fall garden transition

A few weeks ago, I transitioned my garden for fall weather. 

I pulled up my Hillbilly tomato vine (that never produced fruit) and cucumber vines. After a few weeks of high yield in August, the cucumbers dwindled. 

I pulled weeds, tilled the soil, and made rows for seeds. 

The snow peas are already sprouting, and spinach should be next. 

I kept okra and Better Boy tomatoes at least for a few more weeks, rosemary, and thyme.

What should I plant next for the winter months? 

red pepper and patience

This red pepper is what I have waited for all summer. It took a while to grow into a big green pepper. "Go ahead and pick it," they said. "The deer will eat it," they said. "It's so big!," they said. 

No. I want to wait until it turns red. 

They were shocked when it finally started turning red. The turning itself took several days. 

It happened in the garden in the background of this picture. 

I need to plant more okra next year, as this year's harvest has happened one or two pods at a time. Mema showed me her Our State magazine, where I read about okra and the writer's suggestion to try a pod raw. That makes sense when you only have one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. 

Mema gave me the idea to take a picture from above. It is almost a heart. A. labor. of. love! 

Everything I do is hand me down style. Besides learning the how-tos from friends and family, I followed my great grandmother's model of planting, working, then leaving town. During the most productive days, especially with the cucumbers, I headed to the beach and left my mom in charge. Apparently my great grandmother used to do the same to my grandmother, her daughter-in-law, who lived next door. 

Papa snapped this one. I handed him my DSLR as my dad, grilling beside us, laughed. My papa took only one picture, and I think he did very well. 

I cut up the pepper and ate it in a salad that I shared with my small group. Honestly, the taste was nothing special. But I will try peppers again next year! 

August garden update

Okra blooms are so fleeting that I have been trying to capture one at just the right time all summer. I've seen buds and the next time I look, they're withered. I finally got one! 

This Better Boy plant has outgrown its cage, so I built an addition with a stick and some twine. 

 Cucumbers have taken over most of the garden bed and have produced more than any of my other plants. They've grown all over the air conditioning unit. They've attracted bees. If you like cucumbers, I will give you some! 

I've had a few bell peppers. This one keeps growing bigger and bigger, but I'm waiting for it to turn red. 

Occasionally, Dan gets a wild hair and picks some cucumbers. On this particular day, he ate three. 

I'm not sticking to a regular blogging schedule now, but I plan to continue posting whenever the mood strikes. To make sure you don't miss a post, subscribe by email on the right side of my page, just under my profile. 

J. Crew chino shorts: neon pink and white

Much of my summer's work has been toward a well-mannered dog and a productive garden. 

My two tomato plants yielded exactly one tomato, but it was excellent!

I wore this outfit to meet some friends on Friday night. 

The neon was so bright that Dan had to shut his eyes. 

HMD necklace from Mom // J. Crew tank (old) // HMD sweater from Granny // J. Crew 3" chino shorts // Jack Rogers Napa Valley Navajo

cooking with herbs

My basil, parsley, and oregano have taken off lately. As there's more to harvest, I'm trying to use my herbs more in every day cooking. 

One of the pasta alternatives I've tried since eating low carb: zucchini noodles. These "zoodles" are topped with meat sauce made with my basil and oregano, pine nuts, and parmesan. 

I used both green and purple basil to make pesto. 

Topping scrambled eggs with pesto really takes them to the next level!

The day before my parents' anniversary, I made them a supper of caprese salad, green salad, spaghetti squash with meat sauce, and paleo doughnuts. It was both low carb and tasty. I tried to make my dad proud by eating a slice of tomato. (I know, I am not a true southerner.)

I'm really enjoying my herb garden this summer. What should I use them for next?

tomato and okra

My little tomato keeps growing! 

