Our veggie bed is small, as you can see. Only 4 by 8 feet (1.2 m * 2.4 m) but it’s still big enough to produce a lot of lettuce and some kale, chard, beets, fennel, peas, and (although I lost my optimism, we’re still waiting to see some) cauliflower.

Every thing that grows is a prize. But the biggest reward for me is to see the kids – my city kids – interact with it. It doesn’t happen every day because we spend most of the year indoors (we had mostly cool, grey, and rainy days this past June!), but when they do…

I love to see them dig, pick, pull, cut, and eat right off the plants. We have plump peas now,

They are so fresh and tender and sweet that we eat them straight out of the shell in the yard – they barely make it back inside the house. (I bought a bag of fresh peas at the farmer’s market. $5 dollars for a bag of 1 pound! And it was a Big disappointment. They were so starchy and tough and bitter. I cooked them for about 20 minutes, and then sautéed them in butter for another 10 until they finally softened, but they still didn’t taste so good.

Today I picked the rest of them, otherwise the heat will turn them starchy.

In a few weeks we’ll have blueberries and tomatoes. Oh, glorious tomatoes…

We’ve been living in this house for nearly 6 years and, thinking back, I wish we had planted blueberry bushes along our fence the first year we moved here. One can never have too much blueberries…

Some housekeeping: I am happy to to report that the beer trap worked!

A few days after I put the trap, I went out to check again on the status. I found a few bodies of rotting slugs – yuck. It was disgusting. I ended up throwing the whole can away and planned to make a new trap but forgot to… We still have slugs, probably some veterans and some newcomers.

Meanwhile, we cut back most of our kale and chard – and into the pot they went – to make room for the tomatoes. I found that tomatoes grow best in the veggie bed, or the ground, but not so much in pots. I also planted two tomato plants in the front yard as part of my vision to have vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the front yard instead of a lawn. So far, they are doing marvelous. We already have a few green ones hanging on the branches.

These blanched greens will accompany the pasta with pesto and fresh peas we picked (4-5 minutes, cooked in salted boiling water.)

***

Summer finally began. It was indeed a miserable June. I’ll confess, I used the F-word a lot in June.

On Tuesday summer arrived! From mid 50’s F degrees we had a big jump to the lower 90’s F – now, don’t I sound like a weather girl/middle-aged woman reporting the weather?

Ahhhh, Summer. It’s going to be a short one this year. Only two months. And I don’t want to waste another second. I plan to spend it as much as I can outside, with the kids, with water (sprinklers, hoses, lakes, rivers, waterfalls), with cool watermelons, ice cream, and milkshakes….

No, no beer-braised squirrel in that pasta dish. Don’t worry.

I told you about my snail, beer, and a beer stealing squirrel problem. And I have received some advice. Thanks!

Crystal commented that what I have are slugs and not snails and suggested “A tried and true method I have used to make a beer trap is to get a used margarine or butter tub. Cut slug-sized holes on the side of the container near the top around the perimeter of the container. Fill it with beer and snap the lid back on. Then take it to your vegetable bed and bury it so that the soil comes up to where the holes are. The slugs will smell the beer and slither right on in to meet their drunken deaths! The lid will keep the neighborhood animals out. Good luck – the beer really works! We would grow pristine strawberries year after year using this method.”

Lo wrote “Oh, gosh! We’ve totally used the beer trick with our slugs (usually shallow lids filled with beer work nicely — though I love the butter tub concept), and it really does work! But, we’ve never had squirrels pilfering our beer supply “

Tamar had another problem and solution “We don’t have slugs but we have caterpillars eating our tomato leaves. Supposedly mint water irritates them out of the pot. We shall see…” In an e-mail she sent me later she reported back “… we boiled the water and added mint.  I don’t think it works.  We ended up buying caterpillar killer spray and 5 of them dropped off dead.  5!!! That’s so many!”

Lara added “… a length of copper around the whole thing will keep new ones out.”

Snails or slugs, they are snacking on my leafy greens!

So…with a new and improved trap, I went out again; I dug a little dent and placed the beer trap in the veggie bed right under the slugs’ nose!

Man, it was so hot that day; the second I took the beer container out, I could smell its sweet aroma. That made me very optimistic about achieving some serious results!

