How Does Your Garden Grow? {June 26, 2012}

Sunday was the big day in the garden. (I won't write about the rest of the week because it mostly involves deer and sour sentiments and this is a HAPPY post). I pulled 46 heads of garlic out and they are in drying mode. These are HUGE heads of garlic and I am feeling quite proud. The last time we planted garlic, we lost about 12 heads to rot. This time we only lost 3. That is a major improvement! They are now sitting happily in our drying rack (which I adore--thanks mom).

After I pulled the garlic, I left the leaves along the side of the bed, for what it is worth. I know there are a lot of pests that do not like the fragrance of garlic, so we will see if this helps.

The peas are incredibly plentiful and the kids are regularly heading out to the garden for snacks of peas and strawberries. THIS is why I garden.

OK, enough about the garden for a moment. Almost 4 months ago, my blogging buddy, Kathy from My Dishwasher's Possessed, and I embarked on an incredible adventure and it is all going to come to fruition on July 16 as....

Logo by Loea Design

This is my third child. Bonbon Break is an online magazine for moms by moms. We have just launched our Facebook fan page and our Twitter page, so any support you can offer would be greatly appreciated. If you visit our site right now, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, which will send you a reminder directly to your email when we launch. 

It has been a thrilling and fun adventure with Kathy and an unimaginable source of personal growth. I am so appreciative that she is my partner and for the overwhelming support for all of our friends and family. *full heart*

THANK YOU in advance for your support and PLEASE let me know how YOUR garden is growing!

OH yes, before I go... the winners of the awesome reCap Mason Jar caps are:

Tracey

Laura

Libbey

and Rossel  please contact me with your mailing address so I may send your caps to you!

How Does Your Garden Grow? {June 19, 2012}

The deer are back...through the netting. I'm not kidding. They topped my carrots and chard and took some of my precious kale. Yes, that came out, precious kale. They have started moving in on my raspberry plants and I HAVE to get my sprinkler system out tomorrow if I hope to save anything. They ignored the "Deer Away" bells o' stinkiness. They bit one of my onions...and spit it out. Bah. Sprinkler. Tomorrow.

My beautiful and delicious Lacinato Kale. Best. Ever.

My potato plants have gone W I L D! I have piled them up twice and then they exploded. Now I think it is too late to attempt another level. Thoughts?

Summer Savory. Oh. So. Good. Grow some, you will love it.

Trapped, but safe. We are eating these red rubies of juicy goodness daily.

Peas are another daily treat. I head out in the morning with the kids and they head straight for the snap peas...until they see me at the strawberries.

I can't believe these have not been in my life every Spring. The scapes are incredible. Lil Miss picks very last one off her plate. Tonight we sauteed them with a little Soy Vay and a mix of greens. Heavenly.

How could I have ignored these curly-Q's that are such a treat? I was taking pictures of them. That's all. Thank goodness we finally started eating them. It does make me wonder, what else am I missing?

Seascape Strawberries. I will plant even more next year.

We went camping this past weekend and the Good Apple thought it would be fun to make s'mores tonight since we had leftovers. Chocolatey marshmallowy melty graham cracker treat was pushed aside for a red, ripe strawberry. Atta boy. Then he found that chocolate and strawberries are a delicious combination. Uh oh.

 

Before I leave, I have to mention my little giveaway for this awesome item:

Click here to find out more. reCap Mason Jar lids. Yes. They are oh so cool. Go on...click.

So...how is your garden doing? What are you eating these days? Have a marvelous Summer Solstice!

 

How Does Your Garden Grow? {June 12, 2012}

This was the first week we were really able to harvest from the garden. Our chard and kale are growing growing and I have been sautéing sautéing. One night I added pea tendrils, which were so delicate and yummy, and last night I added garlic scapes. Now those little babies are d e l I c I o u s. Do not let them grow! Grab 'em and eat 'em (you don't want your bulbs to waste energy on flower production anyways). Serve them on top of this and ooh la la.

Little fingers are finally grabbing peas and yesterday, a voice shouted from the yard, "Woo hoo! Guess who is the luckiest kid in the world!?! Me! I just got the first strawberry!!" He did and he even shared a little nibble with me. So sweet...the strawberry and my Lil Man. The kids have turned into asparagus addicts, almost to the point where it is embarrassing. I know better than to serve it when we have guests now because their little eyes will drill a hole into the person who grabs the last spear and there are no guarantees that Lil Miss won't just grab it right off your plate.

