Midnight Cooking Adventure

One stressor off my plate. A few hours of deep sleep and an hour of cooking down the last of the prickly pears, my mind is now much clearer than it has been for the last two weeks. The deep red fruity-smelling juice ended up in the freezer for use later this year, and the rest will be transformed into delicious tasting jam this afternoon.  The first batch of prickly pear jam was so tasty and is almost gone as it shared with friends and family. Hopefully, some of the jam from the next batch will last more than a week.

Prickly Pear Pie A Total Loss

I finally made a prickly pear pie with Jordin. We could not wait to have a taste of the pie but her little brother, Christian, dropped it on the floor when he was trying to get himself something to eat. It looked really pretty and tasted delicious before we poured it into the graham cracker crust. The littlest brother, Damien, stuck his finger in it after it had chilled and appeared to enjoy it as he wanted another taste. 

We juiced more fruit yesterday so that we can make another pie. I can't wait to try it as it smells really good.

Thief

No time to take a picture as the quick-footed thief ran across the front yard yesterday with a ripe prickly pear fruit in his/her mouth.

Note to self to find out how to distinguish the difference between a male and a female roadrunner.

Picked some fruit yesterday with the hopes of baking a yummy prickly pear pie. I have been waiting to try cooking with the red sweet fruit and decided now was the time before that neighborhood thief eats all the fruit. I would not be surprised if he/she invites all his/her friends over for a feast.

Thanks For Sharing Information

I have not been working on the gardens as planned but sure did enjoy talking to strangers at the nail salon yesterday about gardening. The conversation began because of a six-year-old boy watching the fish in the salon's fish tank and proceeded to talk of Phish, a Betta, and his home among the philodendron's cuttings.

After explaining how to set up a vase for a Betta, the topic of using fish water to water plants came up, and from there on, the three of us share indoor and outdoor gardening tips.  Everyone learned something while having fun and making new friends. 

Meet Little Bunny Foo Foo

The transplanted tomato plants were looking healthy on Friday morning. Now 48 hours later, the five-inch plant in the pot by the front door has disappeared, thanks to Little Bunny Foo Foo and his uncontrollable desire to munch on sweet fresh greens. The three plants in the Secret Garden have become victims due to a lack of attention and water. 

Thankfully, all the plants did not get transplanted last week, so this evening I will fill in the empty holes with the remaining plants. Realizing that it is late in the season to be planting tomatoes, the determination is driving this endeavor to prove that with the proper care, feeding, and attention, it is possible to grow tomato plants after the suggested planting date.

Late Night Feedings

Finally, I learned that it is better to water after the sun has gone down than in the morning It is also against the law in Rio Rancho to water after 10:00 a.m. and before 7:00 p.m.

Why? The water does not evaporate during the night; therefore, the plants get the full benefits of all the hard work. Going out in the morning and seeing the dirt still moist does wonder for one's self-esteem. In addition to improved self-esteem, the reward for all this late-night activity will be healthy plants.

The Swimming Hole

The little boys, Christian and Damien, came over yesterday while their mom and dad ran errands in Albuquerque. Today was the perfect opportunity to work in the garden with them. Since it was close to noon and there was not any sunscreen to spray on them,  I decided it would be safest if we planted tomato plants in the pots by the front door. The plan was to keep the boys from getting dirty while having fun. The moment water was needed, the "keep them from getting dirty" plan went out the window.

Christian was assigned the task of filling the bucket with water. While filling the bucket, he took it upon himself to water the dirt in the rose garden. Damien saw the results of Christian's hard work and announced that the 'water hole' was a swimming pool and immediately preceded to jump in it.

Thinking the boys were okay, the planting continues until Damien began to cry. As he walked around the corner of the house, it became clear why he was crying. His face was covered in mud, thanks to Christian.

It required the use of the hose to clean off the boys. They stripped down to their undies before they came in the house. Being in the rough brought a big smile to each of their faces.

After the three of us successfully planted the tomatoes, the boys and I laid down for a two-hour nap.

Excited About Worms

After less than five years attempting to garden in the hot New Mexico sun and a barren yard filled with sand, it is exciting to finally see worms helping themselves to the leftover food left in the Secret Garden. Before continuing, it is important to note that the gardens on Rough Court all have names. The Secret Garden lies on two sides of the Yellow Brick Road hidden by two evergreen trees. The g-kids love to play in this garden because no one can see them, thus the name, Secret Garden.

The fat juicy grubs and the skinny white worms make themselves at home and are enjoying themselves to banana peels, eggshells, corn husks and cobs, grapes, and herbal tea bags. Hopefully, more will call the Secret Garden home, so one day, the sand will be transformed into rich black dirt like I remember gardening in on the family farm in Iowa. 

This morning unnamed tomato plants were transplanted to the Secret Garden to see how they fare. The seedlings started as seeds in a student's 4' X 4' raised bed. The plants needed thinning out, so the removed plants are firmly planted and soaked with water in the shaded Secret Garden with the hopes of producing bushels of tomatoes.