A. Joyce's Fresh Salsa

This.

We've been waiting for this.

This is a highlight of gardening.

A. Joyce used to sell this salsa at the townwide garage sales years ago. She shared her recipe and I added a little cilantro to perfect it.

I've been patiently (or not) prowling the garden, waiting for enough tomatoes to make this 

(and yes, I know I can buy them at the grocery store, but come on! You know it tastes better when you grow it yourself!) 

So today was the day. We had enough tomatoes for a quarter recipe. 

Hey, it's a start! It will sure tide us over until we get a few more saved up...

A. Joyce's Fresh Salsa

Mix well and refrigerate:

12 cups chopped tomatoes

1 large diced bell pepper

1 large diced onion

3-4 diced celery ribs

hot peppers to taste (I don't add this.)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup white vinegar

2 cups ketchup

3 tablespoons salt

3/4 cup sugar

2-3 tablespoons cilantro (to taste. I like more.)

Oh - and if you spotted a few little purple chunks - that's because I added a few purple peppers! I prefer yellow peppers for the extra color they add, but only had green and purple ready today. Maybe the next batch....

Enjoy! 

More Garden Report

Rhubarb plant looks good. I have high hopes for next year.

Zinnias brighten the garden and my kitchen table as well. I love this.

Pumpkin.

 

Garden Report

This post is not chronological with the others; that is, these px were taken randomly all last week. Some were before the rain, and some were after.

This was Tuesday night when we had a crew helping pull weeds, hoe, rototill, and plant more beans.

Overview of tomatoes in foreground, and beans, onions, and potatoes in the background. Melons just peeking out from bottom corner.

Note to self: allow much more area for zucchini, watermelon, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Since we've been watering, and left the sprinkler on overnight one time (oops), things are growing nicely. I've no idea why we planted things this close together though. We have acres to use.

Case in point: this poor pepper plant is bravely thriving in spite of being almost completely surrounded by melon vines.

After we used Miracle-Gro on the tomatoes, they took off like crazy. And it's not all foliage; there are plenty of little green tomatoes hiding everywhere.

Pumpkin.

Remaining potato in a barrel. One flower is barely blossoming so I have high hopes that there will be potatoes in this barrel. Time will tell. Also another pumpkin vine.

Same pumpkin vine.

Older green beans to left, newly planted next (seen flooded after Wednesday's rain in a previous post). Beans in middle were planted a week or so ago. Then one row of older beans, then onions.

Onions don't look too great from a distance, 

but up close they're looking just fine.

Potatoes benefited greatly from Miracle-Gro as well.

2014 Bartlett pear tree has seven pears (one not visible).

Pumpkins are well pollinated.

Another view of overcrowding.

I planted green, red, yellow, and purple peppers. The purple ones started out purple. Idk which plants are red, yellow, or green; so I've stopped picking them when they get big so they have a chance to change color. There are many though, and they are huge!

Zucchini plant almost hides this pepper.

Same potato barrel, different view.

First ripe tomato!

And another.

Same as above.

I've been picking cherry tomatoes for a week or so... just a few here and there. Dad eats them as fast as I pick them.

And that's about it for now.

Sunny Days

A few friends joined us at the lake Thursday. Water was way cooler than before the rain and felt great.

That evening the new corn wagon was moved to its new location.

And it was a beautiful evening for riding.

Friday was jobs and chase in the morning then a little lake in the afternoon.

Storm Report

Wednesday afternoon's 3" of rain came fast and furious which caused some impressive temporary flooding. Pre-storm view of some awesomely creepy clouds. We could see them swirling and churning before they dissipated.

Photo creds to Sarah for these next few px.

Checking out the depth of the horse pasture pond wasn't exactly the safest thing to do on a four-wheeler...

but it sure was fun!

Evening drive to check out all the flooding.

Dad and Josh took a 4wheeler trip then to check out the creek.

As expected, flood gates were out. 

Have I ever explained a flood gate? No? 

Well if I have, skip this. If I haven't, prepare to be educated. 

When Dad and I got married, we didn't live out here, but occasionally he'd come help Grandpa fix the flood gates. I had no idea what that was, not having been raised with cattle and creeks. So I learned that a flood gate is basically a fence across a creek which keeps cattle from wandering down the creek and away to who knows where. You might be asking, why not just call it a creek fence then; well, except a flood gate is especially made out of weak old rusty wire so it quickly gives way when floodwaters carry branches and other fence-destroying debris. Thus, it is actually a gate; that is, it actually opens when flood waters bring the debris.

And now you know what a flood gate is.

More checking out water back at the house.

Our freshly-planted beans. We have little hope of ever seeing beans right here...

but as always, time will tell.

At any rate, we are thankful for the rain, even if it did cost me a couple rows of beans!