Mr. Stripey

So Fall has officially descended on the Northern Hemisphere. Here on the northern plains the mornings are cool and the nights offer the best sleep with windows open, allowing the house to breathe in fresh, clean air. The days, however, are just plain hot-- in the 90s F still. The lawn is as brown as it has been in the heat of summer. The mums seem to relish the heat as long as they get plenty of water. The weed patch garden continues to produce tomatoes. Despite the weeds, we seem to have the best tomato crop in a longtime with large, nicely shaped tomatoes of different varieties. Healthy tomatoes.



I picked tomatoes yesterday, adding them to the collection. I have tomatoes on the counter ripening, I have tomatoes in the spare fridge out in the garage, I have tomatoes in an egg carton, I have tomatoes all over the kitchen. And more to be picked. There are beef steaks, big boys, Roma, cherry, and grape tomatoes. And one egg plant.

Wednesday they will converted to salsa. I will gather them all up and haul the harvest to Jen's where we will make salsa. I hope to have enough Romas to have at least one batch. They are the sauce making tomato. I need 5 pounds of tomatoes per batch, so it will be fun to see how that salsa differs from the other. I'll let you know. This is first year that we have had such success with the Romas.

And then there is this guy. I had planned on posting about tomato disease and imperfections, which would have required some research. The Head Gardener had returned home late yesterday afternoon. I asked him about why so many tomatoes were discolored. He grinned broadly and answered, "that is Mr. Stripey, an heirloom tomato." Ah ha! Not diseased after all. It is an heirloom beefsteak that is sweet, juicy, and large.

I will get back with you on the salsa making project on Wednesday. We tend to make it mild, but I would like to make at least on spicier batch.  

I have to thank you all for your kind comments on the roses. Here are the girls all smiling, showing off their prettiness. The three tea roses have all bloomed now in the late summer, giving me hope that they will be gorgeous next year. The David Austin on the end continues to struggle. I do hope that it has enough leaf material and a strong root to gather and store food for winter. I had intended to feed them, but I am wondering if it is getting too late in the season to add food. They certainly do brighten up what has been a dark spot in the yard. Their smiles make me smile, too.

I leave you this morning with the Harvest moon and last night's eclipse. As it rose just before dark, I drove down the road to get clear shots of it over the barren farm field. Then I took the rest of the shots from the patio.

Were you able to see the eclipse? 

A busy week here. My two classes are taking up a lot of time. How did I ever work full time? I am loving the students; it feels good to back on campus.

Now, make sure to visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday. 

Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for taking time to visit.