Spring Planting

Portland's spring weather has really warmed up a bit in the last few weeks, so it was finally time to get around to planting our veggie garden for summer and beyond. We were really fortunate this year to not only get our same raised bed over at Project Grow's North Portland Farm, but they also offered us two more beds. So, with a total of three raised beds, we can grow a lot more produce this summer. And, we even have room to grow some winter squashes for fall harvest. Plus, our two additional beds came with a surprise, a whole bunch of Fava bean plants and some garlic...not a bad surprise at all.

With three beds, we could get a little crazy this season about what to plant. Dan and I ended up spending some quality time over at our local nursery, Garden Fever, buying a lot of starter plants to transplant to the beds. And, yes, we buy starters. We have tried growing our own from seeds but we have had zero luck with that method. So, except for those veggies that we can directly sow from seed (greens, radishes, beets and carrots) with some success, we buy starter plants.

We picked the following to plant for summer harvest:

• Black Cherry Tomato (cherry variety)
• Gold Nugget Tomato (cherry variety)
• San Marzano Tomato (paste variety)
• Vorlon Tomato (heirloom variety)
• Black Krim Tomato (heirloom variety)
• Zucchini
• Black Beauty Egglant
• Rosa Bianco Eggplant
• Blue Lake Beans (bush variety)
• New Queen Watermelon

 And, since we planted 3 San Marzano Tomato plants, we are hoping to have enough to can this year. The watermelon is an experiment since we never had any luck growing them in Los Angeles. They would just grow to the size of a golf ball and then die. May be we will have better success here.

And, then for fall harvest:

• Cinderella Pumpkin (AKA Rouge vif D'Etampes)
• Baby Blue Hubbard Squash
• Lunch Lady Gourds
• Sweet Dumpling Squash

I am very excited about the prospect of growing my own pumpkins since I am overly fond of them. We tried growing pumpkins and gourds in Los Angeles but with zero success. So again, hoping for better luck here in Portland. Of course, there are no guarantees what will grow and thrive and what will not. But, that is the fun of gardening.

Itty, Bitty Tomato and Trouble In Squash Land

Well, we finally harvested (if you can call it that) our first tomato. And, as you can see, it is rather itty bitty. Of course, it is an grape tomato so it is supposed to be small. There are more on the way so hopefully, some day soon, we'll have enough for an actual salad.

Perhaps, our tomato harvest might not be as bountiful as we had hoped for. Time will tell.





And, there has been a bit more bounty from the garden. The herbs are doing great and we have been enjoying them in our meals. We had high hopes for these two zucchinis but only the green one was edible (and delicious). The yellow zucchini looks lovely and promising but looks can be deceiving. The outer skin was so tough that I could have sworn that I had grown a butternut squash instead of a zucchini. And, the inside was a mess...partially rotted and dry. Totally inedible. Sad, but it happens.

Dinner From The Garden

Tonight was our first dinner from the garden. We had two zucchini, as of today, ready to eat. So we decided to go with a simple summer pasta dish. Nothing fancy...just a few ingredients. But, it was delicious. And, so satisfying to actually be eating something that we grew.

I have a feeling though that we will probably be eating more zucchini in a few days given what is growing on the plants right now. Besides the zucchini, nothing else other than the arugula and the herbs is ready for harvesting. Dan and I are hoping that there will be something new by early July to enjoy. In the meantime, I think we may be eating more of this pasta very soon.

SUMMER PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES (4 servings)

2 - 3 medium zucchini, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons, olive oil
3 tablespoons, flat leaf/Italian parsley, minced
1 teaspoon, dried thyme
1 1/4 cup, chopped Roma or cherry tomatoes
3 cups, dried orecchiette or similiar pasta
1/2 cup, grated Parmesean cheese

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add, zucchini and saute until it softens and starts to turn golden. Add thyme and garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Drain pasta; return to pot or a serving bowl. Add vegetables, the remaining olive oil and the parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt (preferably kosher or sea) and fresh ground pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

It's Alive!

We are so excited. We are the proud parents of a lovely zucchini. It's our first vegetable from the garden.

I have been watching this little squash grow for the last week or so but in the last few days it had really started to get a lot bigger. Well, today it must have had a giant growth spurt. And, so I harvested it. Dan and I are not yet sure how we will prepare this glorious zucchini but in the meantime we are happy to bask in its lovely squashy glow.