spoon tomatoes...

spoon tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

world's smallest tomato...
and they are SO sweet!

this is one of the heirloom varieties i planted this year.
in fact...
i planted two of these!

i have a few varieties that are doing quite well...
and i think i'll have a few entries for this year's contest.
i wonder if i'm eligible to repeat!!!

even if i'm not...
i'm enjoying the harvest...
and it's been so abundant that i've been sharing.

3 of a kind...

3 of a kind..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

pink boar
orange dwarf
brown boar

they're all so sweet...
and i'm enjoying the different taste of each type.

here...
i've drizzled them with olive oil...
sprinkled with kosher salt...
cayenne...
and purple basil.

#tomatoes
#basil
#garden

backyard adventures...

backyard adventures..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i don't know if these are a type of ladybug...
as i've always know ladybugs to be red...
but i tend to see this kind in my backyard.

i spotted this one this evening...
when i went out to look at my echinacea plant.

this is one plant in my garden that signal 'summer' to me.
we planted this one YEARS ago...
and every year since...
i've watch with anticipation...
as the plant grows...
and the flowers begin to form and open.

i think this little guys been waiting too.
as i watched and photographed him going from petal to petal.

i hope he enjoyed his adventure...
as much as i enjoyed capturing it.

*update - it's a spotted cucumber beetle.

look what i found...

look what i found..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

yes...
another one!!!

and when i was out back earlier...
i found 3 or 4 more teeny tiny ones.

then...
i cut the plants down.

tomorrow...
i'll spray everything in the raised bed with some cayenne pepper water.
just in case.

***

btw...
these are not butterfies...
they're moths.
i don't need any of those around here.

rainbow of tomatoes...

rainbow of tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

yes...
the tomato parade has begun.

we had warm weather this week...
which my garden LOVES.

types...

black & brown boar
casady's folly
lemon drop

the green back & brown boar was a casualty...
perhaps i should fry it.

today's tomatoes...

today's tomatoes..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the round ones are called snow white...
and i thought they were going to be white.

the oval ones are called casady's folly...
and they are a 'paste' tomato.

i have another chicken egg that's ready to pick...
and about 40 spoon tomatoes.

a couple of super marzanos...
and some lemon drop tomatoes will be ready by the weekend.

i see a panzanella bread salad for dinner this weekend!!!

round yellow chicken egg tomato...

round yellow chicken egg tomato..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

it's finally ready.
and is going in a salad tonight.

i've picked some of the spoon tomatoes already.
they're cute...
but not much taste.
i'll let them hang out a bit longer...
to see if they improve.

i should be picking...
and photographing...
my lemon drop tomatoes before the week is out.

stay tuned!

my word for today...

my word for today..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i tend to try to do a kazillion things at once.
not sometimes...
but ALL the time.

i multi-task well...
but at the end of the day...
i'm exhausted.

you know that slogan...
we do more by x-am...
than most people do all day?
i'd have done well there.

now...
i think i'll slow down a bit...
and savor the moments along the way...
instead of always racing to the next thing.

my slideshow project...

i'm taking a digital imaging class at the local college this semester.  we had to write a paper a couple of weeks ago about our photographic style...and then do a slideshow in lightroom with photos depicting that style.   

my 'style' was a shallow depth of field.  it just so happens that i use this style a lot when i shoot flowers.  

the accompanying music - flower (piano version) - by keiko matsui.    

our next project is a website of these same photos...and we will print our five best from the group. 

enjoy!

meyers...

meyers..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

they're almost ready!!!

the temps have been freezing at night for the past couple of weeks...
so mrchazman wrapped my plants with plastic to protect them.

last week i wanted to see how my lemons were doing...
and to my surprise...
they were turning yellow!!!

i guess it's ready...

i guess it's ready..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

since this is the first time i've ever grown a watermelon...
i didn't know when i was ready.

when i went out and looked at it this morning...
it was starting to split.

so...
i guess it's ready.

coneflower bokeh...

coneflower bokeh..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

today i used my 50...
for the first time in probably a year or so.

once i got my 35...
the 50 was sitting in the bag.

i forgot how beautiful it is.
even with all the spider webs on the coneflower.

kidney-shaped melon...

kidney-shaped melon..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

i've got a few of these babies on the vine now.
but this one was first.

as you can see...
he's quite a ways from the raised bed.

i wonder how to tell when its ready.
will be researching that this weekend.

let the sun shine...

let the sun shine..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

the sunflower from saturday has opened.

what lurks beneath all those leaves...

what lurks beneath all those leaves..., a photo by credd on Flickr.

top left -
the first melon i saw. this plant is COVERED with flowers.

top right -
melon flower

bottom left -
japanese eggplant

bottom right -
pickling cucumber. i've got my work cut out for me.

casper...

christa's challenge...

day 5.

new month.   

new quarter.   

new fiscal year for california.

the year is half way over.
i'm at the mid point of my 365.
tomorrow...it's all downhill!

this month's posts will be from my garden...
though i will deviate for a few special occasions in july...
i.e. the 4th...the #wwpw...etc...etc.

***
this is casper.
my biggest white pumpkin.
i hope he grows up to be big and strong...
looks good carved...
and provides plenty of pumpkin seeds for roasting...
oh...and makes a tasty pie...

though i prefer sweet potato.  :)

garden girl...

christa's challenge...

day 4.

have you noticed that i sorta, un-intentionally have a theme going?  i realized it just now...and i typed the title of this post.  it's...garden!!!  there seems to be a lot going on back there lately.  and...it's the first place i go when i get home from work in the evening.  

well..prepare to see more of it...cause...the tomatoes are ripening!!! and i've got a pumpkin that's the size of an egg.  now...if only my peppers and zucchini would do better.  

*doesn't it look like garden girl has a face?  :)

signs of summer...

in my garden. finally.

i'm also growing tomatoes, pumpkins, green beans, beets, jalapenos, collards, and i can't remember what else; and lots of flowers & lots of herbs.

strawberries...


eight-ball zucchini...


anaheim chilis...


sunflowers...