Bounty...

I have been busy dealing with what the end of Summer 2011 has brought to my table. This has been the first year in over a decade that I have had the privilege of creating a garden that is not in containers! It was, as they say, like "riding a bike". All my formative years of reading magazines and books about organic gardening have literally come to fruition. I present to you, the August snapshot of the garden that I fondly call "The Pixie Patch"...

Needless to say, as a big believer that one should not waste what one has worked so hard to create, I've been trying to use and preserve all that the Patch has produced.  The best part of it has been two-fold; I am producing food for us at nearly no cost, and since I grow organically, there are no chemicals in anything we utilize from this wonderful endeavor. Let me show you some of what I was delighted to get this year....

From left to right - canned products are; canned tomatoes, bread-and-butter pickles (2 jars), pickled dilly beans,  and pickled okra. Freshly harvested produce; tomatoes (red and green), banana peppers, red cherry tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and okra. 

To say that I am filled with delight at what my first year back to a real garden has produced, is an understatement!

What did you do this summer that pleasantly surprised you?

Now, with that many carrots, you know I'm just going to have to make carrot cake! As well as eat them freshly steamed with lemon and butter, dontcha know. Eat well, my friends and stay tuned for the carrot cake from my own harvest, a scone re-mix, and the exciting year-long project I am developing now! Love and kindness to all,

Pixie