Ralph and the six-foot squash

Last week I paid a visit to my wonderful Italian neighbours whose plum and apple trees I help pick in the fall, Lidia and Ralph. I found them in excellent spirits, though 93-year-old Ralph had a fall and banged his head in his greenhouse the week before.

Lidia doesn't want Ralph gardening alone now, so the day after his fall, Ralph called up his 88-year-old friend, and the two of them planted tomatoes together. Lidia laughed and laughed about it, and said she woke up laughing in the middle of the night because the friend wore his best leather shoes for the job. I'm simply amazed by these people. I hope I'm still able to plant tomatoes at their age!

Lidia poured us all a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream while she was making her wonderful espresso coffee. She also served a delicious cake she had baked just that morning. Her cousin, Mario, was visiting. The three tried their best to keep the conversation going in English, but it often reverted to Italian, and I had moments where I imagined I was in Italy with beloved grandparents. That's the kind of people Ralph and Lidia are.

After our little snack, we went out to the garden and greenhouse where Ralph grows hundreds of tomato plants, peppers, and his most famous plant, a long, thin, zucchini type squash. A few years ago, he made the papers and local TV news with a seven-foot squash that hung from the roof of his greenhouse. He brought its seeds with him when he came to Canada in 1956. When I exclaimed over the idea of growing something so big, he made Mario and me follow him to the basement. On the counter behind his 1970s wet bar was a squash from last year that was at least six feet in length, saved for its seed!

When we went back outside, I planted two rows of onions for Ralph, and he gave me a squash plant to see if I would be able to grow it as well as he does. I've managed to grow Ralph's roma and banana tomatoes successfully in the past.

So now my happy little "Ralph Squash" has a garden box all its own for this summer, and I'm hoping to grow one that, though it may not get to six feet like Ralph's, will at least give me some seed for years to come to always remind me of Ralph and Lidia. One squash is probably more than enough!

Tomatoes

It's a busy time in the garden these days, and moodling is happening off-screen rather than online. For the first time in ages, I missed moodling a Sunday reflection. So to make up for it, I'd like to share a wonderful prayer by Michael Leunig, from his book A Common Prayer (©1990 Dove - Harper Collins,

ISBN 0 85924 933 6). Even though it's coming on time to harvest tomatoes rather than plant them, it's a wonderful prayer:

It is time to plant tomatoes. Dear God, we

praise this fruit and give thanks for its life 

and evolution. We salute the tomato, cheery,

fragrant morsel, beloved provider, survivor

and thriver and giver of life. Giving and

giving and giving, Plump with summer's joy.

The scent of its stem is summer's joy, is

promise and rapture. Its branches breathe

perfume of promise and rapture. Giving and

giving and giving.

Dear God, give strength to the wings and

knees of pollinating bees, give protection

from hailstorms, gales and frosts, give warm

days and quenching rains. Refresh and 

adorn our gardens and tables. Refresh 

us with tomatoes.

Rejoice and rejoice! Celebrate the scarlet

soul of winter sauces. Behold the delicious

flavour! Behold the oiled vermilion moons

that ride and dive in olive bobbing seas of 

vinegared lettuce. Let us rejoice! Let this 

rejoicing be our thanks for tomatoes.

Amen.

Tomatoes galore! and my 5th Moodle-versary

Wouldn't this be a pretty Christmas wreath?

It's a banner year for tomatoes.

Ralph's Romas are bigger than ever,

the cherry tomatoes are oh-so-sweet,

and there are still too many out on the vine.

I've been working hard on pears this week,

and next week, tomatoes!

A few of Ralph's Romas

On another note, this is my 1001st moodling, 

and Simple Moodlings celebrates its 5th anniversary

on the 19th. It has racked up over 137,000 hits,

I've posted 239 Simple Suggestions, and participated in 

536 exchanges (comments) with readers.

 How does one celebrate something like that?

Maybe I'll have a piece of pear pie --

or a tomato sandwich!

Ralph's Romas

I talk to my garden as I work in it... and imagine it might be funny for someone on the other side of the fence to hear me tell my strawberries to stop hiding when it's time to be picked, or explain to the pumpkins that they shouldn't be taking over the broad beans' patch. This week, they might have laughed to hear me exclaim over Ralph's tomatoes!

Ralph's banana tomatoes

Ralph is my Italian friend who lives about a block from me. Last fall, he gave me some plums and grapes from his yard, and I gave him some pears. His lovely wife, Lydia, poured me a glass of orange juice and we had a lovely visit at their kitchen table. Ralph told me that he had grown a seven-foot zucchini that put him on TV and in the papers some years ago, and showed me a five-foot one hanging from a vine on his greenhouse. We had a nice visit, and he promised me some cuttings from his grape vines in the spring.