Yesterday, Lil Miss and I were in the garden and she started breaking off asparagus tips and chowing. Next she went for some peas. Suddenly, I turned around and she had a fistful of grass going to her mouth! I guess she just figured she could keep on picking around her. I have to keep my eye on that one. Trouble.

As I have been using my greens this year, I can't get over the tenderness of the chard and kale. It is similar to spinach. Between the chard, kale, pea tendrils and garlic scapes, tenderness is the word that constantly comes to mind as I harvest, clean, prepare, serve and eat. Tenderness.

My herbs are growing beautifully. I will be able to use my Summer Savory by week's end. I caught myself just running my fingers through it yesterday and smelling it's delicate aroma. Ahhhhh. My little kitchen jars are really producing and I have already been plucking some dill and cilantro...which is all well and good, but I really want that basil to grow!! When I can use fresh basil for my Pesto Pecan Potato Salad, it will get kicked up a notch.

A friend had a plant sale this week and I just had to stop by. Three new artichoke plants and 3 new brussel sprout plants. To be honest, I was completely giddy. Seriously excited. Woo hoo! Weekend after next, they will get their own special place in the garden. No, I cannot stop planting and expanding.

Well more rain and then sun scheduled for this week! Here we go!

 

How is your garden doing?

 

(Photos to come)

 

One of the many signs that summer is here...the potato salad arrives. Yesterday, we attended a 4 cake birthday party for some of our dearest friends who share a Birthweek and I knew it was time, according to the date (not the weather) to break out the potato salad. I came up with this recipe a couple of summers ago when I was pregnant with Lil Miss and I just couldn't get enough pesto into every meal. The combination of the pesto, green onions and pecans is a mouthful of nutty garlicky goodness. The dressing is very forgiving, so taste as you go. Add more pecans if you like more crunch. Add a little more garlic if you are a fan. Add more dressing if you like your salads saucy. Enjoy!

 

 

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Pesto Pecan Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs organic red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 cup pesto
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 3/4 cup coursely chopped pecans
• 4 finely chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to boil and add potatoes. Gently boil for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender when tested with a fork. Pour into a strainer and douse with cool water to stop the cooking process.
2. In a medium bowl, combine pesto, garlic and mayo. Add pecans and green onions and mix thoroughly.
3. In your large serving bowl, pour a small amount of the dressing into the bottom. Add cooled potatoes. Pour the rest of the dressing on top and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until the salad is uniformly dressed. Chill for 1-2 hours for the flavors to meld. If you wait overnight...amazing things will happen to these flavors.

Enjoy!

 

Signs of life

Last fall, I planted 50 cloves of garlic. Today, they are the green in my garden. The perimeter of my beds will have either garlic or onions. Stinky plants keep a lot of critters away. Today, I am feeling optimistic about the possibilities.

...and the Beat Goes On

I have grand plans for this week and I am writing about them in hopes that they will actually happen.

Today I covered both beds with bird netting. Why you ask? There are only carrots and remnants of patty pan and cherry tomatoes. Ah, but the raccoons are back. (No exclamation points. No CAPS. I am speaking about this in a calm voice. Really. You don't believe me? You are asking if I am medicated? No, just taking deep breaths.)

Let's just say my precious garlic bulbs will be here soon and I am hoping to hear the sounds of a seriously pissed off raccoon tonight. They WILL NOT mess with my garlic. (Yikes, THERE are the CAPS. I digress.)

And so this week I hope to throw down a couple of inches of compost and some mulch...under the netting, of course and I would like to set up our modified coldframe. Dreaming...hoping, that I can find a weather window.

Keep on me to make it happen and I will promise to post when I hear the raccoons finding the netting. *smiling*

Side note: My intention is not to hurt them...just deter.

Need / Want / Like / Love 062311

I was searching through those items you just HAVE to have and I ran across this at Gardener's Supply Company.

Orchard Rack

It is a perfect little produce rack (orchard rack). I can just envision our summer and fall bounty of potatoes, onions and garlic resting here and looking beautiful to boot. They have a much larger version, but I would need to add a room on the house if I went any larger. So there it is.

