Lima beans – a costly item to purchase at the store.

Some people like Lima beans and some don't. I'm cool with that. I happen to like the taste and the fact that eating them brings a load of natural fiber with each forkful. But, at $1.25 for a small 8.5 ounce can, I've been given pause when buying them at the local grocery. What with all sorts of grocery items going up, I make the purchase only once in a long while.

So, what to do.... Well, I guess I could just grow them myself next year. Burpee Seed offers a Fordhook Lima bean that I've successfully grown before. So, that item will go into my 'bucket list' for 2015. They will be added to bell peppers and onions, both which I grew this season and which saved me quite a bit of money at the mart as I used seed from the year before.And, yes! That is an Estes rocket in the background!

Bermuda grass is what grows in the Mid West!

My lawn was a bit over grown and the Bermuda grass had sent seed heads up all over the place! I was going to let it go to seed, but then remembered the following:

Close up of a seed

Bermuda grass makes for a nice home lawn because it can tolerate a very low mowing height, which is also a reason it is widely used on golf courses in the South. It spreads by both stolons and rhizomes, which helps it to form a thick, dense turf. It is usually found in the south, but may grow as far north as Kansas City. Its maintenance requirements (fertilizing, watering, mowing) are high.

• Width: 1/8" wide
• Tip/blade: sharp point
• Color: deep green
• Growth: forms a dense, close-cut, high-quality turf
• Additional: most popular lawn grass in the central US. Rough along the edges. Has a distinctive, 3- to 5-fingered seed head.
  

Therefor, I don't have to worry too much as this grass will spread, just fine, on its own! Time to get that lawn mower out!

A hot summer day makes perfect basil drying wx!

On a late July day when the temperature was expected to be in the nineties under a sunny sky, I thought it would be a good idea to dry some basil!

Earlier in the spring, I started basil form seed in an improvised cherry tomato container! The basil grew quickly and before long, I was able to transfer some to a spot in a cold frame out in the front yard! That was in April and now in late July my three or four plants are being harvested and dried in the sun!

By the end of the season, sometime in August, I will have enough dried basil to meet my culinary needs all winter long!

Tomatoes coming on strong!

I harvested a decent tomato on July 8^th. It measured about three inches in diameter and weighed seven ounces! So, while it was by no means a Whopper, it still worked nicely as a welcome addition for a hamburger I cooked on the grill! Sorry, I have no idea as to the variety...

Early Cucumber and garlic harvest!

I know that it's still spring, but already I've harvested my very first cucumber of the 2014 season along with a couple of garlic cloves. That's the kind of year it's been – everything has matured early on.

The cucumber was grown in a pot using Miracle Gro potting mix. It's a burp-less variety I got earlier in the year at a nursery as a small start. There is a twin plant growing in a small raised bed, but so far lots of flowers with no cukes!

Of note is the fact that the temperatures for June have averaged a full seven degrees above normal! So, the added heat may have contributed to early crops like cucumbers while other crops like my lettuce have tended to bolt!

The tomato crop continues to look promising – they do love the heat don't ya know. And, with the plentiful rain we been getting, I haven't had to worry very much about them getting enough water.Interestingly, the problems I normally have with insects and worms are pretty much a non issue thus far. Nor have the deer been a problem! I;ll just keep crossing my fingers as the season moves on forward.

Garden looking good in spite of near miss!

OK, it's June the 8^th and asteroid 2014 HQ124 termed by some astronomers, 'The Beast', has apparently missed smacking in the earth! (At least on this go around). Somewhat disturbing to contemplate, On average, an object about the size of 2014 HQ124 will pass this close to Earth every few years! Should we be worried? Why no! Obama says he's on top of it! I'm totally serial on that...

There's also no sign of those dreaded Japanese beetles that normally emerge from the ground every year about this time! I'm sure I won't miss them if they were, in fact, killed by the last hard winter. In point of fact and in spite of the rather wet weather, there hasn't been much in the way of pest damage so far. I'm looking forward now to decent harvests of onions, tomatoes and peppers!

A kicked up beef stir fry party prepared in almost no time!

by DanO

For me, a really great beef stir fry consists of just a few basic ingredients. Those would include; steak cut into strips, sliced bell pepper, sliced onion and maybe a few stimulating aromatics including; a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce with maybe a dash of dried oregano and Rosemary. (The items in green are all growing in my raised beds and will be available for summer and fall enjoyment).

But, today Ive managed to get my big boy pants on, and this breakfast soirée is about to get much more interesting!

Please, everyone, welcome the new party crashers:

1 tbsp sliced mushrooms

2 tbsp diced cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp pineapple chunks

All, of which, is served on a bed of rice! [Man, this could get really interesting]! Is anyone hungry yet?

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Note: For those of you who haven't tried a beef stir fry like this, it's actually easy and very fast to prepare – (especially if you had the foresight to get most of the ingredients prepared the day before). Then, come breakfast time, it's really a simple dump and cook meal-deal! (I've actually cooked this meal and prepared a slice of toast in about the same amount of time)! Trust me....

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Preparing the instant rice was perhaps the most time intensive aspect of the entire preparation. After that, I just heated up some olive oil in a small frying pan and dumped in the meat, veggies and herbs – in just a few minutes it was set to hit the table! Note that I've limited my beef intake for this dish to just 60 grams! Please, give this one a try!