I was so excited to see a few tiny okra! I really did not know much about growing vegetables before starting my garden, and as they grow, I realize more and more how little I know. I seriously thought that at least some of these plants grew underground and therefore would be safe from deer. It turns out that carrots are the only root vegetable I planted, and there are only a few tiny sprouts as the others got choked out by weeds. Thank goodness my work schedule now allows me to pull weeds at 7 each morning! I love starting my day with breakfast, Bible study and prayer, and tending my garden (with Dan, of course). 

teeny tiny tomato and curlicue

I discovered that one teeny tiny tomato is growing on my Better Boy plant. I had to snap a picture before it gets eaten by the deer! This year, I have very low expectations for my first real experiment gardening, so I am easily pleased. 

Today is supposed to be my first day off of work for the summer. I'm heading in anyway because I'm not quite done with my work, but I'm SO looking forward to tending my garden this summer. 

I've enjoyed getting home from work each day and looking after my dog and my plants, and I absolutely cannot wait until I can have longer, slower mornings doing just that. After the heavy rain the last two days, last night was the perfect time to pull some weeds. There is much to be done even in my small garden, but I only pulled a few weeds, and the rest will have to wait. 

That's just a bit of what's on my long list of things I want to do this summer. I already know I'm going to have to prioritize. I should learn the lesson that I can't do as much as I think I can in as little time as I think I can do it by the fact that I'm still working!

My cucumber plants are sprouting pretty curlicues, too. The day I eat a cucumber that I grew, I'll be a happy, happy girl. 

Any suggestions for keeping the deer away? Dan chases them, but he's not outside all the time. 

What about must-do's for summer? 

all day, every day kale

My dad's coworker has blessed me once again with produce from her awesome garden, and I have been eating kale for every meal. 

She sent my dad home with a grocery bag stuffed full of organic, homegrown kale. 

After several sessions of instruction from my dad, I filled a 5 gallon bucket about halfway with water, dumped the kale in, swished it around for a while, then pulled out each and every leaf, thoroughly inspecting it for bugs. I let it dry on paper towels and stored it in a sealed plastic container with more dry paper towels. My dad was very adamant that the kale was organic and would probably have dirt and bugs all over it, so I must wash it well. I found ONE bug; still, I recommend this method of washing kale. It has lasted well in the refrigerator. 

To use all of that kale, I though I might need to get creative, but it hasn't been difficult. I have kale salads for lunch every day. I made a one pot pasta dish (different than, but inspired by this one) with what I had on hand--whole wheat spaghetti, vegetable broth, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, kale, and basil. I seasoned it with crushed red pepper. 

I found out the hard way that you can only put so much kale in a smoothie before it tastes like you're drinking kale. It doesn't work like spinach.

So I tried kale in an omelet for breakfast. I wilted a handful of kale a bit, then I cracked two eggs in the pan and added salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper, plus a tablespoon or so of water. Thanks to my ninth grade foods and nutrition teacher for the omelet lessons. 

The green basil in my garden has taken off lately, so I picked a bunch and made a small batch of pesto. It was delicious on top of this omelet!

I will have to show Mrs. Wofford to see if she approves. Ninth grade was an eternity ago, but I learned useful skills! The skills that I've used, I haven't forgotten. 

Do you eat kale? Cooked or raw? How do you prepare it?

expanding my garden

After seeing my uncle's garden on Mother's Day, I was finally motivated to expand my garden. 

I mean, is this even a garden or is it a farm?

First, we had to clear out these bushes so that I could plant and allow my plants to get sun. Big thanks to my brother and my dad for getting these out! (I helped minimally.) I learned some lessons about roots as part of this endeavor. 

I started simply with a rosemary bush and more thyme. 

I planted bell peppers, 

zinnias, 

two varieties of tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, carrots, and daisies. 

My herb container is still growing. Bugs are eating my purple basil, and the taller herbs are hiding the thyme from the sun. 

We have geraniums,

mint, 

and now even more hydrangeas. 

I look forward to summer days watering and hopefully harvesting my garden with my helper!