First Harvest

Today was the first real harvest from the backyard garden. The tomatoes are finally starting to ripen and the peppers are multiplying daily.

I planted roma tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes; the romas are coming in first. They are the best for salsa and sauce. Beefsteaks are for salads and tomato sandwiches.

Maya and Chico are very interested in what's coming in from the garden... sniffing and looking, but not eating! I read somewhere that cats can't really taste the heat of the chili pepper, but I'm not going to let them have and "samples."

This weekend will be the start of salsa making season. Yummy!

A Visit to Niagara Falls

It's been hot and humid in Upstate New York for weeks. Everyone's lawn is going brown and dormant, and gardens are getting really stressed from the heat and lack of rain. I've been watering my tomato/pepper patch twice a day, so things are fine in the garden. But the warm sunny weather made today perfect for a visit to Niagara Falls with my sister Anne and her daughter Megan, who are visiting from Wisconsin. Here are some scenes from our ride on the Maid of the Mist and our climb to the Cave of the Winds.

New Growth in the Garden

It's only been about 6 weeks since the garden was planted, but it feels like forever. I've been watching little yellow flowers blooming on the tomato vines, but nothing more until this evening, when the first tiny little tomatoes made their grand appearance!

Upon further inspection of the garden, I also discovered that the mums are starting to bloom.

It's a little early for mums here in Rochester, but everything is coming up early this year because of the early spring. I hope this doesn't mean a blizzard on Halloween!