Tomato Plants ... what not to do!

In an overzealous moment, I thought to myself "Why not fertilize the tomato plants?"  They are growing beautifully, they could use a little food to boost their metabolism "Right?"
Wrong! these little guys obviously did not need fertilizer,  I have managed to scorch and kill all of them.  I'm sure if I had tried a very soft "tea" it might have worked?

I'm sure that many of you will tell me your mixtures that you use to feed the little guys to give them a more vigorous root growth at this young age.  Unfortunately, it is too late for them.

Today I will start a new tray of lovely little seeds.  I still have enough time, It's only April! And with the horrible winter we have had we might get one more snow/hail/sleet session from Mother Nature before it is safe to put the plants in the garden beds.

On the bright side, I did add this mess to my compost bin, along with the household small collection bin, some more leaves and water.  This is one of the reasons I like these types of planting trays.

Time to head out and stir the compost, can't wait to spread it in the garden beds!  Then to the store for more supplies for the seedling trays. 

Artichoke a mystery to me

I've realized that I've become a little bit obsessive over this crazy vegetable.  Sure we enjoy the flavor, like it in our dips, on pizza or a sandwich.  Yet when I saw it in the grocery this week for the low price of $1/ea

I felt the need to stop buying them already prepared in a can or from the deli.  I knew I could do this, I could master the art of cooking artichokes! 

With the wonderful world of the internet at my finger tips I set upon a journey to ready and watch everyone else's tips and tricks. 

First I cut off the top and bottom and trimmed many of the thorny tips, this picture is of my last one and by this time I knew I would not be using the outside parts, skipped the trimming of the leaves.    Lemon seems to work the best for rubbing on the cut areas and keeping them from premature browning.  I also added lemon to the boiling water for steaming.

After steaming them I found a marinade that is a lemon base for the acid. My husband has declared this the best tasting artichoke he has every had.

 Makes me happy since I have been steaming, cleaning and putting them in a marinade for a few days.  Now I have some stored away to easily add to other recipes.

Now to figure out how to grow them here in Indiana!

Thinning day for the tomato sprouts

It was great getting away for a week. The better news is that my tomato plants grew so much in my absence (HUGE THANK YOU TO MY HUSBAND).  I sometimes compare growing vegetables to watching a pot boil.... stop watching and amazing things begin to happen.

They are so pretty, it really was difficult to begin thinning them out. 

They only cried a little :)  

My youngest child really did not like that I had a "discard" pile and thought that all of them should be given a chance.

They really do look much better and after reassuring the small child and placing the "discarded ones" into the compost.  The plants are basking in their space and enjoying the sunlight today.