-Backs

2010-10-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been over a month since my last entry and we have some catching up to do. I removed the last of the summer plants this last weekend and planted some cool-season cabbage, spinach and swiss chard. More on that later, but I wanted to post some pics of a recent rib session before the weather cooled off for good. Hickory-smoked Baby-Back ribs!

I set up the Weber for indirect grilling and soaked some large chunks of hickory in water for a few hours. After removing the silver skin membrane, I let the ribs marinate with the dry rub for a couple of hours.

Next, into the rack over a drip pan, and add the hickory. As the ribs cook, I keep the mop handy.

When the meat starts to pull away from the bone, it's time.

Is summer really over?

Sausages and Peppers

2010-09-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here's another of our Sunday favorites made better with fresh peppers from the garden:

5 Italian sweet sausages
4-5 Frying peppers - various colors (I only had red ones in the yard)
1 Onion - chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs olive oil

Poke holes in the sausages and brown in a large skillet over medium heat until they are cooked through, approx 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the peppers and onions into bite-size pieces and set aside. When the sausages are cooked, remove from the pan. Add the olive oil and saute the vegeatbles for about five minutes.

While the peppers are frying, slice the sausages into bite-sized pieces.

Add the sausages to the peppers and mix well. Cook for an additional five minutes or so.

Next, add the tomato sauce and mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the peppers soften- about 15 minutes or so.

To finish it off, I like to grate some fresh Pecorino Romano cheese over the mixture and pour into your favorite pasta bowl. Heat a nice loaf of Italian bread in the oven until crisp. You can serve the bread on the side, or use it to make a sandwich.

This dish goes great with a fresh tomato-cucumber salad.

"Tutti a tavola a mangiare!"
(Everyone to the table to eat)

Freaks and BLTs

2010-09-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

I don't live anywhere near a nuclear plant, which nullifies any reasonable explanation as to why there always seems to be at least one showing of garden freaks every year. So here they are in all their mutant splendor:

The eggplant looks like a tulip. The tomatoes look like hearts, and the zucchini in the middle looks like a, umm, uh,,,,a microphone!

Here's a shot of a trio of heirlooms, very tasty this summer.

I've found that a nice-sized Zapotec is the perfect fit and taste for the BLT sandwiches. I know I was down on this variety earlier in the year because the plants were HUGE and there was no fruit. Too bad I failed to notice it was a "late-season" variety and ripped the other plant out. It pays to read the label!

I yanked out the two eggplants. The production was great, but I wasn't a fan of the thinner, Japanese-style. They seem to have more skin than actual flesh, and they just weren't worth the effort. I'll go back to the larger Italian Black Beauty.

Life is a bowl of Cherries (tomatoes)

2010-08-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sungold

Who says life isn't a bowl of cherries? I got hundreds of Sungolds off of my one plant, and it's still going strong.

Cabbage

I finally harvested that lone behemoth of a cabbage today. It came in officially at a whopping 8 pounds! It'll turn up in cornbeef and cabbage later on tonight.

Zapotec Pleated

The first of the Zapotec Pleated tomatoes came in as well. Oddly shaped, but they taste great and have a very mild flavor.

Here is the rest of what I harvested today. The Paul Robeson is still doing well, but last week's heat wave have taken a toll on all of the plants for sure. Things look like they are starting to wind down.

Trout in the Eastern Sierra

2010-08-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post, but I wanted to put up some pictures of my recent flyfishing trip.

Carson Peak from Silver Lake

View from my float tube

Rainbow

Back to the garden stuff on the next post. Gonna attempt to make Chile Rellenos with those relleno peppers tomorrow.

Bounty

2010-08-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

The hard work is finally paying off. Those large peppers are "Carmen" and we're looking forward to some sausages and peppers later in the week. It never ceases to amaze me how the small seeds in my dining room in February transform into a jungle in my yard and the resultant bounty.

Speaking of peppers, take a look at "Chile Relleno". I've never grown this variety before and if the peppers taste as good as they look, they'll be a permanent staple in the allotment.

What ever became of those slacker tomatoes I lamented over last month? Well, here is one of them, "Zapotec Pleated". I originally planted two, but sent one to the cornfield after it sprawled across half the garden with nothing on it. I'm glad I kept the remaining plant as it is finally giving up the goods. Neat looking tomato.

