garden 2015, ed 10
Even though I have completely neglected all weeding and tending to my garden, it seems to have unconditional love for me, and continues to keep producing a large bounty.
Two weekends ago, I harvested carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, green beans, strawberries, hot and sweet peppers, and cucumbers.
I blanched and froze a mix of green beans, broccoli, and carrots in ball jars. I've never done this before, so we'll see how it goes. I plan to use them in soups, stews, casseroles, and stir fries.
With all the tomatoes, I canned more whole tomatoes. This time I put purple basil in them and a hot pepper. I can't wait to use them in crock pot spaghetti sauce this winter. With the leftover tomatoes I pureed them in the blender and put them in ball jars in the freezer. Its always nice to have a tomato sauce on hand.
As for my strawberries. I am completely amazed by these plants. They were leftover last year, so I planted them in the middle of my garden. In hindsight, maybe that wasn't the smartest, but I wasn't expecting them to come back. They did come back, and they are happier than ever. And they have produced berries all summer long. If you have little ones at home, this would be a great plant to have in a container by the door. It's pretty fun to pick a few berries off each day.
The more I grow my own food and preserve it, the more I love it. It feels so good to go to my backyard, and come out with enough for supper and a few meals after that. The investment in the seeds and starter plants at the beginning of the year are sure paying off now!
All my other Garden 2015 posts: