Dirt --> Food

This past spring we were pleasantly surprised to find out we'd been able to nab a plot in the community garden we used to live near. The days when we stepped outside our back door and into an urban farming paradise are over, but we can still have a plot over there and (sadly) drive there from the southeast side of our city instead.

A bystander

Our first harvest: a radish

Garden picnic, one of maybe four we had this summer

The plan was to have a family garden night where we would all meet there after Jono got off work, have a picnic supper and weed for awhile. That did happen a handful of times, but it was bloody hot this year, and for the most part Jono found himself running over there at dusk after the boys were in bed to keep up with the bumper tomato, pepper and squash harvest we received.

Jude picks the first carrots to come ripe

Some of the of grape tomatoes we planted (too many)

Theo polished these off single-handedly as baby food

We canned salsa together, and Jono outdid himself canning marinara sauce, tomato sauce and tomato juice to take care of the excess. I made two huge batches of curried squash soup (from that cookbook you gave me, Ant B!) and froze it in old apple sauce jars. We pawned veggies off on anyone who stopped by. In the end we successfully let almost nothing go to waste, and we feel pretty good about how it went.

Hot peppers for the salsa, mostly grown by Jono's dad and Jan

A cauldron of bubbling, spicy goodness

Grape tomatoes in the process of becoming tomato sauce

Curried Squash Soup

Maybe fewer tomatoes next year. And less squash. And only one cucumber plant, not four. And perhaps potatoes, more carrots, green beans and garlic. (I'll take this list off-line now.)

In case you're interested, here's the curried squash soup recipe I used, from my "Pumpkins and Squash" cookbook (by Kathleen Stang).

4T butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cans chicken broth (or one box)
4 cups sliced crookneck or other summer squash
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream for serving
1/4 cup toasted almonds or pistachios chopped for serving

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for ten minutes or until golden brown. Stir in garam masala and curry powder and cook one minute more. Stir in the broth, add the squash, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for ten minutes or until squash is tender. Transfer 1/3 of soup to blender and purée until smooth. Repeat twice with remaining soup. If necessary, reheat soup.

Serve hot with a dollop of plain yogurt and a sprinkle of nuts (or chives, to make it look fancy).

Yum.