Garden

When Inspiration Strikes

Happy Independence Day to all my U.S. friends out there! Is anyone doing anything special today? We’re having a picnic at our house with family this afternoon and I can’t wait! 

In preparation for our little gathering, I found myself at the grocery store in search of pork ribs to barbecue. First, I had to pass the produce and inspiration struck. 

Strawberries and rhubarb

Whoever put the strawberries and rhubarb together in the produce area of the store is smart!

Jimmy has been asking me to bake a strawberry rhubarb pie for a few weeks now, and what better time to make it than when we’re having guests over to enjoy it with us 🙂

Strawberry rhubarb pie fillingStrawberry rhubarb pie

Pies are definitely a bit of work to put together, but so rewarding when they’re finished.

We’ve been having some hot, dry days here in Pittsburgh, so we’ve been keeping a close eye on our garden and watering it as needed. I don’t think we watered the garden more than twice last year, but this year it seems like we could water it twice a day.

Sadie helped me pick some zucchini and squash. We are patiently awaiting the arrival of the cucumbers. Can’t wait to make pickles! 

Zucchini and yellow squash from vegetable gardenToddler eating squash from garden

Sadie and Niva spent some time cuddling in the yard yesterday and it was too sweet. These two seem to be best buds and partners in crime.

Yesterday I let Sadie play with my washi tape collection so I could get some housework done and she shared it with Niva… who chewed a few rolls. I was totally okay with sacrificing some washi tape so I could get a bit done, lol. 

Toddler laying with Siberian Husky in grass

Alright, off to bake those pork ribs for our picnic! 

What are you up to today?

Do you like strawberry rhubarb pie?

Our Garden 2019: Harvesting Almost Everything

I’m here with a garden update! Here’s how the garden looked on the day we planted.

Vegetable garden with fence

And here’s what it looks like now.

Vegetable garden inside fence

Needless to say, we’ve seen a lot of growth! We have harvested everything except eggplant and some of the bell pepper plants. They have a little more ripening to do, but the eggplant is looking great!

Eggplant growing in vegetable garden

I’ve really been enjoying cooking with our tomatoes, jalapeños, rosemary, swiss chard, and zucchini. In fact, I just pulled a roasted pork loin out of the oven that was marinated in balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, rosemary, and jalapeños.

We’ve been trying to eat all the cucumbers, but we can’t keep up with them! I brought a box to church to share and thankfully they were all gone by the time we left 🙂

Too many cucumbers from garden

While the cucumbers, zucchini, and swiss chard have been producing for a month or so now, we’re just starting to enjoy the rest of the veggies.

It’s fun to go out to the garden each day with Sadie and Jimmy and see what’s new! It’s crazy how the vegetables seem to crop up overnight.

Garden harvest of jalapenos, cucumbers, zucchini, swiss chard, rosemary, and green bell pepperVegetable garden harvest

So, that’s where we’re at with the garden right now! Neck deep in cucumbers and loving every minute of it 🙂