Summer Garden Notes, July 24, 2015

Still pulling up everything in the garden and putting them up.  Today I froze some of the carrots -- these are those Cosmic Purple.  They have such pretty color!

 These were blanched and frozen in one cup portions.  I'll use these to add color to pasta dishes and stir fry this winter.

 Next up, all this okra.  These are the Beck's Big Buck okra that I got from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  They are so pretty when they are sliced up.  I'm freezing these for fried okra, my husbands favorite way to eat okra.  Later I'll put up a few bags plain for using in gumbo, another dish he really likes.

I'll detail how I freeze these for my girls (Colleen and Ashley, this is for you!) in case they ever want to raise okra in the future. Ha! Well, you never know!

I don't blanch these, just cut them in slices then dredge with an egg/milk wash.  I use a pasta utensil to stir these around and then drain a bit, then transfer to the cornmeal.  Works like a charm!  This was 3 eggs, about 1/2 cup milk, some salt, pepper and garlic powder.

 Meanwhile, put about 2 cups of corn meal in a bowl, salt, pepper and about a tablespoon of Tony Chachere's seasoning.  Gives the fried okra a little kick! Spoon the wet okra on top of the cornmeal mix and stir around until they are all coated.  Then into a bag to freeze.

I'll just pull these out when we're ready to eat and fry them up.  These are a favorite in our house!

I did finish pulling up all of the cow peas today, finally.  They are all in the house and waiting for me to shell them.  Almost done with this project.

 Blue Goose Cow peas

I'm still finding sunflowers breaking through -- I just love these cheerful flowers.

 And here is another of the basket gourds -- different shape then the others.  This one looks more like a vase, doesn't it?

There are a couple of things I'm leaving in the ground to continue through the fall garden -- a couple of tomato plants and all of the peppers.  I'll be cutting them back in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, I'm in the planning stages for the fall garden.  Fun, fun, fun!

I’m having a problem with commenting on Blogger…so please excuse me for not replying to your comments.  I am reading them!!  Hopefully I can get this solved as soon as I can get some professional help (family members who are more tech-savy then I.)