We Reap What We Sow

Summer is finally winding down here - although the temperatures are still hot. As I drive to work in the mornings it is getting darker and darker - a telling sign that fall and then winter are on their way. It's been a fast summer. I think that working every other week and then trying to cram the rest of my life into the weeks that I'm off - has a way of speeding everything by. Although I look forward to the change of season I will miss my garden. We planted it in late April and early May and have really enjoyed the fruits of our labor. I would have to say that most of that labor has been Aaron's - but I've still enjoyed the fruits. I decided to chronicle some of it in pictures. I'm just a little proud of what we've been able to grow. It's been wonderful to be able to share our harvest with many of our family and friends. I think that we're looking forward to next year. Aaron would like to expand to include a few other plants. We'd also like to do some fruit and I would like to do some flowers and herbs. I think that our planting may also branch out into some of the beds that we have both in the back yard and also in the front.

This is our lovely Swiss Chard. I discovered how wonderful it was just after Eli was born. When you spend $2 a bunch at the grocery store - growing your own is definitely worth it. This and the lettuce (which you can see going to seed in the background were the first harvest of our garden. We started eating it back in May.

Our Lettuces. We had two varieties - one green and one red. I'm not sure about the species. Very good. Once lettuce goes to seed you can still eat it but it becomes bitter. We just don't eat nearly enough salad (try as we may)!

Our green beans have a tendency to get too big and to be more than a little fibrous. The beans have been delicious though and have added visually to the appeal of the garden.

We'd planted two different varieties of cucumber. The smaller domestic variety was destroyed either by a smallish black dog or by a smallish blond boy. Either way we were left with our Japanese cucumber which we were all a little hesitant to try but turned out to have a wonderful flavor and to be quite delicious!

Our tomatoes have been on the vine for over a month but it's only been the last few weeks that we've been getting red ones. I'm not sure why this is. I've heard speculation that it's the hot summer. That may account for why the ones that are ripening are nearer to the ground. I love fresh chopped tomatoes w/ fresh basil (or mint). Delicious!

Anyone who grows zucchini or any other kind of squash knows there's more than enough of this to go around. We have both green and yellow varieties. We've been sauteing it, grilling it, frying it, grating it and mixing it in to just about anything that we can. It's been a great one to share with friends and family. This is one of my favorite pictures. I love the shapes of the stalks and leaves.

I have never been very fond of eggplant but as you can see we've got not one but two varieties growing in our garden. We had thought this one was a pepper (it isn't). A little over a year ago I was visiting my mother and she fixed it in such a way that the acrid taste (which is my big turn off towards eggplant) was eliminated. Once I realized that it was possible to prepare it in an appealing manner I began to experiment. So far I have that initial recipe from my mom, an eggplant casserole (one of our all-time favorite recipes), lasagna, and tomorrow I will be experimenting w/ eggplant Parmesan. I also want to try baba ganoush. If you love veggies and have a little earth - I'd recommend growing a garden to anyone. It's been good for us on so many levels. We eat better. We have something great to do together as a family. We're saving money and doing something good w/ our property.