The Ginger Jungle

The pendulous blooms of the ginger plant are elegant and fragrant. But is fighting the plant's voracious spreading habit worth it? I'm beginning to wonder.

I've wanted ginger for some time, after seeing it in bloom at Nelson's Water Gardens in Brookshire, so I was delighted when my friend Laura gave me a couple of clumps from her grandmother's stand a few years back.

Now, it's crowding out everything around it. To be fair, it's not the ginger's fault I chose the wrong spot for it. That's often the case with wayward plants. I should have known more about its tendency to spread and placed it where that would be a good thing. But, as a novice gardener, I stuck it in an existing bed where its presence was unwelcome.

Another drawback to the tall plant is it almost never blooms. I can count on one had how many of the fragrant blossoms have made an appearance in all those years. Of course, there are many types of ginger, and this old standard might not be one prone to blooming well. Now, we're faced with the daunting task of digging up deeply established clumps to move it someplace more appropriate. One more lesson learned.

Broken china and mosaic flower pots

Last week, I took a brief mosaic class from Summer Sanderson at the Thyme for Herbs Society's monthly meeting out at Beaumont Botanical Gardens. I'd often thought about trying Mosaic work, but it looked rather intimidating and complicated.

As it turns out, it's not. At least, not for small projects. Yes, it takes a certain amount of creativity and patience - the process isn't speedy - but it's great fun. First, you get to take a hammer and whack an old, chipped china plate. Then, you take those broken chips and glue them to a terracotta pot, then fill in the spaces with grout. You can make it as ornate or simple as you wish.

I find the process calming. I can sit and look for the right pieces to fit just so, and get lost in the process. No thinking about the worries of the world, no thoughts of what else I should be doing - just the joy of creating.

Here's a pot I'm starting now, to give you an idea of the early stages. I'll be filling in the rim of the pot with more pieces before grouting.

Horace the Garden Spider

I walked out on our back porch one morning and looked up to find this big garden spider. I decided to call him Horace because he seemed so proper and aloof. Garden spiders do a lot of good by promptly dispatching pests. They do not, however, discriminate when something plump and juicy blunders into their web, as I discovered one day when I found a dragonfly wrapped as neatly as a mummy under Horace's feet.

Horace chose a spot just outside our guest bedroom window and showed no signs of moving on, so I started leaving the lamp on in that room at night. It attracts night bugs and Horace seems quite pleased with the arrangement.

My grandson, Jordan, however, was not. He hates spiders, especially big ones, so I've been spending some time talking with him about it. He thought it was funny that I named the spider Horace. Calling him by name seemed to make him more "human" and Jordan eventually began speaking to him. He still won't get too close, though. When he remarked that he'd never seen Horace move, I explained that he lives his life in the web, eating and sleeping there and never wanders. That made Jordan feel better, since the guest bedroom is where he sleeps when stays with us.

I viewed Horace as one more opportunity to teach Jordan that most bugs are harmless and have a role to play. And with garden spiders, it certainly doesn't include attacking humans. Before he left, Jordan said, "He's pretty cool."

My Grandmother's Garden

Yesterday was my Grandmother's birthday and the rose she loved (which still lives on through a cutting in my garden) had one lone rose. The bush blooms profusely in late April/early May, but sometimes a few blooms come again in fall. I like to think the rose was her way of reminding me on her birthday that she still is looking out for me. For those of you new to Dig-It, here's the first post I made when I started this blog:

My grandmother could grow anything.When she’d visit family or friends, she’d walk through their yards and, like most women of her day, pinch off shoots or branches to take home to root. She was incapable of walking past a flower gone to seed without dislodging the tiny prizes and catching them mid-fall.On occasions when permission wasn'’t easily attainable, whether a deserted homestead or an unattended garden, she took matters into both capable hands.

In our hurry-up world, where potted plants are so readily available, the idea of starting from scratch seems archaic.But in my grandmother’s Arkansas world, a woman who couldn’t drive and who couldn’t afford a nursery, even if one was available, had to be resourceful. And she certainly was. Her beautiful garden was a tribute to women like her who might not have much, but even on the darkest days had brightly-colored blooms in their yard.

When my grandmother died in 1968, two people sent gloxinias to her funeral. The lovely gesture of respect and affection was a bittersweet moment for those of us who knew how long she had coveted one of the exotic plants.

