Oce again, it has been too long

Yes, time does just fly by.  I really do want to write all my goings on at the Road House here.  There just isn't enough time in the day.  I suspect, because I haven't made this a habit yet, that I just don't think of it as often as I'd like.

Case in point; I just realized it is already 8 a.m. and I need breakfast. At nine I have a business meeting at  home.  Then I need to commute to work for a half day.  On to my uncle's to take him shopping for his Thanksgiving feast and then back on home.  It will be dark by then.

On to the house; New windows!  They frame the side garden and bring in so much more light.  Now that the walls are finished we are on to the beginning of the painting.

My garden is neglected at present.  I have bulbs to plant.  Chilies to harvest, fuyu persimmons to harvest and some few cherry tomatoes still hanging on.  I have planted some winter garden foodstuffs, spinach, two lettuces, radishes, parsley, cut and come again broccoli.

Well must stop to have breakfast, then get ready for work.

After Clemson

Ah, back at home after a family weekend at Clemson.  "Go Tigers!"  That is after "Go Bears" of course.  Who knew I would love college football one day.

We are finally having our summer, after a much cooler summer season.  My garden was not that prolific or healthy this year.  I did come home to a nice harvest of both green beans and Italian green beans.  I also pulled my first turnips and picked a fresh poblano pepper and zuchinni as well as a bowl of cherry tomatoes. 

I pulled up the eggplant and the cucumbers.  Cucumbers were mostly bitter this year.

I braised duck legs in vermouth, chicken broth with bay and sage.  Later I added carrot, poblano, and turnips.  Served over noodles....yum.

Labor Day

It is Labor Day and I am at my home away from home at Lake Tahoe.  Yesterday I harvested before I left and brought my veggies and herbs with me. 

Yesterday's dinner was whole wheat spaghetti with grass fed beef/tomato/herb sauce.  I had previously roasted farmer's market roma tomatoes with olive oil and used these for the sauce, along with my oregano, thyme, sage, basil, and crushed red pepper. Our salad was made with my precious Cheroke Purple tomatoes and Japanese Suhyo cucumbers.  The cucumbers have been producing nicely.

It has been a very hard year for my tomatoes. This is just the beginning of the tomato harvest!  Our weather has been much cooler than usual. Not complaining, really.  Cooler than usual beats all the other bad weather out there this year.

I usually grow eight plants and have had to pull up three.  One of my two San Marzanos just turned a bad brown/gold color almost overnight. I was worried this signified a virus so up it came.  I also pulled up both my Brandywines.  They were tall and vigorous and between them produced ONE poor, little tomato.  I just got plain tired of tending the vegetation!

This leaves me with five. I have two sad looking but just beginning to produce, Sweet One Hundred, cherry tomatoes, one San Marzano that isn't very prolific and no ripe fruit yet and my two Cherokee Purples.  They are the most successful but still will be a poor harvest.

I have my garden's green beans and zucchini for tonight which will go along side a grilled side of coho salmon.

I mix lemon peel, black pepper and brown sugar together and liberally lay the mix on top of the salmon several hours before grilling. The salmon is laid on the grill brown sugar side first.  Once done it is topped with melted butter mixed with the juice from the lemon.  So Good!

We'll have a simple peach cobbler for dessert.

Time for a walk.....