Finish the Sentence Contest October

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Gardening Tip:

Ripen Persimmons Fast!

If you have the persimmon variety Hachiya, which are identifiable by their acorn-like shape, you know they can take forever to ripen and become edible.

Speed up the process by putting them in the freezer for 24 hours and then allow to thaw in the refrigerator.

The freezing helps remove the bitter tannins, and you will have sweet persimmons that have ripened at the same time.

You can now cook with them or eat with a spoon!

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Contest & Prizes | Finish The Sentence Contest

Congratulations to our winners for Summer Quarter 2009!
They each have won a personalized Sweet Orange Stress Ball

Ruth - Jean Hanshu - Timothy Haworth

Summer quarter's sentence was: "My favorite thing to eat fresh out of the garden is...."

Ruth's Ending: "A vine-ripe tomato. Take it in, slice it up, and slap it on a homemade biscuit. You won't find anything better. Or if you want to get that last bit of hoeing done before going in to supper, just grab a ripe tomato, wipe it off on your shirttail, and enjoy. It'll tide you over."

Jean's Ending: "A handful of pineapple tomatillos. They are just bigger than a pea and come wrapped up in their little lanterns so they are always clean. And try as I might, I have never made it to the house with any! They get munched on while I'm picking all the other wonderful gifts my garden gives. Next year I will plant a dozen plants so, maybe, I can share some!!"

Timothy's Ending: "The hot, crunchy peppers that make your mouth feel like it is on fire followed by the sweet, delicious and watery watermelon and cantaloupe to quench the heat - but hey, don't forget the bountiful tomatoes that pop with flavor and put a smile on your face."

You can win too, just enter below!

How it works is simple:

Finish this quarter's sentence in the form below
Be humorous and whimsical if you like, but succinct
Winners are posted here and chosen every 3 months
(First of January, April, July, October)
Current submissions are posted below the form on this page

CURRENT SUBMISSIONS:

