Home Grown Tomatoes or My Love of the Beef Master

Here it is, near the end of January (and awfully close to the beginning of winter) and I have a craving that can't be appeased. I desperately want to go out the sliding doors, across the deck, through the gate and over to my rather small and unruly garden so that I can pick a tomato. I wouldn't bother to wash it; instead, I would wipe it quickly across my t-shirt and take a big, messy bite.

My favorite garden tomato is the Beef Master. This tomato has the kind of face that only a mother (or tomato freak like me) could love; uneven and creased, often with tomato pieces protruding like a Jimmy Durante nose. These extremely heavy fruits are chalk-full of meat, making it a great variety capable of fulfilling a multitude of tasks.

I've used Beef Masters (aka Beefmaster, one word) to eat straight from the garden, on a BLT, diced and mixed with olive oil, mozzarella chunks, onions and basil, and made into juice. It's fabulous made into sauce to be frozen, grilled between a slice of garlic bread and provolone cheese, or cut daisy-like and filled with cottage cheese.

The downfalls of this variety? It's susceptible to disease, which can be somewhat controlled by rotating your crop, practicing good garden hygiene (clean up all dropped leaves and fruits) and watering at root level. The enormous fruits also have a tendency to weigh down the fragile plant branches, causing them to split or break. I use a good support system for each plant to help dodge that potentially fatal bullet.

Yes, I have a love-affair with my garden tomatoes. I eagerly away summer so that I can have a true garden delight. I'm not about to cheat with those mushy, mealy store-bought Jezebels!

shel

Elephant Ear and Banana Tree

Tropical plants are excellent additions to our Illinois gardens. Each year that I go to Alabama I plan extra cargo space to be able to bring home exotic and inexpensive plants from the southern garden centers.

Last year I purchased a small $7.00 pot that held one banana tree. I placed it on the corner of my deck along with pots of elephant ears, nasturtium, and hot pink Wave petunias. (This provided the Tall, Fill and Spill portions of the recipe for a successful planting....the banana tree is tall, elephant ear fills that middle otherwise empty area and nasturtiums and Waves spill over the side to cover most of the pot surfaces.) The plants grew like crazy and looked great, unlike the rest of the gardens.

Before the first frost, I brought the pots into the sun room. They still look healthy and lust. I water infrequently and will hold off fertilizing until spring, just before the last frost.

The geraniums and impatiens that I brought in are just limping along, becoming leggy and weak. Luckily the tropicals are lush and beautiful still. With their help, I will be able to control my mad gardening urges.

If you haven't tried growing a banana tree or giant elephant ear, you should do so. Winter days aren't quite so dreary when you have the tropicals around!

Hope you're all safe and warm.

shel

Puffball on Steroids

I've been looking through some of the pictures on the computer (I have a few thousand) and came across the giant puffball that I found in my husband's shooting range earlier this year. It was amazing.

I remember my Grandma Ketcham eating puffballs. I don't remember how she fixed them (fried? sauteed? raw?) but I do remember finding young fingernail-sized puffballs in the garden and around the farm, and giving them to her. I also remember stepping on the dried up puffballs, causing greenish spore to float into the air.

I don't know a lot about puffballs, but I can appreciate their unique beauty.

shel

I'm Still Kicking

Well, it's been a while since I've felt up to blogging. I've THOUGHT of blogs to write (full of wit and wisdom in my codeine-induced mind) as I shiver and sweat on the couch. As I sit here tapping away, however, I find my mind a complete blank. Guess it's time for some more of the cough syrup that has kept me going.

I have had two full prescriptions of antibiotics (Levaquin and Azithromicin; please forgive the spelling) and am now on steroids. I absolutely hate to take them as I can't sleep for the first few days, but I hate even more that I cough like a sickly seal with nearly every breath.

Wouldn't it be ironic if they discovered I have lung cancer? Think about it. I've spent most of my adult life lecturing people I love, as well as total strangers, about the deadly side-effects of stinky, expensive, disgusting cigarettes. I've been married to two smokers and both of my children have smoked (I don't know if Alana is or not since she's pregnant...that would REALLY burn my butt). Get the whole irony thing?

