You know you are getting older when the highlight of your day is mis-labelled cheese. We’re talking like usual price, $5-7, accidentally priced at $1.35. Maybe it was no accident, maybe there was an unmarked cheese sale going on. I didn’t ask questions, I just popped three in my cart and said to myself ‘this is gonna be a good day’.
We planted six cherry tomatoes yesterday. Two courgette (zucchini), two cucumbers + a basil and two english lavenders for our lil herb garden (the hardy oregano and lemon-mint is going gangbusters, if you are like me and don’t have a green-thumb this is a great place to start). Nick has been wanting to have a go at a little veg garden for so long but it’s so hard to find the time. We got back from our amazing, long vacation in Puerto Rico and he seemed particularly bummed to be back at the computer grind so I suggested he work this little catering gig with me and put the money towards finally taking a stab at a mini veg patch.We had a couple factors working against us 1.) We’re a little late for seed planting a lot of things 2.) Our house is situated pretty much inside of a forest of trees. It is both a beautiful, wonderful thing (my nerdy ass feels like I am surrounded by some kind of guild of wise elders) and a bummer because it’s depressingly dark sometimes and obviously not the most conducive for growing things. Nothing a bit of research can’t fix!
We decided to get some planties that are already goin’ since we are a bit late, so we swung by Ace Hardware. Now we have a little schedule for planting to keep us on task for seed planting in the future. We tracked the summer sun for a couple days and found the sunniest patch, it gets about 5 hours of sun! Tomatoes are the main focus as last year we did no research, planted in super-shade and had the epic failure of only 2 tomatoes from 4 plants. This year, Nick discovered that lil’ cherry tomatoes don’t need as much sun so we bought sungold, yellow pear and grape which are all varietals that are supposed to fare well in less than full sun. We are also experimenting to see how well they do in a raised bed vs. hanging basket. We planted some ‘gette and cukes too because the timing is good for them (and they are delicious…). Next we have our sights set on garlic, kale, and butter lettuce – the list keeps growing but I’m guessing we should hang tight and see how this patch goes first! Nick had a lovely contented smile as he was constructing his beds so I am already considering this crop a great success.
This was supposed to be Nick’s thing, but I was helping out and accidentally caught some feelings for the new veg babies, so I guess I’m a plant mum now. I draw the line with plants, no animals or babies please, this is commitment enough. As far as cooking goes, I am continuing to play with veg I don’t use as often. I’m thinking about green pepper so expect some recipe for that in the coming weeks. I also made a rice dish last week with orange oil and swiss chard that I need to recall for you because it was a lovely surprising success. I am still cooking though the heavy Georgia summer heat has officially begun. Whenever it gets in the 90’s I get a bit of appetite loss and seem to crave only one thing, so in lieu of a new recipe I will leave you with said craving: the ultimate greek salad. Enjoy!
