strawberry festival

well, it isn't exactly a festival, but the one strawberry pot has produced quite a few non-stink-bug-eaten berries this year, creating somewhat of a party- a festival of sorts-in my mouth.

strawberry pot

the mister snagged these huge concrete pots from a demo site he was working on right before the backhoe dumped them into the trash: nice job! with my huge oak gone (r.i.p.), the berries are flourishing and taste delicious. i just hope i can pick a few before the birds eat them all: cant believe i cant find my critter cover! i must add a note to my master gardener app: clean the shed.

crab apple trees

when I was a kid in Berkeley, we had a crab apple tree in the front yard: my parents designed and built a deck around it, and it promptly died the next spring. in the interim, I tried making pies with the bitter fruit. the baked good looked pretty and tasted nasty! still, it started me thinking about cooking, and especially pies! I haven't tried reinventing my original crab apple pie recipe lately, but as fall descends upon us, I do notice how enticing the little fruits are: so cute! the birds seem to really go for them.

moon and stars watermelon.

a picked this beautiful watermelon from my ill-fated vegetable garden: sweet! this is an heirloom variety (read: "with seeds") called 'moon and stars'. last week, there were two! im not pointing fingers or anything because the bed does look abandoned:(. no worries: there are babies! here is tip from the locals: sit developing squash, pumpkins, melons, etc. on upside down aluminum pie tins to prevent moisture and/or insect damage. none here, though!