May 31st

The end of May is plentiful.

This is the time for the veggie garden to shine.

These are cherry tomatoes in 3 varieties,

artichokes, purple bell peppers and 

Japanese eggplants.

I read where you need 2 acres

of veggies and grains planted

to sustain 1 person, and the crops 

need to rotate yearly. You'd also

need 2 acres for small livestock.

That's a lot of land.

We still buy groceries regularly

so, I don't think we'd be

considered anything but

backyard farmers,

but,

I think our "hobby garden and coop"

give us a load of fun and awesome

food!

 

These are Yukon Gold potatoes,

Purple and Red bell peppers,

Jalapenos, artichokes and cherry tomatoes.

Those are yellow cherry tomatoes,

regular red cherry ones, 'chokes,

jalapenos and bell peppers.

I had so many tomatoes that I slow cooked them.

I added my own home grown

basil, oregano, onions and 

added garlic, a little red wine and olive oil.

Then I used my immersion blender

to make it smooth.

It made several freezer containers.

This will be the base for tomato sauce.

The herb garden is 

going crazy too!

I've cut some for dehydrating

and some to hang upside down in the 

kitchen to air dry.

The whole kitchen smells awesome!!

Looks like a beautiful bouquet.

This is parsley, sage

rosemary and thyme.

😀

This is basil, oregano and lavender

along with the other bouquet,

hanging from the bay window.

In a few days they will be dry enough

to pull off their stems.

This is what I've dehydrated 

in the last couple days.

That's a gallon Ziplock bag!

Our cucumbers.

We've harvested about 5 so far.

💗

There is nothing like a fresh

picked garden salad.

The tastes are so much richer

than anything store bought.

This is one of 6 (so far)

heirloom tomatoes.

The colors are slightly

bluish to brownish.

and the taste is amazing.

This is one of our blue cherry tomatoes.

Yep,

I said blue.

They are so stinkin' cute!

The taste is milder.

Blue and purple foods are rich in

a natural pigment called

anthocyanins.

They help the body absorb calcium,

lowers LDL, fights inflammation,

helps boost the immune system in the gut,

act as anticarcinogens and aid in digestion.

What's not to love?

******************************

The flowers look great too.

Tiny roses.

A close up of Mexican Heather.

and Geranium

We're still waiting for the

Stargazer Lillies

to open.

They are full of buds.

The Gardenias are still blooming,

but not as much.

Mary's Garden.

She has a bunch of small potted

flowers.

The CEO fixed Her up for me.

I love it!!

******************************

My outdoor companions.

If we don't get the

"low hanging fruit",

these girls surely will.

If you look closely,

you can see Hazel (in the back)

munching on a cherry tomato.

I dropped one and she scooped it up.

Minew, the cat,

isn't around.

She is probably off exploring.

************************

Sure does.

✞

God Bless the children and teachers

from Texas who are now

Angels.

May God give their families

the strength to carry on.

💚💙