This week in my Indiana garden . . .

Believe it or not I am still picking green beans! I've been surprised by the extended harvest I have had. They have been very productive!

This week I finally got to pick my first zucchini! For some reason the first zucchini to appear stopped growing when only a couple inches long and then would begin to rot! :( I am happy that they seem to happily growing now.

My oldest daughter loved having fried zucchini for the first time last year! Despite that I only had one zucchini this week I treated us to a little fried zucchini!! :) Even better than I rememebered!

Below are the directions I follow:

Wash and peel 2 small or 1 large (8 + inch) Squash.
Slice thin (if slices are thick it will be mushy).
Mix 1 C. Flour 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper in a brown paper bag (or divide between 2 small paper bags)
Drop a couple slices at a time into flour mixture and shake to coat. Continue adding a couple at a time until all slices
Are in bag(s). Put the bag in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Heat canola oil in large skillet. Place a few slices of coated squash in the skillet at a time (don’t overlap). When the bottom side of each slice is golden brown flip over & brown other side. Set slices onto paper towel lined plates. Allow extra oil to absorb. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
*Takes some time to fry but very good!

Popcorn Okra

This week I was happy to have 6 okra pods ready for picking (keep in mind I have one small row of okra). I picked them and anxiously tried out the directions given by a helpful gardener from the "Helpful Gardener Forum"! (To read more about Clemson Spineless Okra and the details of this recipe CLICK HERE.


Washed, removed top, & chopped okra


Added oil to pan, added salt & pepper, and began to heat.


Continued stirring & heating until blackened just right!

This was a very tasty treat! It really does heat down to a lot less, (as you can see in the photos). This only made a tiny bowl for teasing me! But, it was worth it and has inspired me to grow many more okra plants next year!
DELICIOUS!

This week in my Indiana garden...

This past week we were away on vacation. I was curious about how my garden was doing while I was away...
While I was gone my green beans grew well! I was happy to pick my first harvest today. My whole family enjoyed having some fresh cooked green beans tonight!
How I prepare greenbeans from my garden: To prepare I simply wash, snap off ends, and snap into 2 or three pieces. Lightly boil in water on the stove for 8 minutes, drain, put back on stove with 2 TB butter, 1/2 tsp garlic salt & 1/4 tsp. Morton's Natures Season's Seasoning and heat, stirring for 2 minutes! (yum!) I also picked a bowl of fresh lettuce & a small bowl of peas! Everything did pretty well while we were gone. It appears we got a lot of rain which was great for everything except my tomato plant that is in a container. It got a little too much water. It's doing alright though. My zucchini plants are flowering and my potato plant has grown large.

Today's harvest above.


Current photo of greenbeans (pole & bush varieties).


Sweet Potato Plant (in container)


Current photo of Lettuce.


Current photo of Potato Plant.