It's raining eggplant.

That is the sun reflected in the SunSugars. They might as well be called jelly beans.

I learned something new this year relating to potted plants. If you line the pot with ordinary newspaper before adding the potting mix, the roots will be afforded some relief from the hot California sun. This is one of the "Lipstick" pepper plants and I have never had a potted vegetable look as good as this one.

Looks like a heart to me. This is "Paul Robeson," destined for a Caprese Salad on Wednesday.

I wanted to show the real thing, but I've been told that would have been in bad taste. Apparently there was only one rat, and he was probably a forward scout. His lungs no longer carry the message of what awaits over the block wall and through the wooden gate in Farmer Vic's plot. There will be others. I will remain vigilant.

Game on!

2010-07-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to pick fights, but the rats have arrived in the garden and bloodied my nose. I went out this morning to pick some tomatoes for the fire-roasted tomato salsa (which turned out great by the way, washed down with cucumber margaritas) and noticed that several tomatoes had been gnawed and slashed by the vermin.

Now I know these rats are not the filthy, disease-ridden sewer dwellers of the big city, but then again they're not Remy from Ratatouille. Nevertheless, they're into my stuff and they must go. It'd be one thing if they focused on one plant, I could easily sacrifice one of the hybrids and set it aside complete with searchlights and a marquee. But nooooo, they move from plant to plant nipping and gnawing like they're on some sort of foodie excursion. And they ruin everything they touch. It's uncanny how they seem to know that I'm gonna pick that near-perfectly-ripe tomato TOMORROW, for when tomorrow comes, I find it laying on the ground half-devoured, and I'm too late, again.

When Alberto Contador took advantage of Andy Schleck's broken chain during this year's Tour de France, Schleck told reporters, "My stomach is full of anger and I will take my revenge." I couldn't say it better myself.

Traps will be deployed at 2030 hours. I've chosen the Tomcat T-Rex style snap traps that worked well for me last season. Baited with a peanut butter/cheese cocktail, I'm quite confident.

Time to kick some rat ass.

Upside down

2010-07-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that the upside down tomato-thing really works. Those are REAL tomatoes on that plant, but then again that's Celebrity for you. I really believe that variety will grow anywhere and in almost anything.

I harvested some zucchini, a Marvel Stripe (that I forgot I had sown), Paul Robeson and Rutgers. The little pepper is Lipstick, which goes great in Tuna Salad.

We recently spent the day with friends at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa and had a great time. No trip to the fair would be complete without a visit to the Centennial Farm. So while the kids were busy riding the Vomitator and the Spine Cracker, I made my way amongst the raised beds of produce. Oh, and let's not forget the gigantic pigs and their very recent piglets.

Summer!

2010-07-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Where did the second half of June go? We spent last weekend in Palm Springs with friends - 114 degrees! Too hot to grow much of anything worth eating, but the palms look great.

Here's an updated photo of the sickly pepper from a few posts ago - as you can see, it's much happier now and bearing plenty of jalapenos.

Speaking of jalapenos, I've got several of these giants waiting to be stuffed and loaded into the Chile Grill for the 4th.

This is Rutgers loaded with tomatoes in the Earthbox. Everything is progressing nicely with the exception of the two mentioned in the last post. No rant this time.

Don't let the size fool you, they're actually SunSugar cherries.

Here's wishing everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Leaders and Laggards

2010-06-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and I can already taste the hot links. While some of the plants are starting to load up, I don't think we'll see any ripe tomatoes for the Fourth. I have a couple of laggards in the plot that seem content to soak up the sun and nutrients, but won't give up the fruit.

Oh, they'll take the healthcare plan and other benefits, but just won't do the work. The culprits are the Zapotec and Virginia Sweets, both heirloom varieties. The plants look great, but they won't hold their blossoms and the ones that remain dry up with nothing to show. So far, I've resisted the temptation to relocate them to the compost heap and replace them with a couple of stalwart Celebrity plants I have in reserve. I have a total of 3 Virginia's: one in the main plot, one in the Earthbox and one in the neglected plot. The Earthbox plant has a scant ONE. This is nothing new, heirlooms produce MUCH less than the hybrids, so let's hope that they're late season developers. If not, we can't have this, off with their heads!

