A few years ago, our family decided we wanted to start eating better...to get away from the Standard American Diet (SAD) and start eating more fresh produce. We started buying organic produce from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in our area. Because of the increase in produce consumption in our household (some of which I had never eaten before), I was forced to try new recipes. As I tried new recipes, I rated them and kept a folder of the ones I really liked. That folder is overflowing and coming apart at the seams now. That's where this blog comes in...I want to create a digital record of my favorite recipes and share them with others. I hope I can be a resource for others who want to eat more fruits and vegetables, particularly those items that are in-season. My posts will include recipes and pictures of what I have made. I hope to inspire blog readers to try my favorite recipes (and hopefully share their own).
This year, my husband and I decided to start our own organic garden. Our gardening adventure began in April this year when we created two 4' X 8' raised beds in our back yard (pictured below). Our soil was not fit to use (too many weeds), so we bought enough 2.5 cubic ft bags of potting soil to fill the beds. We planted seeds of zucchini, yellow squash, bush beans, and cucumber. We also transplanted four bell pepper plants, two tomato plants (determinate cherries and indeterminate Big Beefs), a cowhorn pepper, an eggplant, and cucumber. In between the plants, we scattered onion and herb plants (basil, chives, oregano, and mint). We also started other herbs from seeds (thyme, basil, cilantro, & parsley).
Our first garden beds:
It didn't take long for things to really grow.These pictures we taken after three weeks:
A month later we had our first harvest:
Then the cooking began. :-)
Note: If you are interested in finding a CSA in your area, the following website is a good resource:
localharvest.org
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