Cherry Falls Cherry Tomato Happy On Cart In Courtyard

Cheers for Cherry Falls Cherry Tomato is a tongue twister for sure. I have been so happy with this cherry tomato plant, I wanted to share it with you once again. If you recall back in February, I wrote about growing tomatoes from seed, Thyme To Think Tomatoes, and I was concentrating on tomatoes ideal for containers.

Cherry Falls Cherry Tomato Starting To Ripen

I don’t normally think of tomato plants as being charming, but this one is. Beauty and function intertwined is a winning combination, one of the principles of “French Country Living” I like to live by.

The description from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds catalog is what caught my eye initially. It is a compact, cascading determinate tomato plant (sets all its fruit at one time) that will grow only 6” high, but can cascade nearly 3’ over the side. It produces an abundance of 1-1/2” sweet red cherry tomatoes. I have these cherry tomato plants potted and elevated in my cart, and it looks so nice. You could also plant this particular cherry tomato plant in a hanging basket. Remember to fertilize regularly and water frequently as pots and baskets can dry out quickly.

This is a great example of growing different tomatoes and other vegetables from the fabulous seed catalogs that are available besides John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds like Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, Botanical Interests, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Renee’s Garden Seeds, and Seed Savers Exchange. It is so much fun to explore and grow different varieties that you don’t normally see in retail garden centers and stores.

I am excited for the maturing and ripening of the other tomato plants I started from seed last February. For now, the Cherry Falls Cherry Tomato is the first to ripen. Cheers for the commencing of tomato season, and cheers for the Cherry Falls Cherry Tomato!

Please share what tomatoes you like to grow in your potager and pots.

Past Related Tomato Posts

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Entrance to an art gallery in Snug Harbor, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Recently, while on vacation visiting a dear friend on Bowen Island, British Columbia, (a stone’s throw from Vancouver), I happened upon this wonderful art gallery in the little town of Snug Harbor. The entrance, colors, and chalkboard quote drew my attention. This is what I love about traveling, the unknown to explore and experience, coincidences that are not really coincidences but subtle messages, the culture and people to immerse yourself with, and new things in general to try and acquaint yourself with. Traveling expands your horizon, and it expands your life.

Bowen Island, by the way, is a “Places to Know” kind of place, but that is another post for another time. The sheer beauty of the water on Howe Sound, snow capped peaks, and a chance to do nothing but stare into the water and Douglas fir landscape mesmerized is an idyllic setting to listen to your thoughts. If you are lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of a soaring bald eagle, a bobbing seal, a water’s edge heron, or a few curious orca swimming with the current. Truly a very special and beautiful place, and a place to know.

Outside the art gallery on a chalkboard was this touching quote by an unknown person which really resonated with me. A perfect message for me now, and to remember. Perhaps this quote might touch you too. I happily share this quote with all of you. I wholeheartedly encourage you to give something a try that you have been wanting to do, dreaming of doing, aligns with your bliss, and listen to your heart.

Listen to Your Heart Quote

Past Related Posts

Brunch With A View

Oceanside’s The Seabird Resort

The Floral Palette

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Golden Macaroons Dipped in Chocolate Setting

This is another great recipe I have gotten from my Mom. She saw it originally in the April 2001, Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It is not a French Macaron recipe. It is a Golden Macaroon recipe with an option to dip in semisweet chocolate after baking. Not quite a cookie, and not quite a candy, it is a delight for coconut lovers!

The secret to this recipe is using two kinds of coconut — a regular flaked, sweetened coconut and an unsweetened, finely shredded coconut, held together with a touch of honey that creates a golden color when baked. This recipe yields 3 to 4 dozen macaroon, depending on your drop batter size.

Golden Macaroons

Lovingly Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Prep/Chill: 35 minutes Bake: 17 minutes

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut (about 7 ounces)

2 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1) In a large bowl combine flaked and shredded coconut until evenly mixed. Flaked coconut should be broken into separate flakes and with very small clumps present.

2) In a medium mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, and salt. Add the egg whites, honey, and vanilla. Whisk rapidly until smooth. Pour sugar and egg white mixture over coconut mixture. Stir first with a wooden spoon, then use your hands and continue to blend until evenly mixed. Cover with plastic wrap; chill for 30 minutes.

3) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with baking parchment paper. Drop rounded tablespoons of macaroon batter onto the cookie sheet about 2” apart. (I actually use a small ice cream scoop for consistency.) You will probably need a second baking sheet, or fill your original a second time after baking your first macaroons.

4) Gently pinch mounds of macaroon together before baking. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool on a cooling rack.

