Gardening

I haven't crafted much this summer, because I've been spending my spare time and DIY energy on my first vegetable garden. I got lots of free plants from friends with extra seedlings, so I dug up some grass, mixed in some composted manure from Menards, and planted away. Simon's Sarah gave me a whole bunch of heirloom tomato plants from her dad's garden, as well as some eggplant. Zoe and Ryan gave me two basil plants, cilantro, green peppers, and cucumbers. Kate gave me a pumpkin plant.

I've harvested two green peppers and five cucumbers. The cilantro didn't last long, but I was able to snip a bunch and mix it in with some salsa before it all started turning brown. It was delicious while it lasted. But so far the star of the garden has been the basil. I've made lots of margherita flatbread pizzas on the grill, and have done up a couple of batches of pesto, and have enjoyed caprese salads, although all of these will be so much better when the heirloom tomatoes start ripening!

I've been too busy watering and weeding to take too many pictures, but here are a few.

Got a bumper crop of blueberries this year. They only last for a couple weeks, but I was able to make a tasty blueberry buckle and blueberry pancakes. And of course I ate most of them straight off the bush.

My pepper plants aren't big producers, but what I have been able to eat was lovely.