“Dig it!” is a gardening blog for those who cannot imagine life without flora (and fauna), from herbs to flowers to vegetables. This is not an expert answering complicated botanical questions, although I’ll certainly do my best to find answers for you. This is one person passionate about gardening sharing with others of like mind. If you already garden - or want to start, if you love thumbing through gardening magazines or seed catalogs, if you have a gazebo or front porch or simply love being outdoors, this is the spot for you.

So take off that wide-brimmed hat, put down the trowel and join me in lifting a glass of iced tea to Ruby Lee Johnson Nowlin, the woman who taught me to love digging in the dirt. As she would have said, pull up a chair and sit a spell. And remember, the pleasure of shared conversation requires your participation. I'd love it if you'd join in.

Hibiscus and heat

The last of the trio of blooms that keep on going even in the dead of a summer with little rain is the hibiscus.

Our friend Gene Soper sent this one to us after we lost my niece, Lisa Beaulieu, and my Mother, Juanita Swann, two years ago.

My husband , Joel, put the hibiscus in the ground after a few months, and look at it now. It's gone from about a foot tall to five feet or more.

The first year, it wilted often, but bounced back quickly. This year, it's not shown any sign of stress, despite the lack of water.

Although yellow was her favorite color, Lisa loved hibiscus, so we love this one doubly so.

Heat-loving Firebush

Here's another great performer during the long, hot days - and nights - of summer.

The firebush, a favorite of hummingbirds, dies back after a heavy frost and then grows so rapidly starting in spring that by summer, it's a thick, hearty bush covered with blooms. If you prefer, you can cut it back in late fall.

The bush blooms continuously, producing vivid orange and yellow blossoms. If you plant it, don't do what I did - hem it in. Give it plenty of space and it'll easily become a focal point.

By the way - I've never fertilized and only occasionally water the firebush. It's that hearty when established.

Bless the Plumbago

After all these weeks of heat and little rain, several plants in the garden still look great, even when neglected from time to time.

One of my favorites is this plumbago. It's still young and in its first growing season so it's not thick and lush, but it's lovely. It will take all the sun and heat you can throw at it and keep on putting out those icy blue flowers.

I'm looking forward to next spring's growth to see how it fares. I'll be planting another one on the new bed we're going to establish on the north side of the house - the side that has been neglected while the south side is almost to capacity.

They grow fast, branch out well and can make a real statement in a bed.

I am contemplating starting a photo diary on the blog to show our new north-side bed step-by-step, but I'm not sure I'm ready to embarrass myself yet. We'll see...

Compost bins

I've made one more step toward being a serious gardener - I bought a compost bin.

I had considered making one myself of wood and wire, but when I found this one on clearance at a close-out sale, it was too good a bargain to pass up. It was the last one in the store, and the clerk said she thought she had a couple of extra pieces in the back. They wouldn't be able to sell them, she added, so I might as well take them for extras. When she looked, she found enough to make a second bin, including the top! So my great bargain became a real steal. The bin is in sections, so you can take the top layers off as the compost gets closer to completion. With the two I have, I'll be able to have one ready and the other on its way.

And yes, the adorable boys in the bin are my grandsons, Jordan and Jarrod. They thought it would make a good hiding spot.

Scorpion in the Garden

Did the photo make you do a double-take? The real thing sure made me look twice when my husband brought it home and placed it on our copper birdbath.

Being a lover of all God's creatures, I have respect and affection for things that make many people shudder, like spiders and snakes. But the one thing that will make my hair stand on end is the scorpion. I have no rational explanation for this. I've never been stung by one, though I've had some close encounters in Arkansas, where I grew up. They just look so dangerous.

My husband bought this one from an unemployed man selling them downtown. It was the only copper one, he said, so that's why he chose it. He claims to have no ulterior motive, but I'm not so sure. Instead of giving it to me, he placed it in the garden and waited for me to discover it. Even though it's obviously way bigger than a real scorpion, I was startled for a couple of seconds. I might not like the real thing, but I love this quirky sculpture, which perches at the edge of the water. I wonder what the critters that come looking for a drink think?

How will you be remembered?

Yesterday, I sat in Claybar Funeral Home in Orange and listened to friends and family members tell how Dr. Dennis Franklin (The Plant Doctor) touched their lives. It was time of laughter, as one by one, they talked about how kind Dennis was, how great his enthusiasm for life was, how cheerful he always was and how much he loved to laugh.