5) If you are interested in using dipping chocolate for your macaroons: 1) in a small saucepan, heat 3/4 cup heavy cream to near boiling; remove from heat. Add 6 ounces of your favorite chopped semisweet chocolate (do not use chocolate chips). Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Cool completely, or to your desired consistency for dipping. Dip one side of your cooled macaroon into your chocolate mixture, and return it back to the parchment paper to further cool and set. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Macaroons Ready to Serve

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Hummingbird Cake and Hydrangeas, A Dreamy Combo

Birthdays and special occasions are usually celebrated with Hummingbird Cake here at Domaine de Manion. There is something special about the combination of sweet banana, pineapple, and cream cheese in this elegant cake recipe that lives on and on. A Certain Mrs. L. H. Wiggins submitted in 1978, the original Hummingbird Cake recipe to Southern Living, and the rest is history. It has become one of Southern Living’s most popular cake recipes of all time, more than forty years later. It really is a crowd pleaser, and lives up to the occasion it is served at.

I have written about and shared my Hummingbird Cake recipe in a post back in February 2021 (see below). Recently I saw a link from Southern Living on 8 Fresh Ways with Hummingbird Cake That Can’t Get Any Sweeter, and thought to myself, there is a real cult following going on. Think Hummingbird Bundt Cake, Hummingbird Pancakes, the Original Hummingbird Cake Recipe, Lightened Hummingbird Cake, Hummingbird Snack Cake with Brown Butter, and more.

My version of Hummingbird Cake recipe below is not too far off from the original, as best as I can see. It makes a very nice 8” three layer or 9” two layer, where in the original recipe, ingredient amounts are larger to make a 9” three layer cake. The original recipe also calls for not draining your crushed pineapple, and mine does. I suggest you drain your crushed pineapple, as the cake is still very, very moist. I also often forgo the nuts as top and side garnish.

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1-8oz. can crushed pineapple—juice packed, drained

½ cup canola oil

4 eggs slightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped bananas

1 cup chunky-style applesauce

2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Grease and lightly flour two 9” round cake pans. Place a circular parchment paper fitting each pan on top of greased and floured cake pans for ease of removing baked cakes. Set pans aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add drained pineapple, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Stir in bananas, applesauce, and walnuts. Divide batter between two prepared pans.

Bake in 350 degree F. oven about 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake layers on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, cool thoroughly on wire racks. Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting and frost cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, beat one 8oz. package cream cheese (softened), ½ cup butter (softened), and 1 tsp. vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add 5 cups of sifted powdered sugar, beating until smooth and spread consistency.

Ice cake in one direction, trying not to get cake crumbs in the icing. Ice top of first layer of cake, add second cake layer, finish icing cake top and sides.

Press 1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted into the sides of the cake. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pecans on top of the cake. (I usually just cover the top of cake with toasted pecans, and not the sides.) Enjoy!!

Great Down to the Last Piece

Past Related Posts:
Elegant Hummingbird Cake

Love Is A Four Letter Word And So Is Cake

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

John Manion, Beloved Husband, Winemaker Extradronaire, VP Liquid Assets

It starts with sunlight, a good grape varietal, blessed terroir, knowledge to bring it together, and a lot of help from our friends and family! Viola, a wine that is fine!

Our backyard vineyard idea was a landscape solution to begin with. Could we really grow a pretty vineyard to look over, that would have four season interest, be drought tolerant, and maybe yield a good grape for a nice wine. A grand experiment that luckily has worked out well, and ultimately created a nice lifestyle for us at Domaine de Manion.

We use to enter a lot of home wine competitions, and did well with medals and awards. Later, my husband, John, was even asked to judge some of these competitions. With judging duties and the pandemic, we stopped entering our wines.

This spring for fun, we entered two of our wines in the 2022 Orange County Fair Home Wine Competition. We were surprised when we received a Gold Medal for our Syrah 2020 and a Bronze Medal for our Syrah Rosé 2021. We knew our wines were drinking well. It reinforces we are managing the vineyard well, and doing right by the grapes. John is a great winemaker, and he has a nice style with his wines.

Hail to the winemaker! The wine is fine!

Related Past Posts:

Hail to the Winemaker

Surprise at the Orange County Fair

Anticipating One’s First Grape Harvest

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

An Avocado Stump Becomes a Statuary Pedestal

I love to repurpose things for other functions than they were originally intended. Usually it is vintage or antique pieces, but in this case a tree stump. I love trees, and try and nourish and manage them as best I can. Sometimes severe weather, a tree planted in the wrong place, or maybe just “the end of a life cycle” for a tree dictates that it must come down.

Such was the case with a few of our avocado trees on our property. Originally, I believe, our property was a working orchard with rows of avocado and macadamia trees. We still have our incredible macadamia trees, but the avocado trees were on their last legs when we bought our property. After a few years, I realized these avocado trees were never making a comeback.

Rather than cutting the tree at the soil level, I thought to use it as a base for a high boy table at first, and left a tall stump. This goes along with the intertwining “beauty and function” philosophy of French Country living. “It must be beautiful, and also functional.” The high boy table idea, didn’t work out for me, but ultimately it provided the perfect pedestal for my “life like” horse statuary. A tree stump is beautiful, timeless, and functional in many creative directions. I began to landscape around the horse and pedestal, planting three Italian cypress in 15 gallon pots in the ground to keep them somewhat small, and adding a climbing rose that now has support. It became a small vignette.

