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| Lots of green tomatoes in my garden |
The one good thing about all this heat and sunshine is that I will probably have a ton of tomatoes to enjoy before this summer is all over. This year I planted two varieties. This one is from Joe's Garden, called Red Pac, an early intermediate sized tomato. I've only planted cherry tomatoes in previous years because, after all, it's the Pacific Northwest and often tomatoes don't have a chance to ripen. Not this year. It's still June, and I've got an amazing number of green tomatoes and lots of flowers still coming out.
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| Rob's awesome raspberries |
My gardening neighbor Rob has an incredible crop of raspberries and went out of town yesterday. He suggested that I help myself to some of these guys, since he won't be able to harvest them himself. They are literally falling off the vines onto the ground. I did pick a few yesterday and will go out there after awhile and gather some more. They don't last long once I bring them in the house. I saw in the paper today that the commercial pickers are out in full force, since all the fruit is ripening much earlier than normal.
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| Carol and her lovely front porch flowers |
My apartment neighbor Carol has many more flowers to water on her front porch than I do, and she had just picked up one that had fallen and showed it to me. We marveled at its complexity and beauty. And that tree on the already-brown front lawn is one of those that had been butchered a little more than a year ago. I didn't believe they would come back the way that have. I guess they knew what they were doing.
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| A lovely pistil on this flower, eh? |
I just went on line quickly to see if that yellow curly thing is indeed called a flower's pistil. That was what we were speculating as we admired it. (I'm not sure what the flower is called, either.) So that is the good part of all this sun and hot weather. But the other side is what is happening in parts of my state: the town of Wenatchee has an out-of-control wildfire that has already burned 25 or so homes in the last two days. It's called the Sleepy Hollow fire and is only 10% contained as of this moment. Many more homes are in jeopardy, but the firefighters are hard at work.
And with Independence Day right around the corner, with all those fireworks, I'm worried about what might happen. On our weather channel, it shows temperatures in the mid-80s to 90s and not a drop of rain as far out as they forecast. On the east side of the Cascades, temperatures are in the triple digits. I've got my fingers crossed that we will get through all this intact.
:-}
I sure hope so. Fingers crossed. We have 3 big patches of raspberries now. I'm already freezing them I have so many.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tomatoes and flowers. Enjoy the holiday weekend and hopefully all is well despite the dry weather.
ReplyDeleteFires are terrifying. Here at least too many of them are deliberately lit.
ReplyDeleteI do hope the Sleepy Hollow Fire can be brought under control.
Mmm raspberries. My favourite berry. And home grown tomatoes knock store bought ones for dead...
DJan, the flower looks possibly like a hibiscus, but not positive. As for the wild fires, the news was just on telling of them. That is very scary. Hope they get it/them contained soon.
ReplyDeleteoh, dear. i'm sorry about the fire! july 4th always scares me for brush fire danger!
ReplyDeletelove the raspberries!
Don't worry about ripening tomatoes. Once they are fully grown you can take them in the house and they will ripen.
ReplyDeleteNice garden - raspberries - yum! Yes, I really worry what this extended hot, dry spell over 4th of July is going to bring...... Glad I'm staying home this year.
ReplyDeleteWe are freezing our raspberries too. Leaving tomorrow for two weeks. I guess my resident sister will get the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteWe just picked our raspberries again this evening, after the sun was down behind neighboring trees. Only two quarts, one for the freezer and one to eat fresh.
ReplyDeleteWe have been receiving emails from a group of cabin owners on Sunlight beach, whidbey Island. They are calling for a ban on fireworks on the beach this year. I think that's a safe way to go. there is a big public display in Freeland for those who want to go.
We will be at Jan's again on Henderson Bay, near Gig harbor. They do a fireworks show over water, from a barge. It should be fine. But all the private home variety stuff might be hazardous. I hope people are extra careful this year.
You had an early spring so I guess your gardens had more of a growing season, didn't it? Those raspberries look so scrumptious! They cut the trees back like that in Hawaii too and I'm always shocked how they come back.
