San Antonio Blooms

As promised here are some of the beautiful plants in the San Antonio area.

 

The Texas mountain laurel was blooming all over San Antonio.

This plant is the source of the mescal bean.

 

 

Fredericksburg

 

 

 

Mission San Jose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Alamo

 

♥andPeace,Myra

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I love growing things. That said, I also enjoy more relaxation and less physical pain as the years go by. I've found that container gardening and raised beds provide both.

Most of these zinnias are volunteers from last year that came up in the vegetable garden.

Zinnias provide vivid color and are very heat/drought tolerant.

They do tend to fall over and often need some support.

We currently have three raised beds with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplants.

We usually grow more than we can use in these small beds.

My old mandevilla spent another winter in the garage.

It does require frequent watering but I think the result is worthy of the care.

 

Wonderful color!

Succulents are another good choice for easy care containers.

They also spend the winter in the garage.

Texture with very little care.

I have no idea what this plant is or where I got it.

It has very sharp needle like points so it must be treated with respect.

My begonias were cut back and placed in the garage over the winter.

With a bit of sunshine, fertilizer and water they are very happy.

My potted oleander bloomed again this year.

This year I planted my iron wash pots with yellow lantana and moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora).

 

 

The red crepe myrtles are really pretty this year.

A bit of welcoming color at the front door.

While photographing the zinnias in the vegetable garden I found MORE cucumbers ready to pick.

 

I spend more time on the patio relaxing with a cool drink and a good book these days.

I enjoy growing pretty flowers and fresh vegetables with much less effort than in the past.

Containers and raised beds are working for me.

Happy gardening!

 

♥andPeace,Myra

Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina

October 2010 I visited Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina.

 

Magnificent live oak trees with Spanish moss lined the walkways.

Reflecting pool with pretty blue bench invites you to take a break and relax.

Pretty wrought iron gates opened to spectacular pathways throughout the gardens.

October at Brookgreen with a hint of the changing season.

Wonderful color!

Sculpture accentuated nature at every turn.

There are 1,400 sculptures in the gardens.

This was one of my favorites.

 

 

Down another pathway.

Through another doorway.

 

Around another corner.

 

Whimsical and lovely!

Pretty palms.

 

Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina, a wonderful place to spend the day.

 

♥andPeace,Myra

My Tomato Pie

Our tomato vines are finally producing ripe fruit.  This has not been our best year for tomato production. Now in the middle of August, they are ripening faster than we can eat them. What to do with all those tomatoes? I've been seeing recipes for tomato pie in magazines and on the Internet so I decided to make one. There are literally hundreds of recipes out there. Some peeled and seeded the tomatoes. Some precooked the crust. Some had onion and some didn't. The variations went on and on.

Hot out of the oven, ready to serve!

 

After reading ten to twelve recipes I decided to put together my on version of tomato pie.

I invited my mother for dinner and we agreed this recipe is a keeper!

 

What you will need:

9 inch pie crust

Tomatoes

Onion

Cheese

Mayonnaise

Balsamic vinegar

Fresh basil

salt/pepper

Panko bread crumbs

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Precook pie crust with pie weights.

 

While the pie crust precooks, thin slice the tomatoes (5-6 depending on size).

Place tomatoes on a couple of paper towels on a baking sheet and salt.

Allow the tomatoes to drain while the pie crust precooks.

Blot the top of the tomatoes prior to placing in the pie crust.

Slice about 10-12 very thin slices of onion with a mandolin.

Be careful not to add too much onion.

I cut the basil with kitchen shears.

Mix about 3/4 cup mayonnaise with about 1 cup cheese.

(I mixed mozzarella, Parmesan and cheddar with good results.)

 

Layer the tomatoes with the onion, fresh basil, mayo/cheese mixture ending with a layer of tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt/pepper to taste.

Top with a sprinkling of Panko bread crumbs.

Ready for a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

This simple rustic dish is delicious as a light lunch or dinner with fresh fruit.

 

 

♥andPeace,Myra

 

 

Summer Garden 2013

Here, in my neck of the woods, the gardening season is winding down. It is time for a bit of cleaning up and getting ready for fall. The cucumber vines have been removed and my yellow squash vines are almost gone.

 

This spring my friend Kathleen hosted a luncheon and flower seed packets were part of the table decoration.

We were invited to take home the seed packets.

I chose Zinnias and decided to plant them in our vegetable garden.

I enjoy the happy colors every time I work in the garden.

Thank you Kathleen for your thoughtful gift.

I always plant a cherry tomato plant.

I can count on ripe tomatoes for a salad.

They bear from late spring until frost.

Last year our peppers did not produce any peppers!

This year, though late getting started, we have more than we can use.

The containers continue to add a little interest to my back yard.

I love my neighbor's white crape myrtles on the other side of the fence. The begonias are still blooming. My Annie Sloan duck egg blue bird house is still vacant but adds a little color.

It was my intention to keep these mums cut back in hope of fall blooms. They started putting on buds so early I left them alone and they are still blooming!

The old mandevilla is putting on a show again this year.

I had to replace some of the plants in my wash pots.

I put them out while it was still too cool and wet.

 

 

 

♥andPeace,Myra