Vegetable Gardening

[Grog]

Right now, no way am I going to let these vegetables go to waste.

I have been thinking a lot about that recently, and it gives me a new take on "finish your plate."

I just have a small container "garden" this year, including four cherry tomato trees (lots of flowers, some green tomatoes, and lots of promise there!), various types of lettuce, a (single) zucchini plant (thanks Buddha Bellies!) that is gloriously blooming right now, and about a dozen beets and carrots (each). There is A LOT of love and work going into each gram of food that will come out of that "garden" because there are no economies of scale at all.

There is NO WAY I would let one leaf of lettuce go to waste from that garden. Or one single carrot. I don't think I could stand the stress of serving those beets at a dinner party when the time comes to eat them: what if a guest does not eat the beet? Or the last leaf of lettuce? I'll just keep them for myself and my husband (who's discovering what lettuce really tastes like).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Smilingcat-
Thanks!-Yes i will certainly look into making a plastic 'hoop house' of some kind....or even some discarded glass windows set on straw bales like people used to do a lot back when. We'll see whether I success this fall with what I'm planting from seed now.

We are so much appreciating every leaf of lettuce coming out of the little garden these days! We are eating about 5 times the number of salads we used to, simply because we have all this wonderful fresh lettuce! I have so much lettuce right now that I have to give some away every few days, and I find myself very carefully picking just the right people to give some to. Makes me feel like I'm checking them out as 'suitable foster parents' for my lettuce!

One week from today my big wonderful garden fence will be in and my garden will be relatively safe (except from possible climbing raccons, but nothing is perfect). No deer, rabbits, or woodchucks will be able to eat my stuff. I can't wait!

Tiny seedlings of radish, bok choy, beets, lettuce, and kohlrabi are poking up from the ground already in pretty little green 1/4" tall rows, and I'm hoping no rabbits will mow them down over the next few days before the fence goes in. (fingers crossed) There were deer footprints through the open garden beds the other morning, but nothing much there for them to eat yet.

Oakleaf- you could always blanch and freeze a small bag of green beans for your DH's return...

[Grog]

Cute moment at dinner last night, as my husband and I talked about the "garden":

Me, excited: And there is a little zucchini that's starting to grow there! I just saw it today!

He, nonchalent: How do you know it's there?
Me, puzzled: What do you mean, how do I know it's there? It's there!
He, getting puzzled: But how can you see it?
Me, laughing: It's not growing underground!! It's above ground!

My husband thought zucchini and cucumber grew underground.

However big the quotation marks around "garden," this is proving to be educational for everybody.

[smilingcat]

Cute moment at dinner last night, as my husband and I talked about the "garden":

Me, excited: And there is a little zucchini that's starting to grow there! I just saw it today!

He, nonchalent: How do you know it's there?
Me, puzzled: What do you mean, how do I know it's there? It's there!
He, getting puzzled: But how can you see it?
Me, laughing: It's not growing underground!! It's above ground!

My husband thought zucchini and cucumber grew underground.

However big the quotation marks around "garden," this is proving to be educational for everybody.

Too funny!! But I can see this happening.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We've been enjoying a surplus of leaf lettuces from my older little garden for the past few weeks. I have been giving fresh lettuce to a woman friend I fitness walk with, and once I gave it to her in a flat tupperware box.
She returned the box to me the other day full of soaked broccoli sprouting seeds.
This was something new to me. So I did what she told me and now three days later I had a nice 2 cup harvest of green broccoli sprouts- my first sprouts ever!

I've always liked alfalfa sprout sandwiches, so I did some quick reading on sprouting and today at the health food store I bought some more sprouting seeds to try: alfalfa, flax, and more broccoli seed.
I soaked and set some alfalfa up in a jar, and some flax in a plastic box.

Cool to think that I could grow fresh greens in the middle of winter blizzards.

Do you guys do sprouts too?

Deaimond- this is some 'gardening' you could certainly do without any land at all!

[mudmucker]

I've been doing red clover and radish sprouts for a while now. I like them better than alfalfa. There's a natural foods shop a few towns over so I get my sprouting seeds there.

[NoNo]

I stopped by my garden after work today. It's not really mine, it's my aunt's BF's, but I offered to help plant and weed in exchange for some veggies. Things are coming along, although the month of rain we had really has slowed development. The recent sunshine seems to be helping, so if things stay this way we should be in good shape. Plenty of tomatoes (those are just getting flowers now), the zucchini are starting to sprout, the eggplant and peppers are coming along well, the broccoli and cauliflower should be ok, there isn't nearly as much corn as we'd hoped, and the beans just aren't taking. There are some other veggies, I can't remember, but overall we're on the right track. And you can't go wrong with the fresh eggs from the chickens

[tulip]

I have a cucumber! It's very small, but it's there!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have a cucumber! It's very small, but it's there!

