The Race is On

Why is the current Gulf spill not getting the TV coverage of other recent spills. Brad Plummer at the TNR takes a look with a spiffy graph.

The big news this morning is that the first tiny tomatoes have appeared in the garden and now the race is on to see which variety gets the prize for the first ripe tomato. Cherokee Purple has some tiny fruits and so does the Hybrid Margherita plum. My bet is on the plum but will just have to see if the old heirloom Cherokee has the stuff. I've added a couple of hybrids to my tomatoes this year but there are plenty of heirlooms(Italian Heirloom, Costolutto Genovese, Beam's Yellow, Amish Paste and the Cherokee Purple) as well. The three other hybrids are Celebrity, Applause and Razzleberry.

In other exciting garden news...there are plenty of lady bugs on patrol on the tomatoes and potatoes. Chard is ready to start harvesting and we have already had one nice batch of sugar peas with more just a day or two away. No sign of broccoli flowering but some of the cabbage is starting to head. The first flower buds are showing on yellow squash and zucchini.

In other news it appears the Brits have a new PM in the form of David Cameron the Conservative with Lib Dem Nick Clegg as deputy. When all the wing nuts read that the UK has a new conservative PM they are going to think it portends great things for them in the fall. Some of them might be smart enough to know that even the Conservative party in the UK is to the left of most mainstream U.S. Democrats but I doubt it.

Anyhow, it is Wednesday and old people's day at the grocery so I am off to do my minimal shopping. Madam is off with Mini Monk for a day wandering North Georgia so I am flying solo. With the garden starting to produce more than just lettuce, spinach and radishes the tab should be very low today. Bananas, juice, milk, yogurt, onions, and a few other odds and ends. Getting a bit low on 3 buck chuck so Trader Joe's is in the mix today as well and I am out of beer,, which is my reward for a day in the garden. And yes, the bill at TJ's will be more than Kroger since I buy wine by the case but even then the food and beverage bill for the week will be less than $100 which is my weekly goal. Cooking from scratch, baking your own bread, growing a garden and not using any prepared foods is the key to low grocery bills.