In the Cabbage Patch with Sunflowers

Today we harvested the two cabbage plants that survived winter transplant and the spring worm attacks.

Two nice heads of cabbage by two new giant sunflowers

The short sunflowers are on a plant that recovered from a nibbling deer. The tall sunflower, yet to bloom, is the tallest in our garden.

What a Chick: An Update on 'Uno'

A Baby Chick!

Our chickens have been sitting on eight fertile eggs for 20 days. Right on schedule, one of the eggs started to hatch!

Full nesting boxes. In the middle, Lacey sits on her fertile eggs, including one baby chick!

Baby peeking out from Mommy, still damp, without fluffy feathers.

Welcome, Baby Chick

Tomatoes!

A quart of tomatoes from the garden in one day! Featuring small yellow Blondkopchen (back) and large red Early Girls (middle and front), and one red San Marzano (front right)

Dual-Purpose Vine Trellis

We were inspired to build a dual-purpose vine trellis which would bear an edible vine and shade the house from the hot afternoon sun.

We first built a retaining wall along the sloped side yard and planted Scarlet Runner Bean seeds, protected by a wire cage from the deer.

The netting is a re-purposed vegetable garden trellis. We tied rope along the top (left in photo) edge of the trellis. This rope was then tied at either end to anchors screwed into the roof soffit.

The bottom of the netting was cut to length and then secured along the base to a branch

The branch was then pinned down with a stake and a rock for extra security

The vines begin to take hold of the trellis. We added a short piece of rope from the cage to the trellis for a shorter plant to grow up

Picasso admires the finished work

Sights in the Garden

Elephant Garlic bloom

Poblano peppers

Serrano peppers...please turn red soon!

Growing corn

Okra in bloom

Papery tomatillo husk

Melon vines

Melon bloom

San Marzano (traditional Italian pizza sauce tomato) begins ripening

Happy arugula in bloom

Turks cap's turban-like flower

Color & Flavor

Some images of recent harvests from the garden.

Our first harvest of Maclaw eggplant, jalapeno peppers, and one okra (on the right)

A colorful bounty of tomatoes, some onions and garlic, yellow squash, peas, and our one acorn squash

One of two giant zucchinis that became the "noodles" of a vegetable lasagna. Delicious!

Tomatoes and basil ready to be added to our first ratatouille of the year!

Little Orbs of Sunshine

Like holding sunshine in your hand!

A Bouquet to Share

A vase of wildflowers from our meadow for sharing! 

Little Spoons of Joy

What an amazing dinner we had the other night, featuring our abundant summer squash. The flavors were amazing and it looked amazing too - the crookneck squash looked just like little spoons.

Stuffed Summer Squash Adapted from LA Times

• 2 quarts water
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 2 1/2 pounds small to medium yellow crookneck squash (about 8 to 10 squash), look for smaller squash to avoid large seeds in the filling.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely diced button mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
• Fresh ground black pepper

1.In a medium pot, bring the 2 quarts of water to a boil, then add 2 teaspoons salt and the squash. Reduce the heat and simmer the squash, covered, until they are just tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 to 10 minutes (timing will vary depending on the size and age of the squash). Drain the squash and chill in a bowl of ice water until cool to the touch.

2. Halve each squash lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh in the center with a spoon, making sure to leave enough flesh near the shell so the shells can be stuffed. Place the scooped flesh in a strainer and set aside to drain for at least 10 minutes to drain excess liquid.

3. While the squash is draining, heat a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is softened and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook until they are tender and lightly browned, another 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the drained squash flesh (don't worry if it is still moist, it will not be completely dry) and stir well to combine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and set the squash filling aside to cool slightly.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the squash filling, cheese and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir well and season with a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper.

5. Divide the filling into the squash shells. Place the shells in a large baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until hot and lightly browned in spots, 25 to 35 minutes, in a 350 degree oven, depending on the size of the squash. Or in our case, garnish with tomato slices and fresh snap peas, and put the squash in an aluminum pan and heat through on the grill, for a truly summer dish!

Sights in the Garden

Despite the lack of April rainfall, the summer garden is coming to life more and more each week.

Ripening Tomatoes

A zinnia beginning to bloom

Sunflowers, which seeded themselves into the garden, are enjoyed by the bees

Harvesting prolific summer squash

Blondkopfchen tomatoes covered in blooms

Corn beginning to bloom

Sandy exploring the garden

Alma figs beginning to develop

Baby eggplant

Butternut Squash

First harvest of garlic. We remove the outer layer of dirt and let them dry inside under a fan