The summer of zucchini

This year's garden was wholly my effort, with some planting help from the kids. It was a quick effort because doing things with two kids running around and making demands isn't easy.

In some ways it's one of our best gardens. I used Green Mountain Coffee burlap coffee bean bags as mulch (you can get them for free at their factories). Therefore, for once, the weeds are actually under control.

Then again, not all of the space we typically use was planted. Also many of our seeds were old eg. the sweet peas didn't do much of anything. We picked maybe two dozen of them to eat as impromptu snacks.

This year I planted cilantro which grew quickly from seed and tastes delicious. It's a nice addition. There's basil too, also from seed, but it's getting shaded out by the tomatoes, whoops.

We've had a decent crop of tomatoes so far. Here is the latest collection sitting on my window to fully ripen.

I have shied away from planting zucchini in the past because I know what a monster it is. Zucchinis typically take over gardens and your neighbor then tries to pawn two foot-long giant vegetables off on you.

From FB:

This year I went for it anyway. I planted a few seeds and I think I have three plants now. It's hard to tell because they are so sprawling and prickly! I don't like touching them.

The zucchinis themselves are sneaky little buggers, hiding among the prickly stalks disguising their full-size.

Do you see the two zucchinis in this picture?

So when you have prolific zucchini plants what do you do? Zucchini bread of course!

I have documented all my garden firsts on this blog so here is the latest. This morning I made zucchini muffins. The kids were playing happily and independently for most of the time while I grated the zucchini and mixed the dry and wet ingredients separately...

...then mixed it all together.

The kids joined me to butter the muffin tins…

...and of course for the eating part. They are delicious!

Have you made fresh zucchini muffins or bread? Here is the recipe we used: 

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/zucchini_muffins/

A few days later we tried Zuccini brownies too: http://www.texanerin.com/2013/08/chocolate-zucchini-brownies.html#_a5y_p=3859621

"Guard"ening

Oh it's a cheesy title, but sometimes being cheesy is oddly satisfying. Here's the story, you'll understand the title by the end:

It was past Memorial Day and I knew we had to plant our garden quick if we wanted time to grow much of anything. The kids and I headed to our local plant nursery only to find that they were not growing any seedlings this year because they are closing (due to poor sales the last few years after 24 years in business total). A sad state of affairs for our little town to lose a valuable service. So we after buying some seed packets and shovels we reluctantly drove the 20 minutes or so to the next closest, locally-owned, garden center. We bought Early Girl tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and kid-sized garden gloves.

I had put up the chicken fence already and dug the thick weed cover out thanks in part to Grandma playing with the kids so I could spend the necessary time with a shovel and rake.

I decided to mound the rows this year since the owner of the defunct nursery said it might help the cucumbers grow (I've never had any luck with cucumbers). Big Bro patted the mounds down as I piled them higher. Getting him to pull out stray weeds we turned over was like pulling teeth though. Eventually we got Lil Sis away from the kiddie pool and into the garden to help too. She has an aversion to getting dirt in her shoes which is why you typically see her in socks and sneakers. But in the garden even socks and sneakers couldn't keep the dirt out and she (we) grew frustrated with having to clean her shoes out every 2 minutes.

I convinced her she should go barefoot. Her feet would get dirty but we would wash them at the end. At least this way the soil wouldn't be trapped between shoes and socks. She went for it.

It was her first year planting and she did great. She loved dropping the seeds in the holes then pinching them closed. Big Bro loved it too. We/I sang "The Garden Song" repeatedly. It was extra special this year because Lil Sis has been making big strides with her physical abilities this spring/summer: riding a pedal bike (with training wheels), climbing trees, hopping on one foot. Things that she has been more reluctant to try than her brother ever was.

We planted black beans, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, snap peas and radishes.

So why "guard"ening? Because all the while that we were having this nice time I was on guard knowing that 2 prisoners recently escaped from a maximum security prison across the lake. Just the day before authorities had refocused their manhunt in Vermont. Yes, logically the prisoners were probably not going to hang out in a town right near the NY ferry crossing. Nor would they lurk around a population center (small as my town is). But whenever I ran to the barn to grab more tomato trellises or look for the next seed packet in the basement, I wondered if I should be more vigilant about locking doors to the house and not letting the kids out of my sight for even a minute. It was an odd contrast of sweetness planting with my kiddos, and creepiness from the outside world seeping in ever so slightly. I hesitate including this part because this is a journal of sorts so why would I want to remember this? But it is what it is.