More Than Just Squash

June gloom is over and we finally have more plants producing veggies than just the zucchini. Of course, now we are having to water everyday.

A few of the tomatoes are starting to turn color. The eggplant have finally started sprouting actual eggplants. There are three bell peppers right now but it looks like more to come. And, there are even a few jalapenos. We might even have one jalapeno to use by the holiday weekend if all goes well.

Miracles of miracles our dwarf Meyer Lemon tree looks like it may finally produce a few lemons. We have had it for two years now. It blooms a few times a year but until now, it had not borne any fruits. Of course, we probably won't be able to enjoy them till December given their current size and color.

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.

Bye Bye Oleander, June Gloom and other thoughts...

Bye Bye Oleander

Last Sunday was a big day in the backyard. We finally had our three Oleanders removed. We have hated them since the day we moved in. Though I will confess to being the bigger hater. May be it is because I am a native Angeleno but Oleanders have always seemed to me to be a cop-out landscaping option for those with little imagination or because they think they will be a low maintenance option. They are boring and they are poisonous. Plus, they were starting to take over parts of our backyard and block the sun from the other plants that we actually like. So, needless to say, I was thrilled when our gardener cut them down and took them away since this was not the right DIY project for us.

June Gloom

Yes, it is that time of year again in L.A. It's time for June gloom. Though since we have a fledgling vegetable garden, it's been great. Nothing is getting scorched from the relentless summer sun and we don't have to water as often. And, now with the new DWP water ordinance in effect, we have to be more careful and sustainable about our water usage.

and other thoughts...

The vegetable garden is still growing like crazy. I say "still" because we are amazed that we haven't killed anything as of yet. We swear that the zucchinis are going to take the house. The tomatoes are starting to appear on the plants. We do have a few issues with something eating holes in the leaves of the bell peppers, basil, jalapenos, spinach and arugula. I did find a worm one day and quickly dispatched it. And, have found aphids on a couple of the tomato plants. Not happy about the aphids. I quickly took to squishing them with my fingers. Yep, that was a bit yucky but you gotta do what you gotta do to keep those tomatoes healthy and happy.

Dan and I just finished spending several hours in the garden pruning, planting and cleaning up. Yet, you can't even tell. All that time and effort and no one but myself and Dan would probably be able to to see the difference. We love being out there but sometimes it would be nice to really see the hard work.

Attack of the Killer Squash...

The zucchini plants are taking over the garden. They are getting huge. Never having grown zucchini before, I had no idea that they would start to take over. I'm so glad that we only planted two of them. I'm sure that even with just the two plants that Dan and I will be up to our eyeballs in squash at some point in the coming months. I will need to start making every zucchini recipe that I can think of or dig up in my cookbook collection. But more on that in the future.

The Garden Is Growing

I can't believe it but the garden is growing. I have only attempted a vegetable garden once before and that was in my tweens. It was a sad attempt indeed and nothing grew. So, it is very satisfying years later to actually have a vegetable garden and watch it grow. It changes daily and I'm in awe.

We even ate some of the arugula and basil last night in our dinner. Now that is local.

Building a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden - Part III

I am already remiss in maintaining this blog. It has been a couple of weeks since my last post. In that time, Dan and I finished building the garden. It was a lot more work than we thought it would be.

Dirt...I mean soil. We had 3 cubic yards of a compost/topsoil mix delivered by SoilDirect.com. Actually, we think they delivered more than that. It was hell to move all of that soil to the beds in the backyard. No wheelbarrow, which made for back breaking work. We were exhausted but we got it done. And, we had leftover soil. We ended up using it for our other garden beds. They desperately needed it.

The next step was acquiring pea gravel for the paths. We decided to shop local like we did for the lumber for the beds. In fact, we shopped at the same place, Eagle Rock Lumber & Hardware. Their customer service was great...helpful and friendly. I was so glad to be able spend money locally rather than at a big box store like Home Depot or Lowes. It took 30 bags of pea gravel to fill the paths. That was 2 trips in my Jetta. All the time I was wishing I had a truck.

Once that was done,Dan and I couldn't wait to go get plants. So, it was off the Burkard's Nursery in Pasadena. Again, we stayed local and avoided the big box stores or the chain nurseries like Armstrong's. Burkard's had an amazing selection of vegetables and herbs to choose from, including a lot of heirloom varieties. So we loaded up and headed home to start planting.


Now, we just have to keep those little babies alive and thriving. And, learn how to properly harvest celery.