There are worse things to do early on a Sunday morning than chasing butterflies...I spent a good portion of the morning doing just that after I discovered I was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful flutterbys of all shapes and colors. These gals/guys were not easy to get pictures of so I'll apologize for the poor photo quality. I also have not yet taken the time to properly ID the species...so feel free to vote!

This giant beauty has the most beautiful splash of blue that flashes bright in the sunshine. Her she is perched on some Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'. Below, perched on Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'.

Some beautiful Monarchs and another orange species...the Monarch was huge..couldn't get a good photo of that one...plus another little yellow skipper...

T'was such a lovely day...

Here is a question I received from Carrie.."I'm new to the whole strawberry pot thing - and pretty much gardening in general. I have one terracotta pot with about 12 plants, from which I got 0 (!) strawberries this year. The plants themselves look great. I think I have a lack of sun issue. My question is this: What do I do with it over the winter? Does it need to come inside? Do I just cover it if a frost threatens? Will the plants die back & then grow again in the spring? I am pretty sure they are an ever bearing variety. Thanks, Carrie"

Hi Carrie!
Yes, strawberries need a full sun location, at least 6 hours of direct sunlight to produce well. But often the very first year they won't produce much. They are perennials so you'll get more fruit in following years once the plants are better established. Because they are in a container, they will be more susceptible to freezing temps. I usually just grab my strawberry pots and put them in the garden shed and pull them out when it's nice outside. Or yes, you can cover and wrap them with frost cloth during freezes. Make sure to water the container before a freeze. They will lose about half of their leaves and go semi-dormant during the winter (depending on where you live) so they won't need nearly as much water, but you'll still need to water them now and then. Sometimes terracotta can crack in the winter, if water is trapped in clay, then freezes and melts. So wrapping the pot is a good idea anyway if you leave it outside. Now for those of you in much colder Northern climates, the pots will definitely need to go indoors for the winter.

October in the Tomato Garden

My fall tomatoes are going gangbusters. But for just a tiny bit of late blight on a few of the plants, most are just about as healthy as they can be. The 'Green Zebra' plants are about 7-feet tall right now! Due to cool temps however, fruit is ripening very slowly. Chances are I'll still be picking a lot of green fruit right before our first frost. But that's ok...just means I get to make fried green tomatoes!

'Green Zebra' in the back are dwarfing everyone else...

'Celebrity' plants have a lot of nice fruit on them and some are finally starting to turn a bit yellow..

As usual, 'Golden Mama' plants are absolutely loaded with fruit. They have gotten just a tad bit of late blight, but nothing that's keeping them from producing nicely. I have some Roma's fruiting well also. There is one of my Organic Gardening Test varieties, a saladette type, that is still producing and ripening from the plants I planted in spring. VERY unusual. It's definitely a winner and will be my main pick for the review they publish next year. Can't tell you what it is yet, but it's awesome!

Stock Your Pantry with Homegrown Peppers

Back to those peppers taking over my refrigerator...last night I managed to get the first batch of pepper relish made and canned some up. I still have bowls of peppers in the fridge and plenty yet out in the garden...but it's a start!

Pepper relish has plenty of vinegar in it, so it's not mandatory that you have to process the jars, but, if you want to store them for a long period without refrigeration it's a good idea to go ahead and water-bath process for about 10 min.

There are lots of different ways to make relishes with peppers. My mom makes a highly blended pear/pepper relish that is to die for. So you can be creative about mixing other ingredients. I kept this one pretty straightforward.

Lots of peppers (mild, hot..and one habanero! You can mix whatever peppers you like)
A few cloves garlic (I'm not crazy about onions, but they are what most people use)
1 Tablespoon of sea salt
2 1/2 cups organic apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
2 cups organic sugar (less if you want a not-so-sweet relish)

• Food process or hand chop (with gloves!!) the peppers. Remove seeds.
• Place peppers, garlic (or onions) and salt in a 6 quart pot. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 10 min.
• Sterilize your canning jars in the canner with water boiling (you don't have to process your jars if you're just going to keep them in the fridge, but you should still sterilize the jars or run through dishwasher first)
• Strain water off peppers and place back in 6 quart pot. Add vinegar and sugar to peppers and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 min.
• Pack pepper relish into sterilized jars. Pack down to press air bubbles out. Wipe lip of jar clean with dishtowel. Place lid on jar and secure ring, not tightly, onto jar.
• Place jars into water bath canner and process for about 10 min. Start counting processing time when water comes back to a boil.
• Or, just fill jars and place in the fridge. Again, the relish will last a long time in the fridge even without canning.

So tasty!

So, have I told you guys I'm going to Peru in December? Well, I am! My best friend Kimberly and I are going to trek around in the Amazon jungle near Iquitos, Peru for a couple of weeks. We will be staying and studying with some native shamans. Very exciting.

This is where we will be...

This is where we'll swim...and hope the piranhas don't eat our toes..lol

I (not Kimberly, lol) will be looking for these...and some bigger ones!

And these...awwww

And of course studying all sorts of fabulous plants...

Can't wait to go...but for now I have to be satisfied with the ache in my arms from the 5 shots I got to day...owwwww. Still a couple more to go. My poor, poor guns! At least they gave me cute band aids, lol.

I'll keep you guys posted and hope to have some wonderful photos to share upon my return.

I ask you this: How is one supposed to get their day properly started when the newly opened, non-expired half 'n half comes out in a chunky smelly blob??? Ewwwwww. How can I drink my wonderful Illy espresso (albeit decaf) without a little cream? It's criminal. SIGH. GOOD Morning...LOL.

Plant Your Garlic Cloves Now

I planted a few varieties of garlic yesterday. The entire month of October is prime garlic planting time. Purchase culinary garlic bulbs for planting (preferably not from the grocery store-often they are treated to prevent sprouting). You'll usually find varieties of Softneck, Hardneck and Elephant garlic. The Softnecks are better adapted to warmer climates. Hardnecks will have a hard shoot that emerges from the middle of the bulb. They often have a more strong, hot flavor. Elephant garlic produces huge bulbs but a milder flavor. Split the bulb up into the separate cloves. You can peel the tunic off the clove if you want to but you don't have to. Plant each clove about two-inches deep and each clove several inches apart. Choose a sunny spot with rich well draining soil. I plant mine in raised beds. Fall is the best time to plant garlic as it needs a cool period to develop a root system, before it begins to put on heavy bulb growth with the return of warm temperatures.

The following spring, leaves and scapes (flower shoots) will emerge and grow through spring. Fertilize your garlic with an organic veggie/herb food in early spring, just as the leaves begin to emerge. When it turns hot plants will bolt (flower) usually late-spring early-summer. After bulbs have bolted, you'll wait to harvest them until the lower leaves have started to turn yellow and die off. Once you've harvested your garlic, you'll need to let it cure (dry down) for a couple of weeks. Don't cut off the foliage or roots. Set them in a shady dry spot, perhaps a shed, where they can dry. After the foliage/roots are completely dry, then you can trim them if you want to and store. You can save a few of your garlic bulbs to re-plant the following fall, or eat it all and buy new ones!

I laughed out loud the other evening when I stepped into the coop and saw poor Einstein..what with all this rain, and the fact she can't seem to drink water without putting her entire head in the container...she's a hot mess! Now that's a bad hair day. Poor gal. LOL.