Enjoying the Tomato Harvest!

Who doesn't LOVE fresh tomatoes out of your very own garden? The taste is soooo incredible, it's hard to believe they are related to the ones you buy in the grocery store in the middle of winter. We are finally starting to enjoy ours. I planted Beefsteak, San Marzano plum, Heirloom Brandy Wine, Tiny Tim cherry and Better Boy (I think? Maybe Big Boy? Can't remember, and can't find the tag!)

Our very first harvest was a few weeks ago.

 

Hot Portugal pepper and Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes

 San Marzano plum

Hot Portugal, Bell Boy green pepper, San Marzano, Tiny Tim, Brandy Wine and our very first zucchini!!

Last week we BBQ'd up some sliders. (Not to be confused with the turkey & pasta soup/stew) They are mini hamburgers, often served in restaurants as an appetizer. We love them as a meal, and a great place to showcase a fresh tomato!!

Now this Brandy Wine is very strange looking...

 Weird shape, but who cares? Still will taste great!!

 Look how meaty & juicy it looks!! 

 Sliders are cooked...

...and dressed. Oh boy were they yummy with that fresh tomato on top!!

One day for breakfast, I whipped up a couple of tomato sandwiches. Lettuce (not from my garden) and Miracle Whip added as well.

 Brandy Wine tomato

Can't wait to dig into this!! And...oh...wow....it was delicious!!

Today for lunch, I cooked up some bacon thinking I'd make bacon & eggs, fresh from the chicken coop. But when I saw that ripe tomato hanging on the vine, I had to change my mind! What a decision...fresh eggs, fresh tomato? Figured I'd do both, but in the end we settled for the most incredible BLTs in the world!! (ok, so I tend to exaggerate...but they were incredibly delicious!!)

Look at that mound of bacon...like Emeril says...pork fat rules! (big grin!!)

 The makings for a perfect BLT

 Top both slices of toast with Miracle Whip

Add slices of tomato and top with salt & fresh ground pepper.

 Top with bacon...

 Add lettuce...

...top with the last slice of toast and slice in 1/2.

Perfection...to be enjoyed with a glass of ice cold milk!!

So these are a couple of ways we've been enjoying the harvest of our gardens to date! Can't beat anything you grow yourself out in your own garden. :)
What do you have growing that you're serving in the kitchen?

Flowers and Finally Rain

I've been taking pictures of the flowers blooming around the yard. One of my favourite pass-times. Thought I'd share some with you...

 Canna Lily

 Another Canna

 Asiatic Lily

 Lily

 Lily

Tropical Passion Flower

This morning we finally got some much needed rain!! Yeah...so excited...and then it stopped. All of 5 minutes. Still cloudy and hoping we get more. So, I had to take pictures of some blooms with raindrops clinging to them. :)

 Begonia with drops barely holding on

 Begonia

 Gazania

 Perennial Hibiscus

Perennial Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus

After the rain stopped, the sun came out for a couple minutes. Look at how the roof is 'smokin'! 

We have this old bench that a friend left with us. We have used it for years around the fire. Sadly it has seen better days...and Larry wants to burn it. Um...pardon?? Not a chance!!! I will have somewhere to use it in the gardens, not a doubt! But that will be a future post. ;)

I'm sharing with: 

Happy Canada Day!!

Summer is here and with the start of it comes our country's special day, on July 1st. Originally called Dominion Day, it is the anniversary of the British North American Act (now called The Constitution Act) of 1867. It is the day Canada became a kingdom in it's own right. We are still part of the monarchy of Great Britain, having a Governor General that is our direct link to the Queen.

I love decorating for Canada Day, this year is toned down since I'm working all weekend and my husband is away helping a friend. I still planted a couple of 'Canada Day' planters, and put out some flags.

Wishing everyone a Happy Canada Day!! And for my friends south of the border, wishing you all a Happy 4th of July, celebrating your Independence Day! 
I hope you have a safe & happy holiday weekend.

A Few of My Tropicals

It's over...the Brant United Way Giant Warehouse Sale was yesterday and a huge success. An amazing selection of products donated by local companies sold to bring in a record amount of money for the Brant United Way. The first customers started lining up at 6:00am on Friday for the opening at 8:00am on Saturday...awfully early to be awarded a $25.00 voucher. The line-up continued until we closed at 4:00pm, cashing out customers till close to 5:00. But, it's over for another year.

