Could it be?

I have to confess.

I had asked S to get me some Early Girl tomatoes. I knew I wanted those, I had done my research. Someone with my anxious temperament needs some kind of early result to keep going.

When he didn't get them I was disappointed, but when I got the OSH flyer advertising another vegetable sale, I drove there and got the only Early Girl plant they had. They really don't have much at my OSH.

Anyway.

On the first day of July I spotted some beautiful little tomatoes growing on that plant. I smiled and took so many pictures that S probably thought I was crazy, so I will spare you my madness and only post one.

And in June, unexpectedly . . .

the plant that renewed my euphoria was our corn. We planted this against our fence, and to be honest, I didn't expect it to produce anything. I mean, corn? I'd never considered growing corn, but S showed up with four plants, so along the fence they went.

One went bye-bye within the first week, but the other three began to grow and grow, until they were the same height as our oldest boy.


And then they were taller than our oldest boy, and taller than me, which is not saying much since I am all of 5 feet tall, but still, it was pretty exciting.

I love hearing the water hit those lustrous, luscious leaves.

Suddenly, I noticed tight little bunches beginning to form. Could sweet corn be in our dining future??

Our fruit trees

We are very lucky in that, when we moved in to this house, there were several fruit trees that have provided us with gorgeous, fresh fruit, for the past few years.

Our plums are plump and juicy - twice we have hosted some of my relatives from Peru and both times we have enjoyed several bowl-fuls of plums. Over there they are called ciruelas, and they are a favorite of adults and kids alike.

Next summer I am planning on some yummy plum jam.


I love lavender - the relaxing scent is one of my favorites, and the pretty color is striking against all the green.

I'm making lavender sachet for Christmas, and want to tie up some lavender in pretty ribbons and place them oh-so-perfectly on a white dish in my bathroom counter.

They would look pretty in little bud vases, too.

Le sigh.


Pearlicious!!! These babies are so sweet and juicy, my youngest eats them by the bowl-ful. It helps that my mother, the Goddess of Nurturing, makes pear dessert for him, but he can eat them raw, too.

They are Asian pears, small, crisp and crunchy, and incredibly sweet.

I can't wait to eat them raw and make a bunch of crisps in the fall! My mother in law wants to can some with me. It will be the first time either of us tries canning, so that will be an adventure, too.


We don't get much out of our citrus tree, but the oranges that we do get are very sweet.

I am sure there are things we could do to make it produce more, but so far, we've been pretty lazy about it.

Next year I plan on learning more about this tree and hope to have it produce some more fruit.

And last, but definitely NOT least . . .


The one everyone is waiting for. We have a list of people waiting for our avocados. No kidding.

When my oldest was about 6 months old, we had our first wave of avvies. He was barely beginning to eat solids, and he loved avocados right away, he would eat a whole one for breakfast every morning.

Two years later we had our second wave and my youngest got in on the action. Our avocados are small, but perfect, creamy and buttery and with a wonderful mild flavor. We make guacamole, avocado sandwiches, and eat them on their own.

This year we can't wait to have them!

April showers bring May . . .

No.

Not flowers, or plants. Or any encouraging sign of life.

This is the part that breaks me down in every project I do. The point where the euphoria of starting the project is over and the rewards are far, far in the future.

I had to do something before I just gave up. So I re-checked out of the library my inspiration for it all, Animal Vegetable Miracle.

Thank you, Barbara, Steven, Camille, and Lily, for rescuing my garden.

After long weeks of waiting

the day of planting arrived!!!

Because this was an experiment, and I am not the best at following through with projects, we decided to not spend a lot of money. S bought the plants at OSH during one of their 2-for-1 sales. He got 6 tomato plants (none of them Early Girls, which I'd requested), cucumber, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, eggplant, and watermelon, which A1 chose.


The men worked hard to get our little raised bed ready. We weren't investing a lot of area, either, since, again, this was just an experiment.

The raised bed was already there, in a gated area next to the house, which I liked, because it meant that kids wouldn't be trampling my plants.

My boys were so excited. I don't think they actually equated this with "we might have to eat veggies" since that's beyond their day-to-day train of thought. But I had Deborah Madison's bible Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone at the ready, planning delicious dishes to cook with my lovely garden veggies.


Then, it was ready.

There was good soil, good plants, and a good setting in full sun. It would be up to me to be consistent and water these babies daily.

Thank you Barbara Kingsolver

Last year I decided I wanted a little herb garden. I love cooking and I always envy Giada de Laurentiis when she reaches out and grabs a handful of fresh basil for her sauce or whatnot. Well, being the *dedicated* person that I am, I promptly forgot all about watering the herbs and they died a slow and agonizing death in the harsh California summer.

My bad. But, I knew my limits then. My children ate well balanced meal, the occasional bunch of chicken nuggets offset by healthy veggie-mix made by my mom. She would mash up a bunch of cooked veggies, add butter, and both my sons practically lived on that for the first two years of their lives. I honestly think they have been given such a great nutritional start by my mom that I will be forever grateful to her for that.

Then I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Damn. I could feel the long forgotten legacy of my field-working ancestors, those people who tamed the arid soils of my homeland and the unforgiving lands in the South American sierra to thrive and feed their people, surging to the surface, demanding I go right out and plant something, for god's sakes.

Unfortunately, it was the middle of winter, and even though I am in California, I had to wait a few months to make my new dream come true.

Daaaamn, it's been a while!

So I am guilty of abandoning my sewing endeavors for a few months - I was caught up in Election fever, then Halloween fever, then Holiday baking fever, and then . . . Aidan needed some new sheets. The top is the pillowcase that matches the sheet below it.

So, nothing remotely exciting, just some flat sheets in elephant fabric, because no one had dinosaur fabrics! I'll hit up EBay and see what I can make before Aidan's birthday.

But never fear, I have been re-bitten (re-bit?) by the sewing bug and plan on more pretties soon!