Tomatoes

I planted one tomato plant in my zone 9 garden in February 2012 and fertilized it once. I have tried to water it once to twice a week. It was planted on the East side of my home, where it got almost full sun, until three weeks ago, when the golden rain tree is now providing some light shade during part of the day. I have to pick the fruit before it completely ripens because something bores a hole into the tomato and causes it to rot. But the tomatoes are very flavorful and abundant! I planted two more plants in the beginning of April, one's a cherry tomato and already has fruit, but none have ripened.

Looks more like a hanging tomatoe plant...better get some supports & stake it up

My Tomatoe plant grew out of control before I staked it up better!

What a difference a day makes

much better

it's like having three plants!

Recipes

Pepper Infused Vodka for Bloody Marys

I use a glass beverage dispenser with a spicket, but a large plastic jug or pitcher could be used too.

Slice yellow, red and orange peppers into thin strips, using a 1/3 of each pepper. Mince one small jalapeno pepper and one large clove of garlic. Add 4 fresh basil leaves and mix with a liter of vodka.  Keep in a cool dark place for 4 days. Strain and store in a glass bottle. Can be refrigerated for six months.

 

 

Roasted Tomato Bisque with garlic and basil

2         pounds tomatoes, quartered
5         cloves garlic
2         onions, thinly sliced
1/4      cup olive oil
2         cups vegetable broth
1/2      cup chopped fresh basil
2 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spread the tomatoes, garlic and onions on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Generously season with sea salt & pepper and mix will. Roast for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned and caramelized.
3. Transfer the roasted veggies to a large pot and add the broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Working in small batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to pot and add the brown sugar and lemon juice.

Serve with the basil sprinkled on top.
This soup is so easy and low in fat and calories!

Surinam Cherry Jelly

4 cups surinam cherries
4 cups water
1 packet dry pectin
4 cups sugar
2 TBS lime juice

Wash and measure cherries. Add equal parts water. Put in a large pot and heat to boiling. Smash the cherries while cooking. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain with a fine mesh colander.

Measure 4 cups of juice into a large pot. Bring juice to a boil and add one packet of dry pectin , 4 cups of sugar and 2 TBS lime juice. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture reaches 222 degrees or until thickened. Pour into sterilized jars and seal, or keep in the refrigerator.

Surinam Cherry Jezebel Sauce Appetizer

1 cup surinam cherry jelly
1/4 jar fresh horseradish
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 block cream cheese
Triscuit crackers

Heat 1 cup surinam cherry jelly in a small pot over low heat. Remove from heat and add 1/4 jar of fresh horseradish and 1 TBS Dijon mustard. Mix well and pour over cream cheese and serve with Triscuit crackers.

Cooking from the garden

I love fresh veggies and herbs from the garden and I pass by a neighbor's garden every day with envy. I have tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to grow vegetables in Florida, yet I keep trying. I figure that one of these days, I'll get it right. Thankfully, Nelson's Family Farm is close to me and they sell mostly local produce, along with the Fort Pierce Saturday morning green market.

The trick to successfully growing vegetables is finding the right location in my yard, composting and keeping it watered. As I've mentioned before, I don't like to water. I know I have to and I find ways to make it easier, but truth be told....it bores me, so I become inconsistent with it. My dream is to have an irrigation system.... on a timer.....some day. My wants are so simple, aren't they!

Last year was my first year in my home and I used a small area against my house, close to the kitchen to grow a few tomatoes, red cabbage and some herbs. The cabbage did great and was very attractive. I used the basil, tarragon, parsley, rosemary and marjoram a lot and harvested a few tomatoes. This year, I  incorporated one tomato and 6 red cabbages into a flower bed that's located in the center of my backyard. It gets full to partial sun in the fall and winter and less sun in the summer when the golden rain tree has leaves. It's easy to water that part of my yard and it's mulched which keeps the moisture in. The cabbages really are pretty, reminding me a huge purple roses. The tomato has been very happy and produced enough for me to make two batches or roasted tomato and garlic basil bisque.

2011 veggie garden just planted, tomatoes, peppers, red cabbage, herbs and lettuce.
The garden didn't do well, except for the cabbage.
This year, I moved the garden and the one tomato plant has, and still is, producing well.  

I incorporated some veggies into a flower bed

Look closely for two pepper plants, two more tomato plants, cucumber, zucchini and an eggplant

looking to back yard where I plan to build a raised bed for veggies

Looking from proposed veggie garden to current location

red cabbage

suranim cherries

cherry hedge

bananas

my first banana flower

more bananas, different variety

 My plan is to make a raised bed using concrete blocks which I'll buy used and paint in bright colors. The opening on the blocks will be planted with nasturtiums and herbs. I will used bags of compost, slit open, to plant directly in. This method keeps the weeds out and prevents soil run off. Each year you can add another bag on top of the previous one. I will also add direct compost and use grass clipping as mulch. The area in my yard where I hope to grow my veggies is in the back by my shed. It gets full sun and I can hide a hose along my fence line  to make watering easier.

Birds

I keep three bird feeders in my yard. Two with white millet to attract the indigo and painted buntings and one with black oil sunflower seeds for the cardinals, squirels, woodpeckers and mourning doves. I find that the squirels behave nicely with this arrangement, whereas when I used a mixed seed, they would splill everything from the feeders trying to get the sunflower seeds. The buntings are fall and winter residents in Florida...true snow birds! They arrive in October and leave around May. I miss them when they're gone.

Indigo bunting and 2 male painted buntings

male painted bunting

female painted bunting

male cardinal

red-bellied woodpecker

humming bird

I make sure I keep the feeders clean and filled to encourage the birds to stay in my yard. I have seating close enough to be able to watch them, yet far enough away not to disturbe them.  I used to keep a hummingbird feeder filled outside my bedroom window, but discovered that they prefered the hibiscus and turks caps in my yard better.

A Walk in my Garden - Spring 2012

Northerners sometimes have a difficult time recognizing that Florida has seasons. Seasonal changes are especially noticeable in central and north Florida. During the winter, some of the trees in my yard loose their leaves. These include a golden rain tree, crape myrtle and a southern red maple. Other plants go dormant and the grass can turn brown from cooler temperatures and lack of water. I don't have an irrigation system, so I pull hoses around and use soaker hoses too. I made an effort this winter to keep my new plantings watered, so they would grow to provide privacy in my back yard. I think my efforts are paying off.

A spring garden is so fun because it seems there's something new, daily, to discover. Lately, I've been watching the leaves reappear on the trees and the amaryllis sending up their flower stalks. The suranim cherries are abundant, I've harvested red cabbage, tomatoes, basil and rosemary. I'm still experimenting with a vegetable garden and hope to start a raised bed for late summer. I've had orchids blooming and the geraniums, pentas and shrimp plant, which grow as perennials in my garden, are looking more vibrant and blooming more abundantly.  Soon my frangipani will bloom. The angel trumpet, which I started as a cutting from my former yard, is in full bloom.

It feels so good to be back in the yard, digging the dirt, mowing the lawn, fertilizing, turning the compost and raking the leaves onto the flower beds for mulch. My mornings are spent reading the paper and watching the bird feeders for the cardinals, wood peckers and painted buntings. The pool is warm enough now for swimming, which I indulge in after a few hours of gardening. On the evenings that I cook, I enjoy picking fresh herbs and maybe a tomato. I look forward to when the eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini and peppers I planted are ripe. 

I hope you are enjoying Spring too!



Angel Trumpet





passion vine



gallardia blanket flower

penta

kalanchoe

bromeliad

hibiscus

Mexican flame vine

amazon lily

shrimp plant

crinum lily

phalanopsis orchid