Well, the peas and radishes have come and gone already and the beans, cucumbers, zucchini and carrots are in full swing. I always say that the peas are my favorite, probably because they're first and they are absolutely delicious; but then when the carrots and cucumbers are ready I say that they're my favorites. But really, I think they all are my favorites, because we have grown them ourselves. It feels good to actually see and harvest the fruits of your labor. (No pun intended... well okay, maybe a little.)
As you walk into our lovely garden you are welcomed by a new addition, a sign I made my Mom for Mother's Day (as seen above) and to the left is rows of tomatoes, garlic, and peppers, followed by peas along the fence. Behind those and farther into the garden are the beans, carrots, and what use to be the radishes, followed by onions and brussle sprouts. To your right is one hill of pickling cucumbers followed by two hills of regular cucumbers, squash, zucchini and jack-0-lantern pumpkins. On the outside, my garden, you will find two very sad little hills of pickling cucumbers, as the deer ate all but one vine on each of the bushes that decided to grow, followed by birdhouse gourds, mini three-inch pumpkins and an array of sunflowers. There are also some newly acquired dahlia's as well. I love them and must say I can't wait until they get bigger. They're a bulb you have to dig up every fall, but my Aunt Mare has some big, beautiful, burgundy ones; and someday I'll have to steal some of hers, because they are so magnificent.
But so far we have had a pretty good year for the garden. I didn't get as many peas in the freezer as I would have liked, and I really wanted to try my hand at canning some this year, but that didn't work out. Perhaps if I do a fall planting I will have the opportunity to can some. But I did shell a few and got them in the freezer, as well as some whole ones for stir fry. Now, this past Sunday on the other hand I picked a TON of pickling and regular cucumbers, so I tried my hand at making pickles, I did whole, spear and chips, all of the dill variety. I had quite the adventure trying to find fresh dill, but leave it to Wegman's to come through for me. (Even if I did have to drive all the way downtown to get it.) We will find out if I did a good job or not in four to six weeks, as I used the 'quick method' and didn't let them sit in brine for days before canning them, so they need time to season. Then today, I picked two very large baskets of beans and froze about six quarts of them and them mom canned a few more pints to add to the ones she did a few weeks ago when we realized the beans were ready. But all in all it is going very well and I enjoy spending time up there, when I get myself motivated enough to go. My part of the garden, as it is new, needs lots of work to keep the weeds and grass out. Since it was just plowed this year we had a lot of sod in there and the grass was horrible. Luckily for me my Dad took the mini rototiller to it and got it all cleaned out for me again. I've been better about going up at least every three days or so and pulling some weeds. I figure every little bit helps right?
A Pepper
Have you ever seen garlic? Isn't it neat?
A basket full of peas I picked
I got the basket not long ago on a trip to Black Lake,
the Amish up there make some of the most
beautiful baskets ever! I bought three!
And last but not least some of the beautiful wild flowers that grow just outside our garden, as it is in the middle of a field. lol. (Blackeyed Susans, in case you were wondering.)
This past weekend I had the opportunity to reunite with my college roommates. We had a spectacular weekend on Chautauqua Lake, where my friend Betsy's family has a lake house. There are too many wonderful stories to share through this minuscule site... so I will simply summarize with the use of pictures. :)
Sarah and Betsy out on the kayaks: everyone but Nicki went out for a trip in the rough waters, we also went jet skiing... now that was fun... I never thought I'd really like it... but it was a blast!
All us girls: Brynn, Betsy, Me, Sarah & Nicki, before going out to dinner at The Village Casino at Bemus Point
All of us at night glow mini-golf: Brynn, me, Betsy, Nicki & Sarah
After mini-golfing madness... we stoked up the fire and toasted some smores... mmmm... of course I just ate the chocolate and marshmallows though. ;)
Someone's front porch at Chautauqua Institute (A place for the wealthy of the area to play/live) Isn't it just perfect?
And what Angela-esque post would be complete with out some closeups of flowers... some hydrangeas... in a very interesting colour I might add...