So this spring, I went back to visit Ralph and get the grape cuttings, which are now doing quite well in my yard. I took him two of my heirloom tomato plants, and he gave me two banana tomato plants in return, and a few weeks later, two more plants that are now known as 'Ralph's Romas.' I suspect both are heirloom varieties that Ralph brought with him from Italy back in the '50s.

So I've been watching Ralph's Romas and bananas growing this summer, but I was paying more attention to the banana tomatoes because I've had Romas for years... and last night, when I was checking to see if any of the Romas were ripening, I got the surprise of my life. I knew there was one big one on there, and I told it, "Look at you, you're huge." It is -- the size of two of my fists held together. But then I peeked further under the plant and exclaimed, "Holy ....!!!" Hidden behind the big one was the mother of all tomatoes, the largest I've ever been able to grow, so big I can't get two hands around it.

Ralph's Romas

It seems Ralph's Romas don't want to let his zucchini put them to shame or something. I'll save seed from the monster/mother tomato, and make a whole pot of spaghetti sauce from it, I suspect. I'm guessing my rather ordinary heirloom tomato plants have no power to impress the Tomato and Zucchini King! But life isn't about impressing people... though his tomato varieties have impressed me! Thanks, Ralph!

August garden report

It strikes me today that I haven't given a single garden report this summer for faraway family and friends. I'm almost afraid to because so many people I know have been hailed out, and it could happen here just as easily with global climate change creating these mega storms all over the place. But I braved the crazy mosquitoes to get these shots, so I won't be superstitious that this moodling will bring on bad weather. Here's what's going on in my yard, pictures in the order they were taken because I'm too hot to fuss about the order they're in...

Red peppers are still green...

Zinnias add a little colour...

My new favourite heirloom tomato, a Black Prince
(definitely a fruit, it's so sweet!)

Time to make some kale chips, yum!

Cukes are coming on fast and furious...

Strawberries are bigger than ever...

Squash and pumpkins are trying to take over the world...

I've never grown purple peas before (thanks for the seed, Darcy!)...

Carrots are doing well...

As are kohlrabi and beets...

Between Suzanna's herbs and Julia's tomatoes,
I think we might have some tasty bruschetta for supper tonight.

Already picked 4 gallons of beans, and there are more to come...

My favourite zinnias...

Cheerful heliopsis (false sunflower) near the front door...

Love those little monk's hoods...

And finally, the view from our "sitting stone." Unfortunately, if you sit very long, you have too many unwanted companions (mosquitoes). But I did sit and watch the bee balm's visitors (it's not named that for nothing!) until I got bitten. 

I guess that's the thing about organic gardens -- all creatures, great and small, are welcome! You included. Come visit, anytime!

Gettin' the itch

This weekend, my wonderful husband and I spent some Valentine's time together working on our greenhouse construction. We managed to get the north side's plywood walls mostly finished to protect its R-40 insulation:

(Lest you think we have no romantic bones in our bodies, 

we also managed to attend a Valentine's Dinner and Dance on Saturday night!)

It was wonderfully warm in our special sun room yesterday. 

I've spent a little time online trying to determine what colour to paint

those plywood walls. I guess it should be a full-spectrum white, somehow.

Time in the greenhouse gave me the itch to get my fingers into some dirt,

so in the afternoon, I decided to start my peppers, and a few heirloom tomatoes.

Yes, it's a bit early, but I always find that it takes forever for pepper seeds

to germinate, and hopefully we'll be able to use the above space soon...

but for now, they'll be waiting and warming on the window sill.

I received my order from Heritage Harvest Seeds last week, 

and couldn't wait to plant Ukrainian Pear, Martino Roma and Black Prince

heirloom tomatoes, as well as my usual Jalapeno and Blushing Beauty peppers.

It was a balmy 3 degrees celcius outside (37F) when I was planting. 

I have dirt under my nails, and I know spring is coming.

Feels good after all the cold winter weather we've had!

Another pretty garden spot

This week I hacked back my tomato plant jungle... and found more fruit than I know how to use. Isn't this a pretty box? The tomatoes are Yellow Heritage, an heirloom variety that's not quite so acidic. I picked a full pail of them yesterday. My friend, Cathy, sent me a nice pasta recipe so we can have them for supper... and canning season starts as soon as I finish painting the kitchen... almost this yellow!