Time in the garden

I was blessed with two days in a row with decent weather and I worked my tail off! Mr. Farmer and I are hosting a wedding reception in 11 days and I wanted the yard to look its best. This spring, I removed almost all of the plants from this large bed, as I had weeds invading the perennials. I did leave the rose bushes, peony and a few other large plants. I stocked the bed with annuals and a pretty, purple trellis. This is what the bed looked like when I was done planting. I can't wait for the little guys to grow and flower. I know they won't be blooming for the wedding reception but it sure looks better than a weed patch.

This big boy was no help in the flower bed. Frank is a new addition to our animal family. He found us this past winter and he never left. He knows a good thing when he sees it. He really is not an outdoor kitty. He prefers to be inside...sleeping and eating. I have never witnessed him get excited at a bird or a bug. I am not really sure about Frank's story, but we like him and he likes us.

A treasure from the greenhouse.

Mr. Farmer has an obsession with strawberries and growing them in the greenhouse. Never mind that we have a two acre field outside our door. He wants fruit earlier! So, we have three- 5 gallon buckets with strawberry plants and a handful of ripe fruit. I picked these today for a snack. I did share a couple with Mr. Farmer and one of our employees. And the rest... well, I ate them and they were very good. Like a taste of summer.

Tomorrow, we will be planting peppers, cukes and flowers in our hoop house. And the tomatoes we planted weeks ago are starting to bloom. I am glad we put in the hoop house. It is pleasant to work under cover and out of the rain. I even used the space to paint a  plant trellis. Hey, it was warm and dry inside.

Who doesn't like pie?

I spent some quality time making two pies yesterday. I had a meeting to attend and pie has been scientifically proven to smooth over difficult meetings. I made a marionberry pie and a cherry- raspberry pie.

 
For the filling:
6 cups of fruit (3 cups sour pie cherries, 3 cups raspberries)
1 cup of sugar
6 Tab. instant tapioca
1 Tab. butter
1-2 Tab. raw sugar

Place the fruit in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and the tapioca. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the fruit and gently toss together. Pour into the bottom of a 9 in. pie plate lined with crust. Break butter into small pieces and dot on top of fruit. Top with top crust and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° and bake for another 45- 60minutes. A pie is done when the filling is bubbling. Allow to cool for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!