Update

Whoa.

It was never my intention to abandon the blog for seven months, so you have my apologies.

We attended our fourth farmer's market today in Wichita and nearly sold out of everything.  I can't tell you what a glorious feeling it is to know that not only do we grow great food, but we are able to share it with others.  We even sold around 8 bushels of sweet corn (non-GMO, herbicide and pesticide free) that was grown by one of James' students.

Life is busy as we valiantly struggle against weeds and squash bugs in our garden.  The zucchini will be done in the next two weeks, if I'm right, as the squash bugs are multiplying quickly despite squishing and stomping.  Meanwhile, our beautiful lemon squash is apparently abhorrent to squash bugs, as it remains untouched one row over.

I'll write more later!

Summer's Bounty

The sweet potatoes are growing by leaps and bounds.

As are the Eden's Gem melons.

Grasshoppers and friends are destroying the pumpkins, so we are harvesting a few, as well as luscious peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes.

Grilled Veggies

Grilling zucchini is probably our favorite way to consume this prolific vegetable.  If you've never grilled veggies before, it's easy to prepare and can be placed on the grill with your meat.

Start by washing your veggies.  Slice off the ends and any bad spots.  Peel and remove the seeds if desired.

Slice into 1/4"-1/2" slices for softer vegetables (summer squash, for example).  

Lay out a sheet of foil.  Coat the foil with oil (I use olive oil and a brush; you can also use cooking spray).  Place the zucchini in a single layer half the size of the foil and leave room around the edges to fold them up at the end.  Add salt and pepper or your favorite herbs and spices.  Add a second layer if desired.  I usually stop at two layers so the center is done when the edges are.  Coat with olive oil again.

Fold up the center edges twice, then fold both ends twice.  Folding twice helps keep in the oil and juices.  If you're worried about over-packing the packet, wrap in another sheet of foil.  Leaking oil can cause unexpected flare-ups on the grill!

Harder vegetables, such as potatoes, should be sliced more thinly to allow them to cook in the same amount of time.  I use a mandolin or a sharp knife.  Some people mix veggies in their packets, but I tend to find the zucchini limp and the potatoes raw, so I keep each one to its own foil packet.

Grill for 7 minutes on either side over direct heat.  Be careful when opening the foil packets: there will be steam and hot juices.

Enjoy!

Squash Bug Battle

Sunday, Myle discovered our vine crops had been invaded by squash bugs.  These prolific insects can destroy a plant in less than 24 hours, and an entire crop in days.

The race is on to pick more eggs than hatch to save our zucchini, yellow squash, and pumpkins.  We've already dusted with diatomaceous earth and picked eggs three times.  So far, no plant has been destroyed, although two are near misses.  Here's hoping we caught the squash bugs in time!