Garden Harvest

Here are pics from the latest harvests. I can not believe how many cucumbers and tomatoes we have. There are also squash and I have baby jalapeno peppers.

Garden Harvest

Some photos of the harvests, I have not taken pics of everything, I will try to do better!

Recipes From the Garden: Tzatziki Sauce

My husband and I are big fans of international food. You could call us foodies I guess. I love to cook and try new things and when we decided that we should try and make some Shawarmas at home like we get from one of our favorite local restaurant, I found I was lacking something on the Shawarma, I knew I had not put the sauce on it because I was lacking the recipe for the Tzatziki Sauce. So the next time I made it, I wanted the sauce.

I scoured the internet, (not really I went straight to food network.com) and found a great recipe from a favorite celebrity chef and foodie, Alton Brown. The next time I wanted Shawarmas, I made the sauce and it was definitely more like what we get at the restaurant.

Tzatziki Sauce:

16 ounces plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

Pinch kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced


Place the chopped cucumber in paper towels and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Friday Favorite June 11, 2010: Smitten Kitchen

Today's Friday favorite strays a bit from the garden, but not too much when you think about it. After all, vegetable gardening is done for the main purpose of producing food. Gardens produce fresh, yummy produce turned into scrumptious dishes grown and prepared by your own hands. So to include a recipe blog as a Friday Favorite is not too far fetched.

This is a blog introduced to me by my husband. It never fails that almost every time I look at it I begin drooling. Today's Friday Favorite is Smitten Kitchen. Click the link and enter the glorious goodness.

Harvest Time! Holy Hugeness and First Ripe Tomato!

I got several hand fulls of blueberries from my year old patio blueberry bushes. They were good but I picked the first ones too soon, lesson learned.

After worrying about my cucumbers and wondering why they were not pollinating, we found a monster in my garden. I have no idea how it got past my husband's and my daily inspection of the garden, but it did.

Yesterday at lunch, I was so excited because I had several 3 inch cucumbers and while looking for more, my husband pulled up this 15 inch long 8 inch around big boy. My kids think it is awesome. I have no idea if it is fit to eat but will cut it open at dinner tonight and find out.
I also harvested my first ripe tomato yesterday from my Pink Girl. Planning to eat it with dinner tonight which will also include squash, and okra from the garden.

More Harvest

I harvested some okra and blueberries, I have a lone strawberry turning pink. Still no ripe tomatoes or cucumbers and only a few more days until a heck of a lot of squash is ready to pick. I am ready for the tomatoes though, maybe I will cut a couple green ones and make fried green tomatoes. YUM!

I think I need to help my cucumbers, they do not appear to be pollinating so the baby ones are shriveling up and not making fruit. I am contemplating piping jazz into the garden to get the cucumbers in the mood for love.

First Harvest!

Yesterday I got my first harvest. One lonely squash and 3 blueberries.
I have so many baby squash, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes, that when they are ready to harvest it will be a big one (hopefully). I also have baby okra!

Friday Favorite May 28, 2010: Garden Guides

Today's Friday Favorite is Garden Guides.
It is a great resource that I find myself going to time and time again. It is a bank of resources that are very helpful and you can find information from beginning basic all the way to expert level. I have found many answers to questions that I have about my garden here, and have also gotten information and ideas.

They have video tutorials, articles, plant information, design ideas, you name it, you can probably find it at Garden Guides.