Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini

My cousin Stephanie sent me some zucchini seeds, and I had no idea what huge producers they are. Along with the summer squash which is producing like mad too, we are going to be eating a lot of gourds. Tonight I am going to make zucchini bread and try out a zucchini lasagna recipe. I wonder how long it will take before I start unloading this stuff on other people.

Gourd Heaven

Well, it's just getting started, but I think our main big crop is going to be gourds. Pumpkins and squash were about the only thing we actually got to eat out of our garden in Arroyo Hondo last year. So.... I planted this year like the plants were going to get the same size as they did last year. At 2,000 ft. lower in altitude. They are much bigger plants and are producing much faster than I could have anticipated. Last year at this time I think we were just getting our pumpkins started and we had more than we could handle. Right now we already have a dozen pumpkins or so growing and there is still more than four months left in the growing season. Even our winter squash is starting to produce. Also the tomatillo plants are getting so big they're falling over and the tomatoes need to be staked. Yee-haw. I'm ready.

Yet Another Visual Update

What's Up Doc?

I might have pulled these too early, but I've never grown carrots and I couldn't wait to try them. I can't quite remember if these are purple cosmic or parisienne, but they are delicious and spicy; almost like a radish. I roughly manipulated the images because they were really bright, but I didn't mess with the color.

Dinner

Joseph's mom bought us some chicken breasts, so tonight I decided to cook up some garden food that won't last much longer. I marinated the chicken breasts in lime juice, rosemary and fresh sweet and lemon basil. The beets were boiled until fully cooked and then marinated and roasted in balsamic vinegar and herbes de provence. The peas were a little tough because it has been hot and then they sat in the fridge for a few days. These were prepared by roasting with oil, salt and pepper. Okay, but not great. Overall a tasty dinner. I love beets and luckily we have more in the fridge and more in the garden. Next I need to learn 101 ways to cook zucchini; looks like were gonna have lots.

Friday's Harvest

My dog got sick, really sick, and I didn't water the garden for one day. In that day I lost a catnip plant, marjoram, sunflowers, and lavender. It could've been way worse, but I am really wanting some rain now. Plants just seem to prefer it to the hose. Regardless, I got 14 beets out of the garden and we still have some in the fridge we haven't eaten. I figure I'll just cook them all tonight and eat them for snacks. I could probably live off of beets.

Saturday's Harvest

Well, I had no choice but to pick this stuff. Otherwise the plants either would have burnt up or sucked all the water out of the soil in no time. It is supposed to be over 100 degrees today, tomorrow and pretty darn hot for the rest of the week. Looks good out there though....for now.

A little visual update

Everything is pretty toasted in these pictures. It was nearly a hundred degrees here today and is supposed to get worse. Watering at night and/or in the morning seems to help the plants make it through intense days. The squash and zucchini plants are huge (nearly knee level) and the sunflowers are past waist high. The pumpkins are also starting to travel across the yard!

Salad

On Tuesday night we grilled hamburgers, baked potatoes, and made a delicious salad. I marinated and roasted garden beets in balsamic vinegar and herbes de provence and caramelized them in the oven. The spinach, lettuce, and peas were from the garden as well along with a bit of chopped basil from one of the window boxes. The peas were lightly blanched and marinated in olive oil, lemon, and mint. The salad also had some chopped walnuts, hard-boiled eggs, and feta cheese. It was great! Tonight we are grilling steaks, making mashed potatoes, and serving it with sauteed beet and spinach greens from the garden.