Cucumbers...Zucchini...Beans! A true veggie bombardment.

Every winter, I order seeds.  This I am sure comes as no surprise to any of you.  I typically give the plants away, and keep a variety for myself.  I like to experiment with different types, varieties, shapes and colors.  This year, I decided to try Turkish orange eggplant, Hungarian cheese peppers, and Romanian Gold Beans of Bacau.  I also choose all time favorites such as Roma, and cherry tomatoes, Blue Lake Beans, and Chicago Pickling cucumbers.

My garden this year is all about new discoveries.  I have more space to work with, more sun, less tree roots, and better soil.  I dug three extra beds this spring, in order to house my veggies, and knowing how I like to over crowd my plants (thinning seedlings is not one of my strong suits) I vowed to give everything enough space...even the tomatoes...sort of.  

I planted about 6 zucchini seeds, spaced nicely apart.  Then I planted three thin rows of cucumbers, a pickling variety and a regular cucumber.  I made two areas for my beans and peas to climb, sowing purple, yellow wax, bush, pole and the beans of Bacau, in designated areas.  They filled in nicely, each producing abundantly at a different time.

And then, I accidentally watered two packets of cucumber seeds...and instead of drying them out, or discarding them...I planted them.

So this is pretty much what it looks like every day at my house....

and this.......

and now this......

Needless to say, I have stopped picking cucumbers for the time being....

What does one do with all of these cucumbers you ask...I made pickles.  Lots and lots of pickles.  In fact I should be making pickles right now.  

 

The true fact of the matter is that this mass quantity of cucumbers has brought with it, the opportunity for me to experiment with various types of pickle making and pickle recipes.  I have tried garlic dill pickles,  hamburger dill pickles, and bread and butter pickles.  

At one point, at the height of my pickling frenzy, with some brine to spare, I began pickling the string beans.

 

  I also decided to make Tzatziki Sauce.  Cucumber, dill, mint, yogurt, garlic and lemon. Yum!

Ok so now moving on the other veggies...Zucchini.  One night I decided to make a dish that I used to order at restaurants in Italy, Fritto Misto.  Often served on brown paper, this crave-worthy dish is usually made up of a variety of fried veggies and seafood.  

I decided that I would fry some zucchini flowers, along with zucchini, and string beans in a light batter that I usually use for the zucchini flowers.  Not sure how the beans would turn out ( even as I added them to the oil) I was surprised to find that they cooked so quickly and were incredibly tender while still a little crunchy.  This dish made a perfect side for the main course...and I made zucchini parmigiana with the leftovers!

( Please note the wrapped up cucumber in the background...they are everywhere!)

And this leaves us with the beans.  Oh the beans.  Producing wonderfully, I have purple, yellow wax, green, and Gold of Bacau.  Typically I like to blanch the beans in salted water, and toss them with olive oil, fresh mint, garlic, salt and pepper, and add a little splash of vinegar at the end.  This is one of my favorite summertime side dishes.  This year however, because of the shear abundance of beans, I wanted to try something different.

The Gold of Bacau, heirloom Romanian Pole Beans, are tender and light, but I had never cooked them alone.  So in order to highlight and understand their true flavor, I isolated them, and decided to make these beans in a tomato basil sauce.

I prepared the beans by blanching them lightly in salted water, while in another pan, sauteing a few  lightly smashed garlic cloves in olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Once the beans were ready, I added them to the garlic to saute, and then added Italian Cherry Tomatoes.  These tomatoes are so sweet and fresh, they make a delicious sauce.  I finished the dish with some purple basil leaves from my garden. 

The beans came out so tender and full of flavor that they almost could be used as a substitute for a pasta dish.  This is one recipe that I will add to my list of summertime favorites!

Stay tuned for more updates from the garden...as the tomatoes and peppers are finally beginning to make an appearance...

Backyard Exploring- The Seasons in Wildflowers

This spring marked the first that I have spent on my new property.  With so many new things to discover and learn about the different corners of my garden, I was delighted to find a whole world of native wild flowers and plants growing amongst a tangled and seemingly overgrown patch of woodland.