37.5 hours (or so…) have passed.

This is what I found this morning.

Someone is messing with the beer and it ain’t no slugs…

I took a pick inside. Found only a few dead gnats(?) Someone has been trying to steal the beer.

To save what’s left until I get rid of the pesky, slimy slugs, I harvested me some greens. That’ll show ‘em!

I picked green kale, red kale, and chard

Soaked them in water and rinsed them well a few times. Pulled the leaves off the stems, torn them to pieces and put it all in a big bowl.

How lovely is that?!

The leaves are so much tender compared to the bunches I buy at the grocery store. And much sweeter.

I blanched them in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes, cooled them in icy cold water and then squeezed them dry.

The big bowl was reduced to only two handfuls of cooked green stuff. (Twice the amount you see below.)

I used one handful to make an omelet and the other handful to cook a simpler variation to my wild mushroom ravioli with kale and cream recipe.

Creamy orecchiette with leafy greens

1/2 box orecchiette
1 handful blanched leafy greens, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
grated parmesan
a handful toasted pine nuts (Toast in 350 F oven for a few minutes)

Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the package. Drain.

Return it to the pot with the blanched greens, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix and heat over medium heat until it is warm.

Serve with grated parmesan and pine nuts.

***

Next we’re going to have peas… I see some good looking ones on the vines. Those are Suburban Cowboy’s babies. He is cultivating them very gently and lovingly.

In the meantime, can someone tell me what do you do with so much lettuce?

Something, or someone, is munching on our leafy greens.

He/she/it particularly likes the cauliflower leaves

and the tender curly lettuce leaves

Some, but not so much, kale

or the other kale,

and it is not too crazy about beets either.

PICKY EATER!

I looked for snails but couldn’t find any.

Puzzled, I mentioned it to a friend yesterday. She told me about this trick when you put beer in a bowl near the veggie bed.

“How does it work exactly?” I was curious.

“The snails love beer. They can smell it from a distance and would come to it and leave your veggies alone. Then they will climb into the beer bowl to drink some and will drown.”

“Oh, I guess if you go, this is the way to go!” I was thrilled! This sounded like a humane solution to get rid of the mysterious pest/bug/nuisance. Not to mention it’s eco-friendly.

Last night I went outside to pick some lettuce for dinner’s salad and saw how great is the damage. Still, I couldn’t see anyone or anything living and snacking on my lettuce.

As I washed the leaves, soaking them in a big bowl of water, I noticed a few snails clinging to them, the kind without a shell; those who look more like fat, slimy worms… Yuck. Or are they worms? Sneaky little bastards… Without a second thought, I took a bottle of beer, poured some into a plastic container and hurried back outside. I made a little dent in the soil and placed the container carefully in it.

This morning Suburban Cowboy spotted a squirrel stealing the beer bowl!

Later I saw the neighbor’s black cat sniffing around the area. Hmm…

(Beer braised squirrel anyone?)

Now I don’t know what to do… Should I give the beer trick another try? Maybe this time I should add a bowl of potato chips? Tortilla chips maybe? Do you think the critters will like it?

People!

You inspire me.

You impress me.

You amaze me.

You are such pros. Some of you… you should open your own little stand at the farmers’ market!

I’m very excited about our backyard leafy greens and herbs and another season of growth in the garden but you… You have so many great ideas!

Here are some comments I got from you about the backyard veggie garden post:

Noel commented on my Facebook page: “Last year we did our first garden in the NW (Northwest) and had a ton of success! I planted tomato plants early last year (mid April) and, with a little luck, avoided any late frosts. They were gorgeous, tasty, and prolific. We are hoping for the same luck this year. We are going to plant more lettuces, beans, and carrots than last year so the kids can partake in more of the eating. And try to time a fall crop of butternut squash, pumpkins and kale. Not sure we have enough room, but we are going to try!”

Stephanie is growing tomatoes

Jessica “I planted some lettuce and arugula and just got some tomato starts. Next gotta get the beans in the ground and whatever else my son picks out – probably some sort of summer squash”

Lara “ I rent 450 sq ft of ground nearby. I have potatoes, peas, onions, beets, carrots, herbs, zucchini (in a bottle), salad greens, sorrel, spinach, cress, kale, and flowers in now”

Katrina has “a humble herb garden going right now with a Topsy Turvy for tomatoes and another for strawberries, but next summer…We’re gonna have ourselves a true garden!”