I snuck outside to the garden while Gabe was taking a catnap today and got a small zucchini, eight tomatoes, two green peppers and a handful of banana peppers. I noticed that some ballsy insect is munching on three of the heads of cabbage but there were none of the culprits in sight, and I didn't want to spend any time looking. It will have to wait until it's either warm and dry outside, or my bronchitis is gone, whichever comes first.

Monday I start my new job. I'm a little nervous as it takes me a while to catch on to new stuff. Once I am comfortable in the job, however, I'll be a kick-ass worker.

Boy, do I miss little Bryan. I haven't seen him in forever. I hope to see him for a short time on Monday, depending on what time I get off of work. I'd stick around for dinner but I have to be back in Clinton by 7:00 p.m. There's a meeting for the social committee of Beta Sigma Phi and I can't miss it since I'm the chair. I bet Bryan has really changed since I've last seen him. Children seem to grow so quickly!

For the second time this week I've lost the t.v. remote. Luckily there were good chick-flicks on all day. Suckily this channel has started showing a reality show now, and I would much rather watch Family Guy or some other mindless show that will make me smile.

The leaves have started falling in a major way. It's time to get out the rake and clean up leaf carcasses. Out of all of the seasons, autumn is my least favorite.

I hope all of you are still kicking, too.
shel

Rainy Day

Once again it's a wet, miserable day fit only for snuggling up under a fuzzy blanket with a cup of hot tea and a good book.....and that's exactly what I've done today. I sat out in the sun room, listening to the rain gently hitting the roof (and dripping into the bowl....never install a skylight in your sun room) and watching the birds while between pages. This would not normally be my routine. Yesterday Dr. Rauch told me I have bronchitis, prescribed an antibiotic Z medication and cough syrup with codeine, and told me to REST and drink lots of fluids. I'm glad it's raining because it would be hard for me to stay down otherwise. Tomorrow I'll be back to my routine, whether I'm ready or not.

I hope that you are all able to do something comforting today.

shel

p.s. Our lawn was dried and cracked, so I can't really complain about the rain. I planted grass seed in the back a few days ago so this will really help it take off. The tomatoes are ready to be picked again, but I don't want to go out in the damp air. I hope they don't start to crack due to the excess moisture.

Missing It

I haven't been out in my gardens for quite a few days now, and man, am I missing it. Weeding can be quite therapeutic. We have had a wet, wet spring so the weeds are having a great time taking over the gardens. I'm hoping that it holds off on Wednesday, as I won't have either grandson and I will be able to get some mulch spread.

The hosta are fabulous as are the lupines. Sadly, the oriental lilies are being eaten by deer before they have a chance to show off. Same with some of the daylilies.

shel

Occasionally I Just Gotta Whine - Sorry!

Life is back on an even keel for me. Alana is acting much nicer, and has even called just to talk a few times. Max has apologized and has tried to make it up to me by helping me spread mulch. This is a rare thing for him...he HATES to be outside, unless he is shooting.

Garden-wise, I have got to say that it's turning out to be a sunny place. One year I planted 500 daffodils, and they have multiplied wonderfully. Therefore they are blooming their happy little heads off right now, turning my landscape from leafy brown to yellow glory. The redbuds are just teasing me with the promise of color. I hope that they are blooming tomorrow in celebration of Easter.

Since I'm in the middle of the woods, deer abound. Tulips and crocus are usually nipped off before they can bloom, so after the first naive year of living here, I have avoided planting such tempting treats. I do see, however, that a few of the strong-willed bulbs have survived.

A few years ago Becky Heiden gave me a pink pussywillow shrub. This is the first year that she has put on such a magnificent display of softness. I love to use the branches for floral design, so I'll have to go out to cut a few twigs to use for tomorrow's centerpiece.

Friday I found my first snake. It was an interesting little thing; muddy brown with black stripes running vertically along the 6" length. I must have nearly scared the poor baby to death, as she quickly crawled under a rock. Jaden and Bryan both like snakes so I hope I can show them a few this year. They need to accept snakes as beneficial, and not be afraid of them. Supposedly we have no poisonous snakes here, but we won't push our luck...we will admire the snakes from a safe distance.