In the early spring my lawn was sprinkled with little clumps of purple violets winding their way down to the creek's edge.  I traced them in the grass like I was searching for a lost piece of jewelry, and made my way to a fenced area along the creek where the previous owners' chickens once resided.
 

Crossing the creek which was freely flowing from the springtime melt, I discovered an exciting variety of natural wildflowers and woodland plants.  This wonderful surprise was beginning to add new personality to the wooded area that I had only seen in winter, and late summer last year. 

Little treasures dotted the forest, and taking care not to step on them, I made my way around, perking up with a glimmer of a smile at each new sighting.  

One day, a sea of pink and white fragrant phlox, filled the forest across from the creek like dots of a Monet painting.

 Once June arrived, I began to notice a strong floral fragrance in the air as I worked in the garden.  As always, when I notice something like this, I look up into the trees to try to identify the source.  It's usually some type of magnolia or flowering tree that I have never seen before.  After some investigation, I noticed that the honeysuckles were in full bloom.   I have always loved their sweet smell, and carefully extracting the nectar from the little flowers as a child.  There is a vine draped over the fence right near the vegetable garden and the smell fills the air as I stake my tomatoes and train my beans.  I made my way back into the woods, and noticed a shrub that looked very much like privet.  It was blooming with such an intoxicating fragrance that I had to cut some and bring it on to my patio.  The smell permeated the air everywhere, and behind it were notes of wild roses.

 I also have been keeping an eye out for plants that I can introduce into the landscape, as a sort of experiment.  Attaining a balance between natural, wild, and cultivated gardening is exciting.  I don't know what the summer holds, but I will be looking out for new surprises! 

Here is one of my first experiments!

 

Daffodil Ammends and an Ode to a Tulip

I had never been a huge fan of spring narcissus...otherwise known as daffodils.  Maybe it was the bright color yellow (which has not been one of my favorites), or the association with the sniffles and sneezing that often signaled the beginning of spring for me.  Perhaps I grew bored with them.  I always knew that there were a range of different varieties, shapes and colors, but for some reason, I never really gave them a fair chance.

Of course, I would plant Easter gifts of mini daffodils each season, but always forgot where I had planted them.  Last year, to try and remedy my detached relationship with the ever so loved bulb, I bought a bag of white daffodils and planted them though out my perennial beds.  When they appeared, I felt a twinge of excitement.  They were cute and cheery and a little bit different from other types that I had seen.

I moved to a new house and garden during the winter, so I had seen the landscaping in late summer/fall, but never really had the opportunity to inspect the subtleties of the plant life.  Of course I brought many of my own valued plants, ones that I had added to my collection and wanted to introduce into the new setting.  With the coming of spring, and a brand new garden, there were so many lovely surprises that I was welcomed with each day.

The collection of daffodils was one of these surprises.  Everyday, I would walk around the yard and noticed daffodil varieties that I had never seen before.  Each bunch appeared gradually, like a wave coming on to the beach and leaving a trace of water behind in the sand.  I had planted one or two packs of bulbs in the fall, but back then had no idea about the collection that I was adding on to. 

This one below is one of my new all time favorites...despite it's yellow color (wink wink).  It has a flower as detailed as a peony and smells so fragrant and sweet.  The flowers are so heavy that they needed to be supported in wet weather to keep their pretty little heads out of the mulch beds.

The creamy yellow small ones, and little white ones looked like they belonged in some kind of dewy fairy world.

Varieties with two tones were spectacular, fading from one color to another, or bright colored center against yellow or white petals.  Others sported multiple layers and ruffles adding complexity to their  beauty.  They were planted in clumps, with different varieties positioned next to one another, which added emphasis to their individual characteristics. 

I was so excited to see all of the different kinds that I now had on my property that I began cutting them and making arrangements to give away to friends, and decorate the center of my breakfast table.  I went for a walk around the creek that runs through my back yard, collecting wild grape hyacinth so that I could add a pop of contrasting royal blue color to the bouquets. 

Now, much like many plants that I discover each season, I have opened my eyes and have become intrigued by these intoxicating little flowers.  Each fall, I will be sure to keep an eye out for new varieties to add to my collection. 

As an ode to my former favorite spring flowering bulb, one single yellow tulip appeared in my new garden!  (And of course it was yellow...)