Green Beans and Cucumbers!

I wonder if there is a recipe that uses green beans and cucumbers. I wonder if we would if we would like it if there were.

I am getting lots of green beans. The bush beans are really producing this year. I am getting 2-3 cucumbers a day. I am getting about 3 pounds a day in green beans.

Wish the other areas of my life were doing as good as my garden.

Today is a new day!

Going to try living each day like a new day. Each day God is giving a fresh start. A day to grow closer to him and change the things in my character I need to change.


The garden reminds me of that. Plants that looked dead yesterday are fresh looking and sprouting. Reminds me not to give up so easily on those mountains in my life. I am trying to find the joy in the changes of my life.

We will be spending the summer doing school. Instead of looking of this as a chore maybe we can really enjoy it. The mid afternoon is so hot it would be miserable to move and that time we can use to our advantage. If there is an activity maybe we can use the early morning to accomplish that.

The garden surprised me again this morning. The plants are growing overnight. There are more beans to be picked. The last set of green beans I planted produced beans I have not noticed and need to be picked. I had to fix a trellis and when I lifted a leaf I found a melon about the size of my two fist together. I have about 3 more cucumbers to pick that makes about 14 so far. The grapes are growing. The watermelon vines are everywhere I am trying to decide if I need to try trellis for them if just to save them from being trampled.

It is amazing to see the cycle of life in the garden. I am amazed at God's creation all over again. I love to be able to see some of the science lessons in reality.

Here is to a day to grow.

garden 6-8-2010

I made my pictures into a slide show it was easier than loading them.
The pictures of food are what my husband made from the garden with our harvest yesterday.
The rest are random pictures more of a log for me. The green beans are coming in plentiful as are both types of cucumbers. I think the melons are honeydew. The strawberries are sending our runners and I am planting in containers. The red bumps on the leaf are what I think are ladybug eggs. I hope so. I have not used anything to kill bugs since the ladybugs are present and I want them to live.
The jungle looking plants are my tomatoes. The vining plants on the A frames are green beans The frames are about 7-8 feet high. The vining on the trellis is cucumber and melon plants. The peppers are being left alone to see if they turn yellow. The watermelon vines are growing everywhere. The picture behind my garden is where everything decided to take off over the back.

The grapes are coming in. Tomatoes Yeah!







Above green beans, strawberries and lettuce bed



Peas and peppers YUM!!

My experiment. I broke the top off a tomato on accident so I rooting it for another plant .

Above the same squash plant from earlier picture. It is more than covering a 3ft by 3 ft square.
The watermelon is blooming. I have 8 watermelon plants and fingers crossed.

Below the tomato plants that I thought had died the squash from above to see the difference from the earlier picture. The bottom pictures show about 1/3 of garden. The bottom is one of four zucchini we found sprouting in the container I had my supplies in and put the packet of seeds in. The ones I planted in the ground never sprouted.

Lettuce and spinach O MY!

This is a huge bowl of lettuce. I even dropped some on the driveway.
This is one of those large ice cream tubs filled with spinach. It is all about balance. Ice Cream not so healthy, Spinach healthy. Both tasty! These were harvested on May 21, 2010.
Today there is more spinach ready and a little bit of lettuce I think I over harvested the lettuce however due to heat I think it is starting to bolt. Starting to plan ways to create sun shade for next year. I have peas about ready to harvest my hubby has been grabbing pea pods. Some of the tomatoes have started to form fruit. Yeah! The peppers are forming as well.

The watermelon some how I now have 8 plants growing meant to plant 4. If they produce I am sure they all will be eaten. The melons vines are finally taking off. The cucumber plants have baby cucumbers. My squash plants is forming about 5 squash, one was rotting today even though tiny. The plant does take over the 3ft by 3 ft of a the 4ft by 4ft square. Two of my tomato seedlings that I thought had died are starting to grow. I have only 15 tomato plants this year hopefully they will be very fruitful. The green beans are taking off. The first "row" I planted are budding flowers. The asparagus beans are vining to about my height they have grown faster than beans previously planted.

I have an empty box that I want to put zucchini and more peppers out. The not having a car is starting to get annoying. Also now that I can use the car I have no money. They have three boxes they moved up front but no dirt we will see what happens.

It is a shame that my hubby will be traveling and not getting to enjoy the harvest we will have. I am glad to have DJ still at home to help with the heavy lifting.

