State of the Garden 2022

It's been kind of a medium garden harvest year. We have enjoyed quite a few green beans, a good amount of tomatoes, lots of raspberries, a moderate number of peaches (one tree produced a small number of very large peaches), some potatoes, some corn, some cantaloupe, and plenty of cucumbers plus a few onions. The watermelon I planted was kind of a bust--too many seeds and the first one I picked way too early. The Japanese eggplant I planted has been a pleasant surprise and a low maintenance plant.

The squash and zucchini fell victim to some kind of plant disease so we didn't get very many of those.--not like last year's crop where we had so many we didn't know what to do with all of them.

I've done a better job of cooking with my vegetables. I liked the Roma tomatoes I planted and have dried, canned, and frozen some. I also made a new recipe I got from YouTube: 2.5 lbs. chopped up tomatoes (in the food processor), 1/2 c. olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, some salt. Brown the garlic, then cook the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Add a large bunch of chopped basil to the cooked sauce, then serve on noodles, bread, etc. I also made some ratatouille which tasted pretty good.

I haven't been very creative with the green beans but I did freeze some. We also froze a little corn. And I've shared some produce with friends and family members.

Next year I think I want to plant a bigger garden and preserve more produce but I will have to be ready for the work involved with that, so I'm still thinking about that.

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Our Cousin Drew

This last week, my brother and his wife lost a very precious son, just 13 years old. He collapsed while running with a cross-country team and passed away before he could be revived. Everyone that knew Drew is broken-hearted at this loss. He was the happiest, most agreeable kid we knew. I remember him being at my house without anyone close to his age to hang out with, so he found our Duplo blocks and started building even though it is a toy that boys his age don't usually enjoy. He was so content. He didn't complain that I ever remember. His mother always called him the perfect child. He will leave a big hole in not only his immediate family but our extended family as well. Here is a poem my aunt shared that seems fitting: Leave Taking How I would have liked to wave goodbye and watch until you turned and smiled and disappeared on the horizon. You who taught me to dance and let me teach you, who laughed at my stories and winked at me when I was sad. I can just see you trav

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