The Results of a Plan

My one good producing apple tree is ready to harvest.  I am using them as they fall.  We've made three pies so far.  Each pie takes 2 to 3 of these large apples.  I bagged each apple to keep the worms out of them and the tree has maintained about two dozen apples.

Each apple, 12-14 ounces, fills a sandwich bag to bursting

And they are clean and blemish free with none of those nasty acid rain spots.  I've heard it said that there is no such thing as a blemish free organic apple in New York.  But if you bag them you can pull it off.

Blue Lake 47 going to seed

The garden is finally winding down.  Lettuce is in full swing, those two original cucumber vines are still producing, and we have some green beans and tomatoes.  I am letting one row of beans go for seed.  The beans were so big and beautiful it makes sense to keep them over for next year

Once the pods go yellow I set them in the sun to dry out

This is the first of three lettuce plantings that we are picking now

Anywhere I can protect them from frost, I have lettuce

I just seeded these planters to bring into the cold frame for the latest lettuce

These are the first two cucumber vines from seedlings started early May and they just won't quit!

A pretty respectable fruit for eight steady weeks of production

The tomato vines are ugly but there are a lot of green tomatoes ripening.  I may try making green tomato relish (Chow Chow) because there are a LOT of them

My Monarch

I have one lone swamp milkweed that occasionally comes up as a weed in my front perennial bed.  It has never flowered, but I protect it for the possibilities of new Monarchs.  A couple of weeks ago I was tidying up the day lilies next to the milkweed and I came across a Monarch cocoon on the ground.  I probably knocked it off. :(  So I picked it up and used a needle and thread to attach it to the inside of a mesh dish cover and set it in the garden shed.  I checked it each day and one afternoon when I came home the butterfly was waiting to be let out.  I saw it frequently for a couple of days especially around the zinnia bed and now it is gone.