Lillies, and Veggies

I have gorgeous lilies blooming.

I also have so many baby cucumbers I don't know what I will do with all of them when they are ready to harvest. I better call my grandmother and get her pickle recipe!

My Pink Girl tomato has a lot of big tomatoes and now we have to be patient and wait for them to ripen.

My Marion tomatoes are also producing well and my mystery heirlooms and Mr Stripey are blooming but no tomatoes yet.

I also have a lot of baby squash and zucchini and they will be ready to harvest in a week or two. This pic is older, they are a lot bigger now. I will try to get more pics soon.

Friday Favorite: May 21, 2010 Starkville Community Market

Sorry the Friday Favorite did not get posted until Saturday but we had strong storms that knocked the internet out for the better part of the day yesterday.

Today's Friday Favorite is the Starkville Community Market. If you are in or around the Starkville, Mississippi area you should definitely check it out. The market is located at the northwest Corner of Jackson and Lampkin Streets. On the old East Mississippi Lumber Company site.

The Starkville Community Market serves a growing interest in local produce, arts, and crafts. The market brings an exciting color and flavor to downtown Starkville on Saturday Mornings from at 8:00am till 11:00am.

Tomatoes. Zucchini, and Squash Oh My!

I have baby everything in the garden right now, including bugs. I am going to get some organic soap to spray on the plants to hopefully remedy the bug problem.

My corn is looking better but I have lost a couple of plants. Thankfully I still have some in my small growing pots to replace the dead ones with. There are only a couple that did not make it.

The kids butter beans have sprouted nicely and I am planning on moving them to the garden this week when I plant the eggplants which are finally big enough to transplant without much worry.

My cucumbers are going crazy, they have so many baby cucumbers on them I have a feeling that I will definitely have enough to pickle this year where as last year I would only get a few a day and we would eat them all.

I fertilized everything last week and we got a good 2 day storm which watered everything nicely. I am trying to water every day that it does not rain, because it has been so hot, one day without and everything gets sad and wilted.

Recipes From the Garden: Bobby Flay's Minted Lemonade

This is Bobby Flay's recipe, not mine, but I have been looking for something to do with my mint which happens to be overtaking the planter it is in (I know I should have put it in its own container...lesson learned).

I love lemonade and the weather is certainly right for it so I am making this lemonade this week. I'll let you know how it turns out, but being it is from Bobby Flay (I must say one of my favorite celebrity chefs) I am sure it will be tasty!

Minted Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 6 cups water
  
• 2 cups fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mint leaves

Directions

To make simple syrup: Place 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved and let cool. Place lemon juice in a large pitcher, add remaining 4 cups water and 1 cup of the simple syrup or more to taste. Stir in mint leaves and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Blog Makeover

This blog will be getting a makeover soon. Stay tuned for changes. Don't worry they're mostly cosmetic. ;)

Friday Favorite May 14, 2010: Urban Farming Organization

When I was at home recovering from surgery, I watched an episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show which happened to have Executive Director and Founder of Urban Farming Taja Sevelle as a guest. I thought to myself what a great idea this was and how many people they are helping with their program.

Since I am in the field of Human development/Family Studies, and Sociology, this program really spoke to me as a way to be able to help families, youth, and combat the problems of poverty and help those people who need it, especially the children. I believe this is an excellent program and everyone should be aware of it.

Urban Farming started in one city, Detroit Michigan, and has now expanded into 30 cities across the country and abroad with the equivalent of over eight hundred gardens. They are doing great work and impacting the lives of many many people.

Urban Farming's mission is to create an abundance of food for people in need by planting gardens on unused land and space while increasing diversity, educating youth, adults and seniors and providing an environmentally sustainable system to uplift communities.

The program

According to their website, Urban Farming is an international 501(c)3 organization headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

We bring people together in communities throughout America and abroad to plant food on unused land, space, rooftops and walls, with the intention of ending hunger in our generation, while greening the globe.

Each harvest is free for everyone to enjoy. Neighbors are encouraged to share their healthy food with local food banks to help others in need. We also host several green science gardens in schools Kindergarten through College age. Students learn about team building, skills training, self-sufficiency, environmental issues, health and nutrition. Older students receive the education and inspiration to prepare them for many types of green jobs, while being encouraged to stay in school and volunteer.

Pretty Flowers, Baby Tomatoes, and Sad Corn

I have my first baby tomatoes and many many blooms on several plants, my cucumbers have began to vine and my broccoli and brussel sprouts are getting big. My squash and zucchini are growing very nicely and leafing out, and my eggplant is finally big enough to plant in the garden.

The azalea my Nana gave me from cuttings of hers is blooming now. I thought it would not bloom because usually azaleas bloom early, but buds showed up about a week ago and it now has lovely blooms. My roses are in full fragrant bloom. My lilies are budding and my gladiolas are getting nice and tall.

The garden is doing very well, except for the corn, it is yellow, some is withered and I have no clue why or how to help it. I emailed the MSU extension service and am waiting to hear back from them. I am making sure to keep it watered. It makes me sad because I love corn especially fresh corn, but if I can't grow it I have a friend whose Dad farms and I can still get some fresh corn from him if mine doesn't work out.

Friday FavoriteMay 7, 2010: Mississippi State University Extension Service

OK I know I am biased, but the MSU Extension Service is a great resource for gardeners and I have to say I have learned quite a bit from them. You can call them, email them, or look on their website to find answers to many common gardening questions and concerns, they cover a wide variety of topics on their website, and have many articles and tutorials and tips on everything from flower and vegetable gardening to farming crops.

You can see when the best time to plant in this area is, and what plants do the best. If you are in Mississippi or the southeastern U.S., the MSU Extension service can help you out. Many other universities have these types of services so chances are there is one near you that you can utilize if you are not in this area of the U.S./world (Yes, I can proudly say this blog has gone international). They have a great Gardening Tabloid with excellent information on vegetable gardening.