HARVEST 2021

My husband and I have had a garden ever since we bought our first house many moons ago. Over the years it changed and evolved as did everything around us. After all, if you aren't changing and growing you're standing still (and we know in this world that doesn't work). So here we are eons later in the home of our dreams, planting, harvesting, and replanting. Even this season, the garden started in one area and was moved to another -Neither was where it started when first bought the house. 😵  I'm hoping the new area is the final designation - as do the plants.😏

With moving the garden mid season, I didn't expect the plants to do as well as they had in the past with new soil and maybe not as much prep work, etc. 

However, this year's harvest was outstanding. Here is a picture of our butternut squash. If anyone have some good recipes for butternut squash, please feel free to share. I need as many as I can get lol. 

We also grew white squash (or as some call Patty Pan squash). I forgot to take pictures of them 😞

We also put in some apple and peach trees about two or three years ago and they did not disappoint this time around either. Peach wine or apple wine anyone? Yes, please. My husband makes excellent Peach Wine. 😋 (We did eat some of them too) Next year, I hope to get to them earlier -- before they become over ripe-- and can or freeze the peaches. I think I'm going to make applesauce from the apples instead of wine tough. The last time I made it (a few years ago) the applesauce turned out so delicious.  

This was our first successful year on growing pumpkins-- planted in a different section of our land, and they also did outstanding. I may have planted them a little early, but hey, always learning something new right. Crossing our fingers they last until Halloween.👻 

A few were grown for pumpkin puree, this will be a new one for me. I'll let you know how that turns out.😋 Any advice appreciated. LOL

The tomatoes we grew this year, while they did not get as big as past years, we were able to can 22 quarts of sauce and 9 quarts of tomato soup. Yum - I had to play around with this tomato soup recipe over the years before I made the winner. (One year I added beef stock- 😬 we did not like the flavor.)  

Lastly, salsa anyone! I also tweaked this recipe over the years before setting on this winner. The tomatoes, green peppers, sweet banana peppers, and onions were all from our own garden. Unfortunately, I did not get pictures of these as we picked and stored until we accumulated enough to can. The pepper plants are still producing -hopefully I can freeze some for the winter as well.

16 jars of delectable salsa. 

I realize gardening isn't for everyone - at one time my husband did most of the work as I really had no desire to take on the extra task. I'm glad he stuck to it and over time convinced me of the benefits. Now, I even grow my own plants from seeds - A feat I refused to tackle in the past. I get a new founded satisfaction and happiness when those first little sprouts break through the soil. 

I think more and more people have started gardening over this past year (maybe due to being homebound), and I have heard of so many different styles/ ways people have incorporated plants into their lifestyles. So whether you have a plot of land or an apartment and are interested in growing your own food, search the internet. There are a lot of very creative ideas out on the web.

In the meantime, if you have any gardening tips, tricks, or unusual gardening stories, please feel free to share in the comment section. I wish you all much success.