The "fruits" of our labor...

It finally happened. After months of eager anticipation, we harvested some zucchini from our garden! We have been checking daily on the progress of our garden, and at times, it felt as though we were never going to be able to harvest anything. But finally, there they were...4 little zucchini's which looked green enough and big enough to harvest.

We took the kids out this morning to pick them and they were so excited! They were looking at everything and ohhing and ahhing over it all. Tucker was finding all the tomato growth and yelling, "Look at how BIG they are! They're HUGE!"

Unfortunately, for the most part, they are still green too! Although in the last couple of days there seems to be some color finally starting on a couple of bunches of the cherry tomatoes. There is hope.

I made zucchini bread for breakfast this morning out of our meager harvest. It was, if I do say so myself, heavenly. The kids gobbled it up and asked for seconds. And I think, if I concentrated really hard, it did taste fresher...brighter...warmer...having been made with the "fruits of our labor". It really is an amazing process to see things progress from seeds to delicious bread.

If I had to guess, I would say that in a couple of weeks, we'll have tomatoes coming out of our ears...Lexi has already requested tomato soup. I'll be sure to keep everybody updated on how our crop does.

So far, we won't be "living off the land" anytime soon, but we made a big step forward in greening up our lives. And for that, I am grateful.

Veggie Garden Update

We planted our first vegetable garden this spring. It was a small undertaking...a baby step into the realm of backyard veggie production. We planted carrots, zucchini, kohl rabi, grape tomatoes and beefsteak tomatoes. All in a 4'x8' plot. What started out as a nice, organized little plot now has turned into a total jungle.

I have never had a garden in my adult life. We always had one when I was younger, and my grandparents were both avid gardeners, but I don't know how much knowledge that I really gleaned from these influences. Apparently not much -

Our big beefsteak tomatoes are growing out of the confines of their rack. The little grape tomatoes are doing a number on theirs too. As for the carrots...I don't think the garden bed was deep enough and they look very, very puny. The zucchini...well, let's put it this way: we planted 2 zucchini plants and I believe that when we start our "harvest" that we will have enough zucchini to circle the globe one or two times.

Zucchini bread anyone?

The whole point of the garden was to enjoy some homegrown produce and let the kids experience the joy of plucking a ripe, fresh, organic veggie from the vine and tasting the fruits of their labor. They helped to build and plant the garden and they are enjoying the hunt for the new growth, but they still don't quite "get it". I am hopeful that after a small harvest, they will crave more. I mean really, I am 37-years old and I am in utter disbelief that it takes SO LONG to get to the good stuff...I think at this point the tomatoes could taste like dirt and I'll be excited! Just to finally be eating one!

I am glad we did it though. And I am looking forward to learning more and more as the years go on. We plan to expand our planting beds next year and hopefully we'll gain more knowledge on how much of each thing to plant and with what.

I fear if we don't our family could be buried alive by the "Zucchini That Ate Washougal"!!