I know, our garden is just a teeny tiny garden and that's why my dream of filling the pantry shelves with jars and jars of canned vegetables never works out. But we have certainly enjoyed a bounty of fresh vegetables for the table this summer...
Why, last summer the eggplant and bell pepper plants refused to grow; not even one pepper or one eggplant did I harvest. But look this year. This is the fourth big beautiful eggplant off just two plants, and I've been slicing and freezing the bell peppers. Aren't eggplants pretty!
Have plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers too. Most days I have a tomato sandwich for lunch or maybe a salad of just tomato, onion, and cucumber with a little Ranch dressing.
Wish I could take credit for growing the corn but afraid not. The farmer that sells watermelons up the road also has a cornfield. We bought three dozen ears to put in the freezer. Need to be working on that instead of on the computer. Needed a little break. :)
Oh, and the green beans have been simply delicious. Don't know why I didn't get a picture. Guess we couldn't wait to get to the table once the cornbread was done and taking a picture was the furtherest thing from my mind.
but you can see how big and healthy the vines are...hardly a speck of the wattle fence shows.
Have been meaning to show you...
Dear friends, do you remember Wilder, the wild rabbit I raised three or four years ago? Well, he is still here! I find it hard to believe that he has survived all these years but Poppy says, "Mel, no wild rabbit is going to hop right up to your feet. This is Wilder"! This rabbit watches for me and actually comes up to me. He recognizes my feed bucket. Wilder loves apple peelings. Sure makes me feel good.
Just got to show you how tall our sweet Ellie is getting...
Still not as tall as our big Eli but she is beginning to fill out and gain some weight.
Eli patiently waiting for us. We should have named him Job. Seriously, You can say to Eli, "wait here a minute" and he will stand there and wait. There will never be another Eli!
Two sweetie pies!
Well, for sure you're bored and tired of all this. Thank you, if you are still here. :) I will leave you with the most recent (taken tonight) picture of Eli and his bear...
Love,
Henny
Hi Henny! So fun to see you back here so soon! Love your blog. Wow....your veggies look terrif! Sounds like your garden is doing really great this year. What's your favorite way to prepare the eggplant? So that wild bunny still comes back to you looking for handouts. How wonderful that he is still hopping around your place. He must sense your kind heart! And Eli and Ellie are looking like twins...they're beautiful! Thanks for coming back so soon...always love your blog! Take good care! Poppy too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Diane. You always make me want to keep on blogging...though I often think about not blogging any more. I've made Eggplant parmasan three times. Once it was delicious, two times it was a flop. Usually I slice the eggplant, soak the slices in salt water for 30 minutes, then dip the slices in a mixture of flour and milk and fry them. My favorite is eggplant parmasan, when it turns out right. :)
DeleteThanks Henny! Maybe I'll try that recipe too! Oh, I hope you won't stop blogging....it's so fun to read your stories and see your awesome pictures. Of course you have to do what's right for you! I, along with a lot of other people, sure would miss you though!
DeleteMy goodness your garden looks terrific! Those tomato sandwiches sound delicious. We do sometimes go to the farmers market and some home grown tomatoes otherwise we just do without------supermarket tomatoes are just awful, not even worth bringing home.
ReplyDeleteYour two big white babies look really comfortable sacked out on the couches----they really do fill them up. Where do you and Poppy find a place to sit?
That's great news about Wilder visiting, it really is amazing that he remembers you from way back when.
Thank you Victoria. You're right about supermarket tomatoes. They have no taste. I can't buy them either and usually they are expensive.
DeleteHenny, your garden veggies look wonderful! (and I'm sure they taste wonderful too!) And as for Wilder, I think animals (wild or not) sense who they can trust. And as I've said before, those dogs are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lovely. Ours did not do as well as it usually does,too much rain.
ReplyDeleteBut we did ok.
Eli looks so sweet and snuggly and miss Elli
is growing so fast. Thank you for sharing your home with us.
Thank you Savannah. So glad you visited and left a comment.
DeleteYour garden looks mighty fine to me. Congratulations on your harvest!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you all.
I am jealous of your vegetable garden. We have so much shade now that we don't get much and our growing season starts later than yours. The three days of 100 plus heat didn't help either.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Ellie has a stuffed toy friend too. I'm amazed that Eli's bear is still intact. Do you wash it. or is that forbidden?
Your garden does not look tiny to me. And I have to say your beautiful harvest sure looks delicious! How sweet that Wilder comes to visit you. I'm glad you can still get your bunny fix! Ellie sure is growing up fast and is a lovely young lady. Eli sure is a smart boy and I just love to see him with his bear. You and Poppy take care and enjoy that garden!
