Author Archives: Patsy Bell

Todays Harvest Basket

Posted on July 20, 2012 | Comments Off on Todays Harvest Basket

July 19, 2012

chard, mint, tomatoes

chard, mint, tomatoes

Todays harvest included lots of small tomatoes, some mixed varietys of chard, and a hand full of mint that will go in tabouli and iced tea.

This is how I keep the mint under control: every day I make sun tea. I snip a

Mojito mint planted in terracotta drain tile

bit of mint off one of the four varieties each day. So, once or twice a week each mint (or the lemon balm) gets a bit of a trim. And I get fresh mint for cooking or for my sun tea.

The tomatoes are mostly Riesentraube Cherry Tomatoes, an old Pennsylvania Dutch heirloom tomato meaning “giant bunches of grapes.” They are larger than most cherry tomatoes. and the distinctive thing about them is the little pointy nipple on the end of every tomato.

tlnb – the little neighbor boy-  came by today and told us we would miss him this week because he was going on vacation. I suspect he is right. We do miss our frequent garden guest when he doesn’t come around.

He’s just as cute a Dennis the menace and asks dozens of questions at every visit. Lately he can also answer some of the questions.

“Why do you garden so much?” he asked.

“I know. You like to know where your food comes from and gardening reminds you of your mother and your grandmother,” he answered.

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Todays Harvest Basket

Posted on July 18, 2012 | Comments Off on Todays Harvest Basket

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Onions, tomatoes, celery

celery, onions, tomatoes

First time to grow celery and it is a heavy feeder and needs lots of water. It should be blanched. The celery was very green (because I did not blanch it.) It is not bitter, but it should be, because I really forgot about it. These plants were in the shade of other plants (roses, tomatoes.)

The celery should have been picked weeks ago before the big heat wave. But even the bugs and disease ignored the celery. So sometimes, even when you do everything wrong, garden plants will thrive anyway.

This was the last of the onions in the garden.  A few saladette tomatoes, the Indigo Rose tomatoes are ripe every day.

 

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Posted in Harvest Basket, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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Spiced peach cobbler

Posted on July 18, 2012 | Comments Off on Spiced peach cobbler

It’s peach season! I ate half of my entire peach crop in one setting. The squirrel ate the other one. So, these peaches are from the local orchard.  Just across the Mississippi River is Cobden Illinois, famous for their peaches.

The region if known for the wine trails. Cobden also grows some of the best apples and peaches. photo by PBH

Though it is an easy drive, we like to make our trip to the peach orchard a get away weekend.  We love staying at Makanda Inn B&B, 855 Old Lower Cobden Road, Makanda, Illinois 62958. Southern Illinois newest bed and breakfast located in the heart of the Shawnee Wine Trail.

Robin Sue of Big Red Kitchen says “This is my go-to Peach Cobbler recipe. It has never let me down. This dish is very moist, super fast to make, and wonderful served warm with vanilla ice cream, perfect for summer cook-outs.”

Miss Jean’s Peach Cobbler  Cooks and recipe collectors on Pinterest wil love her Big Red Kitchen boards.

So rich and buttery, just a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream will do. photo by PBH

I made this recipe, except I added a touch of spice: ½ teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg and the tiniest pinch of ground cloves.

This is my version of Miss Jean’s Peach Cobbler. It sounds like one of those great 70’s recipes we loved before we were told butter is bad. You know those kind of dump cakes that amazed us when they really worked?

Spiced Peach Cobbler

4 cups fresh peaches sliced and sweetened if necessary
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 pinch ground cloves
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Set oven to 350. Put stick of butter in a 9×13 inch pan. Set pan in oven for a minute or until butter is melted. Remove from oven.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Mix combined dry ingredients with milk and sugar until smooth.
Pour batter over melted butter.
Put peaches and any juices on top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Let set at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

My recipe is adapted from Miss Jean’s Peach Cobbler

To read more about Makanda Inn go to Striped Pot: The Makanda Inn B&B Learn more about the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

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Posted in Bed & Breakfasts, preserving the harvest, Recipes

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GBBD July 15, 2012

Posted on July 15, 2012 | 3 comments

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2012

I got the Morning Glory seed for this beauty for Renee’s Garden.