What items do you dream of having for your garden?

Spinach baby!

The following scenario is all too common these days.

The panic button is hit. What will I make for dinner tonight? Somehow (HA!) the day has escaped me and it is 4:30 and I am just thinking about our dinner. Easy comes to mind first. Pasta? Chicken? What is in the fridge? Do I dare dig into the freezer? Ugh. Microwave defrost. Hate it. Ok, fresh. Look out the window and there is the answer. Spinach. Lots of spinach, but not quite as much as I should have planted.

Last year this crop was VERY plentiful, however, due to my morning/afternoon/evening sickness, I couldn't enjoy it. My three little rows seem like an emerald gift under the cloche. I wish I planted more. It would lead to more quick meals.

This particular night we BBQed some chicken and I plucked several handfuls of spinach from the garden.

A quick rinse and it could be a delicious salad. Today we continue on to the stove top.

A spritz of olive oil and 3 crushed cloves of garlic are thrown into the fry pan. After the garlic started to sizzle, I added all of the spinach in and sautéd it. Done!

The end product shows why I need to plant more. It takes a lot for a side dish.

So when in doubt about what you are going to make for dinner, think fresh first and build the rest of your menu from there. Most of all remember that you can NEVER go wrong with olive oil and garlic.

Let the sun shine

We have had an incredibly un-sunny June...and May if we are really going to get into it! My poor tomatoes are trying their hardest to unfurl their leaves and not give into the wind and cold. We have had some serious insect battles that I have not won, but it appears we came to a draw for now. My cucumber plants withered away from mold and I had to yank them all out last week and put in some new starts. Finally, I chose to yank all of my onions and garlic since I pulled a tester and they were rotting since we had so much rain. Waaaa Waaaa Waaaa.

Now for the good news.

Yesterday was sunny and today is sunny and by george, we have sun and high temperatures (low 80s) forecast through next weekend.  Ok, garden. Start your engine because it is time to RUMBLE!  I am so full of confidence that our true growing season is about to begin that yesterday I planted new cucumber starts along with cantaloupe, nasturtiums, more marigolds, 3 varieties of lettuce, and carrots.  I am feeling renewal!!!  While I am being a bit of a "Debbie Downer" a lot of wonderful growth has been happening. Take a look.

My pumpkins are flourishing this year.  Their precious little curly-q tendrils are starting to reach out and there have flowers. Flowers with BEES in them! Ahhhhh.

This is the crowded jungle where my zucchini, yellow squash and orangetti are growing. We were battling aphids and squash bugs. But from the looks of things, I think we are in control for now.

Pea madness. Every day for the last week I have been perching with my son on the edge of the garden bed and eating peas for at least an hour. He will only eat peas outside. Who can complain? One day we sat with a friend and shelled, chatted and tasted for two hours. Love it.

These tasty treats have been our ticket into the garden every morning. My little man goes to our picture window and looks for some red, ripe strawberries to snack on as a morning treat. He has been amazingly patient during the waiting process. Sometimes he will go 2-3 days without strawberries, waiting for them to ripen.

My acorn squash experiment appears to be going well. Fingers crossed.

 

Pretty soon we will not need to buy a single zucchini from the Farmer's Market.

Pumpkin flower

Yellow squash soon to be eaten!

Rainbow chard is hiding out. We almost forgot about it!

Greeness

These are the tasty peas we have been snacking on. I think they are beautiful.

Yes, I am suffering from pea fascination. I love the symmetry.

Our garlic that was spared. Not first rate or market worthy, but, it will taste good when we use it!

Marigolds are doing their job in the garden: beauty and bug detractors and bee attractors.

Testing to see if our carrots are ready. They are getting there and ooh la la the taste is amazing!

The following pictures are from our front porch. It was being terribly neglected since all of my time is spent with the veggies. This week I decided to spruce things up, so the little man and I took a trip to the local nursery. Thank goodness for my little helper.

Delightful dahlias. 

Garden madness in full swing.

Final thought. I know it is referred to as a "green thumb", however, I think of mine as brown since I don't think I will ever see the day when I don't have some amount of dirt under my nails. 

Dirty nails. Shelling peas. Sneaking strawberries. Vegetables on the verge. Fresh lettuce every day. 

Let the sun shine.

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