Our Magic Pumpkin Patch

A couple weeks ago I was pulling up massive weeds from our rock beds that we'd ignored for too long. And to my surprise I discovered we had a pumpkin patch growing. The surprise was that we had not planted one, nor had we ever planted one! 

Some random pumpkin seed must have made its way to the rock bed, gotten sifted below the rocks to the soil underneath, and germinated. All on its own. It wasn't there last year or the year before. But it is there now and I am so glad it is. I had WANTED a pumpkin patch so much I kept telling people I really needed to get one planted and started or the season would be too far gone. I made plans to use the front flower beds to plant them, in fact. But since I am a huge procrastinator I never actually got around to doing it. And as if by magic, I woke up one day and my wish had come true!

Here a bee can be seen pollinating the flowers. Thank you bees!

Know-It-All Note: The female flowers of pumpkins only bloom for one day. And like many plants, in order for the female flower to produce a pumpkin, it has to be pollinated by a bee who has visited a male flower, and it has to be done in that narrow window of opportunity. After that one day the flower dries up and dies. And sometimes the female flowers bloom and there are no male flowers open yet. So timing is all important and completely random. It really makes you wonder how anything ever grows with such abundance when so much chance is involved. But that is what makes nature so amazing, to me. It's a system that works successfully over and over against all odds. Isn't that fascinating? 

I love the oversize leaves and big vines of the pumpkin patch. It is taking over my entire rock bed on one side of the backyard patio. But I love it! I hope we gets lots of pumpkins for Fall. Though even one would just tickle me to no end. I don't even know what kind they will be. I'll be happy with any size, any variety. And hopefully I'll be able to use the seeds to replant a new patch, on purpose this time, for next year.

There have been some nibblers on the leaves but since it's thriving and I didn't actually plant it, I may just leave it alone and see how it goes. A few of the vines have been broken or smushed by wind or things falling on them, but it hasn't seemed to mind it and has just kept growing bigger each day despite the minor damage here and there.

Yay! Garden Shares!

This week and last week a couple of my families shared their garden bounty! Thank you Laura and Joel (and Laura's dad!!) and Henriikka and Eric for such beautiful and delicious garden treats! 

Fresh Picked Garden Tomatoes

The wonderful Henriikka, who I say is wonderful because she is like superwoman. She has a potty training toddler, a newborn, a job, a husband, two giant bear dogs, goes camping (with newborn!) and finds time to garden!

Henriikka is one of my lovely daycare moms, and she generously shared some of her beautiful garden tomatoes with us this morning! Don't they look just fabulous!!? 

Thank you, Henriikka!

Levi helped me choose just the right color bowl for the tomatoes ('Levi, should we use a blue bowl?' 'Nooo'. 'Should we use the red bowl?' 'NoOoo'. 'Should we use the GREEN bowl?' YEEEES!!'), and went to work unloading the bag of goodies he and his mom brought.

We go through tomatoes like candy at my house. I put them in JUST about every single thing I make. Except maybe oatmeal. Or ice cream. That would be wrong.

Being from the South, I should have been raised with fried green tomatoes. But sadly I was not. The deprivation of experiencing fried tomatoes was an oversight I corrected as an adult this past year when I discovered them for the first time. YUM! does not describe how wonderful these snacks are (are they meant to be a side dish...?). If you've never tried them you should, just to say you have. But if you like fried things (and I do) you might develop a taste for them. We don't do too much frying in my house anymore, but on special occasions I fry my little heart out. Either way, these juicy fruits will be greatly enjoyed!