"I tilled and pulled all the weeds from the overgrown garden patch and found a currant bush, horseradish, a rhubarb patch, raspberries, oregano and chives. How lucky can you be?"
Lynne Smith
"That the peach blossom beans had sprouted these wonderful pink and red blossoms, while a hummingbird tasted its sweet nectar."
Barb Soski
"I saw nature at its best unfolding in my own garden. I have a few bird houses and a couple of koi ponds in my yard. Sunday, after church I saw a flock of birds calling a baby bird out of the bird house. The baby seemed hesistant, but then, one bird actually dragged it out of the house and another blocked the door so the baby finally was able to explore the great outdoor. The fishes in the koi pond were also frolicking around happily when they saw me. That was beautiful."
Bebi Ferrier
"I had to replant some of my Mom's plants. It was a thrill digging out Mom's plants an putting them in a new place. Mom kept on complaining that the plants would die and I reassured her that the plants would be okay. To make a long story short, everything is fine and my Mom loves how the plants are growing."
Efrain Olivo, Jr.
"I found over a dozen butterflies in the butterfly garden I planted for the first time."
Maggie Vining
"I harvested all items for a salad ... right from our own garden. It was fresh and delicious!"
Davis Drake
"I caught the biggest groundhog that had been eating my garden vegtables for the last year. I trapped him in a Havaheart trap with brocolli leaves in it. He had been eating in the garden for 2 years!!! I let him go down the road about 2 miles away. Now for the crows and rabbits!!!!"
Kathy Pusey
"A hummingbird was feeding on a papaya blossom right in front of me! The up-close observation was a real thrill!"
Joanne Drake
"I picked the first ripe tomato of the season for my salad!"
Sharon Landers
"I did my first harvest! More tomatoes than I could carry, beautiful broccoli, stunning bell peppers and banana peppers, crisp cukes, cantaloupes that put the store ones to shame! And to see all the beautiful butterflies everywhere!!"
Ronita Pitts
"I had my 3 great grand daughters for the weekend and we planted each one of them their own garden plots. The look of pride and accomplishment on their little faces was was worth more than I could ever express."
Connie
"That my four year old son asked to help plant sunflower seeds so he could be big like his brother."
Amy Hill
"A slight warm breeze blew in the perfumes of the ripening plums with a violet hue in the sky. Birds were peacefully singing. Warmth and peace soothed the soul. It was a magicl relaxed day."
Donna O'Dell
"I was walking in the early morning sun peeping through the mild mist providing the lovely warmth for my little plants that had dew drops sticking of the edges of the leaves..."
Gayathri
"I returned from a 3 week vacation and found the weeds were so tall you couldn't tell what had been planted on purpose. My paid garden caretaker hadn't been there at all but after an hour I found tomatoes, cukes,peppers and kolorabi waiting for my table. I thought that there would be nothing left but God does provide and so did my garden."
Mary Morgan
"I tricked my husband into digging a new flower bed by telling him to make a dirt road for the kids to play trucks on."
Rita Pupo
"Tthat I picked my first cherry tomato in TN and looked up to our sunny sky and said thank you God, this is good. As I placed that first succulent prize in my mouth it exploded with the sweetest taste I have ever had. I stood there and savored every last morsel. The smell of the vines on my hands is heavenly."
Theresa Chism
"A female hummingbird worked her way around my cigar plant(cuphea) as I stood motionless and less than two feet (.7 m) away. Migration was in full swing and this passer-by was more interested in the nectar this plant provides than she was concerned about my proximity. I cherish these surprise moments."
Diana Potter
"I finally got to help my dad plant the sweet corn in our large garden. I was a young child when my dad gave me the job of counting the corn seed and covering each hole. The soil was freshly tilled and I didn't want to make extra footprints, so I took giant steps placing my feet in the same footprints my dad had made as we worked up and down the many rows."
Elaine Manges
"The day my 93 year old dad taught me how to plant bulbs the right side up! He was proud that I wanted to learn and said he'd passed to me a double portion of his 'green thumb.' He doesn' get out much now, but our plants remind me of that beautiful spring day!"
Gail G. Faust
"My granddaughter was helping me with my weeding and she asked me how old she had to be to be a real gardener. I told her you are never too young or too old to be a gardener. She was 3 and is now 11 and is one of the best weeders around."
Sheri Meadows
"Was the day that my Hardy Hibiscus surprised me with the most flowers ever. Those huge, white flowers with the pink inside was a delight to me and the bees. I stood there in awe."
Elinor Carlson
"I found my little mini Schnauzer eating cherry tomatoes off the plant! There she was just pulling them off with her mouth and chomping them down. Of course, I have to make her stop after a while because she won't leave me any."
J J Timmons
"Our three girls, our son, and I were hoeing when a summer shower came up and we raced to finish before the shower caught us laughing and running to shelter. They are grown up and have their own families now, but the memories are still with me."
Patty Shirley
"I'd finished building a dry stone bed. I filled the space with soil and flowers and moved a table and bench under a tree near-by. The water system was on to settle everything in, which included the table and bench. To sit in the hot shade with a cup of tea getting a gentle watering.. bliss!"
Jacqueline
"When the first days of spring when the garden was freshly plowed and tilled and I could walk in the fresh dirt barefooted and just smell the scent of the dirt and plants and dream of what I could accomplish for the season."
Tom Nelson
"...my two boys, Michael and Matthew, sat with me eating the fruits of our labor."
Rae Grenier
"That I picked my beach plums and made the most delicious preserves you ever tasted. I also made soda bread to eat with the preserves. Indescribably delicious."
Susan
"My 3 sons came to help me in the garden on Mother's day."
Alice Boltz
"My 2 1/2 yr. old daughter came prancing by with her child sized 'Pink' gardening gloves and asked, "I help you Mama, I help you picks some tomatoes." Our only child and the love of our life, we will cherish each moment with her and continue to introduce her to the joy of gardening. (Although about 10 minutes later she announced, "We have to get outta here Mama, I sees a snake!"
Patty Martin
"That I finished planting my second-ever garden. My first year garden was a complete and utter disaster. The second year was much improved soil thanks to my sons' contributions of compost and a much more careful selection of plants. So 100 plants later, we had a beautiful harvest."
Nancy Kasicki
"The day I spent with my grandmother, sisters, and my great uncle in his fruit orchard trying to figure out how to use his fruit picking ladder and laughing till it hurt."
Harry Alvin
"Well how can I put it, everyday is special in the garden, everyday there is a change, for better or worse, but there's always change that can only improve and make us smile everyday of the year, even through the dullest of months in winter, the garden can make us chear, when the buds open, the flowers bloom, the berries come and fight the winter snap, the birds that come to feed, the butterflies and the bees coming for pollen, nothing beats the garden, it's real it's not a dream."
Lisa Yates
"I harvested and then won the best prize for my carefully loved and tended watermelon!"
Alice Clark
"My son noticed and then started feeding a neaby gopher. He sat so patiently while he held some grass down the hole and then the gopher would nibble on the grass. My son's was thrilled to be so close to something wild. It was a truly magical day for both of us."
Tim McCleary
"Was the day I went over to my best friend Gale's house and showed her how to separate her cymbidium orchids. She loved to garden and was always trying new plants. She died a few months later but it was a wonderful afternoon we spent together while she was healthy, happy, smiling, and laughing - a wonderful day."
Tammy Lynn Wallace

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