How does your garden grow?

Just thought I'd post a few pictures of what's been growing around our little farm of late.  Summer's in full swing and we've got all kinds of stuff just a growin' and a growin'...all kinds of stuff!


Don't you just love summer time!!??  I do.  I can no longer tolerate extreme heat, but this summer the temps have been pleasant and not overly hot.  I'm thankful!  However, this weekend we're supposed to experience a teeny-weeny little heat wave!  Yep, all the stores will sell out of A/C units, lakes, rivers and the beach will be swarming with people trying to avoid the heat, and all us Pacific Northwesterners will be screaming like banchees!!  We're wimps.  Totally.  Oh well, ya just gotta roll with what flows, right?  Not much else a gal can do...and the heat will help my gardens grow!!!   :)  Maybe I'll get some ripe maters!!  Oh yeah!!

Speaking of tow-maters!!  See these?  We ate these little beauties last night.  Now we don't have any more tow-maters!!  :(              They sure were tasty though...

This was the bounty picked from our little backyard garden last night.  We ate the tomatoes, and the green beans.  *burp*  Pardon me, but they were tasty!!  I'm thinking we'll grill up those squash and eat them for dinner tonight...it's like having my very own personal grocery store in my backyard - love it!!!

Yellow crook neck squash...very tasty added to spaghetti sauce.

Beautiful little slicing cucumbers.  I love to slice these about 1/4" thick and put them in a bowl with some raw onion slices, mild rice vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh sprigs of dill and a little water.  Let marinade for a few hours in the fridge...and enjoy!!!  Very tasty added to sandwiches too.

 Zucchini squash.  These beauties can be fixed in oh, so many different ways!!  Scoop out the innards and mix with seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, browned and crumbled meat (or not) and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella.  Grill or broil and eat!  Chop up and put in spaghetti sauce!  Place with a variety of other fresh veggies and grill on skewers!  Slice and add butter, salt and pepper and cook in the microwave!  Or...slice, squeeze excess water out and put in muffins or breads!!  Oh my - so many choices!!

Nasturtiums that have completely taken over my front flower bed - believe it or not, there are all kinds of flower varieties planted underneath just trying to break free of their mad, dominating jungle above!!  And I thought I was going to have trouble finding a flower that would tolerate the heat of this side of the house...

One of my favorite rusty "things" planted with my flowers in another bed.  

A close-up of a nasturtium.  Did you know that they're edible, and are quite tasty added to salads?  Try 'em sometime!!

The standard summer flower seen in pots and on decks everywhere - geraniums!!

Found I was running out of flower pots, and discovered another use for "ye olde ash bucket".  These are petunias, and are probably my favorite summer flower for everywhere!  Love them!!

The pretty, but "dadburned" ivy that refuses to die!!!!!!!!!  I love it, but it grows and permeates  everywhere and can become quite damaging to fences, decking, siding...you get the picture.

Our backyard deck steps...flowers pretty much everywhere!!  Sweet, but spicy carnations and the "infamous" Red Geranium in a terre cotta pot.  Always makes me think of Italy.   :)

The backyard shade tree all dressed up and nowhere to go.

 Another one of my pretty little rusty things planted in the tomato garden.  These beauties are "Beefsteak".  A slow variety to mature, but oh, so worth the wait!!!  Slice em up and eat em with a sprinkle of salt...perfection!!  Or...chop and add fresh, sweet basil and serve over hot pasta and topped with freshly grated Parmesan!!  Oooh - this is why we grow tomatoes my friends!!  Try it!!!

Our green bean "tee-pee" formed of old sticks recycled from the apple orchard...works like a charm!

It doesn't require a lot of acreage to have a home garden.  We have these 2 raised beds and a 55-gallon barrel cut in half lengthwise.  That's our garden!  Gone are the days of huge gardens for me!  Too much work and too little time or energy, but container or raised-bed gardening is right up my alley.

Beautifully sweet Marionberries...the stuff of which heavenly memories are made.  Absolutely perfection in a pie, cobbler, jam, syrup or eaten by the handfuls.  Soooooo good!!!

However, too much of a good thing can become a problem.  Remember my little berry patch?  Well, she's gotten a little out of hand, and I'm thinking we need to do a major "haircut" and begin again.  What do you think?  Hmmm?  The raspberries are becoming buried within the hardier marions...we just cannot have that.

Look what else we found growing on the farm?  :)
These are what are commonly referred to as "stall potatoes".  
Despite what some may believe - these stall potatoes are not edible.
They require a lot of money, a lot of work and a dash of insanity...but, please do not eat.

On their behalf, I thank you.

Summer is but short and sweet...please, do enjoy.  Life is all about slowing down and making some memories to savor later.

Blessings from Cingspots