in the garden.

The garden harvest is starting to take off. We've been getting zucchini for a couple of weeks now and have enjoyed it fried, sauteed and grilled. It's always good. 

The tomatoes have finally begun to ripen...I can't believe how badly I've been craving them! The cherry tomatoes ripen first and are wonderful to snack on while watering. It's the main reason I plant cherry tomatoes! Chris will be turning these guys into salsa soon...can't wait! (I already added the cherry tomatoes to salad...so good with thinly sliced red onion and a simple vinaigrette.)

The green beans came from out of nowhere...one day there were a few flowers and the next there were long, plump green beans. There aren't a whole lot of them ready at the same time...which tells me I really need to plant more bean plants each year as it's one of our favorite vegetables. But there are enough to steam with a bit of zucchini for a nice side dish.

And that cucumber? I fear it may be the only one we get. I planted two plants and they're doing OK. Tons of flowers, but not tons of cukes. So we shall see. The cucumbers and zucchini I planted from seed aren't doing that great...not sure what I am doing wrong in the seed planting department? The beans did great. (But when don't they? If a kindergartner can grow them in a Dixie cup with wet paper towel, I certainly should be able to grow them in some decent soil.) So I dunno...probably just didn't give them an early or strong enough start. I'll try again next year.

We have only harvested two little peppers so far...they're not doing great. But I'm holding out hope. I feel like peppers do that every year...sort of slog along, not in any hurry, then all of a sudden have a growth spurt and start producing like crazy. So let's hope for that. We need them for Chris' salsa!

I never get tired of a garden. It's amazing. And I just know that if we just sat in the garden for a day we could actually watch bean tendrils grow and twist around their supports and watch the red deepen on the tomatoes and watch those green beans grow longer and longer. And don't get me started on the zucchini! You'd probably only have to sit for an hour or so to witness a zuke grow from perfect size to crazy big. I love it...it's miraculous.