Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Estate Sale Finds - Two Gallon McCoy Stoneware

This post is not really garden or home renovation related.
I just wanted to show off the amazing McCoy stoneware crock I picked up at an
estate sale for almost nothing. It's in perfect condition, with a not so perfect lid.

 Based on what I read here, it's a 2 gallon McCoy stoneware crock
made between 1927 and 1934. I've read elsewhere that these crocks were used
pre-refrigerators to store everything from food to flour.
 
What am I going to use it for?  No clue...fermented pickles perhaps.
Anyone jealous?  Probably not...whatever...I love it!
 

Monday, July 21, 2014

Garden Tour - July 21, 2014

I am truly a gardening dork.  Watching this Savoy Cabbage go from a few little leaves to this head of cabbage had been so cool.  I've been cutting off the outer leaves and using them in stir fries.
 
 
The broccoli and the cauliflower, on the other hand, are making me nuts. 
Leaves, leaves and more leaves...when are they going to start growing florets!
 
 
I don't think the onions were effective in warding off bugs, but
they are continuing to grow nicely.
 
 
The kale has been endless.  I might start freezing it.  Never, in my wildest dreams,
did I think four plants would produce this much kale!
 
 
Same with the zucchini.  I've picked pounds and pounds of it.
 
 
I'm liking the zucchini bread recipe at Smitten Kitchen.
 
 
Pepper flowers, but no peppers yet.
 
 
Same with the eggplant.  Normally, I can barely get one eggplant to grow.
This year, I have twelve.  I have no clue what I'll be doing with all this eggplant!
 

 
Remember how short the cantaloupe and cucumber plants were last month?
Not anymore, they're huge and producing like crazy.
 
 
Even with my crew eating them, and me pickling the rest, it's hard to keep up.
 
 
The cantaloupe plants, while tall and full of baby cantaloupes....
 
 
...still haven't grown any big enough to eat yet.
 
 
No clue when to pick the corn...
 
 
I have tons of tomatoes...all green.
The waiting is maddening.
 
 
I love when the garden gets to the point that it's super full and
full of green, tall plants.
 
 
I still can't believe this was a store bought scallion.
I kept it alive inside for a long time in water, then decided to plant it here.
 
 
This is my no longer producing pear tree.
This picture makes my yard look deceivingly big.
 
 
Mint, mint and more mint.  I gave a lot away. 
You can't even tell.  Time to make more mint pesto and mint chutney.
 
 
I have no idea what this is growing amidst my mint.
Probably just a tall weed, but I'm waiting it out because you never know.

 
The sugar snap peas and done.  The potatoes are doing their thing.
 
 
This is a bad picture of the sink the Hubby made me out of an old crap workbench
we were going to throw out, the sink I thought I was going to use in my kitchen, but couldn't,
and extra pvc pipes we had in the basement.
 
 
Notice how my fence is bent?  Apparently, when my grass is long, the groundhog
is happy to eat the clover.  But since the Hubby was trying to do a good thing
and stay on top of mowing, the groundhog decided to hop into the garden.

 
His favorite are the string beans.


He also ate the bolted spinach.
 

 
And the random broccoli and cauliflower seedlings that were next to it.

 

We are leaving the grass longer again.  Hopefully, this won't get worse.
We did spot him looking into the slider door, checking to see if the dog was there
before he hopped in.  He's small, but he's smart.  The big groundhog vanished,
and we found a dead baby next to my garden.  We buried him near the honeysuckle.  
I think someone poisoned them.  I think this one is now orphaned.  As long as we can coexist peacefully, whatever.  Live and let live.  My yard has always been
some sort of strange animal sanctuary, no reason to change that now.