Garden Vegetables Galore!

Now at the height of summer, we're starting to really enjoy the bounty of my vegetable garden. This week we've eaten Blue Lake green beans, heirloom "Chioggia" striped beets & beet greens (which have been fantastic!), rainbow colored Swiss chard, King Midas carrots, colonial era heirloom peas from the Philadelphia botanical garden, green leaf lettuce (pictured) and vine-ripened tomatoes. We've also had great zucchini, tiny-sweet strawberries, dill & mint.

Just about ready is the acorn & "cream of the crop" squashes and lots more tomatoes. Later in the summer we'll have (hopefully) blue potatoes, brussel sprouts, gerkin cucumbers, heirloom purple-tipped leeks, an onion and sugar-baby watermelons. The little watermelons are already on the vine -- they look like watermelons shrunk down to the size of an apricot!

For the most part, I haven't been cooking the veggies very much. The green beans I roast briefly with olive oil, salt, pepper & slivered almonds. The chard & beet greens I usually saute with garlic, ginger & olive oil. The beets themselves I roast for an hour or so at about 400 in a covered casserole dish until tender, then peel. The dill comes with us in our lunches to go with cheese & crackers. The mint has made great tea -- just a handful of leaves in boiling water is great in the evenings!