As far as my huge koi pond goes, well, it's not good news. The sides have collapsed even farther during the winter. I was able to catch two of the small koi (one a buttery yellow and one a platinum white) and transfer them to a holding tank up by the house. I can see from the window that there are two larger koi, both dark, still in the leaf-filled pond. As soon as the weather warms again I will pull them out. Max has promised me that he will help me reduce the size of the pond by building walls 2' in on each side, backfill with soil, and get the boardwalk around the top this summer. I hope this is one promise that he carries through on.

Daylilies need to be thinned this year, as do the hosta along the side of the house. I must take the iris from the holding bed and plant them at my parent's home in Decatur in July. Hopefully they will give me a good bloom here before I bid them good-bye.

The 'Rustic Rubra' magnolia is just starting to show her colors out in front. In the back, the yellow magnolia (I forgot the variety...good thing I have it labeled!) is dragging her feet, waiting for warmer weather. She is a late-bloomer. I do need to transplant her this year as there is too much shade where she currently resides.

Mowing was a challenge. Since the lawnmower has sat all winter, the tires were flat. There were dried oak and hickory leaves still littering the yard from the strong north winds, so mowing them up was my first priority. Unfortunately I didn't think to wear a face mask, and I inhaled quite a bit of leaf dust, which set off an asthma attack. Guess who won't be mowing bare-faced again!

To spice things up a little, I bought a flat of the huge faced yellow pansies. They are planted in medium-size containers at the top of the stairs near the pond. I also filled the planter under the mailbox so that Deb, our mail lady, would have something pretty to look at when she delivers our goodies.

I can't wait to get back outside to work but for now I have to be content with looking out the window. Bryan is here and has not been feeling well so we will stay inside. Hopefully this week I can see if the veggie garden has done any growing. The radishes were up, but the peas have stubbornly stayed buried and inactive. Fingers are crossed for a good crop!

My next project involves building a raised veggie garden for green beans, zucchini and cucumbers. I'd like to get that done in the next week or so.

Thank you, dear readers, for putting up with my whiny day. I don't have many of them, I promise. Stay tuned to see pics of the gardens in the upcoming weeks.

shel

Grateful

A friend once told me that she would write down one thing each and every day for which she was grateful. (Isn’t that an awkward sentence? I didn’t want to write “…that she was grateful for” because it’s incorrect, but it sure sounds better.)


I decided that I would list some of the more unusual things down. Trust me, I am VERY grateful for my family, my home, food on the table, my lifestyle, health, etc. But by writing about my oddities, you may learn a little more about me, and I just might learn more about myself!

I’m grateful for the smell of cow manure. It’s true. It brings back childhood memories of spending the summer on the dairy farm with my aunt & uncle.

I’m grateful for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Since I am constantly cooking or baking, it is used nearly daily. It tears up those tough batters for cheesecake.

I’m grateful for having two vehicles at my disposal…the van for when I have lots to haul (kid-wise or cargo) and the faithful little Honda Civic with her wonderful gas mileage.

I’m grateful that I have the Internet. I’d be MORE grateful if I had something other than dial-up, though! Good thing I’m patient.

I'm very very grateful for my gardens, even though they aren't perfectly weed-free. They bring me much pleasure.

I’m grateful that I live in the country where privacy is not an issue. Many times I’ll be outside in my pajamas (T-shirt and flannel pants), working in the gardens or mowing the lawn, confident that no one will see me.

I’m grateful for eggs. They are SO versatile and convenient when I don’t know what else to make for dinner or I when I am short of time.

I’m grateful for the rocking chair in the sunroom. My mom made it years and years ago, and sometimes I like to just sit out there and rock and read. Soon I will have another grandson to rock to sleep in that chair, just like I rocked my two children.

I’m grateful for hummingbirds. The kids love to watch them almost as much as I do. They are fascinating, happy creatures, so full of life and mystery.

I’m grateful for fuzzy blankets. I love those big fleecy things that are snuggly and warm.

I’m grateful that my husband gives me my freedom, and is not horribly picky about a clean house.

I’m grateful for my garage refrigerator. I LOVE being able to cook a lot, and keep it safely cooled until it’s needed. The Coca-Cola Classic comes out perfectly chilled…enough to give me goosebumps!

I’m grateful for birdhouses, even the cheap cheesy ones, because they provide entertainment as the birds fly in and out. I love to watch the eggs hatch and the fledglings fly away.

