gldno1, you have the making for a great veggie sandwich started there.
What is the purple one called?
We had fresh cucumbers today, yum.
Look's really great, Keep cool trying to get all that put up.
Bonnie

Those are great looking veggies! I plan to plant more vegetables next year.

I can taste those tomatoes. How do you cook your little eggplant? I bought some at the farmer's market today.

nice haul. is that lemon boy tomato? looks like prosperosa eggplant and a couple purple/black tomatoes. what variety of cuke is that?

william

the eggplant is Prosperosa. My first eggplant ever and we love it. I have a grill pan and just douse them with Olive oil and salt and pepper and grill. I sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on them just before serving. I think they taste a bit like fried green tomatoes.
The gold tomato is Mt. Gold and the cuc is a picking variety, the name escapes me. The dark tomato is the Black Pineapple. So far, it isn't producing much. The main crop is Granny Cantrell and Pink Brandywine.

I need to dig potatoes next.

Congradulations on your crop! This was the first year we have had enough of anything to can...moved here from the city with no veggie garden experience.
Sunday, my family made an assenbly line and canned tomatoes for the very first time! It was quite a messy, but fun experience. Feels good to know that if my 18 yr. old son, ever needs or just wants to save money for his family someday, he will know how.
We are also hopeing to have a larger garden next year.
I'd like to some day be able to say, "If we didn't grow it, we don't eat it." LOL If we said that now, we would be living on tomatoes, cucumber, and squash. Wounder how large a garden it would take to can enough for all winter too? Guess it's still a dream for now.
My DH bought packages to pickle some of our cucumbers. IF we have enough left after my cucumber salids, and cucumber sandwitches. (They have tasted so good during this hot weather!) That sounds like yet another adventure is in store for us!

nashonii, I like your some day plan. We are almost there. Now, if DH would just let me get a milk cow, I would be pretty much set.

How many people in your family should decide how big your garden needs to be. You can grow lots of stuff in a 40 foot square plot.

You have to be careful about this gardening thing. My husband and I raised our four children on home grown vegetables and apples. They didn't like working in the garden much, and said when they got grown they would just buy from the store. BUT....Now that they are grown they say the stuff from the store tastes like cardboard, and please Mom and Dad, can't you raise a bit extra for us. Then the grandkids come along and get hooked on Candy Corn and Sweet Million tomatoes, and well, you can find yourselves in your mid 60's growing MORE than you did when the kids were all at home. But I haven't bought an ear of sweet corn for almost 40 years, or broccoli or green beans or Okra. ANd only buy potatoes from Jan to May. If everybody with a plot of ground raised enough tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to eat and share, think how many trucks wouldn't be burning fuel hauling them cross country. It's a dream that enough gardeners could make a reality. Dorothy

Dorothy - Your kids and grandkids are very fortunate that you grow extras for them. I'm sure you'll have at least one grandkid whose dream it is to have a garden like Grandma's someday.
Gld - Your veggies look wonderful! Sounds so healthy to grill instead of fry. What kind of grill pan do you have? I was looking at those at Wal-Mart awhile back but not sure I can use them on my new range. I have a glass-top electric range now and there are some limits on what you're supposed to use with it.

christie, I splurged a few years ago and bought a set of All-Clad and the grill plan came "free" with it. It is non-stick and has the ridges but the bottom is pretty smooth. I think it would work on a smooth surface, but don't really know.

Actually, it seems the same as frying to me. I douse with Olive oil and then grill. I have also done the egg plants just in the skillet with oo. I think as long as you use a helathy oil, it is ok.

Maybe a skillet would work just as well then. I went out and bought olive oil when that 120 (or something like that) year old lady said her secret to long life was drinking olive oil every day. I don't think I could stand to put it in a glass and drink it like she did but I thought I ought to at least cook with it.

I use olive oil for all cooking. When heated, it doesn't have the olive flavor that I really don't care for. I won't be drinking it either!

Extra virgin oil has the most health benefits.