Garden Veggie and Orzo Salad

Ingredients needed:
1 box of orzo pasta (cook according to directions, cool, and toss with lots of olive oil)
1 large cucumber (peeled, seeds scraped out, and cut into little bits)
3 or 4 roma tomatoes (cut into little bits)
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves (snipped into little pieces)
1 package of whole feta cheese (you crumble it)
1 jar of artichoke hearts (drained and cut into little bits)

Mix everything together in a big bowl, chill, and serve cold. Best made with cukes, tomatoes, and basil fresh from the garden! Yummy!

Giant sunflowers, ears of corn, and baby melons

As you can see the sunflowers have gotten HUGE!!! They are growing above the fence. The watermelon vine now has 3 little golf-ball sized watermelons starting to swell- I'll be making watermelon margaritas someday soon! The ears of corn have been steadily getting bigger too and the Mr. Stripey tomatoes. I'm already planning what cover crops to plant to prepare the soil for next spring (some clover maybe) or considering some winter veggies... This garden has been really easy to care for- the most work went into soil preparation and planting at the beginning. Since then, just watering and a little weed pulling- nothing major! The cucumbers have been delicious- so much sweeter and juicier than from the store. I think I am near the end of cucumber production though. :( Next year will stagger 2 plantings I think... I am saving corn recipes because we will soon have corn coming out of our ears! Har har

Backyard garden

A baby bean and sunflowers that are about 4 feet tall! The watermelon and cantalope vines are growing well too-see them at the bottom?

It's been a while!!!

Just been watering the gardens and listening to the corn grow. And grow it has.... not to mention my phallic looking cucumbers! I was crying I was laughing so hard when I discovered this huge penis-like cucumber. Is it reminding me that I don't need a man or did it grow that way from all the gay men in my neighborhood sprinkling their gay-dust on my garden? (No offense to anyone- I love gay men!) I also have been picking tons of tomatoes-so sweet and yummy warmed by the sun, picked right off the vine. I made the yummiest salad tonight- I hacked apart the dongcumber, added tomatoes and basil fresh from the garden...mmmmmmmm!