Garden update - August 2011

We haven't had as many of these as we have in years past:

But just a few are definitely welcome! I hate buying them at the store, I always get ones that are half-rotted inside.

We've had so many delicious salads thanks to our cherry tomatoes

I like to keep it simple and refreshing with some mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.

Some impatiens joined our front yard and this little screen in the backyard


Lots of pumpkins are making their appearances!



And lots of bigger tomatoes to be harvested in the next couple of days


And the kids' favorites - strawberries!


We keep getting corn, onions, and a small zucchini is making its appearance - hope it is ready to harvest soon!

Recent harvest

We've been harvesting lots of yummy cherry tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and this week, corn and cucumber!

Unfortunately, it all gets eaten before I get the camera so onions and a cucumber are all I got.

Garden update

Wanna see what's happening in my veggie garden?

Two pumpkins have started to grow - my husband took last year's Halloween pumpkins and planted their seeds:

Apparently they are similar to our potatoes in that they are mature when the plant is shriveled and you have to leave them in the sun for a bit after harvesting. These are not the best for eating but we're just growing them to see if we can.

We have over 50 of these on our plants:

We got 3 plants from a school fundraiser and 3 more because my son insisted, so we'll see what their final output is.

Our grapes are doing very well

I don't think we'll have enough for making jelly but if they're as sweet as last year's we will enjoy them in their natural state.

I'm thinking it's about time I harvested my lavender:

I'm torn between making sachets like I did last year or maybe a wreath like Centsational Girl's.

The plums are ready for me to pick and make jam - so good!


In the front yard, my little one's choice of plant from the school fundraiser is doing great and provides sweet color:


My oldest chose a blue plant since that's his favorite color, and it's also given place of honor in our front yard:


The hibiscus my husband chose is radiant with color, I just love the bright yellow!


The bamboo, however, might need some more wiring to keep it back, it's like a jungle to get to our door!


These pretty lilies are gorgeous in the afternoon, they open up and brighten our gray front walls:


As a final surprise, this is what the onion flower I posted about a few weeks ago looks like when opened up - who knew? I sure didn't.


Have a great weekend!

Garden update

No sweet corn on the cob for us yet

although we found a snail cozily nestled in the leaves - grrrrrr!!!

Our grapes keep growing

My husband has hopes of grape jelly but considering how quickly our kids eat any blueberry that matures, I doubt we'll have enough enough grapes at any one time to make a batch of jelly.

This is what potatoes look like when you push aside the veritable jungle of leaves that grow over them

you can wait to unearth them when the leaves die off, or you can "grabble" them and eat them when young and tender

We planted yellow (on the left) and white (right) potatoes

You leave them in the sun for a couple of hours so the skins harden a bit. When you first take them out you can pretty much just rub the skins off.

The first baby tomatoes are making their appearances

I needed some tomato cages and my son insisted we get more tomato plants, so I hope we have a ton of tomatoes this summer!!!

That's the happenings in our backyard - are you growing any veggie goodness this year?

Veggie lasagna

On Saturday night we had some friends over - my oldest and their middle child met at preschool and became friends and now we're friends with the parents. I decided to try a veggie lasagna and came upon this recipe, but I had a hankering for spinach, so I added two bunches of spinach to the mis:

I was shocked that my oldest had a few bites, he is very anti-sauce when it comes to his pasta, but I think seeing his friend and the rest of us eating it was a good incentive. My little one sat on my lap and ate piece after piece, but then again, he's always been up for trying new food.

One of my habits when I make something like lasagna is to double the recipe. It is not hard to make at all but it is a little more labor intensive than my usual dinners, so I figure, make twice the amount and enjoy some later in the week. Same whenever I decide to make roast chicken, I roast two and enjoy the second one in soups, salads, tacos, etc. Even if I am just sauteing chicken breasts or making a beef roast, making a double batch is a great way to save time later on.

My poor husband was quarantined in the bedroom so he didn't eat with us, and I figure when he is feeling better I'll have some yummy veggie goodness for him to regain his strength.

Red and Green

Loving the strawberries and peas we are getting from our backyard -
we're getting about 15-20 sweet, juicy strawberries a week, and about the same number of peas. I would have included the blueberries here but some squirrelly monkeys ate them all before I could take the picture.

Veggie cooking cheat sheet

How awesome is this? I found it on Pinterest and thought I'd share it with you all, since I think it is going up on the side of my fridge:

There's all sorts of How To tips and tricks at The Secret Yumiverse - and Yumi's illustrations are darling. Go check them out!

Homegrown taters

make me happy


can't wait for the rest of our summer bounty . . .

May 2011 in review

I am stealing this idea from the lovely Rebecca at Simple as That, and participating in her May 2011 photo collage party. I love the idea of highlighting some pics from the month - thanks for the idea, Rebecca!

Waiting for a bit of sun

I love going to the farmers' market. There is a small one near me but a pretty large one a few miles away. The small one is on Friday mornings, and you'd think I would have managed to go there while the boys were at school, but no, I haven't been there in years. For the large one, either my husband has to go with us, or he has to stay home with my little guy because he just loves to drive his mama batty by running off in whatever direction tickles his fancy.