C'mon Vic, aren't you being a little too hard on them?

Hey, I got kids to feed, rats to please, and neighbors to have fruit forced upon. I need production people. This isn't Club Med. These plants need to realize that.....wait. I'm over the line. Maybe they just need some nice words of encouragement, and a trophy for coming in third.

Speaking of the Earthbox, the Rutgers is finally producing so at least one of those plants is earning their keep.

The Early Wonder and La Roma are both doing well.

The eggplant is flush with flowers and it shouldn't be long before the fruit sets. I switched from the larger Black Beauty variety to a smaller, compact plant which doesn't take up as much room.

Gagoots!! (Zucchini in Italian)

2010-06-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

What to do with all that zucchini when it comes in? One of our favorite dishes handed down from Mom and prominently features one of the staples of Italian peasant food - gagoots, which is the Americanized version of the pronunciation of the Italian word for summer squash, cucuzza. Enough with the word derivation trivia, on to the dish!

Gagootsile
2 zucchini, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1 handful grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil
Fresh ground pepper

We start by melting the butter in the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute for a minute and then add the gagoots.

Saute for about 25-30 minutes, or until the zucchini breaks down. I like to get a little carmelization on the zucchini - it adds to the sweetness.

In a separate bowl, add the Parmesan cheese to the eggs with a few turns of the pepper grinder and beat.

Next, pour the egg mixture over the zucchini and stir until the eggs firm up.

That's all there is to it. A very simple dish made better by homegrown gagoots, and you can eat it at any meal. Now Mangia!

First harvest

2010-06-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Funny how the last thing to go in is the first to produce. Usually I get the zucchinis off early in March but for some reason, I overlooked them during the seed start. I direct-seeded a few plants in late April and here we are. Four plants are going strong and we'll soon have zooks coming out of our keenies.

In the spirit of report cards (the kids did great by the way,) here's the progress reports for the tomatoes so far: All of the plants look great and are growing vigorously. Tomatoes have formed on the SunSugar, Early Wonder, La Roma and the Paul Robeson. The Zapotec Pleated, Amish Paste, and Virgina Sweets have flowers, but the blossoms are dropping and nothing has formed. I'm wondering if they're waiting for the heat. The Rutgers in the Earthbox has formed a few tomatoes, but the one in the main garden has not. It's interesting how this plant is behaving like an heirloom rather than the hybrid it is.

On the side of the house, I planted three of the leftover plants, Amish Paste, Paul Robeson and Virginia Sweets. I call this section the neglected plot because it doesn't have the fancy drip system, or eight years of built up organic material in the soil. The sun shines on that side of the house for maybe 5 hours. Anyway, there are 6 tomatoes on the Paul Robeson and 3 on the Amish Paste. Go figure. Tomatoes do not like to be babied - there's your proof.

I added the second application of fertilizer to everything that has set fruit and gave them a nice soak. Now that the weather is warming, I've upped the drip to 90 minutes every few days.

The Good, the Bad, and the Slimy

2010-06-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

It was HOT this weekend and the plants really showed their appreciation as everything is coming along nicely. The bugs have arrived, and this includes the party crashers in addition to the invited guests. I've noticed an army of praying mantis "pups" stationed throughout the garden - it seems each plant has its own "beat cop" patrolling the leaves looking for aphids and other undesirables to devour.

I found several cabbage worms on the cabbage plant as well as on the zucchini. A few of the cabbage leaves started to look like swiss cheese and it didn't take long to locate the culprit. You can see how much damage these creeps can cause in such a short period of time. If you only have a few, and you have the time to go through the plants, you can handpick them off. If not, you can spray some BT on the plants and that will take care of the caterpillar problem. BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is safer to use on the plants and you can get it at any garden store.

See how they try to hide in the veins of this leaf? If you're seeing holes on the leaves of your plants, look on the underside and see if it's the caterpillars. If not, the holes are most likely the result of snails, slugs, earwigs or grasshoppers. They are all bad actors and need to be dealt with severely. The caterpillars come from the eggs laid by that white moth you see flying around your plants. I know you've seen them on your tomato plants and they will soon turn into the dreaded Tomato Hornworm. More on those and how I deal with those buggers in a future post.

While I consider myself a true arachnophobe, you can't argue the benefit of having them in the garden. Just don't try and pick them up - they don't like that.

