lotta loupes

We have been watching these little guys for quite some time now.

Around K's bday they looked very pretty...very cantaloupey.


I was hoping for some ripe ones last week, but sadly it didnt play out that way.

Yesterday, tho, I went out for the daily harvest and just look what I found.


5 pretty little things.

I scrubbed up all 3 pounds and 6 ounces of it and let it rest a minute. Man, the whole kitchen smelled like melon.

And that was even before I cut it open.

I scooped out the seeds.


Cut it up.


And YUM.


You cant have this piece tho. I already promised to share it with someone else.

The big 13!

Sigh. Im not ready to talk about the fact that my little girl has just turned 13.


So lets start with a little peek at the garden. Ill steal S's shoes. He will never know.


These are my zucchini plants. They are huge.


This is me looking up while sitting under my plants. Thats just how huge they are. And you all know that Im really tall.


And look. See how big the leaves are?


Cantaloupe.


Pumpkin.


Watermelon.


Heres my harvest from this afternoon.

Okay. Back into the house. I have dinner to make. K requested sweet corn ravioli for her birthday dinner. And its a darn good thing that I love her as much as I do. This is one meal that takes forever to make. Its quite labor intensive. But, hey. You only turn 13 once.

My veggies are all diced up and ready to go. (red pepper, onion, and corn)


A couple of cheeses.(ricotta and cream cheese)


Fresh basil from the garden.


Now you combine all the veggies(but only half the basil) and saute them in a pan that has been heating up with butter in it.


Next you add some cream(1/4 c) to the pan and let it cook down a bit.


Then you add both of the cheeses and some salt and pepper. Mix till its all incorporated.


Here, you should see me actually filling the ravioli. BUT, well, my pal couldnt make it(damn geography) to help me stuff and seal...so you missed this step in the photo line up. But what you do is take a won ton wrapper, put about 1 1/2 tsp of the filling in the center, rub some beaten egg yolk on the edges of the wrapper, top it with another wrapper, and then use a round cookie cutter to cut it out and help seal the edges.

Then this will be what they look like prior to cooking. I have some flour on the bottom of the pan to keep them from sticking.


Then pop a few of them at a time in a pot of boiling water till they begin to float.(about 2 min or so)


Then they will look like this.


In the meantime you will be melting butter( a few tablespoons) in a pan along with the rest of your basil. Once that browns a little, you will add some cream to the pan(1 1/4c) and a little salt and pepper. This will begin to cook down and thicken as you are boiling the rest of your ravioli.


Get out a dish to place all the ravioli on. I heart sunflowers.



I prefer to do mine in layers so they dont all stick together. So, a little sauce on the bottom then ravioli, then sauce...then ravioli...you get the idea.


Then youre all set to go to the table!


Wait. You cant forget the sweet tea.


After all that good food its present time.


Clearly, shes trying to get us to understand exactly what it is shes talking about.


Lovely note cards.


And a pretty poster. J is very excited.


Peace.


Then we had cake.

And when G was all done with his cake he had just a little spot of hungry left. So, he asked for a green bean.

Happy Birthday, K. Mama loves ya.

Garden Update

This past weekend we have been super busy outside. See? This is what we got done.

The neighborly side.


And our side.


I got to use this fantastically, fun tool to put all those pickets up.


Very sharp nails that go into said fantastically, fun tool.


The gate still needs to be hung.


S is working on it as I type.


While we were busy doing all that....the garden was busy, too.

My heirloom zucchini.


Cantaloupe.


Watermelon.


Pumpkins.


Green beans, edamame, and cukes. (pickling and slicing).


Notice that empty spot? Yeah. That one. Right there. Uh huh. It used to have a cuke plant in it.


Till this little firecracker thought it would be fun to run thru all my beds. Not only did she run thru them, but she had a cuke for a snack.


Fingerling potatoes.


Red peppers.


Tomatoes.


Tomatoes.


You just never know when you may need a snack out here.


Oh, and wait. Tomatoes.


Little, tiny basil sprouts.


So, thats all the beds.


And before the day is over what is in these packages will be made into lovely row covers for my melons, pumpkins, and squash. To keep all the pesky bugs out.


Yummy peas.


Carrots. I am really thinking that I need to thin them. I am SO bad at thinning. Do I need to thin them right now? Did I need to thin them yesterday?


And a few colorful things as well.

Knock Out Rosebush.


Shasta daisy.


One of my many daylilies starting to bud out.


And little violas...These make me smile every time I see them. Do you see a little mustached face when you look at these, too?