Baker Creek Gray Zucchini

I tried a new heirloom variety of zucchini this year, and the Gray Zucchini is wonderful! From seeds to large squash in 49 days, it is a great tasting, high quality zucchini. Yields are very good; flesh is firm, mild and very tasty. I just picked the six squash below, and will spend the weekend making zucchini bread, chocolate cake, and sauteed zucchini with sour cream.

One small 'bunch' of butter lettuce was hiding beneath the purple beans, so I picked it, also, and will add to my spinach salad tonight.

 

William Shakespeare Roses (2000)

Developed in 2000, without doubt, this is the best crimson English Rose to date. It is a truly superb variety with exquisite blooms of the richest velvety crimson, gradually changing to an equally rich purple. Deeply cupped at first, the flower soon opens out to a shallow quartered cup. The growth is neat and upright, with each stem bearing a number of flowers. 

This rose has the strong, warm Old Rose fragrance that we expect, but do not always find, in deep red roses. This roses is extremely disease resistant.

Here is a bouquet of these lovely roses I picked tonight, a gift of late Summer here in the Pacific Northwest. 

Vegetables from the Garden--August

I picked my peas, purple beans, and sweet yellow tomatoes last evening.  The peas are young and sweet, and the tomatoes will be great in a salad tonight.  The purple beans will be steamed and tossed lightly with butter for a grilled salmon dinner later in the week.

Summer Produce

Here is a picture of our own plums, and organic rainbow carrots, zucchini and pluots (plum and apricot hybrid).  I'll be making a plum galette this afternoon, and using the carrots in a chicken pot pie. The zucchini will make some great zucchini bread, and the pluots will be a sweet afternoon snack!

One More Rhubarb Pie for the Summer

I truly believe that this is finally the last of our rhubarb this year.  I baked this pie this morning and took it over to my Mom, who taught me everything I know about baking and cooking. My childhood was filled with rhubarb in all  its incarnations.  Enjoy, Mom!

The Last Day of Vacation

I went out in the pasture early this morning to pick one last bowl of raspberries for my morning cereal.  Tomorrow morning at this time, I'll be on my way to work again.  I had a perfect week in the sun and the garden, enjoying this lovely place I call home.  The Slow Life is a healing balm in a demanding world.

New Waxy Begonia

This lovely begonia was on the close-out table at Home Depot this week, so I grabbed it and paid my ten dollars!  It's absolutely gorgeous!

It keeps my 50's motel chair company in my backyard summer reading corner.  The pillow is one from my Mom's former home in Kirkland, and I love the colors and pattern of it.  It makes my corner complete.