Take a good look at this yellow sticky trap. Those bugs are aphids, whiteflies, and other nasties that are now stickin' around on an impromptu "most wanted" poster mounted among the peppers. This appears to work, and given its popularity with the "volunteers," I'll add a few more.

Fruit forming

2010-06-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

They're behind schedule, but at least they're here. Given the crazy cool weather we've had down here in SoCal, I'm thrilled to see the fruit beginning to form on some of the plants.

Early Wonder tomato

Lipstick pepper

Zucchini

Cabbage

I received an early Father's Day present today: One of those upside down hanging planters. So I planted it with one of my Celebrity tomato plants in the Whitney Farms organic potting soil, and fertilized it with the FoxFarms tomato food. Now I've got tomatoes in the ground, in the Earthbox, and one acrobat in the Turvy-thing. Let's see if it's all a gimmick, or if it really works. I've come across quite a few blogs out there with folks growing the plants in all sorts of upside down containers, and I must admit, it looks promising. One immediate drawback: When I watered it this evening, it dripped all over the patio for quite some time. While it provided a shower of amusement for my Lab, I'll have to find another place for it. I'm thinking of hanging off of one of the Queen palms.

Thanks Don!

2010-05-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

I'd like to send out a word of thanks to Don Shor, host of "The Davis Garden Show" radio program for helping out with answers to some of my gardening questions, and for mentioning and posting a link to this blog for all the gardening world to see. For anyone who would like to know more about vegetable gardening, or gardening in general, you can download the podcasts for the Davis Garden Show, as well as another great podcast, "Get Growing with Farmer Fred". These folks put out great information and their podcasts help me get through my 48 mile one-way commute to work.

I'm trying to work out the "comments" problems that I'm experiencing on the blog - some have told me that they have tried to post a comment, but the blog wouldn't take it. Until I figure it out, try posting as "anonymous" and see if that works. Any feedback is welcomed.

On to the garden, I know you have been worried sick over those pepper plants I posted a couple of weeks ago. The plants look a little better, but I'm hoping that some warmer weather will set them on the right path. If the new growth comes out wrinkled and distorted after it warms up, then I'll know for sure that it's some form of virus and the plants will have to go. Remember the "strung out felons" quip from an earlier post? Well I guess you can say the plants are on probation.

The first actual tomato has formed, and it's on the - you guessed it - Early Wonder. Blossoms are on the others, so let's hope they form en masse and there will be tomatoes by July. I came across a couple of articles on "upside down" container growing and was thinking about experimenting with one to see if there is any difference, or if it's just a gimmick. I have a Celebrity seedling in reserve, so maybe I'll give that one a shot.

Progress

2010-05-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

They grow up so fast, don't they? Here is the difference a month makes as the tomato plants begin to mature. I'm watering for 60 minutes at a time, twice a week. This watering business is killin' me because while the tomato and cucumbers like this schedule, the pepper plants seemed to be having a problem because the ground is still saturated. The cool, wet weather has also complicated things and I think maybe I'll increase to 75 minutes once a week until things heat up. The adage holds that you water intensely, infrequently. By watering this way, the roots of the plants are forced deeper into the soil to get to the better nutrients. I've never had the patience to practice that rule in the past - when the soil surface looked dry, I watered. I've never been completely satisfied with that method, so we'll try it by the book.

Blossoms on the Paul Robeson tomato

Cucumbers

Pepper problem

2010-05-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

I guess it wouldn't be gardening at my house if everything went according to plan. This is one of the jalapeno plants in the garden which seems to be in some sort of distress. I've noticed that all of the new growth is stunted and the leaves are wrinkled and twisted. It's as if the plant is unhappy with each new shoot of growth, gives up on it and starts another with the same results. I am seeing the same type of growth on the other pepper plants as well, although none as advanced as this. While it's possible this could be the result of the wacky weather, I'm concerned it could be something more serious such as a soil problem or some type of virus.

Further to follow.

