'Tis the season for...fried green tomatoes!

A few summer memories

Peony

Rosa 'Tropicana'

Forgot the name of this one

Hibiscus moscheutos

Part of the garlic harvest

Dahlia 'Chat noir'

Stargazer Lily

Amaryllis

Lilium 'Cancun'

A dew-covered plumbago

Dahlia 'Tommy Keith'

A garden friend

Some garden arthropods

Lately we've been finding some interesting creatures of the vertebra-less variety in various parts of the garden:

Some type of flat millipede I found walking across the lawn

A rare black purse-weaver (Sphodros niger)

I've had difficulty identifying this very large beetle. My best guesses are that it's some sort of long horn or blister beetle. If you know what it is, let me know!

Spruce Pesto: The Results

Finally a follow-up on my plans for the spruce tips: I chucked them in a food processor with some olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, pepper, and garlic.

And the result:

It's actually quite good, and quite local. Need some pesto in a pinch? There are plenty of Norway spruces in Syracuse. Just remember to collect when the new growth is bright green and tender.

Spruce Tips

It's the time of year to collect young, tender spruce tips. Actually, this is the first time I've tried this. You can eat them fresh (they have a somewhat strong lemony, piney taste) or make jelly out of them. Some people also brew spruce-flavored beer. I think I may try to make an experimental pesto sauce out of them.

By the way, the photo above is showing Norway spruce tips I collected from a tree in my backyard. My understanding is that just about any spruce tip is edible, and that white spruce may be the tastiest, but research anything collected outdoors first before eating it.