ReplyDeleteooooO! Melanzane! Melanzana! Melanzana!
ReplyDeleteOh! Sorry! I did mean eggplant, though
it sounds so much better in Italian! :).
I love my eggplant thinly sliced, soaked
in water a while, then dried and fried
in butter/olive oil..
And..it's a fruit that is used a lot in
Sicily!
I also enjoy a lot of veg..along with a
lot of fruit, especially this time of year!
Tea time these days usually consist of a
soup bowl with various chopped fruits in,
topped with ice~cream! Yum! :).
I had a chuckle to my self..l thought is
that Wilder on the right or the left...! :).
HeHe Bless! Wilder is certainly a bunny~rabbit
who knows when he's well off..!
And..Goodness! The fury ones are lovey, you'll
have to give them different colour collars soon,
to tell them apart..Ah! And Eli still has his teddy
bear Bless! Has teddy had a bath recently..HeHe! :o).
Well..best get on..things to do, things to clean,
woman's work is never done..HeHe! God Bless! :O).
🌽 🌿 🍅 🍆 🍇 🍈 🍉 🌽 🌿 🍅 🍆 🍇 🍈 🍉 🌽
Oh Eggplant does sound much better in Italian! So you don't dip the eggplant slices in a batter before frying? Sounds good fried in butter and olive oil. I will try that. I just don't know many ways to fix eggplant. Thank you!
DeleteI prefer mine plain, and just fried in
Deletebutter and olive oil..as you know, the
olive oil is to stop the butter from burning
in the pan really...nice cold to in a sandwich!
And of course eggplant is a high-fiber, low-calorie
food that is rich in nutrients and comes with many
health benefits..
From reducing the risk of heart disease to helping
with blood sugar control and weight loss...!
And do you know why? It's called an Eggplant..
Back in the 1700s, early European versions of eggplant
were smaller and yellow or white...
They looked like goose or chicken eggs, which led to the
name “Eggplant.”
(HeHe! Here endeth the last lesson)..!
Glad I checked back. Thank you Willie. I did not know all that about the eggplant. That's interesting.
DeleteOh my oh my, what a wonderful Harvest you are getting. Everything looks so delicious so I guess that 5 inches of rain you got a week or so ago really paid off. And now that the rest of your rabbits live somewhere else, it is nice to see that Wilder has not forgotten you. He comes back to give you a little bunny love. Lynn and Precious
ReplyDeleteHi Henny,
ReplyDeleteYour vegetables have grown wonderfully well this year - my-my what a bounty! Eggplant and Spagetti is a very good recipe.
That is great that your wild rabbit visits- animals are clever and they certainly do have great memory. Best Wishes. KEV.
I think your garden looks great and a very nice size! I gave up on huge harvests for a bulging pantry years ago. It never works out that way. But! Something is better than nothing and every little bit helps!
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat about Wilder! What a sweet story.
I enjoyed seeing the bounty of your garden. I think it's the perfect size for the two of you. Isn't it funny how things grow differently from year to year?
ReplyDeleteWilder sure loves you and your feed bucket. Animals know who cares and who doesn't. He surely knows that he can count on you for some treats.
And Eli and Ellie are the sweetest dogs. I always look forward to seeing photos of them. They are absolutely beautiful.
I hope you have a wonderful Sunday.
Blessings,
Betsy
Your veg garden is very productive. You don't need much more garden space. I like your salad.
ReplyDeleteYou should be very proud of your harvest. This has been a good growing season for us, way up here in Ontario, too. Eggplants are gorgeous - what do you do with yours? I can't believe that little rabbit!! He's just like all the bunnies we see around our little village (and in my yard, too close to my garden). That's the perfect name. There was a girl at my school (where I taught) many years ago named Wilder. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteHey Jenn. About the eggplant, I've made eggplant parmasan three times over the years. It turned out right only once and we loved it. Most times I fry eggplant slices that have been dipped in a batter of flour and milk. I had never tasted eggplant until marrying my husband. Mama used to say she couldn't stand eggplant, so we never had it. Wilder, what an odd name for a girl. I kind of like it.
DeleteMelba, it was good to see little Wilder, on your blog, this morning. Such a special gift from God. Goodness, I wish I had a garden that would grow something besides weeds! I stopped trying a couple of years ago. Too much work and money!
ReplyDeleteGrace & Peace,
Pam
A delightful post as always.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is not doing well - only one eggplant and one pepper so far. On the other hand your garden is doing great!!
