Belated Harvest Monday, sans camera

Where did my camera disappear to?

Snow peas

Holy moly am I overrun with peas! I think I'll blanch and freeze this next group. I've used them in salads, stir-fries, a bf birthday mac n' "cheese", and of course just as hand-to-mouth snacks. It's a tough week for me at work.. I'm really glad that when I've been eating my feelings I've hit the peas first instead of the oreos. 

Basil

Yours truly made her first ever pesto! It rocked. I, therefore, rock. And I guess fresh basil is okay too. :)

Dill

Harvested some more leaves and made some more herb "cream cheese" and herb "butter".  All my dill plants (four total) are flowering now, so I need to decide when exactly to harvest these buggers for good. I wouldn't mind terribly if they seeded themselves, but I don't think I want them in those particular locations next year.

Scallions

Stir-fries, baked potatoes, future sushi, need I say more? 

Little Gem

These little heads are perfect for individual salads. Much love to Little Gem.


For all you gardeners out there, you should check out www.myfolia.com. There are a few kinks to work out, but it seems to be a fun tool for tracking your garden growth very specifically. You can keep track of all your plantings, giving them status updates as you see fit (Showing true leaves, Budding, Flowering, Harvesting, etc), search others' gardens, discuss specific plants, have people help you identify plants, swap seeds, etc. I'm enjoying using it so far. One reviewer wrote that it was "like facebook for gardeners". Agreed.

Cabbage Worms

...Are in my cabbage, broccoli, and collards. Cute fuzzy little caterpillars.... = $%#@! I hand-picked and disposed of the ones I found, and sprayed the heck out of the plants that were, of course, filled with little eggs. I'll keep a much closer eye on them from now on. *crosses fingers for plants*

Harvest Monday

"More of the same" doesn't really do justice to this deliciousness.

I probably have about two more harvests out of my radish squares. A few of these beauties became a gift and the rest served as peppery sweet candy for me. The tops have added nice variety to the fresh lettuce I've clipped for salads. I'm growing mostly Cherriettes, but a few pretty Sparklers also snuck into the plantings (not pictured).

Willpower abounded today and I was able to get a good chunk of peas into the house. Stir-fry, here I come!

Also able to harvest some Little Gem lettuce, basil, and dill. It's my first time growing any herbs whatsoever, so I am fairly proud of their production so far. I've only ever used dried dill, and though I've sampled "supermarket fresh" basil before, there is really nothing like growing it yourself. If we could only spread the love of this wonderful hobby/habit/lifestyle..

My boyfriend has terrible memories of weeding as a child, so though he's perfectly thrilled eating all of my fresh produce, I don't think he'll ever [willingly] pick up a trowel. I am working on sneaky ways to change that mentality.

English Muffin Pizzas

The super minimalistic version. Inspired by the fresh basil on my deck and the need for a quick snack. I can't wait until I have fresh tomatoes to make these with.

English muffins, diced tomatoes, basil, daiya, and dried oregano on top. DAIYA = AMAZING. It's not only palatable, it's freaking delicious and it melts normally, not like those many other vegan cheeses-that-will-not-be-named.

simple side dish... i'm obsessed.

Disclaimer: This is not my asparagus. This is asparagus from my lovely neighbor across the street. I intend to pay him in kind with tomatoes and other goodies later in the season.

You cannot beat fresh asparagus with that store-bought shtuff. No way, no how.

And now, my favorite way to prepare said delicious vegetable:

Rinse and chop off the bottom ends
Rub down with a little bit of margarine (I just use a paper towel)
Season lightly with salt and pepper
Roast at 350 for about 12-15 minutes, or until fork tender

I am so ridiculously lucky that my mother and I are the only ones in the house who eat this stuff.

Vegan Cheesecake.

Vegan. Cheesecake.

I kid you not.

The test - my [omni] parents had slices and said they really liked it. I really liked it. My [vegan] boyfriend really liked it. 

The ultimate reward: my [omni] parents nearly demolished the cake in one day! That, to me, is true success.