Home grown

There's nothing like a freshly-mown lawn, ...except, perhaps, a freshly-plowed garden, for spiffing up the place! First, it seemed there wasn't much point in showing the barely-there plantings. But, as soon as the veggies begin to grow, so will the weeds, at an impossibly fast pace. The garden won't look this brown and orderly again until next spring, when, once again, we have the upper hand, and beat them into submission with "the beast"-- 10 horses, tines and Tony hanging on for dear life!
This year's crops: tomatoes (early girl and better boy), peppers, snap peas, green beans, wax beans, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, and butternut squash. (We haven't been this ambitious for a few years!)


Of course, even the old manure spreader can't escape it--garlic mustard. Hiding in plain sight, in every border, under every bush, around every tree..... I'm not sure if it's worth the effort, but there might be some satisfaction in eating it?!

Garlic Mustard Pesto
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons garlic mustard taproots
3/4 cups parsley
1 cup garlic mustard leaves
1 cup basil
1 1/2 cups low-sodium olives, pitted
2 cups walnuts
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup mellow miso
1 1/4 cups olive oil or as needed
Chop the garlic and garlic mustard roots in a food processor. Add the parsley, garlic mustard leaves, and basil and chop. Add the nuts and chop coarsely. Add the olive oil and miso and process until you've created a coarse paste. Makes 4 cups.