My hours are still crazy at work, soon they will start to level off. Then I will be able to concentrate on my own gardens and home. They have been sadly neglected due to the busyness of work & volunteering. I have managed to get some containers planted, and a couple beds but so much more to do. Really need to get the rest of the plants in cell packs and 4" pots into their homes so they can start growing properly! The courtyard and pool area look full, but that is mainly due to all the tropicals I brought outside for the season.

I've wanted an old ladder for the garden to display smaller pots on. Larry had some old wood and promised to build one for me. When the kids were visiting, Rob (Kaleb's Daddy) said he'd do it...lucky for me, he loves building things! Larry helped him with a couple parts, and I finally have my ladder! I love it...now thinking I need another one. :)

Rob building the ladder

The finished project

It is bolted to the wall of the pool room so heavy winds won't knock it over. I imagine I'll bring in the plants if that threatens, don't think they'd survive that weather. Of course it looks different now, I changed the plants around, always moving things. :) Have an old crib destined for the garbage. Thinking of a way I can use it in my gardens. It needs to be distressed, the wood still looks too good...a day off project in the future. Finally downloaded the pictures to the computer, and of course I just have to share some with you! Enjoy...

I have so many succulent and cactus, the chore is trying to figure out the names of all of them! They rarely come with the proper labels and there are thousands of varieties. If I have mislabelled a plant, please leave a comment to let me know! :)

Beaucarnea Recurvata 'Ponytail Palm'

Cycas Revoluta 'Sago Palm'

Echinopsis 

I keep forgetting my camera on the sunny days to capture the flower in full bloom.
I'll post when I remember because it is stunning! And there is another bud which will hopefully be opening soon!

A type of Hawarthia or Aloe?

Echeveria

Anacampseros telephiastrum 'variegata'

Crassula

I do love my cute little Ant planter, and the Blue Mountain Pottery shoe!

Echiveria nodulosa 

Echeveria 'Blue Waves' 
succulent terrarium

Tillandsia terrarium
Yeah, ok...I'm bird crazy :)


Crassula obliqua

Sempervivum tectorum

Crassula 'moonglow'

A few watering cans potted with sempervivums

And yeah, I love unique and different containers!

Hoya carnosa 'Hummel's Compacta'

Crassula perfoliata

Love my Hoya! Can't wait for it to bloom, may have a couple more years to wait though.

Hoya rubra variegated

This poor guy is segregated from the others. He had mealy bug and so far it looks like I've licked them, but want to be sure before I return him to his friends. 

We hung some of my hanging baskets in the pool room! Love the lush look of it...with more house plants along the side it truly looks like a tropical haven. Notice we only have 1/2 a roof? lol It was starting to deteriorate so Larry took the south side off last year. We loved the sun warming the pool up so we decided to leave it off. :) He is planning to replace the remaining half and I would like the side 'windows' replaced with a clear plexiglass so we can see into the courtyard. Another on the long 'honey-do' list of chores for this old home.

Had to show you this picture I took during a snowstorm this winter. Looks neat the way 1/2 the pool room has snow falling on it and the other 1/2 is dry. 

Ok, fast-forwarding back to spring...

Adiantum 'Maidenhair Fern'

 Nephrolepis exaltata 'Boston Fern'

Syngonium podophyllum 'White Butterfly'

 Alocasia
Look at the flower coming up in the middle!

 Ficus benjamini
This tree has been pruned back a couple times to fit in our great room, which has very high ceilings, but is getting too large to move in & out every year. I think I'll have to find a new home for it this fall, and knowing this would eventually happen, I started another one a few years ago. You can see part of it in the next picture, and it is a variegated one!

Crassula obliqua 'Monstrosus' (in the porcelain toilet at top)
Scilla violaceous 'Silver Squill'
Ficus benjamina variegated
A few succulents I'm propagating on the bottom shelf. You can see part of a tomato plant waiting to be planted.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoyed this small part of our gardens. I need to add a story about our chickens and their progress...soon. Have a great night.