Kitchen Garden Log

In addition to green tomatoes, there were 3 cucumbers.
The apples are all eaten now.
There are a few peppers.
4 figs from little Hardy Chicago.

Not much, but not bad for november.

Last weekend I cleaned up one raised bed and planted it with multiplier onions. This is about the 5th year for these. I covered with raked leaves, to keep the dogs from digging.

The cherries, most of the figs, the apples, and the ginkgos have lost most of their leaves.

I moved some oriental lilies to a bed east of the house.
Raked leaves. Used them for mulch around previously-moved magnolia and on the lilies, as well as the winter onion bed.
Chopped up a few tomato plants, and left them in the compost bin.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Not a lot of time to be in the garden. Today, I cleaned up one group of tomato plants. What to do with the green tomatoes?

Green tomatoes.


1. Slice.
2. Dip in egg.
3. Coat in flour with a little black pepper.

4. Fry in olive oil.

5. Salt and eat.

Frying tenderizes them. If you want to be yuppie about it, use tempura mix. They are a little tart, tender inside, and juicy. They don't taste like tomatoes - more similar to other coated/fried vegetables, but with some added juiciness and tartness.

I'm not much of a cook, but this was easy.

And that's what you can do with some green tomatoes.

Schlumbergera

The color is a little off - it's more of a salmon shade.

Given the date, this would be more like "Election Day Cactus" instead of the later holidays.

This year the figs are way behind last year. I'm just happy that there have been a few on Hardy Chicago. This little tree has given 3 last week and may give another 3 or 6 if the weather holds out.

Hardy Chicago

Hardy Chicago

Vancouver. Will the most mature fig ripen without leaves?"


Petite negri.

Fall Begins

Ginkgo fall photo. Leaves remain green so far.

Front ginkgo. Now it's taller than I am. Leaves starting to change color now.

Lots of grapes now. It's dark when I go to work and come home, so I forget to pick them.

Also-
still getting a few tomatoes, beans, cucumbers.

I ate ONE fresh fig yesterday - a small one from Hardy Chicago.

I moved the Magnolia seiboldei to a more sheltered location, north of a fence and east of the house. There is will be less likely to develop sunburn, and need less water in the summer. It's bushy, about 6 feet tall. The roots were actually quite limited, about 2 foot diameter root ball, about 1 foot deep. I did remove one tall stem that leaned the wrong direction, but left the remainder unpruned.

I moved a mature oriental lily as well, near the magnolia. Also a few minor perennials.