Previous Capers

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Last of the Tomatoes - For Sure this Time

Indeterminate: Not knowing when to quit.

Well, Now that it's half way into November, I decided it's time to whack-a-doodle the tomatoes. As you can see, they have been rather late bloomers; their saving grace having been a well protected cloche enclosure. Altogether, the harvest was rather lacking this year.

I managed to harvest about half ripish and half green - the green being the heirlooms, of course. The vines were a sorry site; that look of desperation when they want to ripen just those last few fruits but the cold has thwarted that determination. Despite the cold, they've managed to keep plugging away. I was even whacking new blooms until late last month! They haven't been watered for weeks, either.

Now, it's time for fried green tomatoes and maybe a little Salsa Verde. Anyone have a good recipe for the salsa?

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Top 10 Things To Do While Waiting for Purple Sprouting Broccoli to Flower

10. Contemplate tearing it out.
9. Create a Purple Sprouting Advent calendar to count the 240 day period to maturity.
8. Measure the diameter of the trunks (and I mean trunks!) and its height every week.
7. Find the largest leaf and submit it to the
Guinness Book of World Records.
6. Stake it up so it's not flopping over from it's own weight.

5. Find out how many critters are living among it.

4. Fertilize it just for kicks and giggles.

3. Figure out how the heck you're going to pro
tect it from frost and wet, heavy snow.
2. Hold a neighborhood skit for kids on
Jack and Broccoli Stalk...

....And the number one thing to do?

1. Make a list of all the crops you could have planted instead!