Thursday, June 16, 2011

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It's mid-June and we are starting to see results from our efforts in the community garden.  Today I harvested the first of the green beans and beets.  They will grace my dinner plate tonight.













On Monday, UHM and I drove out to Afton, VA, to pick sweet cherries.  I drove out there again today because, apparently, nearly 18 pounds of cherries wasn't enough.  I picked another 9+ pounds today.  I've canned jam, cherry butter and whole cherries in light syrup.  I'm waiting for the last batch of cherry butter to cook down right now.












Tomorrow I'll be making bread & butter pickles.  Those are one of UHM's favorites and my mother happened to send me a terrific recipe for them.
What wonderful item are you harvesting or getting from your farmer's market right now?

5 comments:

  1. Cherry butter? Drooool. I may have to beg you for that recipe!

    Well, with mono I haven't done jack this year. Usually I do some corn, peaches, strawberries. It's so good!

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  2. Liz - Cherry butter is super easy it just takes forever! Destem and pit a bunch of cherries, throw them in a pot with a little water and cook. When the cherries are soft, mash with a potato masher to the desired texture then cook some more. When volume is reduced by 2/3, add sugar to taste and cook some more. You cook it down until it's pretty thick, pour into 1/2 pint jars, and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

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  3. That sounds heavenly! All of it - except the beets. Bleh. :)

    I've never grown anything edible, so I'm a little jealous. I really need to get down to the Richmond or Chester farmer's markets. I could eat good garden tomatoes and cucumbers every day in summer.

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  4. UHM used to hate beets too - until she had them the way I make them. Now she asks me to make them.

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  5. at the moment only basil and chives. But hopefully something soon.

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