Garden Buddies: Harvest the bounty!

Ok garden buddies, we're approaching a full moon, end of July and the veggie flood gate should be open. The list of things that you should be harvesting now in zone 4 or zone 5 is long. It includes Basil, Mint, Sage, Kale, Turnip, Garlic, Cherry Tomatoes, Tomatoes (maybe), Chard, Green Beans, Cucumber, Squash (maybe), Onions, Early Potatoes, Bell Peppers and carrots (maybe). If you have something on this list that isn't producing right now, don't worry, every garden is different. :-) My particular garden has everything except those I've marked maybe, those need a couple more weeks. Other things needing another month or so are Cabbages, Eggplant, Parsnips and Kholrabi.

Here's some great recipes I've been cooking lately, enjoy!


Grandma DeeDee's Green Beans and New Potatoes ala Jennie:
A pot sized to the number you're serving. Grandma always cooked this in a large stew pot for 8-10 people, but if you are closer in size to my family of 3, we find a 4 quart pot enough. Dig a few new potatoes, one or two for each person. Snap a couple handfuls of green beans for each person. Dice an onion. Dice a turnip. Peel 2 garlic cloves per person. Toss everything in your pot, cover with water and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
When the potatoes are soft, scoop everything with a slotted spoon into bowls, top with butter and salt/pepper to taste.

Cucumber Greek Salad
Chop cucumber into bite sized pieces. Toss in a bowl. Chop a roma tomato, toss in the bowl. Chop a third of a bell pepper, toss in the bowl. Crumble some feta cheese, like an ounce into the bowl. In a small separate bowl combine 3 parts olive oil with 1 part red wine vinegar, sprinkle salt and oregano and whisk briskly. Pour over cucumber/tomato/feta combination. This keeps well in the fridge for a day or so.

Summer Veggie Pasta
Saute an onion, half a yellow squash, a few cloves of garlic and some basil for 8-10 minutes. Add some chopped roma tomatoes. Season with some salt and oregano and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Scoop onto cooked pasta, top with mozzarella.