Thanksgiving Cactus Seedling Progress

So far so good on the breeding try!
The progress so far:
The pod had been on the plant for exactly one year.



The seeds after removing from the pod with a quarter for size. Sorry, I know it's blurry :(



The Thanksgiving cactus seedlings on 1-5-10. Too cute! They germinated in 7 days and these seedlings are one week old.


The poinsettia seed experiment didn't turn out so great last year, but since the plants are sporting pods again this year, maybe I'll give it another try come spring.

I hope everyone is getting geared up for spring. Yeah, I know it's only January, but it's never too early to think spring! Especially with the current ridiculous cold snap we've been stuck in.
I've been puttering and 'over loving' all the houseplants. I also sorted through all our seeds and since we saved most of our own, there are only a few things I'll have to buy. Good thing since D still hasn't found a job. I'm wondering if this year is really going to be any better than last year or not.

Oh! I got 10 packs of 'extra' seed from someone for just a couple of stamps. (Thanks, Tom!!) He sent me Yvonne's Salvia, which is something I've been wanting to grow for years. I'm so excited!

Almost time to start Winter Sowing in my recycled milk jugs again, which is also exciting - but it is every year, even though I've been doing it for 6 now.

Happy growing!

2009 Pressed Flower Christmas Cards

This years cards turned out absolutely gorgeous!

I didn't include seeds this year because I don't think anyone is planting them and with D losing his job money is squeaky tight for seed purchases. I'll be down to having only what I've saved in flower seed and not buying much for veg :( But, I think they look pretty awesome with the other additives in the paper.

Now, if I could just remember to start pressing the flowers in the spring . . .

Sauce Time!

I've gotten two batches of sauce so far this year.
Tried a new way of cooking the mess - roasting in the oven.
Much, much easier than stove top and a lot tastier!

Chopped and ready for the oven:


All roasted (425 for 1 hour, then 400 for another 3 to 4):


After being run through the food mill (You can just stick it in the blender, but the pickies at my house hate any skin or seed at ALL in their sauce):


Is really yummy. Or so the family says - I hate tomato sauce, so I wouldn't know! lol.

There isn't much left in the garden to harvest or get in the freezer.
I froze 6 cabbages and some more beans, including pole.
Blue Moon pumpkins are still going along well. I'll have a few of those to freeze for pies and bread.
Still waiting on the Ruby Queen sweet corn, brussel sprouts and popcorn.
Oh! The potatoes are fantastic this year. Woohoo!

The flowers have pretty much exhausted themselves, but there are still a few going strong. And i definitely have to save some seed from our "Christmas Tree Sunflower". How weirdly beautiful is this:



Random last of the flowers pics:



















Happy growing! (what's left of the season, anyway)

Bats And Balloons

Nothing special going on in the garden, except that we still haven't gotten late blight. Fingers crossed!
It has now hit every county in NY, spread across almost all of the north east and wiped out a lot of fields in the south.
Hopefully I'll get to make lots of sauce to freeze again this year. Tomatoes and potatoes are going to be like gold in the US this year.

This is what came directly over our house and scared the crap out of me! lol. I couldn't figure out what the sound was, and by the time my brain caught up that I KNEW what that noise was, it had already passed over the roof. I still got some pretty good pictures as it landed in the field across the road though:









They had to pull it away from the trees it ran in to before they could deflate it (ouch).



The one in the back tried landing three times in the same field before they gave up and made an emergency landing farther down the hill. They had it on the nightly news - apparently, around here, we don't have anything more important to report on. lol.






A friend in the city had a bat invasion the other night. Since he managed to catch one, he brought it up to us to be released. City bat became a country bat! :)
We didn't get very good pictures since we didn't want to stress him out any more than he already was. The girls were oooing and awwwwing that he was so cute . . . until he showed his teeth.





So, that's what has been going on around here.
Hope everyone's gardens are doing well.
Happy growing!

The Tiniest Things

Sometimes, the tiniest things in the garden, the small stuff that is easily overlooked, are the coolest of all.