Plum Harvest

I picked the last of the plums yesterday. This is the first real year we have had plums.

These are from the tree that Dan planted for my birthday 3 years ago (in hot August!). We had a couple plums on it last year. This year we had a decent harvest - although the tree still wasn't loaded.

The plums are very juicy and tasty - and considering that I did not spray it at all - even with organic sprays - very few of them had worms in them. Overall they are great looking plums.

Colorful "green" beans!

Yup - those are both purple and green beans!

It struck me today just how appropriate it is for our household to be growing those two colors of beans. You see I live in Vikings territory and I married a Viking fan but I am a cheesehead from Wisconsin.

I was in the garden picking beans while listening to the neighbors on their patio discussing the upcoming Viking Packer game and the fact that Brett Farve will be playing for the Vikes when it struck me that even my beans show the rivalry that goes on in our livingroom!

Anyway, even the beans know that the Packers are the better team since the purple beans turn green when they are cooked!

Colorful Carrots!

Check out the colorful carrots Andy is holding - orange, red and purple. Growing a rainbow of colors of everything is so much fun. I also planted yellow ones.

Making Fruit Leathers (Fruit Roll Ups)

I made fruit leathers this past weekend. The first batch I am sure of many this year. They are really quite simple to make.

You just take fruit puree - sweeten it to your taste - add optional spices - and dry in a dehydrator or on plastic wrap lined cookie sheets in a very low oven (150 degrees at the most) until done.

I used plums as the main ingredient in these. I added a handful of raspberries, a handful of currants and 1/2 of an apple as well as some raw sugar and cinnamon.

Here they are almost dry in my dehydrator.

They are ready when you can easily pull them up from the plastic like this.

I cut them into wedges.

I stacked the wedges with wax paper between - who needs evil red 40 - these are a nice bright red without anything artificial added!