First Yield

Judging by the beginning of this year's harvest, it looks like we're going to have a wealth of cucumbers to process. What does one do with cucumbers after one has had enough cucumber salad, cucumber soup and cucumber sandwiches? Well, let's see.

1) Cucumber hydrating masks, treat your skin to a great spa treatment. Get rid of blemishes, tone your skin and remove the dark circles under your eyes.

2) If home crafts and natural products sound attractive to you, why not try to make homemade cucumber soap or better still, shampoo? Very mild and moisturizing!

3) Do you know those fancy little cucumber cups for summer cocktails? No time like the present...

4) Give away as many as will be received, your friends, family and complete strangers have their limits too.

5) Unimaginable quantities of pickles. That offers plenty of opportunities to try every recipe in the book.

6) Fried pickles for later.

7) Some people suggest that fried fresh cucumbers are just as good as fried green tomatoes or fried zucchini but I wouldn't know.

8) If you have blond hair and like to swim, you might be interested to know that cucumber juice helps neutralize the effects on chlorine on your hair color. Mix with egg yolk and olive oil for a rich and nourishing hair mask.

9) Stuff them.

10) Enjoy the fact that life gave you cucumbers. A lot more uses for them. Did I mention the luxurious spa treatments and the summer cocktails?

I'm out of ideas, so chilled cucumber soup it is. Aren't they cute, though? A quarter inch long...

Tomatoes in Bloom

First it is worth mentioning that these tomato plants were not planned for this year, they just sprouted from the fruit that fell on the ground last fall.

This is one astounding tomato cultivar that produced vast amounts of fruit continuously from July until no leaves were left on trees. I started it from seed last year and it is called Supersweet 100, I think. If you ever run across this variety, don't miss the opportunity to get it.

Not only they sprouted all by themselves with no involvement on my part, but they are also bigger and earlier blooming than the tomatoes I planted and very possibly more productive ( I will keep you posted, it is a hybrid, so I am very curious if its progeny maintains the same qualities, but as I said, so far it is the first to bloom.)

If it is an open pollinated variety, I must be sure to save some seeds for next year, even though it seems they prefer to take care of propagation themselves. I dug up new tomato plants from locations I didn't anticipate they could seriously consider and I fear that the super propagation didn't stop at the property line.

If you don't know how to save tomato seeds, check out this article from All Year Garden. I can only tell you that last year their heavy tomato clusters ripened faster than I could pick them. It is a cherry variety, indeterminate. It will grow indefinitely unless you pinch the top.