Maria is “about to begin work on the garden as well this week”

Tamar “Any advice on growing tomatoes in a pot? We started Cherry ones”

Valentina is dreaming about it. (That counts too!)

Mariko’s “husband has a green thumb but I am so haphazard. I’d like to do more, though! I like the idea of my daughter in the garden.”

And me?

I think there is a new movement going on here. People are growing their own edible green stuff, and veggies, and fruits! Wow!

This year I want to plant tomatoes in the front yard! We had a big success last summer and had tons of tomatoes! I want the kids in our street to come to our front yard and pick and eat tomatoes right off the vine. Maybe then they’ll go home and nag their parents to grow something too. If they haven’t already.

I hope that in the future more and more neighbors will grow something in the front yard, where everyone can see what’s going on, and we can share from our bounty, share tips and advice, share a conversation. We don’t have that kind of stuff right now. It’s a bit sad.

If you’re intimidated, or lack knowledge and skills, like I do, start with a little something. Two years ago we started with veggie garden” in pots (any one can do this!). This year we have a raised bed. We still grow herbs in pots. Here is what we got so far:

First, we have last year’s survivors:

Chive, survived the winter inside the house and now is starting to grow again

Same story with the sage

Same with the tarragon

Rosemary, ah, one died, and the other one is still struggling to make it. Meanwhile, I got two new types of rosemary because they smell differently and hopefully one of them will survive the next winter

I love thyme and use it a lot, so I got three different ones: 2 different lemon thyme and an English thyme. I use it fresh or cooked in lots and lots of dishes from salads and pastas to stews and soups.

Oregano

Two types of mint: Apple mint and Kentucky colonel (what?) mint

Parsley. I have a little guy that I rescued from the cold winter and took it inside the house. Now it’s back outside getting back to its old self. But I also got a new plant since I use parsley frequently and it goes fast. When I buy a bunch I end up throwing what’s left but with a plant I can use a tablespoon here and there as I need.

You know, buying a plant cost the same as buying a cut herb stuck in a plastic container. So, that makes buying a love plant more cost-effective. Just think about it.

Cilantro. I LOVE cilantro! Do you?

This little guy was bought as a live basil (unlike the one you buy in the plastic box). I picked most, but not all, of the leaves to make pesto and put the plant in this glass of water (it sure drinks a lot) for a couple of weeks. Now it has strong roots and I’m going to plant it in a pot.

***

So, that’s pretty easy, eh?

Not rocket science.

Now I need to expand to growing veggies.

It’s backyard veggie garden time. Lettuce, kale, chard, mustard greens, peas, beets, arugula, fennel, mint, cilantro, tarragon, chives, parsley, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary…

Last year we started in mid May although the raised bed was finished only1-2 weeks after. By mid June the lettuce was growing like crazy!

The year before, July 2008, we had a “veggie garden” in pots (so if you don’t have a little piece of land available for planting, you can do this in pots in a sunny spot. (Hey, a rhyme!))

This year we started earlier and we are a wee bit wiser and more knowledgeable. The raised bed is already there so all we had to do is buy 2 bags of compost to make it richer with nutrients and here’s Suburban Cowboy and our lil’girl working in the backyard, mixing last year’s soil with the new compost,

Ahhh, I love seeing other people work. But, wait a minute! Do you notice anything wrong in this picture? (I’ll tell you in a sec)

Hmm, somehow I don’t believe that working with that little shovel and sitting to rest and the project has just begun is going to make the job get done any time soon… It’s certainly not gonna get finished when you throw the soil out of the bed.

“Hey, You! Kid! In the blue shirt! We paid $$ for the manure*! Don’t throw it out on the grass. Hey! You! You’re supposed to keep it INSIDE, girl!”

* actually, I cannot stand the thought of chicken/cow manure in the yard and my kids splashing in the stuff, then bringing it home on the bottoms of their little shoes, so I buy a vegetarian compost.