I am grateful for remote controls for the television. I remember when we actually had to get up off of the couch and turn the dial CLICK CLICK CLICK to tune in the four or five channels that we were lucky enough to get. Oh, how spoiled I am now!

I’m grateful for magnets. I have magnets holding notes, pictures, recipes, appointment cards, and more stuck on the ‘fridge and the door leading to the sunroom.

I’m grateful for my purse calendar. Without it, I’d be totally lost. The calendar is the best $1 investment that I’ve ever made.

I’m grateful for my retainers. After going to the trouble of braces, I want to keep my teeth on the straight and narrow, and I couldn’t do it without retainers.

I’m grateful for all of the catalogs that I get in the mail. It’s fun to browse through them, circling things that I would like to own and writing down family members’ names beside items I think they’d like. I rarely purchase, but it’s fun to dream. (There are some playhouses and a jungle gym in PoshTots that I dream about for the kids.)

I’m grateful that the road in front of the house isn’t busy. I can walk a mile each way and rarely ever meet a vehicle, so I can go right down the middle and avoid the poison ivy growing in the ditches.

I’m grateful for my riding mower. Need I say more?

I’m grateful for vinegar. In the past eight months or so I can’t get enough of it. Vinegar with onions and cucumbers, coleslaw, squeaky bean salad…mmmmm.

I’m grateful for crock-pots. I have three, and use two of them frequently.

I am very grateful for sunglasses. Since I have cataracts, the bright sun kills me.

I am grateful for DEET. The mosquitoes are vicious out here!

I am grateful that all of my family members are readers. That way we can share books and not have to spend a fortune. I call it readcycling. (Get it?)

I’m grateful for my history, the bad as well as the good. If I hadn’t of experienced what I did, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today and would not have the family that I have.

I am grateful for my friends that remind me to spend time with them. Sometimes I spend too much time with family and forget about just laughing with friends.

I am grateful for fingernail polish remover. Polish never stays on long. I guess it’s because I use my hands so much!

I am grateful for the smiles I see on the faces of the babies and toddlers that are out and about. When I am standing in a long line at a grocery store, fretting about getting home to start dinner or whether or not I have enough money in the bank, I tend to forget the sweet things. Then I look up and see a child in the cart in front of me, smiling this carefree smile for no particular reason, and I am reminded that life is good. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

I’m grateful for hearing Jaden’s footsteps as he runs to the back door to greet me when I come to visit. It lifts my heart, knowing that he is so excited to see me. I realize this is only a short-term phase, but still, it’s great.

I’m grateful that Ady still likes to bond with me by doing the gingerbread house. This year we will do both a Halloween and a Christmas house. I’d like the tradition to continue, and be a memory for her long after I’m gone.

I am grateful that Bryan still likes to cuddle. I like to hold him at night before I put him to bed. He snuggles right into me, holding his blankie and stuffed lion in one hand with his thumb in his mouth and his long, curling eyelashes resting on his cheek. I hope he never outgrows it, although it will be hard to hold him when he’s 15!

Well, Id’ better stop, or I could keep on with this list forever. What makes YOU grateful? I’d love to hear about it.

shel

A Stroll....3

See what I mean about the fabulous sky? It sets off the lilies perfectly.

A Stroll....2

Since I'm having trouble downloading pictures (I'm on dial-up) I thought I'd do just a picture at a time.

Remember when I said the garden was glowing? Here’s proof. The photos aren’t doctored up because I have absolutely no clue on how to do anything like that. I just happened to catch the sun hitting the brilliant yellow daylilies at the right time. Cool, huh?

