A Bountiful Harvest from Our Vegetable Garden

We are celebrating this year’s bountiful vegetable crop thanks to a glorious early summer here in the North East.

Pears - Pere

All photos - Copyright - ©2016 - La Casa e Il Giardino

Yes, it required some work – seeding, planting, mulching, fertilizing, watering and weeding.

Swisschard



Cabbage

Some plants required special attention - 

Pole beans



Tomatoes on the vine

....keeping an eye on the pests





such as staking up the tomato and bean vines  

Eggplants


........but look at the harvest

Cucumbers

Dandelions

Jersey tomatoes

Italian flat beans

In my opinion, eating vegetables that you have grown yourself is an experience everyone should enjoy. They taste so much better than anything you can buy in a grocery store. 

  

Results of Our Labor - August Harvest - Frutti dell'Orto in Agosto

Even with a scorching summer, our garden crop is bountiful.

Peppers everywhere -

It's hot!

Friers

Semi-sweet - perfect for charred peppers

 Different variety of beans

 beans of choice











Tomatoes - all shapes and sizes

Spicy Peppers and Weight Loss

According to a new research at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, eating your chili peppers may reduce your waistline. Supposedly, the heat generated by the hot peppers can cause your body to burn calories.

Horn Italian peppers (our favorite)

My husband just picked the hot peppers, strung them and hung to dry.

Strung (incrollati) peppers hanging to dry

Once the peppers dry naturally, we make pepper flakes.

Semi-dried red hot peppers

ARUGULA SALAD FROM OUR GARDEN - Insalata di Arugula dal Nostro Orto

As you can see from the photo, my husband picked a lot of arugula so that it wouldn't go to waste.   As I understand it, if the arugula is not picked on a regular basis, it flowers and  creates seeds. Incidentally, if arugula is allowed to flower, the seeds are picked and saved to be used again.   So he picked it all and reseeded again for another crop.   Do you know that arugula survives under snow?  Actually in November and December arugula is at its best.  I went ahead and removed all the tiny leaves and discarded the rest.  Tonight I made a delicious arugula salad. 

Ingredients:  Arugula, sliced cucumbers (also from the garden), red onion, hard boiled egg, extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbs. fresh lemon juice, salt and crushed black pepper.

Pronto a mangiare!

MY VEGETABLE GARDEN - Il Mio Orto

Swisschard

                                                                      Basil

Pepper Plants

                           Lettuce                                                                         Beans

                                                                                            

          Tomato Plants