Garden Bounty

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash - oh my! Our garden jungle as we are calling it this year, has started to produce. We haven't been focusing much on it this year since we have been working so hard to grow grass in the backyard that was torn up during our septic tank re-do. We got it planted and then basically just let it be. The plants have grown like gangbusters and are all overlapping each other - hence the term garden jungle. We have to dive into it to find the produce that is hiding.

The season of creative cooking has begun. I always ask myself, "What can I make for dinner using stuff from the garden?" I've put squash in pasta dishes, cookies, casseroles, and cakes. The cucumbers find their way into lots of salads and sandwich fillings. The tomatoes are just beginning so we are just enjoying them. The creative uses for them will come in a few weeks.

I love just slipping out the backdoor and picking fresh ingredients! The kids love it too - they fight over who is going to dive into that jungle of squash plants to find the onions hiding underneath. I find myself going to the grocery store much less this time of year since we have a large basket of fresh items on the counter. It gives us more money to use on other fun activities which seem to abound this time of year.

Soon I will share some of the creative recipes I've come up with. But, here's a reminder of an old favorite - Garden salsa. It uses zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and onions all of which we have ready to pick.