One of the things that struck me most was how more than one person mentioned that Dennis never had a bad word to say about anyone. He was a man who didn't need to find fault with others. He was too busy being Dennis, a man who had rather encourage than discourage.

That's something worth thinking about, in an age when sarcasm, backbitting and cutting people down has become an art form. Showing others how to be kind, empathetic and gracious is no small legacy.

Smith and Hawken Bites the Dust

If you've ever shopped at Smith & Hawken, you know much fun it can be to wander the aisles and look at everything. You also know how expensive they are. We've bought several things from their Houston store, but only during clearance sales.

I've been following a blog - and all the rumors - about what will happen now. For those who might not know, Dave Smith and Paul Hawken founded the company decades ago to sell quality English garden tools. And by quality, I mean lifetime guaranteed heirloom pieces. The duo found a loyal following in Earth-Mother, Gardening Guru types who appreciated their dedication to the environment.

Imagine their dismay when Smith & Hawken, which they sold to the owners of The Nature Company, eventually was bought out by Scott's, the makers of Miracle-Gro. Not only did Smith & Hawken start pushing pesticides, but they began replacing those fine English tools with those of lesser quality.

Rumor has it that Hawken might start another garden tool business. Let's hope so. He was good for gardening - and the environment.

Dr. Dennis Franklin, The Plant Doctor

I've tried four times to start typing this and keep erasing it because I don't know what to say about such awful news. Yesterday, Dennis Franklin, the man we call The Plant Doctor, was found dead in his car at an area supermarket.

I met Dennis when he began writing a column for The Beaumont Enterprise. I got to know him well because I edited his columns for quite some time. During that time, Dennis endured major hardships. Hurricane Ike put 6 feet of water in his Orange home. He lost pretty much everything. Months later, his father, from whom Dennis inherited his love of plants and whom he adored, died. Dennis was by his side the entire time he was in the hospital, even when his father no longer recognized him. He continued to turn in his column, true to the professional he was.

Two weeks ago, Dennis taught a class at the Jefferson County Master Gardeners course. I learned even more about him there. Dennis was a powerhouse of knowledge on anything and everything to do with plants. His seminar was amazing, a combination of knowledge, energy, humor and a love of growing things. I respected him more than ever after spending a day absorbing everything I could on what he had to offer.

I still can't believe he died. He was 57, energetic, active and always had a positive attitude, even when things went wrong. He sent me an email thanking me for a note I sent when his father died. It was a gentle, lovely, appreciative response to something that mattered a great deal to him.

Dennis touched many thousands of lives. He wrote the column for the Enterprise, hosted a radio show on KLVI and answered questions for gardeners with problems at M&D Supply each Saturday, in addition to the other jobs he held and as a plant and tree consultant. I have no doubt people were lined up at M&D to see him this morning, only to be told the sad news.

Dennis was a kind man. A gentleman who would do anything he could for others to help make their gardening experience richer. He had the most voracious appetite for knowledge I've ever encountered. His influence is making me a better gardener and I am grateful for that.

I will miss you, Dennis. Thank you for your enormous contributions to the gardening community and to your family and friends.

How to make basil butter

If your basil has continued to produce faithfully through the summer (like this pot of mine) and you're looking for something to do with it, try basil butter.

The recipe is according to taste, so use the amount that your palate prefers. Start with a couple of sticks of butter, sitting at room temperature to soften. Chop a couple of hands full of fresh, washed basil. Dice three or so cloves of garlic (or put through a garlic press). Add the basil and garlic to the softened butter and mix well with a hand mixer. Do not whip; the idea is just to incorporate the basil and garlic well. If you have butter molds, use them. If not, place the butter on a piece of Saran Wrap and roll into a log. Twist ends tightly and freeze. When you need some basil butter, slice off as much as you need and pop the rest back into the freezer. Another way to freeze is using ice trays to freeze the butter individually.

There are many ways to use the butter: place a pat on fish when baking or after broiling or grilling. Add to cooked vegetables for flavor. Add to a soup. Use to make an omelet. Toss with fresh pasta.

Butter like this can be made with almost any herb. Choose your favorite combinations and enjoy.

