Freaks and BLTs

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)

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

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

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!

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

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!

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!