2018 was a year for a bumper crop of Santa Rosa plums from our 4-in-1 grafted dwarf plum tree. Each plum is small so there is not much fruit pulp. So I decided to make a plum compote. it is a simple recipe. Ingredients: 1 pound of plums (quartered; include the pits) 1 cup sugar / honey half cup water ... Read More »
During our Thanksgiving dinner at Shauna’s home, Linda and Brad mentioned that they had a lot of persimmons. I joked that they would ring our doorbell and leave a box of fruit. Linda corrected me: She wouldn’t ring the doorbell. They left us a box with 36 large Hachiya persimmons. Dehydrating persimmons is simple. Wash the fruit. Core the top ... Read More »
In spring 2016 my brother Adam came up from southern California with a 30-inch tall Panache Fig tree from his garden that he transplanted into a 10-gallon pot. The Panache Fig (aka Tiger Fig) has a yellow and green-striped skin with a strawberry-colored flesh. Unlike our Black Mission Fig, the Panache Fig does not have a spring crop. Because it ... Read More »
In March 2016, on a whim, I bought a pineapple plant for my Sunnyvale garden. I know. I transplanted it to a larger pot but made the mistake of a too shallow pot. It grew a little and eventually in July we harvested our pineapple. If I was thinking of serving drinks in it, I would only need a shot ... Read More »
“The sweet fruition of an earthly crown” – Christopher Marlowe Here it is mid-October and the first rains of winter are falling. The pomegranates split open very quickly when wet. For tips on growing: See Pomegranates Read More »
In 2016, our Black Mission fig tree is having a bumper fall crop. Here is the first partial harvest. I am not sure the reason why. About ten years ago I planting a young tree in a tall ceramic pot (about 20 gallons). I have been watering the fig tree more regularly (using drip irrigation). It has also received more ... Read More »
This bush form of mulberry continuously produces sweet blackberry-like fruit throughout the season. A great choice for container gardening; minor pruning will keep the plant compact. Mature height is 6 to 8 feet if grown in the ground. I grow it in a 20 inch wide and deep ceramic pot. It is about 6-7 feet tall from the soil. The ... Read More »
Our Sunnyvale garden in 2016 has a lot of citrus: Grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, and the newest attraction: Australian Finger limes. Read More »
The Oro Blanco grapefruit are really large this year. Read More »
The harvest of pomegranates from our Sunnyvale garden in 2015 was about half of 2014. Most of it was due to reduced fruit from the drought. We also lost about 8 from animals with incisors (mostly at night). Read More »