ReplyDeleteI think I am going to have to go out and buy some raspberries now as my mouth is watering looking at that photo. hope they bring the wildfires under control soon. We are heading for 35 deg upwards in London this week!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad never lost a tomato for ripening and having too many. We did have an abundance of tomatoes and many left over and one did not waste food back in those days. A cool, dark place with a small wooden bin, a few newspapers or brown wrapping paper above and below the still green tomatoes kept them green until Mom needed them and then they would go on the kitchen windowsills to ripen. Of course we had a large garden. i do the same thing with my green tomatoes when the garden is done. Rasberries look great and I do hope the people responsible for fireworks use common sense with all the dryness around you. e don't have that worry with all the rain we have had and GUESS WHAT - TODAY ON "CANADA'S 148th BIRTHDAY, WE HAVE WARM SUMMER TEMPS. WAHOO. Happy Independence Day to you - have fun......I gotta get the bike ready for a parade :)
ReplyDeleteExcept for the brown lawn, everything still looks lush. There are enough fires about that I hope they curtain the fireworks in a lot of regions. We still have the Canadian smoke coming down and blocking the sun from all their wildfires. Scary! Have a safe fourth! :)
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, fried green tomatoes are wonderful.So sorry you all are really feeling the heat. Hope it breaks soon and I wouldn't be surprised if they cancel the sale of personal fireworks. We did that in Florida during droughts.
ReplyDeletePeople still set some off but it was minimal.
Those tomatoes and berries would make me happy, too. Interesting flower. And let's hope that you don't experience a big fire, either.
ReplyDeleteI will guess that the orange flower is a begonia. Very pretty and the flowers disengage themselves from the plant instead of just dying on the plant. I used to stick some in a rose bowl or give them to little girls for their hair when I grew them.
ReplyDeleteThose raspberries look great and yes to whoever said about putting the green ones wrapped in newspapers in a dark area....one year I did that and we had tomatoes until Thanksgiving and it was a real treat...dark and cool is the secret.
I hope the Sleepy Hollow fire is under control soon:)
Those raspberries look like they would melt in your mouth!
ReplyDeleteThose raspberries look amazing!
ReplyDeleteWith our drought, I'm really worried about the 4th too, although most cities around here don't allow fireworks, (other than the professional kind), so we'll see...
You're worried about fireworks sparked fires! Imagine how we feel here in Fresno! I thought they would not allow the fireworks this year due to everything being so dry, but no, they are allowed. It will be a scary weekend.
ReplyDeleteThere have also been fires in some of the cable and electrical boxes underground due to the heat, dryness, and aging equipment. Those too are scary.
I kinda understand your situation, DJan. A couple of days ago, our thermometer read 45°C, or 112F. It was a bit warm. And we're so dry here, that the smoke from the many forest fires is now so thick in River City that you can see things only a few blocks away. It even blocked out a lot of the brightness of the sun. (The situation is better today.)
ReplyDeleteI do hope you keep having fun with your garden (and your friends', too). A source of good eating, indeed.
I'm almost positive that flower is either a hibiscus or a rose of sharon (same family).
ReplyDeleteSending prayers your way about the fires.
It's just a bit difficult for me to picture fires in your area....no rain, huh? That's unusual isn't it? Let's hope the rain comes soon to help the firefighters and the temps drop back down so everyone can enjoy the summer in your area with no threat of property loss.
ReplyDeleteLOVE that flower. It's a bit like a clematis, but not. Yes, I remember the parts of a flower...the stamen too. lol
Have a terrific 4th while enjoying those raspberries!!
Your garden being so early does bring concern as does the nastyh heat and the fires that are all over the west even in Canada. What is really happening now is the global warming. London UK hit 91 yesterday and my Aunt's Hannover Germany hit 91 today and will climb to 99 on Saturday! Those temperatures are almost unheard of in northern Europe.
ReplyDeleteYet in mt area arount Toronto we are below average and may get to 70 today. We seem to be stuck in some cold front while heat swirls all around us.
Hoping it will stop soon for rain is badly needed in the west.