Apple of my eye

 It looks like there will be an abundance of apple pies this fall.  Then there are apple gallettes, apple butter, apple sauce...Even though the apples are not quite ripe yet, apparently they are ripe enough for the squirrels.  Everyday, there are many half eaten apples laying on the ground. 

Love in A Mist

This is dried Love in a Mist.  While it's blooming it has soft medium green colored threadlike leaves with little white or blue star flowers that almost look like mini crowns on the tips.  While it looks very delicate, it comes up early in spring and readily withstands our late snowfalls.  The star flowers become brown 1" ball seed heads.  I love that they reseed themselves.  I just clipped off all the seed heads, pulled out the stems and will share them with friends that want them.

Tomatillos

I know these look like paper lanterns, but they are really tomatillo tomatoes.  I am very excited about them.  At first the plant grows tall and leggy, like mums that were fertilized and grew too early in the season.  After researching, I learned that you need two tomatillos in order for them to cross pollinate.  I was very disappointed, thinking I would not have any fruit this year, but decided to let it grow anyway.  Low and behold, I now have nearly 2 dozen paper lanterns growing.  I pray this is not giving me false hope and that little tomatoes are growing inside those lanterns.  We'll see. Keep your fingers crossed.

Harvesting

These days there is always something to harvest.  Patty pan squash, cucumber, cherry and yellow pear tomatoes along with ripe plums.   All these colors are so vibrant and inspiring.

Black eyed susans

Today while hand watering some of my flowers I came across a praying mantis that wanted to fight with the stream of water that was coming out of the hose;  it was quite funny.  I think I might start carrying the camera with me whenever I am out in the yard.  I'm sure he wouldn't have waited for me to come back out for the photo.

Big Jim's

We went down to Rocky Ford for a few days, and came back with a bushel of Roasted Big Jim Chili's.  Of course that meant peeling, seeding and de-veining along with packaging for future use.  We also brought back  50 ears of fresh corn that had to be blanched and then removed from the cob.                

The food saver had a good work out after all the food prepping.  With all those chili's in the kitchen we decided to make a pot of green chili.  That was a lot of work, but definitely worth it.  My friend Kitty just picked some fresh salad greens for dinner while I  stirred the pot, after cleaning up our mess.

Fresh Florida Lobster Tails

Our very best friends are here from the Florida  Keys for a fun filled week with us.  Something I really look forward to.  My girlfriend and I really enjoy cooking together.  They brought fresh Spiney lobster tails that 
they caught during mini season, a couple weeks before.  They were part of our menu one evening, just delicious.

Blueberries

With friends in town, we hiked Eldorado Canyon.  It was great to see so many wild blueberries growing all over the mountain side.

Plum Tree

The fruit on the plum tree are ripening more each day.  In early spring I spray Triazizide on this tree and it seems to keep the leaf curlers, aphids and anything else that might be destructive at bay.

Reading Room

My husband lounges quietly, reading under the grape arbor.   It's very peaceful and cool there, back in the corner of the yard.  I think I'll get my book and join him.

Stonecrop

This is a stonecrop growing on the front rock wall. 
It's bright pink color is a great contrast up
against the rock and really catches your eye.

Geum

This is one of four Geum's in my planter with Lamium and Rose Campion surrounding them.  It's a small mounding plant that throws out orange flowers on 18" shoots, straight up from the center.  This plant also can be found with yellow flowers.  I have a couple of those at the edge of the path, walking back to the grape arbor along with Coreposis and Black Eyed Susans.  

Cucumbers aplenty

 


























I took these photos at mornings first light.  There's a marketmore cucumber, with a pickling cucumber growing next to it.  Do you notice the 'bright lights' Swiss chard red stems just behind them?  Good salad days are here,  along with more gazpacho and some pickle making.
These sunflowers are nearly eight feet tall.  Just after I took the photo of the cucumbers,  I looked up and saw that brilliant yellow flower against the blue sky.  There is never a need to plant sunflower seeds, the birds always take care of the planting.  I don't allow many to be present in the vegetable garden because as they grow they tend to block out the valuable sun rays, but I did leave a few in the center of the garden this year.  They make me smile.

Echineacea

Echineacea, also known as the Coneflower, comes in purple and white.  

They grow to about three feet tall.  After they dry out, wait until  the seed heads dry completely, then collect the seeds.  The white ones are from seeds I collected two years ago.  Just call me Lori Apple Seed.  Happy harvesting.