Containers and hanging baskets are getting water at least once a day now. Every year a few more plants are added to the drip irrigation system under the pergola on the deck. And, below the pergola on the patio, just outside the kitchen.

Senorita Blanca™ Spider Flower Cleome hybrid (Proven Winners trial plant.)

SUPERBELLS® Lemon Slice. Calibrachoa hybrid (Proven Winners Trial plant.)

Lemon slice and Watermelon (Proven Winners trial plants) These hummingbird magnets get watered twice a day. They are looking good despite the heat.

Lantana provides color all summer as long as it is well watered and fertilized.

 

Four o’clock “broken colors” from Renee’s Garden.

This odd zinnia is the result of saving seed produced by last years hybrid zinnias. You never know what you will get when you save seed from F1 hybrids.

Here we are in the middle of summer and gardens that haven’t dried up from the drought, been washed away by flood, burned up by the wild fires or just blown to another location by tornadoes, seem to be doing fine.

Global temperature change is taking it’s toll. I have friend who says, “I don’t have a dog in this fight,” and won’t discuss the matter. There is no joy in “I told you so.” So, lets just do what we can to help each other through.

Many thanks to Carol of May Dreams for Bloom Day. Anyone can participate, visit Carol for details.

There are more blooms around today, but I am really focused on the herbs and vegetables these days.

Vegetable Garden Report

Well, here’s my new pride and joy, Indigo Rose tomato. Just bigger than a cherry tomato, the area that is esposed to sunlight turns blue. The areas of this tomato that do not get direct sunlight are red/orange.

All the cherry tomatoes are producing and the big tomatoes are growing bigger every day. I still have chard in the garden. There are some red onions still in the ground but most of the onions, shallots and garlic are harvested.

Droves of squash bug thugs are in the garden. Squash hardly has a chance this year. A few eggplant, cucumbers and carrots are doing well. Peppers, both hot and sweet  are on their way. If I can keep them watered, it will be a good crop.

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Posted in Herbs in the garden, My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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Indigo Rose New Blue Tomato

Posted on July 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Indigo Rose New Blue Tomato

I’m updating this story very often. Mainly because, it is rare to discover a new wholesome food. There are lots of hybrids out there but this is a completely new tomato. Read more.

Rose Marie Nichols said, “You know Patsy, this tomato has the highest level of Anthocyanins anywhere.”

I just nodded, hoping I appeared to know what she was talking about. But I went flying to the internet to learn more about Anthocyanins. It’s the pigment that makes blueberries blue and the reason they are so good for you.

Scientists are asking if Anthocyanins are helping fight cancer or wrinkles. But we do know that as stated in mybotoxla.com/coolsculpting site, anthocyanins are one of the best reasons we should eat deep colored fruits and vegetables.

Jim Myers, dept of horticulture, OSU is the wizard behind the research. He develops improved vegetable varieties to support gardeners, growers and processors in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

This tomato plant is still evolving. Buy the time the University has completed it’s research, it is likely Indigo Rose will end up other positive traits like stronger disease resistance.

I grow tomatoes that tell a story, like so many heirlooms do.

Since every other tomato I grow is an heirloom, this is indeed unusual in my experience. I like growing tomatoes that come with a story and a history. Like Granny Cantrell.

Granny Cantrell produces big, one-pound tomatoes in my garden.

Seed from this tomato came from a WW II souldier who gave it to Lettie Cantrell on his return to the US.

Lettie said she saved the seed from the largest tomatoes every year. It was the only tomato she grew in the hills of eastern Kentucky. She grew this tomato every year from the 1940’s until she died in 2005.

I agree with Lettie. The Granny Cantrell tomato is a rich old fashioned beed steak type tomato.

If I could grow only one tomato, it just might be this one with big, red one – pound fruits.

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Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!

