All that zucchini in the garden! Great way to savor the flavor throughout the winter months is to shred or grate zucchini when fresh and freeze it! You can put it into lasagna, breads, sauces, and more! Here is my favorite zucchini bread recipe that I have been altering over the past few years to get it juuuust right. Hope your family loves it as much as mine!!

Meg's BEST Zucchini Bread*one loaf, 375 degrees F

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbls. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbls. melted butter

Directions:
Pre-heat oven. Combine dry ingredients, mix. Set aside. Combine wet ingredients in seperate bowl, mix. Fold the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients. Dip a paper towel into butter and wipe down the sides of a 5 x 9 loaf pan. Sprinkle flour into the pan and coat all sides. get rid of excess flour (tap into sink). Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a knive inserted into middle ALMOST comes out
clean- you will have a little residue on the knife, if it is completely clean, it is not as moist. Cool for 10 minutes, take out of pan and cool another 30 minutes. Stores well for up to 4 days- trust me, it won’t last that long. Pour a cup of coffee and ENJOY. 

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There's lots of garden activity going on in the neighborhood.  Plants are leaving the nurseries in droves. I have just planted the tomatoes and bell peppers at Terra Nova Gardens. Next week the cucumbers, zucchini and corn will be planted.  My neighbor across the street from where I live at the Urban Ranch asked for some space at Terra Nova Gardens for watermelons and pumpkins.  He now has three hills of watermelons and three hills of pumpkins planted.  The rest of the open garden will be planted in sweet corn and five rows of companion planting called three sisters.  I expect most of you know what that is but for those that don't it's a combination of corn, pole beans, and vined squash planted in the same area.  The pole beans will climb up the corn and the squash will cover the ground to keep down the weeds and deter the raccoon.  The raccoons don't like stepping on the squash vines.  So I've read.  So we will see.

Here's the almost finished beds. Two more bales of straw covered the rest of the area. Once again this is not what the garden looks like. By the time I get to blog a couple days have gone by and things look much different. I guess that I really should take more pictures during the work days.

Here's the plan for this year. The grand plan has changed so many times that I couldn't tell you what issue this is. The overall plan has changed as well. I've decided to have half the garden be an open garden without a fence. Raised garden beds are great but just not for vined plants like acorn squash, watermelons, pumpkins, or sweet corn. There's a need for both. So half will be fenced and half will be open. Do turkeys like pumpkins or watermelons? I guess I'll find out.

Mean while back at the Urban Ranch, the backyard gardens have been severely neglected this year. Time in the backyard will be a must next week. The main rain water storage tank is full and I will ask my friend who has a source for unlimited plastic 55 gallon drums to snag me a couple more. I would like to continue to store up water for the backyard gardens as much as I can. Before the last rain I integrated one 55 gallon drum but it's overflowing and I had to close off the fill line for now. The dribble in the main water storage tank has all but stopped. The water loss has gone from 18 gallons a day to practically negligible. I'm not sure why but I'll except it and move on.

I have installed a water fountain in the main water storage tank. I don't want the water to become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Before too long I plan to have fish caught from the local ponds in the tank as well so a little aeration is also needed. The cover for the tank used to be part of another project from 10 years ago and has been recycled as a tank cover to keep curious neighborhood from falling in the tank and to help to prevent algae growth. This project has come a long way since that first anchor concrete block was laid for the foundation. This is third year for working on the project. Last year only a few tweaks in the watering system were needed. This year I expect it to function as well as last year. So many projects and never enough time.

That's it for this week but there's another week coming with new and exciting adventures. I better rest up today so I can get started bright and early tomorrow. I'm glad you could sit a spell and read about the antics of old Dave and his gardening experiences. Until the next time keep those garden tools sharp and working. One hour a day in the garden is better than two at the fitness center.  

We’re into June already and I’m lagging even farther behind in my garden chores because of supply problems. But I've finally gotten the peat pellets I needed to start the next round of plantings. They are the wrong size; the diameter of the compressed “pucks” is 1/4” too large to fit into the grippers in the tray but I’ll work with them anyway. One advantage of these larger “pucks” is that when they are wetted and expand, they end up with a hole down the middle (think doughnut) that makes it a simple job to drop the seed right down inside. This would not be good for small seeds, but today I’m planting beans and chard. I set up 18 pinto beans, 18 black beans, and 12 Swiss chard. The chard is for Mom. Marie doesn't care for chard but Mom does. I've never had it, so I don't know... but I will try it when it's ripe. I set the clear cover on top and set it in the window to make a small greenhouse that will speed germination of the seeds.