I am excited. We may be in a financial position next year for me to purchase the curriculum I want to use not what I can afford to use. We are going to be able to go on field trips that have cost and even the ones that don't. It has been hard making it on one income and one part time income when the full time income is a fraction of what it has been in the past. For the first time in many years our income side of the budget may be larger than the expense. WHOO HOO!!!

I still really want to start a food coop from the farmers market!! May try to have a yard sale next weekend.
The house is quiet no on here this is when I like to clean.

garden

Morning in my garden

Trying to get pictures on this blog site! UGH! Now remembering why I was Not blogging regular. I had more pictures but loading and moving them is a pain. Any way the garden is doing well...



Squash On the vine!

Lettuce Bed

Chicken Feed???

Okay son waits til he is giving the last of the food to the chickens. They get the corn that was left over from the night before and I made extra to have a reheat dinner. That will hold them over til I get home with the chicken feed. The son who feeds the chickens is not at home when I get home. Ask older son to put in garage before he leaves does not happen. Feed chickens some raw veggies. Son is not home until after we go to bed. Husband leaves for work with feed. We make the chickens a salad. Husband gets home son leaves with feed. I do not think about it until 5 minutes after husband has left and he waited till last minute to leave. So I will now have to defrost and cook for chickens.

Sprouting!!!

I am so excited the outdoor peas, lettuce and spinach is sprouting. The broccoli is still producing. One cauliflower bolted but another head is forming on one of the three plants. The garlic could be used now as green garlic. The strawberries are budding with fruit.

Indoors in addition to the lettuce, cabbage, celery and tomatoes that had already sprouted the eggplant and green peppers are starting to sprout. The biggest dilemma now is where I will put the plants in the garden. I only have 160 squares in the garden. Funny the book says one 4x4 will feed one I have 10 4x4. However we are wanting to get enough to can. Dream big!!

I am going to try some of the tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets. Not the upside down just the buckets mainly because I have them and I will have so many plants. I will be looking for more 5 gallon buckets. Also as a reminder to my self I may use the area where the boxes from the back were removed (not enough sun) for extra squash plants as they may get enough sun and need 3 square feet.

Today my plan is to get school done and some gluten free baking.

Indoor plants

These were started on March 16th!!

These are my experiment of the day- I took the plants I had to thin and tried planting them. If it works out I will have another 52 tomato plants!

What next?

Things are changing. Spring is in the air. I know this because my eyes are swollen and I am itching. Dan is outside now building boxes for my garden. I know he is doing this as a gift to me because to my surprise I found out I love to garden even if I am allergic to everything. I have 150 plants growing in my laundry room to hopefully transplant to the garden.

We have a life now of uncertainity. Dan is going to be going to school on the weekends to hopefully increase his income. However, if it works out it will change our lifestyle competely. The only thing I know for now is that God is in control and works good for those who love him.

I am excited about the plants in the laundry room actually sprouting. Yet at the same time kicking my self for not starting them in February. I hope to get enough from the garden to really make a dent in our food bill. Dan said the taste difference is enough to make it worthwhile plus the enjoyment I get from playing in the garden. I started to say dirt but that is not true as I can not stand to have dirt on me. Which makes me think I should have started experimenting with hydroponics.

That thought made me go look up hydroponics I see a the pretty plants and think I could do this in my basement. Then reality sets in you can not even keep up with the laundry now how would I find the time to tend the garden in the basement.

Can you catch ADD? I do believe I have.

Right now I plan to be better at actually harvesting the garden. Planting for all seasons. And also canning from the farmer's market.

I have a plan to start a coop for my friends to save us all money and get better produce from the farmers market. However, I am having trouble getting a plan together. Everytime I think now is the time we will have vehicles break down to the point of only having one vehicle running and whoever has to be at work is the priority.

Also I plan to be better at blogging to know what works in my garden. This is already in jeopardy as we have lost the usb cord to my camera and can not remove photos from the camera. That is the easiest fix if I can get the car to go to the store to get another cord.

I am posting this as a accountabilty that I will have to get these things done.

Future of homeschooling???

I love the way this blogger presents her information. Please read this if you are a homeschooler and/or you believe in having freedom. I believe we have the right to choose if we want to homeschool, private school or public school. I also believe as a parent we have a "right" to decide what our children are exposed to. I tried to be "heard" in the public school for my children it was a hard battle one that made me decide to homeschool. I think the government control at a national level makes it harder for the local school to meet the needs of the students, teachers and community in terms of helping all excel.

Have a look-http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2010/03/obama-takeover-of-education.html