June 9, 2010

rainy day

It is June and the weather here has been very crappy indeed.
I cannot believe how chilly it is out there!
I awoke this morning to 50 degrees and rain!


What is going on??
Memorial Day weekend was nice and hot!
But now that we have come into June, forget it!
It's been raining almost every day.
My newly planted tomato plants are drowning.


I fear that they will get too much water and turn yellow and die!



We are in need of a hot, dry day!
My lettuce plants are flourishing...


and I have been enjoying lettuce on every sandwich, especially the B.L.T.'s!
The carrots are doing fantastic...


Their soft fern like tops are growing taller every day.
I had to pull a rogue carrot the other day
to make room for other planting.
The carrot was about 3 inches long!
I was excited to eat it, but when I cut into it,
it was still fairly green inside...
so it became best friends with the compost bin!

Slugs have invaded my garden this year, and I am not happy!
They completely ate the new growth on the bean plants
(which died anyway from a very late frost)
and are happily munching their way through the rows of lettuce.




I researched organic methods of ridding my small garden of these tiny but ravenous slugs..so off to the garden I will go with jars of beer to embed in the soil in hopes of drowning the slimy little suckers. Sounds so mean, but what's a girl to do. There were a few other suggestions I am going to try..leave a few small pots here and there turned upside down, then during the heat of the day, flip the pots over and there you will find the slugs hiding from the heat...then take slugs and crush slugs! Once again, sounds so mean!

Anyhow....
On my agenda for today....make pot of Starbucks coffee....drink Starbucks coffee....with lots of cream and lots of sugar!

Also on my agenda for today...go to local farm and buy lots and lots of strawberries to make freezer jelly...or jam, or preserves..whatever you call it...I call it jelly. If it's jelled, then it's jelly! I have been saving all of my empty peanut butter jars and salsa jars and I am ready! The only other thing I have to do is stop by the grocery store to buy some SURE GEL. Jeez, I'm not even sure if that's how you spell it! I am more than excited, and today...being as it is monsooning outside...will be the perfect day. aaaahhhhh! I can't wait to have a slice of warm, toasted, Italian bread with butter and homemade strawberry jelly.

By the way, if you would like to try your hand at making freezer jelly, all the directions are in the SURE GEL package. You can find it in any grocery store or Mom and Pop hardware store with the canning supplies. I think you can make a batch in about 10-15 minutes. Let the jars sit out on the counter overnight...put one in your fridge for eating right away, and put the rest in your freezer for later! Once jelly is thawed, it will keep in your fridge for a few weeks. But...I don't think it will last that long! Once your family gets a taste, it will be gobbled up in no time!