When the seeds sprout, I remove the peat pellets and their seedlings and put them in small planters with potting soil. Here I gradually acclimate them to full sunshine while the first (baby) leaves are replaced by the plant’s initial mature leaves. Once the small plant has been “hardened off” (or made able to stand full sunshine without withering up and dying), I’ll take them out to the garden and plant them in the designated squares. The beans will go into the ground on the inside of the fence line, with the corn/cucumber row outside the fence. These three play well together, but crop rotation will require doing something else next year as beans can be planted in the same place only once in every three years. Maybe the beans will go outside the fence and the corn/cucumbers inside next year.

Overall, the garden is doing well considering that I’m new to this. My one major ‘fail’ this year has been the cauliflower and broccoli; Looper worms ate the centers out of the plants, then started chewing holes in the leaves. Once the centers were destroyed any chance of getting edible parts from there was gone so I pulled them out. The gardening sites say to prevent Loopers I must spray both sides of all the leaves with insecticide at least once a week. I wanted to avoid insecticides if I can, Mom has a “natural gardening” book - I think it’s by Jerry Baker, which offers several suggestions. One is to sprinkle corn starch or rye flour on the leaves. The bugs eat this, it swells up inside them and causes them to burst. There’s a visual I don’t want to entertain! Adding a little salt or cayenne pepper helps to repel the bugs. I’ll give this a shot and see if it helps on the second round of these plants.

The lettuce is still prolific. Marie says she has never seen anyone grow lettuce as tall as this. My theory on this is; it’s because instead of waiting for the lettuce plant to get to 12-14 inches tall and cutting it off at the ground, I snip off the lower leaves and leave the plant to continue growing. This seems to encourage the plant to keep putting new leaves out on top and I keep snipping off the lower ones. Eventually I get a lettuce tree! This works great for the leaf lettuce, head lettuce would be entirely different, and the Mesclun mix lettuce has all different shaped plants - some pretty bizarre looking, but they all taste great and make for a very interesting salad.

The squash plants are beginning to bloom and from the number of buds I see waiting to flower out, we will be pushing squash off on the neighbors and co-workers just like we are the lettuce. I've got yellow squash, summer squash and zucchini, but none of the bigger varieties like crook-neck or acorn; those would be just too much for my little garden!

This year I’m growing both red and white radishes. I’m sure you’re familiar with the red (Cherry Bell) radishes, but the white ones are rather unique. They are white on the outside, red on the inside and when sliced look for all the world like hunks of watermelon. 

They taste like a radish except they are more spicy than the red radish – so much so that nibbling on two of these as a snack gave me quite a case of indigestion! A little of these goes a long way. They are good in salads though.

The tomatoes have many blooms and a few green tomatoes the size of marbles. When they get to the size of golf balls I’ll need to fertilize them with some ‘Mater food. I've got a couple of green peppers almost ready to pick and many more in process. I have watermelon seedlings hardening off now what will go in the ground in another week or so. Everything else is coming along pretty well, and plant chomping pests aren't much of a problem, except as noted earlier, so I’m happy.

As the weather gets hotter, lettuce and spinach will have a hard time growing. The chard will grow well in the summer heat, as will peppers, tomatoes and squash. Once we reach mid-August I’ll be ready to start another round of the cool-weather crops as well as Brussels sprouts.

And there you have it. Not exactly ready to set up a canning operation yet, but we are enjoying what we’re harvesting and I’m having fun managing my micro-farm.

I thought it might be time for a quick garden update!

The garden (containers, raised beds, and rows) all got a late start this year. But I am determined to make something of it – even with central Texas heat!

First of all, the cucumbers! They're growing, and even producing fruit!

There are fruits of all sizes on the plants -- some are near harvest size, some itty bitty, and some in between. Much of the vine has small cucumbers just starting out. I am so pleased with the progress of the two plants we have growing that I put a few more seeds in the ground for a later harvest. Hopefully we'll have plenty of cucumbers; I would like to give a couple of pickling recipes a try.

A few weeks ago I put in another row of beans (pole, and bush). They're coming in nicely. I'm looking forward to fresh picked green beans for supper. I recently purchased a FoodSaver, and plan to freeze the beans we don't eat immediately. With nearly 50' of beans planted, I hope we have LOTS of beans to harvest!

