As the Garden Grows

This has been a wonderful summer for me and this challenge. Our garden has provided us with plenty of food and last night we had a feast...all from our garden except for the biscuits and a little bit of oil, salt and pepper. We had crowder peas that were just shelled the day before, fried(in just a little oil) squash and okra(just picked), Silver Queen corn that was oh so delicious and pulled just as I put the pot of water on to boil. Add to that some cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and buttermilk biscuits! mmmgood. I should also add that I did have a small dollop of mayo on my biscuit with a slice of tomato......heaven on earth! Call me crazy, but I love eating fresh from our garden. There is nothing to compare with it in the food world.

Our tomatoes are doing very well and I have to comment on the heirlooms that I planted this year. The Brandywines did very well and were deliciously sweet while the Cherokee Purple tomatoes have done excellent also and the taste is amazing. They have a very strong tomato flavor, very juicy, and I suspect high acid. They have been very tasty with cucumbers on a sandwich(which I have eaten for lunch for about 2 weeks straight now). This is my first year growing heirlooms and the experience has been a good one. Now to save some seed and see how well I will do with keeping that heirloom tradition alive in my own garden.

The garden is so alive right now. The sunflowers are towering above all with their smiling faces greeting me each morning. There are few things as cheery as sunflowers. I also have calendula, and bachelor buttons flowering in my garden along with the oregano and cilantro that I have let flower. The bees love these and have been happily buzzing in my garden for some time now. I have been harvesting jalapenos and cayenne peppers, sweet bell pepper, and tomatoes. The corn crowder peas and okra are new additions while the green beans and cucumbers are just about giving out. The butterbeans are loaded with lovely pods and I expect to get a bumper crop this year. The butternut squash are doing great so far and I may put some straw or something underneath them to keep them from rotting. I have to find a good place to store these. I may dig a big hold and line it with straw, then cover it from rain as I don't yet have my cellar dug. We also planted some late corn and potatoes and they both look good. My next move is to remove the beans and squash and get ready for some fall planting. I think I will try some late tomatoes with a cutting from an existing plant. I'll let yall know how this turns out. We're finally getting a little rain and the garden is a sanctuary once again.