Peaches and Herb

2010-05-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Peaches and Herb? No, not that rockin' super duo from the 70's who sung that blazing chart topper "Reunited". I'm talking about peaches and herbs. First, the peach tree. I'm growing one in the yard and it's about 8 years old. This is a white peach which produces the sweetest fruit, your teeth ache with each bite. I'm sure some of you have tried to grow peaches or nectarines that never grow larger than a golf ball and would give any Spree candy a run for its money. What's the trick? Thinning of the fruit. Unless your tree is considered self-thinning, you have to perform the task yourself. Here's how to do it: Take a branch laden with fruit and spread your thumb and pinky finger in a "hang loose" fashion. Line it up with the branch and leave fruit at your thumb and pinky. Remove all of the fruit in between. Do this along the length of each fruit bearing limb. I know it sounds counter-intuitive to throw away perfectly healthy looking fruit, but this will make the difference between growing golf balls or baseballs. You will see and taste the difference I promise. 9 out of 10 neighborhood squirrels can attest.

On to the herbs. Here's what I'm growing this year: Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Chives, Thyme, Mint and Rosemary. All of these love the full sun and heat, especially the basil. I prefer the large leaf Genovese basil as well as the flat-leaf Italian Parsley- don't bother with the curly-leaf variety, it doesn't taste as good. For convenience, try to grow them in the same area, close to your back door or kitchen area. By summer, you'll have the essential ingredients to enhance any creation in the kitchen.

When the heirloom tomatoes come in, I like to make a nice Caprese Salad with fresh basil and fresh mozzarella from our pet water buffalo. Drizzled with a good olive oil, it's outstanding.

Movement in the Wire

2010-05-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I go out in the backyard this morning to survey the kingdom when I look up and see this little bastard oops, I mean cute, wonder of nature, clinging to the SIDE of my house under the eave of the top story. Don't let his innocent-looking furry little face fool you. I know what he's up to: Reconnaissance.

You see, my peaches are developing on the tree in the corner of the yard and from this vantage point, he can see all the way across the top to size up his points of ingress and egress. It won't be long before the sight of him sunning himself on the top of the block wall, warming his peach-laden belly with straddled legs and wearing a fruit-eating grin on his purple juice-soaked mug, finally pushes me over the edge.

I have never seen the squirrel in this place before and it's clear that he's changing tactics. That's alright, I'll just have to step up the game. I'd like to introduce to you one of the many enemy combatants who'll come out to play this year.

This incursion will not stand.

You're getting warmer

2010-05-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well friends, the month of May has finally arrived and I think it's safe to say we've seen the last of the cold. Now that the soil has warmed, the peppers have found their place in the plot along with the tomatoes and a pair of eggplant. I put the finishing touches on the drip irrigation system and everything is up and running. The onions, garlic and shallots have broken through the surface and seem to be doing quite well.

Bugs eye view of the onions and shallots

This year I've decided to grow two tomato plants in the Earthbox. This system works very well if you follow the instructions for the proper setup which include using a soil-less potting mix and adding dolamite lime and granular fertilizer. Once the plants go in, position the box in full sun and add water daily to the funnel pipe until it runs out the overflow hole near the bottom. Since the fertilizer is added at the time of planting, it lasts the entire growing season. It's impossible to overwater or overfertilize, the hallmark of most failures in the garden. The plants take what they need when they need it, and as long as you position in full sun, you can't go wrong. In fact, I would venture to say you have to have a special skill set to fail at this endeavor!

Tri-Tip on the Grill

2010-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well the rain and cold have given way to a beautiful weekend here in SoCal, so it's ime to bust out the Weber grill. This recipe for Santa Maria tri-tip appeared in the LA Times a few years back and it's a keeper:

6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup of olive oil
4 teaspoons of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 (3 pound) tri-tip roast with a thin fat layer

Start by grinding the garlic, oil, salt and peppercorns in a blender to a coarse paste. Trim the roast of excess fat but leave a nice layer that you can score with a knife. Pat dry the meat and place in a sealable plastic bag. Add the garlic paste and seal the bag, pressing out the air. Massage the meat until evenly coated and then place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Soak some chunks of oak (or whatever smoking wood you prefer except mesquite) in water.

After the coals in the chimney starter begin to ash over, pile them on one side of the grill and add the soaked wood chunks. Place the meat fat side down directly over the coals for a few minutes. Don't worry about a little char, it's necessary for a good crust. Turn the meat over and sear the lean side for the same amount of time. Check out the flames in this pic.

