Fresh & Fabulous Monday!

This week the garden is full bloom and WOW do we have a great selection. Beautiful peppers of all shapes, sizes and colors. We also have black beauty, and miniature eggplant in green and black. Despite the heat our green beans don’t look too bad. For those wanting to SAVE some money talk to me about our u-pick opportunities to where you can get your beans for as low as a $1.00 a pound. We also have sweet corn and touchstone gold beets this week. If you love greens then you will also need to check out our Swiss chard and collard greens. The okra is starting to kick in and then there is the entire rainbow of tomatoes. We also have some potatoes and a few onions and sweet potatoes left too!
This week we are also featuring a new food option. We call is fresh – fabulous & FAST. Each week we will offer a take and bake item that will be fully cooked and only needing reheated. To start we are using a terrific dish straight from the test kitchens of Taste of Home called yellow squash quiche. It is a great one-dish meal that is perfect for a late night or a good hot meal in a hurry. We are also adding some easy and time-saving recipes to our website to give you some ideas on how to fully take advantage of summer’s goodness.
In the garden this week we are busy weeding our bean patch and our fall squash bed. I also hope to start planting some of my fall tomato plants, dykon radishes and turnips. I also and order seeds for my fall and winter garden. This year we plan to harvest something ALL 12 months. Our big expansion for next year will include a nice assortment of raspberries, black berries, gooseberries and currants. Most will be in production for the spring. I need determine how many of each and select my varieties. I am also going to add some June-bearing strawberries this fall and hopefully will have a crop in April and then again in June.
At home the girls and I are getting back into our routine. We hope to end the week with a visit to the pool on Friday. To earn this reward they will have to keep their rooms clean and complete their chore chart posted on our refrigerator. The chores are simple and appropriate for their age, but also useful to running a busy house and farm. Tom and I are also getting back into another rhythm. Starting this Friday we are reopening our back yard Friday night for a taste of Fresh from the grill. You will be able to try things like grilled eggplant, okra kabobs, and so much more. You are welcome to stop by and sample. I will let you know later in the week as to the full featured menu but for Father’s Day the girls and I gave Tom some new heavy duty skewers and I am guessing he will start with kabobs. Why not? The produce will suit them perfectly. Our Friday night grills are open to anyone and our FAMILY friendly. We only ask you let us know are stopping by! We are pretty laid back and only suggest that you may want to bring your own lawn chair.
The online store is now open. Please go place your order by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday and you order will be delivered Thursday. Remember when you buy local and support a business like MINE you are buying from a business houses their purchasing power in YOUR community. Whether it is a tank of gas, a new pair of shoes or a refrigerator we buy from our customers first, our collection of communities second and then elsewhere as needed. Have a fresh and fabulous week!?