Around the yard...

Our garden has been producing an amazing amount of squash.

Our little piece of paradise.  There's no place like home!

Summer Dinner

 Bok choy and mustard greens from the garden with a few foraged greens as well.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add minced garlic, shredded carrots and sweet peppers - saute.

Add chopped greens - saute

Stir in cooked rice (I also added some corn and peas which were in the fridge and needed used up).

Serve with a fried egg and saracha.

This is one of my favorite meals to make right now.  It's hearty, filling, and can be used with any variety of vegetables on hand.  It's versatile and can be amended with whatever is growing.

This is best served on the deck at dusk with a glass of cucumber-mint water.

How does your garden grow?

The herbs I started from seed are doing good so far.  I've never had a lot of luck with dill or cilantro, but I have high hopes this year.

 Our peas and potatoes have been growing quickly.  I really need to "hill" the potatoes - I guess that's what I will do after posting this.  If I don't do it now, it probably will never get done.

And that dark indent it the soil is a deer track, which I find in the garden beds daily.  They have yet to eat anything that I can tell.  There are so many plants around, I'm hoping that their bellies are full by the time they waltz through my yard.

I've been able to harvest some lettuce, mustard greens, and chives so far.  I could probably pull some garlic if I needed to. The melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, etc are growing, growing.  It's exciting, you know, to plant a seed and have it grow.

The Vege-Men's Revenge: written by Bertha Upton / 1897

I don't own this lovely book, but I would love to some day.  You can read the full book with all the illustrations  here. 

 The story is about a little girl named Poppy who is sent by her mother to collect vegetables in her basket. The book is in three parts and in the first part Poppy meets Herr Carrot and Don Tomato who entice her with 'fair words' to come and see how they grow underground.