Along with tomatoes and blackberries, we are getting other veggies. On the left are Early Summer Yellow Crookneck Squash. Our beans this year are Kentucky Wonder, the large green pole beans, Provider, the mid-sized bush beans, Masai, the small bush beans, and Blue Coco, the purple pole beans. The small tomato in the picture is Gardener’s Delight. And last are our cucumbers. The round variety is Lemon cucumber and the other is de Bourbonne Cornichon pickling cucumber. Unfortunately, because of a lack of water or inadequate fertilizer, the de Bourbonne did not turn the green it is supposed to be. Click on the image for a larger view.
Monthly Archives: August 2015
New Heirloom Tomato Varieties
This year, we are growing two heirloom varieties that are new to us. The red fruit on the left are Amish Paste Tomatoes. As the name suggests, they are a great tomato for cooking and canning. Fresh, they are soft and sweet. The Black Prince is a rich tomato, great for salads. They are not large, but the plant yields a good crop. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tomato Glut
Our tomato harvest is starting to reached the late summer glut. It is wonderful thing to see the garden so productive, especially since we were starting these plants indoors in early spring.
The yellows are Yellow Pear (smaller) and Yellow Banana Leg (the three long fruit). The top right red tomatoes are Juliet. The bottom left reds are Heather. And the bottom right is our favorite: Black Cherry. The yellow tomatoes and the Black Cherry are heirloom varieties. Click on the image for a larger view.
The Shore of Lake Erie
Living in Maine, it is always hard not to think of a body of water that does not terminate at the horizon with land as a lake. But a lake does not look like an ocean. At least, I have never seen such a calm ocean, although these lakes can be violent. The tree in this image was felled by the erosion of the sand banks along the shore. The banks are about twelve to twenty feet tall. The coarse white sand on the beach is actually the remains of clam shells. Click on the image for a larger view.
Summer Skies
Click on the image for a larger view.
Pleasant Pond
Late summer is a gentle time in Maine. The light is warm and soft. The frantic growth of early summer is over. Yet the summer heat is still here, hiding, for a moment, the approaching change to fall. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tomato Harvest 2015
Late summer is a busy time. Our fruit is starting to ripen. Here are some of the heirloom tomatoes we raise (and one lemon cucumber). Click on the image for a larger view.
Blackberry Harvest 2015
A month ago, our blackberries were green. This week, we began our annual harvest. This usually lasts about a month depending on the size of the crop. It looks like it might be a good year. Click on the image for a larger view.
Queen Anne’s Lace—Edible Weeds
Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus carota, was once cultivated in Europe as a vegetable and is a biennial plant. Like carrots, the roots and leaves of the first-year plant are edible. Flowers can be used raw in salads or fried. Seeds can be used for seasoning.
Illusion of Optics
The rocks at Schoodic Point in Acadia National Park. One of the most interesting things about photography is the ability to present the world in a way that a person could not perceive naturally. When a group of objects are in focus, when they appear sharp, it is usually because they are all the same distance from the observer. That does not need to be true for a camera (no Photoshop gimmick here). Click on the image for a larger view.
