Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Do you ever worry when things are too good? ( I sure do....  actually I'm a chronic worrier so that's my normal state.)  Case in point....  Here's a picture of my several of my veggie beds. 

 Yellow squash and zucchini.

 16 tomato plants and 8 eggplants.

Cucumbers, bell peppers, and bush beans.

Yes they look wonderful.  No signs of disease and not a bug within sight.  So what's the problem?  Well that is my problem - they look too good.  The growth is incredible for this time of year.  Everything has blossoms and small fruit - I've harvested lots of spring veggies and the summer veggies aren't too far off from picking.  I've got tons of tomatoes - actually some are quite large, and even a sizable green bell pepper is about 1 week away from harvesting (which never happens this early in the season for me in New England).  And, I'm not even spraying (organically of course).  The only real problem I've had is that my squash got top heavy because of their growth and snapped off at the base (and believe it or not this isn't from vine borers - I checked - just weight!).  And.... I took the snapped off top piece of the vine and buried in the soil and 'lo and behold.... the darn thing survived and took root! I never would have guessed it.... you have no idea how many times I've tried to do that in the past after many battles with vine borers in order to save my squash crop and I've never had luck with it.  *sigh* 

 Reflecting on what may be different this year I can't come up with much except incredibly warm weather early in the season and just the right amount of rain.  The soil may be slightly more improved, but I've done nothing drastically different.  It just goes to show you that when it comes to gardening Mother Nature really is in control.  We can try to tame her and nourish her along, but when push comes to shove the best soil, preventative measures, and praying are no comparison to plain ole really good weather (which is incredibly rare in New England).

Beets...lots of them poking through soil.  It won't be long now 'til harvesting them.

Fingerling potatoes growing in 3 containers.

Well I hope this post has jinxed it all.  I'm sure those evil little vine borers are ready to hatch, the leaf loopers hiding beneath the cabbage leaves, and the chipmunks ready to pounce as the southern breeze carries month-long rainy weather filled with blight just waiting to wreak havoc on my picturesque raised bed! UGGHH...  maybe it's time for a tranquilizer!  Darn gorgeous garden!

I Admit it....

.... I'm a Martha Stewart fan.  Yes, sad but true.  I guess it's the perfectionist in me (and let me preface that by saying I'm no where near as bad as she is! Thank God Andy would say!).  Any way, her daughter Alexis has inherited many of her mother's qualities and is an accomplished baker.  When I saw this garden cake that she recently posted on her blog I thought how cool is that!  I would never have the patience or skill to make one of these myself, but I would love to have one for a special event.

Check this out!

There's even a stone wall!  I bet it's delicious.  Now excuse me while I go whip up that box cake I have sitting in my cupboard.

Yummy Swiss Chard

We've had a bumper crop of swiss chard this year.  I hope it keeps up because it's delicious and the plants are so beautiful.

I've never tried freezing swiss chard but I guess I could since it's similar to spinach and collard greens that freeze well after blanching and draining.  In the meantime I'm enjoying this nutritious green sauteed or with a little crushed tomatoes and some kielbasi.

First clean the greens really well and chop them into bite sizes.  I remove the stems and cook them first since they take a little longer.  You can cook the stems with the greens but by they time the stems cook the greens will get really mushy.

One of my favorite ways to cook them is by using an old Italian recipe that my grandmother and mother taught me.  You start by sauteing diced onions and garlic in olive oil.

 
Add some stewed tomatoes, sausage (or in this case I used kielbasa but you can eliminate the meat entirely), and the stems of the swiss chard.  Cook on low heat until the sausage is almost done and the stems are tender.  Throw in the leaves of the chard.  You will notice that greens cook down a lot so I always use more than I think I'll need.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and then add in a can of drained and rinsed white or red pinto beans (to stretch this meal add in 2 cans of beans - one red and one white).  Continue cooking until the greens are soft and sausage is completely done.

Before serving top with a little Parmesan cheese and grated mozzella.  Serve with garlic bread.  This one dish meal has a rustic taste that pairs deliciously with a robust red wine.  Enjoy!

My Little Red Wagon

A few weeks ago there was a knock at my door at 7:30 in the morning.  My love was home and getting ready to leave for work for the day.  He answered the door and quietly brought a very large package into the house.  I was upstairs and stopped at the landing overlooking our great room as I saw Andy standing there holding a large box and wearing the biggest grim imaginable.  He was grinning because the surprise gift he bought me had been delivered and he knew it was something that I'd been wanting for a long, long, time. 

So I went barreling down the stairs like a child on Christmas morning and ran to him practically knocking him over so I could get to the box he was holding.  You see he had my little red wagon!  My Radio Flyer Wagon!!! The wagon that has been on my wish list for eons!!  What a great guy he is and what a wonderful unexpected surprise to wake up to in the morning!

I must say I'm lucky to have such a thoughtful man.  He always does little thoughtful things like this... writes me notes, always tells me I'm beautiful even when I look like something the cat dragged in.  Ellie of course loves the wagon too!  She actually jumps in it to go for a ride!

I've already used this baby for so many gardening tasks.  I use it to carry my plants, gardening tools, soil amendments, etc.  It's nice and shinny now and I clean it faithfully.  I'll always cherish it because every time I look at it I'll remember Andy holding it as he grinned from ear to ear, and the warm feeling I felt all day long after receiving such an unexpectedly wonderful morning surprise!