Summertime

We're having a wonderful summer so far. The weather has been sunshine and breezy with the exception of a few days in July that were unbelievably hot and humid. That week I worked 3 days and simply couldn't face another night. I was on afternoon shift and called in sick the rest of the week. There are limits to what I can endure clearly.

So because the weather has been so glorious, our garden has exploded this year. I thought I'd post a few pics of all the abundance.

 This one is just what I collected this morning. There are regular tomatoes, yellow pear shaped cherry tomatoes, regular cherry tomatoes and peppers.

 The apple tree is heavily laden with yummy apples. They are sweet and crisp. I don't know what type they are but they're really tasty.

My cucumber plant currently only has one growing on it but I hope for more.

 This is one of the zucchini. I brought this in sliced it and made a casserole of it with layers of mushrooms and onions and topped with olive oil and cheddar cheese. Even hubby raved about it and took some for lunch the next day! Win!

This pear tree has loads more on it than last year and apparently will be ripe to eat in September. They are currently purple. I'm not sure if this is their color or if it will change.

I bought 6 pepper plants thinking I got different kinds but I think someone made a mistake with the little tags they put in the planters. Most seem to be green although this one is clearly going to be a red one.

 Loads of green peppers and they are yummy!

 Plums, although again, I'm not sure what type. There are more further up but this is the only one I could get a close up of. I think we need to trim the crab apple tree that overhangs and then maybe we'd get more fruit.

 My rose bush when it was in full bloom a few weeks ago. My aim next year is to make sure ti blooms all summer thanks to the tips I received from a friend.

Two more zucchini growing.

A friend at work has given me tips on what to grow and what can be frozen. I always thought you had to blanch tomatoes before freezing but she said not to bother cos the skin comes off when you defrost anyway. I can't wait to make pasta sauce using fresh garden tomatoes in January!

She's definitely right about there being no comparison between store bought veggies and those grown in your own garden! They even smell better, more fragrant and tempting. The first tomato I tried was an explosion of taste. Hub and I shared it right down to the last seed!