Season's End

I brought in the last of my produce this evening; a basket of ripe and green tomatoes, alon with a few sweet banana peppers from my wee garden.  I cleaned out most of the debris and put away the containers until next spring.

I'm going to enjoy a few ripe tomatoes and most likely will slice and freeze the rest.  There are many, but, I'm only one person, so it's all good.

I'll thin slice the green tomatoes, dredge in flour and freeze in layers.  Once they're frozen, I;ll put them in freezer bags to have fried green tomatoes in the winter!  Woo hoo! !

I've learned a few things. Next year, I'll place only ONE tomato plant in each of the containers. If I try for squash again, I'll put them in an ugly container so that it doesn't get stolen. Yes, you read right. I purchased a pretty, apple green container for my squash.  It was plastic, probably intended for icing down cans of pop or beer, and someone stole it from my patio!  They didn't get much as I had drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, and when I did that, the bottom cracked!

I will also put the squash in a sunnier location from the get-go. Having grown up in New Mexico where shade is at a premium, I wasn't prepared for "lack of sun shine" being a problem.  Sure enough, it is out here on the east coast!

I hope my lavender will bloom next year beyond a few spikes.

That's it for now. In a couple of days, I'll post pictures of the small quilt wall hanging the East Coast Family (plus three grand children) made for daughter, sister, cousin, aunt and mommy, Greta.  More on that next time.

Have a wonderful rest of your Country Weekend!

© 2012 Cat Brennan

LIFE is SWEET in the COUNTRY

Country Spring is marching its way into Summer, and I've got my container garden started!  It's exciting to know that I'll enjoy the some great veggies (maybe even freeze a few?) later in the season.  I did have to put out some special bait to "feed" my slimy friends, the slugs (thanks to a special friend for that tip, or I may have lost all my plants) and yes, it's safe for veggies and an organic product.

So far, I have 2 varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of chili peppers: hot New Mexico and mild, sweet yellow banana peppers, dill, rosemary, green and opal basil, green onions and 2 varieties of lavender.  Also, intermingled among the edibles on the patio are some mums, a Pansy that won't give up her winter ghost, 2 varieties of hens and chicks and a sweet little ground covering sedum.  I'm going to try a container of summer squash, too.  The Topsy-turvy will have to wait until next year as I'll be out of town for a full week and no one to water it.

A visit to a friend's home a couple of weeks ago reminded me of a beverage that I really enjoy in the summer.  Sweet tea is a staple in the south as much as cheese is in Wisconsin and grapes in the California vineyards.  Out west, one has to add her own sugar - in the south, if you prefer it, you have to specify UNsweet tea.  When I was still living west of the Mississippi, during a visit, my grand daughter ordered sweet tea in a restaurant. The waitress (obviously not knowing the genteel ways of the south) informed her, while pointing to an object on the table, "There's the sugar and you can sweeten your tea however you want it."

I digress, a favorite summer beverage:  Sweet Tea with Lemonade.  Frankly, I don't like really sweet tea, but I've gotten around that. While visiting in Arkansas some years ago, I discovered mixing my sweet tea with lemonade is the answer and the best of both worlds - I did this in fast food places where you dispense your own beverage and ordered this concoction in restaurants, alike. 
My simple recipe is to brew strong DECAF tea, enough for 2 quarts, and sweeten while it's still very warm.  Add 2 quarts lemonade.  Serve over ice  and enjoy.  Be sure to refrigerate the remaining beverage.  I like this so much better that iced tea with lemon.
Hope your week is great and I would love to hear from all of you; especially container gardeners.

© 2012 Cat Brennan