And When The Time Is Right... (Gal. 6:9)

So I've been meaning to update you on the garden...

In fact...
a few weeks ago I took this picture of my tomato plants to show you how big they'd gotten.

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But before I even had time to post it... they were THIS big!!

Amazing what a little (well, a LOT) of sunlight and time can do.

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Each morning before I get ready for work... before the heat of the day has become unbearable... I step out through the dew across the yard and crouch down to look between the leaves.  The more shaded the ripening tomatoes are... the better.  It means they're protected from the scorching sun and from being easily spotted by birds, squirrels, and bugs.  

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And as they slowly turn from green... to light orange... to red... that dizzying tangy-sweetness starts to fill the air and then the clock starts ticking.  It's a race to see who's going to get to it first, you or the wildlife!  That's why you've got to spot your tomatoes as they form... then keep vigil as they plump and swell each day... and then just as soon as you sense a bug won't be able to hold out from sinking it's teeth in, you snatch it.  (It's fine to let them finish ripening for a day or two on the countertop.  Much better than letting them get chomped.)

I'm keeping my eye on just such a tomato right now.  I can't wait to sink my teeth into this bad boy!

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And OH the reward!  We've had Caprese Salads three times so far this summer.  There's NOTHING like a home-grown tomato.  Nothing!

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But I'll not bore you any further with my rhapsodizing.  Care to see some of the other treats that have come up over the past few weeks?

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My sunflowers have reached colossal heights.  I find them quite humorous really.

 Even though they're abnormally tall... they make me smile.  My little neighbor-girl likes them too, she told me so.  (Yes, the same neighbor whose yard I threw the Doritos bag into.  I still cringe.)

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What else, you ask?  Well, feast your eyes on these!

YUM!  These make for a delicious and gorgeous addition to a meal.  Roasted carrots are da bomb!! I don't know if you knew that.

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Side Note: If you had troubles with blossom end-rot this year... (this is rotting of fruits on one end before they've fully ripened on the vine end) its most likely due to the especially wet and rainy Spring we've had.  Heavy rains can really deplete the soil of calcium and result in "on-the-vine rotting."  I've had good luck with Enz-Rot, a totally safe, totally organic product that is, in fact, nothing more than pure calcium.  You mix it with water and spray it onto your plants after heavy rains to help replace lost calcium.  It has worked great for me this season!  (Big thanks to John Haman for that tip.)

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And that's all from me today.  Over and out.