PattisWhatsNew: June 2009

After not having a garden last year, we were anxious to get one going this year. We really missed the fresh corn on the cob and tomatoes. We had let a couple of "volunteer" tomatoes grow, instead of planting new plants last year and that was a mistake. The hybrid tomatoes that we grow now do not do well in their second volunteer seeding year. We had 3 plants and got only about 8 tomatoes even though they were healthy looking and big.

Photo #1 In this picture you can see the tall corn (1st planting) in the rear left corner of the garden. In the mid front right you see what looks like bare ground, but it actually has corn seedlings that are about 4-5 inches tall growing from the last planting. We hope to have corn through August and possibly into September.

In the middle is the cantaloupe, honey dew and cucumber plants, trailing along the ground. Dennis plants the corn and I plant everything else. He also is the best weeder in the world. Our garden always looks spotless as far as weeds go!

Photo #2 This is from back fence side of the garden looking toward the shed. The poles are supporting the fencing around our tomatoes. There is also squash, cilantro and basil growing. The rows in our garden are parallel to the back fence, except for the row closest to the house which is perpendicular to the other rows. We always plant flowers in this row because they bring the bees to help with pollination. It looks so pretty to see the garden plants growing over the tops of the flowers. I plant zinnias mostly because they grow like weeds here. Last year I planted all wild flowers, but that was a disaster because they re-seeded so abundantly that I had to pick tons of starts out of the garden after Dennis rototilled. They just kept coming up!

Photo 3#This picture is taken from beside the peach tree near the shed. The really tall plants on the left are sunflowers. Not the kind that has seeds, but the kind that have gorgeous flowers.

Photo #4 This is my healthy plot of basil. It is best to harvest it right before the bud form for flowers. So I have been watching it and cutting stems each day. I am drying it for later use or giving away to people who enjoy cooking with it. A great recipe for pesto is

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor

METHOD
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Makes 1 cup.
Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices. This will keep in the refrigerator for a month. Each time you use some, cover the top lightly with olive oil to keep it fresh.

A really delicious favorite of mine, is to get a cracker, places a small slice of garden tomato on it and then a dollop of pesto on top of that and YUMMY! Eat it all in one bite!!