Dinner

I remember summer meals when I was growing up that came almost entirely from the garden. Usually new potatoes, green beans, cucumber and tomato salad, and, not from the garden, something like cottage cheese on the side. I always thought it was pretty cool, even when I wasn't too keen on everything on my plate (the green beans I had growing up were never quite cooked to my liking and ended up squeaking between my teeth--very weird).

Our dinner tonight wasn't quite entirely from the garden, but it was close. The delectable rye bread you see was paired with a tasty borscht made with beets and cabbage from our garden.

Timothy's response was "not like" although he still had several bites. Patrick LOVED it.

August in Vermont

Means blackberries.




And blackberries mean pie.



Funny--over the course of two hour long pickings, I got about 4+ gallons of berries. So, at about $3/cup you pay at the grocery store, I saved about $200. Wow.

Not bad for working in the yard.

Worth it

There are some veggies that are worth the effort and some that, well, aren't. You have to weigh the work that goes into them and then consider how much you get back OR how much better what you get back is from the grocery store.



Take tomatoes. We don't have the greatest weather for them up here and they grow much better elsewhere, but nevertheless, they are so wonderful straight from the garden. They are juicy and flavorful and just lovely morsels (in the cherry variety) of goodness. So, unless I go to the effort of a greenhouse, I'll never grow enough to can, but the joy of a homegrown tomato is most certainly worth the effort.



I can't say that green beans are my favorite vegetable, but they are extremely prolific and the amount I am able to freeze and can (for dilly beans) can be described as sheer abundance. I actually planted a second crop this year and we should be set on beans until next summer.



Peppers, not so much. But, they look pretty cool on the plant... it amazes me what a large fruit this produces for such a relatively small plant. I'm holding out on picking these to see if they'll turn red.



Corn is a no brainer as long as we bring in the ears before the raccoons discover it. Last year I put up 25 quarts in the freezer. So nice.



I wish I could say that peas were worth it for their quantity, but they really aren't. Four rows of peas amounted to about 2 cups (and I'm being generous) of the little balls, but oh, were they sweet. They were Patrick's first taste of green veggies, and I'm really glad about that. It is mind boggling to me to think about how many plants must go into the entire production of Bird's Eye and Green Giant when I see how much effort I put into my silly little pint.

Summer has come...

...and I make apple cranberry muffins. I know, supposed to be fall foods, right? Well, most every day this summer has been fairly fall like, so I had the ingredients already. Actually, I had bought extra cranberries last fall and it's time they left the freezer. I've been using the wonderful cookbook my friend Robyn is always referring to--A Passion for Baking--and I love how the author adds an extra flourish to something rather tasty. This time, an addition of a red apple slice on the top of the muffin. Just lovely.

So, summer actually has finally made an appearance and I am going to enjoy every 80-90 degree minute. It's not going to last too long, as it's already the middle of August. It is a godsend for our garden, and I've been harvesting like crazy. We were gone for a few days to my father-in-law's camp (so, so relaxing!) and after being away from the garden for three days, I had to toss a bunch of overgrown beans. I still managed to pick quite a few to put up in the freezer in addition to our dinner veggie (pureed some for little Patrick... not his favorite so far....). Lots and lots of pickling cucumbers, so pickling is on the to-do list for tomorrow. Tomatoes are overcoming this summer's blight and I have a few red ones getting close to pick. Yum!

Here's to summertime, fleeting but cherished! And a couple pictures of my cuties up at the lake.

Two times the charm

So, we tried it again. Maine. A long drive. Nights away from home. It went well, all things considered. The first night was a little tough and the big little guy got sick, but we had a lot of fun. Timothy loved, I mean really loved, the ocean. It was awesome to see.

Nice to know that it can indeed be done!