Preserving the garden's bounty

Hubby and the boys have spent the day at the pool today. Has been just lovely for me, because I've finally been able to tackle some projects I had been putting off this week. First up, doing something with the oodles and oodles of jalapenos I had. I canned a batch of sliced jalapenos for nachos, etc. These tend to go pretty quickly around here, between hubby and our neighbor across the street. I also tried my hand at a batch of jalapeno jelly. You can use this to glaze meats when grilling, or serve over cream cheese with crackers. Really excited to sample how this turned out!
I'm also starting the project of drying the herbs from the garden. Rosemary, thyme, marjoram and oregano will all be dried and jarred. I hope to create some herb blends to give as Christmas gifts.

This week should bring another batch of pickles, and perhaps a batch of tomato sauce.

The garden is in full produce mode!

This is my favorite time of the year! Of course, it keeps me really busy, but I love it! The cucumbers had been coming in for a while, and I'd been getting herbs and some green beans, but we now have lots of tomatoes!
I've now made two batches of pickles- one dill and one sweet....relish is next.

Today I used some of my peppers in the smoker stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. We'll have those with dinner. I also made a batch of roasted tomato salsa, and I will post the recipe this week.

This year is a first for the melons. I have 2 heirloom varieties I'm growing, and the first few are just starting to ripen. We are going to have a bunch!

I tried to take a picture from upstairs of the garden for you to see, but it didn't turn out well, and it's HOT out today, so I'm pulling the a/c card today :) I will take a picture for you this week, along with pictures of the canning I'll be doing to preserve all of this!

Garden Update June 6th

Well, between the fence and gate, all the planting, the mulching and dealing with it all while not feeling perfect, it took a while, but everything is finally done. I may add a couple things, but for now I'm happy to take a break!
The two middle rose bushes are now 3 years old, and are just going nuts with flowers.

9 tomato plants this year- 4 Romas, 4 slicers, and 1 cherry tomato plant.

I have 4 cucumber plants--the 2nd year of trellising them up this concrete mesh. Works great, and a real garden space saver.

As you look down the rows from this direction I have 4 varieties of peppers, several herbs, kohlrabi, green beans, and melons.
I really am proud of my roses.

I sat outside under the gazebo today and just enjoyed the breeze, the peace, and the beautiful view of the garden. I love summer!

Garden Update- The fence is in!

Those bunnies are not going to get into the fortress this year. No way no how.
Hubby even built a really nice gate that swings back and latches nicely.

We still have a little more tilling to go in front, but I've started planting in the back, and will share more pictures when it's all done.

Ouch

Man. I hurt. I would have taken pictures, but quite honestly, who wants to see deep narrow holes in the ground??? We have almost all the holes dug for the fence...hubby will be putting in posts this week, and hopefully by weekend I'll have a functioning gate and fence so I can plant.

Each ache reminds me how excited I am about fresh veggies this summer!

I'm digging today!

Today we are digging posts for the new gate on the new fence we are putting up around the front side of the garden. I'm sure I'll be hauling some more compost as well, and I hope to get the cucumber trellis up and secured.

I will post the pictures when we're done!

Getting ready for the garden

I'm getting so excited! I want to get things in the ground, but really you shouldn't plant here until Mother's Day. I might start a little early if we continue to have the great temperatures we've had, but right now I'm still trying to behave.

I am starting many more plants than I think I'll need, but I already have friends claiming the extras, plus we're helping some friends start their first ever garden this year. Has been a lot of fun to help introduce people to the joy of gardening. Especially once you get to eat the fruit of your labors! Fresh veggies here we come!

First Steps to Spring!

Amazing the little things I get excited about. Here are my first seed purchases for this summer's garden. This weekend I start setting up shop in the basement, and getting my little seed babies up and running for the things I can transplant. So exciting!

Time to start planning for the garden!

Hard to believe since my garden is still pretty snow covered that I need to start working on plants so that my garden will be like this again...

I start getting my seeds and supplies together this week, and I'll be designing a garden layout plan. Hubby is going to extend the bunny fencing to the front this summer as well, and try that instead of the water scarecrows, as they are just hellbent on getting to my green beans. This year I hope to end up with more than just a handful!