Since we're grilling indirectly, we now move the meat to the cool side of the grill, insert the meat thermometer probe and cover. Open the vents on your lid about halfway. Now we wait. Sittin' in a lounge chair, drinking a cold beer and watching the smoke puff out the top - 'nuff said. Don't peek - remember, if you're lookin' you ain't cookin'.

Trust in your meat thermometer, it pays to get a good one. If you like it on the rare side of medium, wait until the temp reads 128 degrees and then move it to a platter. Set the roast aside for about 10 minutes to finish cooking and to allow the juices to settle. Carve thin slices against the grain.

That's Sunday at my house.

39 Degrees

2010-04-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

What the hell? That's no sofa in the garden. Thanks to El Nino, it was a brisk 39 degrees and raining in the SCV when I left the house this morning. Not good. Luckily, I bought a floating row cover a couple of months ago during my last trip to Green Thumb and have put it to good use. Temperatures are expected below 39 tonight as winter won't go down without a fight. My apologies to the East Coast contingent where they have real winters, but the Live Mega Doppler 7000 says we're on Stormwatch!

Diggin' in the dirt

2010-04-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

I got all of the tomatoes in the ground yesterday. All eleven of them. I know how I went on about ten being the magic number on the last post, but the Amish Paste plant looked too good to leave out of the mix. So, as Nigel from Spinal Tap said while showing off the guitar with the special volume knob: "This one goes to eleven. It's one louder."

One quick tip: plant the tomato plants DEEP. Remove the lowest set of leaves and plant them with the remaining leaves close to the ground. Roots will develop all along the stem resulting in a stronger plant. I added some organic granular fertilizer in each hole to get them off to a good start. We won't add any additional fertilizer until the fruit forms.

The Starting Lineup

2010-04-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

And then there were ten. Perhaps my least favorite of the spring planting tasks, the day has finally arrived when I must choose which of the tomato plants will have made it on the varsity team, and which will be gifted to a few lucky family members and friends. Tomato plants need lots of space, and due to my small backyard allotment, this year I am going to reduce the number of plants to ten, instead of the traditional sixteen. Let's see if there is a marked improvement in the total yield department. I've been guilty in the past of cramming too many plants together in such a small space, the resultant "hedgerow" was an impressive sight no doubt, but definitely had a negative impact on the overall performance of the crop. The plants need space for air circulation and ample sunlight.

So here they are: (2) Zapotec Pink Ribbed
   (1) LaRoma II hybrid
   (1) SunSugar FT Hybrid
   (1) Paul Robeson
   (1) Early Wonder
   (2) Rutgers VFA
   (2) Virginia Sweets

Which of the plants will grow up to be doctors or lawyers and which will end up strung-out felons? Who's to say and only time will tell. Hope springs eternal, but I am ever mindful of the fact that no matter what I do, or how hard I try, Mother Nature always bats last.

Winter weather?

2010-04-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

How bout this past weekend's storm which dumped a whole lot of rain and high winds Sunday night. With the overnight temperatures getting down to the low 40's, I felt a sense of relief that I successfully fought the urge to get the plants in the ground last week.

Tomatoes and peppers need the soil temperature to be at least in the 60's, with the average overnight temps to be in the mid 50's. If the soil is not warm enough, the plants will languish making themselves vulnerable to all sorts of pests and disease.

If you don't have a soil thermometer, here's a great way to tell if your soil is ready, no joke: Sit your bare ass (not to be confused with the bear-ass, that would qualify as a registrable offense) in the dirt and if you can remain comfortable for 60 seconds, your plants are ready to go in. For me, I'll just wait until the last week of April. For those brave souls who prefer to live on the edge, try to be discreet. And if the neighbors happen to catch a glimpse, just tell 'em you got a little behind in the garden.

Fertilizers

2010-04-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, I prefer to grow the garden completely organic. It's not that I'm trying to save the world or provide safe haven for the endangered Peruvian Puff-Peppered Stickleback Garden Grouper, I just figure we get enough chemicals and other nasties walking to the mailbox, why put them in your homegrown veggies?

I won't go on a long dissertation extolling the benefits of using organic fertilizers and pesticides over the likes of Miracle-Grow and Bug-B-Ded, it's just better, for all of us. The local stores have plenty of organic fertilizers to choose from such as Whitney Farms, Dr. Earth and FoxFarm's Peace of Mind. On a side note, 5 out of 6 ganja growers prefer FoxFarm, or so I've been told by the 18 yr-old Frank Zappa clone at one of the local nurseries.