Destined to become a classic TE post.

[smilingcat]

I guess I should count my blessings.

Day before yesterday:
Zucchini, sqaush in marinara sauce. Salad was cucumber and maui onion sliced thin.

Yesterday:
Sauteed zucchini and squash. For a salad, cucumber, baby greens, green zebra tomatoes.

Today:
For lunch, left over zucchini, and squash.
Dinner today zucchini (three kinds woohoo), squash, snow peas and some chicken for seasoning. Schezuan style (sp) For the salad, it was cucumber, cucumber and cucumber salad three kinds of cucumber. wow... variety.

Tomorrow:
wanna guess? hint we've got lots of zucchini, squash, cucumber, tomatoes, baby greens. perhaps stuffed zucchini and squash. Stuffed with brown rice, tomato, cheese...

Zucchinis are too nice to turn them into a pizza crust. hmm maybe zucchini sticks, battered and deep fried. Served with ranch dressing. yummo in which case, I may have to pick up some mozzrella cheese for cheese sticks. super yummo. served with marinara sauce.

I like zucchini and squash but I could use a break.

I think there is going to be some random act of kindness. Brown bag filled with vegies are going to be found in people's car . Another reason to lock your car at night.

well somethings are total failure. we've had complete crop failure with spinach. We are trying it again with summer variety. Its a learning experience.

Overall happy.

[OakLeaf]

I posted it over on the "stuff we see on rides" thread, but in case anyone here missed it -

on Saturday I was riding through through pasture and woodlands, and there by the side of the road was a zucchini as big as my lower leg.

Some people resort to illegal dumping this time of year.

Srsly, though, pick 'em when they're 6" even if they're going to have to sit in the fridge for a few days. I'm finally learning.

[papaver]

I guess I should count my blessings.

Day before yesterday:
Zucchini, sqaush in marinara sauce. Salad was cucumber and maui onion sliced thin.

Yesterday:
Sauteed zucchini and squash. For a salad, cucumber, baby greens, green zebra tomatoes.

Today:
For lunch, left over zucchini, and squash.
Dinner today zucchini (three kinds woohoo), squash, snow peas and some chicken for seasoning. Schezuan style (sp) For the salad, it was cucumber, cucumber and cucumber salad three kinds of cucumber. wow... variety.

Tomorrow:
wanna guess? hint we've got lots of zucchini, squash, cucumber, tomatoes, baby greens. perhaps stuffed zucchini and squash. Stuffed with brown rice, tomato, cheese...

Zucchinis are too nice to turn them into a pizza crust. hmm maybe zucchini sticks, battered and deep fried. Served with ranch dressing. yummo in which case, I may have to pick up some mozzrella cheese for cheese sticks. super yummo. served with marinara sauce.

I like zucchini and squash but I could use a break.

I think there is going to be some random act of kindness. Brown bag filled with vegies are going to be found in people's car . Another reason to lock your car at night.

well somethings are total failure. we've had complete crop failure with spinach. We are trying it again with summer variety. Its a learning experience.

Overall happy.

hey you can make zucchini-cucumbersoup!

1 onion (diced)
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
chicken stock (or vegetable stock)


stir fry the onion in some butter till soft, ad the diced zucchini and cucumber, stir fry. Add water and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for about ten minutes. Mix the soup, ad pepper and salt when needed... et voilÃ*!

[tulip]

Or lasagne with strips of zucchini instead of noodles.

[GLC1968]

Zukeamole (like guacamole but with zucchini) or zucchini 'crab' cakes:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mig...i_recipes.html

I plan to shred all my extra zucchini and dehydrate it for future use. I've heard it rehydrates beautifully for use in breads or such in the winter. I'm also going to do some seasoned 'chips' for munching.

Right now we are still eating kale, swiss chard, and snow peas as fast as we can manage. We've also gotten quite a few of our first zucchini squash as well. And this year, I grew celery and broccoli for the first time ever and they both look fan-freaking-tastic! I can't wait to harvest them!

[jillm]

These are 2 soups I use for lots of zucchini. they both freeze well

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...der-Soup-10481

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...il-Soup-242831