First harvest from my garden.

[Ruth n Jersey]

Today I picked,cleaned, peeled and prepared 9 pounds of pearl onions for my freezer. It was a bit cooler today so I was able to open the windows and turn off the AC. A good thing, the house was rather pungent with the odor of onions. The hubby loves creamed onions so they will come in handy during the fall and winter. I planted bush beans in place of the onions. I know they will be up in a few days. The garden is slow but coming along. I lost all my cabbage plants to a ground hog. Totally disappointed in the over rated 4th of July tomatoes that Burpee put out.. I started them early, had them in the ground even before the recommended time and they are still as green as grass. I suppose the company would blame it on weather conditions. Next time I will stick to my Big Boy or Early Girl varieties. I also tried grape tomatoes this year. They are green also but very cute. The celery plant in the photo is the same one I started in water from a root end and posted about late in January. How long does that stuff take to grow anyway?I can't imagine it takes growers that long.

 

[NancyNGA]

What a pretty garden, Ruth. So neat.

Down here I've not had much luck with tomatoes. We have a long growing season. There are usually two crops. First one sparse but large, second one, loads of tomatoes but small, after it cools down a bit. Even birds and squirrels get after them. It takes a whole growing season to find out if the variety you chose was a good one, and then you don't know if was the variety or the weather.

 

[SeaBreeze]

Your garden looks great Ruth, what is your recipe for creamed pearl onions, sounds yummy!

 

[Falcon]

Beautiful Ruth. You must have a green thumb on each hand.

 

[Shalimar]

Ruth your garden is luscious. You have green thumbs to your elbows.

 

[debbie in seattle]

Looks wonderful! I'm kicking myself for not growing any tomatoes this year. We had so much rain and looking down the horizon, saw no relief, so I didn't bother. Stupid, stupid.

 

[RadishRose]

Ruth, your garden looks wonderful!

I did try rooting that celery end that you posted about and it sprouted, then rotted. I guess I didn't get it into soil quickly enough.

 

[helenbacque]

I'm envious of your great looking garden. Enjoy!

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

Your garden looks great Ruth, what is your recipe for creamed pearl onions, sounds yummy!

I just use a basic cream sauce for the onions. Mix 1 cup of milk with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Add 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine,1/4 teas. salt and 1/8 teas. white pepper. I just put it in the microwave and stir occasionally until thick. Easier than watching it on the stove. Cook one pound of pearl onions until just tender. Drain very well. Add to the sauce, adjust the seasonings to taste and reheat a bit if necessary. Peas are good this way also,or mixed with the onions. This recipe is good for 1 pound of veggies.

 

[dols1]

Your garden looks real nice Ruth, and I can't wait to try out your creamed onions recipe!

 

[Ruthanne]

Great garden Ruth. Someday I may rent one of those garden spaces our city has, that is, when I find out where they hide them.

 

[Camper6]

I love it. During WWII my mother used to plant in plots given by the city. We had everything. Potatoes, cauliflower, whatever.

She even planted sunflowers. They were huge. We never ate them. They were for the birds who would leave the other stuff alone because the garden was a long place from where we lived.

 

[Capt Lightning]

Things are doing well here. We've just harvested some ball courgettes and marrows. Looks like we'll be making jam and chutney soon. The broad beans are coming on well and the gooseberries and black currants are ready to pick. Looks like even more jam!

Definitely been warmer and drier this year.