The Garden
One thing I am very proud of this summer is our garden. Matt put in a drip line this spring. It's amazing. When you water regularly things are quite likely to grow well. :)
We got raspberries and peas in the spring. And we planted two little peach trees this spring.
And so far this summer we've eaten our beets, yellow onions, green beans, cucumbers, tomatillos, tomatoes, zucchini, orange cherry tomatoes, and first yellow squash. The green onions didn't sprout and the peppers and broccoli didn't do so hot.
The cucumbers are out of control. I love having a crop that is so abundant I don't know what to do with all of them! Matt helped me make one batch of refrigerator dill pickles and they are good. I think I need to try canning pickles. We've picked at least 75 cucumbers and it isn't slowing down... There's probably another 15-20 I should go pick right now. :)
We also did a few herbs this summer. Sage and basil are still growing well. We got a few handfuls of cilantro before it dried up. And the garlic chives I tried for the first time this last sunday on potatoes--nice flavor and quite mild.
We planted a fall crop of carrots, peas, and beets. I want to put in some lettuce but haven't dropped the seeds in the dirt yet. Maybe I'll try another round of broccoli? I need to do that...
I started a bunch of seeds inside early this year, in February/March. I loved showing the girls and having the help me. And they LOVE to harvest everything with me. They are so cute with their bowls out there bringing me beans or tomatoes or tomatillos and things.
Madeleine and Lucy love to bring me bouquets of flowers from the yard and I have to say they are really good at it. This one is a mostly flowers Lucy choose at a neighbor's house, mixed with a couple of leftovers from a store bouquet. Did you know banana leaves, elephant ears, and some varieties of hibiscus and gladiolas can grow here? This neighbor's yard is like Florida! And, consequently, this is one of my favorite bouquets this summer. :) The third one is Maddie's for Mothers' day.
Gardening has been so much fun this year. It's really been a whole family effort and it's so satisfying to see it actually come to fruition this year!
We have pumpkins growing too. I didn't plant the seeds until the week of July 4th and so I was worried it was too late. But we have several pumpkins on the vine and probably 15-20 buds. I had about a 5x5 foot spot at the end of the garden area for the pumpkins and I planted 3 seeds. Matt said I was crazy and they needed more space. Boy, was he right! They are growing off the wall onto the sidewalk, into the front yard and in with the cucumbers. I'm excited for us to have a bunch of pumpkins to decorate with in October though!
Also, we've been making good things with fruit stand produce. Oh man I love the fruit stand almost as much as I love our own garden this year. Matt and I made an awesome peach pie a few weeks ago to share with Mark and Melory. I also did a cherry pie which turned out beautifully. And peach sorbet. Maddie made a watermelon stand which was a huge success, mainly because there are so many nice parents and grandparents who drive up and down our street and dish out the dollar bills without making her give them more than a slice or two.
We got raspberries and peas in the spring. And we planted two little peach trees this spring.
And so far this summer we've eaten our beets, yellow onions, green beans, cucumbers, tomatillos, tomatoes, zucchini, orange cherry tomatoes, and first yellow squash. The green onions didn't sprout and the peppers and broccoli didn't do so hot.
The cucumbers are out of control. I love having a crop that is so abundant I don't know what to do with all of them! Matt helped me make one batch of refrigerator dill pickles and they are good. I think I need to try canning pickles. We've picked at least 75 cucumbers and it isn't slowing down... There's probably another 15-20 I should go pick right now. :)
We also did a few herbs this summer. Sage and basil are still growing well. We got a few handfuls of cilantro before it dried up. And the garlic chives I tried for the first time this last sunday on potatoes--nice flavor and quite mild.
We planted a fall crop of carrots, peas, and beets. I want to put in some lettuce but haven't dropped the seeds in the dirt yet. Maybe I'll try another round of broccoli? I need to do that...
I started a bunch of seeds inside early this year, in February/March. I loved showing the girls and having the help me. And they LOVE to harvest everything with me. They are so cute with their bowls out there bringing me beans or tomatoes or tomatillos and things.
Madeleine and Lucy love to bring me bouquets of flowers from the yard and I have to say they are really good at it. This one is a mostly flowers Lucy choose at a neighbor's house, mixed with a couple of leftovers from a store bouquet. Did you know banana leaves, elephant ears, and some varieties of hibiscus and gladiolas can grow here? This neighbor's yard is like Florida! And, consequently, this is one of my favorite bouquets this summer. :) The third one is Maddie's for Mothers' day.
Gardening has been so much fun this year. It's really been a whole family effort and it's so satisfying to see it actually come to fruition this year!
We have pumpkins growing too. I didn't plant the seeds until the week of July 4th and so I was worried it was too late. But we have several pumpkins on the vine and probably 15-20 buds. I had about a 5x5 foot spot at the end of the garden area for the pumpkins and I planted 3 seeds. Matt said I was crazy and they needed more space. Boy, was he right! They are growing off the wall onto the sidewalk, into the front yard and in with the cucumbers. I'm excited for us to have a bunch of pumpkins to decorate with in October though!
Also, we've been making good things with fruit stand produce. Oh man I love the fruit stand almost as much as I love our own garden this year. Matt and I made an awesome peach pie a few weeks ago to share with Mark and Melory. I also did a cherry pie which turned out beautifully. And peach sorbet. Maddie made a watermelon stand which was a huge success, mainly because there are so many nice parents and grandparents who drive up and down our street and dish out the dollar bills without making her give them more than a slice or two.
Wow! Excited to see it in real life soon!
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring! Thanks for sharing some with us!
ReplyDelete