Garden Stuff

We enjoyed our first garden cucumber of 2013, it was delicious. I think garden cucumbers taste so much better then store bought! We had 3 squash and 2 cucumbers in the garden from yesterday afternoon to today. I have a drawer full of squash and zucchini now in the frig so I have to get creative with my recipes now to include more squash and zucchini, if all else fails just cooking them in olive oil in a frying pan with a little salt and pepper works out well.

I made a dish yesterday with squash, zucchini, brown rice, onions and chicken broth. I chopped up the onions, squash and zucchini into cubes and put them in the bottom of a large pot. I added the brown rice and then the chicken broth instead of the water. I sprinkled a lot of allspice and garlic on top and a little salt and some cinnamon. I boiled it and then covered it and cooked it until the rice was done. It was really good. I served it with a salad that was dressed with a little olive oil, lemon and salt. It was a good meatless meal.

Next time I need to remember to leave out about a half a cup of the broth or water since the rice also soaks up the liquid from the vegetables, so it took a lot longer to cook then I thought. (Although, not truly vegetarian because of the chicken broth.) After it was done, I took the pot and flipped it onto a big serving pan. It was kind of another version of a Arabic dish called "upside down", which is made similar but uses beef, eggplant, onions and rice.

I have lots and lots of green tomatoes in the garden now. I am just waiting for them to ripen up. We'll have grape, cherry and a variety of large ones ripening soon.

I love gardening, it is hard work but so worth the pay off of fresh fruits and veggies! Plus, I really enjoy getting my hands dirty and being a little self sufficient. I know exactly what went into the growing process of my produce too and I know that it is safe for my family to eat.