This weekend is supposed to be a rainy one, and while I LOVE the rain and the cold, I miss strolling around, perusing the different stalls, getting little samples of organic goodness.

I put together this little outfit and will wear it as soon as the weather allows!

Garden update

A quick review of some of our fruits and veggies:

Our onions have decided to get ready to flower:

I don't know about you but seeing those bulbs remind me of being engorged with milk - I know, TMI!

Our blueberries are the right size:

Now they just need to be the right color :D

We tried some of the peas and they were so sweet:

My oldest, Mr. I-Don't-Try-New-Stuff, was eating them like candy.

We have serious plans for our corn:

This is only one side of the corn plantings we have.

I think we'll have some green peppers next week

Maybe in a yummy stir-fry.

Our carrots are about as long as my finger - both my husband and I have peeked:
The tomatoes are getting taller every day.

And my beloved roses keep filling my house with beautiful color:

That's all the happenings in the garden for now, we've enjoyed many strawberries and a few peas and look forward to the rest of our harvest!

On Friday, we harvested . . .

Did you know "grabbling" means digging around for baby potatoes? Yep, it's not "grabbing", but "grabbling. On Friday, we got our first new potato and 9 strawberries. I would post some pictures here, except we ate them before I could get the camera.

It was joyful, my oldest boy and I, giggling as we found more strawberries to eat, him with the bowl yelling at me to give them the berries, and me jumping from raised bed to raised bed, trying not to step on anything too scary.

Did you know there is such a thing as white broccoli? I didn't. Good thing I googled it because I was about to go yell at the nursery people because I thought they'd sold me cauliflower instead of broccoli.

We have two bell peppers in our near future, tons of plums and pears growing on the trees, and hopefully some tomatoes down the road.

Hope your Monday is a fabulous one!

The book that started it all

Three years ago I decided I wanted an herb garden. Then I gave up when the darn things died because I never remembered to water them.

A few months later, right before the holidays, I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - I don't remember if it caught my eye at the library or I read about it somewhere - and I found my calling. I despaired that it was the middle of winter and I had to wait MONTHS before planting my own vegetable garden.

The book is about one year in Barbara's family life where they choose to only eat locally: either they grow it, they buy it from local sources like farmers' markets or farmer friends, or they do without it. Her narrative is so straight-forward and natural it feels like she's talking to you across the dining room table while you both sip some (sweet) tea. The book includes sidebars by her husband and essays by her daughter, and many great recipes.

This is my third year of growing veggies and I love it more and more each year. except the weeding. Weeding sucks, let me tell ya, although I am impressed at the resilience of those little suckers. This year, I have a water-bath canner and a food dehydrator for my veggies and fruits; I look forward to using them both, a lot.

Don't be daunted - Barbara has years of experience growing things and I certainly didn't. I have a backyard, she has LAND. It doesn't matter. You can grow delicious tomatoes in a container, herbs on your windowsill, it just takes the impulse to say: I'm doing it. And for that, I thank Barbara. Maybe someday I will meet her and say it in person.

Has there been something that inspired you to make a change or start a venture?

Did you know . . .

that potatoes are originally from Peru? (just like me!)
Yep, they were first cultivated in the southern part of what is now Peru thousands of years ago. After the Spanish conquest, potatoes became known worldwide.

that you harvest potatoes when the plant part turns brown and dies?
True. You CAN get potatoes while the plant part is green but basically, as long as the plant is green, the potatoes are still growing.

that there used to be about 4,000 varieties of potato in a variety of colors?
Sadly, now the market has focused on a few varieties and even in Peru, there are less than 100 varieties grown now.

Our potato plants are doing great, I am definitely not patient enough to wait until the plants die so I will be feeling around the soil for some baby potatoes long before anything turns brown. My oldest wants lots and lots of French fries from our potatoes but I am longing for some homemade (and homegrown!) mashed potatoes. If all goes well I am going for some rare varieties next year!

Photo credits: Vantage Travel, SF Examiner, Fans del Espanol.

Garden update

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted a garden update so I thought I'd do one.

Our blueberries are doing great, I look forward to never finding one because the boys have already eaten them all :D


Our latest addition are the corn seedlings, we ran out of space at the designated area so we have two "corn hubs" and hopefully will enjoy yummy buttered corn later this summer!


There are hundreds of tiny pinhead-sized grapes, they're the Concord variety.


Orange tree from our friends:


The pea and bean vines are doing their climbing thing, my oldest loves to eat them right off the vine.


First time growing potatoes so I can't wait for these babies to be ready to harvest!


Looks like we'll have pumpkins for Halloween - and soup!


My yellow roses are blooming daily, just love them.


I hope our squash is as good to us this year as it's been the past two years.


We have enjoyed a few strawberries, juicy and sweet - yum!


My lavender is also doing well, I made sachets for Christmas gifts last year. I am very happy with my garden and very thankful for all my husband's hard work! Hope you enjoyed the little update!