Tomato Seedlings

In April of 2020 I started some heirloom tomato seeds in various containers. I think I planted over 30 seeds with 26 plants appearing. One seedling died and I planted two more plants outside. The weather is still not quite warm enough but soon after planting the plants were uprooted. I think a chipmunk started digging, but I am not sure.

Hopefully, these plants will produce a good crop of tomatoes this year!

First Watermelon of Season 2019

Picked Charleston Gray watermelon. My watermelon crop this season is not good, it looks like I will only get 4 melons this year compared to 50 from last year. This crop did not get affected by fungus like last year. I planted different varieties of watermelon and also cantaloupes.

About 20 cantaloupes were in the field, most are the size of softballs. Two got to be about volleyball size but deer have started eating on them.
I also picked some cherry tomatoes and Concord grapes. Most of the Concord grapes were eaten by deer. I also picked a basil leaf.

Tomatoes in August 2017

 Tomatoes grown in Louisville Kentucky USA in August 2017.

Last of the Tomato Crop

Here is an image of the last three tomatoes I grew in containers harvested in September 2017. I ended up using them on salads. Grown in Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA.

Louisville Free Public Library How-To Festival

I have always wanted to attend an event our local public library holds each year called the How-To Festival. In the past a schedule conflict has occurred and I have not been able to attend. This year I was able to visit for part of the day. It is a great community event. Their web site can be found here: http://www.lfpl.org/how-to/

The presentations I got to attend were How to grow and appreciate heirloom tomatoes by Terry Gibson. He shared with an audience of about 30 people his expertise in growing tomatoes. From the questions from the audience he must have presented before because they were referring to tomatoes mentioned in an earlier talk. He mixed experiences and advice growing tomatoes with some humor. When asked what to do about animals such as deer or rabbits eating plants how garden. He said something to the effect in believing they are all God's creatures so we should send them back to God. It was joke of course. He talked about various scented repellents to ward off these types of animals.

I next attended the Maker's mobile lab to hear Mark Lorence talk about How to use a 3D printer. He talked about his experiences and those of associates to make artistic objects or machine parts. The printer was there with examples of items it had created. It was not running during the time I was there. He also showed us the 40 W laser cutters and examples of they they could do. They were used to etch words or logos into objects and to cut cardboard to make 3D shapes. The example we were shown was of a bust of Benjamin Franklin.

The last presentation I watched was How to get started with quad copters/drones and photography: flying demonstration. Al Wollerton was the presenter and he had a number of quad copters to show. The demonstration of the Phantom quad copter was impressive. The Phantom sells for over $300 and can be found on amazon.com.

He was flying a smaller quadcopter as well that reminded me of the Syma X5C I fly but it looked more aerodynamic. It could to the 360 degree loops as well.

Picture of a friend (Benjamin Franklin) of American libraries displayed at the Louisville Free Public Library on May 2015.

Pictures from the Garden

Happy 4th of July, it is overcast and raining here in Louisville. I was hoping to fly an American flag themed kite to celebrate but not a lot of wind with this rainy weather. :(

Pictures of some vegetables growing in my mother's Indiana garden have been posted for today. The first picture is of a dill plant used when canning cucumbers.  The second is of green tomatoes which can be eaten green or when red ripe. The last picture is of bean plants which might be green beans.

Brussels Sprouts, Squash, and Tomato Stir Fry

Today I made a variation of recipe I found at a web site called yingsasiancooking.wordpress.com. That dish is called Brussels sprouts with Cherry Tomatoes posted on June 14, 2012. I added a few more ingredients to my version.

My father brought me the last of the cherry, grape, and Roma tomatoes from their garden. In addition, I had some Brussels sprouts in the refrigerator that needed cooking. So after a short Internet search I found an appropriate recipe to incorporate these two vegetables.

What we will need are Brussels sprouts, in this case about 8 ounces, 4-8 cherry & grape tomatoes (fresh from the garden, ummm!), a medium sized yellow squash,  garlic, a teaspoon of pepper, oil to cover the bottom of your pan/wok, and stir-fry cooking sauce. The website calls for Ying’s Korean BBQ Marinade which can be obtained from the web site. Chef Ying has a wide variety of sauces on her web site and they all look very delicious, I encourage you to try them out.

First order of business is to prepare the vegetables and heat the stove. Mince the garlic. Once completed, you will get your skillet/wok heated to medium heat with the oil in it. Place the garlic in the cooking pan.

Cut the ends off the Brussels sprouts along with any bad places on them. Cut the tomatoes and Brussels sprouts in halves. Slice the yellow squash and then quarter the slices.

Stir the garlic in the pan until its smell permeates the air. Blend in the cut Brussels sprouts and stir fry for several minutes. Add stir fry sauce and squash to the pan. Stir vigorously for several minutes. Add tomatoes and continue stirring for under a minute and move contents of pan to a plate or bowl.

Ta da a lovely vegetable dish with your main entree  In my case, a grilled steak with rice and a glass of water. It was enjoyed!

Tomato Harvest

It has been a good season for tomatoes at my mother's garden. A variety spherical, Roma, grape and cherry tomatoes are still being harvested.

My young nephew and I picked these tomatoes during the weekend. He has tendency to pick green ones though.

I have been putting the tomatoes on salads, sandwiches, diced into chili and eating them with cottage cheese.

Tomato Harvest

The tomato harvest is about over but it has been a good one.

I have used some of the tomatoes and onions from the garden to make chili. Also tomato salads with cottage cheese and mayonnaise. Also putting the tomatos in garden salads with lettuce and carrots.

Tomatoes

Some of the roma tomatoes have been harvested. The green beans, onions, and squash have been producing as well.

I counted over 25 watermelons in one plot forming. The other plot does not have any watermelons yet.