This year presents a bit of a challenge...I need to rotate where I had tomatoes last year, and because of the garden's shape, any of my options for where to relocate will have less space. Less space means less tomatoes. Bad because I won't have as many for salads, salsas and sauces, good because it will free up some space to try some new things. I will be doing lettuce and spinach this year, expanding my herbs, and perhaps trying some carrots. I will also be expanding my peppers, because hubby wants to try his hand at smoking jalapenos to make chipotle peppers.

I will post as I progress over the next week...what are you planting this year?

Using my last jar of home-canned Spaghetti Sauce

So sad. My last jar of homemade sauce with tomatoes from my garden until this summer. Once you make your own sauce you get so spoiled with the taste compared to store bought.

Wish this snow would melt and spring would get here already!!!

Working Wounded

Sore shoulder or no, we will start drowning in vegetables if I don't do something. So working slowly today. These cucumbers slices are soaking in ice water to help their crispness before they become cold packed dills and cold packed bread and butter pickles. I still haven't done a full can on the pickles. I'm almost afraid to because I like the crunch from the cold packed ones so much. Afraid the canning process will make them mushy. Guess I'll get brave eventually.

I still have 3 large bags of cucumbers in the fridge even after slicing 56 of them up. Crazy.

Next will be the 5 bags of roma tomatoes begging to be peeled, diced and canned or frozen or made into yummy sauce or salsa.

The Simple Things

I love having fresh veggies in my garden, but I think I'm equally as excited to finally have developed a decent cutting flower garden. I get to enjoy them in my house and my yard!

Yay! The garden giveth veggies!

Finally a couple of tomatoes and a couple of jalapenos, along with a wall of cucumbers. About to make bread and butter pickles for the first time. Please wish me luck!

I quickly used the camera on my iPhone, and it just didn't capture the thing in the background I'm most proud of...the zinnias I grew from seed that are just surprising the heck out of me because they are PERFECT cutting flowers! These are a keeper!

The Garden is starting to produce!

Yay! I get so excited when I finally get to see the rewards for my labor! The cucumbers are rolling in now. My first roma is there....looks like it will be a little while before I see more tomatoes.

The peppers are coming along nicely, but I think I'm going to have to write the green beans off this year---again. Darn bunnies! Hopefully we'll get that figured out for next year---I guess 3rd time's a charm, right?

Finally, some garden photos

Yes, I'm way overdue! This shows you the view from our deck. I have the garden spaced out pretty well so that I can walk through it easily. We have it fenced on all 3 sides-rabbit guard in the back sides, and a shorter fence that I can step over on the front side.
We have 7 roma tomato plants and 6 slicers. Should make great sauce this summer!
That open space should be where you'd see big bushy green bean plants, but I had to replant them (thanks, bunnies).

Another view of my tomato plants, and the cucumbers I have climbing up wire mesh.

My cucumbers, and a couple varieties of pepper plants. The little plant alongside the cucumbers is one of my basil plants that I'd just gotten for dinner :)

My first garden veggie

LOL. Yes. One little cucumber. That's it. But it's still exciting to get something out of your garden (other than my herbs) for the first time. I plan on doing some pickling when production picks up. In the meantime, what to do with just one?
How about a pretty greek salad? Romaine, roma tomatoes, red onions, feta and cucumber slices. Now I need to make a Greek vinaigrette.
I have some wonderful fresh oregano and basil from the garden, added some lemon rind, lemon juice, garlic pepper, salt, red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Shake, shake, shake and it's all ready for my salad featuring my one lil' cucumber. LOL. I'll post a picture from dinner when I toss the salad along with the lemon garlic grilled chicken I'm making tonight. Yum!

Garden Update

Today we got all of the stepping stones out, got the area clear of all the baby weeds, clipped the dead stalks off my rose bushes, and got ready for tomorrow's projects.

I'll be spending my Mother's Day Planting 3 more rose bushes along the front of our garden bed, buying mulch, peat, and several other yummies for the soil, and start the soil prep for the rest of the garden as I get ready to start planting.

I'll take pictures tomorrow to post. My tomatoes look awesome- 9 romas, and 9 slicers. 9 colored sweet pepper plants, 9 jalapenos. 24 green bean seedlings. Basil plants, oregano, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, oregano, marigolds to put inbetween the roses, impatiens for out front, petunias for the hanging plants.

So happy that planting season is here!