Now, I’ll tell you what’s wrong with the previous photo, if you haven’t guessed it already… She’s got the baby sized blue shovel

And her dad too! Working the land with a blue kiddy shovel we bought for the kids at Costco years ago?

Now that is very manly. Only a guy so confident about his manhood will have the courage to do so, right?!

And Suburban cowboy is working hard. Believe me. Just look at that muscle!

Oops, wrong muscle.

Just look at THAT muscle!

“Suburban Cowboy, I’d say you need to tan a bit after months of cloudy winter and lots of indoors time. Get a little color on those muscles”

And may I add, “Your whiteness is blinding me”. I need my sunglasses.

He threatens me with a hose.

“Are you absolutely positively sure you want to do this, dude?”

He rethinks it, realizing it’s a bad, a very bad idea.

Now, that’s more like it; Put your hose where it belongs,

I go back in the house to do some cooking. It’s almost dinner time.

I love to sneak up on my family. See what they’re up to when they don’t know I’m watching them

… from behind…

“Suburban coooowboy, dinner’s reaaa-dy!”

“C’mon man.” He cannot stop.

“OK, 10 more minutes.”

“Nu? The kids are hungry”

He’s giving it another look…

See how he backs off, walking backwards? Bathing the bed with loving eyes…

“Say bye-bye….”

Until next time…

Are you growing any edible plants, veggies, or fruit this year?

Oh, what a summer it has been. Quite stormy, I’d say. If you have been following my family stories, you know what I’m talking about…

My father passed away 3 weeks ago after months of being very sick. I can’t still digest this fact and the only time I have to think about it is late at night before going to sleep.

My mom visited us for a month after three years that we haven’t seen her (with no connection to my father at all as they got divorced when I was a baby) which is a long time to be living in one’s family room, regardless of if you’re having fun together or not.

My son is on summer vacation from school and we spent almost every single day together for the past 6 weeks and there’s another one to go (but who’s counting?) before school starts.

After my father’s death and my mother’s return to her home, we went on a very much needed little summer vacation with the kiddies. Needless to say, although it was lots of fun, a vacation with little kids is not for rest and relaxation. I’m happy to be back home.

And brought a little souvenir from our trip, real Canadian maple syrup

But by now I feel very tired and stressed. All this family “stuff” has been keeping me so busy, too busy, that my head is spinning and I feel so drained. I am so ready to get back to our usual routine. To keep afloat, I’m trying to stay positive and focus on things that make me happy because otherwise, I could go crazy. The simple pleasures of life are filling me back with energies and bringing back the desire to write, to be productive, see people, go out, invite friends over, celebrate… Live.

Like stopping by a farm stand and buying the freshest corn that was picked that very morning at a local farm! 10 for $2! Support your local farmers.

And stone fruits that are the sweetest I have tasted in a long long time. 

     And although the tomatoes in the backyard were not watered for a week while we were away, they waited for us on their vines, ripe and waiting to be picked

and were good and sweet and juicy

Same as these most amazing plums!

But like after any vacation, there is A LOT of laundry to do, grocery shopping, and running errands. A nice quick and light lunch is the best for the day after. Like a good meal after a vacation hangover. Full of summer goodness and sunshine that was soaked into the food.

Quick summer lunch

Corn on the cob quickly cooked in the microwave with a light sprinkle of salt

Simple sandwich with your favorite bread, deli meat, avocado, mayo and/or a drizzle of truffle oil

Fresh mozzarella

10-minutes-ago picked cherry tomatoes

Building our little backyard garden with a raised bed and planting and seeding what grew up to be lettuces, arugula, fresh herbs, and tomatoes really paid off. We enjoy it so much. Next year we might even try raising corn! Now we’re waiting to see what happens with these melons. I hope they will provide a sweet ending to my crazy summer.

The end …

…

“Eating greens is a special treat. It makes looong ears and great big feet”.

Oh, I have waited such a long time to post that! D’you know who said that? (The answer at bottom of the post).

When you grow your own lettuce you have no choice but eat your greens. And fast.

Only 1 weeks ago the lettuces looked like this:

And now, this (and I have already harvested them once):

This is what sun, fresh air, water, and good food full of nutrients (in the lettuce’s case, good soil) do to you. So take good care of yourself, OK?

