garden update

the garden is in full late summer (cry) functioning mode. the veggies are out of control (so are the weeds) the flowers are waist high, and i find something ripe for the picking every time. while i’m sad to see summer on her way out ( our what is supposed to be, it’s going to be 95 here again) i love this time of year in the garden. this morning i picked a huge bouquet of zinnias, sunflowers, amaranth for the office and the night before i brought in ( and canned) 5lbs of jalapenos and 20lbs of tomatoes.

i have been canning like crazy this summer because last year i was so busy moving in to the house and with work that i didn’t bust out the equipment not once. this year i’ve been pickling and canning like the apocalypse is coming.   one of my absolute favorite (and easiest) recipe for canning tomatoes is this tomato jam recipe by the blog “food in jars” you don’t even have to peel or seed your tomatoes you just chop em up and toss them in. it makes this sweet and spicy jam (think pepper jelly) that is an awesome replacement for ketchup. i love throwing it over goat cheese with crackers or toasted bread or on a burger with bacon and white cheddar. ok now i’m drooling. excuse me.

anyway. you’ll notice that around the garden there is also a bounty of weeds. you know i go section by section pulling them out. it’s kind of madness because more pop up and grow back. i’ve adopted the “only the strong survive” theory in my garden. there has been a few lessons around here. weeds. for example. only the strongest and most determined flowers are going to pop up amongst the sea of weeds. the weeds are going to try and choke the flowers out and steal their nutrients and stifle them and sure some of the budding flowers are going to let that happen to them but the strongest flowers (or vegetables) are going to make it to the top. SUCH an important lesson in this creative industry (and any industry for that matter). my goal and each time i go out to the garden it gets reinforced is to be a flower that makes it above the weeds.

woah that just got deep. happy thursday!