Mornings have been delightfully cool, with temperatures in the low 60s F and even the high 50s yesterday (high teens C). Waking early, there are clear skies most days, but sometimes the humidity will cause fog in the valleys between the ridges of trees. Although the sky is light, the sun has not come over the mountains to the east yet.
It’s a good time to take a photo of the latest dahlia bloom, bright red with intense yellow stamens.
The begonias continue to bloom prolifically as well, masses of white flowers that the bees are loving.
It is lovely to sit in the rockers early with a hot cup of coffee, and enjoy the avian choir’s performance for the morning.
The begonias in the table pots are doing remarkably well. I just sit still when the bees are around. Mostly they are small honey bees, and they do not bother me. They are only interested in the abundance of pollen.
On the feeder, a titmouse pecks at a seed between his toes while a female cardinal eyes the bounty. Below, a goldfinch waits his turn.
Cascading purple petunias continue to attract the hummingbirds. They come and go so fast it is hard to get the camera turned on in time.
In the garden, my two larger squash are progressing slowly. The lower one inside the cage may be starting to change color. I hope it makes it this year.
One day’s tomato harvest last week was pretty good.
I decided to use these to experiment with a recipe for the fair contest coming up. I cleaned and sliced the larger tomatoes, halved the little ones, and put them on a baking sheet with onion and a few garlic cloves.
Baked for an hour at 350º, they didn’t seem to be done enough. So I put them back in the oven for another 30 minutes, and it now seems I overshot the mark.
The un-burnt onions were scraped into the bowl of my little food processor along with the tomatoes and garlic to puree. Sorry, the picture is a bit blurry.
The resulting tomato jam has potential. It was delicious over whipped cream cheese on a cracker for an appetizer. But the balance wasn’t right. The tomato flavor was deep and intense, but it had too much garlic and not enough onion. I need to experiment a bit more on this one with the next batch of tomatoes.
I delivered the custom quilted Quilt of Valor to my friend on Thursday. I gave it to her in the parking lot before the guild meeting, and she didn’t have a lot of time to look at it. I hope she is pleased with what I did, and I’ll have more on this for you this coming week.
Several readers asked to see the outfit I made the Purse in a Day for, so here it is. The white dress is long, and the little sweater is a pretty turquoise color, but it is a heavier knit and needs a cool day to wear.
Then I was surfing ebay for research, and on whim put in the Christmas dishes that I’ve been collecting. I still need a footed mug to complete the last place setting. No mugs, but I did run across a square serving plate. No, I don’t need it, but I put it on my watch list to think about later. The next day I got an offer from the seller for 30% off, so I bought it. It arrived yesterday. Don’t tell My Sweet Babboo.
Yesterday, I loaded another Quilt of Valor on the frame and will put a pantograph on it. We have a drive coming up next weekend that will include part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah Forest. The Apple Festival is coming in two weeks, and I am thinking of entering that cooking contest, too.
From My Carolina Home 
Beautiful dahlia, Carole! Your purse with the dress and shrug make a lovely ensemble. Happy Sunday!
Thanks for sharing your outfit. I think the purse compliments it beautifully. I have a similar white dress that I have only worn in summer. Maybe I need to find something similar to your teal sweater to extend its use.
I love the color of your small tomatoes. Our tomatoes are finally getting ripe. It felt like they took much longer this year. Enjoy experimenting!
Mmmmm, tomato toast for breakfast would be fantastic.
your tomato experiment recipe sounds good! I have a bowl full and I need to use some up today for something, it will take a couple more days for the rest to ripen. I picked all that were ripe or half way yesterday as with the temperatures reaching 100 for the next 7 days I know I will not be in the garden.
We all need more serving plates, especially at the holidays! I love the pattern and I’ll keep an eye out for mugs. You had the perfect light for your flower photography. It looks peaceful and lovely!
Your garden is wonderful. I’ve finally managed to kill the last of the mother’s day plants. Sigh…..guess they wanted more water or less heat. I absolutely love your custom quilting on the QOV. Those big feathers are wonderful. I’d try roasting the tomatoes with thicker chunks of onion. It is always those thin bits that want to burn. I bet that is tasty on a cracker!
Happy Sunday Carole! Your tomato jam is a great idea for the contest, I know you’ll get the recipe perfected~ Enjoy those cool temps!
I really enjoy your Sunday Chats! Tomato appetizer sounds good!
Such a beautiful view there! I enjoy the early morning birdsong here, too. Your tomato jam sounds yummy – good luck on getting just the flavor you want!
The first time I read your blog I said “I want to live there!” Such lovely flowers and the scenery can’t be beat! And I might just need to make the tomatos too! Thanks for sharing all this with us!
The tomato onion garlic roasted jam was interesting. I think you should roast a clove of garlic ( cut off top exposing Cloves of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil) about 29 minutes in oven when roasting tomatoes alone first. Then add onions to pan and remove roasted garlic clove . Roast onions and tomatoes until golden and soft, them add some of the roasted garlic to mixture when pureed. I always add some good spices like oregano and good freshly grated parm cheese. I find cherry tomatoes roasted take the same time as roasting onions. Just a suggestion.
I enjoy the bird song in the morning and evening in August. My 3 hummingbirds will be leaving soon but were very entertaining.
Love following your posts and entries to the local fair.
My husband is receiving a quilt of valor this month. They are coming to our home. I do enjoy your blog. I’m kind of a quiet person in space.
Looks like you’re getting a lot of ideas on your tomato jam…I haven’t made it but will give it a try. I often just turn the oven off if something isn’t quite done and let the heat slowly finish baking as the oven cools. Your flowers are lovely and nice to see your air is clear. Our sunrise was brilliant red from the wildfire smoke in the atmosphere…sad to see so much loss.
Come by my booth during the Applefestival I will be there everyday. I’m the Commander of my Korean War Veterans Association Chapter. We will have fundraising tickets for an 8 piece fly fishing rod as well as donations going towards our updated memorial. One year, I raffled off a quilt I made. We are also going to be in the parade with 4 jeeps on 8/4!
Your blog is always such a delight to read. I’m enjoying your flowers vicariously this summer as my husband has suffered with back issues for the last 9 months. He just had surgery Friday and came home today. So I donned my nurses’ cap and am on duty for awhile! We weren’t able to get our flowers in this years, but yours are delightful. Can’t wait for the photos of the Apple Festival and the Fair. Thanks for the lift today!
had a similar result with a fresh tomato sauce i tried…bit heavy on the red chili flakes, but second batch with less was delish…summer tomatoes soo yummy!
Sounds like it would be lovely sitting in the rockers…….
The purse looks great for that outfit. You are always busy. Thanks for the flower pics, I don’t have a lot this year. Have fun on your drive.