My garden a couple of weeks ago.
This year we discovered the beauty of laying hay down in our garden. It has made an enormous difference a number of areas. It has cut the weeding back to a very manageable amount, not to mention that the plants are healthier than ever and absolutely thriving this year. There is one added surprise to the addition of the hay in the garden - we seem to have a family of mourning doves nesting in there. But, that's not the point of this post...
We planted two types of green beans this year - Blue Lake and the French green bean, Haricot Verts. The Hericot Verts are evidently prolific producers and I was able to pick the first of them today. There was enough for dinner plus left-overs. These are super fast and easy to make using a recipe I got off of an old video from "The French Chef", Julia Child's PBS television show. I rented the videos from the library and they were so old that they were in black and white. Man, oh, man, did they have some great recipes on them, though!
Hericot Verts
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add hericot verts (fresh or frozen) and boil for about 3 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Put beans back into warm stock pot to dry the water off of them. Add about a tablespoon of butter and shake to melt and coat the beans. Then add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. That's it. Easy peasy.
We also have zucchini and crookneck squash growing. I harvested one veggie of each and whipped up one of our (many) favorite squash dishes.
Sauteed Summer Squash
Thinly slice 1 zucchini and 1 squash. Finely chop 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic. Pour a little olive oil (1 or 2 tablespoons) into a skillet on medium heat. Add vegetables and toss occasionally until they are tender. Season to taste with sea salt and Nature's Seasoning. Super simple. Great flavor.
There is nothing quite like walking out into your own back yard and plucking dinner straight from the vines. It is truly one of life's greatest luxuries. The flavor and freshness absolutely cannot be bought. And the reassurance that there are no harmful chemicals added to the food we're eating gives me great peace of mind. I'm so thankful to finally have a slice of land to be able to grow our own food on. I've got a lot of wonderful harvesting ahead of me this season and I couldn't be happier about that!
We planted two types of green beans this year - Blue Lake and the French green bean, Haricot Verts. The Hericot Verts are evidently prolific producers and I was able to pick the first of them today. There was enough for dinner plus left-overs. These are super fast and easy to make using a recipe I got off of an old video from "The French Chef", Julia Child's PBS television show. I rented the videos from the library and they were so old that they were in black and white. Man, oh, man, did they have some great recipes on them, though!
Hericot Verts
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add hericot verts (fresh or frozen) and boil for about 3 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Put beans back into warm stock pot to dry the water off of them. Add about a tablespoon of butter and shake to melt and coat the beans. Then add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. That's it. Easy peasy.
We also have zucchini and crookneck squash growing. I harvested one veggie of each and whipped up one of our (many) favorite squash dishes.
Sauteed Summer Squash
Thinly slice 1 zucchini and 1 squash. Finely chop 1 onion and 1 clove of garlic. Pour a little olive oil (1 or 2 tablespoons) into a skillet on medium heat. Add vegetables and toss occasionally until they are tender. Season to taste with sea salt and Nature's Seasoning. Super simple. Great flavor.
Hericot Verts, sauteed summer squash, pasta salad and twice-baked potatoes
There is nothing quite like walking out into your own back yard and plucking dinner straight from the vines. It is truly one of life's greatest luxuries. The flavor and freshness absolutely cannot be bought. And the reassurance that there are no harmful chemicals added to the food we're eating gives me great peace of mind. I'm so thankful to finally have a slice of land to be able to grow our own food on. I've got a lot of wonderful harvesting ahead of me this season and I couldn't be happier about that!
I absolutely love when you share recipes. My hubby enjoys eating the things you share. He is such a veggy lover. I came to the marriage with meat recipes! It helps to have the how to's to veggy cooking.
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