Composting in the kitchen

If I'm going to get serious about composting, I'm going to need a small composting pail for the kitchen. My sister told me about one she uses that has a charcoal filter in the top to keep it odor-free.

I went to a couple of local stores but they didn't have any. So I went online and found several like the ones she's talking about, including this one, which is stainless steel and has the filter. It's a bit pricey, so I think I'll keep looking for a while.

Any tips?

There's always next year

Several people emailed during the time I was taking the Master Gardener class to ask about it. While it was too late for them to attend this year's class, there's always next year

The Jefferson County Master Gardener Short Course is taught once a year. Those who express interest are mailed a packet explaining what the program is, what the requirements are, how much it costs, when it is held and other vital information. You have to sign up in advance to take the course because the class is limited to around 30.

Taking the class is a commitment. The MG program is above all a volunteer group that works within the community to further the goals of Texas Agri-Life. Those who finish the two-week course are interns. We won't be certified as Master Gardeners until we complete 50 hours of volunteer work, divided among the test garden at the airport, answering the phone at the Agri-Life office and other public education opportunities.

As someone who has taken the course, I can tell you you that if you love gardening and are serious about it, this is an amazing opportunity. The workshops are packed with information from knowledgeable people - many experts in their fields - and the book you receive is an invaluable resource.

I loved taking the course and look forward to getting know my fellow interns and master gardeners better. They are a great group of people.

To learn more, call the Jefferson County Agri-Life office at 409-835-8461. If you live in another area, check with your local county extension office.

Happy gardening!

What I Learned - Days 9-10

As you can tell by the lack of posting the last few days, I've been busy. It's time to catch up.

Thursday, at the last seminar day of the Jefferson County Master Gardeners course, I learned:

Ideal soils contain 50% solid materials and 50% pore space. To improve pore space and water retention, till 3 inches of expanded shale into 3 inches of organic matter.

Once a plant has a virus, it always has it. Destroy it.

Integrated pest management is critical to the health of plants AND the environment. IPM is a strategy that avoids or prevents pest damage with minimum adverse impact to human health, environment and non-target organisms. The misuse of chemicals is a huge problem. More on this later...

The last day, we were supposed to meet at the Jefferson County Master Gardeners Test Garden at the airport but the weather had other ideas. The rain was heavy, so the morning was cancelled. Still,I sloshed around for a while, looking at the garden where I will be volunteering at least 20 hours of my time for the next few months. I learned the test garden includes a greenhouse, rainfall water harvesting system and composting. The more I learn about the Master Gardener program, the more I realize what a great resource it is to the area. This week, I'll post more about the program.

What I Learned - Day 8

Today I learned that if you compost thoroughly enough and add enough organic matter to the soil, you don't have to fertilize. I learned that vegetable gardening is a great hobby for someone with OCD -as our instructor labeled himself - if you have enough time to build and maintain a perfectly aligned, perfectly straight, perfectly planted gardens with seeds spaced EXACTLY the right distance from each other.

I learned that a weed is just another name for a plant whose benefit has yet to be discovered.

I learned how to identify the weeds growing in my garden - from crabgrass to cure-all.

What I Learned - Day 7

I learned about plant problems including canker, iron chlorosis, dieback, mildew and scorch.

I learned how to propagate plants, which is much easier than those who've never tried it might imagine.

I learned how to tell the difference between poisonous snakes (triangular shaped heads and elongated, narrow pupils) and non-poisonous (oval or rounded head and round pupils). I also learned how to tell by looking at the scales on a snake's tail. Why is this important? Because almost all snakes are important in the garden and around the home (although people with laying hens would disagree about the chicken snake) and should be left alone. As someone who played with snakes as a child, they don't bother me. But I do know how to be respectful of them and how to let the beneficial ones enjoy their life as much as I do mine.

Note the perfectly round pupil in the Eastern hog-nose snake above. He's a friend.

What I Learned - Day 6

Among the things I learned Monday:

If you are serious about lawn turf (which I'm not), there is enough to learn to sustain a three-hour class.

Most people haven't a clue how may square feet are in their yard and how to calculate how much fertilizer to use - and so they use two to three times more than they need. Any nitrogen not taken up by the grass becomes runoff that, in a city, gets flushed into the storm drain. In the country, it washes into the water table.

Master Gardener Eddie Wharton is the king of compost. Have a composting question? Ask me. I'll ask Eddie!

