Learning to Garden

Gardening

My mom has always been the best gardener I know, but the last few years she has just run out of time to manage her big gardens in her yard.  She has kept up her pots around and in the house but her gardens have suffered.  I miss the gardens I remember when I was a kid and I have never been able to garden like her, although I have tried.  (I kill all flowers!)  I have tried, Lord help me I have tried.  But it is just never the same.  Plus I live in Montana.  I don't know if you have ever been here but it is what my friend calls 'extreme gardening'!  Washington has a little better climate for growing, oh, I don't know, WHATEVER YOU WANT!  So, alas, I continue to try but it is never with the outcome I hope for...

 I wanted to show you a couple pics of her garden, that grows without her even trying, but alas, when my computer crashed the pics went with it.  They are on my external hard drive but I have yet to get around to pulling things off it.

Son instead...

here is my failed attempt at raspberries...

 ... at lavender

Even my house plants suffer.  They try hard though.  To the lefts is a vine I have had for several years with an ornamental pepper I got from a friend this year.  (I wanted to fill the pot a bit more)

And to the right is my husbands lemon tree.  A few weeks ago it started dropping all its leaves.  Scared me a little but miraculously it has made it back, but my husband took over care again.




Here is my vegetable garden.

I have had pretty good luck with my veggies the last few years, here is my garden this year so far.  We continue to expand every year!  Most of what I can grow in my vegetable garden is fall plants, squash, zucchini, corn, you know.  I can also grow tomatoes here, I think because it is so hot at times, and potatoes.

I had a volunteer Hosta plant in this bed this year, I tried to take care of it, but being volunteer, it kind of picked me, it seems to be happy this year, we will see how it goes...









But I have always wanted to have a nice flower garden.



Finally this year I discovered bulbs...

Have you ever grown bulbs, they are fabulous!  You put them in the ground in the fall (or late spring if you are like me) and they come up every year for you, plus they multiply!  I just seem to have a hard time figuring out what flowers like what.  Like how much sun and how hot and so on and so forth.  

Now I know these look pretty sad right now but they are working hard at salvaging whatever I have done to them, they are also bulbs.  I didn't plant them till summer so they wont flower until next year but I think they will be happy.












Suculents:




Now for the succulents.  These are another plant that I have had good luck with this year.  I have found that they are far less picky about being watered and such...






So I am learning, slowly but surely!  I try to pick up on some great tips from my mother here and there but I just cant seem to retain all of what she says.

Do you have a flower garden?  Do you have one particular plant that you just love to grow?  Do you have one plant in particular that you just can't grow no matter how hard you try?  Do you live in a place difficult to grow plants?

What are your great gardening tips?
I would love to know!

Happy gardening all (and good luck!),
-Sarah


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Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups

The First Rouge Zucchini From the Garden

I dont know if you have ever grown Zucchini in your garden but but if you have you know that there is always that one that gets away from you.  One Zucchini that appears out of no where and is HUGE!  So what do you do with it?

I have always gone with the old standby, zucchini bread.  Similar to banana bread.  It is moist and has all the fall flavors but I wanted to try something new this year.  How about slicing it like noodles and making lasagna with it!  I was super excited to try this and I am glad to say it turned out FABULOUS!

Here is what you need to do it too!

Zucchini Lasagna

1 oversized Zucchini

cheese of some kind (I used cheddar and Parmesan)

cottage or Ricotta Cheese

ground meat of your choice

onion

garlic

italian seasoning

1 small can tomato paste

1 can black olives

This is just what I used in mine.  This is really a 'use whatever you have in your pantry' kind of dinner.  I didn't have ricotta so I used cottage cheese, and I didn't have mozzarella so I used cheddar.   You know, since you never know when you are going to get a rouge zucchini.

1st slice your zucchini with a mandolin (or thinly with a knife.)












Brown the ground meat
cook onion and garlic with your ground meat

 When the meat is brown add the black olives and tomato paste.

season to your liking (I used these, everyday seasoning, italian seasoning, salt and pepper)

Lay one slice of zucchini on a plate and place the meat mixture on top

place a couple dolups of cottage cheese on top











finish with a sprinkle of cheese

















now roll up and place in your 13x9 inch pan.

and repeat...















and repeat...






















and repeat...























and repeat...























Now place in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.














Until your finally done!  I added some parmesan to the top just because it is delicious!














And done!  A delicious healthy lasagna that you are going to love, AND it used up that GIANT zuch you had too!

Quick tip:  if you have a piece or two that the stuffing seems to fall right through, just double them up or use and outside piece to cover the middle section, this will seal it up nicely!








Happy eating!
-Sarah

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