Ladies and Gentlemen, I present

our first zucchini.


As I posted last time, I like to cook zucchini very simply. I have done zucchini gratins as well as other zucchini dishes, but I wanted the zucchini to shine for our first time eating something grown in our veggie garden.

I cooked it as usual, baked with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and olive oil. It was delicious. Tender and flavorful, we ate every bite.


I accompanied my meal with a glass of white wine and raised it in honor of Barbara Kingsolver, because let's face it, had I not read her book I wouldn't have started my garden. Thank you, Barbara & co., we owe this dinner to you.

I'm on a roll here!

These delicate, tender pole beans brightened up one very dull Wednesday evening.

The boys were doing their own thing, not particularly wanting their mama around, S was hanging out with a neighbor, and I was wandering around aimlessly until I spotted these babies.

Yayness!

Out came my camera and suddenly, my evening had a purpose.


Zucchini is much beloved in our house.

Both my boys ate prodigious amounts of it as babies, since my mom made it part of her world-famous, baby-recommended Veggie Mix. Also, it's one of the friendliest vegetables to us newbie home cooks, all you need do is slice them up, spray some Pam on a baking sheet, plop down the zucchini circles, sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper, and in 15 minutes you have delicious vegetables full of flavor that complement a veritable cornucopia of main dishes.

Girls and Squash

My beloved Early Girls keep growing, these two are my first to-be-harvested tomatoes.

I know there are many other types of tomatoes, but as I've stated before, my temperament needs some kind of quick result so I don't abandon the project.

I am definitely planning to grow some heirloom tomatoes next season, though!


Our first squash to start blooming.

I love the saturated yellow color. Marigold is the color of 2009 and a vibrant and rich yellow like the one on my squash is just beautiful.

Honey, we're self-sustaining!!!

Our tiny bean plants were the next to make me screech with joy. Yes, I do screech. Not very ladylike, I admit, but very full of sincerity.

S spotted this tiny beauty and told me about it. I only knew that the number of leaves growing on our raised bed was close to obscuring the view of anything that might be growing, it certainly obscured my view of our tiny beans.

Could it be?

I have to confess.

I had asked S to get me some Early Girl tomatoes. I knew I wanted those, I had done my research. Someone with my anxious temperament needs some kind of early result to keep going.

When he didn't get them I was disappointed, but when I got the OSH flyer advertising another vegetable sale, I drove there and got the only Early Girl plant they had. They really don't have much at my OSH.

Anyway.

On the first day of July I spotted some beautiful little tomatoes growing on that plant. I smiled and took so many pictures that S probably thought I was crazy, so I will spare you my madness and only post one.