Went to the garden at 6 a.m. today as I knew I had work to do there.  I had to tie up the tomatoes again.  As they grow I like to tie them to their stake so as the tomatoes grow larger they don’t break the main plant.  The first cluster of tomatoes on each plant has set their tomatoes so I have quite a few little tiny tomatoes now, the second cluster are in full bloom and the third is budded so all is going well.  Each cluster  has between four and 6 tomatoes  and each plant get 6 cluster before I top them off, so with 14 plants we should have enough tomatoes to eat fresh and to make salsa.  I always stop and pick off the sucker so the plant will put all it’s energy into making nice big juicy  tomatoes- so far things are going swimmingly.  After tying up those I tied up the peppers that I did not have cages for, then went to look at the beans and found no new prints in the garden and got enough green beans for today’s dinner.  I like having at least three vegetables each day so that gave me one new one today.  Yesterday I took one head of cauliflower.  It didn’t look too big in the garden but it was so nice and white I just had to try it.  When I got it to the kitchen I found it was a lot bigger than I thought.  I had two small kohlrabi  plants also so I stir fried  those as the new vegetable yesterday.  I served them crips, not wanting to over cook such a nice fresh vegetable so today I cooked it some more and we had that for dinner also and have enough left for tomorrow.  We both liked it more done than yesterday and what a difference in the flavor when you can pick it fresh.  The old farmers tell you how to pick and cook corn and I think this is the best way to do any garden vegetable. ” Plant the corn on the side of the hill closest to the house.  Put the water on to heat and when it is ready to boil run out to the corn field and pick the corn you want to eat.  Each person must pick his own because you don’t have much time.  As you run back down the hill be shucking the corn so it is ready when you get into the house to put it into the boiling water.  Boil for 5 minutes and remove and put it on your plate.  Take a stick of butter and rub it on the corn, add  little salt and eat the best tasting corn you have ever eaten.”  We really believe this.  In past years when we wanted to get corn to freeze we had Jack call us when he was ready to go out to the field to pick the corn for that day and we would drive right to his farm and be there waiting for him when he came in from the field.  We would take 12 dozen ears and rush home, shuck them, blanch them, take the corn off the cob and have the whole mess in the freezer by dinner.  Some times we had to delay dinner until one o’clock but we never minded that as long as that corn was in the freezer before we ate and that was some of the best corn we ever had.  The last two years Jack did not have corn for us as the field he was renting to plant his corn was sold out from under him and we could not find another farmer who would go out at dawn and pick the corn fresh for us.  they all laugh at us but I am sure they have never eaten their corn that fresh or they would know we are right!!

Back to the garden.  I picked a few weeds and when Norman got back from his walk I came up to the kitchen garden and pick three dozen beets.  After breakfast we washed the beets and greens and froze most of them.  I saved out 10 of the smallest ones for today’s dinner and froze the rest and them blanched and froze the greens – 4 large quarts.  Then Norman went to work outside and I went to the studio and did some sewing until it was imd for break and then dinner.  We had chicken and walnuts with new potatoes and a baked medley of sweet potatoes, rutabaga, and beets, the stir fried cauliflower from yesterday and the few green beans I picked today boiled with small garlic cloves from last year.  Everything was so good!!

I love sitting here watching my hummingbirds.  Right now it is only the males and they fight all the time.  There are five of them.  The females are either coming later or are already here and on their nest.  When they come the males rand guard while the females eat and they all get along fine and often there will be four eating all at the same time.   we have another feeder down on the lower deck and that one is just as busy.  It sure takes a lot of sugar to keep them all fed.

Rosemary, do the humming birds get all the way up to your farm?  We had a cousin in Millanocket , Maine and it was so cold there they had black flies all year long.  Boy would I hate that , we don’t get the black flies here thank goodness.  We have some of the no seems but the fly catcher take care of most of those even.  All for today.  Have a great day- sending lots of love to all- drop a line when you dank love to hear from you.