Fruit from the Vine

The first Brandywines of the season were ready this morning--well, perhaps they were ready a few days ago. I couldn't resist an early morning taste, so I dug into the largest tomato, which was, unsurprisingly, the first to appear on the vine a couple months ago.

Here's a quick summary of the "tasting":

Appearance: Some pulls in the skin and a few over-ripened areas. The former are likely the result of sporadic watering early on and then the deluge of rain the last few weeks--another lesson learned for late-season tomato tending.

Smell: Beautiful, zesty earthiness of a fresh tomato. Sweetness apparent.

Taste: Wonderfully sweet, with a balanced earthiness and a bit of smokiness. These two tastes taken together may be what others describe as the "wine-like" quality of the aptly named Brandywine, but I'll need a few more to confirm this conclusion.

Mouthfeel: While a few pieces were over-ripened by a great deal, the texture of the fruit is perfect. Firm enough to hold together when cut, yet delicate and soft.

Eat-ability: While these first two pickin's aren't blue ribbon quality in appearance, the taste is divine. I definitely see a tomato sandwich in my future this afternoon.

Bon appetit!

-Chauncey

Before and After, Encore!

It's funny to think back to early spring and remember my impatience with the tomato seedlings. As these before and after pics reveal clearly, all good things come to those who wait. Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Nygous, and the Black from Tula seedlings all have some fruit and have been fertilized for the last time this season.

Enjoy all the interior shot of the garden (far left). Best practice/lesson learned for next year: Space tomatoes 3' rather than 2' apart.

Cottage Gardens

Cottage gardens combine both productivity and beauty, and, as we've seen this summer, bunnies. Some new shots from the late-summer garden. Enjoy the bounty!

The Bun Identity

Young Mr. Bun has become quite comfortable out back, affording me all sorts of great photo opportunities. Take a look at the second photo and note the way that Mr. Bun's fur glistens in the sunlight. What do you say, ladies? Edward, Jacob, or Mr. Bun?

Before and After

Now Chauncey is a good person, and he believes in using Nitrogen responsibly. But last week (well, 10 days ago), he fertilized the tomatoes with a small per/plant dose of a basic 10-10-10 fertilizer. Hopefully, this application doesn't hasten the end times, but as you can clearly see in these before and after pictures, the fertilizer is hastening the tomatoes. Per tomato-wrangler custom, one additional treatment will be given when the fruit begins to set. But that's it! No more.

All plants to the left were in-house seedlings--yep, hand raised and bottle fed. 10 days ago they were just over a foot tall; now, the largest, in the sunniest spots, are pushing 3'. Nothing like a little sunshine, rain, and nitrogen cocktail to get the party started.

Additionally, you find some pics of new and old garden friends. (And, no, Young Master Bun has not been dipping into the fertilizer. That's the original Mr. Bun from earler in the season.)

Note: Blogger has issues with picture order for some reason. The before picture has smaller plants; the after picture has larger plants.

Second Photo Set Supports Local Crackpot's Claims

There wasn't much going on at alt.conspiracy.rec.org today, so I decided to spend some time lounging in the back, my trusty camera always by my side. The humidity had finally broken, so I was happy to laze the day away, alternately napping and admiring the wind blowing through the trees.

At one point during my drifting, I was called back to consciousness by the unmistakable sound of beet shoots and clover being chomped by wee, yet relentless jaws. Sure enough, I awoke only to find myself face to face with the 8 ounce bunny that has been unmercifully terrorizing my backyard.

A number of readers doubted my claims about Young Master Bunny, but, with this new photographic evidence, it is clear that we can no longer keep our heads in the sand on this issue.

Upon close analysis, the photos below suggest that he is now 9 ounces and exceptionally fleet of foot for a bunny of roughly 7 weeks of age. This is exactly how it starts, so don't say that Chauncey didn't warn you.

Heaven help us all. -C

Staking Tomatoes

Chauncey fans will recall that my Pink Brandywine, the sickest looking of my nursery-bought seedlings, and the most temperamental heirloom variety in the garden, is flourishing above all others.

Over the past week, lower shoots have become heavy enough to fall over, so it was obviously time to tie these leads to the stake. This is all the more timely, as all the shoots are full of blossoms and will hopefully be heavy with tomatoes in the near future.

I used a somewhat thicker-gauge twine for the ties, which will hopefully not dig into the plants. To avoid the danger of the twine digging into the plant, a lot of old-time tomato growers will actually use cloth cut into strips for tying off.

The point of this is of course to support the fruit, but also to keep the plants moving ever-skyward--a lesson from the garden that we should take to heart in our daily lives.

Chauncey out.