Harvest Time

Well, the literal fruits of our labor have finally ripened. After tending to our new garden for a couple of short months, we're really getting to enjoy loads of produce! It's been so fun looking forward to fresh veggies just about every day and finding new ways to prepare them.

In addition to the great chow coming out of the dirt, the zinnias have developed into quite the lovely border. I'm still so blown away that these all came from one seed pack! Also, the morning glories in the back are like something out of the rainforest...a super-fast growing vine with tons of blooms every morning.

Here's another shot of that morning glory - I planted 3 seeds of the same mixed variety, and we're getting this pretty blend of pink, purple and periwinkle. Johnnny the knot expert constructed a very sturdy homemade trellis out of twine for them to climb on and they've definitely taken to it.

The first veggie we got to eat were these glorious green beans. They're just unbelievably tender and so delicious. Talk about bang for the buck. I would guess we've had at least 6 meals consisting of giant mounds of beans and something small on the side. Although they're great just steamed, I'd love a good recipe to change things up!

Next came the beets, and wow are they sweet and awesome. I even got Johnnny to eat some of the cooked greens, which is amazing since he despises cooked spinach. I think growing them ourselves gives us the feeling that we don't want to waste one leaf...Respect the Veggies!

These zucchini didn't actually come out of the garden, but were grown in one of our Earth Boxes (a cool growing box with built-in root watering system). In them we've got zucchini, tomatoes, basil and poblano chiles. I'm not sure I've ever seen zucchini as a plant. If I have, I probably mistook if for a Jurassic Park prop. The leaves on this plant are seriously over a foot wide and there are dozens of them. Despite its gargantuantism, this is one heckuva producer. These guys below were our first pick and the biggest one was about 10 inches long. Dang, they're good on the grill and, BONUS, another great vehicle for getting parmesan cheese to my mouth.

Ok, for lack of a better phrase I will resort to using 13-year old text lingo...OMG! The Earth Boxes come through again with these fabulous grape tomatoes. I probably pick about 10 or so a day and we love them mixed with mozerella, avocado and a little balsamic vinegar. After eating these, it seems like grocery stores should be fined for calling what they sell tomatoes.

I think one of the best things about growing our own food is the sense of self-sufficiency that it brings. Sometimes I catch myself thinking about some of my ancestors and how they knew how to grow everything, make everything, do everything as it related to their lives. It's such a cool feeling to be able to capture even a fraction of that knowledge and see it bring something real to bear. The learning part of gardening really is half the fun for me.

Thanks for checking out my blog! I hope you're having a great summer and enjoying some great fresh harvests of your own!

Vegging Out

During the spring, I looked into joining a vegetable co-op so that we could have fresh, organic veggies throughout the summer. Unfortunately, the cost was a little prohibitive and I really questioned whether or not we could eat a crate of mixed vegetables every week. As a result, Johnnny and I decided to plant our own veggies in our own garden. The only problem was that we didn't actually have a garden to put them in. Well, thanks to Johnnny's unwavering dedication to digging out chunks of sod (we coined our own "strip and jab" technique) and the ultimate free compost from the city...voila! Our newest addition!

The whole process was actually really fun, albeit a lot of work. We ended up settling on a size of about 10 feet by 11 feet to sort of nestle the whole thing under our deck. The huge rock in the front is called "Big Boy". We think it kind of looks like a pendant on a necklace. Johnnny did a great job erecting the fence to keep out not only our very hungry rabbits, but also the neighborhood dogs and curious toddlers next door who for some reason believe that I am growing pizzas in and amongst everything else.

This shot was taken from above on our deck. I put two rows of zinnias (thank you Kris Boland for the seeds!) around the perimeter. Inside are beets (top), green beans (middle), and carrots (bottom). Interspersed are also some different kinds of onions. We've already had one meal of beets with their greens...not only super delicious but sooooo rewarding!

Here's a shot of the zinnias as they are just starting to get going. They make a nice support system for the other plants and I love the way they bring so much color to the garden. Also, I figured if the veggies were a total flop at least we'd have something pretty to look at! Luckily we have full sun and that wonderful compost so we're getting a really nice crop. Can't wait to taste everything else when it's ready!