December tomatoes!  These are on our Tower Garden indoors while the temperature outdoors will barely break 0F.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Winter! Full winter came at once ---- snow and the cold. We live in Minnesota so we enjoy the change of season.

However, now there is a certain nostalgia for the autumn colors:

Virtual Franchise.  Now, at my web site, to learn about the Virtual Franchise it's just another tab at the top of the Juice Plus+ website:

http://www.MelvinsJuicePlus.com

November 21. This year we are in that bare spot between fall color and white.  There are, however, a few places to point your camera to find beauty even now.

Indoor gardening. October 24 and outside here in Minnesota gardening will wait for spring, which last year didn't come until May!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Sage. Even though the outdoor Tower Garden season is over here in Minnesota and we have harvested sage, used it in our cooking, and put it into our freezer we still have a bouquet left! This is something you do not need to replant. It will be there all season.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Indoor gardening started.  Actually restarted, as we live in a climate where the outdoors does not support outdoor gardening six months out of the year. So the tower is wheeled inside and some crops replaced.

 http://melvins.towergarden.com

Red Peppers.  It's almost that time of the year in Minnesota when Winter closes down all outside gardening. I do, however, have one more picture to show you of my outside Tower Gardens for 2013.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Russian Kale.  It grows very well on the Tower Garden, not only during summer months but indoors after the relentless Minnesota winter comes upon us.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Sage! We are finishing with September here in Minnesota and so far no frost at all.  This is the first time ever for this 70+ year old gardener to grow sage. It is going into the freezer to flavor our turkey during the winter months.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

September! The weather is milder now. Labor Day turns out to be one of the best days for the Minnesota State Fair weather-wise.  Which, of course makes it one of the worst crowd-wise. Anyway, they won't get my money today.

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 medium tomato, diced

1 Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz nitrate-free turkey bacon, cut into narrow strips

2 oz goat cheese

fresh basil

fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Cut zucchini lengthwise and hollow out the center. Chop pieces removed and set aside.

3. Place zucchini in baking pan. Add 1 cup of water and cover with foil. Roast in oven 45 minutes or until zucchini is tender to fork.

4. Meanwhile, place oil in frying pan on high heat and toast garlic until just starting to turn brown. 

5. Turn down heat one notch and fry onions. 

6. When onions just start to turn, add in bacon. Fry a couple minutes longer. 

7, Add eggplant, tomato, spices, herbs and fry until eggplant shows softening. 

8. Take pan off heat and stir in goat cheese. 

9. When zucchini boats are ready, bail the water and stuff them. 

10. Bake 10 - 15 minutes longer uncovered. 

11. Enjoy. 

The bees are doing their part and we will have cucumbers!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

August 10: A day we were waiting for in Minnesota.

Notice no late blight in tower gardening.
http://melvins.towergarden.com

Our ambitious cucumber plant wants to put a wreath around our doorway!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

July is coming to its end and the Tower Gardens are really looking full.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Eggplant!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Cucumbers reach for the sky!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Tomatoes! No ripe ones yet. My tomatoes on the Tower Garden do not suffer late blight as my tomato plants in soil always did. Today I noticed that my neighbor's tomato plants already have blight today, July 18.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Blossoms on my cucumbers:

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Tomatoes are coming on our Tower Gardens!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Found object. 

Zucchini! This is early. We have already harvested one little one into our salad.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Tower Garden! How does your garden grow?

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Flowers of June!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Back from Europe. My Tower Gardens are unbelievable!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

The long sunset of middle Finland in the summer:

Tulips!

Found object.

Finally some spring flowers!  Last year our dandelions were in full bloom by the first week of May.

May! Finally a picture that looks like spring will be coming this year after all. Tonight snow is predicted again.

Tower Gardens ready to go!  It's been a long winter and a big snow storm less than a week ago but today the other two towers are in service.

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Found object.

How does your garden grow?  April 22 and we still have snow on the ground outside!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Signs of spring.

It's this kind of an April!

Found object.

Found object.

Mallards are back! 

April 1. The snow is not gone yet in Minnesota, but going fast. We are getting ready for even gardening outdoors!

http://melvins.towergarden.com

Found object.

Found object.

Snow for the Ides of March!

March birdbath! 

More March flowers. Even though the Groundhog did not see his shadow and it's been six weeks ago, our spring has not come and the flowers, though beautiful in their inimicable way, look like this:

March skyscape.

Flowers of March!

outdoors!

indoors!