What's Growin' On: 8/28/06

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Realization Of The Day:
It may have been a while since I've had squash in the garden, but I am almost positive these are not golden zucchini, although the package clearly stated that's what kind of seeds it held. Yep, I just checked the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog. These are looking a whole lot like Early Prolific Straightneck if you ask me. It appears to be a simple seed packet stuffing error, and I will definitely have to see about getting some of the real golden zucchini seeds for next year as they sound intriguing and look delicious in the photo.

Now, yes, I won't deny that this is rather a bummer. I have eaten (and even grown) my share of straightneck summer squash before. But, on the other hand, I HAVE LIVE SQUASH IN THE GARDEN! Who CARES what kind it is!

Okay, I'm fine now. Oh, but the squash surprises don't end yet.




Realization #2:
Remember that bed of happy little fall crop seedlings the dogs destroyed one lovely Sunday morning a few weeks back? I wrote the other day that some escarole seedlings in the bed with the new crater in it somehow missed being murdered, and that there were some surprising volunteer cucumbers popping up. Well, not only did I find a few more survivors hidden among the weeds today, including a couple of Red Russian Kale seedlings and several Nero di Toscanas. . . (Note: Baby Red Russian kale is almost too adorable. Sprinkle it on salads and wait for the "Oh it's so cutes!" to pour in--if you can handle it.) But it turns out those volunteer cucumbers are actually some kind of squash plant!

The wonders never cease around here. There are seven of these mystery plants happily growing literally growing several inches a day and absolutely no logical explanation for how they got there.

So my illogical explanation is: the dogs felt so bad about pretty much wiping out my fall crops that they planted some squash for me as a goodwill gesture. Hey, in my garden practically anything is possible.

From Garden To Table:
Tomatoes of course!

Harvest For The Henhouse:
Tomatoes of course! (Note to self--yet again: Hello! There is no holding pattern in the garden. If the tomatoes are ripe and ready to pick, leaving them hanging on the vine for a couple of weeks "so they'll stay fresher" is not such a brilliant idea. Bad things will happen to them. Bugs will eat them. They will ROT. Duh. Why can't I remember this? (And believe me, it's not only tomatoes I do it with, either.) I think this goes back to the whole obsessive foodie thing. Maybe I need professional help.

Sunscreen Alert & Sale Reminder:
Summer may be coming to an end (thank goodness), but that doesn't mean you can fling off your sun hat and tuck the sunblock in the back of a drawer. No, no, no. It's open season on sunburn all year long no matter where you live or what the weather.

Click here if you missed reading about why I love my widebrim sun hat--and why I slather on the sunblock 365 days a year.

That special sale on sunblock--and 14,000 other products including many items from companies such as Celestial Seasonings (91 items), Newman's Own Organics (47 items), and even Wild Oats (110 items)--at Amazon.com that I mentioned in the sun hat post (which includes links to some of my favorite products) is also coming to an end. You'll receive a $10 instant rebate on your purchase of $49 or more of any combination of food and household products offered by Amazon.com Grocery. Added to their great prices, free shipping over $25, no sales tax, and delivery right to your door, you really can't beat it. Click here for more details or to start shopping. This offer is good through August 31st.