And in case you were curious, the salad in the top photo is a simple one: a mix of lettuces, including arugula (my favorite), fresh herbs (cilantro, basil parsley, or whatever you have), hard-boiled egg, avocado, olive oil, splash of lemon, salt, pepper. Serve with a thick piece of bread slathered with creamy butter.

Now, to other things.

First, the autographed* copy of Ruth Reichl’s new book “Not Becoming My Mother” GIVEAWAY! Details here. Go and post a comment. I’m sure you have something to say ‘bout it. And if there are many comments=big interest in the book, I might be able to find a few extra copies to give.

Second, let’s talk about personal food blogs that inspire you and give them some link love.

I’d like you to recommend food blogs that combine life and food stories. Real life of real people that has touched your soul – made you laugh/cry/get mad/have sex/do something – and cook.

Add your recommendations in the comment section, up to 3 blogs, and explain in a few sentences why you like them.

I will link to your blog, and will bring up your comment and the blogs links to the post section.

I’m so curious to see which blogs you will introduce.

 * * * * * *

Here’s what readers recommend (add yours too!):

Phoo-D blog, food for anyone with an address, recommends: Joy the baker, The Paupered chef, Evil chef mom. They share the ups and downs of taking on personal challenges in the kitchen and share touching stories about life outside of cooking. I always leave with a smile, a laugh, or inspired to go tackle a new project.

Julie, culinary and nutrition educator, recommends: I recently discovered Lettuce Eat Kale, (which, in light of your recent post, I imagine you’ll love the name) – great blog, interesting posts.

Marsha recommends: The pioneer woman, Smitten kitchen, Get off your butt and bake. All of these sites have encouraged me to try new ingredients, produce my own recipes, and make my love of cooking and baking even stronger.

Panda Foodie recommends The frantic foodie. To me, this is a very caring blog because she informs food bloggers around Seattle about various events and she organizes them, too!

Katrina from Eating on Tulsa time recommends: Omnomicon She’s smart and witty with an acidic tongue! I love her!
Tartelette This one has such beautiful pictures. I wish I could do that!, Steph chows Healthy food that actually tastes good! You can’t beat that!

Aimee from Under the highchair recommends: I’ve been hooked on Dinner with Julie for a while now. Guess I really connect with her as she is a mom to a 3yo boy as well. Plus these is no pretense, she blogs the good and the bad–and often! I’m always moved by her writing.

Kate from Kate’s Musings recommends: Under the highchair Aimee has inspired me many times when I have been worn out from a long day with two little ones. I also love Foodgawker -the visual porthole to a huge variety of foodie blogs/sites. One visit to this site and you’ll know why it is called food gawker! The photos make my mouth water!

Matt of No Meat Athlete recommends: Eat live run (lots of good looking snacks), Fertile healthy (very inspiring), Healthy tipping point (a fellow vegetarian athlete who eats great food).

Diana from Dianasaur dishes, here’s my blogs that have touched me: I love Steamy Kitchen because Jaden is so real and passionate and lets you know exactly what she’s thinking. Her blog is what inspired me to put recipes on my blog and she really seeks to build community with her readers. I also enjoy Dine and Dish because her posts always feel like she’s telling you about her day over a cup of steaming hot coffee.

Kristi from Sprouts in the kitchen says: My absolute favorit these days is Food on the food, Smitten kitchen is great.
I LOVE most anything from Mark Bittman, and I’m loving blogging on my own food/kid blog, too!

Update: No more comments. This post seems to attract a LOT of spam beacuse the comments’ section was open to links.

* * * * * 
Answer: Thumper, the bunny in the movie Bambi

When spring is springing I feel an urge to buy a couple of pots with fresh herbs and flowers. How about you?

This year, I became aware of another side and added value to buying herbs in pots. One of the things I learned from the Hunger challenge is that I can save a lot of money on fresh herbs if I grow my own. During the challenge, I could not afford to buy fresh herbs because it stretched my budget beyond what I could spend on groceries. For $2 for a cilantro bunch… I had to skip it to be able to buy more substantial foods.

A little pot of thyme, oregano, mint, rosemary, or parsley – herbs I use a lot in my (mainly) Mediterranean and Pacific Northwest cooking – cost only $2-$3 each. When I buy a fresh bunch at the grocery store it cost the same, but then I can only use it for about a week before it goes bad and whatever is left gets thrown away.

