A LITTLE SWEAT EQUITY AND A LOT OF IMAGINATION

The fence surrounding the garden and the arbor have been completed. The only goal, for design in mind when we started, was to complement the old plum tree. My husband gleaned and saved twisted and gnarly limbs and trees from various jobs, with the thought they would be used one day for some project in the yard. His imagination and creative ability with the chainsaw came to life and he has outdone himself with this wonderful gift! It turned into a family affair with the much appreciated help from my step-son.

The dimensions, once the tilling commenced, quickly changed from it's conservative beginnings, to truly being a garden. We dedicated two days to hauling compost in by the dump-truck load. The garden was enriched and tilled once again before final planting began.

But, as they say... the best laid plans go astray! Still working from the original grid plan, we ended up with extra space and room for rows.

I stuck to basics this year, with my intent to preserve what we eat the most. Green beans, variety of pickles from the cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, and no garden would be complete without zucchini squash.

So now that the radishes are through the ground and the beans have germinated, I am called upon my patience to wait. Wait until I can put the first canner load of green beans in the cold pantry. Wait until I can make the first batch of my Auntie Beatrice's Bread and Butter Pickles. Wait until the tomatoes are cooking into the tantalizing aroma of Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Zucchini, Sweet Red Bell Peppers and the Greek Oregano that grows wild in the garden. Alas ~ Wait, Wait, Wait....

BeBop a Rebop Rhubarb Pie!

Nothing makes my mouth water more than the first fresh pie of the spring season.
Raspberry-Rhubarb Lattice Pie is a winner.
1 1/2 to 2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 cups granulated sugar (or you may want it sweeter so you can add more)
1/3 cup flour
1 Teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons cold butter in 1/2 inch diced pieces
Crust for 11 inch Double crust pie... chilled.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
Separate 1/3 of the pastry and refridgerate it until ready for use.
Roll out remaining pastry and place as the bottom crust in you pie dish.
Put the raspberries and rhubarb in large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, flour and lemon juice. Toss to combine, but be careful not to break up the raspberries.
Spoon the filling into the bottom crust and dot with the butter.
Roll the remaining pastry into thin rectangle. Cut strips into 1/2 inch strips and start the lattice on your pie by forming an 'X'. Weave the remaining strips in an over - under fashion to form the lattice. Crimp the edge of the pie with a fork or your fingers.
Bake the pie on a large parchment covered baking sheet for 1 1/2 hours or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbly and thick. Let cool completely before serving.
(If you use frozen rhubarb let it thaw and drain completely before baking)

THE OLD GARDENS

Even though my Dad was a photographer, he apparently didn't
think the vegetable garden was worthy to record it's
history on film. The garden in the front yard was
another story. Gourds and beans grew at each side of the little bridge going to the front door.
Roses bloomed alongside beds of zinnias.
There were flowers everywhere.
My Mother loved pots of this and that scattered throughout the larger beds. She could create the most interesting array of arrangements from found articles... buckets, boxes, anything that was old iron that had an appropriate hole in it, was suitable for planting.
Hens and chicks still grow on the rock wall behind the house.

Even years after she was gone, I would find Sweetpeas and California poppies blooming in hap-hazard places. A group of iris hidden behind my garden shed, The ferns that come up every year and are tucked away so that when their lime green color hits your eye, it is a reminder to pay attention!

Beets and Beans and Carrots OH MY!

Autumn Beauty and Teddy Bear Sunflowers

Atomic Reds and Little Finger Carrots

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans... an old reliable with high yields and tons of flavor.

Detroit Darks, Early Wonders and Italian Cylindra Beets... We love the tops cooked like spinach and Pickled Beets are a favorite.

Boston Pickling.. a great Highly Productive Cucumber for those of you that like to make pickles.

TWO kinds of Zucchini... a must for my spagetti sauce and Morning Glory Muffins!

Radishes..... Scarlet Globe and French Breakfast... Did you know you can saute radishes?

And a variety of canning and table tomatoes, Heirloom varieties all...... compliments of my Cousin Chuck's greenhouse.

My canners are ready, the cold pantry is being organized... GET GROWING!

Francious Rene Chateaubriand

When God on earth was making the primal Paradice,
A garden, say the Scriptures, was fashioned to suffice.
And man these years remembers, and every spring recants....
One step toward his Eden with every seed he plants.

The Little Green House in the Window

Portly, the stout black bear with the big tummy, stands watch over the little green house in the window. Boston Pickler Cucumbers, Zucchini and Teddy Bear Sunflowers are ready for transplanting into bigger containers.

The best table top green houses are right from your local bakery! This one started life as a carrier for a sheet cake. There are little grooves in the bottom of the tray that let you water evenly, and there is easily room for 2 dozen jiffy pots. Don't for get to label what you grow!

Waiting Patiently to Plant

Watching the snow level diminish from Gisborn Mountain has been used for a planting gauge since I can remember.

After a long winter with heavy snow, waiting for this mountain to be free from the icy grip of our

unpredictable Northern winters, can be a test of endurance.

And to a gardner, there is nothing worse than having all the catalogs and flyers arrive, and then you look out your window and four feet of snow still layers atop the garden!

Your heart beats a little faster and all of a sudden you just

KNOW that Spring has to hurry up and get here!