Credit: This graphic is from organicgardeninginfo.com

What I learned Friday

Citrus, like the Mr. Mac satsuma shown here, don't like wet feet.

Any suckers that sprout below the graft line of citrus should be removed.

If you order and plant bare root citrus, plant in the dormant season, straighten the roots out, cover with soil and then water well to remove air pockets.

I also learned how to graft citrus, though I don't think I'll be trying that. This is one plant I'm happy to buy already grafted - or mature.

What I Learned - Day 4

Thursday's Master Gardeners class was divided between in-depth coverage of landscape design and antique roses. The first half was a real education on the principles of landscape design - which told me everything I've been doing wrong - and the second half was pure pleasure - on one of my favorites. During the next few weeks, I'll be sharing more on the two speakers of the day - both of whom were great.

Three tips from today:

Don't even THINK about putting in a plant until you've designed a bed. Those of us who've passed a plant in a nursery that we just couldn't resist, only to have it sit in a pot for a year (or two) until we figure out where the heck to put it, are good examples of impulse over planning.

If you love bulbs, as I do, you need to do your homework to see which ones are suited to Southeast Texas. Southern Bulbs is a great place to start.

We all owe a big debt to the Texas Rose Rustlers, who, decades ago, began taking cuttings of old roses found in the South. If not for them, we might have lost many of the hundreds-of-years-old cultivars that now are available through years of propogation. William Welch, whose book is shown here, is one of the pioneers.

What Learned- Day 3

Among the numerous things I learned today at Jefferson County Master Gardeners Class:

When building a compost pile, always use a 5-1 ratio of carbon and nitrogen.

Carbon is dry leaves, sawdust, bark mulch, etc; nitrogen is tables scraps (no meat) like potato peelings, greens, fruit, etc.

Home remedy for fire ants: 1 cup orange oil, 1 cup compost tea, 1 cup molasses.

If you have a butterfly garden, you need to provide water. One good way is to put very wet sand in an old birdbath. An alternative is to put a flat rock in the birdbath where the butterfly can land and sip water.

What I Learned - Day 2

Today, I learned that -

If you want to grow mayhaws, Mason is a good variety for Southeast Texas.

If you want to grow blackberries, try Kiowa; it has the best record in trials.

If you want to grow apricots - forget it. Some things just ain't happening in Southeast Texas. We can't grow peonies, and we can't grow apricots.

Oh, well...

Master Gardeners Day 1

Today was the first day of the two-week Jefferson County Master Gardeners class. I was so excited about finally getting to take the class that I didn't sleep well last night. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but it was much more - and better - than I could have imagined.

Today, we covered a lot of ground, from Earth Kind Gardening to plant growth and development.

Three things I learned today:

Glucose is the beginning of all growth, including plants. Such a simple formula - CO2 + H2O = H12O6 -with such life-altering impact.

Anything that contains a seed with maternal tissue around it is a fruit - including tomatoes and a pecans.

One pollen grain is needed for each egg (Yes, plants have ovaries and eggs) to be fertilized. Some have hundreds of eggs.

I also learned that, like the wonderful Dr. Dennis Franklin, who taught the Plant Growth and Development, I am a plant nerd. Yeah for me!

Tomorrow is the first day of the Jefferson County Master Gardener's Class and I can't wait. Learning to be an accomplished gardener has long been a goal of mine, and I know the in-depth classes will help me get closer to that goal.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to post "One thing I learned in class today." I'll do that each day for the length of the course.

I hope this will give you an opportunity to see what the classes are like, as well as provide useful information.

Until tomorrow,
J

New Master Naturalist Chapter

Southeast Texas has amazing ecological diversity, from dense forests to open coastal prairies - and now, it has a new chapter of a program that provides education, outreach and service. The newly formed Sabine-Neches Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program (Hardin, Jefferson and Orange counties) is accepting applications for their 2009-2010 class.

Students will experience in-depth training in wildlife and natural resource management (taught by recognized experts in the field). Participants will also have the opportunity for advanced training in special subjects of interest. Master Naturalists are volunteers with extensive knowledge of the benefits of managing natural resources. They provide youth education programs, operate parks, nature centers, and natural areas and for provide leadership in local natural resource conservation efforts.

The program is co-sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas AgriLife Extension and partners include Village Creek State Park, Shangri La Botanical Gardens, J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area, and The Nature Conservancy at the Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary.