Think about it. To buy4 types of herbs in pots costs about $12. If I buy these fresh herbs at the grocery store, let’s say twice a month, it will costs $288 a year. Add to that other herbs like sage, tarragon, lemon thyme, which you can grow even in a pot on a sunny porch… and it easily adds up to about $500 a year.

It’s so much fun to grow my own and so fantastic to see something green and fresh grows from seed or little plant right in front of my eyes.

In addition to that I think that many people spend too much energy, money, not to mention the use of chemicals, to treat their lawn, kill weeds, moss, insects, to make it greener. I don’t want to do that. I have two little kids and the thought of them running around in chemically treated lawn just kills me. We haven’t used anything on our lawn since we moved to this house. I prefer to have weeds and moss and healthy kids.

This year we are making the lawn smaller by using some of the area to build raised beds to grow herbs, fruits, veggies, and flowers. Beside the first investment in materials to build the beds, we will be able to save money later on on both the lawn treatment and the purchase of herbs at the store.

We are no gardeners so this is going to be something completely new to us. How exciting. Until we got to building the beds, I started a few pots. What did I get so far?

Blueberries, strawberries, mint, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, oregano – we have those from last year. They survive the winter or make a come back when the weather gets warmer.

Nature is so amazing. Everything you see in this photo below (taken 2 weeks ago) is now twice bigger.

New this year – mizuna (a type of lettuce), colored lettuces, rosemary, basil.

Here is my baby arugula which I started from seeds about a week ago, and parsley on the right side.

Now that we start building our first raised bed, I’m looking for more ideas. I don’t know yet what we will plant in it. Luckily there a few bloggers that write about this kind of stuff like digginfood, or I go to a local nursery and consult with someone. I have just recently discovered new blogs about this topic. Check out:

Every bit cooking and gardening

Ghost town farm

Fat of the land

My vision – after we learn and do in the backyard, have an urban garden in the front yard. Just imagine what this can do to our little community and neighborhood!

Do you grow anything? Yes/no/want to/not into it?

A “Vegetable garden” is very easy to create and a fantastic opportunity to give children a meaningful job and enhance their sense of responsibility. (Also a good opportunity to let them learn the consequences of taking good care of the garden versus what happens if you forget to water the plants.) You can sow the seeds in the soil and/or in pots, or buy new plants at the right season. If using pots, use organic garden soil.

Here are some ideas…

Herbs
Throughout the year we grow herbs. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano survive the frost and snow. Lemon thyme and mint will disappear but will grow back next spring.
Basil doesn’t make it through winter. You will need to buy a new plant next summer.

I like to ask my son to go out and pick a few herbs for me when I cook dinner. In the summer, I like to use fresh herbs in vegetable salads (especially mint and lemon thyme) and in marinades. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano work wonderful with lamb and potato dishes. Mint is so refreshing and makes great tea and is wonderful in lemonade. I also use it in a yogurt sauce that accompanies grilled lamb (look in “recipes”).

Strawberries
Do you see that red one and a few pink ones? It’s not a big crop, but my son is very happy to pick the fruit when it is ready to eat, and now he know that strawberries don’t grow on trees

Blueberries
Again, not a big crop, but enough to make a kid happy.

Lemon verbena
Is another favorite herb. I use it to mainly to make tea and lemon verbena crème brulee, and add it to lemonade.
It disappears in winter and grows back at the beginning of summer.

Nasturtiums
These are edible flowers. I’m not sure we will actually eat them, but they are pretty and safe to put in your salad. (Recipe and photos will be posted soon).

And those are going to be… pumpkins.
I am a bit scared growing this gigantic vegetable in our own backyard, but the little guy really wanted to have his own pumpkins for next Halloween and Thanksgiving. I guess we won’t go to the pumpkin patch this year… It is amazing how fast they grow (and will even survive a few days without watering).

Another easy vegetable to grow are tomatoes (they are actually a fruit). We had them last summer, but not this year.

If you have other ideas and/or want to share with other readers what you do in your own home vegetable garden, write a comment below, or send me an e-mail and I will post it.

Have fun!
Nurit