Seeds of Strength

Look very, very closely. Can you see the juicy, sun-ripened tomatoes? Give it a couple months and you won't be able to miss them. The vines will be bursting with beauty and goodness. Right now, these little gems are tucked safely in the greenhouse gathering strength, creating the antioxidant lycopene that helps lower rates of bladder, breast, prostrate and colorectal cancer. You'd never guess those juicy red globes of yumminess could be such stalwarts in the fight for good health. Truly amazing.

Gorgeous Gardening Girl

Just look at her smile; she's gorge-ous. Would you believe she's the mother of 10 children. Yes, 10. What a beautiful day we had in the garden -- weeding, tilling, transplanting raspberries & strawberries and planting sugar-snap peas and lettuces. It could not have been a better day for planting and sharing time together. Plant on.

Weeds vs. Lisa: Round One

Let's get busy. The time has come to get our gardening groove on. Lisa's got her game face on. So do the weeds. Whose going to win? My bets are on Lisa. Are yours?

Sweeeeeet Corn

I've returned from my trip to Santa Monica and stand in awe at the Produce Section at the corner of 15th & Main! We've got vegetables galore out there ripe for the picking and the eating. Although you might think I am biased, I've never tasted such decadently sweet corn, butter crunch lettuce, or sun-ripened tomatoes. Beautiful. Thanks for all of those who continue to love and care for our little corner garden patch.

If you're interested in picking this sweet corn, there is trick or two to know before you pick. If the husk meets these two criterion, you should soon be enjoying a tasty little corn or two.

1. Look to see that the silk at the tip of the husk is all bronzed and dried up.
2. Feel to see that the corn is nice and full and extends up into the tip of the husk.


I like to soak the complete husk in a sink full of water for 30 minutes and then throw the entire husk on the grill for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the corn. The soaking fills the husk with moisture so that there's a lovely steam effect inside the husk while it's grilling. Delicious.

If you'd like to try some butter crunch lettuce, then simply take a pair of scissors with you and cut the lettuce off at the base. Do not pull it from the ground as it may bloom again for us. Soak the lettuce in a water bath, pat dry and eat with hundreds yellow and cherry tomatoes! Let me know how it tastes!

Stunning Zinnia

I just simply cannot get over how something this beautiful starts out as a largely non-descript seed. There is nothing stunning about a Zinnia seed except how small it is and how hard they are to handle. Yet, inside that tiny seed lies this great beauty. This bold color. This wonderfully formed piece of creation that with the right conditions grows perfectly into what God designed it to be. Amazing. Come on in to the garden and marvel. There are miracles at every turn. Keep growing into what God designed you to be.

Cindy's Zucchini Muffin Recipe

Cindy R. passed along to me a recipe for zucchini muffins.  She makes bunches of these and freezes them for breakfast and says they are really good! Thanks for sharing Cindy!

2 cups flour                                          2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed           3/4 cup of milk

3 tsp baking powder                          1/3 cup of vegetable oil

1 tsp. cinnamon                                  1 cup grated zucchini

1/2 tsp. salt                                           2/3 cup of raisins

Combine dry ingredients. Beat eggs, milk and oil.  Fold in zucchini and raisins.  Add dry ingredients, stirring only until combined.  Spoon into muffins tins ( I use the paper).  Bake at 375 approximately 20 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

Variation:  Use 2 cups whole wheat flour.  I also have put in ground nuts.  After the muffins cooled I put them on a cookie sheet to freeze. After they are frozen, I wrap them in saran wrap individually then put them in a freezer zip lock bag.  They are really fast and easy in the mornings for a quick breakfast.

Laugh Out Loud Story From Cindy

I love hearing about little garden snipets like this. Cindy Rice brings her nieces and nephew to the garden to help weed their patch and work in the garden as a whole. One of her nieces, Natalie, came up to me at the garden and told me very clearly that she wants to grow up and have a big, big garden with lots and vegetables and flowers and that this is going to be her business. Cindy and I swelled with pride!! Today, Cindy wrote me with this,

"Hi Jennifer,

 Natalie and I was at the garden yesterday weeding.  Natalie noticed that someone was pulling weeds and left them in the path way. She told me that I needed to let you know that the weeds need to go into the compost pile so you can tell everyone. She took care of them. I just thought it was neat that she noticed and knew what to do with the weeds.  The garden does look good.  We weeded under the tee p and our section.  She wanted to stay but Aunt Cindy was tired.  Let me know if there is any thing else that we can help with.

 Aunt Cindy and Natalie"

How great is this?