Oh yes, I remember Wilder well!! Happy to hear he is still around.
I'd love to meet Eli!! Love the photo of both dogs sleeping.
Hi, I agree, eggplant are pretty. :-) Our produce is just starting to come on strong. I will be busy harvesting this week.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to hear about Wilder.
I always enjoy seeing your pets and home. Love, Carla
That is the sweetest picture ever of your handsome Eli. It doesn’t take an enormous space to put a lot of food on the table. Fresh from the garden is always best. YAy for Wilder! He will always remember your kindness.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is beautiful and all the produce is lovely.
ReplyDeleteEli and Elly are beautiful dogs!
Just look at all that garden produce!!! Your garden is doing fantastic. I had the first tomato sandwich of the season today. We're quite a bit later than you are which makes sense since we're so much farther north.
ReplyDeleteI love that Wilder remembers you. That's just precious.
Wonderful Garden Produce! It all looks great! Your dogs are so pretty:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice post, it’s a little walk in the country with a bit of a chat with the best neighbor down the road. Love from California, Pam
ReplyDeletePam, what a surprise. Thank you! Your profile picture is just wonderful; A beautiful artist who does beautiful work. And to think, I am fortunate enough to have two of your paintings.
DeleteOh Henny, how lucky you are,, my garden is just now starting to produce.. my tomatoes are just starting to turn red, and my Bells are still itty bitty,, but I did manage to harvest cucumbers.. YAY!!!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately we are in a drought again, 2nd year in a row,,, uugh!
Your fur kids look so happy, as they should be...
Have a lovely August and bountiful harvest.
>^..^<
Your garden is way ahead of mine, your dogs are cleaner (even though it's been less than a week since Beulah's last bath) Oh, my girl can get dirty, LOL. Our blog is a breath of fresh country air and I love visiting :)
ReplyDeleteEllie is adorable. Your garden looks great Henny!!! I'm a little envious! :) The eggplant looks perfect. I tried to grow eggplant a few years back but I don't have a long enough season! Yay for the bunny! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love garden posts! Your garden may be small, but it sure looks busy! Your dogs are so beautiful! My hubby hates eggplant (negative childhood experience with them), but I agree, they're a lovely vegetable. How lucky to live near a farm that grows corn and watermelon! Can't get any fresher than that unless you grow it yourself! Happy Monday!
ReplyDeleteOh, I do so love your posts, and I so would love to get to pet and hug and talk to Eli and Ellie.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is NEVER boring! I read every word with great interest. Wow, little Wilder remembers his "mama" and I bet he loves getting those apple peelings for a sweet treat. Their little hearts are so loving. The garden is "punching above its weight" as they say, with lots of veggies to harvest! Eggplants almost don't look real. The shiny, dark skin looks almost metallic! Eli and Ellie are such gorgeous, unusual dogs. What personalities!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely post.
ReplyDeleteYou have some wonderful vegetables and lovely to see the dogs.
All the best Jan
What beautiful garden bounty. There's nothing like fresh-grown producte and tomato sandwiches..(I love Duke's Mayo only)... Your white big babies are so beautiful and clean.. Stay cool in this Summer humidity..Love your uplifting Blog. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you ChiChi Mum. We use only Duke's Mayo too. It's the best! Can't even imagine a tomato sandwich made with anything else, can you? :)
DeleteBeautiful picture of patient Eli, what a beautiful pond! Your garden is bountiful, Henny. Its so wonderful that you are having a decent harvest out of it. And what about Wilder? Isn't he the sweetest little bunny ever? I know that he tugs at your heart. Enjoy the garden! Terry
ReplyDeleteThank you Terry. I keep meaning to reply to your sweet comments but somehow run out of time. I need to work on my blog more. I always appreciate and enjoy your comments. Bet you have been too busy to garden this summer. Hope Covid will go away soon. But now it looks like things are getting bad again. You take care. Love Henny
ReplyDeleteThat vibrant lovely garden and harvest shows how much hard work you have done! Little Wilder certainly does know and remember you! That is just so sweet! The photo of both of your dogs sleeping is just precious. It does not take long for a puppy to grow. They both, big and little are lovely
ReplyDeleteFor what you consider a tiny garden you have certainly reaped a lovely harvest. Our tomatoes are finally ripening and like you I love a tomato sandwich...just before I read your post fixed myself one. Great minds definitely think alike :)!! Ellie is getting so big and beautiful and was wondering if Eli isn't sharing his bear with her? He looks kind of like he might be guarding it. Well enjoy your garden and its harvest. God bless - Hugs!
ReplyDelete