Natalie said:You keep saying that you aren't a good cook, but I'm sure that you are an awesome cook!

No, I really am a terrible cook. But it doesn't take much smarts to make a nice crockpot veggie soup. And another popular summer meal is stir fry. Bean stir fry was last years favorite but I can't wait to stir fry some zucchini this year.

Maybe you aren't cooking extravagant meals for fancy dinner parties, but that doesn't mean you are a terrible cook! Everything you talk about cooking sounds so delicious! And if it's edible, that's good enough for me!

vic said:I think you're an awesome cook too. I was wondering if you would add tomatoes because that sounded like a good addition to your veggie soup too

I love tomatoes. One of my favorite summer light meals is a tomato and cucumber salad. Sometimes with salad dressing other times with some sour cream. Oh yummy. Making my mouth water thinking of it. I love stir fried peppers also. And tomato sandwiches. Oh yumm on the tomato sandwiches.

Natalie said:Maybe you aren't cooking extravagant meals for fancy dinner parties, but that doesn't mean you are a terrible cook! Everything you talk about cooking sounds so delicious! And if it's edible, that's good enough for me!

Thanks! It has to be simple or I don't even try to make it. My neighbor is such an awesome cook, I am in awe of the things she makes.

Tomato sandwiches are an all time favorite summer meal here

vic said:Tomato sandwiches are an all time favorite summer meal here

Love my tomato sandwiches!

Me too on the tomato sandwiches!!! LOVE THEM!!!

Rita, I still think you must be a great cook! Things don't have to be fancy to be good, and some of the best food ever is simple to make, and doesn't take a recipe or a lot of time. That doesn't make you a bad cook! That makes you smart!

I am so limited on what I know how to make well. The crockpot did help a lot as it makes cooking easy. But in summer I don't need to cook much as the veggies are easy to get cooked up and don't even always need cooking.

Newyorkrita said:I make a veggie soup in the winter that is based on root veggies and dried peas and beans. So turnips, potatoes, parsip, sweet potato, dried green peas, dried beans. onion and whatever else I might have. Summer Soup is different as it is for fresh from the garden and use whatever one has growing. Oh yes, forgot the green peppers and tomatoes! How could I forget!. I really eat a lot of veggies in the summer, I just about live on my garden veggies in the summer.

So I ment that both the winter veggie soup and the summer might have beans and peas. But winter has died split peas and dried shelled beans. While summer has fresh peas from the garden and fresh green beans. I had those yard long beans last year and they are very tasty. Also had Blue Lake pole beans. Love fresh green beans.

This year I am growing the yard long beans again. And also Tenderette bush green beans. And in another month I will most likely sow another batch of bush beans to keep the harvest going. Unless I am over run with yard long beans!

daylily said:I think they are going to rename the Florida Weave to be the Long Island Weave.

So on the subject of Florida weave. Here is a picture of my version of Florida weave tomato bed.


I put the stakes every two plants cause I felt it would be too difficult for me to leave out the middle post and go four plants. If you are stronger than I am then you could leave out the middle post and just use the weave to support the four plant row. That would be more tradional for the Florida weave.

Other tomato beds take those triangle cages you see sold at the nurseries.


This square bed has tomatoes and peppers both. On the inside square netting I am growing my yard long beans. In the very back I have acress and just put lettuce and radishes instead of tomato cages.

chives look so pretty blooming


So far it seems my Bok Choi planter bowl was a very good idea. These are doing nicely. Should grow to about 5-6 inches for harvest.

I have some 4 inch baby zuczhini by now. Hope that means they are pollinated and will not be dropping off. I am anxiouis to eat my own home griown zuccnini instead of store bought.

Rita, you'll find it almost impossible to go back to store-bought zucchini!

I just got finished weeding to the back of the garden fence! Of course, there are still lots of weeds at ground level, but I'm so glad to have that part of it behind me! It's a muddy mess out there though so it will have to dry out a day or two before I can start planting my daylilies and veggies. I'm so excited! Oh wait. Now I have to haul off the huge piles of weeds! Now I'm not so excited!

I am sure it is like everything else in the veggie garden. Home grown has so much more flavor than store bought.

Natalie, haul those weeds and plant those daylilies!

I started hauling the weeds to the gully, and decided that it was way too much work. I told Mark that I'm dumping them outside the garden, and I'll deal with them later. I also told him that if he had a problem with it, he could grab a wheelbarrow and help. Turns out that he didn't have a problem with it. It wouldn't be bad, but my garden cart doesn't hold a lot, and my boots are so caked with wet mud that I feel like I'm wearing cement boots! Looks like I need to find a little dump trailer for the ATV. That sure would help, because the gully is a long way off from the veggie garden.'

One pile gone, 3 more to go!

Natalie!

I will have lots and lots of cut basil for market this week. I have some green beans very close. Maybe next week. We picked some snow peas today. The first batch of lettuce is about over but I planted a second batch and it is ready now as well. I got 10 crowns of broccoli and two cauliflower. Most were smaller than usual. And my peppers are really taking off now that it's hot. You can actually see the plants now!

I planted more sweet corn too. They didn't have Silver Queen so we planted Merit, a yellow. Sure hope it tastes good!

For cut flowers, the asclepia are going strong and I discovered a few yellow ones. Daisies are ready. Penstemon is loaded. New Calendulas are blooming. Callas that I got through a coop order are blooming. I have never used them as a cut flower but I'm going to try.

Rita, i don't have any baby squash yet, but then again, mine are covered so I may, but I doubt it.

Oh, we harvested our first honey of the year too!

Arlene. Your garden sounds so wonderful with all the things you plant and harvest!

Some seeds that I ordered came in todays mail so I sowed Wakefield and Michihli Cabbages, golden beets and Tatsoi (an asian green). I am very late to start all of these so I might not be sucessful. Only did a few. But I have a lot of seed so decided to give it a go even thought it is late. Definatly plan on doing these again for a fall crop. Oh forgot, turnips also.

abhege said:Oh, we harvested our first honey of the year too!

Yumm!