A Stroll Through the Gardens

A Stroll Through the Gardens
Today was one of the most beautiful days of the 21st century. The sun was brightly shining in the robin’s egg blue sky, causing the flowers to absolutely glow in the gardens. I’d like to think it was their “welcome back, we missed you!” glow, but I probably had nothing to do with it. (Thank you, God, for this beautiful day.)
After spending an extremely enjoyable day with Erin and Jaden (Alana stopped by for about an hour as well) I came home and grabbed my camera, a Kodak EasyShare CX7330, 3.1 mega pixel memory maker for my feeble mind. I wandered around the yard, photographing everything that called out for my attention. I was able to capture 49 images before my batteries gave out. Luckily Max has a Kodak EasyShare C530 that offers 5.0 mega pixels, so I was able to take another 51 pictures before I had to rest (still recuperating from surgery.)
I’m going to attempt to attach some of my favorite snapshots to this blog. Unfortunately, my computer skills are rather limited (we can’t all be good at everything, right????) so please bear with me.
Since my mind is a rusty trap, I find it beneficial to list all plant names on metal tags. In order to avoid the tragedy of weather-related paint disappearance, the exact information is placed on the back as well as the front. If there’s room, I add the date planted and some of the characteristics of the plant. Latin names are very important to know, so I try to include them, as well.
Not all plants are labeled as a lot of the daylilies that I have are experiments. My deceased friend, Sandy Ellis was a true genius at hybridizing daylilies, and she taught me how to do so. It’s kind of like eating M&M’s…..once you start you just can’t stop.

Here’s one of the front gardens (the Weeping Cherry Garden.) See the hypertufa containers? I love to make them in my spare time. The small reddish daylily is ‘Burgundy Babe’. Man, does this daylily produce! There were many, many blooms prior to today, and the various bud sizes indicate that I will have many, many blooms to come. I’ll cross this daylily with a larger, darker one that doesn’t perform as well, hoping to get a large dark lily that will knock my socks off.

Bonkers

Have you ever felt like you HAD to get out of your house, or you’d go totally bonkers? I’m close to that point. VERY close.

On Monday, July 7, I had a minor surgery. I slept off the effects of the anesthesia for the first few days, even to the point of falling asleep while eating a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Family members waited on me hand and foot. As the usual primary care giver, I initially sucked up the attention. It was nice (and rare) to be the recipient of so much thoughtfulness. Sometimes I wonder if I’m actually loved by my teenage daughter and chronically grumpy husband. My fears were put to rest post-surgery. After all, it takes a LOT of love to help someone go to the bathroom, pull up and down pajamas, and clean up bloody messes. Definitely not a Hallmark moment, but they probably DO have cards for it.

The wonderful Erin, Steve and Jaden, Brandon and Bryan, and sister Shannon (who took me to and from the hospital) made sure that I was well cared for. I’ll have to think of something really nice to do to repay their patience with me, and the kindness and gentleness of their care. Even my sorority sisters of Beta Sigma Phi brought over meals. Yep, I was spoiled!

Now I’m ready to get on with life. Hubby, however, is very careful about what I’m doing. This morning there was a water garden club meeting for Central Illinois Water Gardeners. He wouldn’t let me go! It’s true that I have a SLIGHT tendency to overdo things…okay, a STRONG tendency to overdo…but I’m going stir-crazy. I look out the picture window in the living room that overlooks the unfinished koi pond, the hundreds of purple and white coneflowers, the ever-growing Kentucky Bluegrass lawn, and weeds. Oh, how I desperately want to be outside! The countless varieties of daylilies are in bloom, teasing me with splashes of color when I sit at the table in the sunroom. Brilliant pink impatiens beg for Miracle Gro so that they can explode over the rock borders, softening the edges of the area.

Indigo buntings flock to the feeder in front, gorging themselves on safflower seeds as they brighten the scenery with their brilliant hue. Equally vivid are the American goldfinches, vying for space on the mesh stocking-like feeder that hangs from a shepherd’s hook just off the back deck. The nut feeders are empty, leaving the usual wide variety of woodpeckers, flickers, and nuthatches with no reason to hang around for my viewing pleasure. Hopefully I can sneak out tomorrow (it’s raining again so I can’t do it tonight) to fill them.

Okay, I’m done whining now. I’ll drown my gardening urges by ordering new and exciting plants through the gardening catalogs that litter the coffee table. Then I’ll re-watch the movie "Martian Child" that Erin & Steve brought over (excellent movie, by the way…if you haven’t seen it, you need to) and drink a cup of hot tea as a companion to my biscotti. My state of "bonkers" is now under control.

Perhaps tomorrow the rain will stop and I will be able to go outside, camera in hand, to permanently capture the beauty that I have helped to create. I will honor my family’s wishes to not overdo anything so that I suffer no setbacks.

Next week, however, I will be a gardening fool!