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My Beauties this week- A looking adorable as always- those cheeks! and N eating a snap pea- I never worry about her veggie intake in the summer- especially since she's learned to pick the carrots.

posting along with Jodi

In the garden: July 18

Well- last week was busy- I was working for the week- so we were barely home, I honestly don't know how people work outside the home all the time, especially when they have young children, it boggles my mind. Anyhow the garden got neglected last week- as did the house (which sort of points how much work it all is, even though it seems like nothing when you're doing it full time- all it takes is a week of not doing it for things to unravel), so we spent the weekend outside catching up (this week I'll do the house inside...). It was perfect weather for working outside- 22 with a nice breeze- beautiful! so we weeded, and weeded and roto- tilled. I transplanted some johnny jump-ups from the grass to the perennial garden (edible flowers- did you know? and really delicious- they taste like that 'purple' flavour in jelly beans), and we started a much thought of stone walkway in between the rows of  perennials- creeping thyme will go between the stones.

The tomatoes are starting to ripen- I am so excited for that, and the baby watermelons are starting- so tiny and cute. We also have started harvesting the Zucchini! which was celebrated with fried blossoms, and some lovely little baby zucchini in pasta- so yummy I never took a picture. I also harvested the Echinacea, and set it to tincture with some Monarda, and Thyme- which is supposedly great for winter colds. I've never done much of that stuff before- but I bought a book by Rosemary Gladstar- and it seemed so straightforward and easy I thought I'd try. So far I've got tinctures of catnip (which was sort of hilarious to prepare with the cats around- I hope that we can take the tincture without them rubbing all over our faces), nettle, and the monarda, echinacea, thyme trio going- and I've dried all sorts of things with a makeshift drying space. It's exciting how many useful plants I've already got growing either nearby or in the garden, I feel a bit obsessed.

The lentils, sadly have been put to rest- we had to mow them down after the grasshoppers got in them, and ate them until there was nothing left- the only thing left growing out in that patch is some barley- which looks great- and some popcorn which I hope will produce. I'm sad about the lentils, but still I think with all the dry beans I've got growing, I'll have enough shelling to do without worrying about those tiny lentils.

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A: still too young to eat the marshmallows- but not too young to haul the bag all over the yard as everyone else gets the fire going.

N: a rare nice smile for the photograph, it doesn't happen often, silly faces usually prevail, but oh my how sweet she can look!

We had a campfire on one of the hottest days this year- so hot that we almost gave up, but instead we just sort sweated our way through- enjoying it despite the sweltering heat, wet cloths around the necks of both kids, and the fire roaring a good distance away- I hate to say it- but I think fall and spring are much more campfire friendly.

joining in with Jodi 

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N: smelling the poppies

A: getting ready for yard work

Joining in with Jodi.

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This shot cracks me up- these two are thick as thieves, and when A starts talking I am expecting that they will take the world by storm, and spend spend hours quietly plotting missions. It makes my heart so full to see the way my girls love each other.

(p.s. I've been posting along with Jodi for this project- but I'm not planning on linking up for the rest of the year- I'll still post weekly photos of my girls, but I'm just skipping out out on the linking up at her site- and picking other favorites, for now anyhow- if things ever slow down I may link up again...)

In the garden: July 11

Wild Bergamot

Tansy

Borage

Pirkstine orange tomatoes

Costoluto Genovese Tomatoes

Tomatillos!

Gypsophila

Thing are getting big out there! we're eating more and more out of the garden- spinach, peas, strawberries, swiss chard and soon- Zucchini! Things have really bounced back after the grasshopper attack, and the weeds are under control- plus lots of flowers are blooming- which is so heartening. I'm really loving the Gypsophila (or " baby's Breaf" as N says- while holding them out of A's mouth- so cute), they are really a beautiful plant out in the garden- wispy and bright.

The tomatoes are really doing well- our big black krim and saved seeds are such beautiful plants, stocky and sturdy stems, with lots of fruit on them already- we haven't put up tomato cages or any sort of support yet (not on purpose...thing get busy) and I think we'll just let some variteties do their thing this year with no supports. Some varieties are awfully leggy though like pirkstine orange and will need a support, the mini pirkstine tomatoes are so adorable though not as cute as the costoluto genovese tomatoes which are about a the size of a quarter, and just gorgeous. The other tomatoes are not producing much in the way of fruit yet- but they're coming.

I'm linking up with Amanda for this update, if you'd like to leave a link to your garden- please do so in the comments.

In the Garden : July 4

Volunteer Stocks are everywhere

note the grasshopper damage on the old leaves- the new leaves still look good- though.

Potato bug eggs- argh!!!

Cranberry Beans

Lady bugs love Tansy

Chamomile starting to bloom. 

It's starting to look like a real garden out there. Lots of blooms, lots of bugs, lots of food starting to grow. The bugs are not so great- Grasshoppers, Potato Beetles, Aphids- but there are lots of good bugs too- Lady bugs and bees, moths and lacewings. We tried the molasses traps and they seem to catch a few bugs- but not all grasshoppers, and not really enough to make a dent in the bugs- though the basil is growing back too- so maybe the feeding frenzy is starting to fade.

The peas are starting to produce, and the spinach is too, the herbs are ready for a bit of a haircut, the oregano is huge! and some small green tomatoes are starting up! so exciting- the Black Krim, and our saved purple Cherokee/black krim/Indian stripe seeds are also producing some fruit (we're not sure what type of tomato we saved from, we thought it was black krim- but then found the old 'rainbow mix' package from years ago, and black krim is not listed. Cherokee purple was though- so we thought maybe it was that- but we also know that some of the tomatoes sound very much like Indian Stripe- so this year we're really watching to see what they most resemble- so far they are subtly different from Black Krim.)