A recent dinner harvest from the garden: Mustard greens, basil, cherry tomatoes, collard greens, romaine lettuce and green onions. Shortly after this harvest, the ducks escaped again and devoured all of our greens. . . (sigh).







But a few weeks ago we were getting all kinds of tomatoes (about 1/2 pint per day) and okra. As far as we can tell, ducks aren't interested in either one. Though now we are entering the time of year where there is more rain and the tomatoes aren't liking it.













On the way we have: carrots, parsnips and eggplant. . .

Autumn update

We recently discovered how much damage ducks can do to a garden in about 2 days. About one week after planting a bunch of our starts like okra, tomatoes, collards, lettuce, eggplant and peppers, our neighbor's ducks learned how to fly. They went straight for all the tender green leaves of our newly planted starts, and then moved on to the neighbor's established kale plants. Thankfully, they weren't interested in the okra and tomatoes, which are the two veggies I am looking forward to eating the most! In fact, we have already begun to harvest okra. Delicious!
So, we are going to replant and protect the tasty greens from the ducks with a netted structure (yet to be constructed).

Yesterday I harvested a dozen pumpkins from the garden! We planted 3 plants back in the spring and they have continued to grow and grow and make fruit(pumpkin). Even now, there are several new green baby pumpkins and more blossoms! We have made pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread already, with plans for pumpkin soup and stew and more pie. Oh, and of course we will save a couple to carve for Halloween.
Also, we have continued to enjoy lima beans, though they are about done.

To see what we've been cooking in the kitchen lately, check out: http://knrkitchen.blogspot.com/

July 2010 Garden

After being away for 2 weeks on the mainland, our garden didn't look to bad, though it does lack all the important summer crops like okra, peppers and tomatoes. We just started a bunch of new seeds this week to get things on their way. The Hawaiian squash we'd been growing since the late springtime has really done well spreading itself all over the garden and there are numerous fruits on the vines. Unlike other squash varieties we have tried to grow here, this one has not been affected by the white mildew on the leaves. Even now, it continues to blossom and fruit.


















Russell has been working on the 3 Sisters combo: Corn, Squash, and Beans. The beans are a bit slow, though the corn is moving right along beside our established squashes. We tasted a small ear of corn yesterday and it was very sweet and tender.







































Also, we planted some Lima beans in early June that are starting to take off and fill out.




















A little damage to the leaves of the (Little Finger) Eggplant, but they have finally begun to fruit!


















We are also growing many more herbs, including Holy Basil
(Tulsi) which Russell just researched and found that it is not only good for the immune system but also good for easing tension and stress. We are drying the leaves and flowers to use for tea.





















The Tobacco plants have been flowering. They have cool little pink trumpet-like flowers. Tobacco is supposed to be a great beneficial for the garden.
On their way are: Calallo (Jamaican Amaranth), Muskmelon, Cotton, Ashwagandha.

The Endless Mountains & Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

We went to the mainland last month for a quick visit in Florida and then headed up to PA for our friends' wedding out in the country, about 3 hours west of Philadelphia. It was located in Lopez, PA in the Endless Mountains region. A very rural setting and that was peaceful and green. The wedding itself was incredible because it involved an amazing amount of beautiful hand-made aspects. Everything from the home-brewed Mead that we all toasted to the occasion, to the hand-made felt flower bouquets that garnished the dinner tables; it was all very sincere and full of thoughtfulness. Russell got to film part of the ceremony with Brendan's old Super-8 camera. The camera looked pretty good with the hat and vest. . . he and Brendan were the only 2 guys with vests at the wedding.
























































































Over the weekend, we also went on a beautiful hike along the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park. The trail meandered along a gently flowing creek and eventually passed by over a dozen lovely waterfalls.

May 2010 Garden

It's been a while since we did a garden update, but here's what things are looking like now. We have had a dry winter season, apparently with the lowest recorded rainfall in 55 years! However, we still have had some tasty veggies to harvest for our meals, including carrots, mustard greens and herbs. Our herb patch is full with plants such as parsley, cilantro, dill, borage, basil, yarrow. Included below is a photo of the Hawaiian squash that is looking super content in our red clay soil. You can see the red leaves of some volunteer Amaranth plants growing up between the squash vines. Also, last week we harvested some potatoes we'd been growing in two experimental containers; a translucent thick plastic bag (very productive!) and a stacked bamboo container (did okay). Hooray for container gardening! We made fresh mac nut pesto to go with the taters and it was delicious.

The Southwest continued. . .

Ah, Bryce Canyon.











What an unbelievable, awe-inspiring, fantastic place! It felt like we were in a fantasy fairy land while hiking among all the rock formations, (called "hoo doos"). We found all kinds of strange shapes and beings in the rock formations. Dinosaurs, castles, kings and queens, women with beehive hairdo's and more. It was definitely a place that your imagination could get a work-out. The Queensland/Wallstreet trail took us down into the ampitheatre, through a forested area and up through a narrow cavern. In the forest we spotted a number of chipmunks and a lovely bright blue and black bird that guided us along the trail for a ways. We later found out that it was a Stellar's Jay. One lone evergreen grew in the warm, orange cavern of "Wall Street". Totally unbelievable. Our photos could never tell the real magnificence of this beautiful, jaw-dropping place. After a cold and windy day at Bryce Canyon, we headed a few miles up the road to the Historic town of Panguich, Utah. The town was about one week away from closing up for the winter season. We ate at an old 1950's era diner and found a room for the night at the Canyon Lodge, also of a similar era. The next morning when we left towards Arizona the temperature was 14 degrees! That is the coldest temperature either of us have ever been in!