A Tree Stump Provides a Perfect Spot for a Resting French Lapin

With another nearby failing avocado tree, I was going to create a little garden chair with a stump, but ultimately decided it was a perfect spot to nestle and elevate a peaceful statuary French lapin. There again it provides beauty and function and a nice focal spot for this particular garden room. All timeless.

If you have a tree that has to come down, think first about what you could creatively make using its stump. It has had a history on your property, and it can continue repurposed in a different way and function. I have seen beautiful wood bars and/or furniture made from felled trees. I mentioned a few ideas, but the possibilities are endless.

My point here is not really about tree stumps, it is suggesting to you to keep an open mind about repurposing objects and things, and keep your creative mind flexed about possibilities all around you in your world. In other words, keep the concept “lemons into lemonade” flowing. You never know what wonderful unique piece or solution could evolve for you with your home and garden.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

New “A Frame” Fencing Over Raised Beds

I started this potager or vegetable garden on the north perimeter of our property from virtually a blank slate. I enclosed it with willow fencing, planted a privacy Podicarpus landscape wall, built raised bed kits, created pathways, irrigated, and further planted climbing roses and tree topiaries. It faces a sunny south exposure, and it worked. I was able to grow a lot of wonderful seasonal vegetables.

Eventually the word got out amongst the squirrels, there was good eatin’ at the Manion potager. This year we have live-trapped and relocated 21 squirrels to better digs. It didn’t help. I love wildlife, and closely observe the little ecosystem around us with great pleasure. See below for a related post.

My husband, John, made these “A” Frames over our raised vegetable beds. Actually, this idea came from my uncle, on his property in upper Wisconsin. These “A” frames are time consuming, but really are protective of your vegetables. Each side is a 4’ x 8’ frame (for a 4’ x 8’ raised vegetable bed) with matching triangle ends and support. The screen is 1/2” wire hardware mesh, which is stapled onto the framework. Two hinges at the top of each side allow you to lift up the side and work on your vegetable beds when you need to. Hook and eyes on each end are further security from any bandits trying to get in. It is a pretty simple design that is very effective.

I have experienced different pests, insects, and wildlife through cycles in my garden. One year I experienced a lot of tomato worms. One year I saw a lot of delicate dragonflys. One year rabbits were really a problem. Right now it is squirrels. So I know this too shall pass.

In the meantime, I am securing everything I can with chicken wire, and hardware mesh. Please share if you are having trouble with wildlife in your garden.

Related Post:

Eyes on You

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

May 2022 South Garden Facing North. Poppy, Where Did You Come From?

Quite a few years ago I was given some oriental poppy seeds. Some were red, and some were purple. All were beautiful and delicate when they bloomed. Poppy seeds are very tiny like carrot seeds, and benefit before sowing, to mix them with sand. From that one sowing of poppy seeds, the poppies come back each year. However, it is always in a different spot, different number of poppies, and different blooming. It is a mystery of where they will spring up. This year one sole red poppy has sprung up and bloomed beautifully in my South Garden.

I said to myself, these poppies sure have a mind of their own. Then I thought, there are some life lessons and musings in the way these beguiling poppies conduct themselves. Maybe you will sport a smile and agree.

It is okay to stand out in a crowd. We are all very special and unique in this world. No one is exactly like us. Remember to be your best of who you are, and not anyone else. You will never be a “wallflower.”

Follow your bliss, and everything else will fall into place. We make our own everlasting joy and happiness, and it comes from within us, not from external circumstances or material things. Bloom because you are happy.

Make each and every year different, in what you do, what you experience, and where you go. Keep your life vibrant in trying new things, meeting new people, reading, and traveling. Bloom in a different spot each year.

Persistence is everything. Even if you don’t have optimum circumstances, sheer persistence and perseverance is on your side, and you will bloom.

Be authentic to yourself and others. Don’t try and be something that you simply are not. An oriental poppy will never be a groundcover verbena.

Life is fleeting. Enjoy each and every day. Live in the “now” and “present” as much as you possibly can. You may not have a tomorrow, but you bloomed in magnificent beauty today.

You might look different from others, but we are all part of, and connected to this beautiful universe. Be careful not to judge by appearances. Everyone is beautiful in their own right, and everyone has a reason they are part of this beautiful universe. Be a beautiful poppy.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. A little bit of humor goes a long way in easing tension, lifting one’s spirits, and creating moments. A red oriental poppy couldn’t be any further from the design of the South Garden. Red oriental poppy makes you stop and chuckle.

Stand up for yourself and what you believe in. No one else is going to take up your mantle. Be passionate, and make a difference. You might see red, but I am a strong and determined red oriental poppy.

Don’t be hard on yourself. “You are enough.” You might not understand the circumstances that allowed you to grow and bloom, but the fact that you did is a gift.

Embrace change. Life is all about change. Don’t worry. Don’t fight change, rather “go with the flow of change.” Everything seems to work out just about the way it is intended to, in the end. If there is only one beautiful red oriental poppy this year, maybe there will be more next year.

April 2019, South Garden Facing West

May 2019, Main Pathway, Purple Oriental Poppies

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie