Tag: gardening

Posted on

Signs of Spring!!!

IMG_1207 IMG_1209{Hellebore buds and daffodil shoots growing in “poison ivy” row on the north east portions of the property}

While walking last night it was delightful to experience the sights and sounds of spring. This is definitely a season of renewal, especially after the harshness of winter. The weather a balmy 54 degrees at sundown enabled neighbors to come out of their homes to partake in barbequing delicious steaks, which incidentally smelled fabulous wafting throughout the air, walk their dogs or chase howling cats from fences…yes signs of spring are upon us.

IMG_1198 IMG_1203{Shoots of crocus and peonies growing in spite of the frigid ice and cold}

So this morning while taking my first sip of coffee and looking through the breakfast room window, I noticed the buds of the maple tree leaves were a bushy red and the faint tint of yellow on the brown forsythia plants were most refreshing after seeing snow on the ground last week.

As I do every year at this time, I grabbed my camera with coffee in hand to take a few pictures of the first signs of spring at Heath!!!

Spring forward!!!
K

Posted on

Harvest @ Heath

IMG_2032 IMG_3608As the sun sets on summer, the harvesting has begun at Heath; tomatoes have been ripening rather quickly since the end of August so, I have been creating sauces, soups and tarts in order to use up this abundance of fruit.

Whenever time allows I have been canning tomatoes in Mason jars to have available once the weather turns cold. The thought of losing these gorgeous gems is hard to fathom, but with the sage advice of my mom, who told me to place the whole, freshly picked tomato into zippered plastic bags and place them in the freezer until needed is sheer genius. Then when we need crushed tomatoes, I can take a few out of the bag, let them thaw, which has similar effect to that of blanching.  The skins split, and slip off easily, leaving the pulp ready to be incorporated into creative and tasty recipes.

IMG_2039 IMG_3622As for the squash and pumpkins they are growing rather prolifically on the vines. The huge leaves are a foot in diameter and the gorgeous yellow flowers are still vibrant in color and quite tasty in salads or battered and fried for a snack. I am waiting for the rinds to thicken a bit and the color to deepen to orange so; they will be perfect as Halloween decorations.

Garden stylishly,
K