We (mom and I) were probably 75% sure we weren't going to go biking today, because the weather was supposed to be really crappy. Isolated thunderstorms and humidity... ick. But then it turned out to be a lovely morning, and we geared up and went after all. 25 miles through rural Wisconsin for the 25th annual Best Friends Gourmet Bike Tour, which benefits the Best Friends mentoring organization. We did it last year, too, but we definitely made better time this year, even though it was hot. The sun and heat wiped us right out!
Check out my newly-taped handlebars. I love the red. ;)
We're really glad we went. And of course, it's always great to look forward to a big meal afterwards!
And on the topic of food, I had my very first ripe tomato to pluck today:
The flesh was sweet, but the seeds were a little sour. This might be a good sauce tomato. A bunch more are about to turn, so I'd better start preparing some good tomato recipes! ;D
The past few days have been been a tomato plant's dream: a little bit of rainy, a little bit of sunny, and humid. In the middle of the day, I think my deck, where my container garden is, gets pretty hot, so the tomatoes are just going crazy. Which is good! And when I checked recently, I found the two first little tomatoes beginning to fruit. Hooraayyyyy!!
Hello, little tomatoes. Welcome to the world.
They are both on the Dr. Wyche's heirloom, so I'm still waiting for the other two to catch up, but hoping for plentiful fruits!
I threw some old lavender-colored alyssum carpet seeds in a planter, too, half-convinced that they wouldn't flower, but I guess the seeds weren't too old. They're looking pretty, too.
Now.. I've got some beautiful locally-grown asparagus that's waiting to be either a) roasted or b) grilled. I'm leaning toward a roasting recipe from my favorite food television personality ever, Ina Garten, but we'll see... Mostly, it'll come down to the fact that I'm a total grilling novice and don't even have any charcoal as we speak. Easiest method will most likely win out.
P.S. Jane Eyre was amazing. I've seen just about every other version, most of which disappointed me. A couple were okay. But this one shot wayyy up to the top of the list. Way up. Both the leads were incredible. It was so great, in fact, that I'm headed to the theatre once more tonight to see it with my sister, who is sure to love it as well. I have to admit, I don't think I've ever gone to see a movie twice in two nights, but it helps when admission is cheap (mom and I paid $3.50 together for admission last night!! You just can't beat that).
Well, it is June, isn't it? I realized that today is a good benchmark day for determining that summer has officially arrived in Wisco. The kids are out of school for the summer, it's hot, my air conditioner is in and on (for chinchilla more than me; the poor thing would have a heat stroke if it got any warmer than this), and maybe the most telling sign? The vast quantities, shapes and intensities of sunburn! I have to admit, I burnt a little myself about a week ago, although it has now faded into a very-very-very slight tan and a new layer of freckles. We redheads tend to get those...
Another wonderful, beautiful thing is the extent to which my tomato plants are loving life!
I bought three different varieties of heirloom tomato at a garden sale in early May. Dr. Wych's Yellow, Black Pineapple, and Thai Pink Egg. They were itty bitty little babies and now they are growing right up, a couple showing buds already.
I couldn't be happier; this is the first year I've tried growing vegetables in containers. The closest I got was a basil plant last year, which of course I did again this year (times two!), but it was definitely time to put my deck space to good use. I can't wait to see what happens.
Yes, that is a Trader Joe's shopping bag! Truth be told, I was short one potting container, so I grabbed an old plastic shopping tote, poked a bunch of holes in the bottom, and filled it with dirt. So far, so good. I'm not sure it's recommended by Master Gardeners or anything, but... ;)
Happy tomatoes. Happy summer!
