I've got weeds

I need to find some time to get out in the garden and pull weeds. They are there and they aren't going away without a few hours of attention. I pulled out a few while I was checking things out last night. I also made a big salad from our fresh lettuce. It was delicious.

Around the house, the cats are starting to get a little case of cabin fever. They are indoor cats. They have been indoor cats since they were about three months old, but Dicey especially has been crying as he starts out the window. We've started letting them out while we're prepping dinner. He never goes more than a few feet from us. Racer, our more timid cat, will hardly do more than stick his head out the door. I'm hesitant to let them out until I get them to the vet for additional shots and flea medicine. Maybe we can do that later in the summer.

Delicious, Fresh, Dinner

We had a great dinner the other night. Grass fed New York Strip from the local butcher's shop, Corn and avocado salsa with fresh indoor basil, and a fresh green salad with lettuce straight from my own garden.

It was so exciting to finally get to eat a little of the food we've been working to grow. The lettuce is still in a bit of the baby stage, but it needed thinned out so there was room for the rest to get larger and once the heat sets it, it will dry up and be gone.

As for the salsa. It was delicious and unique. The corn came from our grocery delivery. It wasn't local because it's too early for that, but it is organic. The avocado and lime came from the produce stand at city market. If I can't get those things locally, I figure I can support a local vendor.

The recipe:

Two ears of corn, roasted on the grill
One avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped a little
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Scrape the kernels off the ears of corn into a bowl, then milk the corn cob using the back of a knife to collect the milky juices (they act as thickener).

Combine the milky juices and half the kernels and process in a food processor until pretty smooth.

Mix processed mixture back in with whole kernels. Add avocado lime juice, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve.

*Adapted from Weber Grill Grill Book

Garden for two

This is my garden. It's on the side of my house. It looks dry in the picture, but I'd already watered it. The high today is 93. I should probably water it before I leave for work this morning.

Tomatoes and potatoes are in the back rows. Peppers, broccoli, cucumbers and egg plants are in the next rows. Lettuce, spinach, squash, and brussel sprouts are in the front row.

It's a nice size garden for two people.
Right now, my favorites thing in the garden is the lettuce. I like it because it grows fast, started from seed and tastes yummy. Obviously it's not big enough for salad yet, but I've been able to pick a little leaf here and there to taste.

Everything else that I started from seed moves much slower. The large plants from nurseries are much further along but the "I did that" feeling just isn't there. I mean I guess I could say, "I replanted that," but it's not the same.

I don't want to rush my garden. Good things come with time.