There is one section of the bean row (one week younger than the others) where I continue to battle the armadillo. Each night, he turns over 6-12" of soil. Each morning, I put the soil back in place. Thankfully he has only turned a couple of plants... although, I wonder if he has helped himself to a couple of seeds – I am suspect of a "gap" in the bean plants. It's the only section of the garden he has bothered. I'm hoping as the plants fill in, he moves on to other areas of the farm (just not the garden).

This is the first year I've attempted to grow melons. So far, they look like they're doing alright. I wasn't sure they would do well being planted in a container. I've even spotted a few small melons on the vine! How exciting!

A few weeks ago I put some pumpkin seeds in the ground. The Big Max plants are growing nicely, and so are the small decor pumpkin plants. I planted a few other varieties, and hope to get at least a couple of pumpkins off the vines. Unfortunately, the area I created the pumpkin mounds in gets a bit more shade than I expected this time of year. But even so, they're able to soak up the afternoon and evening sun and seem to be doing just fine.

I put some zucchini squash plants in for a late summer harvest, and just put a few more seeds in the ground, too. I really had to mulch the mounds to keep the hot sun from drying out the soil too quickly. It took the plants a bit of time to settle in, but now they seem to be noticably larger with each day. Alan's father isn't a fan of zucchini (I think he even said something about zucchini being a "waste of good soil"), but I happen to LOVE it and think the more, the better! Even with the late start to the garden this year, I've harvested about 12 pounds of zucchini from the three larger plants I have planted in containers. Here's hoping for more, more, MORE!

Finally, the zinnias are blooming! There is a variety of colors, and their bright, cheery faces add a sweet spot of color to the place.

Thanks for checking in on the garden with me! As always, you are invited to read more about our life on the farm.

My fellow GRIT bloggers are quite a creative bunch, and I’ve learned quite a lot from them during the short time I’ve been blogging here. I’ve learned how to build various styles of chicken coops, (though I have no chickens); I’ve learned how to make soap and can apples; I’ve read about the trials and successes of homesteading and starting a farm. There are mulefoot hogs, jujubes, and black bear stories; book and movie reviews, and a narrow escape from a tire flying through a window. The bloggers allow us to see into their lives through their stories, and share with us places we’ve never been, and things we’ve never seen. From the knowledge of their experience, we learn. The readers who take the time to comment on these blogs and share their own experiences, enrich the stories and make them grow. It’s a lot like gardening in a way: gardeners teach what they’ve learned – often by “trowel” and error; they share from their own gardens, and pass along traditions in order that others may benefit. With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought I’d pass along a story of tradition; it’s a story that begins in a garden and is about the sharing of knowledge. It’s the Legend of the Three Sisters.

In 1621, a three-day feast was held by the pilgrims to celebrate a bountiful harvest, and to give thanks to the Native Americans who shared their knowledge and taught the pilgrims how and what to plant in this new land. Along with the pilgrims and Native Americans, the Three Sisters were in attendance at this celebratory feast, and without them there would have been no party.

The Three Sisters of Life are corn, beans, and squash, and they were a staple of the Native Americans’ diet. Legends say these sisters are inseparable; one only thrives with the others near. They must be planted together; they must be eaten together. Planting corn, beans, and squash in the same mound was a tradition practiced by many Native American farming societies and dates back to ancient Mesoamerica.

Ceremonies and festivals were held in honor of the Three Sisters; planting and harvest times were especially important. Rituals and knowledge were passed down from one generation to the next, preserving the tradition for centuries – knowledge such as what the Native Americans told the settlers: "when the oak leaves grow to the size of a squirrel’s ear – then it’s time to plant."

Planting these vegetables together benefits both the plants and people. The corn stalks provide a pole for the beans to climb. The beans help stabilize the corn from wind, and beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the quality of the soil. Squash vines act as mulch, shading and smothering weeds, and help keep the soil cool and moist. All three were turned back into the soil to add organic matter, improving its fertility and structure. The three eaten together supply nearly all nutritional requirements a body needs.

Had the Native Americans not given their gardening knowledge, and the gift of the Three Sisters of Life, the pilgrims may not have survived. It’s quite possible there would have been no first Thanksgiving. Today, Thanksgiving is a holiday rich in traditions; it’s a time of sharing, and being thankful for the bounty we enjoy – not only the bounty spread on the table, but the bounty of family and friends.

I’d like to wish everyone in the GRIT family – my fellow bloggers and readers, and the wonderful GRIT staff – a Happy Thanksgiving.