It’s been about a month since I planted my garden.
Here’s how it started.
Here’s what it looks like one month later. What a little sun and rain will do, when you start with good dirt…
Without a wide-angle lens, I can’t get the whole thing in. But you get the idea.
So far, we’ve enjoyed Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, the usual lettuces, peas, snow peas, beets, all kinds of herbs (most of which I dry for use throughout the year), and all kinds of berries.
Forget the birds and rabbits. With dogs who like raspberries and blueberries as much as the humans do, it’s hard to collect enough to bring in the house. We usually just stand out in the berry patches and chow down. The only reason these are left is because they’re not fully ripe yet.
So far, the rabbits have enjoyed most of my edamame and some of my bean plants. But they’ve left everything else alone.
Zucchinis and green beans are almost ready. Hot weather crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) have quite a way to go. But the vines are starting to take off like crazy. I love my pumpkins and squashes. Can’t tell you why, but they always put a smile on my face.
I wanted to test a couple of new seeds this year. I selected two different snow peas: Oregon Giant and Melting Sugar Snow Peas. The Oregon Giant is truly gigantic and surprisingly sweet for the size (pods are up to 5″ long), but not very prolific. The Melting Sugar is an heirloom and more of a traditional snow pea. And much more bountiful. Because space is at a premium in my garden, I’ll be sticking with the heirloom.
And because I’m always looking for ways to trick my family to eat more of a variety of vegetables (some of which they’re inclined to turn up their noses), I like to share the recipes that are hits around here. The winner, by a landslide, for chard is from Cooks.com
| SWISS-CHARD BAKE | |
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1 1/2 lb. Swiss chard
1/2 onion, minced
2 tbsp. butter 4 eggs, well beaten 1 c. buttermilk 2 tbsp. flour 1/2 tsp. salt Few drops of pepper sauce 1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese Wash and peel stems from chard and drop in boiling water. Cook about 3 minutes before adding the leaves. Cook another 3 minutes. Remove from water and cut into pieces. Cook onion in butter a few minutes. Then add the Swiss chard to skillet with onion and butter stirring constantly to combine the flavor of onion and butter. Set aside.Beat eggs, add buttermilk, flour and salt and pepper. Mix well together. Combine cheese. In greased casserole place a layer of chard and a layer of cheese until all in dish. Cover with egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
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Happy 4th everyone.
And please don’t forget to give your noise-sensitive dogs benadryl a few hours before the fireworks begin.
The dosage for Benadryl is as follows: Dosage every 8 hours
Dogs under 30 lbs and Cats : 10 mg
Dogs 30-50 lbs: 25 mg
Dogs over 50 lbs: 50 mg
Deb, I hear ya. Chard is not everyone’s cup of tea. But our diet is so high in veggies that we’re all sick of the “usuals.”
Nita, I stayed home with my doggies too. I’ve tried various natural remedies for them with little to no relief. I’ve even tried TTouch and wraps. My vet recommended Benadryl and it has worked like a charm. But I’m always looking for better natural ways so will definitely look into the Aconite. Thanks.
Alexis, gardening is meditation for me. If you were nearby, I’d be happy to plant one for you.
Caffienated Cowgirl, I haven’t been able to figure out why the rabbits eat what they do and leave alone what they do. They haven’t bothered my lettuce at all. Last year, it was the peas. Maybe, like us, they get tired of the same old-same old, and like a little variety. :)
Lynn, not quite living off the land yet, but that’s what I’d like to work toward.
How wonderful to live off the land (and give the animals a treat too).
Oh my, look at that garden…I am jealous! So the rabbits are fond of the edamame? Hmm…I wonder why that and not some of the other plants?
Caffienated Cowgirl’s last blog post..I May Just Stay Forever
If this were my garden, the ‘after’ pic would look more like the first pic…with a tad more dirt (the hay would have been gone by then).
Nice job!
Chris
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Your garden is awesome! Wow! I am so jealous. Can you come plant one for me?
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The garden is amazing!
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I love that recipe! The garden is gorgeous also. I stayed home with doggies while the menfolk went off to make noise. It was cool and rainy here, so we hung out in the house and greenhouse and they seemed fine. We use Aconite for stress, but everyone was calm, so I didn’t administer anything but undivided attention.
Nita’s last blog post..July 4th
Thanks but I’ll skip the Swiss Chard. However, I totally agree with Benadryl for calming down wired pets. It was the only way to travel by car with Abby; even the vet’s sedative didn’t work as well and he questioned Benadryl as being appropriate. But I used the infant dosing chart.
Deb’s last blog post..Fourth of July blast in the past