Kale

Eat well.

Watermelon

Eat well.

Salsa

Eat well.

Pasta Sauce

1.  Gather fully ripened tomatoes, peppers and basil.

2.  Peel the tomatoes.  An easy way to peel tomatoes is to place them in boiling water for a minute, then remove and place them in cold water for a minute.  The tomato skins peel off easily.

3.  Add the tomatoes to a lightly sauteed mixture of onions and garlic in olive oil.

4.  Just before finish, add fresh basil and peppers to the sauce.

5.  Add sauce to pasta, with or without meat.

Eat well.

Bell Peppers

Fact: A bell pepper contains more Vitamin C than an orange.

Growing bell peppers is rewarding and relatively easy.  In general, peppers like full sun, and long drinks of water.  It is best to allow the plant a day or two between watering.  As with any garden crop, there is no fertilizer, pesticide, or wax.

Eat well.

Growth

As an experiment, my niece planted the weakest of three potted tomato plants in her backyard.

Roughly two months of sun and water (only).  

Over 40 tomatoes, just beginning to ripen.

Eat well.

Caprese

The top 2 reasons to have a garden:

1.

2.

Eat well.

Harvest

Consuming fresh, organic produce is the supreme reward for time spent in the garden.  There are many factors to consider before harvesting your bounty; particularly: maturity of the produce/plant, time of day, method of harvesting.

Examples:

   For peak flavor, harvest (most produce) just before full maturity.

   Collecting Basil in the morning provides more luscious and zestful leaves.

These are factors that I have noticed over various harvests, but there is no right or wrong way to enjoy your garden.  Whatever you choose, harvest in a mindful way that allows the plant to regrow, re-fruit, and/or reproduce.

Eat well.

Lifecycle

                  Adult       Grandparent       Child

Zucchini

When summer rolls around, two things are guaranteed:

1. Growing Zucchini

2. Grilling Zucchini

The recipe for the cedar plank salmon marinade (courtesy of my favorite Canadian) is:

1 part soy sauce

1 part white wine

1 part fresh grated ginger

4 parts 100% pure maple syrup

Eat well.

Plant Power

An early Nasturtium (thank you, MC)

Cheers to biological systems for solar energy, but these look awfully photovoltaic.

Basil

Commonly grown and loved, basil is a hearty herb that can be grown indoors or outdoors.  It thrives when frequently pruned and harvested.  As with many herbs, shorter and bushier plants often provide more flavorful leaves.  Besides adequate water and sunlight, the only required maintenance is preventing the plant from flowering.  This will happen at the tip(s) of the plant.  When flowering does occur, simply pinch them off, and the plant will continue to produce new leaves.



Remove the flowering top from the rest of the plant.

Of course, consumption is the reward.



Eat well.

Sunflowers

   

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