The Rows are Plentiful, Mr. Potato Head

You might notice that the stems of this potato plant are blue instead of green like most traditional potato plants. This is a potato plant from the bag of blue potatoes that I planted. They were the last out of the 3 different varieties of potatoes that are growing in my back yard this year.

 

This is the first potato blossom of the season. It comes from the first batch of potatoes that were planted. They were from a bag of Russet potatoes in my cupboard that went to seed. There is so much beauty in the grow cycle of all living things and in this beautiful blossom.

I'm sure things are as active underneath the soil as it is above the soil. These potato plants are certainly coming a long way.

Growing Salads with Love

 

There is something about this angle of my garden that brings me comfort. This is the angle of the garden that I see from my home, perhaps I enjoy it so much because it is familiar. In a way, it is like observing the part of me that is nurturing and connected to the soil. It bring me great joy to grow things.

I am really happy to see that the oregano is recovering from the winter cat attacks. It is flourishing so well that I think I will be able to grow my oregano bed next summer. I would love to have an abundance of freshly grown oregano. 

 

Earlier in the season I had been a little worried about this pot of chives that had been growing indoors all winter. They were growing much slower then the chives that I had planted in the small garden bed. They are finally starting to thicken a look healthy. 

I've got lettuce planted everywhere. This is one of the heads that is planted amongst the carrots in the small house bed. I am going to make so many salads this summer and I am thrilled.

When the Bugs Come Marching In

It is time for some garden photo updates! A week of rain was followed by a week of sunshine and all of the garden flourished. This cucumber plant has more then doubled since the last time I snapped a photo series. I can't wait until it blossoms.

I harvested some large radish roots from the garden today. I am impressed with their size and they are easily the largest radish roots I have ever grown. Unfortunately, some of them have root maggots. It has become very important to slice into the radish before eating it just to make sure it doesn't come with any unpleasant surprises. They may be considered a delicacy in some locations but I really don't think I will be adding them to the menu anytime soon.

 

When I look at this picture, I imagine myself as a bug walking through carrot forest. It looks so majestic and the smell of carrots is delightful. I wonder how it looks to our earthly insect friends.

 

The spinach plant by the house has recently had a pretty satisfying growth spurt. I plucked back a few leaves today and had them for supper tonight.

 

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Homemade: Lemon Chive Dressing

I'm on a bit of a homemade binge right now so I thought I would grab some of the Salt Free Lemon Chive dressing seasoning that I received from a company called Backyard Patch and whip up some salad dressing. I will be reviewing a selection of products from Backyard Patch on 'Review Organic' and giving away some of their products on 'Music and Mommies' over the next few weeks. When making salad dressing you can use various combination of herbs. The herbs from Backyard Patch are very inexpensive and even include a few recipes. 

In a mason jar, I combined 1.5 teaspoons of the spice mixture with 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil; I prefer extra virgin olive oil. 

Although it says on the package to let it set for an hour or so, my own experience tells me to let it set for a couple weeks to really bring out the flavor. We also make a Greek vinaigrette from scratch and although you can eat it within the hour, the flavor is much stronger and tangier if you prepare it a couple weeks in advance. All of these dressings and vinaigrette's have a pretty lengthy shelf life.

Disclaimer: Although I will be reviewing these products on my other blogs. I was not required to blog about anything I decided to make, nor was I paid at all for this post. I posted this simply to show how easy it is to make your own salad dressing. 

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to all of my Canadian friends. By the time you read this, I will be deep in the woods on a camping excursion.  If I did indeed remember to bring my camera there will be pictures to follow.  The Hub Times will be postponed until next Friday when I have time to link up. Oh, I will also post a giveaway when I get back! Stay tuned...