Gardening: Basil & Onions & Peas, Oh My!

Every summer I look forward to planting my garden because (1) I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with every grown vegetable and (2) I love food. My garden is essentially my child in which I'm incredibly proud of. When plant shopping, I pick my seedlings with precision and a critical eye. It would probably be unbearable for anyone to accompany me because I've been known to scan a single section for 15 minutes...or more (I have a tad case of veggie OCD) in hopes to adopt the perfect addition to my garden family. I am also prone to buying more vegetables than what will fit in my garden. It's like being at an animal shelter and having all of those adorable animals tug at your heartstrings, how can you say no?

This year my 3rd year so I've gotten an idea on what works and what doesn't (zucchini = huge success and broccoli = epic fail). I bought tomatoes (Early Girl and Cherry), cucumbers, yellow straight-neck squash, zucchinis, sweet banana peppers, baby eggplant, white and yellow onions, Brussels sprouts (curve ball), Swiss chard, Romaine lettuce, sugar snap peas, green beans and basil. Holy cow!

Here's the forest I had to cut down before I started planting:

After I broke out my machete and anaconda repellent, I finally had a blank canvas to color with basil and onions and peas (oh my!):

My boyfriend is like my personal landscaper and garden expert, he was a huge help in leveling my back bed, topping off my soil and planting. He grounds me (no pun here) when gardening because I get planting-happy and he reminds me that my children need space to thrive. I have an issue that I can't leave a lone seedling unplanted, so I had several extra pots full of tomato and pepper plants. We worked in the full sun for a solid 3 hours and I have the sun burns to prove it.

The backyard supermarket is open and ready for business:

I can't wait for everything to grow because that means new recipes and tasty new summer dishes! 

What do you plant in your garden?

                               

Easy Peasy Gazpacho Soup

So, I was in my kitchen this morning...making myself some coffee...minding my own business when I get the sudden feeling that I'm being watched. I feel dozens of burning eyes staring right at me. I turn around to face the culprits...they were red, round, and feeling a little neglected: the tomatoes I picked from my garden on Sunday. They have been sitting in their bowl for a couple days now barely touched. I feel so ashamed. But what is one to do with a ton of tomatoes? One word: gazpacho (and a fun word, too, gazzzz-pacho).

Gazpacho is a cold tomato and veggie soup; perfect for a bumper crop of tomatoes and garden veggies. You can add as many or few veggies that you'd like and it'll always taste fantastic. It's almost completely fool proof (I say almost in hopes not to jinx anyone). Plus it's really simple to make which means I'm game.

What you'll need

 Tomato Juice (at least 2-3 cups depending on the batch size)

 Several Tomatoes

 Bell Peppers (I used a red and yellow)

 A Large Cucumber

 Several Small Onions

    - and any other preferred veggies (avocado works really well!)

 3 teaspoons of White Vinegar

 Herbs (I used fresh basil and oregano); and a

 A Blender 

The veggie line-up

I used a low-sodium V8...heavenly

Pour the tomato juice, white vinegar, tomatoes, and herbs into the blender; blend until coarsely pureed.

Pour the yummy contents into a large bowl. Finely chop the rest of the veggies (cucumbers, peppers, and onions) and pour into the soup. Add cooked brown rice if you're craving a heartier soup! 

The baby eggplant was a last minute addition.
He was the lone ranger in my garden so I threw him in, too!
I say, the more the merrier!

Pretty like a rainbow

Mix together and add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Cover the soup and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let the flavors blend together. 

Serve chilled and taste the rainbow! Enjoy!