Peter Piper

Peter Piper

Picked a peck

of pickled peppers

where's the peck of pickled peppers

Peter Piper picked?

Oh there they are!

Our garden, or should I say the garden Dean has worked so hard on this summer has produced a number of tasty tidbits for us to eat. I've made loaf after loaf of zucchini & squash bread. We didn't grow even half as much as last year. Last year our squash & zucchini plants almost overtook our whole garden. We didn't want to make the same mistake again. One plant of each yielded quite a bit of yummy goodness but my hope is next year we will grow two of each. Can you believe all the different peppers he grew? Most are sweet and have the most delightfully mild flavor. Only one plant ended up producing mildly hot peppers. Some of the peppers are smaller but a few of them are huge! Even bigger than the one Aris is holding.

Green eggplant

Purple eggplant

He also included 3 different eggplant varieties. Let me tell you, there is nothing yummier than fresh Eggplant Parmesan. Dean made it the other night & even picky eater Aris ate two helpings.

Mini watermelon

I'm hoping next year we can grow more watermelons. These were so tasty and the perfect size. Not to small & not so huge that half the melon goes to waste. He also planted some lettuce & tomatoes. The tomatoes did terribly this year. I hear we aren't the only ones who struggled with them. I'm so grateful Dean has such a green thumb. He loves learning about the whole growing process. Considering we got such a late start this year in putting our garden in I'm amazed we grew as much as we did. Growing our own food never ceases to amaze me. There is something special about adding freshly grown veggies to a recipe or salad that your husband has taken the time to grow. 

Dean's plans for this fall are to make some compost bins for our two compost piles. He also has gathered enough glass doors and windows through the remodels he has worked on to make a nice sized greenhouse. That way we can grow fresh veggies all year long. Yard cleanup & winterizing the garden is next on his list of things to do. The chilly nights and mornings are here to stay and the first snow will be here before we know it.

Did any of you grow a garden this year? What was your favorite thing that you grew?