What do those three numbers on the bag or box mean? You've seen 'em : 29-3-3, 16-16-16, 5-1-1, and so on. Fret not for I will explain. They stand for the percentage by weight that the product contains of the 3 macronutrients in order: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Plants need nitrogen for green leafy growth, phosphorus for strong root growth, flowering and fruit, and potassium to promote vigor and disease resistance.

Ever notice that your lawn fertilizer usually has a high nitrogen weight such as 27 or 30? That's for green grass. If you like to plant bulbs, you know that the bulb food contains some bone meal which is very high in phosphorus, the middle number. Here is a great way to remember what the numbers mean the next time you find yourself brain-frozen in the fertilizer aisle and forgot what Vic told you:

Up, down, and all around. The first number to help the plant grow up, the second to help the plant grow down, and the third, well you get the point. We'll talk about the best fertilizer of them all (Compost) in another posting. I'm done spreading the manure for today.

Easter weekend

2010-04-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Harvested the last of the winter crop this weekend. The carrots did well as did the Swiss Chard. I'm in the process of "hardening off" the seedlings. It's a two week process in which the plants are slowly exposed to the sun and outside elements.

I received my drip irrigation order in the mail and will post when the installation takes place.

In the garden, I've begun preparing the beds with the appropriate soil amendments, and cleaned and oiled the rat traps and BB gun, I mean, the Havahart LIVE animal cage. Don't get me wrong, I love squirrels, just not in my peach tree. Last year, I humanely relocated a total of 7 to the greener pastures of Central Park, to no avail. This year will be different I predict. More to follow on that subject.

On a side note, John passed his driver's test today and received his license. Motoring public be warned!

Potting Up

2010-04-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

As I try to get us up to present day, we now move to March 27, when the seedlings were ready for transplant into the red cups. I added a small amount of diluted fish emulsion to give them a kick start the week prior to the transplant. As you can see, the roots are very long and healthy. Be sure to poke a few holes in the bottom of the cups for drainage.

Seedlings Emerge!

2010-04-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

On March 3, 2010, the seedlings have begun to sprout. The tomatoes have appeared first, and the peppers and eggplant will soon follow. The two seeds in each cell have germinated and I cut the smaller of the two plants at the sponge level so I'm left with one plant per cell. It's best to cut the seedling rather than pull so as not to damage the roots of the remaining plant.

Once the seeds have germinated, it's time to lower the fluorescent light fixture to within 2" of the plants. I use 40 watt "full spectrum" tubes found at your local home center to give the seedlings the best artificial light. By March 18, 2010, the seedlings are starting to take shape.

Sowing the Seeds

2010-04-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

I began this year's crop on February 27, 2010. In the past, I have always used peat pots found in the Jiffy starting kit, but decided to try the Park Seed Biodome system given to me by Grandpa Frank last summer. It's basically a styrofoam block filled with individual plugs of a sponge material which floats on water. This system is designed to train the roots straight down, and there is no worry of overwatering as the seedlings wick only what they need. Plus, since the roots do not weave into the styrofoam, the risk of damaging the plant is greatly reduced when it comes time to pot them up.

I drop 2 seeds per cell to improve the germination rate. With the lid on and the vents closed, I place the Biodome on a seed germination heating pad and wait for the miracle to happen. The heat pad speeds up the germination process by a few days, and the lid helps create a nice humid environment.

Intro

2010-04-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve been growing tomatoes and peppers in the backyard garden for several years now and decided it was time jot down the trials and tribulations of the upcoming growing season for anyone interested in how the garden grows in Valencia, California.

From seed-starts to drip irrigation, and seedlings to harvest, I’ll do my best to get it all up for a few laughs and maybe a lesson or two learned along the way. As an added bonus, I’ll be sure to chronicle each and every skirmish as I go head-to-head with the rats, squirrels and other nefarious creatures who do their best to steal my sanity, along with the occasional heirloom tomato. It’s a battle my family and co-workers know all too well.

As grilling season heats up, I’ll post the latest pictures of whatever selection of beef, pork or chicken makes its way from grill to plate.

So here goes.