Tomatoes

I must process the Romas and the cherry tomatoes before we head out of town for another week of fun. I canned the "perfect" Romas in their own juice. The blemished ones were cleaned and trimmed, then cooked down with the bounty of cherry tomatoes to make a spicy tomato juice. The pantry is looking good!

Snackin' Peppers

Sweet, crunchy, great for scooping up a mouthful of hummus!

Lovely Moonflower Blooms

Gorgeous Garlic

The good news: The garlic is dry.

The bad news: I let it dry too long. The leaves are brittle, no longer suitable for braiding. There will be no pretty braids of garlic decorating the kitchen this year!

The good news: No problem for the bulbs. They're perfectly fine.

So ... I cleaned up the bulbs and they are living in a basket at the bottom of my pantry. Hard-neck on the left. Soft-neck on the right. Isn't that a pretty sight?

Prolific Peppers

Poblanos in the Garden

These poblanos and hot banana peppers will soon be stuffed!

New Toy

Shelling southern peas is a royal pain in the you-know-what. Too late for this year's crop, but I'll be ready next year, by golly! I bought a simple, hand-cranked, home-model, pea sheller. Woo hoo!

Thanks, Mom!

Caught up with my mom at the family reunion over the 4th of July. She came home with us. Then she and I blasted off to Illinois for extended family togetherness. Now we're back at my house and I've put her to work doing garden chores. She sure knows how to snap and shell beans! And sometimes - when I leave the room - I come back to a clean kitchen. I think she's the kitchen fairy I've been dreaming of all these years!

You know, it's so much more fun to do chores while visiting with my mama, chatting away over busy hands. Then we all get to sit down to a delicious garden feast!

Fennel

First time planting fennel. Got it in the ground sort of late. Picking it sort of late. But the long cool spring allowed for an unusual growing period. The thermometer has finally caught up with the season. It's hot! The bulbs are small, but must be harvested now.

Sun Golds Rule!

Finally! Here come the tomatoes...

Sue is NOT in the garden ... again!

This time, I'm off galavanting with my mom in central Illinois. Rouse the Spouse took this selfie to prove he's on top of things in the garden. He picked ... AND shelled ... AND cooked ... a pot of pink-eyed peas. Now, that's an awesome man!

Mother Nature helps with Watering

Mother Nature has been watering the garden while we're gone. We returned from the family reunion to find the garden thriving, and a nice mess of southern pink-eyed purple-hulled peas ready to pick.

The okra is finally coming in strong. Cut in half lengthwise and sautéed (cut side down, in olive oil, until brown and caramelized, lightly salted) is our favorite way to cook it. The finished product rarely makes it to the dinner table. We dig in as soon as it comes out of the pan!