Tomato Starts in My Kitchen

I have aspirations to grow great tomatoes, thick heirloom slicers and rich San Marzanos for canning. To date, my greatest success has been the small cherry tomatoes, sadly, not a favorite of my home-sharing posse. Thanks to a gift subscription to Mother Earth News from my mother-in-law, I read a great article in the January 2013 issue, "Best Tips for Starting Seeds Indoors" and put the tips to the test. The result is a lovely crop of tomato starts: San Marzanos; the heirlooms: Persimmon, deep orange and reportedly sweet; Black Krim, a "black" tomato from the Russian Black Sea area; & Costoluto, a traditional red slicer from Italy. I will transplant these into larger containers, let them recuperate, then harden them off before planting them outside.

Glancing at my notebook, I found this passage written on 1.19.13, when I first planted the seeds, a collection from Renee's Seeds called Heirloom Summer Feast:

I love the description Heirloom Summer Feast. I imagine a deliciously hot summer, the heat breaking in the early evening, perhaps salty skin recently returned home from the beach. Smiles. Lethargic limbs happily made tired from an ocean swim. A pitcher of lemonade, ice clanking on the sides, fresh mint swirling. A plate of tomatoes, the orange persimmons, the beefy red of the Costoluto and the dark purple of the Black Krim, sliced evenly on a plate, a drizzle of olive oil, crunchy salt flakes and a bit of pepper.

Please grow.

California Thrasher

Over the deliciously long Thanksgiving weekend, I spent a lot of time in the garden. Interspersed with pitching for baseball batting practice, I pruned our St. Catherine's Lace buckwheat. This California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivium) winters in our yard. Over the two days pruning the buckwheat, we became familiar with each other's presence. I noticed the Thrasher eating the fallen burst pomegranates. I gently pulled one from the tree and placed it two feet before me. Cautiously, the Thrasher approached and took the fruit as I sat and observed. I took this picture with my phone camera, but mostly I just watched trying to take in how it looked, how it moved. The Thrasher is such an exquisite bird with the long curved beak. They are partial to underbrush, so it's typically hard to see them. To be this close felt like an unexpected completely thrilling gift.

San Pedro Bloom

Pow! Our southeasterly-facing San Pedro cactus wears a bloom this Halloween. Enthusiasm is high at Camp Ramshackle as a wizard and bat anticipate evening trick-or-treating. Happy Halloween!

Artichoked

The tale of artichokes at our compound is a twisted story with great highs and desperate gopher devoured lows. This season is yet another tale of woe. I relied on the fruits of the Altadena farmer's market for the delectable pictured above. The artichoke is so delicious, that even when I say that's it! No more. I give up. I taste the meaty heart dipped in a lemon and olive oil dressing, raise my head like Scarlett O'Hara and proclaim, "As God is my witness, I will grow artichokes again!"

Watch out gophers, I got my eye on you, and although I am a vegetarian, I might not be above a gopher stew with the small skulls torn from carrion and placed on sticks surrounding my artichoke plants, the journey to my own heart of darkness.

But before that, I think best to try again with wire baskets and Exhart gopher repellers and perhaps record my guitar practice and pipe it under ground to drive the artichoke eating thieves crazy.

Late Summer Corn

Just in time for Labor Day birthday celebrations. The introductions: Corn, Grill. Grill, Corn. A fine how do you do.

Mother's Day

The boys and I made hand dipped candles at my oldest son's suggestion as presents for our mothers/grandmothers. Wax from our bees.

 

Homegrown bouquets plucked and arranged by my oldest boy adorned the table. Gathered around were mothers, family, great company, with the sounds of music and the steady hum of conversations and stories shared as we sat before plates full of delicious food.

One of the fine kids who opened the door to the amazing journey of motherhood. I am so grateful for the love and wisdom my sons share with me.

And my very own beeswax candle, hand made with plenty of love, presented to me first thing in the morning with the greeting, "You are cool, clever and awesome." A salute to all the mothers along the road.

In the Yard

Carpenteria californica aka Bush Anemone ready to explode 

Carpenteria californica aka Bush Anemone 

Hordeum murinum aka Foxtail or Wall Barley

Replanting•Planting

volunteer succulents given new home

the unseen magic of the seed: basil, cilantro & dill

Spring Garden Through the Lens of a Four Year Old

Nasturtium Island

Prior to the St. Patrick's rain two weeks ago, my youngest son pulled this nasturtium and put it in an empty tub. The rain hit. A small pool formed. The flowers grew. I found it when looking for a container to hold pulled weeds from the pathway. It felt like a gift for my manual labor.

Springing a Pathway

Fast grow the weeds at Camp Ramshackle, along with everything else. Spring is here. Cousins/niece/nephew, aunt/sister on a spring break trek with a stop at Camp Ramshackle.

Time to prepare for a family dinner party. Pull the weeds, get the trailer in order, pick up the dog poop. Baking a secret delicious dessert. Shhhh! Looking forward to being up all night talking, laughing, hopefully avoiding any fresh mounds of dog doo, but it all washes off in the end. I'm sure it would just make us laugh anyway, although some are sure to laugh harder and a bit longer than others.

Silent But Busy

Although these pages have been silent, Camp Ramshackle kept a steady buzz of activity. The small, the fantastic (for the young ones doing the creating), the mundane. This weekend, I dealt with a Halloween fairytale pumpkin. I bought it from my youngest son's preschool fundraiser with the intent of eventually baking it. Two weeks ago, I stuck the whole thing in the oven after cutting the top & removing the seeds for roasting.

I've never baked an entire pumpkin by shoving it in the oven like an uncarved jack-o-lantern before. Usually, I use smaller pumpkins and cut them in halves or smaller. But the method worked well although it took hours to cook. After it cooled, I pulled off the skin and stored it.

This weekend, I pureed the bejezus out of a mountain of pumpkin and scoured recipes.

I made a variation of Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bread, which received a thumbs up rating from Eric and my oldest son. I am recuperating from a noxious cold that stole my taste buds, so I couldn't tell, although it baked beautifully. I used a conventional oven (the linked recipe is for a bread machine) and baked it for 55 minutes. All worked well. I will make again and again and again until the pumpkin supply runs out or everyone in the house screams "NO MORE".

And another loaf of the fantastic Flying Apron Bakery house bread. I was happy to see Jennifer Katzinger has a new cookbook. Evidently, it's been out since August, but I've been living under a rock since then. Two loaves of bread did nothing to my mountain of pumpkin puree (as expected), so I froze them in 1/3 cup measured scoops, since my favorite recipe with pumpkin (see above) uses 1/3 cup portions.

The delicious carrots keep growing.

As do my boys, both very interested in sculptures small...

...and large. Built quite spontaneously by my youngest son. I love his design and style. He has been building sculptures since he could move. Watching his work change as he grows older is such a treat. I make an effort to photograph them, although it is hard to keep up.

And I have been sewing shelters. This one is for a silent auction at my youngest son's preschool. Eric has been tackling some much-appreciated work around the house too. I plan to share some projects of home improvement in the upcoming days...not weeks.

Growing

Purple Cosmos

Encelia californica & lemons

A Welcome Return

Extremely grateful that the artichoke has come back. Two plants so far.

Fall Brings Pomegranates

Camp Ramshackle anticipates the ripe pomegranate all year. We have one large tree that typically yields a hearty harvest, enough to juice and enjoy until December if not longer, and two small trees. My sons have been eyeing the pomegranates as they grow. My youngest harvested the reddest one he could find on the small tree.

When my oldest returned home from school, his first stop was for his share of the harvested fruit.

We all enjoyed a few bites, but I think we'll let the other fruit ripen just a bit more. The late season pomegranate with it's sweet ruby fruits is a taste sensation decidedly worth the wait.

Previously:

Garden Developments

Pomegranate Season

Pomegranates Are Coming In

Fresh Squeezed Pomegranate Juice

Harvesting Pomegranates

A Walk Around the Yard

leek blossom

Funnelweb spider, web & olive tree leaves

tuft of rabbit

Tending to the Native Garden

before weeding

after weeding

The weather has been lovely. I find myself stealing more time from other projects to tend to the garden. Our native garden has gone wild. Although we mulch heavily, weeds still flourish. I've been claiming more time in the yard to pull weeds.

before weeding

after weeding

I think it's just about time for an outdoor fire to celebrate reclaiming the garden. There is still a lot of weeding to do, but so far it's been pretty easy to pull thanks to the heavy mulch layer. We recently got another shipment. I look forward to spreading it around and preparing the garden for the transition to summer.

Strawberry Harvest is On

In a word: yum. We planted some new Sequoia strawberry plants earlier in the season. Our older plant still produces but at a much slower rate.

I read that strawberry plants typically reach the end of their productive years after two years. I'm glad we added more plants. Delicious.

Another Shiitake Mushroom Harvest

Eric's shiitake log continues to produce beautiful mushrooms. Check out those gills. These tasty spores went into a homemade pho (or a scrumptious interpretation). Ever since trying Happy Pho, I've been obsessed with the Vietnamese noodle, hitting up local restaurants and hoping that Happy Pho is soon distributed in Southern California.

Don't be fooled by the box, Happy Pho is no top ramen. It is the ground work for a really yummy meal. Throw in a few homegrown shiitake mushrooms, spinach, scallions and mint...I might just have to make it twice in one week.

Behold the Artichoke

Seeing the artichoke bear fruit is enough to bring a tear to my eye. It has been a tough slog to get these to grow. I am incredibly appreciative.