Garden Update: It's a Jungle Out There.

People. My garden has gone wacko crazy with growth. It's really beyond words. 

Garden Update: Holy Growing, Batman!

I don't know about y'all, but my garden is going ape shit. Everything is growing like it's on MiracleGro The Godzilla Version - it's not of course, but still. Spouse was completely correct in suggesting I move everything to the middle-ish of the patio, even though it means pots are sort of in the way of enjoyment of the deck furniture. All of the plants get so much more sun every day! 

Anyhoo, photographic evidence. 

The 2014 Chez Nash Humphrey Garden. On paper, anyways.

I'm pretty pumped about our garden this year. The last two times, I've only done containers on our deck - partially due to the wildlife that sashays through our yard (deer, bunnies, raccoons, skunks, etc.) and partially due to my laziness (out of sight, out of mind). 

My high school has an annual flower sale to raise scholarship money, and in the last few years, they've also offered herbs and veggies, along with flower and decorative plants. I feel it's a good cause, the prices aren't super high, and the plants are generally in good shape. 

This year, I am expanding to multiple tomato plants and also expanding my herbs, so this is what I expect to pick up next week:

Updates GALORE. Plus homemade toothpaste.

Chez Nash Humphrey has had an influx of visitors in a short time, so evenings have been mashed into chores and chillaxing because I'm tired from the chores. Oh and it's football season, so work has been all a flurry. 

I'll get back to regular posts shortly but did have some updates planned so I'm smushing all of them together into one, fairly lame, post.  Sorry, peeps but I am throwing in my homemade toothpaste recipe and review. I know you are on the edge of your seat.

A weekend at home means cooking. WOOT!

For the past two weekends, we've been gallivanting about - drinking micro-brews, visiting with old friends, meeting new friends, and jamming out to some seriously awesome music. Posts to come on all the fun we've had. 

Needless to say, zilcho has gotten accomplished on the home front - although Spouse was Master Launderer on one of his vacation days, so at least we have clean knickers, eh?

We have a local farmer, who stops by my workplace, once a week in August to sell his homegrown beefsteak tomatoes and melons. It's a total bargain for homegrown 'maters: 3 for $1 American dollar. I picked up 6 nice looking ones today. No melons because I'm the only one that will eat them and I'm expecting good stuff in my CSA bag tomorrow. 

Farmer Dave 'maters - yummmmmeeeeeee

On the to-cook list this weekend:

• Roasted tomatoes from the cherry ones I'll get in my CSA bag tomorrow
• Tomato sauce from the 6 Farmer Dave tomatoes I just bought (+ herbs from my garden)
• For lunch next week: wild rice, quinoa & spinach casserole (recipe coming soon)
• Yogurt - my Green Bean Delivery every two weeks includes 2 half gallons of Hartzler's Dairy Milk
• Tzatziki because my CSA bag will have cukes in it
• If I'm feeling super cuckoo, maybe homemade pita (from Frugal By Choice, Cheap by Necessity)

We'll see how far I actually get as this is a fairly ambitious list and we do have social engagements and all. I also need to spend some time with my baby garden. It hasn't rained much this week and I'm sure all my plants are thirsty. Reason #2 why I'm really a horrible gardener. Owel.

Are you thinking about your plans for the weekend? 

Any cooking or baking in store?

Gardening in the 'Burbs, Part Deux.

This summer has been rather bi-polar - for lack of a better term. June was chilly & rainy (had a spate of 20 days straight with at least some rain). July for the most part has been hot, humid, and hellish. The last two days have been absolutely gorgeous: low humidity, lows in the 50s, highs in the 70s, sunny - just perfection in meteorology. 

It's worked out well for *most* of my 'lil plants. 

Garden timeline

• Plants picked up May 15
• Potted late-May-ish

Update, as of July 25
Beefsteak tomatoes: kicking a$$ and taking names. Need to have more next year but take a gander. 

Roma tomatoes: also doing well although not growing super big. 

Lettuce plants: one making a roaring comeback, the other eeking along.

  

Herbs: Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Sweet mint and Spearmint plants kicking it. 

 

 

Shallots: coming along. The maturation period is 90-150 days so thinking late next month, I'll pull one up and see how it's doing. I use these a lot in my dishes as I prefer the flavor over regular onions.

Peppers: there's one red pepper coming along and three jalapenos that are getting there. 

 

Cucumbers: most excited about these because I had no idea what to expect but there are some on the vine. Not sure how big they will get. Next year, I'll be better prepared and have a larger pot - maybe more like a window box or something. 

And then........there are my abject failures: cilantro and dill. 

Wah wah. I normally have much better luck with cilantro. Owel. You win some, you lose some.

How are your gardens faring? 

Smell ya later, peeps.

Summertime crack.

Summertime crack, thy name is The Barefoot Contessa's Fresh Corn Salad.

Being from the middle west, I have an obsession affinity for fresh corn-on-the-cob. Growing up, every summer, we had it at least twice a week and if we were at my Granny & Gramps' house, I think we had it for every freaking meal. Seemed like it anyway.

The best part, of course, is shucking it. Second best was driving to the local farm market my grandparents frequented, Fulton Fruit Farm,  and helping pick it out. At the peak of the summer, they would just load up the trailer to the tractor and you would literally pick cobs out of the back of it. I cannot explain what it was about the whole endeavor but I just loved going to the barn on the farm to get fruit and veggies.  

My favorite is the bi-color corn, which are just a wonderful patchwork of goldrenrod and fresh butter colored kernels. Just in from the field, the corn is still cool from picking and the shuck itself an amazing emerald green color. Also fresh from the field, the silk is still free-flowing and not all gunked up into a brown clump (or at least not as much). You just cannot beat it. 

Gardening in the 'Burbs.

Spouse and I met through mutual friends, in a series of unfortunately fortunate events 14.5 years ago, but at the time we were both seeing other people. 

Fast forward 6-8 months, we weren't seeing other people and, while he was more "Hubba hubba, let's do this thing!", I was more "You seem like a nice chap, let's be friends". And then he kissed me. In the immortal words of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, "BAZINGA!" That was 1999. 

In 2003, we got married and in June, 2004, we bought our home.