We are trying to live out “Eat Local” and especially, “Eat out of our Garden”. Inspired by the economic crash, desiring tasty vegetables and a healthy lifestyle and further reinforced by Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
For lunch:
- Sliced fresh cucumber
- Amy’s Vegan Zucchini Carrot Muffins from the recipe book Well Preserved by Joan Hassol
For supper last night:
- Grilled chicken with grilled Yum Yum Gold sweet peppers
- Disappearing Zucchini Orzo from Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle — from the garden: zucchini, thyme, onion
- Fresh Pole Beans
For supper tonight:
- Vegetable Chili — from the garden: carrots, zucchini, onion, celery, homemade salsa from 09, green pepper
- Bread Machine made Sourdough Bread
I can’t use Hassol’s jam recipes as she uses sugar in abundance. We are happy with the Sure-Jell Reduced Sugar Jam recipes from the direction sheet that comes right inside the pectin box. The muffins are delicious though, but only the adults like them thus far. The Disappearing Zucchini Orzo did not go over well and won’t be cooked again.
Harvested:
- 2 gallon bags of Renegade Bush Bean from just two 4′ rows
- 1 gallon bag of Hurricane Bush Bean from two 4′ rows
- Another gallon bag of Malibu Pole Bean
- Another 1/2 gallon bag of Sunset Pole Bean
- One large Tigress Zucchini
- 4 Yellow Crookneck Squash
All beans are to be blanched and laid on cookie baking sheets then bagged in Ziploc Freezer Bags and stored in freezer.
While picking bush beans I found four Monarch Butterfly caterpillars eating my Dill. Farmer Bob and I carefully carried them over to the Milkweed Plant I have left growing in the garden. I do need the Dill to make pickles and to make the most scrumptious Old English-style fried fish in winter.
The Monarda or Bee Balm growing on the outside of the garden fence has been a constant buzz of action this summer. Without bees, there is no pollination. Yes, I overhead water. Same as rain falls. I water my garden between 4pm and 6pm in the evening, cooling plants down while not wasting water during a day of hot sun.
I have one of those catapillars in a jar on my counter! My kids brought it in. I think it is a monarch because it is growing 5 inches a day and eating milkweed:) Great pictures!
Thanks! I can’t find those caterpillars anymore. I was hoping to see them in their chrysalis’s !!