Seven Months

We've now harvested 134 pounds of veggies!  I try to serve everything we grow in the garden, instead of giving it away.  No wonder it seems like we've been eating at home a lot. 

Although vegetable gardening is so rewarding, it can also be a bit challenging at times.  I'm still finding small tomato hornworms on the cherry tomato plant.  There were about three this week.  To avoid touching them, I continue to snip them with scissors.  Today, I was at a friend's house and I suggested this technique to her.  There was a giant hornworm on her tomato plant.  Although she was kind of squeamish, she got out the scissors--since her husband wasn't home to do it.  She carefully cut the worm...and green slime sprayed out in a six foot arc!  We both jumped, but not quickly enough.  My friend got sprayed in the hair!  So, the moral of the story is: if the hormworm is really large, it's probably best to just snip off the branch the worm is on and put the whole thing in the trash.

Let's forget about green slime and move on to delicious food.  I made the most fabulous Zucchini Brownies (www.allrecipes.com).  They were chocolate with chocolate frosting.  I peeled the zucchini so there was no evidence that the brownies were actually at least a little nutritious.  If you tasted them, you'd never guess there were two zucchinis in the batter.   I also baked a Swiss Chard Pie (www.recipezaar.com).  It sounds strange, but tastes great.  With all the basil in the garden, I made a Pesto Vinaigrette (www.epicurious.com) and served it over a salad with Basil and Garlic-Slathered Chicken Breasts (www.ckkitchen.com).  It was the best salad I'd made in quite a while.  Now, it's time to search for a recipe that uses crookneck squash, since the first few will be ready next week.