The raised garden plot in the backyard has brought us much enjoyment and nutrition in the past number of years. During that time, we have grown a variety of vegetables, some more successfully than others.
This year, we are growing cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, yellow beans, kale, onions, lettuce and herbs. We bought our starter plants at a nursery in the country this year and the plants were sturdier than those available in the city.
We have been eating kale and lettuce for weeks now and the other vegetables are growing nicely. I enjoy the Russian kale with a sprinkle of flavoured balsamic vinegar.
Presently I am using a blueberry variety. A few leaves are enough for my husband and I. In the fall, I will blanch and freeze what remains. We usually have enough kale until mid winter.
There are savings with growing these vegetables even taking the cost of the starter plants into account. For example, a three pack of peppers here is $6 or $7 this time of year and doesn’t decrease much as the season progresses.
In another month most of the other vegetables will be ready for harvesting. If we have a bumper crop of tomatoes again, I will can some as I have in the past, making tomato jam, marinade or pizza sauce or just bottles of tomatoes. Knowing what is in your food is a huge bonus.
Besides there is nothing better than produce which goes from the garden to the table in minutes. It doesn’t get any fresher or better than that!