Giant eggplants!

30%-50% chance of rain each day for the next week. We're almost about to start the summertime rainy season. Until that happens, I'm at the garden watering in especially the eggplants and the zucchini.
Picked 3 giant glossy black eggplants and tomatoes and a cuke this evening.

Here are the new totals:

Cukes: 149
Large Tomatoes: 114
Zucchinis: 46
Eggplants: 44

June gardening in Florida

I used the one inch of rain as an opportunity to try and extend the garden's production of zucchini and eggplants. By pruning, fertilizing, watering, staking and mulching the eggplants I believe we'll see many more eggplants well into the month of June. The same holds true with the zucchini, especially the Tiger Stripe.


Picked 3 eggplants this morning, and 2 more zucchinis, 2 peppers and 4 more large tomatoes.


I'm also learning the art of cooking. Audrey made eggplant parmesan, just amazing, and I prepared spaghetti sauce for pasta primavera from scratch using fresh San Marzano Roma tomatoes, zucchinis, and eggplants.


Here are the new totals:


Cucumbers: 148
Large Tomatoes: 108
Zucchinis: 46
Eggplants: 41

Here is the total harvest from today, June 5th:

I used my stockpile of Roma tomatoes, both the San Marzano and the Big Mama Roma tomatoes to make the tomato sauce from scratch. First, peeled the tomatoes. Sauteed onions with garlic; then added zucchini. Started the tomatoes and peppers, with some Italian spices on simmer, then added the onions and zucchini. Then sauteed the eggplants and added the cooked ingredients to the mix. With bay leaves, and pepper, and basil, I let the mixture simmer for hours until the ingredients were all mixed together. The end result was an amazing pasta primavera spaghetti sauce made with ingredients that were still on the vine this morning. Thanks to Sandy for explaining the recipe and preparation steps to me so that I could enjoy the harvest in a whole new way.

I felt like dinner at home today was like eating at a five star restaurant! Learning how to cook the freshly picked produce has definitely added a new dimension to the enjoyment of the garden!

It was also great to see Janice and Jeff, our gardening neighbors this morning. The above represents just a small percent of what they've been able to harvest today. Their grape tomatoes are amazing, as are their eggplants. Being new to the garden this Spring, they've had some very nice success with their first garden. One of the things that makes gardening so much fun is having great neighbors and friends such as Janice and Jeff. We look forward to many more gardening seasons with them as our neighbors and friends.

One inch of rain today!

I lost count of how many days without rain. There were brush fires in Central Florida on account of how dry it has been. Finally, a front came through and it rained for over 3 hours and the final tally was exactly an inch of rain.

Picked about a quart of the Red Currant cherry tomatoes, and didn't even make a dent in what was left to pick.

Also picked a yellow bell pepper, the first ever.

There are at least 4 more zucchinis growing, and more eggplants ready to pick.

If anyone reading this Blog would like to pick their own tomatoes, please feel free to contact me. You can easily fill up a quart, or more, of the Red Currant cherry tomatoes, and use them in cooking or in salads.
It will take about 15-20 minutes or so to fill up a quart. I believe these will be available for at least the next 2-3 weeks.

Also picked the first Solar Fire Tomato today.

There are indeed more new Brandy Boy and Brandywine Pink tomatoes that have set of late, and here I was already planning to remove these giant tomato plants from the garden.