Weekly classes begin in September and continue through January. Tuition is $150. To become a certified Master Naturalist, participants must also complete 40 hours of volunteer service and eight hours of advanced training during the 12 month period. To learn more, contact Roy Stanford, Orange County AgriLife Extension agent at 409-882-7010, or Amanda Adair with Texas Parks and Wildlife at 409-755-7322. For more information or to download an application, visit the Sabine-Neches Chapter website at http://grovesite.com/tmn/snc

Vegetable Gardening for beginners

Browsing through a bookstore is a joy. I loved libraries as child; we had no bookstores in our rural Arkansas town. As soon as I became an adult, I started haunting both new and used bookstores, though my budget leaned more to the latter. Novels, poems, short stories, non-fiction - I loved it all.

During the past two decades, I've started spending a lot of time in gardening sections. A week or so ago, I was in a Beaumont bookstore looking for books to teach me how to be a vegetable gardener. I've planted the occasional tomato or onion, but never a "real" vegetable garden. That will change this fall. At the bookstore, I found two I liked: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegetable Gardening" (by daughter/father team Darla Price Bowman and Carl A. Price, Alpha, $16.95) and "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book" by Barbara W. Ellis (Storey, $14.95)

The Idiot's Guide is an easy-to-read book on everything from planning to planting to pest control. The Veggie Gardener's Answer book is just what the sub-title says: solutions to every problem you'll ever face and answers to every question you'll ever ask. I'm betting I can come up with at least one problem not in the book, knowing a thing or two about problems (being a woman who once weedeated her calf). I also am known for asking questions, so it will be interesting to see if I run across some weird ones (also knowing a thing or two about weirdness).

I like both books and recommend them.

Summer Blues

This is my least favorite time of year as a flower gardener. The stifling heat of late July and August make working outdoors almost as much of a chore as a pleasure. Thankfully, early morning and late afternoon still are manageable, especially since the drought has brought an unexpected blessing - almost NO mosquitoes.

If our flower beds were as lush and pretty as they were a month ago, I might be more tolerant of the heat. But many of our plants look wilted and scorched around the edges and kind of sad, leaving me feeling much the same. I'm using this time as a planning period. I look at the beds where I could have made better choices and think about what plants I'll move elsewhere this fall and what I might replace them with. I think about all the bulbs scattered about and how they overpower some beds and how nice it might be to build a bulb bed. And best of all, I think about the raised beds my husband will build for me soon for a fall and winter garden.

Sweet anticipation is the salve for the cuts and bruises we gardeners endure.

Kids and Gardening

Many kids today think produce comes from a grocery store. Can you imagine never having seen a vegetable in the ground, in a garden?

Danny Chand, Southeast Texas Food Bank Nutrient Education Specialist, teaches kids the link between harvesting and grocery stores. This month, he’s taking dozens of kids from the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Club over to the McFaddin-Ward House to tour their garden and see how vegetables go from the garden to the kitchen to the top of a pizza.

That’s a great idea for home gardeners. Maybe you know some kids in your neighborhood who would enjoy a little pizza party, especially when they get to pick the tomatoes and onions themselves. Each of us needs to tackle the task of bringing agriculture back to the people.

One by one, we can help home gardens again become a way of life.

Bradley Tomato Love

I grew up in Southern Arkansas and one of my first summer jobs as a teenager was wrapping tomatoes. Let me explain. Bradley County, Ark. is known for its tomatoes. They are big, meaty and beautiful. The soil there produces tomatoes prized by tomato lovers. The fields were so big back in the late 1960s when I was in high school that they hired teens during the season to wrap and pack tomatoes. The biggest, most perfect tomatoes were individually hand-wrapped with tissue before being placed in a special shipping box. That was my job. I rode in the back of a pickup from Hampton to Warren, where the fields and the production sheds were.

Each year, Warren holds the Pink Tomato Festival when the big beauties are just turning that lovely, deep shade of pink that means they were ready to eat. This year, my sister, Gloria planted her first crop of Bradley tomatoes. Because she lives near Waco, she doesn't expect them to taste absolutely the same. But a Bradley tomato is a Bradley tomato. She's promised to bring me some when she comes for a two-week visit next week to take the Master Gardener Class in Beaumont.

Yummmmmm!!