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Todays harvest basket

Posted on July 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Todays harvest basket

onions, shallots, tomatoes

I can never have too much garlic or too many onions. photo by PBH

Alliums for all. Onions and shallots  plus, tomatoes are slowly producing. photo by PBH

Most of the onions are sweet onions and will not keep well. I’ll make a big jar of pickled onions pretty soon. The recipe was on Pinterest.

In the photo: French red shallots, chippolino and red torpedo onions. A fewwhite and yellow onions that did not get picked for green onions in the salads.

What kind of onions to you grow?

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Todays Harvest June 27, 2012

Posted on July 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Todays Harvest June 27, 2012

Todays harvest included onions, carrots, chard and Chinese cabbage

 

I’ll make cole slaw out of the cabbage. It is a lighter version of slaw. I never make that mayo based dressing any more.

The chard will go into green rice.

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Posted in My Gardens, My Homeplace, Oh Grow Up!, Ozarks Travel Examiner

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Todays Harvest Basket

Posted on July 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Todays Harvest Basket

June 16, 2012

carrots, chard, wasabi arugula, red onions

My gartden harvest June 16, 2012 photo by PBH

 

It’s a small garden, after all there are only two of us. Plus, I am lucky enough to share with neighbor Patty and Neighbor Dorothy. We are all looking forward to tomatoes.

We can usually eat everything fresh. If not, there is a vegetable pickle crock in the fridge. Or, occasionally, I will freeze or dehydrate the surplus.

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Raised beds and high hopes

Posted on July 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Raised beds and high hopes

Tomatoes

I have raised beds and high hopes for Southeast Missouri garden, zone 6A. We are still a couple of weeks away from the juicy giant tomato of my dreams.

“Do you want a tomato sandwich?” I yelled out the back door last summer.

“Tomato sandwich? You mean without the Bacon?” Jules replied.

This was an un paralleled act of generosity on my part. I was offering to share the first big red, ripe tomato of the summer.

Jules won’t come in for a lunch-time tomato sandwich.  He will come in for a Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.

Let’s share our tomato favorites throughout the season. Leave a comment, please.

Indigo Rose Saladette tomato. photo PBH

I have a new raised bed that is 4 ft square and I plan to see just how much I can produce in this small space. My point is that we can have fresh home-grown produce in the space of an apartment balcony, or a suburban front porch.

I’m growing great tomatoes in a 5 gallon bucket. Plus, there is room to tuck in a basil plant, some thyme or, some chives.

I am also growing a brand new tomato, Indigo Blue. It is a saladette tomato, meaning bigger than a cherry tomato but smaller than a Celebrity. Saladette is a GIANT Cherry or a really small beefsteak.

All my garden seed is from:

Renee’s Garden

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed

Nichols Seeds

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

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Salad Bowl

Posted on July 4, 2012 | Comments Off on Salad Bowl

Second season container plants

Patio planters are filled with salad greens and pansies. Expand your ideas about container gardens and planters. Grow leafy salad greens in full sun in spring and partial shade or shaded location in summer.

A living salad bowl at Southmoreland Urban Inn photo by PBH

I love the idea. Everything in this planter is edible. The mix of pansies and lettuce are a great idea. These flowers belong to the Inn Keepers at Southmoreland on the Plaza – an Urban Inn in Kansas City MO. 

frillly loose leaf lettuce can fill a container with color and texture.

It gave me the idea to add the beautiful textures and shapes of lettuce into my planter and hanging baskets. I know you’ve seen lush baskets of ornamental sweet potatoes.

Sometimes by the end of summer, most containers have a few blank spaces. Toss a little red lettuce or beautifully textured arugula in the container.

Grow late season crops tucked in anywhere. Put a few seeds in an empty garden row or an unused container. Fall is a good time for second season or cool season crops.

Once an ashtray, this patio furniture is now a mini container garden.

The bonus is you get a home grown salad. Some lettuces and radishes can take a light frost. The soil is already warmed by the summer sun and crops will germinate quickly. Keep soil moist to encourage germination. Share your combination planters with us. Leave a comment below.

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Posted in Bed & Breakfasts, Gardens (not mine), Go Away

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